In April, 2024, a friend and her nine-month-old puppy, Orion, moved into the casita on my property. Orion quickly assimilated into my pack of five, but certainly preferred his “Mom” over me. When the election results of November 2024 were posted, I was incredulous. My disbelief festered. I didn’t want a psychiatrist, nor a pill. I needed a puppy to rid me of my angst. So I chose:

R. Bader G., and she liked both the pack and me for a while. But over time, she gradually gravitated to my friend, G. What was at first an occasional sleepover in G’s casita bloomed into full-time residency. Eventually, Orion had had enough of sharing attention, and he decided to bunk in with me. Needless to say, I was slightly miffed, until I realized I couldn’t force her choice. Perhaps, that’s a lesson our legislators should learn.