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<font style="font-size:12pt" color="#000000" face="Arial" size="3">Oh, good God! I think Patsy's settling in rather nicely (or maybe it's just <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">t<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">hat the Valium--mine--is kicking in, LOL). She's finally learned her name (which is my fault. Until I got serious about calling her Patsy, she was Cutie, Sweetie or Lovey<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">). <br><br><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">So far Patsy hasn't actually broken anything but I believe that's <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">due more to my inordinately qui<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">ck reflexes (it's a very minor talent. The major ones have escaped me) than to anything else. <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">She is a menace in other ways, mind you. Yesterday morning I had my hand <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">and <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">forearm in a drawer, rooching around for a sandwich bag. <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">The kitchen drawers have those easy-glide or whatever they're called sliders. And <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">Patsy managed to <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">push her full-figured bulk against the drawer, trapping my arm inside with her <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">considerable force<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">. If only she could have backed off a little. If only <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">she had trapped my left hand so that I might have used my right to <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">wrassle her away from the drawer. <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">No. Such. Luck.<br><br><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">This morning, while Paul was still in bed, I went to feed one of t<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">he yowling cats <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">in the bedroom. I had Patsy on her flexi-lead, ready to take her out first thing. Flexi-lead and Patsy in one hand, the cat's food bowl in <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">the other. And Patsy takes a run for the bedroom door, bouncing off the walls, making the cat yowl even more loudly out of fear. And <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">me? Yes, I <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">lost my grip on the leash (so much for quick reflexes)<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">. Patsy<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial"> must be on rocket fuel. She ran through the house, doing a morning version, by herself, of the Basset 500<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">, the leash's handle bouncing off of walls and doors and<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial"> making enough clattery noise to wake the dead. Truthfully, it couldn't have taken longer than two minutes, but I thought to myself, "It's not even six in the morning. <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">Ho<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">w will I survive the day<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">? How *will* I survive the day?"<br><br><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">The thing that saves Patsy is her sweetness. It's what makes everyone at the vets' clinic go ga-ga over her. We were there to have her spay sti<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">tches removed. In ten minutes she managed to charm absolutely everyone. She also climbed onto the receptionist's lap, <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">cried like fury because she wanted to visit a lonely beagle, a<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">nd oozed her way onto the examining table. The vet, who has a weakness for Bassets, could not believe that a dog with such short little legs could stretch out to the height of a <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">Harlem Globetrotter and <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">slither her way up and onto a table<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">. He had her age pegged at two. She's six and a half.<br><br><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">When Paul brought the mail h<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">ome tonight<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">--howliday cards galore--he said, "Look at this! Someone <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">lives on Asylum Circle! Is <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">*that* appropriate for a Basset <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">person</font></font>, or *what*!" He misread it, of course (it's really Alyssum Circle) but we laughed like loons about it all through dinner. Asylum Circle. <br><br><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">Flash has been gone for almost two months, God rest his soul. We have almost a four-month supply of <font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">Deramaxx<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">, some 20 or so tramadol and about four or five Robaxin. If anyone, rescue group or individual, would like them<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">, just let me know. First come first served. I'll be happy to pack 'em up and send 'em off to you.<br><br><br><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Arial">Veronica Deveau</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font> <br><br></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font> </font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><br></font></font></font></font></font></font> </font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><br id="ecxFontBreak"></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><br><br><font style="" color="#974806"><font style="" color="#000000">"The most wasted of days is one without laughter." e. e. cummings</font><br></font> </div></body>
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