More or less.

We have a dog now, more or less. Carmen. 4yo female, mix. Abandoned with a recent litter of puppies somewhere in the Southeastern US. Living in a foster home, as part of the Duffy's Friends, Inc. program for about six weeks. Thought to be part Italian greyhound. More or less.



"More or less" is something Irene, our exchange student, tacks onto sentences, the meaning of which she's not sure of, or when she doesn't mind if she's inexact. "Will you wake me at 6:30, more or less?" I think our use of the phrase will long outlive her time with us.



Irene (pronounced ee-RAY-nay, with the "r" rolled & purred ever so slightly) says Carmen, and her own name as if each were a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth, tiny buttery sweet thing held and savored at the tip of her tongue. Enviable, that. Her pronunciation of Carmen's name isn't likely to leave me any time soon either.



Carmen is not a happy dog at the moment. We've put her bed in her new crate. We've showed that to her. She's been sitting there for nearly an hour. She will not eat. She is not happy. It may be a long night.

Happy Kate.

Debbie Bliss, "Miriam," from Rowan 24.



Knit with Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester DK, purchased at Mouliné in Montreal, Quebec.

Escape!

Do you ever get an urge just to run away from life as you know it? I've been feeling that way fairly often in the last few months.



The feeling came upon me strong just this noon. I was hungry, tired (I haven't slept well in days) and shopping for dog stuff at the behest of my husband who was off with Kate and our Spanish guest and 15 other Spanish teenagers, their host, chaperone and a few American kids, visiting Niagara Falls. It's a beautiful day here, and we're getting a dog (a rescue, Italian greyhound mix, very needy female, named Carmen, with a fear of anyone who isn't adult female human -- lucky me, not) Thursday, so I stayed behind to do the shopping for accoutrements.

I was overwhelmed with this need to run away. To just leave Kate and Bruce with the dog and be somewhere, someone, something else for a good long time. This isn't the life I planned to lead sometimes. The exit can look very inviting.