Looking out my Backdoor: It's a doggy dog world

My friend Peggy used to ask me, in her booming voice, "What's your motive?" She caused me to examine stuff I'd really rather have left swept into the bulge under the rug. Peggy is gone these many years. But Peggy's big Irish voice lives on, in my head, whenever I make a decision, large or small. "What's your motive?" I hear as if we are sitting at the table, coffee mugs in hand. Voice followed by laughter.

Months ago I began thinking about getting a pet. Motive? Not that I necessarily wanted a cat or dog or goldfish, but with my enforced solitude due to this on-going pandemic, my isolation, an...