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Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Late Night Visitor

Late Night Visitor


“Daddy, can I get in bed with you and mommy?”
Nothing like being woke up by your three year old at 2:53 A.M. anyone else in the whole world would get an ass chewing, but your little sweetheart, well it doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.
“Get up here.” As I lift all of her 35 pounds into the bed.
“What’s going on?” I think she was watching some cartoons when she fell asleep, so maybe she was having a nightmare.
“I fell out of bed, and there was a monster under the bed.” Imagine that, a monster in her room! Just as I had suspected, an evil thought, left over from whatever Halloween cartoon that was on the boob tube as she slipped into dreamland.
“Tell you what, don’t wake mommy, and I’ll go take a look, then you can go back to bed.” I really needed a drink and to take a piss. During this process I could do some reconnaissance, clear the area, and return to my own personal dream world.
Sweetie loved that idea, “Okay daddy, you talk to him, and make him leave. I’ll go back to my room. But he said he was hungry, but he didn’t like baby, “the other white meat”.”
I don’t know where, “baby, the other white meat”, came from. I simply chalk it up to the television influence and got out of the bed.
“Baby, don’t wake mommy up, and I’ll be right back after I get this straightened out with the monster.”
I left the room, walked down the corridor. I looked into the cuties room; of course there was nothing to be seen. I walked through the living room, stopping at the security panel by the front door. It was set and activated, with only a green light showing, so there was no one in the house who shouldn’t be.
The dog was snoring in the laundry room, as I entered the kitchen. I took a glass from the cabinet and drew some water. Nothing like a little tap water at 3:00 AM to help promote a healthy return to dream world. I put the empty glass on the counter, expecting to use it in two hours with breakfast.
“Harley, you are a hell of a watch dog.” He seemed to enjoy my sharp wit, especially working on his sleeping persona. He rolled over and passed a wee bit of gas to express his pleasure.
On that harmonious note, I headed back to my bedroom, and more specifically, the master bath, to empty my bladder.
                     
On my way to the shitter to finish my unscheduled nocturnal business, I pass through my bedroom. “Daddy, the monster is in the bathroom.”
“Of course he is, he wasn’t in your room when I checked there.” I have decided, at this juncture, that I will really play up the whole monster angle. “Honey, I’ve checked the rest of the house.” Not really, but what 3 year old would understand that I’ve currently got only two things on my mind, no not beer and guns, close but no cigar. I only want some water and to drain the main vein. Then I’ll be back sawing logs. “Honey, I’ll check in the bathroom now.”
The bathroom does not look any out of the ordinary. Not that any bathroom would look extraordinary at 3:00 AM, but it looks just like my bathroom always looks.
So I step up to the toilet, take little Willie out, and start to piss. I notice a slight glow emanating from down under the tank. “Son of a bitch”, I mutter to no one in particular. The kid’s monster sure is small if that is what she’s talking about, she seems to be able to take lights, glow in the dark toothbrushes, passing cars, and anything else that passes in the night and change it into a monster.
I just hope, that whatever the monster consists of I haven’t pissed on it, since my night aim isn’t always the best.
I finish draining Larry the Lap Lizard, shake off, and put him away. I bend over to get whatever toy is glowing under the tank. My hand brushes something hard, and then I get a good hold of it and pick it up. It’s a mirror from her junior beautician set. But the damn thing stops glowing when I pick it up. The mirror itself hadn’t actually been glowing; it had seemed to be reflecting something. I start to get goose bumps, and a real gnawing in the pit of my stomach, and I really don’t want to turn around, since whatever it was reflecting would have to be directly behind me on the opposite vanity. Then it dawns on me, and a little smile creeps onto my face, my electric razor is on the vanity behind me and it has a little orange light to indicate it’s charging.
So the fear leaves as quickly as it appeared, and I turn to go back to bed.
As I’m turning I hear,” I don’t like baby, but I like a little buck.”  Then I see the orange eyes. I feel the hot breath on my face, and the razor sharp talons entering my heart.

As my world starts to dim, I really hope Mr. Talons really doesn’t like baby.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Alzheimer's a Bitch






Gramps - Mom - Alysse - Me

Last weekend I went home to visit my family, specifically my grandfather who has Alzheimer's.

My mom had called to tell me that he was getting much worse. The kind funny man that I grew up knowing was now angry, physical, and argumentative. So I told her I would make the trip and come see him. I called my brother's and we planned to get together Saturday, go visit him and see what we could do to help.

Well when we we arrived he was just setting there sleeping. My mother woke him up, since it was also almost lunch time. He just stared at us for 15 minutes while we tried to talk with him. We talked with other patients in the memory care unit. We watched one attempted escape, and laughed when she turned herself in immediately.

The only reaction we got from gramps was when mom asked him if he wanted help to go to lunch. He shook his head yes, and then shuffled off with mom to his spot in the dining room. So the body is still there, but the mind is gone.

What do you do to reconcile your memories of the man that was versus the shell that still exists. This decorated war veteran, who I once heard tell a TSA agent when the metal detector kept going off, "that's shrapnel from when the ____  got me in Korea." This is the guy who sang, "I Love to go swimming with bow legged women". Which always got hum called Donald Clarence by my grandmother. This is the guy that took you on your first duck hunt at 4 years old? The guy who stopped taking me to the bar when I was  four because I kept sliding off the stool? Or got you hooked on big american Lincoln's and Mercury's? Was a UAW member through and through?

My favorite story of all time was that he had Carotic artery surgery to remove a blockage. He was waking up in the recovery room, and was being attended to by a sweet young red headed nurse, and grampa was hitting on her and asking for a sponge bath. He kept it up until she was replaced by a large male nurse.

I don't know, but I'm glad my daughter and my nephew's got to meet him and know him prior to this terrible disease taking his mind. Because he is just a shell now. A loved shell, but a shell. I have resolved myself to this fact. Hopefully someday this disease will no longer exist. But for now it does and its a bitch!




Thursday, September 14, 2017

Overabundance of unloved dogs...





I was reviewing my blog to see what I could do to get more folks looking at what I'm writing about and I actually realized that one of the items I said I was going to ramble about was dogs. I have been remiss in writing about some of the best friends I've ever had. Four legged friends that is.

I was blessed that my parents had dogs in our house from a very early age. From these animals I learned compassion and responsibility among many other things. They were companions that helped fill my days.

These four legged friends are a gift and it seems that not everyone takes the commitment as seriously as they should. I try to help as much as I can by donating to rescues so that some of these pups can get a second chance. They are spayed or neutered and then adopted out.

I say all of this to let you know that my heart really goes out to these pups. I wish there was more regulation on these puppy mills. I wish all of the irresponsible pet owners would immediately spay and neuter their animals since its the right thing to do. That way we could cut down on the number of unloved dogs.

We had a slight tragedy at the end of last year, our 14 year old schnauzer Jo Jo, after having a splenectomy, succumbed to whatever cancer had caused the enlarged spleen. We were all heartbroken because she was the sweetest dog ever, except to Jessie.

We acquired her as a rescue. Her original Owner had failing health so she could no longer care for poor Jo Jo. So that is how she came into our family. She loved us and we loved her back.




Jo Jo 

But then she was gone, and it left quite a void. We couldn't stop thinking about her, including Jessie. The entire time that we had her, Jessie and Jo Jo ate from the same bowl. They could do math, one would only eat half the bowl and leave the other half for whomever was next. Jessie looked for her, and could't figure out where she had gone.

Based on our experience with Jo Jo we had decided that when the time came for a new furry family member we would be adopting from a rescue. We started looking in June, and we just couldn't decide when the right time would be.

In late June one of the rescues we follow and support posted a Facebook message that they were rescuing 25 dogs from a hoarding situation. That they did not have room, and that they were having an emergency adoption event the next day. They wanted folks interested in adopting to come the first night, and then have fosters come the following day.

We arrived early and we saw a cute pup. We asked to see her. Ash sat on the ground and the dog crawled in her lap and sat down. I then immediately knew that the skinny, stinky, bad haired dog was our next pup. Just wagged her tail and wanted her belly rubbed.

Well she went home with us that night and we now have a great new member of our family. Her name is Lucy, and she is a purebred mutt. She loves everyone. Enjoys laying with you to watch TV and Loves when you get home. Hopefully she'll be a good sister to Jessie for a long time.

Lucy 


So please, when its time for your next pet, please save a pup. The more folks who get rescue dogs will be that many less pups that help continue the puppy mills.