Last Saturday morning, our household was up earlier than usual. Charlie was going canoeing with the boys for a few days, and Scamp and me were gearing up for our little spouse-cation. I made eggs and toast for Charlie, sending him off in style, then Scamp and me went for a walk.
It was going on 5:30 AM by then, and still dark outside. I don my reflective vest and grab the poop light and off we go. One of the things I love about my fourteen pound personal trainer is that he gets me outside and moving every day.
This particular morning, it was in the mid-forties: crisp, clear, and blissfully quiet. It feels kind of special to be up and about and outdoors that time of day. “Scamp,” I says. His ears perk up. “Look at that sky, would you? Plumb chuck-a full of stars, and that quarter moon’s so bright and beautiful. Gonna be a nice day, little buddy.”
Scamp seemed more interested in smelling the trunk of our neighbor’s pine tree. All that sniffing he does, I supposed it’s like reading the morning paper for Scamp. Or, when you take into consideration the peeing and pooping, maybe it’s more like facebook. You know, interactive. At one point, Scamp took an exceptionally long time pooping, “Maybe we should have brought along a magazine for you to read, Scamp. AARP. You are ten years old after all.” Caught in the glare of the poop light, he just stares at me, finishing his deposit.
We continued on. I was grooving on the smell of the fall leaves, letting my mind wander. I thought back to my last visit with my dad down to Mahoosuc Green, our Senior Living facility here in town. I check in with him three, four times a week, pay his bills, run errands, whatever he needs. We always have a good time.
Out of the blue, Dad says to me, “One of these times when you’re here, we need to work on my obituary.”
That kind of brought me up short. “Gee, Dad, is there something you’re not telling me?”
“No, no. It’s just been on my mind. You know, just ‘cause you write your obituary, don’t mean you’re going to die any sooner.”
“Can’t argue with that. Next time I come, we’ll make a start. When you get to be so smart?”
Dad shrugged. “Well, I’ve been working on it for eighty-five years.”
I found myself smiling as Scamp and me finish up our walk. By now the sun’s rising, and I can see lights on in some of the houses. I’m looking forward to breakfast in our warm cozy, house and the day stretching out in front of me with no commitments. Just me and Scamp hanging in the double-wide, holding down the fort ‘til Charlie comes home.
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
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FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL IDA!
Small groups, large groups, I don’t care: I love entertaining! The following are wicked fun presentations for after lunch, after dinner, rewards banquets, keynote speeches or what-not.
The Moose in Me, The Moose in You
Libraries and Book Groups
Invite Ida to do a reading at your local library.
And if your book group wants to read Finding Your Inner Moose or The Sweet Life, she’d would love to be part of the discussion. Especially if there’s food involved!
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