Lily is 2

Today is Lily Lu's second birthday. When Carol and Nate picked her out I really didn't want another dog. Candy Mae has died earlier in the year and I wasn't sure I ever wanted another dog. She had been my companion, my buddy, the best dog I had ever known. Smart, gentle, obedient. I did my best not to make friends will Lily. I called her Carol's dog. She wouldn't let me get away with any of that. She worked her magic and became a vital part of our family. Now I can't imagine life without her. She isn't as well behaved as Candy, maybe not as smart, certainly lacks something in obedience. She does, however, love us with a reckless puppy abandon. She knows when we are going to leave and always wants to go. She is at the door excited to see us when we get home. She shamelessly begs food at the table. She has the nerve to be picky. A potato chip without dip? She's not eating that. Bread without butter? Never takes a bite of that either. Cheese? Sometimes but not those shitty Kraft singles. We tell her from time to time the rest of her siblings live outdoors in kennels. They chase raccoons in the woods. They eat, brace yourself, dog food. It has no impact on her picky diet or conduct. The one thing we read about coonhounds is they can be frightened until they get about a year old. Then the fear goes away and they are brave. Lily is not scared of anything, she is scared of EVERYTHING!

 She just a young pup here.

 Back in Illinois for a while we had the paper delivered. Lily loved walking down to the box at the road and carrying the paper back in her mouth.

 I think I've posted this picture before with the caption "Why are all the big bones black?"

 Lily likes to stand on the couch in Illinois and look over the wall to see what is on the counter. In this picture she is eyeing a pound of hamburger.

She decided one day that my bathrobe was a chew toy. Here she poses with her efforts. 

I'm not normally a fan of having my picture taken but if they all turned out as well as this one I would be get photographed more. Lily is clearly the star in this picture. Ears at the alert, paw up, with the intense stare of a hunter. She is a beautiful young lady. I am proud to say that she is not our dog, she has kindly allowed us to be her people. Happy birthday Lily!