Return Home and Unexpected Casualty
Barb and I, and our son Brian have returned from our Dominican mission trip. Much good was accomplished in the mountainous region where we spent the week. I hope that we were also able to instill some long lasting missionary spirit in the returning 34 health care professionals.
I would like to acknowledge the great efforts of our small village of neighbors and friends who kept our home and animals safe while we traveled.
I had expected to write a much different blog today. However, a momentary distraction at the wheel of my dog van this morning, changed my day off into one of loss and aggravation (all my fault, of course).
I had taken to driving the dogs to the high school instead of walking them there for their runs. With the endless number of squirrels on our walking route, my shoulders were starting to complain about the constant tugging in all directions from the 300 plus pounds of golden energy on the leashes. This idea was working out great, until a momentary distraction from two dogs in the front seat, caused me to hit a concrete curve at the high school. The two airbags deployed, and there were pieces of the undercarriage laying on the asphalt. Seeing radiator fluid dripping down is never a good sign either.
This van is like an old comfortable pair of shoes to me. It has taken many a trip with our children and animals, and has been reliable to the extreme. Its probable loss has left me feeling saddened. While only an inanimate object, it has been a part of dogville here for over ten years.
The dogs and I were fine as we were traveling slowly in the parking lot. I still can’t believe how much damage that curb caused with nary a mark to its own cement skin. As I wait for the insurance adjuster’s call to probably declare the van totalled, I reflect how life is made of all these sudden moments where you would like to get a do over or a mulligan in golfing parlance. Time travels in but one direction, so the girls and I will go back to our usual walks as long as my shoulders hold out.
PS: No sign of Riley’s heat yet for all those waiting for that news.
PPS: To do a guest blog, we need appropriate photos as well as the story. One without the other is not enough to entertain our readers.
