As the clock inched closer to noon, Snowdrop and I looked at each other and said, almost simultaneously -- this is exhausting.
To me, the whole day was nuts. I woke with the dogs and rushed through our morning routines, urging the two pooches to "hurry up" with their business, because of course they know exactly what I mean and what's at stake.
To frustrate me, Sadey took forever and in the end did not even tinkle, forcing me to comb the house to see if she had had an accident inside. Later in the morning, the owners of Sally's house were coming by to fix a few things and I wanted the place to look super together and clean. It would not do for them to find a puddle on one of their carpets. Thankfully, there were no wet spots anywhere.
I rushed with their meal and my meal.
I could not read my novel -- I had to go over the list of things for my Poland presentation on International Day at Sparrow's school.
Loading up the car, I was sure I'd forget something. I had wanted to leave at 7:45. I left at 8.
Luck was with me -- traffic was modest, rush hour notwithstanding. I dropped the dogs at doggie daycare an hour earlier than usual, but that's okay -- they will manage. From there, I picked up a ready Snowdrop and we headed for the elementary school. Her alma mater. And then the classes, divided into small groups, started to trickle in. Poland was on display (along with 18 other countries).
Initially, Snowdrop just helped with the pointing and the costume try-ons (she wore one as well, even though I had purchased it for the kids when they were way younger). I was awful the first few rounds, but good by the time Sparrow's class came around. Thank goodness. This was all for him after all!
I'd gotten in my groove and it was almost smooth sailing (you have to do dozens upon dozens of short presentations), except that I was getting horse. And tired. A function of being 72 is that three or four hours of engaging presentations can really drive you nuts. Snowdrop asked if she could take over. She'd learned my "speech," my questions, my jokes, so I let her go for it. I was the sidekick, with my pierogi hat. (Actually, I did not realize how ridiculous I looked until I saw the photo below! I had been searching for the pierogi mascot the Polish team used for the Olympics and came across the pierogi hat instead.) Really, that girl can do enthusiasm very well!
And by noon, we were both exhausted. Completely wiped out. She told me that she only now appreciated how much effort International Day was for the presenters. A valuable lesson for a kid, don't you think?
In the afternoon, she could have gone back to her school, but she had no academic lessons left for the day so I let her ride along with me as I continued with my own schedule. Bring all the Poland stuff home (please dont ask me to do this again in two years!), store it in the basement. Clean up the chaos. Eat lunch, such as it is. Pick up Sadey's papers and head to get the pooch in time for her late afternoon vet appointment.
I love our vet, but the first visit with your pet is long. Sadey was good waiting in the strange small room. But, like her sib Henry, the technician who eventually came in did not do it for her. For the first time, I saw her turn a mean eye on another human being. There was a lot of growling and barking that accompanied it. The technician asked me to please restrain my dog. I wanted to ask her to please act like you liked Sadey. Eventually she left and my vet came in and peace was restored.
I found out some interesting things about Sadey, offering me some explanation for her behavior. The not so good -- she may still have heartworm - a serious and potentially deadly condition. The rescue people claim that they had treated it, but my vet isn't sure. So, more tests are needed and in all likelihood, a tough treatment plan would have to be implemented (think: drug and isolate her for 30 days). It's that or wait for her to get a stroke and die.
Okay. That's the serious stuff. The good news is that it is treatable, albeit in this tough way. Here's the other interesting thing though: my vet swears that Sadey is much younger than the rescue people implied. Not 2 years and 2 months at all. More like maybe one and a half years. At most. And yes, despite the fact that she had had at least one litter in her young life. This totally explains her behavior, which I really had thought was that of an adolescent dog. She is not done with the zoomies!
On the upside, she was a sweet and gentle girl all afternoon (except with the technician whom she nearly devoured) and I was proud of her for that.
It was getting very late. We still had to get Henry (who then barked at every human we passed by car and believe me, having him bark about two inches away from your ear can be... deafening!), and drop off Snowdrop (whose assistance and companionship I so deeply appreciated today).
The three of us -- two dogs and I -- came home. And oh, was it good to enter the quiet house, to feed us all, to watch Henry and Sadey spread out in the living room, to turn on some dumb show on Prime and exhale.
What a fantastically nutty day. But good, overall! Really, when I think about it -- quite good!
with so much love...
