As I woke up this morning, to 12 inches of snow on my deck, I
was not at all surprised! The first
named Winter Storm – Nor’easter ATHENA, dumped a huge white blanket on the
house after Superstorm Sandy cut our power for a week. What’s next? Like Gov. Christy asked, “Pestilence?”
I, however, knew the storm would come my way and dump all
this snow, even though the weather people had forecasted it would go further
north. I own an ATHENA. I know she has a mind of her own and
will do what she wants!! My
ATHENA- Ch. Rumraisin Smoke on the Water is a quiet hellion. Athena rules my home like her Aunt Kay
did, with quiet authority. You
don’t even know you are being controlled until you have done what she wants and
look back on how she got you there!!
When I heard the first ever named winter storm would be
called Athena I knew all bets were off.
The storm’s namesake is unpredictable, funny, willful and lovingly dominant. If the storm was to live up to its name
we were in for, and ended up with, a doozie. As I sat in my office yesterday, losing power for about 3 hours,
I was the only one of my colleagues in the area not surprised by the
weathermen’s tremendous mis-forecast. The minute I heard they had decided to name the first
winter storm ATHENA, I just sat back, smiled and braced myself.
ATHENA is unique in that she is owned by, truth be told-she
owns-, two people. She is my dog
and rules the house. My husband
loves her, as she seamlessly took her Aunt Kay’s place in his heart as she travels
upstairs with him each night as he removes the workday suit and gets into the
evening comfy clothes. She picked
up that process, which none of my other dogs do, without a hitch and he
appreciates that he did not go long without his former end of day buddy. We lost Kay Scarpetta, the first of his
buddies, a year ago November 6th. She was a presence in our home in a way no other dog has been
since Raisin, the first of my Rumraisins.
Now ATHENA has stepped her paw into this position and done it with
aplomb.
Alisa & Wilma - dear friends for 14 years, owners of
Daisey and Diedre siblings Mackie and Redding, also own ATHENA. They wanted a puppy and I was working
so I ‘lent’ them ATHENA as a baby.
She stayed only a couple of months and then came back. Then she went back to them for a couple
of months and came back, and so on for the last 3 years. She doesn’t miss a beat when she moves
house to house. It is normal for
her. She comes to expect a scenery
change every few months.
At my house she takes care of my husband Jim, in Alisa &
Wilma’s home she is Wilma’s constant companion. Wilma is suffering from early onset dementia and it seems
Athena knows this and keeps Wilma close and alert all day while she is in the
Fearon/Hill household. She is that
little spark of life Wilma remembers flawlessly. She has not forgotten the red dogs she has had in her
life. Wilma may think Athena is
Redding, who passed several years ago at age 13, but no mind or matter. It is her red dog and for them she gets
up, engages and cares for their needs in a way she wouldn’t without their
constant companionship and nudging.
As I sit here writing this blog about Winter Storm ATHENA,
the Inaugural Winter Storm Name, I recognize of course…. no other name would
have captured the spirit and independent life a nor’easter can have, nor would
any other name have captured the life and love we so gratefully experience each
and every day being owned by an Irish setter hellion named ATHENA!
Hugs my special baby girl. See you
soon!
—Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton