The Dog Step.

 The Dog Step.

 

Two dogs who lie down or get right in front of me on the floor means that being able to see them in the dark is important—thus the night lights to shine against the black coat of one and the tan coat of the other one. Then there is trying to make a semi-brisk walk to the necessary room. Do you think that the tan dog will move even a tiny bit faster? Why no! Let her look back over her shoulder to see if that is really the direction you are headed. And it is necessary to slow down to make that look! And getting out onto the deck is interesting depending on which one will wait for the door to be opened and which one will attempt to go through the doggy door just as you are opening the door! Such fun!

 

Life is always a sharing experience in a household with dogs. For instance, Orville Redenbacher kettle corn has to be shared with at least one dog. She knows when it is popping that she has to follow me and push her nose onto my lap to remind me—as if it were not already obvious—that she needs her share of that good stuff. The other dog prefers to beg for his share of the ribs that were cooking in the oven. Yes, they have to be cooled off first, but he KNOWS some of that good smelling stuff belongs to him. Just don’t try to go into the kitchen and close the half door to eat your own meal before sharing with these two. Scratch, whine, bark. We KNOW you are in there eating some of that good stuff! How dare you shut us up here in the living room until you have had your lunch. And don’t forget to bring a couple or three string cheese sticks to share. We like those, too.

 

It’s a good thing the hens are not as demanding as the dogs. As it is, the old woman let a spaghetti squash begin to sprout before she thought to cut it open to cook. Yep, the hens enjoyed that one. My own fault for not cooking it when it first was given to me. Oh, and the hens eat the left-over popcorn seeds and bits every time we have popcorn. So maybe they have their own demands.

 

Got a little tickled at the memories that my sister-by-another-mother brought to my mind this morning. Lewis was as different from me as Sharon is from her husband Jim. Having been ADHD all my life, the things that seem to take precedence in my way of doing them was not the way that Lewis did things at all. He took his time and thought about each step in a process. But he was also pretty much a mess when it came to keeping up with whatever he was using to do things. Tools, parts, mechanic books, oil cans, and teeny tiny pieces that went on things were often dropped in peculiar places. My hands were smaller, so guess who got to put her hands down inside of nasty places to reach for things! Bleah. Or he would drop something in the grass that had to be “right there” so that it should be easy for ME to find since HE could not find it. Can’t tell you how many times we had words about putting down a tarp or something so that the parts would be easier to find when he dropped them. Of course, he never PLANNED to drop things, so that was part of the problem. Sharon thought the description was hilarious, but she had no idea what it was like to hear Lewis shouting about why couldn’t I find whatever it was. Such fun.

 

Life is always fun when we look back at it. Well, mostly. Sterling was telling me this morning that he was tuckered out from just making one trip to unload wood at his shop. Seemed to me a good day to just keep it at one trip instead of two, but then, he is a Pollard. Never do only one thing when two or more might make a difference later. Or not. Daddy was like that, too. But Daddy finally got to the point that just a few steps was all it took to wear him out. With only one working lung, it is amazing he was able to do anything those last two years.

 

Just talked to Jennifer about her latest escapade. She said that Gary had to go up into the attic to change filters and left his phone up there and had to put the ladder BACK down and go back for it. This morning when Jenn took her little Pepper dog outside to do her thing, she heard this heartrending “rowerrrrr” sound from above her. Sora, the cat, had followed Gary up into the attic and got left up there. So, Gary got to put the ladder down one more time! Ah, life is so much fun!

 

Connie said that her sister is going to Austin this weekend to help her ex because he is about to have some surgery. That drive down 35 to Austin is a nightmare in my estimation. But she is so much younger than us. Some people don’t mind that kind of trip at all. A few years ago, it might not have bothered me too much either, but things have changed, including my sense of challenge. Old stay-at-home lives here now. Some of us will never do much traveling any longer. Miss Lewis and his willingness to take off into the wild blue yonder. Miss feeling that sense of wonder about what is found just a few hundred miles away. Now even a trip out to Byers to the cemetery does not appeal to me. Sigh Seeing the gardens where Jack Culpepper sets stones as platforms for statues makes me tempted, but that temptation will probably never get any further as long as it depends on me. Ah, the beauty of pictures.

 

Will hope that all of you will find some reasons to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us, the wildlife that entertains us, and the love that is given so freely to us. Pray for peace. Rest well, my friends, and know that you are loved.