Ru

As we're getting closer to our one year anniversary of owning our first home, projects are starting to come together and our list is getting smaller almost every day. As of this week our major renovations are now complete and all that is left is painting, sanding, more painting, and updating the tile surrounding the wood stove insert in the living room. But all of the renovations that included knocking things out and ripping stuff up is now over. It's definitely feeling like our home now. But one little thing was missing. A very, very little thing.


A puppy! I have wanted my own puppy for years and it seems like it has taken forever to finally be in a position where we had the space and time to be able to properly take care of a cute little fur baby. Finally, after searching for the right puppy over the past year, we finally found ours. She came from a litter of 12 (that's a LOT of puppies) at Eastern Dawn Kennels in Uigg, Prince Edward Island. We went down in mid-May to visit and pick out the one that would be right for us. Then, after three loooooong, unbearable weeks of waiting, we finally went to pick her up and take her home this week.
Introducing Ru!
Named after Eriu, the matron goddess of Ireland. If anyone is interested, I've included her story at the end of this post.
Ru likes visitors, as long as they are not too big and furry, so if anyone wants to come say hello, don't hesitate!

Ru has been home for a few days now and has definitely claimed this as "her" place. She is very snuggly and when she takes naps, 99% of the time they are in your lap. Her first couple of nights have been very good, no howling or crying in her kennel through the night, and I've been the one who wakes her up at 6 in the morning to go outside! Then she is very happy to come in and get into our bed to sleep for another few hours.

She is very small as she was the runt of her litter, and only weighed 6 pounds when we brought her home. Despite this, she loooooooves food, not only hers, but ours as well. I made a bowl of soup yesterday and she went crazy trying to get inside the bowl to drink it for herself. Milkbones are her one true love however. We bought the kind that are for puppies and are about the size of my thumb, and have to break it in half to give to her. When she senses that a milkbone is near, she goes nuts and will not rest until the milkbone is in her belly. Then once it's gone she checks her food bowl just in case there are some in there, and then she checks the coffee table to see if she missed any crumbs. I have a feeling she will have no trouble gaining weight.

Click below to hear the story of Eriu.

In “Spain,” a man named Bregon built a very tall watchtower. Bregon’s son, Ith, liked to climb the tower and look out over the sea. One very clear winter’s day, he noticed a land he had never seen before. Ith decided he wanted to explore it further, so he set sail with ninety warriors for the strange new land.

The land Ith had seen was, of course, Ireland. At that time, there were three Danaan kings—Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht, and Mac Greine—who ruled Ireland. As Ith landed, he noticed the three rulers arguing. They were bickering over how to divide the country. 

Seeing the stranger approach, the kings asked Ith to help them decide. Ith had no practical advice, but instead told the kings to act according to the laws of justice. He then praised the country for its moderate climate and abundance of good food, such as fish, wheat, honey, and fruit. 

When the kings heard the newcomer, they began to worry that he was plotting to overtake their country. They killed him on the spot, but spared his followers, who were allowed to return to Spain with the body. 

The people of Spain were furious to learn of Ith’s death. His nephew, Mil Espaine, determined to go to Ireland to avenge his death. He set sail with his family and thirty-six chiefs and their families. 

Among the Milesians, as they came to be known, was Mil Espaine’s son, Amairgin. Amairgin was a poet and a powerful druid, or magician. Upon landing on the Irish coast, Amairgin recited a poem, asking the land and its resources to side with Mil Espaine and his followers. 

The group made their way to Tara, the capital and palace of the Danaans. A short way into their march, they met up with Banba, the wife of Mac Cuill. Banba greeted the Milesians warmly. 

While she was not happy to hear they had arrived to conquer Ireland, she asked that the island be named after her should they win. Amairgin promised it would be so. Further along, the Milesians met up with another goddess, Fotla, wife of Mac Cecht. She made the same request as Banba. Amairgin again responded that it would be so. 

`Finally, as the group proceeded to the center of the island, they met Eriu, wife of Mac Greine. Eriu greeted the Milesians most warmly of all. She welcomed the group to the fair island and prophesized that the human race would be the most perfect the land would ever know. She turned to Amairgin. 
Like Banba and Fotla, she asked that the island bear her name should the Milesians be successful in their battle. Amairgin answered that Eriu would be the country’s principal name. (While all three names have been used to describe Ireland, it is only Eriu, or Erin in a different form, that remains as a poetic nickname for the island.)