Passing On

Drat: I have become my mother!!

I'm reading the obits, hoping not to find my name, an annoying habit that seems to develop with age. Unfortunately, I'm recognizing far too many of those who are going before me to pave the way, including recently a former high school teacher, a former junior high science teacher, and a retired Marine whose wife was a friend back in the day. I was taken aback to read that this couple had been married for 64 years. With each tick of the clock, I am on the other side of youth and my days are dwindling down to a precious few. Better make better use of them, huh?

Unfortunately, I'm also talking to the dogs, especially Daisy, who leaps onto my lap and stares me in the eye as if I'm supposed to psychically pick up on whatever it is she's wanting to communicate. Actually, I do ask her questions, trying to figure it out, perhaps thinking that she'll somehow answer me using her words so I can get whatever it is she wants. When that fails, Mia comes over, sits and looks at me imperiously, and when I still don't get it, Mia barks and does that head-turning thing I have named "show me." I tried to teach Daisy to "be quiet," especially during the night, but she responded much better to "SHUT THE HELL UP!" She also has learned "no" and "off," both as a result of post-surgery protection from the instant pain of her insistence on using my body as a sleeping palette.

The semester is finished, the winds are still howling in the desert's best sundowner fashion, and the house has a layer of sand everywhere. Today's plan is to scrape off that layer so Mother Nature can deposit a fresh layer over the weekend. I also need to vacuum the carpeting, a repository for dog hair that is stubbornly resistant to removal. My son donated a bagless whirlwind cleaner before relocating to Canada, and I fill that plastic container several times just vacuuming the living room carpet and couches. I've added a final phase to the process, a quick dusting with the spray-on carpet shampoo, followed by a thorough brushing, to make sure most of the dog hair has been pulled out of the fibers. While some families enjoy using the floor as alternate seating, I shudder to do the same!

Not much on the agenda for this holiday weekend, although I may rent a couple of movies that have been recently released. It may be time to sign up for NetFlix as the local video store (yes, we still have one) charges $1.99 per day to rent a movie, but you can keep it as long as you want at that price per day. I'm reluctant to try NetFlix as I'm not sold on the Sat radio that came with the new car and I really did not like FaceBook -- so adding another modern convenience to my life may not turn out the way I intend.

See, I told you I am become my mother!