Puppy Love

I know I have been out of here for a few days, but with very good reason. Last Thursday, the family, our old boy Cal who is thirteen (you may remember the sad pictures at Christmas when we removed his manhood) and I headed to Virginia. Because on Friday, we picked up this adorable little guy. Wilbur Goldenbear (Wilbear for short) and we are absolutely in love.

We'd been headed on the puppy route for a while. Three years ago, we lost Cal's half brother Beauregard to lymphosarcoma. And though we had intended to wait a bit before getting a puppy, we weren't thinking three years. In any case, we now have Wilbur, and we are all just ecstatic. Especially since he slept through the night last night. I admit, though, I haven't been on night duty, DH has, because I returned from Virginia with a raging sinus infection that will not go away. You would think a z-pack would do the trick, but I'm on day three and not a ton of relief yet. The Nyquil is a blessing, though.

I wanted to share part of our trip with you. We got Wilbur from the same farm as Cal, Gap View Ranch and Kennel in Broadway, VA. They have spectacular goldens there and the reason we went back was two-fold. One, we know the breeder, and we know the quality of his pups, and in fact, this pups great-great grandfather is Cal's dad. Very cool. (Not to mention that Cal's dad was bred to Sugar Bear in his lineage . . . ah, kismet.) Two, for some reason, we had real difficulty locating a red field dog golden here in CT. Wilbur may not be quite as dark as Cal, but he will definitely not be a big 'ol blonde.

Broadway, VA is located just north of Harrisonburg where I went to school. It's about 10 minutes from the West Virginia line and one of the most beautiful parts of the Shenandoah Valley. When I spoke of Virginia Tech earlier in the week, what I was talking about really proved itself out on our journey. As we drove West and then South in VA, there were tons of signs regarding the tragedy at VA Tech, signs giving support to anyone affected by the tragedy. Last Friday was the day that Tech asked people to wear maroon and orange in honor of those lost. And it was no more evident than everywhere we stopped in VA. At restaurants, gas stations, looking at other cars on the road, people were wearing the colors and staying strong. It reminded me of the flags and the red, white and blue we saw after 9-11.

This tragedy in VA tech affected Virginians (and Americans) on a core level. It took us out of ourselves and our daily trials and tribulations, all so minor in the grand scheme of our lives. One of the students in the French class, where so many were lost, overslept that morning and she said people kept asking her if she felt lucky. She and another young man, who also should have been in the class basically said, how could we feel lucky when we lost so many dear friends? We should all feel lucky every day that we are above ground and are able to hug our loved ones and spend time with those we care about. And those students who were blessed enough not to have been shot or killed in this tragedy, they don't need to feel lucky, they just need to know that there is a purpose for them that is perhaps greater than they realize, that they are here for a reason.

And on that note, I'm off to hug the little guy. More pictures to follow I am sure!