Two months

It's up and down, up and down.

Just before the anniversary we went to the ASCV show. I've been able to cuddle the pups, I'd cuddled Cami's little brother the week before... sweet little red tri boy who just melted in my arms. I spent a good amount of time cuddling three of Sue B's gorgeous little ones who were just on 8 weeks old as well. I had a good sook and shower after we got home but not as bad as I'd thought I might be.

This week was harder. I've been missing her horribly all week, I think part of the reason I've been resisting everyone's suggestion to look at another is that really I just want MY girl back more than anything. We went up through Black Spur and St Ronan's well on our way to Euroa... we always go the same way and I loved the trip and particularly had several favorite spots along the route. One of them is a beautiful little natural spring wishing well in the middle of the forest called St Ronan's well you can stop and get a sip of water from or toss a coin into. Verity's song came on as well which had me undone for the rest of the trip. Up through Narbethong and surrounds we went through right where the fires had ripped through. Everywhere you could see the charred remains of trees that had made up the forest on the mountains, like so many spent matches jutting from the raw rock. Unlike the first time I drove there some months ago though this time you could see regrowth all around. The trees have a funny epicormic way of doing it though. They don't just pick up where they left off. They have little tufts of renewal splotched everywhere in a mantle from base to tip, haphazard and from odd angles, damaged and inelegant, as if the tree doesn't know where to start or doesn't remember how to grow normally. Through it all the mess of the charred bark is visible underneath. The whole way up I was looking at the trees and the mountains thinking I felt rather like that.

While I was there though I got to meet and say a private thank you to a fluffy girl whose rescue reminded me that not everything goes wrong all the time though. Sometimes things go right against the odds too.