07 September 2008

Three dogs now, when it's time to start having the creeps.


I was walking down the street the other morning, and the nervous lady that used to have a rottweiler except then her husband moved out, came out to say hi. She has a bunch of kids crammed in her tiny house. They're in school now. Don't walk by her house so much, now that there's no Timmy, no need to go on her street hardly ever. I always feel sort of bad for the nervous lady. It's a lot of kids crammed in that little house, shaped like a mobile home and no yard except a tiny speck of grass in the front. She's skinny and shaky and the ex is this big guy that always gave me the creeps.

Told you it's creepy season.

She comes out, looks at the dogs for a second, goes, "Where's the other one?"

"He died this summer."

Looks me dead in the eye. "Did he die-die or you put him to sleep?" Like, seemed important for her to know this fact. Once she helped me look for my cat when it was gone a few days.


"We euthanized him. He got real sick. He was old."

She doesn't really say anything. Just looks at me. I look back. She's a little extra stare-y and freaks me out so I look at her shoes. Those slip on Keds kind. White. Notice her grass speck. Green. She waters. In the world of manners, her turn to say something. I am waiting, nervous lady. Using my manners.

She doesn't. I just go, "Well, nice to see you. We gotta get to work." Keep on walking down the street with the 3 dogs.


Like a minute later, Gustavo got scared of a empty 40 ouncer laying on the corner and gave it freaky growly barks til I pulled him by. Bobby, who owns the Korean market on across the corner, he saw that. I was thinking it was sort of funny, dog nervous of a beer bottle laying on the sidwalk. Look over across the street, at Bobby just standing there on the front mat of his market, having a smoke. Watching us. I smile and wave. We buy lottery tickets and potato chips and ice cream there. He just goes back in the store.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

OK. Yes, the days are getting shorter and it will now be cold and wet to endure instead of heat and sunburn at trials. I can't believe I'm being Miss Sunshine, here, but two days of the creeps, and reporting on surreal Santa Cruz neighborhood conversation may send me into pre-seasonally activated depression. I hope today is a visit the old folks home day for Gustavo. That always cheers us all up, right? Seeing what's coming up for us Baby Boomers in just a few short falls from now. I say, cherish the Shortfall!

Or something.

How much is the airplane ticket to Arizona for you and Otterpop? I will contribute $25 if you agree to mention all your Wednesday dirt night friends in your fancy reporting of the BIGGER POND OF DOG AGILITY.

Note: I started at $100, which is where my heart is. Then I contemplated credit card debt, so that dropped it to $50, and then I thought about sending in my entry to October Dixon USDAA trial, so I ended up with $25. But maybe there are richer blog readers out there.

team small dog said...

Hell, don't send Team Small Dog dinero, we have a damn job. We just pick spending the money on the sliding glass door and repainting the house.

Here's who needs some money. She's a teenager. Dog is sick. They are both cute and blonde, but don't let that stop you. Aw, dog's damn name is Wrinkles for gods sake.

http://www.jility.com/wrinkles.html

I do like the paid mentioning angle. Very online paparazzi financial model-good out of box thoughts there in dog show reporting funding.

Anonymous said...

It's like the creeps mixed with a sense of loss/nostalgia type blues...every fall!!! :o(

Anonymous said...

Oh my god stab me to the heart remembering my yellow lab Linda who died and I couldn't have another dog for three years. Yes, there are many more worthy causes than Laura's Ranch that Got Away. (You may wish to provide the good service of identifying the links to blog days you wrote about this tragedy, with perhaps a mention of your home improvement projects. I'm thinking about the bathroom remodel, here. On the other hand, maybe just select one or two of the days. People can't stay up all night reading, you know.)

Yes, note major ulterior motives in suggestion of sending dinero to TSD because of wanting excellence of TS-style reporting of Very Vaunted Venue to read over my morning coffee.. Specific extortionate conditions and strings attached re. mentioning Dirt Night Friends left at home to, well, run agility in dirt. How about an extra ten dollars more for mentioning Dirt Night Friends by name?