The ice storm washed my car.

It did. I didn't recognize it at first, it was so clean.

Well, so. How are you? I've been kinda sick, pretty much better, not sure if it's stress or actual pathogens.

And a few days ago my family's dog died. Reggie was 12, a mix of two big shepherd breeds (German and Australian), and in relatively good health. She was so smart as to have an almost world-weary demeanor once she got older. We three used to run around in the back yard to get her to herd us, which she could do so well that we had to choose between going the way she wanted us to and falling over.

She was just always so reliably there, and now she's just not. I'm going to miss her.