The Things That Pass: Tug-of-War Buddies

Saturday morning rolled around, and I made myself and Yvette some breakfast: leftover steak, pan-fried potatoes, and over-easy eggs. What a way to start the day. The leftover steak was just as good the next day.

Unfortunately, it rained late Friday night. It was one of my birthday wishes, but damn it, it did make the prospect of mowing my yard daunting as all hell. It was going to be a real slog. As it turned out, I was right.

I put on my big-boy britches and went after it. It was hard going; I was right about that. With the right kind of music, I was able to persevere. But about halfway through the job, I faced some adversity. It suddenly began to rain. I thought to myself, Are you fucking kidding me?

I wasn’t about to stop mowing. Not halfway through. I took some encouragement from the postman I witnessed delivering the mail on foot. He was also fighting through the downpour. I pushed on, soaking wet with sweat and rain. It was a messy ordeal, but I succeeded in the end. Filthy with grass clippings and mud, I was happy to have that dirty business behind me.

All cleaned up, I decided to take Hazel for a walk since the day was nice after the showers. To switch it up, we went to the trails down the street. The campus is currently all torn up with construction, so I wanted something a little easier on the eyes.

Hazel seemed to like the change of pace. She sniffed her heart out and marked some new territory. It was a nice little twenty-minute stroll. I enjoy these moments with her and wish they could last forever. As I was sadly reminded with the passing of Owen two months prior, I need to enjoy them as much and as often as I can. Dogs just don’t live long enough. It feels like I was writing about Owen yesterday, and now here I am worrying about every moment I have left with Hazel.

That night, one of Teegan’s friends had a graduation party that we were actually invited to. The party was busy, which made sense because it was actually a combined five-kid graduation party. I guess that’s one way to do it—economically.

Yvette and I enjoyed ourselves on a nice evening out at the lake. We walked around together and had nice conversations, not knowing anyone else there. I might even say it was a little romantic out there with her.

Afterward, we ran a few errands and went to pick up Alaya from my in-laws. It was a very pretty evening, with some distant thunderheads catching the sunset in all its glory.

Back at the house, Alaya wanted to watch more “woof woof.” No more Paw Patrol, damn it! I didn’t think I could take it. So I found The Secret Life of Pets 2. None of us had seen it, and to say that she was totally engaged would be an understatement. She was enamored with another adventure featuring all of her favorite characters.. That alone was worth it because the movie didn’t quite hit the high bar set by the first one. Too many storylines and not nearly as focused as the first movie. Still, watching Alaya completely lose herself in it made it worthwhile.

Sunday, I woke up ahead of everyone and decided to go all out for breakfast. Steak, potato, and egg tacos garnished with fresh cilantro, red jalapeño, and a creamy avocado sauce made from sour cream and salsa verde. Damn good eating, all done outside on the grill with a cup of coffee.

Goodbye, leftover steak. Thank you for the three great meals—Lowake Steak House.

Afterward, I finished the backyard since the rain had hindered my progress the day prior. Once that was complete, I decided to make some space in the garage. I moved a pile of bags into Lola’s room. What was the point of them being on the garage floor? I dismantled a few of Alaya’s toys that she had outgrown, and I finally decided to get rid of my old grill, which was dangerous and no longer being used. Sometimes you just have to let things go.

I ended up clearing out a decent amount of space. I mean, the shit had been there for a year and a half, and no one was missing it.

After cleaning up, I proceeded to run some errands—the usual Sunday errands like getting gas and groceries. I also made a stop by the mall to see if they had any Birkenstock shoes.

I finally finished The Boys. Damn. The ending was the one we deserved, and I think it rightfully wrapped up the show, but damn. I had been watching it for seven years.

I’m happy it concluded, but I’m a tad bit sad that I won’t be seeing these characters again. As I reflected in my last blog, during the span of time that the show aired, a lot of important things happened in my life. I kind of feel a certain sense of closure with the ending of the show. Crazy how time flies.

Monday was the most marvelous day on campus. The band camp had arrived—those godforsaken heathens. They are loud, they are destructive, and they travel in hordes across campus, tainting every area with their presence. Year after year after year, they are a burden that inflicts unflinching malice upon our very way of life. A blight upon our very existence.

Not a total exaggeration—they do have a tendency to make a mess and damage property. They have wrecked plumbing, broken numerous things, and generally gotten into places they shouldn’t. Oh well, it’s just a part of life.

It was a rather slow day. I found out you can time travel on Google Maps, so I spent far too much time revisiting places as they appeared twenty years ago.. I had no idea Google was doing Street View that long ago. Kind of crazy.

Anyway, if you find yourself with some spare time, I suggest looking into it. I found it to be a rather fun way to pass the time.

After work, Yvette and I decided that we needed to make a happy-hour stop, so we went to Shenanigans for a drink and some fried mushrooms. I would say it had been about a year since we’d had mushrooms. For a while there, we made it a point once a week to grab a drink and mushrooms on a stressful workday. On occasion, I think it is good for our sanity.

The bartender was an old friend of mine whom I had not seen in a really long time. She is—or rather, was—a mess. I used to play the twelve-minute version of Meat Loaf’s “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” during her shift just to irritate her. Just a terrible thing to do to anyone.

Most of the workweek went by rather quickly. I had to contend with the band camp throughout. They congest the few remaining thoroughfares with their army-like horde. This time of year, the campus would otherwise be a delight. It was rather comical how many people mentioned band camp. It’s a regular topic of conversation among us employees.

Thursday started off normally enough.

My heart broke again.

My mom called. Our sweet angel—Bo Britches—had to be guided to doggy heaven. I met my mom at the vet, and this was his third trip. We both knew in our hearts it would be his last. His blood count was drastically low, and the multiple vet trips and medications were not helping. It was clear as day that he wasn’t feeling well. He always greeted me with barks, even when he knew it was me. The day before, he didn’t even greet me at all.

The little guy had been part of the family for over a decade. He was the last dog my mother and father had together. He had a personality all his own. Being a terrier mix, he was a little guy—a stocky little guy—and he thought he was the BIG dog in the room. It never occurred to him that maybe he wasn’t.

He had been putting Hazel and Owen in their place since they were little puppies.

On Saturday, after Hazel and I went for our walk, I almost brought her over to see him. I didn’t because I knew he wasn’t feeling well, and I didn’t want to tire him more than he already was. I was hoping the new medications he was on would help him recover. I didn’t know she might not have a chance to see her friend one last time.

I wish I had brought her over because now he is gone, and she does not get that closure. If I bring her to my mother’s house, will she notice he’s gone? Most definitely. They were tug-of-war buddies.

My poor mother. Bo was special to her. Truth be told, he was special to everyone who knew him. I don’t think there will ever be another quite like him.. He was loved by all. That personality, and all of the many quirks that came with it, will be greatly missed when I visit.

I really have a hard time believing that he is gone. Owen and Bo are now in heaven together, and I hope that, upon greeting each other, Bo put Owen in his place like he always did. Two great dogs have passed rather suddenly in just under three months. I pray Hazel stays in good health because I don’t know if I could handle losing her.

To end an otherwise shitty day on a high note, I came home from work to find Alaya in the driveway with Yvette waiting for me. Nothing is more heartwarming than having a two-year-old run to you with excitement. She had a request: POOL.

I shifted my after-work plans to accommodate her, so we changed into pool attire and packed the necessary things.

I had to help a friend lift my father’s old smoker from my mother’s garage into a truck—it was going to Austin to be with my brother. I was actually rather daunted by the task; the damn thing was heavy as fuck. I knew that if he didn’t bring a third person along, it would be an impossible task and we might break ourselves attempting it anyway. Lucky for us, he brought a friend, and we managed to manhandle it into the truck. Still no small task.

With that done, I went to meet Yvette and sweet Alaya at the pool. She was once again very excited to see me and wouldn’t let me out of her sight. Watching her splash around and smile with carefree joy turned my day around. I showed her the joy of floating on her back, and she liked it so much that she kept requesting more. The poor girl cried when we finally had to leave. We knew she had exhausted herself, and sure enough, she crashed before we ever made it home.

That little pool trip with Alaya was what I had needed on such a shitty day. Thank you, Alaya.

So Friday was the final day of band camp—culminating with multiple concerts. I must admit that I was rather curious how the cacophony that had been wreaked upon my ears all week would sound when it all came together, so I made a point of watching one of the shows. To my astonishment, they actually sounded quite great. Color me surprised. I’m not sure how the hell they did it. I was half expecting a train wreck, but they performed rather well.

For as destructive as band camp might be, I have to remember that they are just kids. Kids at camp away from their parents. Away from the parents and having the time of their lives. I remember camps from my youth and the things we’d get ourselves into while away from our parents. The sense of wonder. Adventure.

After the concerts, when they cleared out, they cleared out in a hurry. It was sort of eerie how I had become so used to their presence all across campus. It was suddenly a very empty place. At one time I was pretty sure that I was the only person outside on a large section of the campus. All wee long I had been conditioned to avoid areas which their hordes commuted greedily through. Now the space was vacant.

It was a wild wind of a week and I was sure glad it was Friday. Happy Friday!!

Jalapeño

Steak, potatoes and over easy eggs.