The Sweetest Thing

When you adopt a dog from a shelter, you just never know what you'll get. When we adopted Gigi in June, HSNT told us that her owners were not able to take her to their new home. After spending some time with her, we think she might have lived with an older person, because she is calm and patient and loves to sit near or on us.

With each passing week, we learn a little more about her. Certain words or phrases elicit reactions from her that make us think it's a carryover from her last family. For example, one Sunday morning I walked into the kitchen and said I was going to make pancakes. Gigi ran into the kitchen as fast as she could and sat in front of the stove with her tail wagging. She knew all about the pancakes.

Last night, my husband shared another trait with me. Most afternoons, he listens to music on his computer. About a month ago, he noticed that she reacted to certain instrumental music. She sits on his lap and turns her head to the music and wags her tail. We think that her last family must have shared their love of music with her. Her reaction was so sweet - it truly brought tears to my eyes.

I wonder if she knows how much happiness she brought to our family.

Proper attire required? Apparently not.

Last night, my husband and I went to a local restaurant for dinner. It wasn't quite Morton's, but it wasn't Chili's. The proprietors posted a sign at the front door requiring proper attire. I presumed that most people who would patronize such a restaurant (where dinner for 2 exceeds $100) would honor such a sign. I was WRONG!

I was so surprised by the number of men wearing camo shorts, t-shirts, flip-flops, and ball caps. These weren't just teenagers in such clothing, but adults. One guy was at least 50 - he was wearing a t-shirt that belonged on a college kid, a belt that should have been on a teenager at a skate park, and a hat that didn't belong indoors. It's as if we've all forgotten that we should occasionally break out the long, grown-up pants and shoes with toes before going out.

Don't get me wrong - it wasn't just the men that were dressed inappropriately, but the women, too. Blue jeans, tank tops, and flip-flops, too. This would have been great if we were at the local pub, but we weren't.

Call me old fashioned, but I long for the day when people dressed for the location, the occasion, and their age.