Day One Hundred Twenty Four

Quid Pro Quo

Would it surprise you to know I dream about animals? No. I guessed not. The dreams I remember from last night were doozies. First of all, and not surprisingly, I designed a new dog feeder in my dreams. Too bad I can't remember the design...

But the one that got my attention, and caused me to bolt upright shouting, "NO!!" had to do with Finn and Petey. I remember dreaming Finn had caught something which looked like a giant lizard. When I looked closer, it had a tail and was furry. I ran to him and realized it was Petey caught in the "jaws of death!" Now, there were a couple of things wrong with this picture. Petey's cage has a Dash-proof, locked, screen top - and Petey doesn't have a tail as such. He has an impressive set of gonads, which my granddaughter is convinced is a tumor - but I digress...

I sat straight up, yelling and confused, looking around for Finn. The dogs got upset, looking around for - anything. Andy was already gone or I would have had to explain myself to him. It took me awhile to get my bearings but when I did I ran out to check on the hamster. He had built a rather elaborate "igloo" out of bedding, and I couldn't see him. I tapped on the glass - nothing. Then I called his name. I saw his little nose peek out and heaved a sigh of relief. He has no idea why he got a cookie, but it made his morning.

The little stinker covered up the hole!
I guess I bothered him...

I worry about these animals almost as much as I worry about my kids and grandkids. Maybe more so because they can't tell me what's wrong. Now, I don't expect anything from my kids in return for giving birth to them - I did that for me! If maybe, someday, down the road, they choose not to push my wheelchair down a flight of stairs, but instead set me up in a comfortable back bedroom, well I will consider it quid pro quo. But there is none of that with animals now, is there?

No. I suppose the "this" for the "that" is in the love they give back. And then there's the whole "guarding Gigi" thing as far as Jack is concerned - even though he sometimes takes it to extremes. You really have to look deep for a "quid" from a cat. Head bumps notwithstanding, which are more a form of claiming than love, it's tough to get much back. There are the slow blinks, and the purrs. And they seem so happy to see me when I've been gone awhile.  Come to think of it, there really are a lot of quos - you just have to know where to look. I'm gonna give out some "quids" right now in the form of treats...