So It Goes

Bernie and I were taking selfies long before it was cool (2004).

It's been six years, today. In some ways that doesn't seem possible. She never really left me. I think about Bernie all the time, especially in winter. I dream of her at least once a week, and I mean, rarely a week goes by without at least one dream with her in it. She's missed, a lot, but in a good way. It's all kind of amazing when I look back. All the places we lived, all the things we did, how she was a surly sucker the first few years of her life. She was always good to me though. It's fun thinking back on how we bonded. It took awhile, for sure. She was just a super-fun, crazy, loyal-to-the-bone dog. She was super soft, too, and I'm all about big furry dogs. Her first couple years, she was full of fury and not at all furry.

I actually see dogs that look similar to her all the time, and occasionally one that looks near--but not quite--identical to her. I mentioned the Akita, Caliloo, I used to dogsit. I swear that dog is the rebirth of Bernie. It's absolutely bizarre and great. There are lots of dogs in my building now, and I pet them all. Their poor owners get no love from me, because I'm all about the dog. I've pet a lot of puppies too, which always gets me thinking about getting a puppy. Someday I will. I saw a puppy last week:

His name is Duke, and he's going to be a duck hunter on the farm.

Bernie and I on the shores of Lake Tahoe (1997).

To find those photos posted here, I flipped through a bunch. Two things that remind you how fast life goes: photos and dogs, how quickly 10, 12, 15 years goes by. Nothing lasts forever, folks, and so it goes. Six years ago today seems like yesterday. Fortunately, the 15 years before that are just as vivid and are far more colorful. So many of my favorite days were spent with you.

Goodnight Bernie.