Carol is a farmer and a farmer’s, she and her husband work a small dairy farm not too far from the hospital where we work on our post-surgical bodies. She had Open Heart Surgery in the Spring and working on a tractor this week getting the corn chopped up for sileage for her dairy cows. We have become good pals in cardiac rehab, Carol is a passionate reader, we have a lot to talk about, she is going to help me write my play for Hubbard Hall about the last day of a dairy farm.

Carol came to the Open House Sunday to cheer me on and see Red work, the two have begun bonding in cardiac rehab.  The people in cardiac rehab rarely show any emotion about their surgery, yet I get the impression we all have very strong emotions surrounding it. I think Carol’s come out with Red sometimes.

Everyone there loves dogs and Red sits on the edge of the carpet and waits for people to come to him, dogs sense smiles, I believe, and he is smiled upon every minute that he is there. Carol has the stoicism of the farmer, she accepts hard work and hard times, no complaints or struggle stories. She has five dogs of her own – Australian Shepherds. She said she had never seen anything like Red working with the sheep. It turns out that Elvis, the Swiss Steer I had for a couple of years, came from her farm. Small world.

Since Red came, the tension has eased, there are so many more smiles, the atmosphere is lighter, we talk to each other, root for one another. I had had therapy dogs for years, but this is the first time I needed one, and Red has been a therapy dog for me, and I guess you can’t really feel the impact of one of these dogs on your psyche and health until you need one.

She connects with Red, and I am surprised at the impact he has had