"She's No Trouble"

We are going to Chicago for Thanksgiving again this year.

We weren't sure for awhile it was going to happen. A lot of things were up in the air: the Chicago relatives might be out of town; they weren't sure we could stay with them; they are in the process of selling their home; the boys' schedules were up in the air.

But in the end everything worked out, and we are going to Chicago all together as a family, perhaps for the last time. After all, everyone is practically grown up now. The Chicago relatives have five babies growing up now. One will be baptized on Thanksgiving weekend.

One thing is: Scout will not be able to go with us.

It's too bad. She has been to visit the Chicago family before. They are dog people, and Scout has a few dog cousins in Chicago. But, since the relatives are trying to sell their home, they weren't able to welcome her as they have done in the past.

Two years ago, we took Scout to Chicago for Thanksgiving. She was so excited when we arrived that she ran out of the car, into the house, and straight out the back door! (Fenced in back yard: whew!) On Thanksgiving, she ran out the front door when great-grandpa wheeled his wheelchair in. Three cousins chased her around the neighborhood for twenty minutes while stepsons calmly sat in the living room watching football.

I was worried about whether we would find a place for Scout to stay while we were gone. I called our local Pets Are Inn franchise to get started on her application. They assured me that they could probably find a home for her.

But before I made the final confirmation, I called our dogsitters, the family who took care of Scout when we went to Paris. I wasn't sure whether they would be able to take care of her because of the holiday.

R. called me right back. She assured me that they would be happy to have Scout stay with them. They were going to be home, and would have company on Friday.

"She's no trouble," R. told me.

You have no idea how that warmed the cockles of my heart.