Fala

Yesterday (May Day), I picked up Fala, the Silky Terrier, that I had been selected as an adopter by a South Carolina rescue service -- I say "selected" because the adoption process is more involved than applying for an Ivy League College (The selecting outfit actually checked out my property on Google Earth).

Fala (my name -- she was Desiree before joining my household) was brought up with other dogs to a shelter in Wayne, New Jersey (the flood capital of the northeast) and we, Jim Casey (who was nice enough to accompany me) and I picked her up there. I was properly prepared for the journey with a pet carrier, a leash, and a bowl for water when we stopped along the way -- and the whole adventure went without incident.

The ease of the trip carried over for the last two days, Barbara had two concerns about acquiring Fala:
1. that she would bark incessantly -- as a matter of fact, she has NEVER barked.
2. that he arrival would cause chaos with our existing cat population -- there has been NO problem to date.

I had my last full-time dog over fifty years ago; it broke my five-year old heart when we had to give it away because of my just discovered major allergy. I brought home dogs after that over the years but would get sick and have to get rid of them and exposure to other people's dog, at times, out me in the ER of local hospitals. The Silky Terrier is supposed to be non-allergenic and, to date, I have had no problem.

Lying on the grass with Fala on my property has led me to appreciate the environment through her one year old eyes -- the height and majesty of the trees, the song of the birds in the trees, the noise of the wind passing through the branches and leaves -- the wonder and beauty of nature that has always been here but has, until now, tuned out as noise.I hope that I continue to be as attuned to this beauty as we move along.

I found Fala through the Web and made all arrangements for her adoption (including a PayPal payment of $325) through the net. I documented the process through Facebook and Twitter and journalled the pickup trip using Gowalla and Foursquare and am blogging about it now. In short, Web 2.0 technology combined with nature and a wonderful dog has made me a very happy person.