Tis the season for soft cozy beds

I had my doubts during the first couple of months we had Sofi that she would ever set foot on a soft, cushy surface. She was wary of the foam pad we gave her to sleep on, opting instead for the cool tiles. So when I ordered a bed for her, I figured Tucker might be getting a stylish daybed. But within 12 hours of pulling it out of the box and fluffing it up (and after kicking Tucker out of it a couple of times), I came around the corner to find a little dog deposited in the bed's soft center.

Since then, her "princess bed" has become her nighttime sleeping and daytime lounging and napping spot. I still have to kick Tucker out of it a couple of times a day....

Placement is very important to Sofi--I've tried moving the bed out of the congested corner of my office where we first placed it, to closer to the bedroom, where it's warmer at night. No dice. She will curl up behind it, but not in it. So it's back in the corner, wedged beneath my printer and in front of all my office supply drawers.

Sofi continues to do well, although I notice her limping a bit now if she doesn't get her dose of Rimadyl. She's off the anxiety meds, is totally house-trained (I just jinxed that for sure), and we're trying to do a 15-minute evening session of "make the dog lie down and be petted on the living room floor while we all watch something on TV" which is helping her be more social in the evenings.

We're trying to figure out what we are going to do for Christmas--we are in need of a highly sensitive and committed housesitter who is willing to be aware of and deal with all her idiosynchracies for about four days while we go to Denver....oh yeah, and take care of the five other labor-intensive souls hopping and lounging about our house. Good luck with that.

In Honor of Eliot Day

Our dear Eliot left us a year ago today--All Souls Day. I've felt his presence frequently during the past year--it seems like he's never too far away from us. I began feeling his presence more during the time when we were considering adopting Sofi, and I believe he had a hand in sending her to us. I think of him as her guardian angel.

Eliot had all kinds of unique personality traits, one of which was coming up under my arm when I was working at the computer and flinging my hand off my mouse in an attempt to get my attention. He also dearly loved getting a big sloppy drink and then wiping his drippy libbits on the pants of whoever happened to be closest to him. I didn't see it as any coincidence when Sofi began doing the arm-flinging behavior this past week, or when she went over and got a big drink just now, then came over to me and rubbed her face on my leg. I just know that Eliot is still communicating his love in little ways all around us. It is said that the veil between the worlds is thinnest around All Soul's Day, so perhaps it's just easier for us to be aware of him right now.

I can't even put into words how special Eliot was. He was an old, wise soul who taught me all kinds of lessons about myself. I miss him very much, but every time I think of him free from the limitations, pains, and challenges his body confronted him with in his final years, I can't help but smile and be grateful. I believe his soul is happy.