Some mornings the only thing that makes me want to get out of bed is the dog. Scratch that. I still don’t WANT to get up but you can’t
ignore a pushy schnauzer when he’s gotta pee. He bounces against the mattress
until I open my eyes and then he stares at me with the sweetest angelic, canine
smile on earth. I swing my legs over the side of the bed where I’ll sit for a
few minutes to gain my equilibrium. At that point Levi lets me know the peeing
order---me before him or him before me.
With those basics out of the way we begin our morning routine. Coffee
goes on and I sit at my keyboard that’s inside a large computer wardrobe in the
kitchen. When the coffee spits out of my Keurig, Italian sweet cream goes in it
and a few bits of Milk-Bone Trail Mix goes to the dog. But not before he proves
he can smell which hand I’m hiding them in. He can’t lose. I have one in each
hand but he’s got his favorite flavors and for round one of the game, he’ll pick the hand
with the sweet potato over the beef every time but he’ll pick the rolled oats milk
bone---his favorite---over both of them in our game of Which Hand.
Over the next hour Levi can be a pain in the butt. As I read
around the internet or work on writing my next blog post he’ll be in and out of
the house a half dozen times. If he barks while outside, I’ll tap on the window
that’s next to my computer chair to get his attention, then hold my finger up to my lips. If that
doesn’t silence him, I’ll make him come inside. Usually that happens when someone
is walking a dog up the cul-de-sac. When he’s called in he’ll make a bee-line
to the library where he can continue to follow the dog and its walker until
they are out of sight. At the point Levi wants to go back outside again. He
turned eight in January and this has been our routine his entire life which
explains why I don’t like morning appointments. Getting dressed and walking the
dog in the morning before hurrying off somewhere just isn’t my idea of the good
life on Lazy Old Lady Street.
Friday, however, was an exception. I had signed up to go a travelogue
about Scotland that was originally scheduled for 3:00 PM Monday but it was the
victim of a snow cancellation and it got rescheduled for 10:00 AM on Friday. If
I didn’t go it would have been my 7th day of isolation meaning my sanity
was in serious jeopardy. Around the 4th day without human contact I feel like I'm drifting in a dinghy in the middle of the ocean and by day six I'm playing Tom Hanks' part in Cast Away. Levi is my sanity savior and without him in my life I'd probably weigh fifty pounds more if I didn’t have to search the house for him a million
times a day. He’s got nine places he likes to be depending on sun patterns,
wildlife in the yard, dog walkers and if he’s cold or annoyed or he thinks I
need to be watched more carefully for reasons known only to him.
The travelogue was put on by a travel club I belong to that
has eight-nine programs sporadically throughout the year and this time the
speaker was a guy from Switzerland who works for Globus, the oldest escort tour
company in Europe. The guy was funny enough to be a stand-up comedian and he kept
us laughing all the way through laying out a ten day itinerary to see castles,
mountains, moors, festivals, pubs, villages and cities. The slides and videos were
breathtaking, the classic dancers and music of Scotland lively---both making me
wish I was as adventuresome as I am in my imagination. Every time I drive home
from one of these events I tell myself I could actually go on one of these
tours. I've got the money and the time. But what would I do about Levi? If I thought I could get him to
understand Face Time or Skype I know his kennel owner would help him do it. Then all I’d have to do is practice getting
drunk so I’d know how to do it on the long flights---that could help me overcome my fear of
flying.
When I got home I found a surprise
in my mailbox, a note card from a cousin who is a selfless do-good type with a huge
heart. She makes me want to be a better person whenever I hear about her many charitable
activities. The note read: “Instead of giving up something for lent I feel led
to send notes to those who have touched my life. Today God put your name on my
heart. I am so glad we have been able to re-connect through Facebook as
I have fond memories of time spent with you growing up. Your mom was a stickler
for rules, but a fun lady who always made me and the others feel
special. Your dad was a gem. I loved his smile and he was so much fun. You know
my dad drank and sometimes the good times get lost in the bad times. It is sad
that so many in our family are gone, even our cousins....” I don’t honor lent but if I did I’d copy my cousin’s thoughtful idea. Her
words made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, knowing that others have fond memories
of my parents. I won the parent lotto and the older you get, the easier it is
to appreciate things like that. ©
