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EMERSON — I was convinced I know the answer to several questions about 10 months ago.
As usual, I was proven wrong. I thought the oldest daughter, Michala and her husband, Bryce were done having children and then nine months ago, Michala, well actually, her youngest son Moxley, informed me and the Darling Wife, his “mommy” had a baby in her tummy.
Bray Ross Anderson arrived on, well, sometime in September, kind of early, but maybe the middle, for all of you moms out there he was fairly long and fairly big, not quite ready to be taught anything by his “papa” yet.
This was a surprise nine or 10 months ago because Bray’s parents had gone through quite a few hurdles to have his brothers, Moxley and Hogan there when the little Fella arrived.
While they were adjusting to the role of big brother, the Darling Wife dropped another bombshell on my household.
Stop it, no she’s not pregnant, but I know we have chatted about dogs.
Specifically, the Darling Wife and my dogs.
To be honest, I quit having dogs after Jake the beagle — and I’m not sure I condoned Jake when we got him.
We had Heide, a dachsund, Tracker (the best dog ever) a beagle, Yippee (an adoption case from Michala) a long-haired dachsund and Jake, another beagle the Darling Wife rescued from someplace.
We had more earlier, including Dottie, the promiscuous cat and Bud a tomcat, but when Jake was gone I was done with pets.
Good heavens, I had put all of them down and they literally died in my arms.
They were all so old and out of it, I wondered why they couldn’t just get hit by a car, or die on the porch or under it.
I know, I’m acting like this is trivial but it was far from that, I cried over everyone of them as they expired...including those darn cats.
The Darling Wife, who remembers them all differently, like when they were alive, was hellbent on getting another dog.
We had discussions, discussions and eventually arguments about getting another dog. I finally put my foot down.
In fact, I laid down the law and told her if we get another dog, I may just move to a different house.
Well, our new dog, Rex, is part silver lab and part dip... and he arrived at our house a couple of weeks ago, another rescue case from over by Winnebago.
I know — so much for laying down the law, but the Darling Wife is a persistent, almost annoying Little Lady and she just knows how to get what she wants.
How in the world do you think we had our youngest son, Mason? And her car? And the trip she just took to hike the Grand Canyon from one rim to the other? She’s a wily one.
Speaking of her Grand Canyon hike, you can have one guess where I was during this vacation? That’s right, at home taking care of her new “friend.”
Now, “Rex” was going to be her new walking and running partner, and I just wished them both a lot of luck but I wasn’t looking forward to our time alone.
When the Darling Wife picked up the little dip...er, Fella, she kept him in a kennel at night and during the day he went in and out of the house at his leisure, with his new “mother” letting him in and out.
Then she left. He was destined to be a “floor” dog, staying off of the furniture and relegated to the comfort of his “Daybed” which was positioned by the front door.
That lasted about five minutes after I got home from the airport as he jumped up on me like a lap dog when I arrived home and began licking my face.
I just couldn’t help myself, the little Fella acted as though he genuinely missed me. And being all alone, I thought “what the heck.”
Despite the fact we should have named him “Houdini” (The little dip...er, Fella gets off of his chain outside constantly regardless if he has a collar on or a harness. I watched him do it seven times.) I must say the two of us kind of bonded over the week.
We slept in the living room, both of us on our own couch, neither one of us had an “accident” inside, and we both survived the experience.
Oh, and so did the Darling Wife. Started down the canyon at 7:42 a.m. and cleared the other side 36 minutes after midnight. No matter what time you’re on that is just too long to be doing the same thing. let alone exerting that kind of energy...and she paid to do it.
I’ll never understand it, proud of her, but really?
He is big enough for her to run with but stupid enough to make it a challenge.
