KIDS & ANIMALS KNOW

It's been said that you can't fool kids & animals when it comes to your true character. I believe that's true. Somehow they seem to know who the completely genuine people are & who are the imposters. I have always trusted the instincts of children, dogs & cats when it comes to judging the personalities of adults.

Fortunately for me, I seem to have chosen a life partner who is a favorite of kids & animals. I was reminded of this again recently.  While I am one who often rants, raves, swears & lets my feelings be known (but NEVER with kids or animals I might add), Lou is much more quiet, calm & laid back. He rarely gets angry or upset & when he does, it isn't expressed loudly or vehemently.

Lou has a gentleness about him that tends to have little ones gravitating to him.. He seems to exude a tranquility that is reassuring to kids & animals. Charley has always liked Lou & felt comfortable with him. For whatever reasons, she enjoys imitating his mannerisms. Even though he is 6' 3" tall, he seems to have an accessible, calming aura about him. A couple years ago when Lou stood up from the couch Charley commented, "He is really tall." Yep, he is, but he is a real sweetie.

One of my favorite photos was snapped last year when Charley & Lou were watching the Pixar movie "Wall-E" at our house. Lou was laying on the couch with his knees bent & Charley was sitting at the end, snuggled up against his lower legs with her arm wrapped around them.

     

Several months ago, Lou took a basket of laundry upstairs when Charley asked me what he was doing. I replied, "He's going up to fold laundry. You can go with him if you'd like." She did & followed him up the stairs. They spent quite awhile up there folding laundry & talking. He told me later than she handed him each piece of clothing & he folded it while they discussed all sorts of things. Remember, this is a man who never had children & has had little interaction with kids.

During her last visit here, Charley asked if she could go out in our back yard one afternoon. We have a pool so she needs to have an adult with her. I told her that I was cooking dinner & couldn't go out with her until later. Daddy was finishing up work on his phone & computer so she asked if Lou could go out with her. I said, "Let's go ask him." We did & he said, "Sure." They were out there for a long time, just talking with their feet in the pool. Lou said they had some interesting conversations including one about her rooster, Leonard, who died last year & went to heaven.

This past weekend Lou & I went to the Calaveras County Fair. My sister, Karen, lives nearby so we stopped for a quick visit with her before heading home. She has two dogs, Lilymae & Harley, who are complete opposites. They are some crazy dog breed combinations - Lilymae is Jack Russell terrier & Australian Kelpie while Harley is Labrador & Dachshund. Lilymae runs wild & literally can't sit still for a minute. Harley is really quiet & laid back. Harley has met Lou several times but really took a liking to him this visit. He kept sitting right next to him wanting to be pet & Lou obliged.

They have a child's gate across the hall to keep the dogs from terrorizing the cats who stay in the back rooms. We walked back to see the cats locking the gate behind us. There was a tiny door (like a pet door) in the gate that was open. Karen said both the dogs are too big to fit through it & have never tried. Well, a minute later we hear some racket & here comes Harley down the hall. I took him back out through the gate & pulled the little door closed but didn't latch it. A few minutes later, here comes Harley again! He trots right up to Lou.

Karen couldn't believe that Harley liked Lou so much that he squeezed through the gate twice. Or that he sat next to him to be pet while we were there. She said Harley has never done that with anyone before. My theory is that if you ever want to judge someone's character, see how dogs & kids react to them. That will likely tell you everything you need to know.

I already knew it, but Charley & Harley have confirmed that my guy is a real sweetheart!