Faithful companion

The Sweetness of Dogs
- by Mary Oliver

What do you say Percy? I am thinking

of sitting out on the sand to watch

the moon rise. It's full tonight moon.

So we go

And the moon rises, so beautiful it

makes me shudder, makes me think about

time and space, makes me take

measure of myself; one iota

pondering heaven. Thus we sit,

I thinking how grateful I am for the moon’s

perfect beauty and also, oh! how rich

it is to love the world. Percy, meanwhile,

leans against me and gazes up into

my face, as though I were

his perfect moon.



That poem makes me miss our lovely dogs, now long gone. Max knew them, but not Madame, she would not approve.

"Dog
Nowadays when one sees a carved dog in a cemetery it is probably homage to a beloved pet. but the virtues or fidelity, loyalty, vigilance and watchfulness have always been symbolized by man's best friend.
The dog has often been associated with funerary art and the afterlife.."

quote from...
~Stories in Stone,
A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography,
Written & photographed by Douglas Keister ~ a gift to me from DDW.

Our friend J made it safely to Ohio and sounded strong in a call this morning to her sister in law. Fingers crossed for steady progress. Many thanks for all the good thoughts, please keep them coming.


For the Record,
This day came in cloudy and cool with showers and sun. We're heading for a three day Nor'easter, starting tonight.

All hands improving