Hello my little princess! How have you been? Oh yes I do agree, it is much too hot for the winter coat now. What colour is your summer coat? Oh brown, I see it now. It looks good on you my love. Whats that? You want to sit for a while? Of course, I will sit with you.

I missed sitting with you, you know. I know, I’ve been just too busy with work and if I could leave it all to walk with you I would but I need to help others, too. Yes, that blasted building is killing us all, I’m trying to fix it. No, I don’t want to dwell on it my love. Let me get a good look at you. Just what did you get yourself into? All these little seeds packed away into your coat, by your shoulder, on your back and even some by your neck! Those little seeds from last winter only now to get stuck in your coat. Don’t they hurt? Hold still. Look! See how the little seeds sit on the end of a long needle looking like little kookum sewing pins and the needle side sat towards you my love. These little seeds have played you like a fiddle my love and now surely they must be all over the garden and the neighbourhood and this spring we will see the brush grow all over. Oh my love, I hope you are okay I hope they didn’t poke and pinch and pick away at you. You shouldn’t walk into the bush they way you do you know, it doesn’t do you any good. I’m almost done, I think.

Whats that? Oh, I see it too. Don’t worry so much! We will be just fine, the front porch is quite safe, I promise it is. Its just a dog, I think its Vanessa’s dog? I don’t know much about her dog but she is kind enough, I wouldn’t worry much about her dog. Please, no you don’t have to get up. Just stay. me-way. Please…

I miss her already. The only time my thoughts come out safely. Oh well. Once again the porch is just a pile of wood again and last years trash returns to the street and the mud gets sticky again. I contemplate existence once again and the wind brings a new mood. I see, even without my glasses a new mother with her pups. I heard she made a home in the trees near my house but I don’t try to get close. Her pups come out, crawling all over each other and one breaks formation into a missing man routine. Mum has to run and get the little nugget and she moves like all the other mums. Too many kids and where is the Dad? At least all the little nuggets are in one place now, once again. I heard a bear was down that way too. I wonder if its the same one that got shot by the airport? Either way we still have mum and all her little pups. More mouths to feed. I can’t bring myself to share in the joy and the miracle of creation. I am afraid of what winter brings for the little ones. Cold, starvation, too many mouths and not enough food. God help them all, I have many too many to help and I can’t do it all.

Oh princess, my dear love you are back. Thank goodness. And you brought the sun with you. You are so kind, how did you know I was cold? Of course I will hug you. For as long as you like. Perhaps I will hug you forever.