expecting/engaged

look! a litter of australian shepherd puppies! kara saw them advertised on our workplace's intranet classifieds yesterday and made a call. they're in the olympia area, maybe an hour or so south of here. we're going down there friday afternoon to look at them. once kara sees them and gets to play with them a little, it would surprise me very much if we didn't bring one or two home.

i'm happy but nervous. i feel perhaps as i would feel if we were pregnant, with some of the worries that would go along with such an event. i want the dogs to be healthy, smart, not too hard to train. and i very much want them to get along with yellow and eliot. those poor cats don't know what they're in for. and neither do i, really. i've never had puppy. sagan was 6 or even 8 months old when we got her, maybe older.

i also feel a little like a recent widower might feel, getting engaged again right away. (if that doesn't sound too bizarre.) this friday, when we check out these pups, will mark only 2 weeks since max's death. is it too soon to start again? kara doesn't think so. yesterday when i got home from work she was all giddy and excited. truly, she looked like she was about to pop. at the same time, she's nervous too, for the same reasons i am. she was also visibly thrilled.

these dogs are of the same breed as max, only purer. max had other things mixed in. so they're of a smart breed, which is a good thing. and max was of course the best dog in the world. kara promises to work with these new guys, train them, and make good pets of them. i admit i'm excited at the prospect too, as i've come to enjoy dogs, but the idea is still a bit nerve-wracking.