(originally posted June 8, 2013)
It is with great personal sacrifice that I sit down and write this blog post for you today. I am suffering from a malady called “The Common Cold” or perhaps even “Sinus Infection”. I appreciate your deep concern.
However, despite my extreme exhaustion and plans to stay in bed all day, this morning as the sun rose and the first day of summer vacation dawned, my body woke up and nothing I could say would convince it to go back to sleep. I did, however, get to drink my hot cup of coffee in my pajamas, reveling in the fact that I have nowhere to be today. And that is why it is 12:47pm and I am STILL in my pajamas. That, and the aforementioned illness.
Glory be.
Most of the kids (meaning the older two) are content doing exactly nothing today, which is perfect, because those were my plans as well, but my youngest – well, he’s a mover and shaker and so he got dressed and asked if he could take the dog on a walk.
Who am I to argue when one of my kids offers to take the dog on a walk?
So he left with many instructions issued, and few heard, and came back in about 20-30 minutes. I was starting to wonder if maybe I should change out of my pajamas in case a police officer or ambulance driver or concerned neighbor showed up at my front doorstep with Samuel in tow, but I kept my imagination in check and sure enough, he came back unscathed.
The dog was a little worse for the wear, as I learned when Samuel mentioned rather casually that he took her to the park and tried to get her to slide down the slide with him.
Say WHAT???!!!!
Yeah. He walked her to the neighborhood park, coaxed her up the stairs and onto the rather tall playground, then essentially shoved her onto the slide (he admitted she was rather reluctant to go down, having never been down a slide before because SHE’S A DOG . So he pushed, and she scrambled and jumped off and landed on her back.
Samuel made sure to tell me several times how he was brought to tears over seeing her land on her back, as if to engender compassion towards him over his ordeal. But I just kept staring at him with bug eyes, asking him “WHY WHY WHY would you take the dog on the slide???” Of course, there is no answer to the question, except perhaps because he’s Samuel.
The good news is that the dog is fine. I have felt all over for broken bones and watched her walk to see if she limps (hey, I’m no vet okay?) and she’s not whining or anything, so I’m pronouncing her healthy.
But I’m never letting Samuel out of this house alone again.
