Batting cleanup

Dad here; t’s been a week since I returned from Colorado, and tonight that I finally got around to cleaning the CR-V’s interior windows. Procrastination? Not this time. Laziness? Nope, not that either. Regret? Now we’re getting closer, as it was Nama’s slobbery nose trails that I couldn’t bring myself to Windex away. Even though I knew that it desperately needed to be done, actually doing it felt like I was somehow erasing her memory. And even though it is now done, I still feel more than just a bit guilty.
It is a fact of life that the Casa has been a different place since my return. I didn’t realize before how much Nama kept Bilbo, Charlie, Titus, and Bassa Khat occupied; now everyone is a great deal more clingy. It’s almost like they are attempting to fill a void that they realize I’m feeling, but there is also a pocket of empty air that they are experiencing themselves.
And while the newborn puppies are doing just fine, Heidi-mamma is no less skittish than she was the day we introduced her to the Casa. I have never made the acquaintance of a dog that I couldn’t eventually win over, and I have to admit that I do not like it. The only person that she isn’t terrified of is Mom, even Alex hasn’t been able to win her over; I cannot imagine what type of trauma that she must have endured that would cause that amount of cataclysmic controlling fear.
But Bilbo has made some major strides, or rather leaps, both figuratively and literally. I have taken to calling him “Frog Dog”, as he can somehow levitate vertically without apparently contracting any muscle tissue; whether it’s the motorcycle, auto, or my lap, he somehow “just appears”. I’m not rushing things with him; if he wants to learn to ride, I’m pretty sure that he will eventually let me know. Or maybe another canine will present him/herself as the next motorcycle dog; who knows what the future holds?
I did take the motorcycle out for a solo ride yesterday, and encountered a very large puppy on the side of a relatively busy two lane highway. I had barely stopped the bike before he trotted over and placed his hands on my leg, almost like he was saying, “yo, Dad, you ready to roll?” After the mistrust experienced at the paws of Heidi, I felt a bit of my canis mojo returning.
As I couldn’t carry his porky self on the bike, I sped home to retrieve the CR-V. Mom, Bilbo and I returned and searched the area to no avail, and I went back out there twice today; no luck, but I’m going to keep looking.
It is said “be careful, as ye may be entertaining angels unawares”. I personally believe that the existence of angels isn’t limited to ethereal beings, but are more often earthly creatures placed in our path to give us the opportunity to demonstrate our willingness to serve others. I may find that dog tomorrow, or I may never see him again; the important thing, as far as I’m concerned anyway, is that I never lose my drive to look.
We be of one blood, ye and I.