Ponderosa
As of two days ago, there is once again a dog in our house.
Or a puppy to be more precise. A Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy. And we’ve named her Ponderosa Chickadee Marie.
But mostly we’re calling her Ponder for short.
Eric and I have been corgi obsessed for years. As in, for at least six of the nine years we’ve been together we’ve been talking about getting one of our own. So after the move, we decided it was time.
Ponder was born on April 2. When she was four days old, we got to see photos of all the available puppies in the litter and she was the one we picked from the lineup. Weekly we received pictures and (p)updates, watching her grow from afar - until finally (finally!) she was old enough to come home.
On Saturday morning, I was up early - not that I’d slept much the night before (all that puppy excitement, you know) - and on the road by 7.30am, bound for the airport. We’d worked it out so that Eric would be returning from a work trip in San Francisco about 45 minutes before Ponder arrived - so the two of us met, had a quick breakfast outside the arrivals area, and waited with our hearts in our throats.
There’s nothing quite like being handed a warm and wiggly puppy, with her velvet tongue already doling out kisses - especially when you realize she’s yours. Ponderosa’s breeder flew with her to help make the journey a little less stressful, so she arrived bright-eyed and ready to play.
And play we have - the past few days have been a blur (though I will admit, slight sleep deprivation may be to blame there). Ponder bounces everywhere like a little bunny and meets all new things with open wonder and curiosity. My favorite thing so far might be seeing how enthralled she is by feeling the textures of different surfaces in our backyard.
Storm is still a little wary about his new roommate, but Eleanore has warmed up to Ponder quicker than we could have hoped. On a few occasions we’ve seen Ellie playing “Auntie Cat,” letting Ponder follow her around and pounce on her tail.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is only the beginning of our adventure together - there is so much we will see and do together in the next few years.
In between puppy play sessions (aka, during puppy naps!) I’ve finished up a new necklace. But before I share the piece, I first have to share a story.
You see, there once was a girl afraid of the Wind. And not just big gusts, mind you, but the slightest breeze, too. Sweet summer zephyrs were enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, her eyes darting skyward in search of unseen dangers. You can only imagine the state she was in during a storm.
As the years passed and the Wind brought no harm her way, she decided it was time to make peace. She sat outside, eyes still trained upwards - but this time she looked to the tops of the trees. She spoke to the wind in song, and made herself stand tall when, in answer, the Wind made the leaves shiver and the highest branches sway. The girl felt her fear fade.
The more she watched, the more she wished that she, too, could skim over the sage and prairies. But her feet were earthbound - and though she leapt into the air and asked the Wind to carry her, it was no use for she could not leave the ground.
One day, she found herself speaking to Horse of her impossible dream. And Horse let her in on a secret.
“I come from the vast and open spaces, the places where the Wind’s song never ceases. The Wind is in my blood, in my bones - with each and every breath, I pull it into my lungs and set my heart alight. Watch me run - can’t you see my hooves have wings? For I am the Wind made tangible.”
With a toss of unkempt mane and a whinny that warmed her heart like a chinook in early spring, Horse said to the girl, “Bring all of your courage and climb on my back - I will teach you how to fly.”
And so, she did.
A southwestern inspired hollow-form pendant
With a gradient of white and brown horsehair,
Wild Horse Magnesite (patterned like the coat of an appaloosa pony),
And a handful of sage twirls.
The Wind Song Necklace - now in the shop!