Heart is warmed.

This morning my 16 year old patient reached to hold my hand as we crossed a semi-busy intersection on the MCV campus on our way to McDonald's. My heart smiled.

The Ginter Botanical Gardens (venue of last night's wine tasting) were fantastic. Only to be enhanced by the SPCA benefit that was occurring simultaneously. A $2 pet donation enabled dog owners to bring their pooches to the Gardens and partake in the live jazz. There seemed to be more dogs than people. My friend Jen and I noticed suddenly, at one point in our conversation, that a Greyhound had subtley sidled up to our conversation, leash fully extended from his owner's hand and made his bids for petting. The owner finally noticed what was going on, looked us up and down and said to his girlfriend, "if we ever break up, I'm taking the dog."

There were all kinds: skinny women with tiny dogs, husky men with husky, waddling dogs, a woman with a dog stroller, couples in matching tee shirts with dogs in matching bandanas. Jen and I dog-watched for about an hour until it got too dark to see.

Tonight after a family therapy session I'm off to Williamsburg to W&M to do rush advising. Sigh. I'm wishing I wasn't. Strangely I would prefer to be cleaning my apartment, doing laundry, and hanging out with the gray wildebeests that inhabit my home. Last weekend was too full. Fun, but too full. Which means my laundry basket is too full :) And I still have 3/4 of a season of Dexter to watch.