Deb Baird set the rhythm of the neighborhood in which I live, a neighborhood that is struggling after her unexpected death Wednesday at the age of 49.
I am guessing that Deb probably knew just about everybody; she was a friendly, lovely person who also helped organize the annual neighborhood events. People in the area who may not have known her by name would instantly recognize her as the woman who walked her dogs multiple times a day, no matter the weather; neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night kept Deb and her dogs from their frequent rounds.
The luckiest dogs in the neighborhood — heck, the luckiest dogs in the world — are Deb’s. Her email address — dogzrule@ — said it all. I remain convinced that Deb was a magical canine whisperer.
When my sweet dog Ted died not quite a year ago, I wrote about him and his intense anxiety issues, and how, despite his fear of thunder and fireworks and loud noises, he had appointed himself our patroller-in-chief, keeping close watch over his territory and warning everyone away with a loud and noisy vengeance. (Ted’s bark made up for the fact that he had no bite.)
“When we were in the yard, I’d find myself apologizing to anyone walking by…,” I wrote. “One nice neighbor reminded me that Ted was ‘just doing his job.’”
That nice neighbor was Deb, and those few kind words from the woman with the best-behaved dogs in the world meant a lot.
Neighborhoods are kind of like pieces of clothing, each fashioned out of whatever lands in its midst. Sometimes, the pieces don’t fit all that well; but sometimes, when they do, the result is like a favorite old sweater, woven from an eclectic assortment of threads and yarn, held together by a combination of buttons and zippers and snaps, sporting a fit both cozy and forgiving.
That’s been my neighborhood for these past 30-some years. When we first moved here, we were literally the new kids on the block; today, we are the old farts on the porch. Lots of newer new kids on the block have moved in since then, and some — like Deb — have forged lovely, deep friendships with each other.
And this neighborhood is so much better for Deb having been such a big part of it.
You can read Deb’s lovely obituary by clicking here.
