I mentioned that Lincoln was a runner. I should have kept track of how many times he ran, where he went and how we got him home. Many times when anyone, especially our young grandchildren would open the door, he found a way to slide right on out that door and run free like a convict on the loose. Usually someone would see him and the chase was on. Oh he knew we were after him. He’d let…
Lincoln’s behavior was out of control. He flunked obedience school. He was an escape artist and runner with every chance he got. Only certain groomers would take him on because if they dared touch his face or his feet, it was war! We could usually find one brave groomer who’d welcomed the challenge. But, sometimes his first visit was also his last. Once a groomer was sent home because…..well, we warned her to be careful around his face and…
The thing that Linkie loved more than anything else in the world was FOOD! Linkie loved to eat. He was never full, never EVER had enough to eat. And we never understood. There was no way he could actually enjoy his food. He didn’t chew, he just swallowed. In his mouth…..down his throat…..no in between! But that poor buggar was always hungry. So bad we wanted to just let him go at it and eat til he…
Something was different but I wasn’t sure what it was. He was still his mischievous self. He still waited patiently and eventually caught our houseguests forgetting to shut their bedroom door even after strong warnings. Lincoln LOVED house guests…..they had luggage…..luggage had socks and Lincoln loved socks. He also loved grandkids that spent the night…..they had socks too. He’d slide into the guest room, rifle through their luggage and then hightail it out the dog-door with a pair of…
We had to have a few new rules after Mr Lincoln healed from his ACL & Meniscal Repair. We never, EVER wanted to go through that again and the only way we could possibly have any control over that was to not encourage jumping. He hadn’t been able to jump as high as the bed for a few years but oh how he loved that bed. It must have felt so good to his little aging arthritic bones…
And finally we come to the very last part of my story, the sixth part….. As time went on, for some reason there was something that kinda stepped in between us. Something that had never been there before. To give it a name, I’d call it an edge. We’d hit a sharp edge. I’d never had sibling rivalry and neither had she but, that’s kinda how I figured it felt…..like not enjoying each other so much any longer. The…
My BFF called. “I have breast cancer.” Her words came between sobs. I was quiet on the other end. What do I say to that? Me of many words! I said nothing. She was too young, only fifty. Why her? She paid her dues with her crap childhood. This wasn’t “fair.” I decided not to cry. She needed something else. She needed some strength, some positive words. “I’m coming. We’ll get through this. I’ll stay with you …
When my BFF married her high school sweetheart, he promised me he’d bring her to California at least once a year. He kept that promise and the four of us became great friends. There’s something special about a friendship that’s begun in early years. No matter what roads we travel, we’re always the same people when we get together. No false pretenses and no interest in attempting to impress with whatever ladders we’ve climbed. That’s how it was…
I need to go backwards for this one. And, it’s hard. It was summer, 1984. Our house had been sold, the movers were notified and we were on our way. We arrived on September 1st and our new life in California began. It was an exciting time; we’d moved to California, found jobs, my girls were quickly making friends, and a new home was being built for us on a hill overlooking Folsom Lake. I still remember…
In June, my high school best friend graduated and left me behind. She got a job and met all new friends. She bought a car, a brand new car. She was so proud and drove it over to show me and take me for a ride. Sadly a few days later she called to tell me she had been rear-ended while she was stopped to make a turn and her cute little car had been totaled. Thankfully she…