Distractions and puppy teeth
Published 07-16-2020
As I sat and thought about what to write about this week, I was going through the state of it all in our country and fully prepared myself to write about the latest insanities befalling us.
It’s a long and depressing list when you start to actually think about it.
Add into the mix a global pandemic, and all bets are off as to the levels of chaos present in our daily lives.
Vince and I have worked hard to not let the stresses of the pandemic affect our household. To let worries of what’s happening around us, and in cities across the nation, not take over our version of a quiet life at our house on a dead end road in west Tennessee.
I know we’ve been lucky, Vince’s job has been essential since day one and he works for a company who has been responsive and proactive in dealing with the pandemic… providing masks, gloves, sanitizer and whatever else the employees needed to continue working.
We’re blessed too, living in a state where there has been a balance of understanding that the pandemic isn’t the only thing to deal with, and a governor that understood that what’s good for Nashville probably wouldn’t work here in Martin, while offering guidelines that seemed more rational and based on evidence.
I’ve mentioned to my mom more than once that it’s probably better I’m not still in California. With most businesses closed I’d have way too much time on my hands for stirring the pot and plotting political trouble.
Instead, I’m plotting raised garden beds, fixing up a couple of guest rooms and thinking of new ways to evict the squirrels and birds that have discovered the all you can eat blueberry bushes in my back yard. Let me tell you, they are eating well, all day long.
And since everyday wasn’t quite crazy enough, I convinced Vince that I needed a new puppy… because the house was too quiet with only one dog and Bones was even sadder than I was without Spock by our sides.
Needless to say, it’s easy to ignore politics and the outside world when there’s puppies involved. And we found a cute one.
A little over a month in, and I’m glad we had already decided that we were pulling out the carpet in our bedroom... because Sarek the DoberDane is more than a little bit stubborn. Go figure that I like a dog with a bit of attitude and paws the as big as his head.
Funnily enough, both dogs have also discovered they like fresh blueberries too, and I have caught both of them snacking while on one of our many trips outside to try to tackle the potty training.
Sarek already figured out it was easier to get his teeth on the bag of berries that I had already picked, rather than trying to choose only the ripe ones off the bush. I definitely won’t make the mistake of leaving it on the ground while trying to clear some of the lower branches again.
It’s a good distraction, as far as distractions go. But I do miss sleeping past 5:30 a.m.
And how does one really forget how sharp puppy teeth are? I think it might be one of those things like childbirth where the cuteness of the result makes you develop amnesia.
•••••••••••••••••••
Over the years I have written about some of the teachers who made an impact on me growing up. Few were so fun, or funny as Mr. Beevers, who will always be Mr. B to me... my favorite 6th Grade Core teacher.
Few teachers can run herd on classes of 25-30 preteens, and all that entails, while keeping a sense of humor, for three periods a day. Let alone actually figuring out a way to teach grammar and language to a bunch of eleven year olds.
He wasn’t afraid to razz us, or challenge us, whether it was in the classroom or on the softball diamond.
There are more than a few unforgettable moments from that first year of junior high. But getting called up to Mr. B’s desk one morning, thinking I had done something wrong... only for him to ask how do you spell bouquet... may be the one that makes me laugh hardest when I think back to that time.
Who can say their teacher was brave enough to repel down a cavern with their whole class watching... Mr. B was, and that stuff stuck.
But it was a different message that has shaped more of my adult years. More than adverbs, adjectives and diagramming sentences. It pops into my head often, written as a simple note in my sixth grade yearbook.
“Don’t have 20/20 hindsight.” A quick line at the end of the message. Who knew it would hold such an impact still, 33 years later. (Has it really been that long??)
Thank you for the memories Mr. B... and the life lessons. Enjoy your well deserved retirement!