Missing Someone

Sometimes I just miss Calvin so much. I wonder what he would be doing now. Would he still be taunting Boomer the Basset Hound with the Antelope Head? Would he be driving Boomer the Basset Hound around town trying to pick up chicks? Would he be busy with school and getting great grades or would he still have a hard time turning things in on time? Would he be thinking about which college to go to and getting ready for a mission in just over two years? Would he have actually burnt something down? Would he be grounded from the car every other week?

This year I got the Halloween decorations out early. I decided I have to get the decorations out early if they're going to be put out. As it turns October it just gets too hard. I waited too long and didn't get them out last year. In 2008 when I put my Halloween decorations out life was wonderful and normal. When I put them away my life had changed horribly. I was still in shock. I just couldn't believe that my life had changed that much. Forever etched in my memory is the change that happened while the Halloween decorations were out. This year I put them out early, before October, so I can enjoy them awhile.

While the hurt is still there the rawness has dulled and the pain becomes something I live with everyday. I don't want to lose it because then I would feel as if I had forgotten. The pain is something I treasure and hold close because it tells me how much I love that crazy kid.

I just hope someone hid the matches in Heaven!

Headstone

The headstone is finished. It was put in today. The base has been in for a while and we've been driving by for weeks waiting for the headstone. It would have taken a lot less time and effort to call and just ask, but not really.




Calvin used to call Lucky Charms, Charly Chams. He always had a goofy smile on his face. I can't tell you how many people remarked that he was always smiling. Plenty of people referred to his "Goofy Grin." It was just part of him. And we couldn't leave out Boomer the Basset Hound. He was meant for Calvin. I know he's still chasing Calvin around up in Heaven. Maybe up in Heaven he doesn't run away. And if he does I bet the Mean Dog Cather doesn't put him in the Pound.

What Once Was Lost. . .

This evening I noticed the door to the garage was open. I pointed it out to the boys and told them to close it before Boomer the Basset Hound escaped. He's been known to do that once in a while, including twice already today! He loves the crisp Autumn air and can't believe he's not allowed to roam free like the King of the Beasts that he believes he is. Needless to say every piece of literature I have run across discussing qualities and problems associated with Basset Hounds state that they get lost easily. They take to a smell, follow it, and when they look up 15 minutes later they have no idea where they are. Every person I have mentioned this to asks "Why don't they just follow the smell the other way?" I have no idea why they don't do that, but it would make life so much easier. In Boomer the Basset Hound's two years with us we have mounted several Search and Rescue missions, always a success.

Tonight was different. When I noticed he had snuck out while all our backs were turned (you'd think he was a convict), I instantly grabbed Baby, the only one home, and drove off looking for him. There wasn't much daylight left and I knew how devastated all 3 C's would be if he wasn't home that night. Baby said three prayers in a desperate effort to aid our search.

When Middle Child came home he went out in the dark looking for his dog. When he got home he sat on Boomer the Basset Hound's sofa and cried.

When First Born arrived home he tried to call 911 first. I stated that even though Boomer the Basset Hound may be an emergency for us, it doesn't consitute an emergency for the police. So he also searched for his dog. But alas, it was pitch dark out and he couldn't see a thing. He also sat on Boomer the Basset Hound's sofa and cried. My boys rarely cry. They throw tantrums and fits and holler, but they don't cry unless they have a really good reason. Tonight they had one of the best reasons ever. They had lost their other brother.

All night long I had randomly sent children to the front door to make sure Boomer the Basset Hound hadn't come home and was waiting for us, too short to ring the doorbell. I finally checked the door, thinking I would be calling the Pound in the morning. BUT, WAIT! What little nose is pressed against the storm door? Who's tail is wagging? Who is looking so happy that he got a walk completely on his terms? Who is at my front door? Boomer the Basset Hound! He decided it was dark and time to come home. All three boys welcomed him with tears and hugs. Boomer the Basset Hound wagged a happy tail and tried to eat their dinner.

Boomer Loves Us

The Best thing about Boomer the Basset Hound is his ears! They are so floppy! He loves to ride in the back of the truck and let his ears fly in the wind. He always gets looks and comments from people driving behind us. It is just so fun!



Then his eye are next! Our friend says he always looks like he's come off a hard night of drinking. He just looks so saaad all the time that you can't help but pet him every time he looks at you.



Then every now and then he howls! It's just so fun to hear him howl at a bug in the grass or a fellow dog walking by. And when we leave him home by himself for an overnight trip he gets mad! He actually BARKS at you when you shut the door. Last time he banged into some things and knocked something off the counter in the garage. I didn't dare look! I just ran out the front door laughing and crying.

The bestest thing yet is his love for his boys. They are his world, his joy, his happiness. He greets them at the door and wags his tail and waits for his loves. Thank goodness, two years later, the boys still love him. The other morning as Middle Child was sitting on the sofa, Boomer the Basset Hound laid on his side under the human legs above. He reached one paw up and touched the back of one of the calves. Middle Child grinned, reached down and patted BtBH. BtBH laid there for a moment and then reached up again and tapped the back of one of MB's calves. MB grinned again, reached down and patted BtBH for a moment. After another minute BtBH reached up and pawed the back of MB's calf. MB grinned and patted him again. This went on for over five minutes. They were both loving the fact that the other one wanted their attention! The boys and the dog have such a wonderful relationship.

Accomplishments Over Labor Day Weekend

1. Traveled to Moab since all our camping friends left us high and dry.


2. Bought a new pair of Teva's half-price at one of the many outdoor stores. I do believe Moab has more outdoor stores than any other county in the state, probably even if they were all combined.

3. Tried and liked 'Whole-Grain Pasta.' It's only 51% whole wheat, therefore bearable. While I love whole wheat bread I have not found a whole wheat pasta that doesn't taste like cardboard.

4. Played at the park instead of hiking since there were Flash Flood Warnings all over the area. The kids still got to play in the water in the relative safety of town.

Somehow this Hottie Chick got in our park pics!


5. Saved $20! Checked out the Wall Arch, which recently fell, online instead of in Arches National Park. We've been quite a few times and decided a fallen arch wasn't as cool as an intact arch.
Before (National Park Service Photo):

After (National Park Service Photo):


6. Saved a small fortune on gas by driving the New Old Car to Moab instead of the gas-guzzling truck.

7. Actually brought home the Ketchup from Moab Brewery, my favorite restaurant as seen here.

8. Learned that Sister-in-Law Fashionista's past relatives built Hole-in-the-Rock. A house carved out of the rock.

9. Drove around Moab and saw areas I had never seen before. It's quite picturesque up in the hills around Moab. But I still love the valley best because it is so green and lush with the red rock cliffs towering above all around. It's a beautiful picture almost year round!

10. Hiked to Moon Flower Falls. At the beginning are some petroglyphs.

It was a beautiful hike along a stream with a waterfall at the end.

First Born participated in Cliff Jumping.

Other Children rode the small falls like a water slide.



Brother-in-Law Copper posed beautifully as a red-neck for us all.

Real African Dog

A while ago Baby's friend from across the street, Z, started pounding on our front door. I opened it.

"Where's Baby? There's a hurt bird out here he has to see!" Z exclaimed.

I thought 'Boys and their desire for grossness.'

Baby went outside while I started the truck, we were leaving for the store and we had just put Boomer the Basset Hound in the backyard, his Kingdom. I pulled around the corner to grab Baby. He was watching a bird flutter off the ground about an inch. The poor thing would fly a foot or two and fall back to the ground. While it looked ok, it definitely wasn't. As it was fluttering around it flapped through our chain link fence into Boomer the Basset Hound's Kingdom.

Whatever came next couldn't have a happy ending. Those with delicate indispositions may want to stop reading now.

Boomer the Basset Hound soon noticed the disabled bird and started barking at it. Then he opened wide and scooped it up in his mouth. The bird sure didn't like that! He fought and Boomer the Basset Hound had to let him go. The bird fluttered frantically away from the big beast. But he wasn't fast enough in his crippled condition. Boomer the Basset Hound barked and tried to eat the bird again. The bird fought back again and got away for a moment.

At this point I decided there was only one probable outcome and the children would be devastated that Boomer the Basset Hound could be so cruel. I put Baby in the truck and instructed the other children to go home. I blatantly lied to them and said the bird would get away but needed to be left alone. I fled the scene.

For several days Baby talked about how the bird got away until he discovered a dead bird in our backyard! He was distressed that Boomer the Basset Hound could do something so brutal. I tried to explain the Circle of Life, but I don't think he's ever seen Lion King. So I related it to Secondhand Lions, his favorite movie and that appeased him. I told him:

"Boomer the Basset Hound is a real African Dog."

Boomer the Basset Hound

The hair is flying everywhere! We had a horribly cold winter, kind of like a normal Iowa winter, that is where I grew up. Our dog, Boomer the Basset Hound, grew an extra heavy coat of fur this year. Now that it is finally warm he is shedding! I take him out and brush him occasionally and a 3 foot radius around where he was sitting looks like it snowed again! First Born sits and pulls chunks of hair out and leaves the tufts laying around. Whenever I see a tuft I call him and usually he answers that he didn't' pull that out, it came out of his own accord. Unfortunately, that is usually true. I keep hoping he will finally lose that winter coat, but no avail yet, maybe next month!

Boomer the Basset Hound knows when the weather is beautiful that it is dog walking weather. Last night he was so patient with us. Just as we were getting ready to walk him one of Hubby's scouts came over to try pants on so I hooked his leash to the truck hitch, there is no way to get him back in the house or backyard. Once we finally got going we talked to some neighbors for several minutes and he was pulling at his leash the whole time! I'm sure you all know what a Basset Hound looks like; big chests, short stubby legs, long floppy ears that blow in the wind, and sad eyes. Our dog can dig in with those short beefy front legs. In the past he has pulled Baby across the front lawn when chasing cats! That is his favorite past time (from the backyard) that keeps him feeling like a real wild African dog.

We love our Boomer and he loves the boys. Sometimes at night he will wander around the house and check on all the boys. Once Baby was in our bed and Boomer the Basset Hound got worried because he couldn't find him. We had to show him where the boy was sleeping and then he finally went to bed himself. We have been so lucky to get our dog. We got him from a rescue and we couldn't have found a sweeter dog anywhere!