Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Deify Plums!

I drink coffee at all times of the day – but that first cup, that morning coffee, is always the best cup. When I lived alone, I used to start the pot brewing, clean up the kitchen from whatever detritus was left from the previous night, and take that first cup out on the back deck with my young dog and his favorite toy.
Since he was very young, a simple game of fetch has been a winner for this dog. So, I would drink my coffee with one hand and throw the toy with the other. My coffee comes in a cup; his comes, most often, in the form of red rubber Kong toy. When the cup was empty the game was done for the morning. I had things to do, a shower to take, a job to get ready for.

Since I lost my job in July, that game of fetch can come randomly, at any time of the day. When I have freelance work, it’s sometimes what I do to clear my head when I’ve been agonizing over something I’m supposed to analyze and interpret in nice, objective, scientific text. This randomness has driven this poor dog of mine nearly over the edge. Now, if you so much as twitch in the direction of the back door, he’s through the dog door like a rocket, whining, craning his neck toward the kitchen sink, desperate to see you, toy in hand, following him out the back door. You can practically hear his little hear pounding in anticipation. It’s hard to let him down.

This morning, I woke up a full hour and then some earlier than I have been since July. I started the coffee pot, cleaned up the kitchen, found my boots and the red rubber Kong. He had not forgotten. We played fetch in the cold and dark, on the hard ground, bright stars overhead. I watched my breath rise above me and his plume out around him as he ran to the far corner of the yard, chasing his toy. Frost made the ground shine in the fluorescent light, and crunch under his feet and mine. We played till my fingers got numb. He was ready for more; I was only ready for more coffee.

28 comments:

kenju said...

I don't think dogs ever get tired of that game. Merry Christmas, Jen.

justrun said...

Aww, that makes me want a back deck and more dogs. Fortunately, since it's winter, my dog is content playing fetch down the long hallway. And not even before 10:00 a.m. Not a morning personality, that one.

It's good to "see" you! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Space said...

i love this post. that morning time spent with him in the dark in the cold sounds an awful lot like hope and love to me.

Doctor Err said...

i love it. i love how good you two are together. i love his face when he's working. i love how he pushes his toys to my feet when he thinks maybe i'll throw for him if you are done. i love that you play for me when it gets too slobbery. :)

Mojo said...

Yeah, ol' Mojo's always been all about the ball hasn't he? I do pretty much the same thing. Fill my big-boy sippy cup with the life sustaining Colombian blend, and take it out to Dog Majal where Tonka (usually) just wants to sit on the deck of his gazebo as close to me as he can physically get. When he was a puppy he'd chase a ball for as long as I'd throw it. Not so much now. But those few minutes spent in the half-light (usually) in the morning... priceless.

But now I'm wondering... where do the plums fit into this story? Or were they metaphorical ones?

Clearly I need more caffeine. And it's 4 PM!

Oh. this might give you a laugh. Or maybe not.

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