Strongest Woman Award 1 13/08/09

Years ago, my friend Paula, an artist who works in mixed media did a series in, um, some kind of plaster or clay called "The Strongest Woman You Know". And the works all contained the phrase "I am the strongest woman you know." I think that the idea was that everyone could be a strong woman, even people who aren't women. I know so many of them (starting with the artist herself) that I don't even know how to list them in a way that's fair. So I won't list them. I'll just let an interaction with one or more of them suggest a post stealing Paula's phrase.

Today's Strongest Woman is a woman, though. She's Leo the receptionist at All Creatures Veterinary Clinic. She never loses patience when the phone won't stop ringing and the waiting room is full of animals barking, hissing, whining, squawking or bitching about the doctor's fees. The best part about that patience is that while always professional and polite, she doesn't ever act fakey-happy, so when she smiles I know it's genuine happiness or amusement.

Today I think she had to see more animals than usual go into the consult room and not come back out. She can inform the doctor seriously, but unsentimentally, that "Yes, they're here, but you'll need the stretcher." But yes, I can see that it affects her. She also today had to deal with a nosy Woman With a Chihuahua (capital letters Karl's inflection) who naturally referred to herself as "mommy" and who was afraid to walk her dog down the Vallejo street while carrying her purse. Leo didn't say no when the WWaCh asked to leave the purse behind her desk, but she didn't say yes either.

I think she likes all dogs, but some more than others, you can tell by the reception they get if they go around behind her desk. Paloma used to hang out back there. I feel fortunate that my dogs seem to be on the good list. Today Stella jumped up on the bench beside me during our wait, then crawled over me so she could better gaze at Leo over her computer monitor and listen in to her phone conversation. The WWaCh tsked. I said, "If another person comes in I'll make her get down." Leo waved her hand and said "pshhht. Stella can stay there as long as she wants to."