Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like; afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way.”
Today is an ugly day, dark and rainy. I am staying close to home today. Maybe I’ll do some laundry. The laundry bag aka pillow slip has been sitting in the hall so long it has grown legs.
When I was a kid, my father thought sending me to my room was the worst punishment. I always thought of it as a reward. I could shut the door and block out the noise from the rest of the house. I’d get in my comfy clothes, lie in bed and read. I could stay there for hours. Inevitably my father would come to my room to see if I was repentant. I always wanted to say no so I could continue my exile, but that was a risky choice so I said yes though I wasn’t all that repentant. I had played my father, a skill I learned early in life. He never caught on.
Winter was always my least favorite season when I was a kid. Take away Christmas, ice skating and sledding and nothing much was left. When I walked to and from school every day, it was always some degree of cold. My mother bundled us every morning as if we were crossing the ice to the North Pole. I liked being warm, but I hated the amount of time it took to unbundle once I was in the cloak room. There were never enough hooks in the cloak room for all of us to hang our coats. I just pushed mine between two other coats, and it stayed there, off the floor.
I can’t imagine life without a dog or cat or both. Having a pet is a love affair. I grew up with a dog and much later we added a cat. In Ghana I had a cat who came home with me. My roommate had a dog so I didn’t get a dog of my own until I moved into my house. I’ve always had two cats and a dog until this year. I lost Fern first. Gracie was next then Maddie. Gracie was the most painful loss. She was my constant companion and came everywhere with me. Her death left a hole. Henry is filling that hole every time he wags his tail when he sees me.
My friends Tony and Clare loss their dog this morning, their Darci Rose. She was funny, affectionate and sweet. I cried for Tony and Clare and for Darci Rose.
keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
January 5, 2019 at 1:55 pm
Quite the opposite here today, sunny and nice but I still didn’t want to take that last walk to be honest 🙂 🙂 It was however more annoying to keep open and close the door so that Albin and Sune could go in and out as often as they wished 🙂 🙂
I always fear the day I know will come when it comes to my pets. I so feel for Yor friends!
Christer.
January 5, 2019 at 4:55 pm
Christer,
It is still raining. The darkness came quickly. The day was totally ugly.
My losing Gracie is still close. She was the best dog. I miss her every day. Henry would have enjoyed playing with Gracie. We all know the day is coming, and we all dread it.
Have a great day!
January 5, 2019 at 4:39 pm
Maggie the Westie has been gone for a year. There are still moments when I expect her to arrive. The last couple of years of old dog syndrome were exceedingly difficult and I am not sure that I could do it again
Every so often I look up Westie puppies, ignore the pricing and sigh. I just don’t think I could do it again. At work one of the young guys brings in Buster, a dog he rescued from the LA Pound. Buster storms in each morning and makes a high speed visit to each and everyone to make sure they know he has arrived. He then settles down to a day of snacking and sleeping as everyone has a treat or two at their desk
In Detroit we continue to be snow free and enjoying weather in the high 50s. We are walking without full winter battle gear. It’s nice
January 5, 2019 at 5:04 pm
My Dear Hedley,
My friend’s dog was also a Westie. I think they will get another. Like me, they need a dog to complete the family.
Henry is young. He was a year in August. I wondered about lasting longer than Henry, but I’m expecting quite a long life. If I had a boxer, I’d definitely live longer than my dog. Gracie at 12 was the oldest of my boxers. The others were only 8.
It was a cold day, made all the colder by the on and off rain. Tomorrow will be a better day.
January 5, 2019 at 6:59 pm
We are dog people or fish people. My spouse is deathly allergic to cats. Once while out house hunting we entered a house and within a minute or two she knew that a cat had lived there and we had to leave before she became sick from the cat dander. Fish on the other hand are wonderful pets who don’t have to be walked, don’t make mistakes on the carpet or disturb the neighbors. Besides being non allergenic they are easy to dispose of via the porcelain throne when their time is up or when they become boring. 🙂
Went to see the movie “Vice” and I highly recommend that everyone see this film. Several of the scenes depicted events and people that were reported in the book “500 Days” about the power that Cheney abused after 9/11. That book is so disturbing that I couldn’t finish it.
The temperature hit a high in the mid 60s under beautiful clear skies.
January 5, 2019 at 8:24 pm
Bob,
I think of fish as food, not pets. I want a pet with whom I can interact, one who is happy to see me, loves patting and sleeping on the bed with me.
I heard a great review of Vice on NPR. It was mentioned that once Cheney was in Bush lost control of his own presidency. Cheney ran that presidency.
January 5, 2019 at 8:46 pm
My mother-in-law had Japanese fighting fish that lived in fancy drinking glass. He recognized when she came in and knew when it was dinner time. Obviously, petting and cuddling are out.
If you see the film don’t leave until the credits are done because there is a surprise scene. Yes, the film depicts that Cheney was the power behind the throne. According to the film both Cheney and Scalia believed in the theory that the Constitution gives the President unlimited executive power. It’s a very entertaining biopic.
January 5, 2019 at 8:56 pm
Was it only one fish in the glass or a few? I thought fish needed more than just a glass or bowl. I didn’t think fish could know who feed them. I guess it was because they are fed around the same time every day.
Thanks-I’ll wait around until the credits end. The current occupant thinks the has unlimited power, and there are no restraints including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
January 5, 2019 at 10:53 pm
One fish and one bowl. Every Supreme Court justice seated by Republican Presidents including Scalia were vetted by the Federalist Society. They believe and interpret the Constitution giving the executive branch more power than the other two branches. Cheney was able to wield that power outside of the spotlight. He let W take all the credit.
January 5, 2019 at 11:51 pm
My Agway has fish containers, square ones which hold one or two fish. I have been tempted to buy one. I may just do that when it is warmer.
January 5, 2019 at 11:17 pm
Scalia was a brilliant jurist, Obama’s appointees are average
January 5, 2019 at 11:50 pm
Spaceman,
I had to read all the comments to see what this is in reference to. I think it was an observation, not an evaluation.
January 6, 2019 at 12:57 am
Scalia was, as are all the Federalist Society jurists, originalists. They believe that the elastic clause has been erroneously used to expand rights that the founding fathers never intended when they wrote the Constitution. Unfortunately, we nor any Supreme Courts in the second half of the 20th century are living in an 18th century world.
January 6, 2019 at 12:34 pm
I understand the elastic clause. With the world changing, it was necessary to catch up with the changes which the founding fathers could never have anticipated.
January 6, 2019 at 10:13 am
Unchecked, government will always expand to govern more things. Said another way, the number of laws always increases based on what congress feels is proper and necessary. People who are fans of government deciding what it good for them and how to live their lives will embrace this approach. Those who object will not.
January 6, 2019 at 12:37 pm
Spaceman,
What the congress feels is necessary is not always true. I object to some laws which I don’t feel are good for me or anyone else. Other laws supposed to be temporary sometimes become permanent. I am always hopeful though.