Bufkin

buf -- naked kin -- small thing; one's relatives; family Bufkin -- small naked thing, like puppies and babies; a family with small naked ones This is our old house on Bufkin in South San Jose, where we brought up our pups and baby. When we first bought the house in 1995, Trinket was barely ten months old, while our rescued Westie, Macie, at three and half years old, seemed almost senile! Bill took six weeks of sabbatical, and just when he was to go back to work, we snatched up the pug in the flea market, with a few fleas too. For the next three years, two baby dogs and Macie the cone head ruled the house over ten hours a day. Coming home was fondly referred to as "back to the zoo". We potty trained three boys in that house. Over the course of nine years there were so many peepee and poop accidents -- thank goodness for the wonderful hardwood floors! We did replace the carpet in the living room before selling the house, thank you very much. We lived in a rental duplex in Santa Clara after we got married. The rent of cheap and the place was close to both of our jobs. We didn't plan to buy a house until we had the dogs, partially in fear that our landlord might change his mind about pet policy and kick us out one day. We decided on a single story ranch house because of Macie's leg injuries from her first owner; a house smack across the street from a very good elementary school, at a time we (I) didn't want any kids at all. When Henry came into the picture we imagined for over five years how I'd work in the front room and pick him up when the school bell rings; then at the first possible moment we transferred him to another school three miles away. We sold the house to a young couple, self proclaimed pug lovers, and I gave our pug flag to a pug house a block away. One day I drive back to the neighborhood, the pug flag was proudly flying in front of the pug house. I had to stop on the side of the street, to wipe my tears off.