August started out happily with dogs, dogs, dogs as we had our first ever NY picnic on the 1st. While we only had 8 people and 7 dogs, we all had so much fun we want to do it again in the fall. And one of my former fosters,
Arley the Adorable,
was driven down all the way from CT for the event, so we were a two-state picnic! The site was Thomas Bull Park, about half an hour from us, which has a great dog park, beautiful lake, lots of picnic tables, and much more that we didn't even see, like an arboretum and children's park. And for once it wasn't raining! Foster moms Lynn and Tracey not only brought their 4 Britts (Chilly, Pepper,
Brittie and Thurman -and they have several more dogs at home!), but also tons of delicious food, chairs, canopy, and almost anything else that was needed. They were the force behind this get together, and we are all so grateful to them. My new heroes, they just keep taking whatever dog needs a place, no matter what the problem, and are so calm about things that would send me around the bend - like occasional puddles of pee, dogs that weigh over 50 lbs. needing to be carried up stairs, and friends staying with them (they wrote casually) while they looked for a place of their own, bringing their Rhodesian Ridgeback and a Husky. I guess I am really wimpy, one small Brittany at a time is my limit.Rustyand Pepper (Pepper is the senior lady with the barette) are both senior dogs, at least 15 years old,
and Pepper has a heart condition as well as some other health issues. I just hope we can all age as gracefully as they are doing, because of the wonderful care of their "parents". Brittie and Arley, my former fosters, were a special delight to see, so happy and beloved in their forever homes. Brittie dressed up for the event (special home made ruffled collar in photo) and Arley, ever thoughtful, brought me a miniature rose plant. It was the happiest day I've had in months! Thurman is another special needs permanent foster for Lynn and Tracey,and Chilly
,shown smiling right at the camera, is the tiny (25 lb) Britt that started them on their Brittany journey, and Ruby, though officially a foster for Daniel, Tim and Rusty, is clearly "their girl" and probably will be officially adopted at some point as Rusty was (he was a foster of Daniel's for over 2 years).
We, alas, are temporarily dogless, but I had such fun with the dogs I almost didn't miss having one of my own to drive home with. We hope to get another foster at the end of August when we get back from our planned trip to my family, to celebrate Mom's 90th birthday. Amazing woman that she is, she still seems younger than I, still goes into the health club three times a week, and the one time I went with her, outperformed me on every machine. So perhaps my next posting will include actual people at the birthday party...
The obligatory garden report is pretty brief: rained out for over a month, all the marigold seeds apparently rotted in the ground, we had not one come up in any of the terraces. However, the coneflowers and beragmot are at least a foot taller than last year, and the hydrangea, living up to the "hydra" part of its name, is very happy.
