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Lord of Regal Domain -Age 8
Hello Friends! Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments. This is your host Linda Gullo. I treasure the small things in life the encounters with people, and even the struggles that often bring us insight. Each week I bring you a theme and thought provoking stores for these 10 to 15 minute episodes. The are based on simple ideas with upbeat and hopefully encouraging tidbits for you to take along. My plan is to help you like yourself and to recognize the gifts you have been given. Check out lindagullo.com where you can get the show notes.
Today’s podcast is meant to be light and uplifting. Some of us are self starters, gentle, humorous, easy going, high energy, or a combination of the above. Some are detail oriented, and controllers while others may be easy going and let things flow. We all have talents that we can embellish and enjoy. Until someone or some experience shows us our talents and gifts, we often miss seeing them. I hope here you will see a bright spot.
Last week I talked about how wonderful it feels when someone acknowledges us. People can make us feel great by a simple hug, a kind word, or even a smile. We don’t even need to know someone to feel happy after someone waves for us to move ahead in traffic or nods to us.
Feeling good made me think about a fun time in my life. I was a stay at home wife of 5 years when we moved to our current home. We didn’t have children yet, but we did have Lord. He was a spunky high energy 4 legged friend that my husband found. My husband went searching for this dog to a Breeder in Warrensville.
We found a pup we decided to call L.O.R.D. It stood for Lord of Regal Domain. He had spent the first 2 1/2 months on a Horse farm. The family also raised Black Labs. Lord was one of a large liter and the each time we visited Lord was busy pulling out Christmas Garland from behind the families bar. I think it was his way of showing off and getting attention. It was that action that initiated my husband’s response, “We’ll take the frisky one filled with ginger.” Boxers are head strong, family oriented dogs with lots of enthusiasm.
He joined our household as a 10 week old Fawn and White Boxer. He soon topped off at 110 pounds of lean muscle. He was trained to stay on our property, but would run to fetch toys. He was also a challenge. He once chewed a Pipe my husband had given to him from his folks after they traveled to Italy. He teethed on a 2 by 4 that was not yet framed out — thank goodness. He ate things he should not have eaten and made us good friends with the Woodstock Vet we used. The stories of Lord were ongoing and carried us along for over 12 years.
So—-One of the reasons I want to share this story about friends is that dogs are so good at being loyal! They become our best friends. They help identify us. They make us feel welcome when we arrive home. They certainly entertain us.
Just yesterday I sat down after dinner to call a friend. I needed to thank her for a kindness, and just to catch up with her. As soon as I dialed the phone, Rosy jumped up and began playing with toys. Like a child who want your undivided attention, this 8 year old began acting out. A play squirrel few overhead; her new fuzzy snake when into a corner with plug-ins connected to my labtop computer, and she began to endlessly squeek her toys.
I had to excuse myself for a minute to get the toys away from the cords and gather up the toys that had been tossed here and there. I know she was striving for my attention, for when I hung up the telephone, she climbed up next to me and settled under my left hand–then sighed. It was as if she was saying “Mom you’ve been gone all day, let’s take time and relax.” It was about 8 pm and she was a reminder to me to unwind.
So back to our dog Lord from years ago and the neighborhood that became an extended family for us. Every morning at 5:30 my husband would train with him and walk the perimeter of our yard to teach him his boundaries. He had a even disposition and loved people. He was our first pet and needless to say, he was pampered. His beautiful perky ears had been cropped for showing and he loved baths. On more than one occasion I pulled out my back trying to lift him as a puppy.
Never-the-less, Lord of Regal Domain was our child. Lord would get the newspaper from the paper slot and carry it to us. He eventually would become a pillow for our children to take naps on and he be dressed in Halloween costumes on a yearly basis. We never did show him, due to an epidemic of Paro virus that was rampant in his breed, but he was just one of the 4 legged friends in our neighborhood.
Today, I’d like to share a story about this Cast of Characters that always made me feel great joy. Back in the Mid 70’s, we had only a few people living in our community. We all really enjoyed one another.
So the first Cast member I recall was named Ruffles. Can you guess what kind of dog? It belonged to a family with child, a little girl around the age of 10. Ruffles had hair that covered her face. Yes you guessed it! She was a White Old English Sheepdog who would lounge around its home and go from being fluffy, white and hidden under its fur to sometimes dirty and snarled from playing outside. In the summer, she was shaved and looked so very skinny. Totally like a different dog.
The 2nd cast member lived “kitty-corner” from us. It’s name was Buttons and wore a harness most of the time. Buttons was a cute Beagle owned by the Grandparents. The extended family lived together, but Buttons was usually was outside with the Grandpa. He would go for car rides and sit in the Grandma’s lap. Buttons was the same age as our dog; he was very frisky and anxious to get out and run. His hunter temperament led him to wearing the harness. It kept him from slipping out of his collar and running from the elderly couple! Soon Buttons went from a lean pup to a rather plump fellow. He had a voracious appetite and a desire for salami!
Rusty was an large Red Irish Setter, who lived down the street. He would often be seen pulling one of his family members on their skateboard or running alongside a bicycle. Often he’d wander down and lay in our water fountain to cool down. He seemed to momentarily forget where he lived.
A family of 4 had a Brittany Spaniel called Zipper. The dog was a high energy dog that one of the children took for agility training. It loved to hunt and was always in need of a bath. The owner was constantly challenged in trying to keep it clean.
And finally to round out our cast was a rather large fellow. He was an Irish Wolfhound that would walk its owners down the street. He was rather easy going. And to save my life, I don’t recall his name, but I believe it was Irish, so I’ll call him Finnegan! He was a light gray color and so very sweet. He looked like a pony as he topped the height of our small bushes.
Between Zipper, Ruffles, Buttons, Lord, Finnegan, and Rusty, our neighborhood was diverse. Each brought a different dimension to our families. None of us had electronic fences or any fences at the time; trees were small and it was like having one big family. We’d look out for one another’s homes, take in packages for each other, share plantings, and have block parties each summer.
Fast forward and we are one of the few families still in the area. People have either moved to other areas of the country, grown up and started families of their own, or sadly died like the wonderful neighborly grandparents who owned Buttons.
I feel blessed to have known all these harding working people. Some were pilots, teachers, printers, homemakers, secretaries, or in sales. I believe we were united to help one another become better people. We recognized each others struggles and dreams for our families. And like our pets who all had their own personalities, we too had different strengths.
As we prepare for a change in our political climate and try to stay well, take time for your neighbors and friends. Keep reading and renewing your mind with articles, newspapers, and books. Keep well and moving as you engage with others on this journey.
Until next week, stay true to yourself. Thank you for listening and for the kind feedback I have received. Know you can reach me at www.lindagullo.com. Feel free to sign up for the upcoming PDF’s on various topics, and handouts that will be coming regularly after the 1st of the year. Recognize the good people around you, the small joys that carry you forward and the laughable moments. Look for those Mini Miracles the help you to Delight in Living®, Ltd. Bye for now and have a great week.