8/1/16, Puppy Love

Hi Everyone,

At midpoint in the summer, I hope it is turning out the way you want it to. Mine has been a little up and down, with some sad moments (when my ex husband died in June), and some happy ones (a week’s vacation with my kids), real life is what it is, always a mix of good and bad, with hopefully more good in the mix. But on the whole, it’s been a good summer so far, although I’ve done a huge amount of work and have only taken a week off so far. But my kids are busy now, so I limit my vacations to time with them.

We made it through the shock and sadness of another terrorist attack, in Nice. France is badly shaken by the attacks, the high toll it has taken, and the sorrow it causes, and touches so many. And the unpredictability and brutality of the attacks. The most recent one being only last week, the murder of an 86 year old priest outside Paris. This is a sad time for France, with no easy solutions at hand. I left Paris the day after the last attack, and on the first day of a major airline strike in France. I didnt think our flight would get out, but it did after a three and a half hour delay, more than half the crew didnt show up, so they had to cancel passengers, and they only provided limited food for the remaining passengers on an eight hour flight. The joys of modern travel. The whole trip took 15 hours, and was exhausting. But I’m back on American turf, and looking forward to seeing my kids again for a long weekend in two weeks. And in the meantime, I’ll be working.

BUT….I am up to mischief, or thinking about it. Uh oh. Never trust a woman with 9 children (who also loves dogs!!) I’ve been flirting with the idea of getting another puppy for the last six months. It’s working wonderfully with the two tiny teacup Chihuahuas I have, Minnie and Blue. Minnie is the love of my life, a total princess who loves to ride around cradled in one arm, she even sleeps there, her long fluffy white hair draped around her. Her sidekick is ‘Baby Blue”, a total juvenile delinquent, charcoal blue gray with a mischievous little face, she gets into everything. On good days and bad, they bring me unlimited joy. I travel a lot, to my home in Paris, to three cities in the US to see my kids, I live in a suitcase, and the two dogs come along in their travel bags, which was why I got such small dogs. I have four older, bigger dogs in California, who are good companions, but too large and too old to travel. And I have travelling with Minnie and Blue down to a science, I put on their (shocking pink) sweaters, they hop into their travel bags, and off we go. Simple, right? So why mess with success? They sleep the whole way on a flight and never make a peep, and have toys, blankets and food in their bags. But lately, I’ve been longing to add a third one to the group. I wasn’t sure I could, but with such small dogs, the airline would allow it, and I am sooooo tempted. Puppy fever. Like with babies, you forget what a pain in the neck it will be when they’re puppies, and only think of the joys of a puppy. I just found out that the airline would allow it, and now I am wrestling with the idea. On the plus side, with grown kids, living alone, they are such good company. But Minnie would be mad at me for a while, I think Blue would enjoy a mischievous partner in crime. A puppy would be a lot of work, but I am so tempted…..I just helped a friend get an adorable rescue Chihuahua who is sooooo cute……If sanity prevails, I’ll keep it to the two I have, but I don’t know…..I have a feeling I may not be able to resist if the right puppy crosses my path. It has to be love at first sight, and was with these two….Stay tuned. Am I crazy or just love dogs, and need a shot of joy in my life? Don’t answer that question!! Probably crazy to want another dog. My kids all say no, don’t be ridiculous. But ridiculous has a certain appeal to it, and they say no when I want to buy a new fun purse too, so what the hell. And a new puppy is nothing compared to some of the things they do….so we’ll see…..I’m thinking about it.

In the meantime, I hope the world stays peaceful for a few weeks, and no new earth shattering events occur. I hope you continue to have a great summer, and get some time off to relax and have fun. 

And as always, I send you much love, Danielle

P.S. My great niece whom I told you about, who was so severely injured in the airport attack in Brussels 4 months ago, was an avid rider before the attack (and will be again!!). She’s still in the hospital, and they brought her horse to visit her a few weeks ago, they got her up on the horse for a few minutes, holding her, and she was beaming. She still has a way to go, but she is going to enter the Paralympics when she’s better. She is an amazing, AMAZING young woman!!! An inspiration to us all!!!! I cried when I saw the pictures of her, beaming on her horse. That’s really good news and I wanted to share it with you!!!

love, D.