Spring Break

Ugh. Spring Break is almost over, and I haven't gotten very much done. It's Thursday already, and I'm still looking at over 50 papers to grade and over 400 pages to read by Monday. It doesn't look good for our hero.

You might wonder what I've been doing with all my time. Well, I have accomplished a few small tasks. I've purchased a riding lawn-mower. Now that I have three acres, I don't think my old push mover will cut it. (Actually, I'm sure it would cut it, but I don't want to spend my whole weekends this summer walking behind a mower). I've finally attached the antenna, so I have some TV reception. I put a dimmer switch in the family room (which turned out to be a bigger job than it should have been). I got my library card updated and started reading up on John Wayne for my April Western movie presentation (we're showing True Grit, and I'm providing a pre-movie lecture).

Mostly, however, I've been watching my grandmother and my father's dogs. My dad hasn't been able to get out much over the past four years (longer, really). Actually, from the time he retired, he never really got to enjoy retirement. First, my mother was ill, and that kept him rather house-bound. Then, after she passed away, my grandmother got ill, and he's been taking care of her. As a result, he really doesn't get out much. The only vacation he's had came three years ago. That's when I kidnapped him and took him to the Grand Canyon (my wife stayed to watch Grandma). This time, he went on his own, and we agreed to watch Grandma here.

Well, Grandma really hasn't been a problem. She mostly sits on the couch and sleeps all day. We just have to adjust to her schedule. She gets up at 5 a.m. sharp, eats lunch at noon sharp, and goes to bed at 8:30. Not too much problem. The dogs, however, are another story.

One dog has a heart condition and gets pills twice a day. The other is a diabetic and we have to give him insulin twice a day. We also suspect (know) that the dog is blind. I've seen him walk straight into the couch. Yet, this isn't why they're a problem. The problem is that my house has become their personal toilet. I know they were at one time house broken, but that seems to have left them. They're small dogs, but every time we turn around there's another pile or puddle. Since we really don't have a good fence, I can't just kick them outside for the day. Instead, I spend much of my day following behind with a bottle of Nature's Miracle, cleaning up after them. Who knew that two small dogs could make such messes! Once, I was cleaning up one pile, and before I got it cleaned up, there was another!

At night, we put them in the laundry room (we don't really want to face surprises in the morning…before the first cup of coffee). Well, they spend most nights just howling (one is part beagle). It'll be nice next week when things get back to normal.