Today has been about watching the beautiful snow fall all day long – and shoveling, of course. It really is a winter wonderland out there. There is that hush that happens when snow falls steadily and there is little traffic.

I thought I’d take the time to introduce you to our dogs, Scout and Riley. I come from a dog-loving family. When I was a toddler, we visited some friends of my parents and their dog jumped on me. I guess I was knocked down and consequently developed a fear of dogs. Quite a big fear. I would cross to other side of the street if I saw a dog in someone’s yard and run away as fast as I could. Dogs reduced me to tears. So my parents decided that the answer to my problems was to adopt a dog. Frisky, a terrier, became part of our family. After a somewhat rocky start, my fears gradually left and I came to adore him. He even slept under the sheets at the bottom of my bed.

When my husband and I moved into our first rental, we made sure there was a fenced-in yard so that we could adopt a dog. (I am an animal lover and a great advocate of rescuing dogs and cats. There are so many animals who need homes and they are so grateful to be loved and cherished.) That is how we found our first dog, Winston. We loved Winston deeply and after a while we felt he needed a companion. So we adopted Scout. She and Winston were fast friends. After 7 wonderful years, we lost Winston very suddenly to cancer. Our hearts were broken and we grieved for a long time. Having Scout really helped us through that period. She is a loving girl and a happy one, but we couldn’t help but notice that she was lonely.

After a few years, we adopted Riley (also a rescue) and he and Scout immediately became good buddies. You never know what issues these little ones have as a result of being abandoned. Riley seems to have been abused in some way and it took him a while to accept the fact that we were a family…that he wasn’t going anywhere. We were shocked to discover he had heartworm not long after we brought him home. He had to go through 3 months of very tough and dangerous treatment – luckily he came through all that with flying colors. He has his “issues” but he is a very good and loving boy. Scout has endless energy and a great sense of fun.

They are my babies. I love them dearly and they bring joy to our lives every day. They are funny and loving and endlessly fascinating. You will notice that Scout has a heart-shaped spot on her body. No kidding – we call her our “magic” dog.

This is my favorite picture of Riley – He’s smiling!

Hope your day is a good one!