A few weeks ago I commented that Mary and I were perhaps a little cash poor on account of saving so much money buying an electric bike and a scooter. I joked that we might be in trouble if an emergency arose, say both our dogs need their rabies shots at the same time.
Surprise!
In fact, both dogs needed ALL their shots at the same time, and it seems dogs are subject to all manner of plagues and distempers for which, fortunately, we have vaccinations. Expensive vaccinations.
In addition to getting them up to date on inoculations, our highly trained veterinarian also verified with his stethoscope that their hearts were beating and visually confirmed that they still had teeth. These goods and services combined cost me $192 and something over five minutes of my time, not counting transportation.
Next time, I might have to take the dogs to Canada. Socialized pet care is looking very attractive.
Even worse—and taken together some people might call this a bad day—I had to drive my truck since the two dogs don’t travel well by scooter, which means I couldn’t save big money running my errands on Big Swede. And then, since we were out already, I thought why not take the little guys to the park and go for a walk, except somehow when I got to the park, I locked them in and myself out with the Diesel engine running.
I could practically see the numbers turning on the gas pump. This truck drinks gas like Homer Simpson drinks Duff Beer.
The dogs, fortunately, were safe inside as I’d left the windows partly open. In fact, they were in no hurry to get out at all because they’d found the “Greenies,” two chlorophyll-enhanced dog bones guaranteed to improve dog breath. Five bucks apiece. The plan was to let them chew a few minutes a day, but another twenty minutes and they’d be ready for seconds.
After trying all manner of breaking and entering into my own truck, I finally flagged down a cop—nice guy but not a great sense of humor—who called a locksmith who was there in ten minutes and into my truck in under fifteen seconds. The dogs jumped up and licked my face, and their breath was still terrible.
My attitude, though, remained mostly positive throughout the whole ordeal. It was a beautiful fall day. I got to watch the pelicans raft up at the head of the Link River and drift downstream gracefully dipping for fish. Then paddle up to the head of the river and drift down eating fish again. Then again.
But best was having a laugh at a big decal a parked truck had in its rear window: A giant American flag, of course, and the inscription “Why the hell do I have to press 1 to continue in English?”
I thought, Man, that poor guy NEVER has a good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment