It's horrible when the best part of your holiday was the time you spent at work.
I got home a little before four o'clock yesterday afternoon, and cooked the last two side dishes in the microwave. Then I put everything out on the counter and told Y to come downstairs and make himself a plate. On his way down the stairs he said, "Thank you, Mama. I very hungry." When he saw the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole and gravy, he said, "Mama, I no like. I no eat." He wouldn't even taste anything. Five minutes later he was back downstairs and said, "Mama, maybe you make me spaghetti?" I told him it was Thanksgiving and that what I had already prepared was a traditional dinner in our house. He could eat it or he could not eat it. His choice. Then he said, "You no feed me!" and stormed up to his room and slammed the door. Apparently a whole counter full of food qualifies as 'You no feed me!' in his book.
So, I made myself a plate and ate it in front of the TV. Then I decided to take the puppies out for a bike ride. Y had told me he took Michael for a bike ride earlier in the day, and that Michael had escaped as soon as he took the leash off back at the door. He got a doggy time out in his cage, too. All of them had too much energy, so I leashed all three dogs up and went outside. I've taken all of them bike riding at the same time before, several times. I generally just get the bike rolling, and they become three little engines while I coast along beside them. Yesterday was no exception, except for the trifecta that happened at the end of the driveway.
I must not have shortened Michael's leash enough so that he could not cross in front of the bicycle. Our driveway is gravel, and when we transitioned to the street I had to make a right turn. Not normally a problem. However, yesterday, our lovely next door neighbor's dog (a rottweiler) decided to do her favorite thing, and she charged the fence full steam ahead. Just as the bike was transitioning from one surface to another, Michael ran in front of it and I tried to go around him, but fate had other plans. Next thing I knew I was flying face first over the handlebars onto the pavement in front of my property. Luckily no cars were in sight, and my head broke my fall. Three very concerned puppies appeared in my vision, as if to ask, "Mommy, why are you laying on the street?" No one else appeared harmed, so I picked up my pride and we completed our short 8 minute bike ride. Michael played his usual role of "engine" the entire time. Goofy played his favorite role of "caboose" for the last 3 minutes, too. I love those 120lb cabooses when I'm trying to pedal my bike.
When I got home, I checked my face and I had a huge rash right beside my eye; and my glasses are way out of whack (but hopefully salvageable); and there were some scrapes on one hand and a stiff finger on the other. It was dark then, so I changed clothes and went looking for Michael. I was concerned because he did not come upstairs with me like Goofy and Squirt did. Forty five minutes later, I was redressed and at the animal emergency clinic with Y and Michael. Michael had a huge gash in his leg where the bicycle tire ran over him. You could see his tendons and everything. They cleaned him up and glued him back together pretty quickly. Then it was time to pay. Oops, Mama forgot to switch her wallet from the big purse to the little purse.
So, Y and I rode back home sans Michael. Y was Mr. Questions the entire ride home. He wanted to know why a little yellow warning light came on when Michael sits in the passenger seat, but not when he seats there. I told him it was because he is heavier than Michael (150lbs vs 45lbs). The yellow light comes on when the passenger air bag is deactivated. That way, if we crash, Michael is not killed or injured by the airbag deploying. I explained that while the airbag would hit Y in his chest, it would hit Michael in his face and neck. Then I got twenty million questions like: "Mama, how much you weigh?" I told him I would not tell him. "Why?!" "Because it's not any of your business." To which he replied, repeatedly, that it was his business because I'm his Mama. Then he said to me, "You no tell me because you big woman, yes?" Like I'd tell him my weight if I was a 'little woman.' He even once said, "Why, because you cow?" I almost had to laugh at that one, but I explained that he was being very rude, and I told him I would not speak on the subject again. When I did not answer, he said, "What, I speak to car now? Why you no answer me?" Again, the discussion on rudeness vs politeness. It was met with silence. When we got home, I got the 'you don't love me because you won't feed me' b.s. again, too. Okay, people - it's been 9 months now. When do these orphanage behaviors stop?
It is a thirty minute drive to the emergency clinic, so I spent much of Thanksgiving in the car. I went back and picked up Michael without too much difficulty. Of course, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when they told me my bicycle ride cost $294. It cost me $350 to get his nuts cut off, and that's surgery! All they did last night was super glue him back together and put a bandage on it. Michael was not thrilled with his e-collar either. They gave him an opaque one, and he couldn't lick anything or see it for that matter. So, at home, Y helped me swap the new opaque e-collar for the slightly damaged old clear e-collar. Michael seemed a little bit happier when he could see what was going on around him again. The clinic had given him a pain injection, and boy you could tell Michael just wasn't himself at home. I put him outside so he could potty, but all he did was stand there and stare off into the distance. Then, he sat down and tried really, really hard not fall over. Poor dog was drunk! We went back inside where he collapsed on the dog bed. Michael spent the next thirty plus minutes acting like a toddler. His little eyes would drift closed, then almost immediately his head would jerk up and he would be wide awake for a minute, and then he'd drift back to sleep. Poor baby, he wanted so much not to miss anything. He must have slept well last night (I carried him up to Y's room), because he was pretty perky this morning. I let him outside for a few minutes, then gave him an antibiotic and a pain pill before leaving for work. I will have to go to our regular vet this afternoon and get some more pain pills. I didn't buy them at the emergency clinic because they usually charge more for medicines, too. It cost me $40 for the antibiotics. Should've gotten them at my regular vet, too, in hind sight.
Gotta go back to work now.
Natalie
TX
