Where Did He Go?

Molly and I took a short walk outside this afternoon and we caught a squirrel in the act of pillaging in our front yard. Molly just about caught him but the squirrel quickly shot up the big Oak tree in the front yard. Molly chased him to the trunk of the tree but the squirrel quickly shot up the tree and jumped from limb to limb and was three trees over, down that tree, on the ground, and already running across the yard by the time I saw where he had gone. Molly still had no clue as she was still looking up in the Oak tree for the squirrel. Another one got away.

Leaves Of Fall

The Fall has always been my favorite time of year. The colors came late this year but the reds, yellows, and greens have finally arrived. Part of my driveway is concrete and has become a collection point for leaves and I can hear the skittering of the leaves as they blow across the concrete (it reminds me of the opening scene to the old horror movie classic Halloween). It is very quiet here and when Molly and I take our walks, the sounds of the woods are pretty amazing as well. I can hear the squirrels running through the leaves and every once in a while they will bark at me and Molly as walk underneath the trees, the birds are whistling and making all of their various sounds, and only once in a while can you hear any man made sounds. Henry David Thoreau had his Walden Pond and I have mine.

My Sleep Schedule

I work third shift now and that is a tough way to earn a living. It seems like you never get enough sleep, you are always tired, and you have to look at a clock and look outside to see if it is day or night and look at a calendar to even know what day it is. Molly has never let my sleep schedule bother her. She seems me get in the bed, she gets into the bed. It is that simple. Molly lets me know when she needs out and I get up and take her out. Dogs live life in the simplest terms and we can learn a lot from them. There is an old Irish proverb that states "a dog owns nothing but is seldom dissatisfied." The only luxuries Molly has in life are treats when she comes in from outside and a decent bed to lay on.

Nature's Majesty

I have been working third shift for about three months now and this is the time of the year when the sun is just beginning to rise as I get home. I always walk Molly as soon as I get home and we have the privilege of watching the sun rise over the mountains. The sky starts changing color from black to midnight blue and then a purple hue before the sun starts coming over the mountain. That is when you get the blues and the pink outline of the clouds and it is really a sight to behold. I don't think Molly pays as much attention to it as I do but she is in touch with the power of nature.

Eyes On Me

If Molly even thinks that I am going somewhere, she starts following me around the house. I have to sneak and get my car keys and she hears them rattle, she is right on top of me. I am trying to get the rest of my stuff out of my storage unit so I want have to pay the monthly storage fee any more, and I have to sneak out of the house to unload my car. If she knows I have left, Molly runs around the house barking and looking for me. We are best buds and she misses me but that is taking separation anxiety to a whole new level.

Sleeping With One Eye Open

There is an old saying about "sleeping with one eye open" and Molly has mastered that art. Molly sleeps with one eye open because she thinks that I will do something without her. I will walk into the bedroom where Molly is napping on the bed and she will have the one eye open. Sometimes it gets kind of creepy because as I move around the room that one eye follows me just like the paintings in the old horror movies. No matter where I go in the room, that one eye follows me. If Molly hears the front door open or I put my jacket on or start changing clothes, she is off the bed like she has been shot out of a cannon. She is bound and determined that I am not going to do anything without her. She is a great best friend.

Molly's Native American Name

I did some research on how Native Americans acquired their name and the articles I read said that native American names were earned rather than given. Molly has worked hard to earn her Native American name of "Two Treats." Every time I take Molly for a walk and come back in she gets two treats. If I forget to immediately give them to her, she sits beside my chair at my computer desk and "reminds" me that I forgot to give her the two treats she has "earned." By earned, I mean she successfully went outside and used the bathroom and came back into the house.

I ran this Native American name by her and she liked Two Treats. She much preferred Two Treats to the other names I had thought she earned- Fat Dog Napping or White Dog Sleeps 24/7.

A Fitting Tribute

A friend of mine's dog, Gus, passed away the other day and she posted such a fitting tribute to him on Facebook, it brought a tear to my eye. She wrote about how Gus was too dignified to be just a dog and that he held himself to a higher standard. She told stories about Gus's life and what a great life he led and every dog should be so lucky. Reading the tribute to Gus got me to thinking about how lucky that Molly and I are to live the life we lead. Sometimes days are a physical struggle for the both of us but we lean on each other and keep going. I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Chill In The Air

Molly and I had our first true Autumn like day today. It was about 37 degrees when we got up with a nice cool wind blowing when we took our morning walk. Molly and I used to love this kind of weather but now I think it just reminds us of how old we are getting. The cold weather puts a chill in our bones and makes our joints ache but we will keep going on our walks until we can't go any more.

Driving Miss Molly

I was out walking Molly this afternoon and my girlfriend pulls into the driveway. My driveway is about 250 yards long and it curves around and goes up a hill. Molly immediately recognized the car and she starts woofing her hello. Molly trots up to the rear passenger door and wants to get in. I open the door, give her big butt a boost into the back seat of the car, and off we go. The car has a leather interior and I was afraid Molly's claws would do some damage but she stood perfectly still and was the perfect rider. Try picturing the canine version of Driving Miss Daisy. "Now hush up, and drive Miss Molly home." Molly lives to ride and even though it was only a couple of hundred yards, Molly was happy. Molly expected to be chauffeured around and that is what she got.

Molly's Life Interrupted

I spoke of "Life Interrupted" on my Dan Is That Guy blog but whenever my life is interrupted, so is Molly's. I have already been figuring out ways in which I can obtain certain devices (a walker, knee scooter, or crutches) in which I can safely walk Molly and her life will not be interrupted as much as mine. Molly likes having me here all day long but it also means that she wants to go on walks more often. I am figuring that the first couple of weeks will be the worst until I figure out the best way in which to move around and accommodate Molly. Molly has always been aware when I am down but she will never let me be out and she helps out as only Molly can.

Molly's Revenge

Molly exacts her revenge in various ways whenever she wants to get even with somebody. Molly is especially brutal when she wants to fart on someone. I remember this one woman I was dating was sitting on the couch and Molly didn't particularly care for her so Molly would walk up to her and fart about every ten minutes and walk off. Molly was trying to gas her out of the house. When that didn't work she resorted to biting her. Molly definitely marked her territory with that one. Molly likes my current girlfriend but Molly will steal her cookies right out of her hand as a way of letting her know who is boss and exactly whose house this really is.

Molly Comes First

I am facing a major surgical procedure in about three weeks and my first thought was of Molly and how I am going to take care of her during my long convalescence. Most pet owners are like that. We are looking at a three or four month time frame. That is a long time for me not to be able to walk Molly. The day of the surgery I may have to stay overnight which is very unusual in today's insurance controlled hospital care. Once again, my first thought was of Molly having to stay by herself during that night. Since I work third shift now, staying overnight by herself for Molly is not that big of a deal. I am worried about someone spending some time with her before the night comes.

"It Was The Dog!"

The family dog has always been blamed for nose hair burning farts but tonight I caught my girlfriend in the act. It was one of those sonic boom kinds of farts that even Walter the Farting Dog could not have pulled off. When I reacted with stunned disbelief her first words were "It was Molly!" I said "You have got to be kidding me!" Molly was innocently lying there between us oblivious to the fact that she had just been blamed for something. I knew Molly had a few pieces of pizza crust but I knew she was incapable of doing something like that. I gave my girlfriend a hard time about blaming "poor Molly" but I think Molly was just happy to be included in the conversation.

Angel

My girlfriend's pet Guinea Pig died last night. I don't understand Guinea Pigs as pets but it was still her pet and I feel bad for her loss. A pet is a pet no matter what it is. I affectionately called Angel "the Guinea Hog" because she was a chubby little thing and was always eating. Angel is responsible for me and my girlfriend going out for the first time. My girlfriend had come into my store to buy Angel some food and then she came over to my department to see if I was working. I told my girlfriend that I would come up with a Guinea Pig prayer for Angel and I am still working on that one.

Time And Attention

All a dog really requires is a little bit of your time and a lot of your attention. The best two moments of my day are when I walk Molly right before I go to bed and when I walk Molly in the afternoons when I get up. It is tremendously stress free and it is just Molly and me observing nature. It is a beautiful day no matter what the weather is like because I am getting to spend time with my best friend. Sometimes I talk and she always listens and once in a while Molly will give her opinion. She is not as vocal as she used to be but with age comes wisdom. She knows when to talk and she knows when listening is exactly what I need.

A Brand New Day

That is always the best thing about a good rain finally ending. Everything is so fresh and green and the world just looks brand new. I had the pleasure of watching a beautiful sunrise this morning over the mountains of North Carolina and I also get to wake up to a bright blue sky with a day full of potential. I try to see the beauty in all things now and I will be the first to admit that I am not always that way but I have been making a concentrated effort to see what is before me rather than what is behind me. I also get to share each day with my best friend Molly. She is always pointing out new things to me and I try to see the world through her eyes as well.

Mr. Blue Sky

"Hey there Mr. Blue
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around see what you do,
Everybody smiles at you."

"Mr. Blue Sky" Electric Light Orchestra

When Molly and I stepped outside today, we actually saw some blue sky and it was so good to see after eleven straight days of rain and cloudy skies. I am hoping we might actually be able to see the sun tomorrow. The fall has always been my favorite time of year because of the brilliant fall colors around here and the cooler temperatures. The Autumn of the year also puts a spring in Molly's step because her favorite time of the year is definitely winter. She has got some winter dog in her and loves playing in the snow. She really gets excited when it snows.

The Sky Just Opened

Molly hates walking in a hard rain and it has rained every day for about ten days now. The past three days have been really intense. I practically had to drag her out in the yard yesterday so she could use the bathroom. I dutifully held the umbrella over her head so she would not get to awful wet because as soon as the rain starts hitting her face, she is ready to go back in. I look like a real goob standing out there holding the umbrella over my dog but do what I can to ensure her comfort. It is about time to start building an ark although I do not believe that Molly would be thrilled about any other animals being on the boat. There is a couple of inches of standing water in some place in my yard and like most dogs, Molly does not like getting her paws wet. I am hoping the rain comes to a stop sometime today.

Bribery

I am not above bribing Molly to get her to do what I need her to do. This morning as I was about to get in bed from working all night long, Molly was stretched out all of the way across the bed. It became apparent that she was going to be stubborn and not move an inch. I ended up having to bribe her with a bacon flavored treat so I could have more than just a sliver of the bed. The smell of bacon is a powerful incentive for Molly to move. After I secured the center of the bed I explained to Molly that she was still getting to lay on the bed, she just needed to share.

A Walk In The Park

Molly loves to go to the park. What dog doesn't? Molly has antisocial tendencies so I have to make sure that when we go, there are not to many other dogs around. The translation for that statement is no other dogs around. I have about ten acres that we can now walk on and as long as Sammy the Bear is not running amok, we are good to go. Molly also likes for people that she likes to accompany us on these walks. My girlfriend and I will take her on these walks in the afternoons and Molly will wait patiently on my girlfriend to catch up with us and Molly will pick up the pace to keep up with my girlfriend if she tries to leave us behind. It is good to see Molly share her joy.