Rocky

Rocky. Oil on canvas, 16x20, $150

Today, ladybugs are swarming the Jacobson Arts headquarters building here on Whalehead Road. There are dozens on the window by my desk. There were hundreds on the door that I opened to get in here. There are a bunch flying around me as I type. We must be on their migration route - maybe we're even a stopover. I don't know where they are migrating from or to, but it's pretty spectacular.

The pup in this painting is Rocky, a young pit bull we met at Central Bark, the Groton dog park. I continue to love going there with the dogs. Yesterday, I'd taken the crew out for a walk in the yard here, and had lured most of them back inside while keeping Jojo and Smokey outside on their leashes. The plan was to get everyone else in, put J & S in the van, go in and settle the others and then take off for Central Bark.

I used the automatic opener to spring the side door on the van, and just as I did, our Samoyed lumbered along, saw the open door and jumped in. Once Sammy gets in, there's no getting him out. So I took him to the dog park, too.

It was a chaotic and arm-strengthening task to get all three of them down the rather long path to the fenced-in enclosure, but I managed. While Joey and Smokey raced and darted around, Sam plodded along, spending most of his time greeting the few humans in the place.

I think that when I die, I'd like to have my ashes scattered in the dog park. I'd like to have all the dogs' ashes scattered with me, and I'd like all my friends and family to come and to bring their dogs, and let them romp and bark and play while my earthly remains settle around them. This is the best idea I've come up with so far. It's the only one that makes me happy.