Can You Hear This?

Finding out someplace you used to regularly frequent is “going to the dogs” in the South means it’s getting a might run down. I can remember many Sunday afternoons when we’d have to “go for a drive” ’cause there was nothing else to do. If it was summer time, the drive would inevitably end up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, merely because it was guaranteed to be at least 10 degrees cooler than home.

There we’d be riding along, us kids with our heads practically hanging out the window trying to catch a little more cool air, and the folks would see some site by the side of the road and comment that it sure had “gone to the dogs” since the last time we had riden by.

Anything concerning dogs is high priority at our house right now. If you read my earlier entry “Getting in the Dog House: Reservations Required”, you know that we are currently housing my parents doggie. (He’s the size of a small pony, but very sweet and lovable. Just don’t get near him when he’s got a bone in his mouth, you could lose a hand! )

So, shortly after doggie was ensconsed in our backyard, Darlin’ boy, decided that he just had to have appropriate accommodations and went straight to his computer and ordered up a puppy palace. It arrived and was wrestled onto the patio. And on the patio it remains, still in it’s box. (I still believe it should have come with it’s own construction crew, but that’s another story.)

Between our busy work schedules and various other obligations, Darlin’ boy and I haven’t gotten around to getting doggie’s house constructed. Around here, at this particular time, if it’s said to have “gone to the dog” it doesn’t mean it’s run down, it means doggie now rules over it.

With the 98 degree temperatures and 105 degree heat indices during the last few weeks, and the new puppy palace still in it’s box, other drastic measures were taken. Doggie is now able to lounge in relative comfort in our garage………………in a spot previously occupied by a car…….. MINE!

Not only does doggie now reside where my lovely little car used to but he has accessories too! A window unit fan has been installed to “draw out” the hot air around the rafters and a box fan has been placed on the floor where he favors lying during the hot part of the day. I wasn’t surprised at the installation of the window fan as Darlin’ boy is quite partial to them. I didn’t expect, however, to come in from the garage, casually mentioning that it was a little warm, only to have him rush off to the nearest Wal-Mart and purchase doggie is own personal box fan.

I can relate to Jeff Foxworthy’s tale of his wife saying she was hot while they were reading in bed one evening and him feeling the immediate need to get up and turn on the ceiling fan*. I would expect no less from Darlin’ boy if I said I was hot. I didn’t expect such an immediate response because I mentioned that doggie looked hot.

Oh, well, Darlin’ boy is a sweetheart and I just have to give him extra points for the fact he was listening, a rare quality to find in a man! I can think of a number of men whose wives or girlfriends could come in and say the garage itself was on fire and even if they heard it, wouldn’t move themselves from their spot on the sofa, unless of course, that’s where the cold beer was stored.

So the garage has “gone to the dog”. Hopefully, sometime before the first blizzard, we’ll get the puppy palace up for doggie. Otherwise, he’ll be standing in the yard with snowflakes falling on his doggone head. Having no housing for my car during warm weather is one thing, but I absolutely refuse to scrap icy windows, so be warned, doggie’s eviction notice is going out with the first frost!

*Dear readers, if you haven’t laughed yourself silly in the last few days, you’re overdue! My recommendation is that on your way home today, stop off at your nearest video rental establishment and get yourself a copy of The Blue Collar Comedy Tour and/or The Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again, Jeff Foxworthy and the gang are a hoot and as you know, laughter is the best medicine, so get yourself a healthy dose regularly!