On deck: Lucy & Charlie Brown

Fayston, Vermont.  My son recently left home for his first year of college.  He is an only child.  Before he left, he was often asked how I was coping with his departure. His usual deadpan reply: “She’s replaced me with dogs.”

“How so?” I asked him one day.

“Well, each dog represents part of my personality,” he explained. “Linus – he’s kind of lazy. He can lie around the house all day.”

Following his thinking, I noted “That’s pretty normal for a teenage boy.”

“Lucy,” he continued “is always wagging. She’s always happy.”

I smiled. My son’s personality is very happy-go-lucky, like Lucy. “Go on,” I said.

“And Charlie,” he concluded, “doesn’t always listen to you, Mom.”

“But he’s easily bribed with cookies,” I replied.

“True,” he said, as a big grin slowly spread across his face.

My son Erik attends Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. I miss him so much, I might need a few more dogs. JK!

In the hole: Linus takes over my son’s vacated spot on the couch.