Lola’s Performance Griffon Blog

For Luke,  who helped me see the beauty in the world and helped me rest in the grace of the world.

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the World grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief.  I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day – blind stars

waiting with their light.  For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

“Wendell Berry”

Frosty, frail faced, frontman

facing the one foe neither

he nor I can out-front.

Grown gaunt now, stone deaf, once,

whistled, he’d meet me, old

undergrowth – crasher, bursting

out, tougue lolling, teeth grinning

“Hah – hah” by the truck.

Once, when I’d say.  Walk?”

the room couldn’t contain him.

He knows my mind, mood.

Before I reach for , lace up

my boots, he’s on.  When some

vociferous, cottaged cur

rushes out, his cold dangerous

disdain says, ” Earn your scars. ”

His penetrating pools of eyes

out – stare me.  He walks me out

of my shack, prisoned self.

Brings me to a reach of the lake,

glittering, gold, beyond dark,

deep green she – oaks, as though

he knew my need, medicine:

a music flowing into silence.

Only last night, under stars

I could have plucked from the leaves,

the reach, arch, stream,

of nebulae over the bush

from rim to rim, was his leap

into my life.  Now fore paws on

the back of the station – wagon,

he cons me: “Help me in.”

“Roland Robinson”

I havent written in awhile. Luke was diagnosed with a large lung tumor a couple of months ago.  The vet believes his pancreas may be involved as well. I just didnt have the heart to write much about it. he has lost lots of weight but seems to be feeling very good in spite of that. Im so thankful for that at least. His appetite is not good. it comes and goes. Right now he is eating pretty well and we are all in good spirits so i decided to get out the camera for the first time in awhile.

Luke wanted to say Goodmorning. Lola is always up for anything. Gitte is in the photo too, i think you can see a paw.  Today is a good day.

My dogs can find a warm sunspot no matter how small it is. A small ray of sun slicing thru the curtins and Lola is standing in it with her head hanging low and eyes glazed over. They love a warm ray of sunshine.

Our first days of Spring are bringing much wanted warmth and the deck is the first thing to get warm outside. Here is Lola warming in a sunspot and then all three dogs trying to fit in the same sunspot, which is shrinking…as i type only Luke can fit and is standing in the last few feet of it.

April is a finicky feisty month with the temps jumping around between high 60’s and frost. We can still get snow…holding my breath we dont get a hard freeze since all my lacecaps are leafing out like crazy.