For Louis, on his birthday

Last weekend we gathered together for the 87th birthday of a family friend. Louis is educated and genteel with old-fashioned southern grace and manners. He leads a more active life than I do, and can be ornery and cantankerous.

He also happens to be one of my favorite people on earth, for all of those reasons!

Louis has everything he needs or wants. So what do you do for a man like him on his birthday? In his birthday card I wrote:

Happy Birthday! What do you get for the man who has everything? Nothing! You buy for his dog instead!

And that's exactly what I did (and I found it was what many of us did.) See, Louis lost his beloved dog Davey awhile back. Davey was his baby. After a period of mourning, Louis decided that he was ready for a new dog. So Mom set out to help him find one. He knew he wanted a dachshund, and that he would be better suited to an older dog, given his own advanced years. So Mom started checking rescues in FL, and they finally found Mya.


Mya is a blue merle dachshund, and it seems to have been love at first sight for the two of them. Mya has been with Louis a few weeks now, and they seem to be very happy together. I haven't gotten to meet Mya yet, but Mom and Tommy have, and they got a few photos of her.






(Mya likes to sit up for attention, even though it isn't that good for her back.)

So last weekend we got together for Louis' 87th birthday. Everyone met at the Olive Garden for lunch.


Due to Louis' young-at-heart attitude, the waitress brought him a kiddie menu and crayons, bib and kiddie drink cup.


I gave Louis a gift bag full of dog toys and treats.


I LOVED the gift bag, and thought it very appropriate!


It was a nice day, and while we look forward to Louis' next birthday, I am looking forward especially to finally meeting Mya. I mean, just look at that face!