associated in random thought

the south.

how it all changes, geographically and everywhere else.

i'm not exactly sure where the month of july has gone, but i think it got lost somewhere between nashville and texas, probably in arkansas. or. perhaps it melted in the venti nonfat one sweet n low with whip 180 degree white mocha i make for the creepy guy in the starbucks drivethru. in any case, the month is half over and i have yet to write about all things bananie and change.

well. i am in texas these days, spending a month in austin, to see if i like it enough to make a possible permanent relocation. if there are any tips to be given thus far, it is this: try not to travel by car with a turtle. tino was very much the escape artist, especially throughout our drive through arkansas. i let him wander the dashboard awhile, and he watched out the windshield a world moving faster than most turtles will ever imagine possible. he is enlightened. currently, he is meditating on the rock i brought him from walden.

i apologize for my recent reticence on the subject of pets. i'm still sad about selling my beloved horse last year (albeit to my wonderful sister), and myrtle, my other turtle died recently. she suffered from respiratory problems, and though i tried nursing her back to health, she ended up belly-up in her turtle tank. tino and i have passed through our month of mourning, however, and now we are embracing allthingsnew in austin.

in the midst of turtle grief, i fell in love with a dog. i've never been a dog girl. they're nice. i enjoy their company, but i have never really bonded with one. well. i met a rescue girl on the day of myrtle's death: a two year old american eskimo/australian shepherd mix. she adopted me immediately. i'm not sure why i became her girl, but i did, and we have been inseparable since. the only catch, of course, is that i am now three states away, and, in nashville, i live in a dog-free home. so. much must change in my life in order to build a home with "my dog", whom i have named charley.

i never take the easy, conventional way with anything. charley's foster mom, my new friend anna, says that she won't adopt her out to anyone but me, and will keep her as long as it takes. in the meantime, i have unlimited visitation rights (while in nashville, of course) and charley and i have spent days and days together, frollicking about, everywhere from the dogpark to coffee shops. she is joy and wonder to me. she reminds me what it means to be alive: just hang your head out the window and sniff the air, girl. it is good.

here is a picture of us running around the franklin dogpark last week:

and here she is in her all her charley glory:

so this is is the new chapter in my life: question marks about where home will be. question marks about when/how charley and i will be mum and pup. question marks about what to call this chapter at all.

but here i am, hanging my head out the window.

Posted by bananie at July 15, 2004 01:32 PM