Skip to main content

Welcoming Wally

I am currently at the library because my new furry beast makes writing at home nearly impossible! And that's not a complaint, truly! I would have it no other way.

I sat down this morning to journal and had to stop several times because Wally decided that he liked the sewing basket or the printer box or the cord to the computer or . . . Well, you get the picture. After several attempts at re-directing, I decided the best course of action would be to forgo any attempts at concentration and take the newest Piggins to the pet store to get some chew toys!

But first, I had to shower. As I tried to get ready for the shower, Wally pulled clothes out of the laundry hamper, pulled a pillow off the bed and tried to climb into the whirlpool tub (might have been a good place to 'keep' him but I know getting this monstrous pup OUT of the tub would have been a feat). So, I decided to put him in his crate while I showered.

Until this morning, I thought that Wally was a quiet dog. Not true - I could hear his cries over the shower, exhaust fan and two rooms away! He did not like being alone! It wasn't as bad last night - even with a thunderstorm. I suppose our not-so-little puppy knew it was uncommon to be crated while I was home! I took a very quick shower, dressed and rescued Wally - only to have him pull the rug from in front of the shower out to the bedroom, attempt to tug on the drapes and find a pair of shoes in the closet that must have been particularly tasty! My morning ministrations were cut short so that we could get to the pet store for appropriate puppy entertainment.

Chow Hound was not a welcoming place - and likely I won't return there. They weren't unfriendly - there just weren't any fawning employees. And when you see Wally (or any puppy for that matter) you're just drawn to fawn. He has that sad face (like a bloodhound) and the chubby body of a puppy who has a lot of skin to grow into!! Anyway, Wally quickly found three or four toys he just had to have and honestly if I could have lifted him, I would have put him in the shopping basket. It was worse than shopping with the kids when they were preschoolers and we wandered down the toy aisle! I feel fortunate that we escaped with a total of just under $100!!

It was a smart move - because the rest of the day were spent in relative bliss. For Wally and for me!! He was content to be wherever I was and he had several toys to keep him occupied. I believe Shadow might have been a better name - since he is always right behind me! We played in the yard, folded laundry (I folded he tried to steal whatever I was folding), did dishes and attempted to sweep the kitchen floor! We even took a nap - right on the living room floor snuggling together!

I fear the comparisons to Sandy - I understand it's likely natural to do that. And I've found myself talking to Sandy today - checking in with that most wonderful dog. I still miss her - but as I laid on the floor with Wally trying to snooze, I got a clear and peaceful message that Sandy welcomed Wally to her family. The tears that crept down my cheeks were the bittersweet tears of knowing we were moving on but never away.

And, like welcoming second or third children, they never replace the love we have for the first child - instead our hearts expand to love the new children. Or in this case, pet.

Comments

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Ten Year

When I was in junior high school, I staged a sit-in and learned about 'ten year'. This will come as a total surprise to most of you readers - I was not a perfectly well behaved child. I know, I know - you're shocked, amazed, in wonder how I could have turned out to be so well-behaved despite the oats sown in my youth.  And the sit-in is a perfect example of how I marched to the beat of my own drummer. Miss Brown was an English teacher - and not a very popular one. She would invoke the yardstick on wayward student's hands and scowl the moment we walked into the classroom. We weren't very kind to Miss Brown but then she wasn't very kind to us, either. Personally, the hardest part of having Miss Brown as an English teacher is that she nearly ruined my love of my favorite topic in school. It was the year we were to learn grammar (have I ever mentioned that as a writer I detest grammar?). I think some new way of teaching English was introduced and in all l...

Blubbering Idiot

While doing crunches this morning, I turned on the TV to keep my mind off the exercise I was about to do and the movie "Gran Torino" was playing. It was nearly 3/4 of the way done. Perfect, I thought, I can watch the end of one of my newest favorite movies. Fifteen minutes later, I'm a puddle of tears on the floor. The end of that movie dissolves me to tears every time - and I think I've seen it now about six or seven times. When Clint Eastwood's character goes about his last day - including a lame confession with the priest - locking 'Toad' in the basement, I begin to get weepy. SCENE SPOILER ALERT ! But when he is shot down and is splayed as though crucified on the cross, I become a blubbering idiot. So much softness and sacrifice in one so tough and gruff - it highlights the intensity of his sacrifice for his new family next door. I only need watch the last few minutes of "Gran Torino" to get the full emotional effect. The same can be said...

Hair today gone tomorrow

Before you all begin to think I’m breezing completely through chemo, let me remind you of this:   For the most part I am bald. Or if not completely bald, fuzzy headed, and not in the way I think or am thinking, but in the appearance. A little like a hedgehog or a porcupine with bald patches. On Super Bowl Sunday while most of you were overeating or filling out those little squares to wager on the upcoming game, John and I were having a unique pre-game party. In front of our bathroom mirror with clippers and scissors. Preparing for the certainty of hair loss from my chemo, I decided to buzz my locks to lessen the shock and mess of of losing large chunks of my silver, shoulder-length hair. It was in all honesty one of the most poignant moments in our 30+  year marriage. I had originally asked my friend and former stylist if she could do it . But when I shared my plan with John, he said that he wanted to do it. Certainly that was not expected. So instead of watching th...