And these things too are true
Hello, my San Saba dears, and how have you been since last we spoke? Haven’t the days been sunny and beautiful? Mom did grumble a bit when she woke up on her birthday to 30 degree temperatures; yeah, she said it didn’t feel much like March 19th to her. I smiled and told her she was just trying to delay the inevitable and stay a bit younger longer, but it would be to no avail. The truth is mom cares not two cents about growing older; she is a no frills kind of person and certainly not a Barbie doll kind of woman. In fact, if I had to describe mom, I would be much more inclined to speak of her in G.I. Joe terms but without the gun and bayonet.
Speaking of mom’s birthday, we spent a very quiet day with just me, dad and the woman who turned a year younger than 70; gosh I love saying that! I mean, it is difficult for me to fathom because I will be five next month and I live with people who are 80 and almost 70 which essentially means I live in an old folk’s home! Now don’t get me wrong; I am not complaining. As a dachshund, when you live with people with failing memories, hearing and eyesight, everything is in your favor. If they ask you if they fed you…just say no! If they ask if you ate their piece of toast, just say no, and if they ask if you peed in the corner, blame it on the other person in the room!
As a special memory to her dad, mom got a New York style cheesecake for her birthday, and I now have a new favorite thing. I happen to love cream cheese; I find that stuff has an addictive quality, and I will eat it on crackers, carrots and right off mom’s fingers. Well come to find out, cheesecake is made with cream cheese, and buddy let me tell you, I didn’t want to stop with the bites mom gave me! I sometimes get so irritated having dachshund legs and a small dachshund body not able to reach the things I so want to get to! I told mom she needs to redesign the kitchen with Herman accessible counters. She smiled and said…“Never happening, Herman, I want you to stay a dachshund and not turn into a pot belly pig!” She is cruel, just cruel!
You know, my San Saba sweethearts, sometimes we can wish upon a star or blow out birthday candles and think because what we wished for doesn’t magically appear we have been betrayed. But perhaps we are not looking for the right things. Mom tells me all the time when I get so upset at the squirrels in the yard… “Herman, how would you feel if you went out one day and all the squirrels were lying motionless, dead? Would you feel happy or feel great sadness and feel as if you suffered a loss?” Mom was absolutely right. I would be devastated because as much as I don’t want to admit it, I love the challenge they give to my life, my day. There is excitement inside when I see them running all over and taunting me. So often in life, we wish big and yet think small, missing out on so much of the beauty in life that is around us. I don’t want to miss out on a moment, so I always want you to know how very much I love you, appreciate you and thank you for being.