Day 69

7/20/22

After yesterday, which was a crazy day for our little Lake Wobegon, today was hot, but relatively calm and peaceful. We were grateful for the lack of excitement, because sometime in the afternoon yesterday, the power went out at our house and across a rather large portion of Anoka. That began a domino effect of sorts.

*No air-conditioning! The goldens were displeased!
*Neighbors poured out of their doors to see if others had lost their power.
*The neighborhood Facebook page lit up.
*We learned that a construction crew had broken a main electrical line.
*Then...SEVEN police cars flew by the house with sirens blaring!
*Canine teams were in the area.
*A helicopter loomed overhead!
*We learned, through various sources, that a prisoner had escaped during transport. (We all thought due to the activity in town.)
*We were told to go inside and stay locked in!
*We grabbed the goldens from our gazebo, where we were trying to stay cool and also watch all the excitement, and headed inside.
*The prisoner was caught, power was restored and the neighborhood took a collective sigh of relief!
THANK YOU ANOKA POLICE! YOU'RE THE BEST!
As a dear friend would say, "What a day, what a day!"

We headed inside to a wonderfully cool living room and the pups were relieved. This all led me to think of times when our dogs were hot and there was no air-conditioning. Typically, you will find them on their favorite couches watching "Dog TV," (Yes, it's a real thing!) as cool as cucumbers. When we lose power, they are the first to come panting up and looking to us for a solution.

As our pack has shifted and aged through the years, we have experienced a few situations that now bring a smile. Our only small dog, Nicky, would sit down and refuse to move if he became hot on a walk. Now this could happen anywhere on our route by the river. He would plop down, with his back legs extended for a chance at a cooler experience on a grassy lawn. No coaxing, threats or promises could move him! I would then pick up all 32 pounds and carry him home. 32 pounds gets heavier and heavier as you walk up hill!

Our sweet Arthur would get hot up at the cabin and, in his last years, we would put him in a wheel barrow and roll him down to the lake...about 100 yards downhill. There, we would gently help him to enter the water and he would float around by the hour. However, we DID have to get him back up to the cabin...about 100 yards uphill! Worth every moment.

Lilly loves water of any kind, while her brother Ranger only likes to swim in the glorious stuff. Whenever I water during the summer, Lilly follows me around so she can drink from the hose. It is pretty cute and an easy way to get hydrated!

It's hot; we are lucky enough to have power and air-conditioning today. The pups are all down watching Dog TV! Life is good...for the pups and those of us lucky enough to belong to them.