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Archive for the ‘Lifes Observations’ Category

It’s all About the Shoes

Posted in Lifes Observations, tagged , , , , on March 7, 2011| 4 Comments »

I’m not a fan of bowling.  When I was just a wee boy my friend had a bowling birthday party.  I cannot remember if it was Brahm or Robert, what I do remember is that two prizes were awarded, one for the best score and one for the worst.  I did win a prize that day.  

The last time I was bowling was in Vancouver with my friends Tony and Penney and the reasons why I don’t like bowling came flooding back.  In no particular order:

1)      I don’t like having to rent shoes, especially clown shoes to play a sport. 

2)      I worry my fingers are going to get stuck in the ball.

3)      Just like I can’t stop worrying about the person who wore the clown shoes before me, I can’t stop worrying about the person’s fingers that were in the ball before me.

4)       When I get to the foul line I find that either my foot placement is wrong or I’m not ready to release the ball. 

5)      The scores are automatically calculated and appear on the wall where everyone can see.  I really do not need to have to pay to be humiliated.  My crappy scores are private thank you very much.

6)      Bowling, like most sports goes against my basic credo:  Sitting is better than standing, lying down is better than sitting.

7)      Did I mention the clown shoes?

One summer in the late 1990’s in Vancouver Tony called me up and asks if I want to go rollerblading with him and his wife Penney.

Me:  I’ve never been on roller blades, have you?

Tony: No.

Me: Has Penney

Tony: No

Me: Sure

Tony: How about we meet at your place in about half an hour.

I learned a life lesson that day.  Being able to stop is almost, if not even more important than learning how to go.  Now I work in a warehouse and that lesson still holds true, before you pick up a box you had better know where you are going to put it down.  In short, you always need an exit strategy.

We got to Stanley Park, found a place to rent the blades and once again I had to deal with renting ‘shoes’ it took all my strength but I managed to ignore the imaginary legionares disease crawling up my legs.  in very short order we were able to stand and move forward providing we stayed on level ground. The issue of stopping would soon rear its ugly head.

There was a ‘medic/security/park employee standing at the top of a short, steep, sudden downward slope.  As other rollerblader’s approached this spot he would ask them if they needed help getting down this ‘obstacle’.  I really wanted to say yes.  But nobody else took him up on his offer.  Penney who became our leader declined his help as did Tony, like a sheep to the slaughter I followed the crowd.  We all made it and agreed a short break was in order.

Well rested and back on our wheels we pressed on.  We came to another steep downward slope, not as bad as the previous one but it kept going for some time before it leveled out. I tried to warn Tony not to stop by rolling onto the grass as was his habit.  I knew at speed that the ‘sudden grass stop’ could be a bone breaker.  Penney went first, in seconds she was flying and seemed to be having a good time.  I jumped next I wasn’t having such a great time, I am not an adrenaline junky I didn’t like my lack of control and for the life of me I didn’t know how I was going to stop if I needed too.  Tony was right on my heels.  We were moving pretty quick, Penney was almost at the bottom of the slope, I turned my head to check on Tony, he was heading for the grass, I heard his yelp the last I saw of Tony were the wheels of his roller blades partially hidden by a bush. 

Despite my concern for him I started to laugh.   Through the tears of my hysterical laughter I saw Penney sitting on the grass waiting for us. Finally I was moving slowly enough I could use the ‘sudden grass stop’ method.  I ended up beside Penney, I was laughing so hard I couldn’t stop.  To my defense the laughter was not all about Tony most of it was tension release, flying Tony was just the trigger.

“Where is my husband?” Penney asked.  All I could do was point to the bush.  Penny while clearly worried also started to laugh, only she was laughing because I was hysterical, she was looking at the direction I was pointing but didn’t see Tony.  “Brian, where is Tony” at which point Tony crawled out from behind the bush and started to remove his roller blades which of course started another wave of laughter from both Penney and myself. 

To this day I can still hear the noise Tony made as he flew into the bushes, I can still see Penney as a blurry form in front of me as I found here through my tears of laughter.  And since that day I have not participated in an activity where I’ve had to rent shoes.

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Bathroom Rules

Posted in Lifes Observations, tagged , , on March 3, 2011| 3 Comments »

One would think that having Crohn’s disease I would not have so many issues with bathrooms.  I envy people who can just walk into a public bathroom do their business and move on.  I’ve talked with other Crohn’s sufferers and they don’t seem to care too much about bathrooms.  Sure they can tell you where each public bathroom is in a 50 mile radius of where they live but at the end of the day they all say the same thing, ‘when you gotta go, you gotta go’ and let us not forget, ‘better out than in’.

Me?  I have rules!  The door must have a working lock.  Preferably the room must be clean.  There should be nobody else in there when I enter, and yes I wait in the safety of the stall till the room is clear before I leave.  It is a real bonus if it is one of those rare bathrooms where only one person can use it at a time.  If the bathroom doesn’t pass my inspection, I live with the pain.

Many moons ago I was in a restaurant with my brother.  He went to the bathroom a few moments passed and some guy came out rather hurriedly cradling his arm.  Sure enough when my brother got back to the table he told me he was sitting there when a hand came in under the stall, naturally he gave the hand a good kick.  I would have done the same.

In Vancouver they have a wonderful bathroom, (sarcasm) the nearest I can figure is that they had to make it wheelchair accessible, they did this by making a really large door in the stall.  So big that when you opened the door it hit the toilet seat, in order to use the toilet you had to squeeze between the wall and the toilet, then straddle the toilet and only then could you close the door, to leave the stall you had to do everything in reverse and believe me it is more complicated than it sounds.  Wheelchair accessible my arse.

I’ll end this post with a suggestion to those who maintain public toilets.  If you think you are going to save money by finding the thinnest, roughest one ply paper that can possibly be made you will fail.  I am on a personal mission to use at least 8 times as much toilet paper and then when I’m satisfied and the toilet is flushed I’ll pull a few more squares off the roll and toss them in the trash just to make a point.  So go ahead purchase that cheapo toilet paper but its going to cost you in the end.

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Cat Puke the Untold Story

Posted in humour, Lifes Observations, tagged , , , , , , on February 24, 2011| 7 Comments »

We have six, that’s right, count ‘em, six cats.  Did you know that they get viruses just like people?  Not only that they catch it from one another. 

It started with our 15 year old cat Brianna, or Beezer as I like to call her.  Beezer has always been an inflammatory kitty meaning her body doesn’t seem to like her very much.  She suffers from inflammations it happens on her lips, chin and even her legs once swelled up and I am sure that her insides do the same.  She has a habit of eating and throwing up which is something I never get used too but I have learned to accept.  Beezer also has some sort of allergy problem which makes her itchy, in her later years she has managed to pluck off quite a bit of her fur making her a bald Beezer.

One morning Beezer decided to stop eating.  Yet she still ‘wommited’.  She continued to refuse to eat and still continued to ralph.  We were looking at a 15 year old orange, thinning, bald Beezer.  It was time to make an appointment with the vet. 

At the same time we came to the conclusion that Gumdrop had a urinary tract infection.  She is prone to them.  Lucky for us she started peeing in the shower.  And by shower I mean she positioned her little parts over the drain and peed directly into the drain, more than once!  Usually when a cat doesn’t use the litter box they are trying to tell you something is wrong.  Gumdrop however is hard to read and she really does love to sit in our shower.

While we were going to the vet anyway we made it a double appointment two appointments = twice the fun at twice the price. 

Did I mention that a few days before my wife found some rice at the base of Floyd’s tail?  Only it wasn’t rice it was a segment of a tape worm.  So Floyd was already being medicated for that but at least we now know who ate the mouse.  A few weeks ago we found a mouse kidney in our shower.  It could have been a liver but in the grand scheme of things does it matter?  I know what you are thinking, we have a high traffic shower!

Sunday evening another cat, fifteen year old ‘goat guts’ Deirdre stopped eating.  When Deirdre stops eating I know that the earth is off its axis.  She also started upchucking.  Gumdrop at this point was looking good and using the litter box again.  Perhaps she is just lazy and was in the shower already when she needed to pee.  So we replaced Gumdrop with ‘goat guts’ Deirdre.   Beezer however was starting to eat again and was looking a little better but we don’t take any chances with Beezer. 

Our vet confirmed that we had a virus. Seeing as Beezer is on the mend we did nothing.  Ole’ goat guts got a shot to help prevent further retching.  Despite the meds she still continued to hurl.

After we got home from the vets Gumdrop started to go downhill.  We have never seen Gumdrop  blow chunks.  She seriously doesn’t like it.  She pukes then runs around the room like she is possessed.  If she didn’t look like fretful porcupine it would be rather funny, okay it is funny but you have to feel bad for her.

I also learned this week that it is hard to sleep when your cats are sick.  Not just because we are worried but because our cats sleep with us, sometimes in the bed so we have to keep one ear open to listen for the sound of a cat starting to heave.   So far we have only had to change the sheets once at a rather ungodly hour.

Thankfully Brianna seems to be over it.  Deirdre while not a happy camper is starting to move in a more positive direction.  Gumdrop too seemed to take a more positive turn this morning.  Perhaps tonight sleep will come.

Of course there is still Katie, Trouble and Floyd to go.

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Misty: The Update

Posted in Lifes Observations, tagged , , , , , on February 13, 2011| 1 Comment »

After I posted my last blog, ‘Misty’ my father sent me an email with some details I had not known about or forgotten.

“We were not in the import and export business. We were produce wholesalers to restaurants, hotels, steamships etc. (Not to grocery stores)”.

 “I got Misty in a deal I made to buy 100 cases of Tomatoes and the supplier would give me a dog. I had no idea when I said OK what kind of a dog it was, not that it would have made a difference”.

Misty did pull all of you around in a sleigh at the country house. She loved that place. I can still see her romping around in the snow.

In my previous post I told the story of how Misty parted the newspapers and pooped on the floor, what I didn’t know was why.  The following from my father explains all.  Again for those of you thinking about becoming a husky owner you may want to think twice.

 “…the first night we had her and put all that paper down. Once it was all down, we worked on blocking the stairs going up. If you remember, it was an open staircase and we found some pieces of wood and used some suitcases to block all possible ways for her to get out of the basement. When we finished and went upstairs, Misty was waiting for us in our bedroom. To this day I can’t figure out how she got by us and how those little legs took her up that staircase. Anyway we brought her back downstairs and to thank us she spread the paper and pooped on the floor.”

 I do remember that my father did not put an ad in the newspaper for Misty, but was unclear on the details of who eventually wound up with her:

 “… We never did put an ad in the paper to sell her. We wanted her to have a home where we knew the people personally and that they would take proper care of her. We tried for quite a while but had no takers. Finally the purchasing agent of the Queen Elizabeth hotel, who was a friend of ours and a golfing buddy had just gotten married. I thought it would be nice if they had a beautiful dog. He was hesitant but his wife jumped at it and that was that. Misty was going to have a good home. I know she was happy because they used come by once in a while with her and she always got really excited to see us, but there was never a problem of her leaving with them. We were sad but happy that she was well taken care of”

I am glad to know that Misty was well loved and taken care of.  In the end it is all I can ask and all that I hoped for.

Thank you dad.

My Eldest sister, My Brother, Misty, Me

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For Mother: Misty

Posted in Lifes Observations, tagged , , , , , on February 10, 2011| 6 Comments »

Sequoia

In the early days, those that came before the magic store my father was in the fruits and vegetable business.  It was an import export business he inherited from his father.

We had an attached garage.  I was in the basement (where eventually the magic shop would go) and I heard the garage door go up.  Just as I got to the end of the short hallway my father came through the door with a husky puppy in his arms.  I believe my father got Misty from a farmer with whom he did business.

I am probably not the one to tell this story, I was very young at the time and I don’t remember everything as clearly as others might.  But alas it has been hinted, more than once, that I should write about Misty, so here we are.

1971:  for those of you taking your socks off trying to do the math, I was six.

Misty was a typical looking black and white husky.  She had one blue eye and one brown.  Like most huskies, Misty was trouble.   My folks started off trying to paper train her.  They covered the entire basement floor in newspaper and put the puppy in the basement.   Misty found a spot where the corners of the newspaper overlapped, she spread them apart and pooped directly on the floor.  That alone should be a lesson to anyone thinking about getting a husky, they are really smart and will try anything to undermine what you want them to do. 

My mother tells the story of the time Misty was getting a treat and as my mother tried to take the treat back Misty growled and bared her puppy teeth.  While cute at the time my mother realized that in a year or so that may not be so cute.  I don’t know how my mother corrected the behavior, but she (Misty, not my mother) never growled at me.

Every day I would walk Misty while waiting for the carpool to take me to school.  By walk I mean I would stand outside on the lawn with the dog and when the car came my mother would take the leash.  For those of you who are un-aware huskies are really strong dogs and it just so happens they really like to pull.  One day the car arrived to take me to school and Misty simply jumped into the car dragging me along chaos insued.  One adult in the driver’s seat a few kids in the back and a rambunctious husky puppy jumping all over everything.  The next day it was decided that it would be best not to have the dog out when the carpool arrived.  That  decision was in vain as the next day the car never arrived.   For years after I thought Misty was a magic dog, no Misty, no carpool.  If only it were that simple!

Back in the early 70’s we used to get snow!  And I mean snow.  That year it was so deep we had trouble opening the door, we had to shove Misty out of a second story window so she could go out for her walk.

We also rented a county house.  Misty used to help us dig our snow forts.  And I have a very vague memory of Misty pulling us around on a sled. 

Years later, in elementary school a teacher asked us to write about our earliest memory.  I remember lots of stuff, I just am horrible with dates and when it comes to my early memories I never know what happened exactly when.  But I remember writing that my earliest memory was when my father brought Misty home.  Even then I knew that was not my earliest memory but it is one of my favorites.   The same teacher asked us to write about our favorite memory.  I wrote the exact same thing.   My favorite memory is when my father brought Misty home.  That same teacher asked us to write about our saddest memory.  I wrote, “my saddest day was when Misty left our home”

It turns out my eldest sister was allergic to fur and feathers.  The allergy was so severe the only option was to give Misty up.  My father says he put two advertisements in the paper one for the dog one for my sister, the dog got the first response.  We are reasonably sure he was joking about the advertisements. Reasonably!

One thing was certain.  Everyone loved Misty.  The kids on the block, even the other dogs on the block, Princess, a samoyed that lived down the street was one of her best dog friends.  I’m pretty sure the girl down the block who used to babysit only did so because of Misty.

When Misty finally found a new home I used to have horrible dreams, in this particular recurring dream Misty was simply hiding somewhere, playing a game.  I’d wake up in the middle of the night and look under my bed I’d sneak out of my room and it was only when I got to the living room did the reality of it sink back in.  Misty was no longer there.   In another dream my friend down the block had found her and was holding her for me.  Boy was I disappointed when I woke up.  Later that day my friend was outside on our walkway, (we all used to gather there and play CHAMP, a game with a ball).  I couldn’t get past my dream even though I knew it was a dream.  He must have thought I was nuts when I asked him if he had Misty.  But I had to ask. 

My mother took it the hardest.  My mother was the one who looked after Misty the most.  You can barely mention Misty’s name without my bringing my mother close to tears.  Lucky for us Sequoia doesn’t resemble Misty and doesn’t bring out that reaction. 

Maya, Sequoia’s only dog friend is a black and white husky.  Not too long ago my folks were in town and we had a few friends over including Maya and her family.  Sure enough there was a tear or two shed when Maya walked up onto the lawn.

Years later, whenever the conversation of pets surfaced my mother would say no, because she is the one that ends up looking after them not us.  So no, we could not have pets.  Years later we learned the truth.  My mother would not let us look after Misty, she knew we had to give her up and she didn’t want us to get any more attached then we already were.  My mother was trying to spare us what she eventually had to endure, because that is what mothers do.

When my wife and I first decided to keep Sequoia I knew I had to call home and tell my folks.

Me; “Hello mom, we rescued a husky and decided to keep her”

Long pause

Mom: “They die you know”

As I watch Sequoia getting older, and I see her slowing down, I hear those words, I hear them every time I see Sequoia struggling to leap into the car, or ever so slowly get down from the couch, yes there are times we have to give them up, yes they get older, yes they die, and no, it is not fair!

Brian and Misty, 1971

 

 

Brother, Father, Misty, Me,

 

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Steven Tyler, Nacho’s and Denny’s.

Posted in Lifes Observations, tagged , , , on February 6, 2011| 3 Comments »

So what does Steven Tyler, nacho’s and Denny’s have in common? 

The first time I visited State College Pa my wife (who was not my wife at the time) and I went to an Aerosmith concert.   After the concert we found ourselves driving around State College at 2am looking for Nacho’s.  Finally we had to admit defeat.  You just can’t find Nacho’s in State College at 2am, at least not then.  We ended up eating a hamburger at Denny’s. 

Tonight Fourteen years later, (holy crap 14 years) my wife (the aforementioned girlfriend) and I went to Denny’s and had a hamburger.  I was telling my wife that I am fighting a case of writers bloggers block.   She said, “Well, you can write about how 14 years ago we went to an Aerosmith concert and then went to eat at Denny’s, and tonight we ate at Denny’s and are going home and watching Steven Tyler on American Idol!”

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Please Shut the Door on Your Way Out

Posted in humour, Lifes Observations, tagged , , , , on February 2, 2011| 7 Comments »

Yes I am stealing the title of one of my sister’s blog, but only because the two are related, we are brother and sister, and the blog post is sort of related as well.  In fact to really understand this entry I encourage you to read hers so go ahead click on the following link, no worries it will open in a separate window and when you are done reading her post I will meet you back here and all will make sense so, Please Shut the Door On Your Way Out.

Ah, there you are, so nice of you to come back.

Just before we go to bed I take Sequoia out for her final walk of the evening.  She does her business, spends a few minutes checking things out and head back inside.  I get her dinner together set her up in her room and my wife and I go to bed.

Many a nights, about 15 minutes after we get under the covers Sequoia starts to howl.  When we decided to keep Sequoia my wife and I both made her promises and we tend to stick to those promises. One of mine was that if she really needs something after lights out all she needs to do is howl loud enough for me to hear and I’ll come and make sure she is okay.

For the most part the only time she called out was during thunder storms.  Then a few months ago when we were in the process of switching her meds she was not reacting well and all she wanted to do was drink water. Every night when I got into bed she would howl.  I would drag my arse out of bed and take her out, again she would do her business and we would head back in the house and call it a night.  Some nights I had to get up a few times and still in the morning I would have to clean her floor.

Now Sequoia is doing much better, but she still calls out at night.  Not all the time, but when it starts it goes on every night for weeks.  I figured it became part of the routine from when she was sick.  Sequoia happens to thrive on her routine. 

I was talking to the owner of Wiscoy who is very knowledgeable and she mentioned that she had a dog who, as the dog got older demanded more attention, Wanda (the owner of Wiscoy) thinks that maybe, just maybe as the dog got older she needed to know that Wanda was still there looking out for her.  Now this may be anthromorphising but there is a ring of truth to it, we also have an older cat who seems to be more snuggly than ever before.

I noticed that when I took Sequoia out she didn’t always pee.  Sequoia, more often then not would wander onto the grass, smell the ground head back to the house and make a bee line for her bed and that would be that.  Now if she calls I don’t even take her outside.  I just let her wander around the living room for a few minutes then all on her own she will wander into her room and curl up in her bed. It is almost like she just wants to make sure the world still exists outside her door and once satisfied that it does and we are still in it she is fine. 

And that is alright by me.

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No Words

Posted in Lifes Observations, tagged , , , on January 30, 2011| 1 Comment »

A few pictures I thought I would post.  And yes that is Sequoia sitting on the porch eating an icycle. Sequoia fast asleep, toes up.  That is Deirdre sleeping on her nose.  And of course good ole’ home sweet home.

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I May Be Odd, But So Is My Dog!

Posted in Lifes Observations, tagged , , , on January 25, 2011| 4 Comments »

               

I don’t eat blue food.

My dog begs and does tricks for a chunk of cheddar cheese every morning.  She won’t touch it at night because it is morning cheese.

                I like rainy days, but I hate being in the rain.

Sequoia will not tolerate anyone blowing on her, yet she gets in the car and all she wants to do is stick her face out the window nose to the wind.  As a responsible pet owner, I beg you only to do this at slow speeds, it is not funny when dogs get hit in the head with flying rocks.

                I don’t eat organ meat of any sort

We purchased some knuckle bones for Sequoia, she would not even lick at them until we covered them in BBQ sauce and put them on the grill.

                I won’t eat spaghetti in public.

Sequoia will go into Petco and beg for treats, (and get them from the staff) yet if we purchase any of those treats and bring them home she won’t eat them.  It does not matter that she loved them in the store because those are Petco treats.

                When I moved to Pennsylvania I brought along my cat Kaliban.  She passed away a few years ago but I think of her often.

If you say ‘Kaliban’ in Sequoia’s presence she throws her head back and howls I like to think that Sequoia is also missing Kaliban and is singing to her.

                I may be hairy

Sequoia is a hairy beast.

                I’m lazy and sedentary

Sequoia, very un-husky like is also quite sedentary.  She does not destroy the furniture; she has every toy we have ever given her.  Every morning just before I open her door, I say, quite loudly, “Release the Kraken” almost every morning she comes out stretching and yawning, makes it about two steps past her door and lays down again.

                While I spent most of my life demonstrating magic tricks, I don’t like to be the center of attention.

When Sequoia enters a room, she makes sure everyone knows she is in the building.

                I’m not overly fond of people.

Sequoia positively hates other dogs, they are the enemy!  However, every Friday in August at 6pm, Wiscoy has its annual Ice cream social for dogs. She spends a great deal of time growling at the other dogs, yet she loves the event.

                I don’t like ketchup

We like to call Sequoia our Sequoiamatic, give her a plate and she will clean it like new that is unless there is ketchup, she thinks it is evil.

                I’m possessive

 Sequoia doesn’t like other animals touching her stuff of course ‘her stuff’ is everything in her line of sight. 

               I’ve heard it said that pets and their owners rub off on one another. 

I believe this to be true, all my clothes are covered in Husky hair.

                I snore on occasion.

Sequoia is a snoring fool.

                 Everybody who comes in contact with Sequoia always tells me how beautiful she is.

Never has anybody told Sequoia how beautiful I am.

                 My wife tells me that sometimes I don’t listen.

If you don’t have food, Sequoia is not the best listener either.

                Sometimes Sequoia doesn’t know when to stop whining.

Sometimes I don’t know when to stop typing.

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The Door Is Latched

Posted in humour, Lifes Observations, tagged , , , , , , on January 18, 2011| 6 Comments »

It was a time before the snows fell, a time when gas was still under three dollars a gallon and there were still only 12 Zodiac signs. The leaves were already off the trees and the forest floor was spongy from the rains. Nairb opened his eyes just before dawn, in truth he didn’t know or care when Dawn opened her eyes, it didn’t matter as Dawn has nothing to do with the tale being told. The sun however, had not yet crested the horizon. One thought entered Nairb’s head ‘check the sump pump!’ It had indeed been checked the previous night but like all things mechanical sometimes the sump pump fails.

Alone and miserable Nairb, fortified in jeans, a sweatshirt, light jacket and a trusty flashlight went out into the cold driving wind and rain. Down he went into the desolate world of spider webs, insulation and cement. The root cellar housed the heating unit for the house along with the main water intake and of course, the sump pump.

The cold dirty water flowed over the tops of his boots. Instantly his feet were freezing. Gritting his teeth against the cold in his boots Nairb sloshed over to the sump pump and deeper water. Quickly he tapped on the hose waking up the sleeping beast.

Nairb waited, his only comfort was the circle of light his flashlight provided. His feet so cold they were tingling, but hunched over the sump pump he waited to make sure the water went down. Eventually he saw the change, the water was slowly retreating. Nairb headed back into the driving rain his freezing feet swimming in his boots. Finally making it to the front porch, looking into the window he saw his beautiful wife, Ecyned getting ready for work after all it was only Thursday. Nairb bent, removed his boots and lifted them so his wife could see as he dumped the river from them. Ecyned’s eyes opened wide.

Nairb opened the front door and peeled off his soaking socks, the door closed behind him but did not latch, DID NOT LATCH! Almost crying from the cold it was all Nairb could do to make it to the bedroom and dry his burning feet. Ecyned, his loving wife and fast thinker got a second pair of socks and headed for the laundry room where she could toss them in the dryer to heat up to ease the pain in Nairb’s aching feet.

The laundry room doubles as Aiouqes bedroom (my apologies, Denyce backwards is hard enough to pronounce Sequoia’s is almost impossible).

In opening the laundry room door Ecyned freed the dog, Aiouqes into the rest of the house. And unknown to all the front door had not latched, THE FRONT DOOR HAD NOT LATCHED! Nairb, trying to warm his feet in the bedroom heard the dreaded call from the front room. “Aiouqes! Get back here! Aiouqes! Nairb Aiouqes got out!” Nairb threw on a fresh pair of jeans, didn’t even bother with socks. Donned his black sweatshirt, slipped his feet into his running shoes, and followed his wife and the dog out the door into the freezing rain and driving wind.

He caught a glimpse of Aiouqes as she darted behind the garage. Nairb followed heading into the woods calling out in his loudest voice ‘Aiouqes! Aiouqes!’ In the distance he could hear his wife also calling for the dog! Unfortunately it was the start of buck season. In central Pa most men live for two only two reasons, hunting and football. Neither Nairb nor Ecyned were wearing orange. Aiouqes with her large plume tale and red and white colouring could easily be mistaken by an overzealous hunter for a buck and both Nairb and Ecyned could easily be shot for running through the woods yelling and screaming scaring all the deer away.

Freezing tired and soaked to the bone Nairb kept trailing Aiouqes it was a difficult task as he would catch glimpses of her but if he followed too close Aiouqes would think it was a game and keep running. But if he gave up it was a good bet that Aiouqes would just run and be lost forever, that is what huskies do, they run.  Finally Aiouqes turned and headed back towards civilization, Nairb chased her through the yards of many neighbours. He spied his wife through the trees; she was in the car driving up and down the road. Aiouqes was heading in the right direction, heading for home via the backyard of a neighbour. Nairb managed to jump up and down attracting the attention of his wife, using hand signals (stupidly he neglected to pick up his cell phone as he ran out the door earlier) he let Ecyned know that the dog was heading towards the house. Nairb turned a corner around the side of a house and lost track of Aiouqes she simply vanished in the driving rain.

Nairb ran onto the street calling her name. Exhausted shivering losing feeling in his fingers and toes Nairb stood on the street calling and calling. From behind he heard a voice. The neighbour in full hunting gear was standing on his door step demanding to know what was going on.

“My dog got away from me”

“The red and white husky? It is a miserable day for her to be out and about”

“Yes I know, I managed to keep her in my sights but lost her in your backyard”

“Well I just got back from my hunting camp and didn’t see her, but I’ll keep an eye out”

Suddenly there was movement from behind. There she is! Nairb was tired and at a crossroads. Aiouqes stood deep in the lawn across the street. Nairb knew that if he approached Aiouqes would run again. He got onto his knees on the wet pavement, patted his chest and called out to her. Aiouqes went into play bow enjoying the game and would not come.

“If I called her would she come to me?” Said the large man in his hunting fatigues

“You could try, she likes strangers.”

He called her name and whistled, Aiouqes unable to resist anybody new moved a step closer. A car was coming down the street, Nairb seeing the possible light at the end of the tunnel stepped into the street blocking the car from advancing, the large man called again. Without missing a beat Aiouqes went running to the large unfamiliar man calling her name. The large hunter closed his front gate trapping Aiouqesvon his porch. Nairb standing in the street frozen, wet and weary asked the hunter,

“Do you want a husky? Only five dollars and I’ll give you the fiver.” The hunter only laughed and Nairb thanked the hunter as he secured the leash to the collar and led the wet dog down the porch. Ecyned drove up the road in the car, relieved to see Aiouqes safe and secure. Ecyned opened the car door, both Aiouqes and Nairb were only too happy to jump in, Nairb thanking the hunter again before closing the car door.

Tonight, gas is up past three dollars a gallon there is snow on the ground, an extra zodiac sign has been added to the zodiac calendar, Nairb and his lovely wife Ecyned sit in their recliners, finally enough time has passed that Nairb can tell this tale without feeling that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach while Ecyned plays a video game.

Aiouqes? She is lying on her back in the kitchen, paws in the air, (like she just don’t care) in her mouth is a utility bill which she has grasped by the corner and is wiggling on her back making the paper flop back and forth across her cheeks. I think I’ll keep my five dollars and my dog. But now, no matter what we make sure the door is latched. THE DOOR IS LATCHED!

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