Day 7

5/18/22

Today was a great day! Ranger and I had such a nice visit with the residents at our neighborhood senior complex! These folks have SO very much to share...wisdom, humor, strength and kindness to name a few gifts! We even were able to sit and help with a jigsaw puzzle while visiting with a charming lady! I am pretty sure our hearts are warmed even more than their hearts when we visit.

Later, I was walking down by the river with Gus. That jaunt brought back so many memories from my childhood. Due to storms upstream, the river was running high and the water spilled over its banks. It didn't reach our path, but it was an amazing show of the power water can have as it flowed quickly along. Even the ducks were speeding down the river as if they had an outboard motor attached!

When I was a little girl, that same river would flood two city blocks from its natural banks. The poor residents who lived on the river had a horrible clean up almost every year. I remember walking down a block from our house with my father to take a look at the flooding. Clearly, in my mind, I can see us holding hands as the water lapped up the hill towards our house. Now, we lived (and still live) about as high up on a hill as you can get. When my concern grew, I asked my dad if we needed to worry about our home. He smiled and responded with, "If the river gets that high, I better start building an ark." His words calmed my fears and holding his hand made my world safe. He always made me feel safe...

Gus couldn't quite understand how his meanderings ( or crazy jumping, running and general zooming ) were curtailed today due to the encroaching waters. He really was quite disturbed. I wished I could hold his paw and tell him all will be well. However, it didn't take him long to forget the flooding and off he trotted on a new endeavor. Maybe my presence was enough to make him feel safe...just like my father. I'd like to think so.