Nova (like the Chevy)

My husband and his college roommate got a dog while they were still in their Junior year of college.  She was the runt of the likely accidental litter of pit bull puppies; the one they'd originally picked out was a bigger, stockier boy.  Even though they'd reserved the boy, he'd been taken by someone else by the time they arrived to take him home, and the little girl was the only one left.  When my husband and his college roommate graduated, the dog went with my husband.  And now she is mine, too.

Her name is Nova, like the Chevy (but "like the Chevy" is not part of her name).  She has grown to be quite athletic and lazy, loving and unsure, friendly and shy, obedient and difficult.  She is a lot of opposites.  Overall, she's a very good dog and gets loads of love and praise from people who know her.  One feature that catches the eyes of strangers is her brindle coat.  The stripes are fun.

On a Monday when I stayed home sick with a nasty cold at the end of summer, I took the opportunity to spend some time outside in one of the few remaining warm sunny days, hoping some rays and vitamin D might help me get over my cold.  At the very least, it lifted my mood.  Of course while I relaxed outside, Nova poked around the yard, doing whatever dogs do.  Here are a few photos from that day: leafy branches of our 200+ year old oak tree reaching toward the sky, a portrait of Nova, and Nova rolling in the grass.

Leaves not quite ready to fall.

In this photo, you can see her muzzle is starting to turn gray.  Only a year ago the gray was confined to her chin.

Something about that grass...