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Infinite Country by Patricia Engel | Thoughts

   Published : 2021   ||    Format : print   ||    Location : Colombia ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆   What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise.. Thoughts : Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the story of her family through the other protagonist, El

The Sunday Salon: The New Kid on the Block


The Sunday 
Salon.com

Early last week, a new flyer had come up in the neighborhood. Lynchburg Humane Society was holding a pet fair in our community. The husband had been after me for quite some time to get a dog but I, being the crazy neat freak that I am, held back. But the flyer was too difficult to dismiss. Yesterday morning, we headed over to the clubhouse, met a few adorable four-legged friends and went home wishing to buy one but still terrified of taking that first step (we both have never had pets).

After an hour of browsing online through the list of pets waiting for a home, we both just quickly piled into our car without thinking too much and headed to meet the three dogs that we shortlisted. They were all lab/retriever mixes, but after seeing one of them jump sky-high (and not really come to us when we went to meet her personally), we decided to go to a smaller dog.

Enter Rue, a lovely adorable beautiful year-and-a-half old Jack Russell mix. We both fell in love with her right away and loved how responsive and energetic she was. We were told she doesn't bark much, or chew things, and that she was great with people and kids. We bought her on the spot and took her to PetSmart to do some mega-shopping for her. Being two absolutely clueless new pet-owners, we were completely following our store-helper and buying the things she preferred for her pet. (She was totally awesome!) But Rue was totally going haywire and barking mad at every other four-legged friend or enemy she was coming across. She needs to work on that. The funny thing was when Rue's roommate from the shelter strolled in (the roommate was also just picked yesterday) and the two dogs went mad with happiness.

Her Jack Russell blood sends her crazy when we are outdoors. Right now, we are literally running after her. I am working on slowing her down somewhat and running along with me when I go for my morning jog, but that's going to take some time. She hates her food. She hates her harness. She loves the wind whipping against her face. She sits quietly at home, following us around though. We are not sure if she went through anything abusive in the past (her file doesn't seem to indicate that), but the two moves she made in the past two weeks probably scared her enough that she doesn't like to be left alone. She's also terribly underweight, so we are working on fattening her up somewhat.

After one day with her, we are both still madly in love with her. We were worried we may find she won't take to us, or we may struggle with her, but so far, everything has been smooth. I barely slept last night out of all the excitement and I kept looking at her bed. Since she is generally quieter at home, my reading doesn't look like it will be affected, though over the next few weeks, we will all be learning about each other and figuring out our routines. Can you just say how excited I sound? :-)


Comments

Kate Towery said…
Rue is gorgeous!  And thank you, thank you for adopting an older dog and not just going out and paying ridiculous amounts of money on some designer puppy.  Jack Russell mixes are normally super smart, and she looks it!  Good luck with your first dog, but I have a feeling it's going to be great. :)
Meghan said…
Awwww, how adorable is she! Best of luck with her - I hope you'll get along great. It looks like you're getting off to a perfect start. :)
Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com said…
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww she is such a cutie. Congratulations on your new furry baby and family member.
Helen Murdoch said…
I am so excited for you to have a dog! It will totally change your life, be a pain, and be an amazing source of fun and love. Our poor dog is hurt (again), seems he has an affinity for a bad back poor thing
Lorren said…
She is really cute! My husband and I want to get a Jack Russell but we will be living in an apartment for several more years so we are going to be waiting for a while. Have fun with her!
rhapsodyinbooks said…
I'm so jealous!  She's absolutely adorable!  We are also considering a Jack Russell...
Tea Time with Marce said…
OMG - Congratulations, my partner could never talk me into a pet, no way, they are cute from afar, lol.  Good luck, enjoy all the moments.  Hoping for no "the dog ate the book" posts :-)
Oh, good for you to rescue a dog, and an older one at that! Both my dog and cat came right off the street (literally, we pulled them off the street and tried to find their owners) and we are the luckier for it. Dogs love routine and want a process, so once you establish and stick to one, they love it even more since they always know what to expect. Every morning starts out the same in my house (as close to "same" as I can get it), and it's extremely helpful. And talk with Rue like she's a person! Dogs love to hear the sound of our voices and not just to hear commands :) Good luck, enjoy your new life with an amazing new member of the family!
Buriedinprint said…
Just reading your post made me grin. I hope you'll post updates as you all get to know each other!
zibilee said…
She is adorable, and I know she is going to become your little beloved in no time at all! What a great story of a rescue. I have 2 rescued dogs, and 1 rescued cat. There is just something about an adopted pet. They just KNOW they have been saved, and they are so grateful. Just wait and see :)
Jackie said…
Congratulations! She is gorgeous. Having a dog is a big adjustment, but it is well worth it. I`m sure she`ll settle in quickly and bring you so much happiness. Good luck!
Athira / Aths said…
Thanks so much. :o)
Athira / Aths said…
Aww... I hate to see these lovely dogs get hurt. Even Rue has some leg problem that is worrying us and we need to check. I totally love the company I get from her. It's a lot of fun (and stress and pain sometimes too lol).
Athira / Aths said…
I hope you get one. My ankles are aching after four days of walking her (she blazes across when we take her for a "walk"). But other than that, it has been fun and awesome having her.
Athira / Aths said…
It is so awesome to hear that you have three rescued pets. I am hoping to someday rescue one more dog (funny to say that considering I was very unsure of getting the first one itself), but when I went to the shelter to get Rue, I felt so sad seeing all those animals waiting for a home.
Athira / Aths said…
My life seems to have changed a lot in its schedule over the last couple of days but I am loving every minute of it. I'm glad Rue is already housetrained, and she has been so much fun to be with!
Athira / Aths said…
We've been having so much fun with Rue! Things are a little stressful and I have barely slept over the last few days but I feel that it is so worth it!
Athira / Aths said…
So long as I don't have to go through the house training phase, I'm happy with any number of pets. Training them will mean I need to be less busier - pretty hard at the moment. Luckily (touchwood) there won't be any dog ate the book posts, because Rue doesn't chew on anything - she is so so well mannered!
Athira / Aths said…
She is certainly smart ! We keep getting amazed at how quickly she picks up things. So far, I'm definitely enjoying this new phase!
Aparatchick said…
Congratulations! There is nothing quite like coming home, opening the front door and seeing that happy pet face waiting for you. All of our pets have been rescues and such a source of joy in our lives - I'm sure Rue will be the same for you.

Rue sounds like a typical Jack Russell - they are high energy, smart little dogs!
Athira / Aths said…
I can't wait to write more Rue posts. :)
Athira / Aths said…
That is such an awesome thing you did! I wasn't too keen to buy a high-priced puppy either, when I knew there were plenty of animals waiting for a home at the shelters. We were really moved by the dogs we met and I'm hoping to someday add another rescued dog to the house.


And you're right about the sound. Rue just jumps like mad when I start talking nonsense-endearments with her, lol.
Athira / Aths said…
We are staying in an apartment too, but Rue is really quiet and calm inside. I think whatever other breeds she inherits from is responsible for that side.
Vicki said…
Congrats, she's adorable!!! I have a JRT and she's my baby!!
Vasilly said…
What a cutie! Congratulations!
Care said…
HAPPY for you and for Rue! I have been a dog owner for twenty years but it was all new to me when we got our first Lab, a female we named Lou (short for Louise). So exciting and fun! our neighbors have a new JRT named Hazel and she's adorable. This breed and my dogs seem to like each other. (I have two Griffs.)
Young_1 said…
She is just the cutest thing! Makes me want another dog! Good luck to you both and of course cuddles to Rue! x
Amy said…
Rue is adorable! She looks sweet and full of personality. You've given her an awesome name. It's wonderful that you adopted her from the humane society, too. There are so many homeless animals in need of loving homes. A lot of young dogs have energy like Rue does plus she's happy to be able to run and play and get spoiled. Jack Russells are fantastic dogs with a lot of energy. Rue will probably calm down at least a little bit when she knows she's with you to stay! Have fun and congratulations!
trish said…
Oh, she's absolutely adorable! The face! I just want to smother it in kisses.
Athira / Aths said…
You are so right about the coming home to some happy faces part. Rue is going through separation anxiety right now and we are working on helping her adapt to us and other people.
Athira / Aths said…
That is so wonderful to hear! We are swooning over Rue too!
Athira / Aths said…
Yeah ... as new dog owners, we are learning something or the other every day. Sometimes I just wish that dogs could talk, but then they wouldn't be such a dearie to us if they could, now would they?
Athira / Aths said…
Don't you think so? Sometimes she annoys us, and then she gives us that LOOK! How can you be angry when you see that?
Athira / Aths said…
We are hoping she calms down a bit. At the moment, she is going through separation anxiety and she gets distressed a lot. We are working on quieting her down a bit.
Veens said…
awww!such a cute little thing :)
Athira / Aths said…
Isn't she? We are so madly in love with her.
Athira / Aths said…
We did name her after Hunger Games' Rue. I tend to name a lot of things after bookish characters, my ipod Luna, my iPad Dobby, my dog Rue, my nook Hobbes. :) We also thought Rue was a lot like HG Rue - very sneaky, quiet, small but very strong personality, loves shiny stuff lol.
Athira / Aths said…
Haha! That sounds cute. I am still trying to work on not getting mad when my things start moving around, lol. Like today morning, Rue decided that my glasses are fun and she actually broke them. It is a lot of learning for us, but it is a lot of fun too.
Lori Watkins said…
I think I adopted Rue's long lost twin! How big is Rue? LuLu is 25 pounds at 7 months, so we're guessing around 35 pounds full grown.