OMG I just had a fabulously delicious dinner with Nora and Tom. One of their gimmicks was housemade cotton candy served with dessert, and it was reaalllly good. I think they should do some infused flavored ones. I had seared duck breast with a delectable turnip purée (really) and goat cheese cake drizzles with Dr. Brobson Lutz's "honey from the hood."

Am now back at the condo waiting for B to get in.

I'm glad to hear that she likes dogs at all. That bodes well for her growing confidence.

There's a particular dog, Amber, a rambunctious golden who was the first one she really cliked with. She's still more aggressive [confident] with him than any other dogs, but he really was the one who, I don't know, reminded her? that running and playing with dogs is awesome.

(Amber has a history himself - someone left him locked in a car for nearly a week and by the time he was rescued he'd eaten half the back seat.)

But since he broke her cherry, so to speak, she loves roughhousing with other dogs. She'll play for a few minutes and then take a little time off to the side and then go back in. It's lovely. Amber's owner has commented a number of times how different she is - she said the first few times she saw her she assumed she was really old because she was so cautious and self-contained. Now the dog park is like one of her safe spaces, where she plays and explores and actually approaches people.

[Apologies to non-dog folks, but I don't have a lot of people to talk about this stuff with. And it's a huge part of my life, to be honest, monitoring and watching and gauging her growth.]

I don't have dogs now, but I used to, and I like them. I'm always interested in the doggie talk!

(Amber has a history himself - someone left him locked in a car for nearly a week and by the time he was rescued he'd eaten half the back seat.)

Ohmygod. Thank goodness he found a good home.

she assumed she was really old because she was so cautious and self-contained.

Aw. Nice to hear she has risen above this. Due, in huge measure to the attention you pay to her development.

I like the doggie talk, too. Unsurprisingly.

Dogs are awesome. My parents' dog is so sweet, and she likes to sleep under the covers with you.

How IS that Frankie boy?

My three are currently snoring away nearby. It's sad, but I have trouble sleeping without that noise. They're like my own white noise machine.

Mr Peabody loves other dogs and I am told he has good "dog manners." It's people he has trouble with.

We keep Chloe in the kitchen by herself at night, now (because of her tendency to poop inside), and Kato was so sad that we moved his bed next to the gate between the kitchen and dining room (he's on the dining room side).

Our next-door neighbor told me that when we took Chloe to the vet last week, Kato howled and cried for a long time after we left. That broke my heart. I don't even know what to do when it comes time to put Chloe to sleep, how to help Kato deal with that.