Driving the Dog Mobile

For the first time in I can't remember how long . . . I'm bored. 

 

Hubby and I had dinner together.  I actually cooked.  I'm surprised that I remember how.  I didn't blow up anything and I didn't burn anything. 

 

I did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.  Why, yes, there is a table under all that stuff!!  

 

Hubby did the laundry for me so I didn't have to do that. I folded socks and underwear while watching TV. 

 

We're sitting on the couch watching a movie.  Yes.  Me.  Watching a movie.  From start to finish.  Hubby's flipping through the channels during commercials and we get sidetracked on some stupid commercial. 

 

The dogs are sleeping peacefully at our feet.  In my case, Rocky's actually sleeping on my foot.  

 

After the stress of the last year or so, this is a nice change of pace.  I can get used to this. 

It seemed like a good idea at the time.  Honest.  But, like most of my brilliant ideas . . . it went horribly awry.

 

I was going to take Luci and Rocky to the do-it-yourself dog wash place yesterday. Then I took a good look at the house and decided I needed to clean instead.  With all the stuff going on here lately, the house has been a little neglected.  So I cleaned the house and made a promise to the doggies that they'd get baths during the week. 

 

My original plan was to take Luci tonight and then take Rocky on Wednesday night.  Then I got the bright idea to take them both tonight.  I got off work early enough and there was plenty of time to throw them in the Dog Mobile and get to the dog wash place before they closed.  I had a coupon for a free wash for one of them and a 10% coupon for the other one.  I figured they would be together in the car and they'd be happy.  They whine and whimper when they are apart so I thought it would be better for them to be together.  Rocky is no trouble when I give him a bath and I'd have the groomer guy give Rocky a bath while I gave stubborn Luci a bath.  After all, that's why I have the Dog Mobile to take the dogs places together.  

 

Like I said, it seemed like a good idea at the time. 

 

When I come home from work, the usual routine is for me to walk the dogs.  So they were a little excited thinking it was time for their walk.  Then when I took them out to the car, they were really excited.  Luci jumped right into the back of the car.  Rocky wasn't quite so quick to jump up.  I'm trying to load Rocky into the car while I'm trying to keep Luci from jumping back out.  The car was parked on the street and I was worried that one or the other of them was going to get hit if somebody went zipping down the street.  Luci hopped out the back of the car and I decided I'd load them in through the passenger door.  Again, Luci jumped right in and Rocky wasn't having any part of it.  I had to lift Rocky into the car while Luci was trying to sniff him.  There the three of us were all crammed into the passenger side door.  Aaarrgh.

 

Okay, we're in the car.  I've got the special shampoo for Luci.  I've got the coupons.  I even managed to remember my keys, my cell phone, and my purse.  Things are looking good.  Off we go.  We get to the end of the street and Luci's whining.  Evidently Rocky was in "her" spot and wouldn't move.  As a matter of fact, he didn't move the entire trip to the dog wash place.  It was like he had turned to stone.  Thankfully, it's only 10 minutes to the dog wash place.

 

We get there.  They manage to behave themselves long enough to get out of the car and into the place.  We walk into the waiting area and Luci jumps up and gives the groomer a big old smooch.  Rocky's still acting like a statue. 

 

We go in.  I let groomer guy take Rocky and I get Luci into the tub.  Luci is totally incorrigable when it comes to getting a bath.  It's totally my fault because when she was a baby, I gave her a bath in her baby pool.  She thinks bath time is time to play.  She's excited to get in the tub and play in the water.

 

Rocky has never really warmed up to the idea of bath time.  He's very well behaved but I can tell that it's not his favorite thing.  He won't even play in the pool or in the sprinkler.  He's just not a big fan of the water.  He never shakes.  He never makes any noise.  He's always perfectly well behaved.  At least he is when I'm the one giving him a bath.  He whined and whimpered and howled the entire time.  He couldn't see me.  He couldn't see Luci.  Some strange man was giving him a bath.  He was not a happy camper.

 

When Rocky starts to whine, Luci gets upset and tries to get out of the tub.  I'm trying to hang onto a wet 106 lb dog that's covered in soap.  She wouldn't sit still.  She kept trying to push me out of the way to get out to see what's going on with Rocky.  She's not a happy camper. 

 

I finally get her done and groomer guy is still using the blower dryer on Rocky.  Luci made a bee-line to the tub where Rocky was.  She stood on her hind legs next to groomer guy as if to tell Rocky that it was okay.  Sissy wasn't going to let anyone hurt him.  

 

Rocky's done.  Luci's done.  They both get bandanas and smelly spray stuff.  I pay the bill and we leave. 

 

They walk quietly out to the car. No pulling.  No fighting.  Now why couldn't they do that on the way in?!

 

They get in the car.  We drive home in silence.  Except for the heaving panting and the fogged up windows. 

 

We get home.  They both jump out at the same time and dash for the door.  

 

They haven't left each other's side since we got home.  

 

I think I'll go back to individual trips to the dog wash place. 

 

 

Yes, there is happy news from the Big Dog Family!!  It's been a rough month and I'm sure we have some more rough days, weeks, month ahead of us while we try to get the estate settled and live through the upcoming holidays.  Holidays.  Gee, not really something I want to deal with at this point but I'll get through it somehow.

 

Anyway, back to my wonderful news. . . .

 

Hubby bowled a 300 game on Monday night.  In the first game of the evening.  He's the secretary of the league which means he has a lot of paperwork to take care of on top of trying to bowl.  This is his second year being the secretary and he's been struggling to deal with both tasks.  Bless his heart, he's not a good multi-tasker.  But somehow he pulled it off on Monday night.  He got through the 9th frame before he realized what was going on.  He took a deep breath before he started the 10th frame and just threw the ball like he had all night.  And all the pins fell down. 

 

It took him 22 years of bowling to finally get his 300 game.  He's had a 299 and a 298 and thought he'd never see his 300.  It was like the Holy Grail for him. 

 

His team stomped and hollered for him.  The entire bowling league held their breath until he threw his last ball.  Then the place erupted in cheers. 

 

And I missed it.  After sitting in bowling alleys for all those years and being bored silly . . . I missed the biggest night of his life.  But I have a good reason and he understood.  See, Monday was All Souls Day and I was at Mass honoring MIL.  Near as I can figure, about the time the memorial candle for MIL was lit, Hubby was finishing his 300 game.  I'm thinking he had an angel or two watching over him. 

 

I found out about the 300 game by a voice mail message left at home by Hubby's BFF.  That's when I took off for the bowling alley.  You should have seen the smile on Hubby's face when I walked into the bowling alley.  

 

Believe it or not . . . that smile's still there . . .

This is Baby.  She lives with my Mom and Dad.  Mom adopted Baby to be a companion for Dad.

 

 

 

They rescued her five years ago from the local animal shelter.  Her previous owner was a sweet little lady that had to move to a nursing home and couldn't take Baby with her.  We think that Baby was about 6 or 7 years old when she came to live with Mom and Dad so that would make her about 12 or 13 years old now. 

 

 

 

Because we don't know a lot about Baby's history, we have to guess about why she does the things she does.  She doesn't like to play with toys and she doesn't play fetch.  She's a picky eater and prefers to have a little bit of people food mixed into her doggie dish but there isn't a brand of doggie treat that she doesn't like.  She loves to go for walks and rides in the car.  She was a friendly dog that loved everybody. 

 

 

When I visit Mom and Dad, I have to say hello to Baby before I say hello to anybody else in the house.  She's my buddy and she never lets me out of her eyesight.  I've been known to spend an entire visit at Mom and Dad's sitting on the floor with Baby. 

 

 

 

Baby passed away on Sunday afternoon.  It was sudden and it was awful.  We don't know exactly happened but we think it was a stroke.  She was fine Sunday morning and by 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon she wasn't able to walk.  Little Brother and Little Sister rushed Mom and Baby to the Emergency Vet clinic and they told Mom that Baby was paralyzed from the waist down and she was going downhill fast.  That's when Mom realized that it was time to let Baby go.  I wasn't home when Little Brother called to let me know they were going to the emergency vet . . . and he didn't want to give me such bad news on my cell phone . . . so I didn't get a chance to say good-bye to my furry little buddy. 

 

  

 

So now you know why I've had the chorus from this really old song playing in my head all week.

 

   

 

Yep, that'd be me.  Eating a big plate of crow.

 

I am happy to admit that I was wrong about Princess.  I thought it was going to be a bunch of drama when she moved back to Smalltown.  I didn't think she was serious about getting her life on the right track.  I thought she was going to be mooching off me and Hubby.  I thought she would end up living with us.

 

I was wrong.  I was wrong.  I was wrong.  And I'm sorry I misjudged her.

 

She did spend a couple of months with Jr and Girlfriend until she got a place of her own.  But she carried her weight over there.  Helping out around the house.  Getting a couple of jobs to help contribute to the food bill and other household expenses. 

 

She has a nice place for her and the grandkids.  She's still working a couple of jobs in the field that she's been trained for . . . she has a special knack for health care.  She's even been helping Hubby get MIL's house ready for auction.  All we need to do is ask and she's right there . . . and she usually brings one or two of the grandkids with her.  It's like we have our very own work crew. 

 

I've told her how proud I am of her.  How well I think she's adapted to being back home.  She's told me that she's glad that she came back home when she did.  She got to spend some time with MIL before she passed away.  Princess told me that she was happy that MIL got to see her and spend some time with the grandkids before she passed away.  Princess has a background in home health care and her specialty is seniors with dementia issues.  Her experience was a god-send to Hubby and me. 

 

Princess even hosted her first family dinner yesterday.  It was for Jr's birthday.  She cooked meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  All I had to do was bring the cake and ice cream . . . she did all the work and the grandkids did the dishes.  If I didn't know better, I would have thought it was my birthday.

 

The Princess that I've known and loved for over 25 years is back.  And I'm so very happy . . . .