So Close … And Yet So Far

Our vacation has been so fun … so relaxing … still cloudy and cool.

Today we were smack dab in the middle of the clouds.

Dreamy.

Lots of time inside to dote on our one real job while we’re here…

taking care of our cousin’s dog, J.J.

For those of you who know, we (okay, everyone except for Jon) really want a dog. We were so close to getting one in June, we could almost taste it. An adorable, 10-week old, little English Golden Retriever named Candy. She was as white as snow with a dark black nose and bright eyes that seemed to stare right though the photo into your heart. … Well, everyone’s heart but Jon’s. Her price broke the deal. She cost a little more than we thought.

The kids and I have parked our hearts/expectations at the door, knowing that one of the major keys to a happy home is to let our dad lead. We genuinely try to support what he thinks is best … even if it hurts. That said, we were thrilled when my brother asked if we could watch their dog while they were in California. “Yes” flew off my lips, and we settled in for yet another perk from our break in Colorado.

Even Jack has had fun with the pup.

He’s soft. He’s sweet. He’s cute. He’s … well … spoiled. (Sorry Forever Young). The kids and I don’t care, though. We’re all ready to spoil him a little more. Kind of like an aunt spoiling her nieces and nephews – returning them rotten.

We’ve let him jump up on the couch (a normal occurrence from what I understand), follow us everywhere, lead the way on his walks, and even accompany us to breakfast. The restaurant wasn’t too thrilled, relegating us to sit outside. But it sure was fun. A new friend!

The kids spent their first day here walking, enjoying and playing with the dog. Everywhere they went, J.J. went. The inviting cool temperatures meant lots of exploring and playing outside. It was great to watch them care for their little ward.

Until his dog side started to show, and show, and show … sadly around Jon. It started with a little coughing up something on the kitchen floor followed by the inevitable attempt to eat it. … We quickly cleaned it up before dad saw.

Then came the poop. Not just the stuff outside, he relieved himself inside too. Sadly, he just had to do it without a single whimper of warning right in front of us on the carpet. Not just once … but twice. Of course one of the times, an unknowing sneaker found its way smack dab in the middle of the little pile … an occurance that wasn’t noticed at the happening. Then, you guessed it, the mess was tracked.

One thing about Jon, the guy can clean. Spic & Span are his middle names. Mr. Clean is understatement. He’s also Safety Boy. So, the thought of a kid crawling on a floor that has hosted specks of poop is more than enough to get the clean machine fired up. Needless to say, the kids have gone from laundry and kitchen duty to an in-depth cleaning lesson.

Our new best friend.

“When cleaning a spill or something like poop, it’s important to dab it, not to rub it in.”

He explained the in’s and out’s of insuring a thorough job… all with muffled gagging sounds from the crowd, plus several “eewww GROSS” and “that’s so SICK” comments.

Not much on the disciplinary front, but the culprit was contained.

Finally he got it right … and the kids got a hands on feel for what it’s like to have a dog.

We hoped Mr. Einstein might share insight on the positives about getting a dog.

But… the puddle of pee found on the hardwoods this afternoon didn’t help much.

“So, do you think we’ll be able to get a dog after a week with J.J.?”

“Uhhhh … no.”

We’ll probably have to settle for continuing to pretend Jack is our dog.

(Poor kid.)

At least his poop is contained…. for now.
Little does everyone know, the kid’s transition is just around the corner. Could be a little messy. Maybe he can be our dog.

Thanks for walking the road with me.

-Kay

You may also be interested in these posts:

Coming Clean

Chore-Induced Attention Deficit Disorder

Expectations Exceeded

Diner Dashing