One problem last week that minimized progress on Minicup #2 was the
untimely death of our 15 yr old Golden Retriever the same day my wife
was released from the hospital. Since the dog belonged to my wife and
she was seriously attached to her, my wife managed to hobble in to the
vets office for the euthanasia while she was sorta high on pain
killers. The process had no real emotional effect on my kids as the
poor dog has always been so old to them that they didnt remember her
as being a playful companion. As the dog drew her last few breathes
and my wife was crying over her, she made me promise I would take the
body home and bury her. Foolishly, I agreed because I wanted to
minimize any further trauma to my wife who was still in pain from
surgery. I figgered I'd really have the vet sorta absently mindedly
have the body sent for cremation. Nuthin doin, the vet knows my wife
and that afternoon called me to tell me I could pick up the body
packed in ice.
What the hell am I gonna do now? Its nearly 100 degrees out and the
same humidity and she expects me to be digging a big hole? This is a
big dog, 80 lbs and I figure the hole needs to be 2'X5'x5'. Any hole
over 1.5' deep here hits clay requiring serious effort and I gotta do
this before all the ice melts and the body begins to.......you know,
in the heat and all.
Startin to dig, I immediately need the axe to cut through tree roots,
my god its hot. After 2' down, I go for some water and try to
convince her that a shallow grave is ok but she insists that it has to
be deep so animals wont dig it up, Jeez. After 3', I look at the pile
of brush and trash lumber thinking "funeral pyre". "No way" she says.
After 4', I'm cursing the damned dog and her habit of devouring all
the neighbors cat food and getting fat. I worry that rigor mortis has
set in and I imagine having to use my sabre saw to cut off her legs so
she fits in the hole. At about 41/2', I have had enough and stagger
inside where wife asks me if I am going to make a coffin since I seem
to be soo good at making wooden boats. I manage to get out that if I
stand out there any longer in the heat she will be putting ME in the
hole and she relents saying I can wrap the body in a sheet. WHAT, I
AINT GONNA TOUCH THAT DEAD DOG. The kids rebel too and amazingly my
wife agrees, must be the pain killers making her agreeable.
Manage to get the body into the hole without the sheet of plastic
ripping from the weight although she does sorta flop into the bottom,
legs sticking up, good lord, this seems morbid. Put favorite blanket
over her so it doesnt seem so odd to be shovelling dirt in and the
kids do most of the filling while I go for a well earned drink.
Later, my 7 yr old daughter says, "Daddy, Panther (her 8 month old
cat) is meowing funny and rolling all around. Oh Lord, too late
getting her spayed, damned critter is in heat.........