Thursday, July 14, 2011

Waldo and the Bandit

Whether he liked them or not I put the dog shoes on Nice (the dog)s front paws. His paw was still tender, he was not wanting to step out of the van onto the gravel of the travel plaza but once we got rolling I could tell he was doing better than the day before. While we walk along the side of the highway he anchors himself next to the white line helping me from rolling off into the ditch by leaning toward the road. He has had a lot of practice over time so when you drive by slowly and he looks over at you pitifully as if you should stop to give him relief from his ball and chain. Don't be fooled, he has enough strength to pull the World of coarse, especially if there is a cat in his sights. The shoe worked well and he didn't limp from the tenderness like the previous day. We walked into Oxford where I planned to take the afternoon to relax. We stopped at the town hall and library, the children from town were all there for summer and after a group photo I sat on the bench outside as Nice (the dog) took advantage of the librarians' Chevrolet Blazer. She had opened the door to get him a treat, he treated himself to her cushioned seat where he slept all afternoon with the windows down, only waking to be petted by the local kids who hung around outside the library or manning the kool-aid stand next to the bench and the door to the hall. Nice would usually try to bite his shoes off but I think he could tell the ointment was helping and rested with them alone.
I relaxed on the bench,talked to the children, some adults, and took in the sights and goings-on of the towns center with the banks and school across the street. Next door is the "suds and grub", the "quick-mart" diagonal from it with bustling highway between. I took in the personalities of the kids. There were all the necessary ingredients to keep the women there on their toes. They ,the village kids, asked what the world was made of. After I told them , one young boy, Wally, asked what was inside. He was the "Dennis the menace" quotient, with his bright blond hair, cap backwards and crooked he reminded me of the cartoon. I told him there were forty seven people inside. He believed me. The others giggled as I told him that it was only filled with a lot of air. I nudged him with my elbow as he sat next to me on the bench. "Like your head." They all laughed. I couldn't help myself saying. "Like the old joke, -Here's Your sign-." We all laughed. I spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for the librarian, she had called the vet and we were going to have Nice checked out and then have dinner with another library worker. Who would have thought sitting on a bench would be so enjoyable?
After she was finished for the day,the librarian took Nice(the sleepy) to her house while I rolled the few blocks there. We introduced her dogs and mine,they introduced themselves like dogs do by licking, sniffing and setting their pecking order. Bandit and Retard, they do really fit there names. One just walks around in it's own little world and the other would jump on Nice and steal a quick hump or bark and nip at his neck. Nice wanted so much to play he tolerated the advances and patiently worked his way into a little jumping and play in the yard with the Bandit whose black circle around on eye gives him the looks of a "scurvy knave"
Today we have 13 miles to "13" so I better get going...
Walk with the one you love most!

2 comments:

zara said...

Hi word guy. We spotted you from across Parker lake (outside Oxford) about 11:15am and found out about you on google. Good luck & keep up the good work.

Pattip said...

Bandit and Gizmo (retard) both miss Nice.
Safe travels to you both and keep up the good work