Old dogs, children and watermelon wine

'How old do you think I am?', he said,

I said 'Well I didn't know'
He said, 'I turned sixty five about eleven months ago'
I was sittin' in Miami pourin' blended whiskey down
When this old grey black gentleman was cleanin' up the lounge

There wasn't anyone around 'cept this old man and me
The guy who ran the bar was watching Ironsides on TV
Uninvited, he sat down and opened up his mind
On old dogs and children and watermelon wine

'Ever had a drink of watermelon wine?' he asked
He told me all about it though I didn't answer back
'Ain't but three things in this world that's worth a solitary dime,
But old dogs and children and watermelon wine'

He said 'Women think about theyselves when menfolk ain't around
And friends are hard to find when they discover that you're down'
He said 'I tried it all when I was young and in my natural prime
Now it's old dogs and children and watermelon wine'.

'Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes
God bless little children while they're still too young to hate.'
When he moved away I found my pen and copied down that line
'Bout old dogs and children and watermelon wine

I had to catch a plane up to Atlanta that next day
As I left for my room I saw him pickin' up my change
That night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime
Of old dogs and children and watermelon wine.

--Tom T. Hall, singer and storyteller

I want a puppy!

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Am I crazy or what?  Well, wait, don't answer that.  What I mean is; I recently lost my beloved doggy, Cali.  And I miss having a dog of my own.  Winston is here, and helps, but he is not my own.

In fact, this is the first time in nineteen years that I have been dogless.  Lousy timing, considering my recently emptied nest.  At first, I thought these feelings seemed treasonous to Cali's memory. I felt guilty and undeserving of the selfless regard that she held for me.

But, then, I began to realize that Cali was all about love, and her biggest concern was me.  She looked directly into my eyes until her last moment on earth, no matter who held her or what was being done to her.  We had an amazing connection.  

I think she wants me to be happy, even if that means watching me from afar as I hold another doggy.  She is a benevolent spirit in my heart.  She was a kind and forgiving fur person in life.  

At least that is what I tell myself as I think occasionally about getting another dog in a year or so.  That she would understand.  That she knows that, as long as I am dogless, there is a piece of my heart missing.  That, if she were here, I would not be so lonely.