02/14/2010 Can you believe I almost forgot? It's Tiny's birthday today. She was born on Valentines' Day 2006 and the breeder named her.....Valentine. We fell in love with her instantly when we saw all the heart shaped spots on her back. Her name is still Valentine, but we call her Tiny for short. Lately, I've been calling her "Grizzly Dog" because she strikes like a bear. That's what she is doing in the picture. Happy birthday Valentine Tiny Grizzly Dog!
02/14/2010 I obviously didn't take this picture. I didn't even do a whole lot to clean it up other than convert it from sepia to black and white and then crop it. I think it is charming just the way it is. I have always known that I was named after my Uncle Jackie. But until last month, I had never even seen a picture of him. (This is it, the only image I have ever seen of him.) He was born with some birth defects such as additional fingers and poorly formed kidneys. He spend most of his short life in pain and died from kidney failure when he was two years old. He was my Mom's only brother. So she named me after him. When I was a little girl, I thought it was kind of weird being named after a boy. But as I grew older, I began to understand the depth of my Mom's love for her little brother and I came to feel a special connection to him. Uncle Jackie, I never met you, but I love you and it is an honor to have your name. Happy Valentines' Day in heaven, the place of perfect love.
