Taking A Deep Breath

Okay, so Tuesday and Wednesday were terrible, and I am still carrying around a lot of ire. On the other hand, I've had some time to calm down and reflect and consider what to do next. As others have pointed out, it's not the end of the world. There's a lot of work to be done, and it's time to start thinking locally. Considering that a crazy anti-immigrant law just passed (although legal challenges are already in the works) while a number of public school bonds didn't, there are some pretty clear places to start working on making at least Tucson a better place, despite the current presidency. In the meantime, we can figure out what to do next time around.


There was another unhappy development in our lives this week. Little Cleo is going to have to go to a new home. When we first brought Cleo in as a foster about a year ago, she and Bess seemed to get along fine, which is why we decided to keep her. Then Bess, for reasons that are still unclear, turned into a complete bully to Cleo. Two trainers, three types of medication, and a lot of time and effort on our part have not been able to effect a permanent solution. Of course I feel like complete crap for giving up a dog. But I think it's more selfish to keep Cleo just so I don't have to feel bad about myself, when she's going to either be subject to injury or cooped up for her own safety. That's not a fun life for a dog, and she deserves better. She's young, healthy, cute, and really friendly. I don't think it will be hard to place her. And she's never attached to us the way Bess did. (When we picked her up after a recent vacation, she was more interested in flirting with the kennel staff than in running to greet us.) She likes us, but she likes everybody. I think it will take us longer to get over Cleo than she will take to get over us. I'll grant you, she can be spazzy, but she's a complete sweetheart and she should have a happy home.

So, it's been a rough week. Tonight, I'm whipping up a batch of beer-infused catfish and some collards. Comfort food should help. Next week, it's back to my normal routine, as much as possible. Happy weekend, all.