May 28, 2010

White Dog and Quinn were both at the door to greet Michael when he returned home early from school today. They could sense his excitement and sadness even though they didn't quite understand the idea of "the last day of school for the summer." Michael has adapted well this semester and made great grades; he has much to be proud of. He is a favorite among his teachers and will miss the interaction with them until next Fall; he will also (I suspect) miss the normalcy of his established daily routine.

As they watched him empty his backpack of the semester's accumulation, White Dog asked him about the immediate future and what it held. Michael explained that summer school did not start until late in June and would involve both traditional classes and a transitioning program that will help him develop job and important life skills. I chimed in to explain to the White Ones that we had agreed that Michael would do volunteer work a couple of mornings a week until then and that he was hoping to work at our local animal rescue no-kill shelter. Both White Dog and the Other White Dog were excited by this prospect.

Quinn sat politely in front of him and waited to recognized. When Michael reached down to pet him, Quinn wanted to know if there would be more time for the two of them to take more walks and get to know the neighborhood better. "You bet!" came the resounding response. TOWD wagged his delight!

P.S. Today is Digby's Gotcha Day! Please stop by Prinnie's Yaps and leave well wishes about her gentle brother.