Sunshine, roasted chicken, flannel sheets, buffalo ribs, his personal pillow, soft blankets, singing softly, and the goats, were Spirits favorite things in his life. At five pounds, he would herd the goats. They were afraid of him. He was the boss of everything. Spirit held court in the studio for eighteen years from his pillow on the worktable. He approved and disapproved of the studio visitors without hesitation. You never ate around Spirit unless you shared. He would give you the stink eye that you never really recovered from. Spirit arrived at the end of his earth walk today. Even though the studio is full of new paintings, the studio has never been as empty as it is tonight. I love you little Spirit Buffalo.
One Day
Spirit and His Wolf
Last week I returned home from auditioning for the part of 'Chief Little Man', for the film "Fools Gold" and immediately noticed something missing, Spirit. Spirit, (coincidentally, I call him Little Man several times a day) is my constant companion. At this moment, he is sleeping nuzzled up next to my Chuck Taylors. He is a quirky Chihuahua who loves to eat chicken, visit the goats in the pasture, and remind the other dogs he is boss. In Spirit's world, being boss means he can overlook the fact he gets pinned down by the other dogs on a regular basis when they have had enough of his directive. Being boss also means, he is first in line to greet me at the door when I come home. Last Thursday, he wasn't at the door barking, stamping, and playing keep the other dogs away from me. This time only Kasha and Ruby stood there, quite gentle souls waiting their turn for attention. As I rushed Spirit to the after hours emergency dog hospital, I surveyed the large knot in his neck and felt his fever warming my hand. His head was drawn down to his right shoulder. The vet disappeared with him behind hinged doors. Sitting in my van, I fought back tears and waited. His surgery was a success! He is back running things and collecting paint drips on his back from standing too close in the studio. A thought keeps passing by, like the news messages we see running at the bottom of our television screens, 'Everything could change in just one day'.
Ping-Pong
The last couple of days I have been fighting off a cold. I won the battle with the help of a few gallons of Echinacea Triple Source Plus. Cold is dead. Tomorrow I head for Santa Fe to see my agent, talk with an art dealer and visit with friends. Now that I think about it, I will be ping-ponging back and forth between Santa Fe and Albuquerque the next four days. The dogs love road trips considering we stop by KFC and they each get their own chicken breast. Me, I would never eat there.