Amelia, I wanted to say hello and send you my love today. I'll tell you a little story about my dog. Every other Thursday, I get a box of "Mom's Meals" delivered. It is usually the same driver who delivers them. He almost always brings a milkbone treat for Jewel. She knows the sound of his delivery truck, and she gets excited before I even know he's arrived. She starts "talking" and dancing and runs down the stairs. He tells her she has to wait her turn, and doesn't give her the treat until he sets the box in the kitchen. But she can hardly contain herself! If I'm not home when he delivers the box, he leaves it in the foyer, and sets the treat on top of the box, so it's there waiting for her when we get home.

Today, she didn't want to take her eyes off of him as he came up the stairs, so she actually walked backward up the stairs, and he told her he was impressed. When he hands her the treat, she gobbles it as if it's her favorite thing in the world. I bought the same brand of treats a few times, but it wasn't such a big deal for her (although she has others that she eats willingly). She is a very social dog, and the best part of the milkbone treat, for her, is that she has a visit from the deliveryman!

She also knows the sound of my homecare worker's vehicle, and will run down the stairs to greet her, and then dance in circles at the top of the stairs. She does the same when my worker's son comes over occasionally. If he sits down, she sits right next to him and adoringly stares at him.

At the moment, she's resting up for the next bit of excitement. She has a blanket-covered storage bin next to a window, and she likes to lie there and watch the world go by, with naps in between, of course. I think I taught her that.