A LONG TIME AGO I MET DAISY.

This is going back several years. She was the sweetest dog, so good natured and friendly.

"Loving friend, the gift of one

Who her own true faith has run

Through thy lower nature

Be my benediction said

With my hand upon thy head

Gentle fellow creature!"

Part of a poem by Elizabeth Barret Browning. It's a very long poem, the reason why I chose the first verse as it seemed to fit Daisy perfectly, and I thought it was enough. However, you can read the rest of the poem here if you would like to.

One Sunday (this is going back to April 2012), the weather was gorgeous, not too hot and a great temperature for a walk. We decided to visit the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, which is about 45 minutes to an hour away from our home. There are lots of trails and we keep saying that we will have to explore them all, but our favorite is a boardwalk that is right next to the Occoquan Bay. We saw bald eagles and osprey, and we were very happy about that obviously. However, a highlight for me was meeting Daisy. The lady she was walking with was very nice and said I could pet Daisy, that she loved to be made a fuss of.

Daisy was a very sweet and friendly dog, and you could tell just by looking at her that she wanted to say hello. Her companion had stopped on the trail so that we could pass but Daisy was bubbling with happiness. I could see all she wanted to do was say hello to everyone who passed by. I asked the lady if it would be okay to pet Daisy and she said yes. I massaged her ears for a while and gave her a proper fussing. Saying she was beside herself with joy was no exaggeration. I didn't realize Gregg had taken the photo until I got home and saw it on the computer. I am so glad he did as it is a nice memory of meeting our very lovable furry friend, who was as delighted at meeting us as we were of meeting her, and one of those short interludes that can make the day.

Thanks for looking and I hope you are all staying safe and warm out there.