Happy 16th Birthday, Samantha!

Today Samantha, my lovely assistant (aka my mini-dachshund buddy/four-legged daughter) turns 16! It's a venerable age for a pup, especially one who had several health issues in the last few years. Fortunately she's got a great vet who figured out what was causing a lot of the problems, and she's doing very well. She's gone a bit gray, put on a little weight and lost her left eye to glaucoma 1-1/2 years ago, but she wears her years well. She still romps around, galloping in slow motion and tossing her squeaky toys through the air, and enjoys chewing out the squirrels that haunt our bird feeders.

Tonight she'll open her gifts--assorted doggy treats--and have a great time tearing off the tissue paper wrappings.

She's a great companion and member of our family, and we're very fortunate to still have her in our lives. So happy birthday, Sammy--may you have many more.