May Whee

In one of the many driving-in-the-car scenarios in which the children entreat me to tell them a story and I lazily turn it around and compel them to tell me a story, Muriel was up to the task. As usual, we all clamored that it should have a scary part. Here is what Muriel said:

"Once upon a time there was a mean and scary ghost. Every day, he would go out and steal someone's puppy."

That is both mean and scary! Wow.

Lots and lots has been going on. Like, um, let's see, oh, right! The ENTIRE month of April! I did finally donate blood. I had a lovely girls' weekend with my homegirl from Boise. Jim and I went to a Paul Simon concert with our friends. Naomi participated in her first ever science fair. The guys who are working on a huge renovation to the neighbors' house next door have magically removed our patio, the patio cover, all the grass in the front yard, and our decaying extra parking space. We're getting ready to hire someone to re-do our bathroom.

And...the dog died. It was the first of May, very early in the morning. I was fast asleep, and Jim came in and said, Honey. Honey. He never wakes me up, so I knew something was wrong. It's Luna, he said. She died.

She was where she always sleeps, where the living room meets the bottom of the stairs, and looking like she always looks, but with her eyes a little open. She was so soft, and beautiful, and I petted her and cried and cried of course and am crying again right now writing about it. The kids finally woke up and came out, and Muriel was a little teary when she saw how upset I was, and Naomi immediately started to strategize about how to make the situation better, saying, We can get a goldfish, we can get another dog. We all said goodbye to her and then Jim took her to the emergency vet clinic where they cremate your pet for you.

This past Monday I walked down there to pick her up, thinking it would be good exercise and I would be able to distract myself, keep my head clear, and just think about everything. Turns out what I was able to do was sob openly half of the way there and the whole way back, with the little box of Luna's remains in a sunny yellow fabric bag in my hand. I'm so glad I thought to bring my sunglasses!

Anyway, I am half considering writing a post about Luna, who really deserves it. It would be the longest post ever. Girlfriend was with me 15 years! But for now, this is it, Happy May, see you 'round.