Day 669
There are times when I look at Miss Lilly and KNOW there is a vast amount of brain activity going on in that furry head! I also believe she has a sense of humor...if that is possible. When we are out on a visit and something ludicrous happens, she will look me in the eye as if to say, "If you start laughing, I won't be able to hold my own laughter in!." so I keep a straight face around that girl!
Today, we ran the gambit from humorous to heart-melting with our Champlin seniors. We were on our own for the first part of the visit, so we headed into Memory Care. Typically, we have our dear Activities Director at our side, so today, we punted. The first encounter was with a "newbie" who longs to escape. We had a nice interaction that led to a hushed conference on how we were going to help her "break out" of this place! We assured her that the day would get better and, after making certain she was more accepting, we headed down the hall. Glancing behind us, Lilly and I realized she was in 'Hot Pursuit!" After all, the two of us got in, perhaps nobody would notice a trio exiting! Lilly looked at me as if to say, "Don't even smile! If you do, I will be on the floor laughing!"
Picking up our pace, we headed down to the end of the hall where one of our favorites was wheeling around by the windows. After greeting Bob, we asked how his morning was going so far. He shared that he had wheeled himself down to the beautiful bay to see what was going on in the world outside. Sweet man...he added that he didn't know WHY he needed to know, but he was glad we had found him! By now, our Hopeful Escapee had caught up, so we offered a bit of furry love and headed down another hall. Glancing back, our 'Break Out Girl' was still tracking us!
Knocking on our Saferoom Door (a huge fan of Lilly's), we heard a lock released and a wise eye peered through the crack. "Oh! It's YOU!" Glancing furtively down the hallway and seeing the approaching wheelchair, she added, "QUICK!" We ducked in and heard a rather ominous click of the lock behind us! This friend had trained Dobermans for the Coast Guard and often shares some her favorite "Killer Poses" when we visit. She believes her "Spirit Animal" is the hippopotamus and, positioning herself between the two of us and the locked door asked me if I was a bit nervous to be in the presence of such danger. I assured her that I believed she would never hurt a fellow animal-lover and, after a pause, she responded with, "Good Answer!" Lilly all but raised her eyebrows at this point! When commanded to SIT, both Lilly and I sat and began our visit.
After a bit, there was another knock on the door (our beloved Activities Director on the hunt for us) and our hostess stood, moved toward the door and stopped. Locking eyes with me she barked, "Don't you go anywhere!" As soon as she moved to unlock the door, Lilly stood up, seemed to wink at me and let me know it was time to escape! We did!
Out of our locked unit, we headed over to the independent living section where we have many beloved residents. One of our favorites had her family visiting and they had requested to meet Lilly, having heard so much about our girl. She went in and charmed them all!
There were others who touched our hearts with their appreciation and love for Lilly. Stroking her soft fur, they always get this far-away look in their eyes and begin to tell stories of dogs they have loved. Lilly just puts her head in their lap and looks like she is enjoying every word...perhaps she is. Of all our Goldens, Miss Lilly seems to understand and have empathy in every situation. If she were a human, I would want to be her close friend. High praise for a dog. On the other hand, I certainly hope she would look at me as a deserving friend! Oh! How I wish she could talk...but then she doesn't really need words to communicate.
