The contrast between RG's behavior to these four people, and two dogs, as opposed to the two people and one dog he rejected two weeks ago (barking and becoming a completely different dog than the one I had lived with for two months), couldn't have been stronger. From the minute they arrived, Rusty Glenn was his usual happy, loving self to everyone, even the puppy (and we seniors know how annoying puppies can be!). He was happy to let everyone pet him, walk him, and made it very clear that this group was just fine with him. Best of all, he got in their car eagerly, curled up on his bed (thanks again to "auntie" Jeanette) with his Brittany buddy Carmen by his side, and off they went. Brian swears that as they walked out to the car, Rusty Glenn looked back right at Brian and barked "thank you" - and I believe him!
I spoke to Margaret that night, as they were staying overnight in New Jersey with the family before heading out for the long trek back to Charlotte, North Carolina. He certainly is a well-traveled boy, as this trip will be yet another 1200 miles. RG was perfect on the short drive to Carmen's house(about 2 1/2 hours), made himself right at home when they got out, and he, Carmen and little Molly actually played together for quite a while in the yard. When Margaret called, all three were snoozing at her feet. Carmen and Rusty Glenn amused the entire family by chasing each other around the dining room table after dinner - those Brits know how to have fun together! I was delighted to see Carm again after almost two years, and surprised at how small she looked next to Rusty Glenn. I had always thought of him as a "little boy", and compared to my dear departed Saul he is, but Carm is at least three or four inches shorter. I guess she loomed much larger in my memory than in real life.
This is a very loving family, and just as important, Russ, who will be the main man in RG's life, really knows just how to handle him. He was so very gentle, yet firm, and RG took to him right away.
I will have another call from them when they are all home, and they did promise they would keep in touch. Wanda also took lots of digital photos, so hopefully I'll have some of those to show off soon. I was so focused on making sure all went well, and processing the paperwork, and getting all of RG's stuff together, I never even got my camera out.
It was as I expected, a bit sad this morning when no cold doggie nose woke me up, but I am completely satisfied that Rusty Glenn has found the perfect home, where he'll be loved and taken care of for the rest of his life. And of course there are always more dogs waiting, for foster homes as well as forever ones. We won't be dogless long.
In other news (and the only other news I have), the garden continues to surprise. The peonies were just spectacular this year, as they apparently LOVE the dampness (unlike me)and I had a hard time picking just which of the many many photos to share with you. The coneflowers also look great, are tall and just starting to bloom, as are the black-eyed Susans. But unfortunately not all of my green buddies are happy. 
For the first time since I gathered "Mom and Dad" marigold seeds, I have virtually no crop. We put out hundreds, if not thousands, of seed late May and early June, but the incessant rains have (I think) just rotted them in the ground, as we have entire terraces with not one single marigold. The same for the sunflower seeds my friend Frances sent from her Santa Barbara garden - planted, watched, but alas, not one single sprout. Our vegetable garden is surviving, but the two kinds of basil we put in six weeks ago are just as they were then. They haven't died, but also haven't grown - no sun! The tomato plants are a bit bigger, but they too are not as I would expect by now. They did set some flowers, but those all dropped off in the wet weather without ever forming a single tomato. The pepper plants are like the basil, there but unchanged from their planting height.
The poor eggplant are really struggling, and I empathize with them. Yellow leaves and droopy stems are not much fun, and in just a few days it will be July. I guess all I can do at this point is hope for a sunny month! Of course the hydrangea, aptly named, is flourishing as well as the peonies did - last year, in more normal cycles, we watered it almost every other day. As for the lilies, we might never know. Two does with fawns appeared a week ago, and as the rains washed away the granules and spray that discourages them from munching, they spent most of one night delicately eating off almost all of the flower buds. Apparently no one has instructed them about sharing! The fawns are as cute as ever, but really, can't they all just eat weeds and leave the tenderly planted things alone (not in this world!)?
So the garden continues to instruct me in patience and the inevitability of unpredictability, and the dogs teach me resilience and hope. Now if I can be as good a student as my teachers, I'll make some real progress.
