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 I don’t mind Boots. He just curls up quietly
against my belly and stays put. But sleeping with Desdemona can be a
bit unnerving. She snores. Sometimes she gets little bad dreams and
scratches me, too. But hey, I get to come in out of the cold and
sleep with Aunt Ada’s cats on her sofa, and a guy can tolerate a
certain amount of cat snoring for that.
I was glad when I heard Aunt Ada puttering in the kitchen because I
knew it was time to get up. After she let me out, she fed me, and
let me tell you … that kibble was just as good this morning as it
was yesterday. And then she petted me, called me her dear Billy, and
let me out to do my rounds.
Don’t let anyone tell you being the official town dog is easy.
Nossirree. First, there are the kids. Me and Martin, the crossing
guard, have to see them safely across the street and to school each
morning. Must be band day, because I see a lot of instrument cases.
Martin gets smiles from the children. I get smiles AND ear rumples,
so what do you think of that!
Once those kids are safely across, the time is pretty much my own
until the final bell rings in the afternoon. That would be after I
get snacks at the back door of the Mule Barn and after my nap curled
up against the brick wall of the drugstore downtown. You ever notice
how those bricks hold the sunshine in them? Better than that white
wall on the newspaper office. [to top of second
column] |
This is a good day to stop by
the Rest of Your Life retirement home and check on Pop Walker and
Mabel Adams. Oh, I make the rounds and check on everybody, of
course, but I have to admit those two are my favorites.
If today is band day at school, tomorrow will be sale day at the
sale barn at the edge of town. That’s when the men bring their dogs
in from the ranches to look at cows. They yell and talk funny. Not
the dogs, of course. Getting your sniffing up to date is always a
good thing.
Love, Billy
[Text from file received from
Slim Randles]
Give a great nose a helpful lift. Send a gift to the East Tennessee
Bloodhound Rescue. etbloodhoundrescue.org.
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