Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Chihuahuas and Sentimental Attachments


Finally, some peace and quiet! As I write I'm sitting up in bed at Dad's house with my first cup of coffee, one of my favorite moments in any day. My dad and stepmother are still asleep, as are the chihuahuas. I'm enjoying the pre-dawn silence, which comes with the sad assurance that as soon as the dogs wake up I will be subjected to this.

Pinky and Manny are a bit schizophrenic about me. They bark like mad when I move around, but if I sit down and I'm relatively quiet they seem to forget I'm there -- one or the other will even come and sit in my lap, quivering and worried. I'll pet them and falsely believe that I've made progress. Then I'll stand up, and the cacophony begins again, Manny rushing my ankles and nipping my pant legs.

My brother and his family have gone back to Jacksonville. He and I had a walk around the neighborhood yesterday morning, talking about Mom's transition to a smaller apartment and the impending sale of the family home. We're all ready to let go of the house, realizing that our lives are elsewhere now, but that doesn't mean it isn't a strange time. We also burned my brother's childhood model airplanes, which he didn't want to unceremoniously dump in a landfill. He felt they deserved a dignified disposal, like a worn-out flag. (Is it environmentally sound to burn a box of plastic airplanes held together with '70s model glue? Almost certainly not. In fact, scratch that "almost.")


Last night we all went out to dinner with my stepsister and her family, which made the second big family dinner of the week. I have that overfull, restaurant-indulged feeling. (Talk about first-world problems!) Today things should quiet down a bit. My mom is working part of every day this week, so I'll have some quiet time at her house to go through things and make plans. I've called and e-mailed a second piano dealer about the Steinway, so we'll see if that goes anywhere.

Meanwhile, Dave tells me there's big drama at our flat in London. Apparently, a water main broke in the street right outside our front door. There's a water-filled crater in the pavement, and somehow this affected the power supply to our apartment and the one upstairs. The utilities have plunked a diesel generator in the parking space out front, with cables snaking into the apartment through the mail slot. I'm sure Olga loves that.

(Photo: A tricolored heron on the dock at my mom's.)

10 comments:

Ms. Moon said...

Unbelievable shots of that heron! Wow!
Florida...it can be amazing.
Those dogs. How close are they to stepping over the rainbow bridge?
Was it fun to burn the airplanes? Did anyone say, "Goin' down in FLAMES!"?
It is hard to let the family home go, no matter how sensible it is.

ellen abbott said...

amazing photos of the great blue. perhaps donating the model planes to a resale shop would have been a better end.

donna baker said...

I'm selling a home in Tulsa and it is hard. I come back to the farm with truckloads of stuff to store. What I really want to do is sell the family home and the farm, but after more than 30 years here, I don't even know where to start. That, and my husband is not ready. He'll wait until we no longer can physically do it and what a mess it will be then.

The Bug said...

Oh those dogs! They look pretty darn healthy so I'm sure they'll be around a while :)

Love the heron shot - I'll have to show it to Mike.

Sharon said...

These two photos are gorgeous. Very nicely done!
I can see why a little peace and quiet is greatly appreciated.

Linda Sue said...

Oh Dear gawd, those dogs are ridiculous! Pretty sure that some little kid might have liked the planes, Goodwill or some charity shop? too late...I am wondering if chihuahuas are tough and stringy when they are old, now I am hungry...

Linda Sue said...

oh, and yes, the photos are lovely!

Elizabeth said...

I feel like you've dodged the proverbial bullet with that scenario in London! Ugh!

And that shot of the heron is outstanding -- incredible, actually.

Steve Reed said...

Ms Moon: Unfortunately, I don't think the dogs are very old! And no, we didn't think to make crash and burn allusions, although why we didn't, I'm not sure.

Ellen: I really don't think they were worth resale. They were just old plastic dime-store models.

Donna: It's amazing how much stuff accumulates! And yes, it's always hard to make such a major change -- I understand your husband's reluctance.

Bug: Aren't they annoying??

Sharon: Thanks! :)

Linda Sue: I wouldn't want to eat them. Bleah. Even Olga would turn up her nose.

Elizabeth: I think so, though I feel guilty that Dave is saddled with it!

37paddington said...

So hard, these transitions. But so much better to go through it all with your mom than without her. It may even be fun revisiting the memories.