It’s whiplash week here at Smug Puppies.

We went from yesterday’s total sadness to celebrating today - because it wouldn’t be fair to Zach if we didn’t make the effort, considering it’s his sweet sixteen! He gets a protracted, multi-day birthday - it started Sunday with us, continued today with his friends, and is finishing up tomorrow with extended family.

This birthday’s big deal was his new camera. (Zach’s a photography buff, he has had photos in a gallery already with his school photography club, and wants to do something with it as a career.) We splurged and invested via Craigslist in a Canon Digital Rebel XSi. The telephoto lens is courtesy of lensrentals.com.

It seems like he’s jumped from swimming lessons to job hunting and driver’s ed in the blink of an eye. He’ll be gone before we know it - and we’re really proud of him.

As is obvious by the name of this site, my wife and I are fools for our dogs. Today, we had to let one of them go. Lyza, our black Tibetan Spaniel (called “tibbies” in the world of fanciers of the breed) was 15. We had to make the tough decision when she began to have worse and worse health problems; it just didn’t make sense to try to keep her around to satisfy our selfish need to keep her with us. Today, we let Lyza go.

Lyza was a special dog. She was a show champion we adopted when she was 8. Black tibbies are a fairly rare version of the breed, and her former owner, a lovely lady who is a breeder/owner/handler, tried and tried to get pups from her, but it was not to be. When I first met Lyza the breeder was seeing if we’d take another dog from her, but it turned out we didn’t do that. We BEGGED for her to let us have Lyza, though. After a few months more, the owner consented and we picked Lyza up and brought her home, at that time in Alaska.

Lyza certainly had one aspect of the breed down pat – she was quite the escape artist, something tibbies are known for. After we’d had her for a year or two she escaped out of our backyard in Anchorage in the dead of winter. Disappeared. We put up signs, I went to the pound to search (which I just can’t stand to do, I’m way to tender hearted to look at those poor doggie souls in their concrete cells) – nothing. After about 6 weeks it was near Valentine’s Day, and Jeri, knowing I was depressed, went with me to a pet store. The resulting Valentine’s Day present is Panda, who we still have.

A week later we got a call from Lyza’s former owner. Lyza had been found, and she had a microchip that put her on the trail back to us. If you have pet, GET THEM CHIPPED. Someone had found her and kept her, and she’d escaped again from them. We finally picked Lyza up from the nice second family who’d found her unharmed. I can’t recall many times, if any others, when I’ve cried with happiness. When Lyza jumped in my lap when we got her back, I cried.

As she got older, like all of us, Lyza got slower and sleepier. She still had an impish streak, coupled with a regal demeanor; she was definitely a princess. Always first to get a treat, and you’d get a hoarse little old lady dog bark scolding if that didn’t happen when required.

Today’s a tough day that I had felt coming for a couple of weeks – months, really, if I was honest with myself. Jeri knew from the last time we went through this that I don’t handle it well, so she took Lyza in to the vet. There was some hope we could try to medicate the problem but in the end, that wasn’t to be. Lyza went peacefully in my sweet wife’s arms. I can’t tell you the love and gratitude I feel to Jeri for doing that for us.

So if you have a pet, pat them on the head today for me and think a little happy thought about Lyza. We’ll miss her so.

Today, more than most, I miss my dad.

It’s been 9 ½ years since I got the phone call every family member dreads - the one that turned our lives upside down, telling us “he’s gone”. In that time the sadness has become bearable, our routines have changed, and our lives have moved on, but still…

Every time I see someone who looks like him out of the corner of my eye, I miss him.

Every time I see an inviting hiking path or a rock I can’t identify, I miss him.

Every time I read a great new book I would have liked to pass along to him, I miss him.

Every time I travel to some part of the world I would have wanted to share with him, I miss him.

Every time my sons reach a major milestone he would have been proud of celebrating, I miss him.

Most of all, every time I want to turn and thank him for all he gave to us and remind him how much I love him and miss him.

So, I tell him anyway, today and frequently, that I do. I think he hears.

Happy Fathers’ Day, Dad.

And thanks to all the other fathers in my life - my husband, my father-in-law and my friends and family, who make it a priority to be there for family. Happy Fathers’ day to you as well!

Ben graduated from high school Friday night. The valedictorians (all 9 of them!) spoke on Mother Teresa’s “Anyway” poem, which is very appropriate to the occasion.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Ben, we are tremendously proud of you this weekend and every day. Go forth and conquer!

More pictures are located here.

*note - I am not implying Ben was a valedictorian - he was not, and that is perfectly ok.

This has been a totally crazy week, so I have not been in blogging mode. (Imagine that, having a real life in the meatspace world!)

In addition to my day job:

• Sunday was yardwork, housework, proofing/editing final papers for both boys and watching Indiana Jones. (meh)
• Monday night was a schmoozy dinner with vendors, along with taxi-driving Ben home from choir rehearsal. (Meanwhile Bryan was headed across state to teach a class.)
• Tuesday night was packing, shopping and a little writing. (Meanwhile Bryan was traveling home.)
• Wednesday afternoon was more choir rehearsal; Wednesday evening was Ben’s choir end of year concert and opera performance.
• Bright and early Thursday morning at 6am - ok, just early, hold the bright - we hit the road to the Portland area for the Ben’s high school graduation rehearsal and baccalaureate. Plus, I’d scheduled afternoon business meetings in Portland.
• Tonight I hung out with family. (Meanwhile Bryan attended a parent meeting at school back home with Zach.)
• Tomorrow Bryan is coming down on the train - I hope I recognize him - and we’re all going to graduation.

Then we’re going to collapse. Except Ben, who will be headed to the all night senior party. Go, Ben! Cap and gown - or poncho and umbrella - pictures will be forthcoming.

How’s your week going?