A Few of Her Favorite Things

Treasure, in true Westie fashion, developed quite a few preferences that she insisted be a part of her daily activities. Her vocabulary increased as we discovered these favorite things of hers. One of them was to take a ride in the car. We had various car seats for her, most of which she was quite satisfied to ride in, for they lifted her up to the window so she could see the world around her. All I had to say was, "Let's go ride in the car!" and she would be waiting for me at the door to the garage, ready to go wherever I would take her.



Her next most favorite activity was taking our daily walks. Except for the times I was out of town, I can count on one hand the number of days we missed our walk together. Seriously, she simply would not let a day go by that we didn't take some kind of walk. If I even mentioned the word "walk" she would dance and somersault all the way to the front door. She loved everyone we met along the way, and there was not a dog she didn't befriend. There was only one thing she couldn't understand - what does "Keep off the grass" mean?


The first time we took her with us to visit the Whites and Jefferson, Treasure was captivated by all the critters in their backyard sanctuary (known as Critter Creek.) She stood in the window, watching squirrels, birds and deer for the longest time. She would chase a squirrel or two in our back yard, but never saw a congregation of squirrels such as in Critter Creek.

Treasure loved to get up on the back of our squishy leather sofas, usually when one of her favorite persons was sitting or lying on it. If afforded her a seat as close as possible to her person, got her out of reach of little grandchildren, and was soft enough to make a comfortable napping spot. We often found her on top of the sofa at Jo's or Meredith's house as well.

Treasure had been with us only a year when we first took her out to our ranch in Bandera. She proved to us how really tough a Westie can be, supervising the gathering of rocks, or watching the cows come up for feed. She even got a kick out of walking in the creek and getting herself thoroughly wet and dirty, then sleeping in the back seat of the truck all the way back home.

When Meredith was pregnant with Adrian I took a class to learn how to quilt. I fixed up the small bedroom upstairs with a nice table and my sewing machine and always had some project going. That meant that piles of fabric were always laid out on the table and quilt pieces were stacked up everywhere. Treasure learned that she could jump on a chair to get up on the sewing table and settle in on whatever fabric was handy. I rarely worked on a quilt that she didn't supervise closely, if not on top of the table, then right at my feet.

The finishing part of all the quilts I have made always took place on the floor of one room in the house. There was not a single quilt that did not get the Westie stamp of approval before I could finish it. Treasure always found a spot to sleep on during the pinning process. Her little habit prompted me to wash every quilt before I gave it away!

This sweet little dog brought a huge personality with her when she came into my life. Every day was filled with routine that never grew old. Every day held an adventure she wanted to share. As long as we did it together, her heart was happy. I will remember a few of her favorite things, and that will make my heart happy too.