Congrats to Tim & Lisa (Foster) McGuirk on daughter #3!
Chelsie's stats - 7lbs 5 oz 20" long
She was born Monday morning, August 17th.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
My 8 Second Ride . . .
Ya know those movies that have that funny scene where this person is walking a dog or a group of dogs and something catches the dogs eye and they take off with the handler still holding on? They’re running and yelling “STOOOOOP” and it appears that the handler is flying in mid air while still attached to the dog leashes . . .
It doesn’t quite happen that way!
So yesterday morning, Jonathan was called in to work about 3am, which means he goes on duty at 5am. My alarm “starts” going off at 5:15 and by 5:30, I’m up. After Jonathan left at 4:15, Tyson, for some reason, went crazy! Barking and jumping around in his kennel; made it hard for me to go back to sleep, apparently I managed because at 5:45, I woke back up. I started my morning routine, already had my clothes picked out for work that morning . . . a black skirt and nice top. Duke continued to lay on the bed while I got ready and Tyson was still sleeping so why bother em, right?
After getting ready BUT before I put my work clothes on, I took them outside to potty. Tyson is 16months and well, he’s discovering new scents in the yard and in the air . . . scents like the horses next door, someone BBQ’in, the honeysuckles on the fence, a-n-d female dogs.
I understand that with the economy the way it is, people are having a hard time taking care of their animals, BUT that’s no reason to dump them on our road! A week ago a pack of dogs showed up on our road. They made their way down to our house for a brief visit until Jonathan ran them off. We hadn’t seen them since.
So I take Duke & Tyson out to potty and everything’s good. The yard is wet from the dew and Jonathan had just cut the grass so I wear my waterproof boots out so the feet don’t get wet and covered in grass clippings. Tyson sniffs around for the first 5 minutes, as usual, and then he’ll go. Duke – gets right down to business. Back inside, they start playing, jumping around and whatnot while I get dressed and gather some things to put in my bag for work. I turn the air up, TV on, open one of the blinds in the den and that’s when they know I’m leaving for work and it’s time for Tyson to go back in his kennel and Duke to lounge around the house.
However, this time was going to be a little different. After all that playing and jumping they did, the potty dance hit them both at the same time. I thought to myself, “Okay, I know I have my work clothes on – my nice skirt and top – Uhhhh, I’ll just put my water boots on and take em out real quick. They’ve gotta go bad so it shouldn’t take long and Tyson won’t sniff around - it’s 6:20 – as long as I leave here at 6:30, I’m good!” So the strappy summer sandals come off and the black waterproof boots go on! I leash them up and to the yard we go. Everything’s good . . . we head down a slope towards the edge of the yard and all of a sudden, Tyson & Duke start barking and jumping . . . ???????? WHAT’S GOING ON????? They’re going crazy! I QUICKLY realize I have NO control. I’m frantically looking around, trying to find what it is they see . . . and there it is . . . one of those cotton-pickin’ dogs that was dumped on our road! I had no time left to do anything, and I knew it! All I could do was hang on and pray that God wasn’t in need of a laugh, that he would send my next door neighbor Andy out of his garage and help me! I held on tight and tried my best to stay with them, still attempting to plant my feet when possible. The dew on the grass and me wearing the waterboots – it was like ice skating instead. Remember as a kid when you played tug-of-war and the opposing team would tug – jerking your end of the rope - you would take several “quick-steps” in their direction? Well, that’s what I was doing . . . several quick-steps until I gave planting my feet one last try. They planted alright, but the rest of my body kept going. I looked like a tree that had just been cut at the base AND was being hauled off. I saw the gravel road quickly approaching – I had two choices . . . road rash or let go! It was a good ride, but my 8 seconds were up . . . I let go.
As I lay there in the wet grass near the road and watch my two dogs run with everything they had after this other mut, I realize that I can feel the cool air on my bottom. While enjoying the ride of my life thru our front yard, my nice black skirt had flown up and was now lying on my back. I laid there long enough to remember that only a few short minutes ago – or what seemed like an eternity – my neighbor Andy was standing in his garage, and my back side was now facing his house! “Oh my gosh, Oh my Gosh, Oh my gosh!” Is all I could think as I quickly jump to my feet, a little disoriented, and try to figure out what just happened? I look down at my clothes and there’s no hope to even try and dust myself off! I take off running down the road, over a small hill, when I spot em! Tyson is “checking out” the other dog and Duke, well he just wanted to mark his territory everywhere. Luckily Duke is 135lbs and running just ain’t for him! I yell for Andy but never see or hear the first sign of him. I turn back around and jog down the hill after them. The other dog takes off and Tyson goes with it. Duke, still marking his territory, hangs around and I’m able to grab a hold of his leash. Duke and I top the hill back to the house and I see Andy backing out of his driveway. What timing! Unfortunately he never checked up. I run Duke back in the house, grab my keys and phone and hop in my truck. I call Jonathan, in a panic and tell him over and over again that Tyson is gone. After explaining to him what had just happened – in bits and pieces, I head down the road towards the direction in which Tyson and the other dog took off. About a quarter of a mile from our house is a hay field, where I see Tyson’s head pop up and then I see the other dog running towards him.
I pull over, put the truck in park and haul butt through the hay field . . . in my skirt and waterboots, covered in grass clippings and mud, with Jonathan on the phone and me crying!
I holler at Tyson . . . he stops . . . he looks at me . . . he eases my way until he hears the other dog behind him.
In between hollering at Tyson, I beg Jonathan – I plead to Jonathan “PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE Can we get the back yard fenced? PLEASE!?!?! Please call Shane (our friend and builder of our home) and ask him, please!!!”
I holler at Tyson again . . . he stops . . . he looks, and this time I squat down and start talking puppy talk to him, “Come here Tyson, come here baby - come on, lets get a treat - ya want a treat, come on!?!?!?!”
FINALLY! Here he comes! I still have Jonathan on the phone and I keep whispering over and over “Come on Tyson, please don’t take off, please come on, please!!” He walks close enough to me that I was able to grab his leash! THANK YOU GOD! We walk out of the hay field – me shaking and holding his leash as tight as I can – still on the phone with Jonathan! I open the back hatch and put the seats down so he can get in. I pull in the garage, shut the garage door, let Jonathan go and let Tyson out. He knows he’s in trouble! He walks right in the house, goes thru the kitchen, to the den, bypasses Duke on the couch, down the hall and into his kennel. I shut his kennel door and walk into our bathroom and just look at myself in the mirror. I fight back the tears but only for a few seconds. I’m covered from my neck down to the waterboots I still have on, in grass clippings, mud and dog hair. My shirt and skirt are soaking wet from the dew on the grass and the front part of my pretty black skirt is now green, my knees are scuffed up and I have raccoon eyes! I can’t go to work looking like this, so I start the shower up. I had grass coming out of places that grass shouldn’t have been!!
Jeans aren’t part of the company attire usually, but today there was gonna have to be an exception!
I never heard a peep out of either one of them the rest of the morning. I finally left the house around 7:45 and arrived to work an hour later.
Shane starts on our fence in two weeks!
Love Bunches~
Duke, Tyson, and April!
It doesn’t quite happen that way!
So yesterday morning, Jonathan was called in to work about 3am, which means he goes on duty at 5am. My alarm “starts” going off at 5:15 and by 5:30, I’m up. After Jonathan left at 4:15, Tyson, for some reason, went crazy! Barking and jumping around in his kennel; made it hard for me to go back to sleep, apparently I managed because at 5:45, I woke back up. I started my morning routine, already had my clothes picked out for work that morning . . . a black skirt and nice top. Duke continued to lay on the bed while I got ready and Tyson was still sleeping so why bother em, right?
After getting ready BUT before I put my work clothes on, I took them outside to potty. Tyson is 16months and well, he’s discovering new scents in the yard and in the air . . . scents like the horses next door, someone BBQ’in, the honeysuckles on the fence, a-n-d female dogs.
I understand that with the economy the way it is, people are having a hard time taking care of their animals, BUT that’s no reason to dump them on our road! A week ago a pack of dogs showed up on our road. They made their way down to our house for a brief visit until Jonathan ran them off. We hadn’t seen them since.
So I take Duke & Tyson out to potty and everything’s good. The yard is wet from the dew and Jonathan had just cut the grass so I wear my waterproof boots out so the feet don’t get wet and covered in grass clippings. Tyson sniffs around for the first 5 minutes, as usual, and then he’ll go. Duke – gets right down to business. Back inside, they start playing, jumping around and whatnot while I get dressed and gather some things to put in my bag for work. I turn the air up, TV on, open one of the blinds in the den and that’s when they know I’m leaving for work and it’s time for Tyson to go back in his kennel and Duke to lounge around the house.
However, this time was going to be a little different. After all that playing and jumping they did, the potty dance hit them both at the same time. I thought to myself, “Okay, I know I have my work clothes on – my nice skirt and top – Uhhhh, I’ll just put my water boots on and take em out real quick. They’ve gotta go bad so it shouldn’t take long and Tyson won’t sniff around - it’s 6:20 – as long as I leave here at 6:30, I’m good!” So the strappy summer sandals come off and the black waterproof boots go on! I leash them up and to the yard we go. Everything’s good . . . we head down a slope towards the edge of the yard and all of a sudden, Tyson & Duke start barking and jumping . . . ???????? WHAT’S GOING ON????? They’re going crazy! I QUICKLY realize I have NO control. I’m frantically looking around, trying to find what it is they see . . . and there it is . . . one of those cotton-pickin’ dogs that was dumped on our road! I had no time left to do anything, and I knew it! All I could do was hang on and pray that God wasn’t in need of a laugh, that he would send my next door neighbor Andy out of his garage and help me! I held on tight and tried my best to stay with them, still attempting to plant my feet when possible. The dew on the grass and me wearing the waterboots – it was like ice skating instead. Remember as a kid when you played tug-of-war and the opposing team would tug – jerking your end of the rope - you would take several “quick-steps” in their direction? Well, that’s what I was doing . . . several quick-steps until I gave planting my feet one last try. They planted alright, but the rest of my body kept going. I looked like a tree that had just been cut at the base AND was being hauled off. I saw the gravel road quickly approaching – I had two choices . . . road rash or let go! It was a good ride, but my 8 seconds were up . . . I let go.
As I lay there in the wet grass near the road and watch my two dogs run with everything they had after this other mut, I realize that I can feel the cool air on my bottom. While enjoying the ride of my life thru our front yard, my nice black skirt had flown up and was now lying on my back. I laid there long enough to remember that only a few short minutes ago – or what seemed like an eternity – my neighbor Andy was standing in his garage, and my back side was now facing his house! “Oh my gosh, Oh my Gosh, Oh my gosh!” Is all I could think as I quickly jump to my feet, a little disoriented, and try to figure out what just happened? I look down at my clothes and there’s no hope to even try and dust myself off! I take off running down the road, over a small hill, when I spot em! Tyson is “checking out” the other dog and Duke, well he just wanted to mark his territory everywhere. Luckily Duke is 135lbs and running just ain’t for him! I yell for Andy but never see or hear the first sign of him. I turn back around and jog down the hill after them. The other dog takes off and Tyson goes with it. Duke, still marking his territory, hangs around and I’m able to grab a hold of his leash. Duke and I top the hill back to the house and I see Andy backing out of his driveway. What timing! Unfortunately he never checked up. I run Duke back in the house, grab my keys and phone and hop in my truck. I call Jonathan, in a panic and tell him over and over again that Tyson is gone. After explaining to him what had just happened – in bits and pieces, I head down the road towards the direction in which Tyson and the other dog took off. About a quarter of a mile from our house is a hay field, where I see Tyson’s head pop up and then I see the other dog running towards him.
I pull over, put the truck in park and haul butt through the hay field . . . in my skirt and waterboots, covered in grass clippings and mud, with Jonathan on the phone and me crying!
I holler at Tyson . . . he stops . . . he looks at me . . . he eases my way until he hears the other dog behind him.
In between hollering at Tyson, I beg Jonathan – I plead to Jonathan “PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE Can we get the back yard fenced? PLEASE!?!?! Please call Shane (our friend and builder of our home) and ask him, please!!!”
I holler at Tyson again . . . he stops . . . he looks, and this time I squat down and start talking puppy talk to him, “Come here Tyson, come here baby - come on, lets get a treat - ya want a treat, come on!?!?!?!”
FINALLY! Here he comes! I still have Jonathan on the phone and I keep whispering over and over “Come on Tyson, please don’t take off, please come on, please!!” He walks close enough to me that I was able to grab his leash! THANK YOU GOD! We walk out of the hay field – me shaking and holding his leash as tight as I can – still on the phone with Jonathan! I open the back hatch and put the seats down so he can get in. I pull in the garage, shut the garage door, let Jonathan go and let Tyson out. He knows he’s in trouble! He walks right in the house, goes thru the kitchen, to the den, bypasses Duke on the couch, down the hall and into his kennel. I shut his kennel door and walk into our bathroom and just look at myself in the mirror. I fight back the tears but only for a few seconds. I’m covered from my neck down to the waterboots I still have on, in grass clippings, mud and dog hair. My shirt and skirt are soaking wet from the dew on the grass and the front part of my pretty black skirt is now green, my knees are scuffed up and I have raccoon eyes! I can’t go to work looking like this, so I start the shower up. I had grass coming out of places that grass shouldn’t have been!!
Jeans aren’t part of the company attire usually, but today there was gonna have to be an exception!
I never heard a peep out of either one of them the rest of the morning. I finally left the house around 7:45 and arrived to work an hour later.
Shane starts on our fence in two weeks!
Love Bunches~
Duke, Tyson, and April!
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