Puppy Love

First off, October 8th was my ONE YEAR anniversary of moving here! Wha-what?!? Crazy, I know it. Hard to believe it's already been a year. Ups and downs, goods and bads...I love this goofy island. Fo sho. It's been one of the best years of my life. It's been the start of a completely new life. One year in I can say that I feel very comfortable and settled here on Tortola. Do I still have bad days and rough patches? Oh hell yeah. But, overall, I'm happy and healthy and still 100% certain I made the right decision in moving here.

In the past few months I also moved to Cane Garden Bay, in a neighborhood with my dearest friends and some of my favorite people who I met when I first came on island. It was perfect timing that this apartment became available, and the absolute perfect location. Being in Cane also means I'm right up the hill from a beautiful beach, lots of social options, a gas station, and a little grocery store. OH! There's also this crazy little bar/store called Columbus that has almost ANYTHING you could possibly think to need. It's a game I play when I go in now. Need a washer for your kitchen sink? They've got it. A miniature souvenir guitar. Yup. Champagne/spirits/wine? Of course. Batteries. A strainer. Cheese. Electric fly swatters. Pringles. Room deodorizers. Whatever. All crammed in this teeny tiny shop. The guy behind the counter is a sweetheart and laughs at me every time I come in and try to stump him with something. But I digress. Being here in Cane is good for my social life and for my soul. I loved Pockwood Pond and I LOVED my awesome roommate there, but the baby bird had to spread her wings and get her rear closer to the beach.

View from my porch in Cane Garden Bay!

The other benefit to moving to The Commune is that it is pet friendly. I've been wanting to take the plunge and adopt an island pet for awhile, but didn't have the option at my old place. Once I moved here to Cane I started looking around and putting out the feelers and sure enough, a darling little dog sort of dropped into my lap.

She was a rescue over on Virgin Gorda being fostered by a really amazing woman who does a lot of rescue work there. With two dogs and a few cats of her own she knew she couldn't keep this one, but she wanted to make sure she went to a good and loving home. The pup was found abandoned on the side of the road, starving and skinny and scared but otherwise healthy. The vet guessed that she was between 4-5 months old nearly a month ago. Jane took her in and took amazing care of her. A friend posted a picture of the dog on a Facebook board for animals here in the BVI, and a friend/guest of mine (who made it her personal mission to find the perfect dog for me) linked me to the post.

She was younger and a bit bigger than I was really looking for but her faaaaaace was so sweet. I called Jane and chatted with her about the dog a bit, then agreed to come over to VG the next day to meet her. Well, the second I walked off the ferry and saw her standing there I fell in love and knew she was going to be my little buddy. The pup sat in my lap as we drove to Jane's place and I absolutely melted. By the end of the visit I knew that I wanted to adopt her, and Jane agreed to bring her over to me the following week.

That face! I was a goner from the first meeting.

The ladies on VG had been calling the dog Roxy, but Jane said that she didn't know it yet and they weren't really pushing it on her as she'd probably be renamed when adopted. Sure enough, Roxy was just not going to cut it for me. Instead, I chose to name her after my beloved Caribbean grapefruit pop - Ting.

Ting and I have been together for a few weeks now and while it's a ton of work and she can be a complete pain in my ass, I adore her. I've so missed having the companionship of a pet, especially as I've been living alone the past few months. Ting is always happy to see me, she's silly and fun and frustrating, she's smart (at times too smart) and is coming along in her training, and she's a great snuggler. She does have pretty bad separation anxiety - wouldn't you if you were thrown on the side of the road and abandoned? - but we're working on it.

Luckily my freighbors (friend/neighbors) are amazing and helpful and extremely patient with us. I'd be lost without them, really. My next door neighbor is an absolute saint of a woman who comes to "rescue" Ting as often as she can. Ting has fallen in love with their dog and looks for her every time we walk past their stairs. It's super cute. Oh, but how did Ting repay their kindness last week? She pooped on their bed. ON THEIR BED. I was mortified when I received the text from the freighbor saying "Oh S is mad. Ting shat the bed!" Again, I'm lucky that they are kind and forgiving. Ting and I still left a six pack of Guiness and a bottle of wine on their porch, along with an apology note. Baaaaad dog.

On the beach at Long Bay. Sand errywurr.

Almost every night we take a big long walk along the beach in Cane, which is good for the both of us. She loves the water and walks/runs right in the surf. If I can haul my rear out of bed in time in the morning then we head down as well. That's one I need to work on! We went out to Long Bay this weekend to explore the beach and say hi to my buddy that works out there. She and I both left the beach very wet and very sandy. I think this weekend we'll head down to Brewers and see what she thinks!

Adopting Ting brings back the pain of having to say goodbye to Scully, but I just have to keep telling myself that it was for the best. Scully has a wonderful family that loves her dearly, and moving her down here would not have been the best. Plus, I know that I've given one of the many unloved and abandoned animals here in the BVI a very, very loving home. We're still getting to know each other and she has a long way to go before she really has manners, but she's still a baby and I have nothing but love for her. She fills my home, and my heart, with joy. Even when I'm mopping up her pee. The best is when I wake up in the middle of the night and she's cuddled right against me. Sigh. I'm such a sucker.

So that's the biggest news in my life right now! Chorale has started back up and we're working on our set for the big winter concert. I auditioned for, and made it into, the jazz choir as well. Two nights of rehearsal a week? Why not. Singing makes me happy and the people are fun. The season is ramping back up and the island is coming alive again. I completed my 40th dive (and 3rd night dive!) a few weeks ago when my awesome Boston friends were here, so I can start my divemaster as soon as I get the money and the balls to do it. My dating life is still ridiculous. Would we expect anything less? But, the sun is shining and life is all good. Besides...now I have a darling little dog to come home to!

Sigh. Love.