Sometimes Joy Comes In The Late Afternoon

Yesterday I posted a happy Easter blip, and I still believe that the blip was worth posting. It was real: the joy on the children's faces, the excitement of the egg hunt, the beauty of my cousin's house, the color and light of spring's renewal. But I left something out.

I left out that all weekend my old dog, Music, was very ill, not eating, unable to keep anything in his stomach. All weekend I worried about the possibility of dehydration. I participated in the family Easter celebration with my heart down the road with Music. I walked back home to check on him between the egg hunt and dinner, and I left as soon as dinner was over to see that he drank a little water and went outside for a bit. Three mornings in a row, I came downstairs to find evidence of his intestinal troubles all over the studio floor. This morning I cried all the way to the vet, afraid he would not come home again.

But he did... And after an antibiotic shot, and napping through most of the day, he ate a few bites of turkey with some enthusiasm and was ready for a walk by late afternoon. He was slow but unhesitant in his amble over the familiar terrain, and Pearl and I allowed him to set the pace. Our slow progress may have been the reason that the rabbit grazing by the side of the road did not alarm and flee into the underbrush. For whatever reason I was able to take a few pictures while Music and Pearl slipped by me. I felt so happy to be in a place where wild rabbits are safe to graze as the sun drops low...happy to still have both of my animal companions sharing my life. I think maybe my Easter bunny came a day late.