A Peek Into My World

What a freakin' day! This picture seems to fit it best. I always WANT to think it's all flowers I'm constantly trying to peer through but it's the thorns that will kill you.

The puppy, Ziggy is slowly getting better but it takes diligence and routine to make it work...two things my youngest two kids are obviously incapable of. I've worked the past seven days and take care of the pups while I am home but it has generally fallen onto the kids to take care of them while Tim and I are at work. They are "Slackers" to say the least. I tell them time and time again, "They are three big dogs and need their water bowls filled at least twice a day...not one bowl but BOTH." Charlie, the bulldog eats enough for two and Ziggy is a puppy who is always hungry and Ham is blind so he just waits  to sniff around to find what's left. That's why I put out four bowls of dog food. They each have one and a spare. When dogs have plenty of water and plenty of food they are pretty much happy. It's when you forget to feed them or fill up their water bowls they start to wander. The gate in the back yard has been chewed to death by Charlie, the idiot.

Now that we have a small slim puppy, he was squeezing through. I stapled up chicken wire to keep  them contained and it worked for over a month. Last night when I came home from work, Zach told me the dogs got out. I asked from where and he said  "Dunno" and kept playing his video game.  I have put up so much wire and pounded in wooden stakes at the back of the yard that I knew it wasn't there. I asked Zach if it was at  the gate and he said "Guess so."

Seventh day in a row at work and I left without checking the gate. I should have and I would have, but at my age I feel lucky to just make it one more day and didn't even have time to check the water or food bowls. Note to self : If you want it done, do it yourself.

I know the dogs were fed because I went into the garage and picked up the almost empty dog food bin, put it into Zach's hands and said "Go feed them...now"

Of course like an idiot I didn't say "And give them water" so I am sure they choked down their IAM's.

I got home from work tonight and Zig had pooped in the house. Zach was on the computer in the dining room and acted surprised when I told him there was a big sloppy pile of dookey in the living room. Number one...dog crap has more smell than the strongest potpourri ever made and Number two (pun intended) if you don't let a puppy out once every hour, they are gonna take a crap in your house.

I was tired and shoved all three dogs out the back door to clean up the mess.  I had picked up the mess and sprayed the carpet with cleaner, waiting the ten minutes it says on the can of cleaner to wait when  the door bell rang. It was the next door neighbor's kid with Ziggy in tow.

Zach immediately went into "Told you" mode and said "I told you  the dogs were getting out."

I went into the back yard, where Ham is usually always sitting by  the back door when the other two idiots break out. He is totally blind and tends to stay in his comfort zone of the back yard. All dogs gone...

This was around ten thirty at night. Zach found Charlie sitting by  the garage door but my precious blind Ham was gone.

Zach, who immediately felt guilty went walking down the street calling Ham's name. I told Zach that he never left the yard before because he knew he couldn't see and seldom left his comfort zone (our back yard.)

Charlie and Ziggy have escaped a couple of times but Ham always remained behind.

Tonight my Ham was gone and I was terrified...more for him than me. He's blind and we live five doors down from  a busy road. As Zach walked the street I got in my car and cruised the subdivision.

I got to the end of the subdivision, turned around went back up turned onto the main road. I got half a mile up and there was Ham in  the middle of the street looking lost and walking down the middle of the road. I stopped in the lane, put my car in park, got out and called his name. He didn't know where to look, because he can't. I went over to him and pulled him by  the neck into  the other lane as a car whizzed by. He couldn't even see to get into my car but I picked him up (not an easy  task he weighs almost as much as me) and  drove him the half mile back to our house.

I pulled into our driveway and Zach, still out looking for him but seeing my car turn in came running and yelled "Do you have him?"


Call me crazy, you won't be the first but when my blind dog was out there all alone, I was mortified. Zach  could have fixed  that fence or at least  reminded me after seven straight days of work that they were escaping before I shooed them out the back door at ten thirty at night.

Zach was, much to my surprise pretty upset when I went up to his bedroom. When you are twenty you act like you never shed a tear, but a Momma knows better.
He helped me nail up the gate and fortunately or maybe not so fortunately, I still have three kids and three dogs.

Will my life ever be normal? The bigger question is ..."Do I really want it to?"

Til Next time...COTTON