Monday, September 20, 2010

The Grill and the Dog

I never managed to get myself a grill.  Grilling is one of those things that I've felt was more of a man's thing and so I haven't had one (a grill or a man).  I considered buying one (a grill) last summer, but hemmed and hawed and eventually decided against spending the money.

A few weeks ago, I helped some of the fire people move.  They had an extra grill that they were going to get rid of, and so here I am with a free grill, grilling hamburgers, watched over carefully by one old dog.  It didn't seem to make sense to only grill what I would eat (one burger), so I cooked them all up.

The other thing I've never had before is a propane tank to fuel a grill.  Purchasing the tank was yet another in a long line of firsts for me, where I do something kinda wrong before I get it right.  I walked into the hardware store and said, "I need a propane tank."  (pretty straightforward, huh?)  The lady there assumed that I needed a tank filled, so sent me out to the filling station to meet the guy.  Then I had to come back into the store, start all over again with the lady, buy a tank, wait for them to find a tank, they can't find a tank and have to refund my money, then they find a rental tank to loan me until they get tanks back in stock.  Good grief that was more painful than it needed to be.  It's getting old, this whole part where every single thing that I do is a first.  I'm not in the mood these days to be out of my element all the time and make so many beginner's mistakes.  (I think I'm grumpy because fall is coming...)

Desmond is slowing down pretty quickly.  I've started to feed him only soft food, and on a raised box so he doesn't have to bend down so far.  He slips and falls a lot, and doesn't get up as much anymore.  Now he often thinks about getting up and decides to stay where he fell.  There are two steps into the house from the front yard and our new routine is that when he wants to come in, he waits for me to go out and walk next to him so I can catch him if he falls on one of the steps.  He's not entirely continent.  He sometimes doesn't realize that he's pooping until it's too late. Often it's in his sleep or right after he gets up, so when I come home from work, I make sure we all stay outside until his system is clear.  He's still very interested in food though, as the picture shows.  His family may have had a grill in his previous life.

9 comments:

  1. Oh my. You had me laughing out loud with your first paragraph. (Wouldn't it be nice if you COULD buy a man? No, no, I don't mean THAT way! I mean buy a really great permanent type man as a partner. But, heck, the good ones would be so prohibitively expensive, and by the time you saved enough money, the one you wanted would have already been sold. I think I'd better get off this ridiculous blathering.)

    Dear old Desmond. Bless his heart. Eventually they all reach that point, but it's never easy. I'm so glad he's got you to make his last days, months, how ever long as easy as possible.

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  2. I use my grill all year long. My friend told me she always does a few extra Chicken Breasts and then cubes them to make her chicken salad, chicken dip or fajita rollup things for lunches. I don't have many that make it into the frig and stay there overnite...oh the joy of growing boys!!

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  3. Grill on! This made me think of a picture that someone took of my sister years ago, grilling something while it was snowing on some holiday or weekend or something. Desmond is a lucky dog.

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  4. Doesn't sound to me like you made any mistakes at the hardware store, but rather they did. Enjoy the grill. I love cooking year round on mine, even in a blizzard lol.

    Big virtual hugs for Desmond:)

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  5. Mama Pea - I would *love* to be able to buy a guy! I could only afford the short, pudgy, balding guy, but he'd be sweet and smart and stuff.

    It WAS really easy to grill. I think I'm going to like this thing.

    I think the only way this hardware store stays in business is that they have a good location. They've been messing up as long as I've been here - 2 years. The store has boxes all over the place, it's a mess. Plus they're supremely disorganized. I try to go other places for most of my hardware needs - and every time I go back, they remind me that that was a good decision.

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  6. Hey there, Jordan....

    If you ever move -- which you've done a lot in the past -- consider choosing a place on a country back road that gets pass through traffic from people heading somewhere, such as work.

    You will meet a lot of men. I also keep my front door open, because that is the sun side, and there's only one window in my tiny cabin on that side. I am surprised by my male visitors, but they all catch my vibe (no married men, thank you). Recently a single guy said he would like to spend more time with me. I saw it coming.

    And that's all just from living on a country dirt road and men stopping by because my door is open or they saw me outside.

    I am sorry about Desmond's health issues. Love him will you have him.

    Kate

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  7. Jordan,
    What's that about being grumpy about fall? Are you grumpy because of winter soon to follow or is there something else?

    Elizabeth.....

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  8. Interesting suggestion Kate - I have had folks from the street stop by - all married though...

    Elizabeth - I'm really grumpy because summer is fading and I feel like it went too fast!

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  9. Oh, I hear you about the summer-on-the-fly. We had a frost here the third week of August.....killed everything; green beans, squash, corn, tomatoes....It was a late start anyway because of a cool, wet spring. Then 33 degrees on August 23rd just push all the veggies into the grave. Sad. It's a good thing we're not pioneers. We'd starve this winter.

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