So

It has been weird this past week.

Since my mom passed I am constantly wandering around feeling like there must be something I have to do only to realize that I have nothing to do of importance. I find myself sitting in the living room with Linda as she watches one of the hundreds of house shows on tv. She looks at me like why are you here?

We have talked about this day for years, the day when we don't have a human to take care of any longer and we can do whatever we want. Well, almost.

We of course still have this insanely active, 19 year old, Jack Russell that needs our constant attention. I have determined that she is incontinent, deaf, blind, and likely has doggie dementia based on a recent story I saw on line. They listed twelve things to look for and if your dog has one of them they are afflicted. Ellie, pictured here going nuts, had all twelve so I'm calling her demented.

This means we can leave her alone for a few hours because once she is asleep she can't hear anything to wake her up so she stays asleep. Unfortunately, once she wakes up she is a peeing and pooping machine all over the house resulting eventually in her doing the splits on the tile and is unable to get back up which leads to her crying in agony.

Why not put her down you say?

Well, she continues to eat like it is her last meal, wolfing down the homemade concoction we have created for her, mac and cheese with ground meat, carrots, green beans, and potato. As long as she is eating we feel that she is not ready to go. She doesn't show any signs of being in pain or suffering so we try to take her out to the dog run forty or fifty times a day to avoid messes inside. She walks around the house bouncing off walls and furniture like a canine Roomba and yet when we put her in the lush fake grass of the dog run she turns into a statue, not moving for minutes at a time.

This of course leads to screeches of agony, primarily by me but occasionally by Linda, as we wonder why she won't go when we know she absolutely has to. We pick her up and carry her back into the house where once we set her down she immediately pees or poops. Hanging our head in frustration we reach for the paper towels or toilet paper to clean up after her and move her to the couch where she smiles at us in thanks.

It is our belief that she is unlikely to see the Fourth of July so we are hoping that we can finally make a trip out East to see Linda's family whom we haven't seen in years. It is too early to plan this because she could end up like our mothers, staying with us way beyond the printed expiration date they came with. Linda's mom made it to 96 and mine made it to 95 so dealing with old gals is clearly in our circle.

In our heads we know that someday we will be responsibility free. For now I am finding ways to keep myself busy as we prepare to sell my folks house. We have set aside ten days in January to go through everything and get it ready for the market and that will keep us all pretty busy.

Until then, please enjoy your Christmas and have a very safe and healthy new year in 2026.