This week has started out very crazy for me… I started working yesterday, doing SAT tutoring, so that’s on my mind, and then we also have several other things going on at home. Among the things I had to work on yesterday were: planning the women’s Bible studies for church (finding homes to meet in, leaders for the groups, communicating all the plans and info to everyone), making decisions about our new flooring, making decisions about our new countertops, looking at new cars to buy, and finding financing for the previous 3 projects. Plus I’m trying to make plans for 2 upcoming birthdays in our house. To give you some idea of how crazy it was yesterday, here’s one measure: our house received 23 phone calls in one day. Plus I called several people too!
Anyway, on top of being very harried, God apparently thought I needed some “furriness” to go with the “hairriedness”! We were responsible for watching a neighbor’s dog for the day while she went to the hospital while her husband had surgery. Pete’s “lunch” with someone turned into an all-afternoon series of errands, so at 4:00 I had to take all 3 kids with me down around the corner to take care of the dog. We took a very slow walk there because Rayna insisted on scootering, then falling, then walking, and Strider was off climbing street signs. By the time we got to the house I was already hot and tired. I let the kids into the backyard, and went into the house through the garage to get the dog. As I let the dog out from the kitchen door, I noticed Rayna standing by the open gate in the back of the yard. I yelled for her to close the gate…. But by the time she heard me, Shag (the dog) was already jumping at her…. So she did the most logical thing in her mind: move out of the way so he could get out. Yep, off he ran. And in that split second I realized we had just become the worst dog-watchers in the neighborhood, if not the county.
So off I ran after Shag, yelling oh-so-sweetly, “C’mere Shag!” But Shag, who gave me the “I don’t know what in the world you were doing in my house, much less my yard. I’m outta here” look, kept running. I frantically kept chasing him, even attempting to lie to him, telling him I had a treat in my hand, when I didn’t. Shag didn’t buy it. I chased him for 3 houses and around the corner…. And then remembered I had left 3 kids back at Shag’s house. Now I was torn…. Do I go back and rescue my kids before one of them tries to follow me or run in the road (or Colsen tries to vault out of his stroller), or do I pursue this dog? The last thing I wanted to tell my sweet octogenarian neighbor, whose 90-year old husband was lying in surgery, was that I had lost her precious dog!! I realized I had to go back for the kids.
So I ran back, rushed into the house to grab some real dog treats so I wouldn’t have to lie to Shag next time, grabbed everyone and frantically hurried everyone back to our house. (The whole way back Strider was pleading in a high voice, “Mom, is Shag going to be alright? Are we going to find him? Where is he? What are we going to do? Mom? Mom? “ and Rayna kept asking, “I let Shag out? I did? I let him out? He ran away?”) We finally got back to the house, where I remembered that Pete had taken our regular car to his “lunch.” I had to put everyone in our little car – which has no air conditioning and barely runs. So Colsen had to sit in a car seat that’s meant for a 30-pound toddler, Rayna had to ride with no car seat, and Strider didn’t have a full seat belt. (And don’t think I didn’t have to hear about THAT over and over and over) So off the sweaty lot of us went down around the neighborhood to look for the dog.
Thankfully (after earnestly praying to Jesus that He would help us find this dog), we did find Shag a couple blocks away. I jumped out and again told him I had a treat. Either he could detect that I was telling the truth this time, or he was just tired of exploring, because miracle of miracles, he actually came close enough so I could grab his collar. I piled him into the front seat, and off the 5 of us drove in the sauna-car back to his house.
Fortunately Pete returned right then, and was able to help me get everyone home. Quite the mid-day adventure. A couple of hours later when our neighbor (Shag’s “mom”) came to our house, both kids were quick to tell her ALL about it. Poor Lorrie. She must be desperate, though, because she asked us to watch Shag again today. But today NO kids were allowed anywhere near their house.
So that’s my harried/furried story for today. Now I’m off to the next hundred things I need to do….
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