PNewL PNewS 23.3 -- August 2015

PNewL PNewS 

Volume 23 No. 3                       “All the pnews that phits.”                                        August 2015  

I am a Foster Mom

     For dogs, that is. And okay, so I have only done it twice. And one of those times pushed me to the limits. But I love it. I love having the new personality in the house, a different energy even when it is too much. I like seeing how Roger takes them under his wing and bounces off of them, literally and figuratively. And I like that they go away.

     I signed up for the fostering emails in the early spring and was amazed by the numbers of animals either living here or coming through who need a temporary place to land. Turns out a lot of unwanted animals come through this area from the Deep South to New England where there are fewer strays, as they are better about “fixing” their animals.

      After I watched the emails for a while, I noticed that there were short term fosters—two weeks generally —so an animal has time to get its shots up to date or to get fixed before it is released into the shelter population or is readied for “transport” north. This was how Roger and I would participate, perfect for us short attention span folks.

   The first character we hosted was Bam-Bam, a self-confident adult Chihuahua. He was hilarious. He and Roger got along famously. Bam-Bam could rough house and run with the big dogs. He was very smart and very fast. One day, Chris and I were talking as she was preparing to go out. She locked up the house and drove off and I went looking for Bam-Bam. Nowhere to be found. In the two hours I spent looking for him, I had a string of disaster scenarios going through my mind. I had signed a piece of paper that said I would always have him on a leash. Oops. The E.D. of the Shelter chose Bam-Bam personally for her uncle. This was bad. I live in the woods, which are filled with critters that just might find a little dog to be a nice snack. I was shaken and kicking myself and…then the phone rang. Sculley, Chris’s husband, asked if Bam-Bam was supposed to be in their house. Amazingly, he scooted in as Chris was locking up and neither of us saw him do it.

     I feel heartless sometimes when I tell people I do this and so far have not wished the pup would stay. I know I don’t want a permanent second dog—to board, and keep healthy and feed—but I do kinda want one and for two weeks, it’s perfect. When I took Bam-Bam back to the shelter for his ride north, I told him what was going to happen and that at the end of the ride, he would have his new “forever” home. When I handed him to the shelter person, he looked at me as if to say, “But I thought this was my forever home.” Unexpectedly, I started to cry. It was brief. He’d be fine.

     Foster #2 was a terror. I called him Mikey because I have Roger and a Michael/Mikey made a movie called Roger & Me. It fit. And I think he even looked like a Mikey. He was a three-month-old boy they said was a border collie mix. He had more energy than anyone like me should ever have to deal with. We now have a very strong NO PUPPY policy. I knew I shouldn’t do it when I got him – and really I wasn’t supposed to get a puppy but they were placing a lot of dogs that day and the poor woman needed someone to take this puppy. Two weeks can’t be that bad, right? Yeah, it can. When I finally realized I would be more comfortable if I always had a chew toy of some sort on hand, I solved part of the problem but it seemed no matter how many things I was shoving in his mouth, flesh was really his preference. He also has a bit of a food aggression problem. He sounds like something out of The Exorcist if you get near his food dish. Hard to believe something that small and sweet looking could sound that evil. And he harassed Roger constantly and Roger didn’t like it…and he likes almost all dogs. But Mikey was also cute and funny and he is super smart so my feeling is he will be a great dog soon.

     Dropping him off at the end of two weeks was not as hard but I still had tears well up. He was so little and so forlorn, but I heard the next day he had been adopted by a couple who had seen him online and fallen in love. I wish them all the best.

     I have learned something with each experience and I look forward to the next one. Just no puppies!

Things I am Learning

& Miscellaneous Observations

• Sometimes the light bulb takes a while to come on. It just occurred to me that I can buy yarn faster than I can knit it. For that matter, that applies to most of my hobbies. Buying yarn, fabric, books etc. takes a fraction of the time it takes them to be used up.

• Sara and I were on Perles Beach on Angel Island after the all day picnic. It was no longer hot. Clouds, wind (not to mention sand and very cold salt water). Two friends had just gotten in the water and were enticing two others, who followed them and then they suggested Sara and I join them. We looked at each other. Uh-uh. Somehow that morphed into how much someone would have to pay us to get in the water at 5pm with another night of camping ahead and no shower on the island. As the number got higher and higher, I think it was Sara said she might consider it if someone would take a few things off her to do list, like figuring out which car she should buy. Yep. If someone would get the doublewide ready for tenants, I would jump in that water so fast. Alas, no one volunteered to do either and we stayed dry and warm and salt-free.

• Oh no: it’s back to school sales time and notebooks are SO cheap. Keep me away.

• My house has finally reached the age (11) when things are starting to break or just plain wear out. Let’s pretend this is the fun part.

• I have been stung by a bee, cleaned up puppy pee while the puppy chewed on my feet with needle teeth, had my teeth attacked by three sadists (two dental assistants and a dentist) and it’s only 10:22. Not the world’s perfect Monday.

• I just unsubscribed from an online list I didn’t subscribe to. An email confirmation says it will take 30 days for removal. What’s the computer doing for all that time?

• Does anyone have a dog who does not think that when you go into the kitchen it is for their enjoyment and fulfillment? I don’t and never have. When I break my hip, I believe it will be stumbling over a dog who thinks it is suppertime, no matter what time it is.

• Playing with mosaics means every broken dish has the potential to inspire a project. But wait, universe! Stop breaking my stuff! Today, Roger knocked his bowl onto a heavier-dutier bowl and it broke. Then I poured coffee into a brand new mug (purchased at a local craft fair) and the bottom fell out (thankfully into the sink). This was all before breakfast was over.

• Today I was whizzing the BBQ sauce when the whizzer, a Braun…I think they call them immersible blenders…that I bought at the Goodwill in San Anselmo with Karen 15+ years ago started making the oddest noise. One might assume that at this gadget’s age, it didn’t owe me anything but I am sad. This is a very handy tool in my kitchen. It reminds me that the bowl of the Cuisinart my mother gave me shortly after I graduated from college is cracked and a few steps away from crumbling. I actually wondered if perhaps it is too late in life to buy a new food processor. Loveeta says I should just buy it and if I die soon, it will make someone really happy at a great garage sale. I still wonder. (Later: I told Sydney this story and she nodded through it—she had the same experience and just bought a new one. Guess it’s my turn.)

• People often marvel at the, from their perspective, tedious crafts I take part in. Quilting…knitting…it’s so much work. I always say it’s cheaper than therapy…and I like it. Then I went to the nursery in Swannanoa and bought some plants from the nice man. He said if I deadheaded the flowers I would have a robust plant that will flower all summer. Deadhead? Now there’s tedium for you. I have tried to get a little zen doing it but I do find if anything looks just a wee bit wilty, off with your head! I am not going to be out here everyday plucking these suckers apart. It takes me long enough to find the clippers…

• I live in the land of unreturned phone calls and emails. I diligently email organizations, businesses, individuals, and eagerly await responses. Nada! Of course, as I am writing this, I am reminded that I have a bad track record for returning phone calls. I will change my evil ways, or I will try, as it is annoying. Sorry.

• I want a new car. I am very attached to my current car as it belonged to my dad and he bought it kinda in honor of my mother (one of his friends called it the Frannie-mobile), but it’s getting to that age when I am afraid it will start letting me down. And it recently occurred to me that I have had four cars in my life and I still own two of them. It just might be time.

• I read an interesting article about aging and baby boomers in the local paper. One statistic knocked my socks off: In 1900, approx. 100,000 Americans lived to be 85. 2010? Approx. 5.5 million, and by 2050: they’re projecting 19 million. (“they” being the US Administration for Community Living, part of  the Dept of Health and Human Services.) The article is about a guy who is helping caregivers and everyone else look at the realities of aging and what we want that to look like should we need care outside the home—he wants to change the culture of nursing homes. (In the one where he was meeting a group of residents, the staff didn’t tell residents when someone died…they only knew about it because beds were being moved around. Wow.) When most people are asked if they think they will ever wind up in a nursing home or using a wheelchair or having dementia, they say no. Something to think about.

• When last I wrote this pnewsletter, I was leaving for my 40^th high school reunion. It seems like so long ago now. It was one of those events that was long in coming and went by in a heartbeat. Great to see everybody and wonderful to see how we are aging so gracefully. I just want y’all to notice: I mentioned the reunion okay? Just because I didn’t cover previous mini-reunions in Maine…with Laurie and Ann and MB and…oh shoot…am I missing someone??? Don’t wanna forget anyone or anything! It is always a wonderful time when hanging out with people we have known for so long.

• On the way home from the library, I stopped in at the vet to pick up something and at the corner market for a salty snack. When I left the latter (cartons of cigarettes are now $59.26? Remarkable.), I realized I had had two very friendly small talk kind of conversations that I don’t usually have and say I am unable to have. I was kind of proud of myself. Then I drove 35 miles an hour behind someone who was apparently very afraid of our roads as the speed limit is between 45 and 55. Suddenly I did not feel so friendly.

“For some reason, I never found my way to the path called normal.” Michael Moore