Back to the Future September 6, 2014

The last time it happened I vowed it would never happen again. But today it did. Twice.

I don’t know what came over me. After 20 minutes in the car with a very upset dear baby Carter, I guess I just needed some space. So when mom opened the door when we arrived at grandma’s house, I bolted. I was out the door and up the block before mom could even begin scolding me for it. She found me a few minutes later as I was perusing the backyard paradise that I later learned belongs to a rather large German Shepherd named Geoff, And she was not happy. She was out of breath and screaming my name over and over again. I am never sure what all the fuss is about in these situations because I have every intention of returning to my people when I’ve finished exploring. But I digress, and along with her I went.

I got the same disgruntled reaction from both mom and dad when I managed my way out of my collar about three hours later on a walk around the neighborhood. Down the block I went in a gleeful trot, as dad chased after me. I will never understand why people don’t play chase with the same rules as dogs, but that is neither here nor there. The point is I keep forgetting why I shouldn’t do these things. Because every time I do it I think it’s going to be all kind of fun, and I’m always met with nothing but disappointment.

It all got me to thinking what it would be like if we could see what happens before it happens. Like if we could somehow see the aftermath of a decision or life choice before we make it. Would we chose differently? Would we stay the course? Sometimes I think it would help us avoid life’s potholes and make smarter decisions. But I also think sometimes you need to make the mistake to learn from it. It means more that way.

So no, I don’t think I would want to predict the future if I had the chance. Today I will renew my vow to not run away again. Because much like our past has a presence in our future, our future has a presence in our past.

To read about my first escapades on the streets of Port Washington: http://wileyschmidt.com/2013/12/29/keeps-on-giving-2/

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Keeps On Giving December 29, 2013

It was dark. It was cold. And it was fun. That is, until it wasn’t. I ran away from grandma’s house tonight. I saw the back door open and I made a run for it. I love the way the brisk Wisconsin winter air ran through my fur as I ran around the block.

I followed two things: the scent of a nearby dog and the light from the main street nearby. I didn’t really hear dad and his brother Joe yelling after me at first. In fact, I figured they were simply joining in an especially exciting game of chase. But it wasn’t too long after that when my little adventure stopped being fun. Clearly Joe and dad misunderstood the rules of the game. Dad scooped me up and kept using several of my least favorite words.

Naughty. Bad. Sassy. I much prefer words like cute and cuddly, so you can imagine my dismay at hearing these words over and over as we made our way back to grandma’s house. There I was met with a whole host of emotions, the majority of which resembled the aftermath of minor heart attacks. Everyone had gathered in the kitchen. And everyone was concerned. Well, I guess you could say they were more than concerned. They were freaked. Especially mom, who kept saying something about a forecast with -25 degree wind chills tonight (whatever that means).

As I surveyed the rest of the faces of these people I’ve come to love, any of the residual wonderment I felt on my little jaunt lost its moxie and I felt nothing but remorse. It wasn’t that fun. And (now that they mention it) it was cold. And dark. And I’m not certain I would have known how to get back to grandma’s house without the help of dad and Joe. Maybe this whole adventure wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Because family offers its own kind of adventure you can’t find outside. We were all together to celebrate Christmas and there were all kinds of beautiful gifts for everyone. I made out like a bandit with treats and toys. But the best part of the night was the snuggles. I snuggled with whomever would let me, and in doing so I got the best gift of all in return. Love. The gift that keeps on giving.