Juno is almost 4 – by Juno

Juno, a Labradoodle since birth is an accomplished blogger and raconteur.

It’s time to celebrate. I am almost four years old, and what a great time I have, day after day in our little town of Summerland in the BC South Okanagan. As the Gospel song goes, Every day is a day of thanksgiving. (I encourage you to click the link and let the music run as you read further—this is a multi-media blog.)

As I run each morning around our lovely, large dog park, with puffy clouds circling beneath the blue sky above, as the bright glistening lake water sparkles the glorious sunshine towards the dry shale cliffs, as the warm breeze gently brushes the lush green trees, my friends and I run about with panting enthusiasm. I ask you; how could things be any better? This and every day is indeed a day of thanksgiving.

I will be four years old on the Festival of St. Luke (October 18, 2023), but why wait till then. I am no longer “three and a half” but really, I am almost four! That’s worth celebrating, today and every day. Can I get an “Amen” for that. Yeah, Amen.

Thinking about life generally, and my little life in particular, you rightly ask, what else energizes and delights me. Well MaPaw and I are now a Therapy Dog team. We visit seniors in residential care once each week. We may expand this volunteer work into other settings. I come home, exhausted, and rest well.

As mentioned elsewhere, I love to chase—quail, ducks, and geese—in fact the latter may become another volunteer job. The creative and ingenious Town of Peachland is looking for dogs to chase messy Geese away into the sunset. I am willing to serve, but secretly hope for such a position here at home. “Let the dogs, even Labradoodles out” to keep every community safe and clean.

With other neighbour dogs, I am part of an informal, voluntary Neighbourhood Watch squadron, a group of confederated canines committed to vigilant (not vigilante) scrutiny of those who walk, or ride, or drive past our home on local streets or through vineyards. Such work involves some barking, a practice which annoys PaPaw.

Speaking of PaPaw, he often comes into the bedroom in the morning—he rises very early leaving Mapaw and I to luxuriate longer and later—he enters saying (almost singing): “Today, is the first day of the rest of your life). Then he adds “it’s great to be alive.” This is admittedly a bit much so early in the morning—OK, it was funny once, but hilarious no longer—still, he persists. Well I guess it’s true; look forward, not backward. History is great and essential for study—someone said somewhere that insanity is repeating what has already occurred. True story!

So let us create history, by entering the future, right now—with inspiration and motivation, reflection and daring action—individually, and in community. The opportunities are endless. The rewards are infinite.

Woof, Juno