As a rule, I am not nostalgic. I think I should try to live in the present and that takes enough energy that the past simply has to be the past. However, here we are in September of 2020 and I truly wish that this was five years ago.

Think how much better nearly everything seemed five years ago: Barack Obama was president. We could go outside without masks, and could even travel to foreign countries if we wished. The sky presented a variety of colors, and hardly any of them were orange. My brother Jim was still alive. Cathy’s brother Steve was still alive. I didn’t have a device in my chest to help my heart beat properly. Darcy and I could walk wherever we wanted go.

All of those things are different today.

Darcy came to us as a rescue puppy of indeterminate breed when she was six weeks old. We played a lot and she loved her walks. We would go out on the local trails every day, and usually more than once a day. Our walks were always interesting, as she was a curious puppy who needed to stop and investigate many things.

A few weeks after Darcy’s second birthday, my grandson Ryder was born. I had retired by then, so when his mother went back to work I would pick him up each day and bring him over to our house where Darcy and I would care for him. Darcy was absolutely wonderful with the baby. She was patient and gentle and loving and protective.
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