October 17, 2007 – Danny Thomas’ crew brought the final load of hay bales today. Ready for winter, except for some round bales for the cows. I’m thinking a lot these days about Emma, the eight-year old border collie who lived with Izzy for years on a nearby farm before finding a series of  homes, and then, landing with me. She had a lot of health problems – vasculitis, Lyme Disease, kidney trouble, incontinence – which are all pretty much cleared up, and she’s a doll. She wants nothing more than to sit on a chair or on the porch and take in the world and, once in awhile, get a cuddle. She likes to talk to me when I write. I have a well-known habit of giving some of my dogs away. Some – Rose, Izzy, Lenore perhaps – could never leave.
 Others come and go, especially when I feel I’m not giving them what they deserve, or when they would be happier somewhere else. Some people are horrified by this, but I think a lot of dogs could benefit from a better shot for one reason or another, and when this is possible, it should be done. Clementine was  a Lab I loved dearly, but when I was laid low by spinal troubles, and found that she was getting sidelined for much of every day, I ended up sharing her with an active dog lover in Vermont. Now, my back is good and I’ve lost a lot of weight, and I found myself ready for Lenore, who has energized me dog love and training passions.
  I like three dogs, and more than that often seems burdensome to me, more than I can handle. But Emma is such a sweetie, and asks so little that I wonder if I can’t change those habits and keep her. She seems happy here, and has her upholstered chair and spots, and at night, holes up on the crate and is rarely seen. She just wants a chair, Annie says, and maybe I can give her one for the rest of her life. She’s had a rough haul of it, and maybe she deserves that. On the other hand, she would love a lap to cuddle in all day. We’ll see.