Sadie, Rose’s dog, has gone to live with Rose in Tennessee. Oh! How quiet the house is! We have no barky alert when someone comes down the street. There is no auto-vacuum in the kitchen or under the dining table. We miss our walking partner on a leash.

Sadie’s favorite place in the bedroom was the recliner. She spent hours there while I wrote and read blogs. Whenever I stood up, I’d pet her, and she’d squirm around so that I could scratch her tummy.

Today the shams are back in place on the bed. Several weeks ago I was surprised and pleased that Sadie jumped on the bed and took a nap with me. I barricaded her after that, because I didn’t want fleas in the bed. You see, I gave Sadie fleas. A couple of weeks before she came to stay, I saw a flea jump from the counter in the bathroom. I must have brought it and its family in from the garden. We vacuumed more often than usual, but the fleas loved catching a ride on Sadie. If we find more fleas, we’ll use a spray, which I didn’t want to use with the dog in the house.

This is my favorite photo of son John $pencer with Sadie. They had been playing hard, and he held her for a minute to calm her down. We both petted her a lot the days before she left.

I missed our morning routine. When I was dressed for walking, I’d say Sadie’s name softly outside $’s door. In two seconds, I’d hear her feet hit the floor and would open the door to let her out. She’d go straight to the front door and wait for me to attach her leash.

Hello CAT As we walked toward the bend in the road, John wondered how long it would take the cat to come out again. Twice she came nervously to the top of her driveway as John held Sadie a distance away. It had been weeks since we’d seen her. Today she jumped out of bushes and ran over to greet us. We call her CAT. She has a fancy name given her by neighbor Warren’s daughter, but Warren calls her CAT. I say it in a softer tone of voice. She loved the petting and walked along with us until something prompted her to hunt in the woods. I took a quick photo, because she is not one to pose for me. She seems to have forgiven us for walking Sadie.

Rose sent $ a video of Sadie meeting her grandson Easton. The three-month-old sat on the floor next to Sadie. The baby reached out his hand as Sadie sniffed him and licked his hand. They are off to a good start. Good girl, Sadie!