On Putting A Dog To Sleep

     Page One Hundred Fifty-One.
     I'm doing some dog-sitting this weekend. I'm here right now while Mommy and Daddy are in Nicaragua visiting daughter #1 and her family. Next weekend I'll be back here, again, while they visit daughter #2 and her boyfriend in New York City. I've been this family's dog-sitter for maybe sixteen or seventeen years or longer. And, in fact, once during the late-90's, I stayed here one long weekend baby-sitting both girls while Mommy and Daddy were off trotting around the globe somewhere. So, I'm quite close and friendly with this family.
     Last week, I accompanied mom as she put the older of their two dogs down. Dad was out of town and the whole family knows that I care about these animals practically as much as they do. Mom needed some emotional support, of course, so she called me. It's always horrible to put an animal to sleep. This particular dog was a fourteen year old collie. That's really a long life for a large dog. I think she could've been put down earlier, months earlier. But, oh well.
     A couple of days ago I stopped by and spoke with dad. He thanked me for going with mom and then told me it was really his fault that Wanda wasn't put down a few weeks earlier. He's a doctor and changed Wanda's medicines. He thought those med changes might buy her some months. Then he promptly went out of town on business. Wanda didn't improve and in fact, got worse. To back up, over the course of the last few months, both girls came in town to say good-bye to their beloved pet. So, everybody's been seeing this coming for a while. The problem has been determining when Wanda's pain was really affecting her quality of life. She rarely acted like she was in pain, even on her final day. And the fact is, she probably wasn't in much pain, even then, thank heavens. But everything else was such a disaster that she had no real quality of life left. It was just time. That's all.
     So here I am baby-sitting just one doggie, instead of two. If I know this family though, and I do, it won't be too long before there's a cute, little puppy on the scene. Lord help us.

Back To School Shopping

     Twenty-Seven.
     Two of my four sibling are sisters, one in Cleveland, the other in North Carolina. This blog takes place in N.C.
     She has three royal offspring: eldest is a princess, then two princes. Every year for perhaps half a dozen I went down for a summertime excursion. My first visit, in '95(?), saw me being received by a Princess who must have been around ten, The Crown Prince of eight and the Younger Prince who would have been maybe six or so. The kids and I were very comfortable with each other as we lived a mile apart 'till they moved down South in 93. There were numerous visits at other times of year as well, but these summertime excursions took on a specific tone over time.
      That first year Sis convinced me what a joy it would be to take them Back To School shopping. Have you ever taken three young kids to the mall all at the same time? If you have, we speak the same language. If you haven't, oh, it's a joy!!! Thankfully, the kids and I just loved each other (still do), so their behavior wasn't as horrid as it could've been. But still, it was rough.
     For some reason though, my sister liked the idea so much that every summer itinerary thereafter included my taking them clothing shopping.
     Over time, a few patterns emerged: concerning the Princess - Of all my nieces and nephews she's the style maven. She inherited my interest in fashion and design. Thankfully, her current career in finance is well paying. The Crown Prince - if it was ever clean, he'll wear it. If he has a date with a young lady, perhaps he'll tuck his shirt in. He's in school to become a nuclear engineer; engineers are known for their jeans. The younger Prince - he hates clothing. He hated it then and he still hates it. If he could spend all day in the buff, he would. He was the most difficult to shop with 'cause he was simply offended by the whole concept of clothing. A few times he's left Western civilization to go surfing; when you're surfing by yourself in Indonesia or Nicaragua you don't wear clothing. He's also in engineering school, so he'll be stuck in jeans too. Pity.
     I do believe though, that bonding at the mall can be very fun. We really did have a blast. When developing a relationship with a kid, you simply have got to go to them. If you wait for the kid to meet you halfway, the relationship won't ever exist. Back To School shopping is a perfect excuse to hang out with your kids.