Wounded Knee

Did anyone watch the PBS series about Native Americans "We Shall Remain"? It's been on for the past month on Monday nights. This last episode, entitled "Wounded Knee" was really good. It was all about the American Indian Movement during the early 1970's. I don't know why I get so fascinated by all of that but I do. It makes me want to take a road trip to South Dakota to see the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and to see the Badlands and the Black Hills. Just because I'm curious and I'd like to see it.

I've spent some time on Indian reservations. I spent a summer while I was in college on the Navajo Reservation in Window Rock/Ft. Defiance AZ. Then I lived and worked for two years at the high school in Shiprock, NM. I think back often to that time and how it affected me, both good and bad. I love the West and I miss the West. I haven't been back since I left Denver (and that's not really "the West"). The sky is so big and expansive and the wide open spaces seem to swallow you up whole. I know I'll go back someday. I have to.

Sophie

Well back to my dog. I miss her. What happened? Well as Sophie became older she became more neurotic. She was afraid of storms. Or she was afraid of the sounds caused by thunder. She would absolutely freak out. It got worse each year. She would pant uncontrollably and she would paw at me. I tried everything I could to calm her down. I would pet her, I would hug her. I went to the vet and got tranquilizers for her. They kind of helped but not a lot. Eventually she would try and escape from the house whenever there was a storm. If I left a window open she busted out the screen. Or if I left a window unlocked, she would nose it open and try to get out. She jumped several (and I mean several!) times out of my bedroom which is on the second floor. She chewed all of the woodwork around our windows. Then she would get picked up by strangers or the pound. I got several calls while I was at work to come and get my dog. She was picked up several times by the pound. I swear that dog had nine lives. Finally this past September, when I was 9 months pregnant with child #3, she got picked up by the pound again. This time I decided I couldn't handle this dog anymore. I called the pound and asked about putting her down. They said why put her down, they could find a home for her. I said okay and went in to sign the papers. Sophie did find a home because I got a call from the microchip company asking about tranferring ownership.

But I still feel bad about it. She was a very good friend and companion. My time out west was greatly enhanced by her presence. I hope that she understands. If I weren't having a baby at that time, maybe I could've worked with her more or tried different things to deal with her anxiety about storms. But I didn't and I miss her.