Day 19: Houseguest

Sophie and I got up for our usual morning walk this morning only to be interrupted by a thunder storm. Sophie can handle almost anything, but thunder is the thing that scares her most, so we decided to turn around and head home. But before we turned around, Rufus, one of the neighborhood dogs, came running out from the forest because he didn't like the thunder either. The thing about Rufus is that he doesn't have an owner. His owners lived in this neighborhood eight or ten years back, and when they moved, they just left him to fend for himself. It just breaks my heart because he's such a sweet dog.

To give Rufus a little shelter, I opened the garage up so that he would have a place where he could take cover. But as I was bringing Sophie into the actual house, Rufus edged past me into the library. He went right over to the floor in front of my couch and made himself at home. I didn't have the heart to kick him back out.

So Rufus stayed through the storm. He was a surprisingly good house guest. For a dog that hasn't had a home for quite a few years, he got the rules rather nicely. As long as I was fussing over him, he was fine. And as long as my parents fussed over Sophie, she didn't seem to mind sharing her house.

Today, I am grateful:

• that Rufus felt comfortable enough with us that he busted his way inside. I feel so bad that he doesn't have a home, and I'm glad we could take care of him, even for a little while.
• for my Costco snack mix. The weight-consciousness has come back, and it's nice to have some munchies. Hopefully it will help me avoid more drastic measures.
• that I could go back to bed after Rufus left. I didn't realize how much the trip to Philly had taken out of me.
• for PhotoShop. I've been playing around with photos since I got back.
• that our neighbor's health scare wasn't something serious. She's the nicest woman, and I'm glad that all the tests came back negative. Cancer scares are never fun.