our demonstrative dog

Tasha has always been a demonstrative dog. She will greet us enthusiastically when we return home, even if we've only been out to lunch. Though that's not always the case. One weekday late morning I got back from four days away at a conference in Texas. Terry was out somewhere and Tasha was asleep in my recliner. She didn't move, but just looked up at me as if to say, "Tasha's nap cannot be disturbed," then put her head down and went back to sleep. But that's the exception.

This past week Terry was at a sales conference outside Boston. Her return flight got into San Francisco at about 10:40 p.m. Friday night, and it was after midnight when she walked in the kitchen door. Tasha greeted her enthusiastically. I woke up when Terry turned on the upstairs hall light. A moment later Tasha leaped up onto the bed with a thud, and then dashed over to me and gave me a big, wet lick of her tongue on my face to tell me, "Mommy's home!"

That's our Tasha.