sitting in the light, bones and all

Here I am, sitting in the light. 

Recently someone said I was looking voluptuous. I think maybe that photograph lied a little bit. Yes, I am no longer the starving skeleton I was at Halloween when I roamed the streets of Oakland. But you can still see my bones.

It's not like Nice Lady doesn't feed me. One of my main jobs is to eat. I eat chicken everyday and Dr. Schulze's Superfood is added in my food bowl. I devour bully sticks and jerky sticks, peanut butter kongs and dog biscuits. The skinniness, I think it's the one who knocked on my door, walked into my body and made itself at home, the one who likes to build lumps and drink me up.

What I want you to know is I love you. All of you. Thank you for your love and well wishes. That is my real food.

And that it's really all okay. I am so happy. I am so satisfied. I am sitting in the light, bones and all.

my good life

I heard that Santa was bringing me gifts for Christmas. I don't know what that is, but I decided to wait anyway. Nice Lady told me about chimneys, but we don't have one here. So, I just parked myself in front of the door.  In the meantime, while I'm waiting for Santa to get here, a friend of The Lady's brought me a big pack of bully sticks. 

This is me with my blue eye and a mostly finished, 

incredibly delicious bully stick. They are 

definitely my favorite thing. TOTAL FAVORITE. 

Also, The Lady told me, Ruh-roh, she's fallen more in love with me than she expected and has been trying to negotiate with The Powers That Be so that I can stay with her as long as possible without me being uncomfortable. I agree. I want to stay with her. I didn't know life could be like this. So Good. Thank you for everyone who helped me get my new Good Life. 

vintage dog

I'm getting pretty comfy around here. The Lady decided to make art out of me on the bed. 

my blue eye

The Lady tells me she can't stop staring into my blue eye. She can't stop talking to me either. Especially when we're snuggled in bed together in the morning, when I wake her up. She tells me about her relationship problems. She talks to me about book ideas. What she might make for dinner. What adventures we'll have. I guess this isn't so strange. But she asks me so many questions. About what I think, and what should she do. Don't you think that's odd? But I listen anyway. And lick her face to let her know I care, even if I don't have any answers for her.

the right way to start the day

That's all I need to say about that.

Getting to know me

My favorite thing is the car. Every time Nice Lady takes me out to potty, I stop by the car door to remind her that we need to go for a drive. Today we drove to a park and she let me sniff every square nanometer.

Here's me waiting hopefully at the car door.

Here are some things Nice Lady is finding out about me:

1. I have the stinkiest farts of all the dogs in the world.

2. Now that I am getting more comfortable in my new home, Nice Lady is finding out that I can be a Pushy Monster.

3. I am no where close to dying.

Here's me in the car with my snaggle lip. 

It gets caught like this sometimes.

--

And one final thing. Here's a list of all the new names Nice Lady calls me:

1. Piggy

2. Big Baby

3. Monster

4. Monkey

It's like I've always been here

One minute I was on the streets of Oakland, a starving skeleton. Then the nice car lady saved me, and two hops later I was in the BadRap Barn with Donna and Tim and Uncle Elliot and Honky Tonk and the two red girls. Warm and safe. They fed me teensy meals until my belly finally stopped screaming.

Then we found out that I have lymphoma. I imagine they wondered what to do with me. I bet they wondered who'd want a sick old bag of bones like me. But they didn't know about all the parts of me. They didn't know that I used to be loved by someone who took good care of me. Something bad happened, but before that, it was good.

So I had to tell them. Loud. So I could get on with my life. I admit, my body is kind of a wreck. But I have loads of living left to do. I guess they listened because they found me Nice Lady, and now I'm home. Again. Where I belong.

Now, I get lots of food. We even stopped on the way home the first day and got cheeseburgers. So far, I've had bully sticks, peanut butter kongs, chicken, kongs filled with liver kong stuffin', jerky sticks, and more bully sticks. My job is to make my ribs disappear.

And I get to sleep on the bed with Nice Lady.

Funny how life goes, don't you think? One day I'm in hell. Then it couldn't be better.

I. Am. Grateful.