Simple Pleasures

Ain't that the truth

 

Today, we took a leisurely, 30-minute drive to Edgefield, SC, the seat of the mostly rural county where we live. It's a nice drive. There is a butcher shop there where I like to buy some of our meat. I like it because it is a small town, family-owned business. They are friendly, have good quality meat, and the prices are pretty good. We didn't go to the butcher shop today. My freezer's full.

We've never been fancy people. Neither of us grew up that way. And even while having a relatively successful, good paying career, we pretty much stuck to our pretty modest lifestyle. No fancy houses, clothes, or cars. We've done some traveling. Carol and I have cruised the Caribbean, vacationed in the Virgin Islands, skied in Colorado, spent time in San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Phoenix/Sedona/Flagstaff/Grand Canyon, Orlando, Miami, Niagara Falls, and most of New England, among other places. We've been to Israel, Italy, and Korea together. Most of our vacations have been by car to destinations within 4-6 hours of our house (some of my favorite family times.) Our kids spent a lot of their childhood vacation time in our car but, also had a few airline vacations.

Kaya, our 15-year old black lab mix, has always loved riding in the car. I drive an old Tahoe so, with the back seats down she has plenty of room in the back. I put her dog bed back there along with a non-spill water bowl and off we go.

During one of my butcher shop trips a while back, Carol and Kaya came along. There is a McDonald's across the street from the butcher shop so, after putting my purchase in the cooler, we went through the drive-thru. Carol always gets a kid's meal because she eats like a bird, I usually get 2 cheeseburgers, and I ordered a plain hamburger for Kaya. Then we drove downtown to see if there was a parking space on Edgefield's very simple, but pretty square.

It was a beautiful, sunny, warm-but-not-hot day, We parked, rolled down the windows (actually I just used the buttons,) and settled in for our fancy meal. I took Kaya's plain burger around to the back, raised the lift gate, and pulled apart the bun and hamburger patty into her travel food bowl. She gobbled it up about as fast as I could break it apart. She was so happy.

Ever since that first time, anytime I've needed to go to the butcher, Carol and Kaya have ridden with me and we do our meal-in-the-car-on-the-square-thing. In December we ate our gourmet food while listening to Christmas carols that were playing outside (we live in the south... still warm enough to have the windows at least partially down.)

If you read my last post, (click here) you know that I'm taking Kaya to the vet this week (Thursday) because it is time for her to rejoin her sister, Maddie who we said goodbye to in 2022.

And if you read my two posts prior to that one, (click here) you also know what's going on with Carol's health.

So, today, I decided that we needed to have our McDonald's-on-the-square experience with sweet Kaya one more time. And Kaya isn't the only one that enjoys that simple pleasure. It's very enjoyable for Carol so... that's what we do.

Never take simple pleasures for granted. Because they are the best ones.

You'll Know When It's Time

Kaya (left) and Maddie (right) a few years back

You'll know when it is time. Really? I'll know?

That's what the gal at the vet said the last time I was in there last fall when I asked when it will be time to bring our dog back in... for the last time.

We've had Kaya, our black lab mix, since spring of 2009. Our son had brought her home from college one weekend because a friend at school had been fostering Kaya (her name was Maggie then) but, she had to go out of town. She asked Michael if he could take care of her that weekend.

So, he brought her home from college to spend a weekend with us.

Lucy

A couple of years earlier, we had said goodbye to Lucy, the dog that both our kids had grown up with. The way we loved that dog caused one of Jessica's friends to say, "the Toomeys are obsessed with their dog." She was right. But, after Lucy got sick and had to be put to sleep, I said, "no more... no more dogs. I can't go through this again."

But, we love dogs. And we immediately fell in love with Kaya that weekend... this rambunctious puppy that was only a few months old. She was available for adoption so, we made her part of the family.

I could write 10 more blogs about our experiences with Kaya but, I will spare you. For now.

Dogs of Kaya's size and breed don't usually live to be this old. Lucy, a shepherd mix, died at around 12 and had been sick for a while prior to that.

In July 2022, I had to take Maddie to the vet because her back end had given out and she was in obvious pain. We had adopted Maddie not too long after we adopted Kaya so that Kaya could have a companion. That was a hard day at the vet. I cried all the way home and then some.

But now I have to make a decision about Kaya. She just had her 15th birthday. I won't get into her current health issues but, our vet agrees that surgical intervention for the most obvious issue (there is more than one) is probably unwise given her age and her likely diagnosis. Let her enjoy her remaining time, he suggested.

So, how will I know that it is time? I wish dogs could verbally communicate. I could ask her if she was in pain. Maybe she could tell me that she is ready to go.

Michael & family are coming here this weekend. It's going to be his opportunity to say goodbye to this sweet girl that he brought home to us and has been a part of our lives for almost 15 years.

I'm going to call the vet next week. Putting this off is selfish on my part because I just don't want to say goodbye... again.

I know it's time.