Katie again

I went to Point Pleasant Park yesterday. It was a gloriously warm day (a few degrees above freezing is a blessing after the long cold winter) and the sun was causing everyone to smile. I hadn�t been to the park since Hurricane Juan passed through and took thousands of trees with him. And it was just as hard as I expected it to be. Not just that the place looked like the end of the world had come, such painful devastation. No more the heavily wooded park where it was easy to get lost amongst the trees. There were not enough trees left to hide the paths. But what was most hard for me was not having my dog Katie with me. During the four years we lived in Halifax, Katie and me, we would go there several times a week for long walks. Katie, being so frisky, would often wander way ahead of me. Once I thought I had lost her forever and was hoarse from calling for her. But she came back eventually, with that silly grin saying �Fooled ya!�

Yesterday I saw her ghost everywhere. I kept thinking �Katie and I were here,� noting various paths she particularly enjoyed, remembering her antics, where we would stop to admire the scenery. I�ve taken many drawing classes to the park during the summer semesters. One group wanted to draw a moving object so I brought Katie. Then they complained: �Doesn�t she ever stay still!� When she slept, yes!

Katie died four years ago on March 1. After sixteen eventful years with her, it is still a painful anniversary. Maybe it�s time to get another dog. I certainly think about it a lot. But I know I am not ready. I still miss Katie. I�ll just keep borrowing other peoples� dogs.