For these last two days I have been staying at the house of a friend who is traveling and needed someone to be with her dog, because she didn’t want him to have to be alone with the sounds of the fireworks.

– this next bit is a sad story –

Once, a long time ago, this friend left a dog alone at home during the fourth of July weekend. The dog was so afraid of the noise that she jumped out of a second story window, and her injuries were so bad that there was nothing they could do.

So I totally understand wanting someone to stay here with this absolute sweetheart of an Australian Shepard. We have hung out before on multiple occasions and are totally excellent friends.

He is pretty low maintenance. He just really, really doesn’t like the sound of the fireworks.

Mostly he just needs someone to sit near him when the sound of distant explosions become too intense. His whole body trembles, and he whines quietly.

Mostly we are just sitting together and listening. He seems comforted by all the hugs.

Once he got up and did a lap around the room, investigating, and asked to go outside into the twilight. When I opened the door, he just stood there and listened. Carefully

Also, this arrangement works beautifully for me because it means that I have entire house to myself for a weekend. The solitude is so peaceful, and the getting away feels like something that I’ve needed for a while.

It’s a good house. Comfy and homelike. The aesthetic here is… a kind of prettiness that only happens when somebody who pays attention to the little things has lived in once place for a long time.

There is a pool in the backyard, here, and the water is pleasantly cool. I snuck out after the fireworks had quieted down and swam around in circles in the dark. There were so many fireflies. I just barely made it inside before the rain came.

I am trying to figure out whether or not I have anything to say about the holiday that is happening around me. I am looking for the words.

For right now, I am watching over a friend who needs comforting. I am swimming in the dark. I am sitting in the quiet, and I’m thinking all the time.

I hope it’s a good time.