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Lumps, birds, dumb people and blog posts

My big boy (the four-legged, furry one, not the two-legged annoying one) had a recurrence of a bump on his face a day or two after I arrived home from Alaska. This weekend, it got huge, like a golf ball under his left eye, so I scurried him to the vet today. It's not a tumor, nor a tooth abscess, which is good news. Doctor thinks it's an infection, as white cell counts and t-cells are raging in the aspiration sample she took. Poor baby! This photo, taken just before we left home, shows him drunk on tranquilizers and ready to travel the 20 miles to Hilo. Now, as I type this, he's still pretty wasted and the lump has been shaved. Yikes! I hope the antibiotics work their magic soon.

There's someone in my neighborhood who I can't figure. This person leaves bread crumbs out for the birds every day, ON THE ROAD. They were there again today. Here's my dilemma. I can't decide whether this person is a kind, bird-loving soul who just also happens to be a complete idiot, or someone who hates birds. I'm inclined to believe the former, since I like to think the best of people and, in my experience, humans are more inclined to be stupid than malicious. Still, I don't really know...

The birds, I know, aren't so bright. They don't have the sense to get out of the way when a car is speeding toward them. Dumb birds, bread crumbs in the middle of the road and cars with careless drivers are not a happy mix.

I recently posted a writerly essay on 49 Writers, a blog dedicated to writing in general and Alaska writers in particular. I know I don't live in Alaska (except, corny as it sounds, in my heart), but I have a legitimate connection to the place. I spend lots of money there, for one thing. To find my essay, scroll down once you arrive at the site. There's also a fine post today by my classmate, Erin. If you are inclined to read such things, check it out.

A hui hou. Aloha.



Comments

Unknown said…
Toni, I am in love with your dog. (Have been secretly desiring a Shepherd for several years now - 30 or so!) And what a funny thing about the "bird lover" who leaves crumbs right in the middle of the road. Doh!

If I come to Hawaii sometime during the year, can I hang out with your dog too?

xoxo Anne
1:03 PM
Toni said…
Doc, the psycho-mutt. Today, he's a little out of sorts, looking like Rocky Balboa AFTER the fight with Apollo Creed.

Of course you can hang out with him. My neighbor Chu, who lives several driveways down, has a pure German Shepherd. Chu says of his own dog, "He knows you're good, so he likes you. He knows when someone is good and when they are not good." I use Doc as a judge of character, too. He's very good at it, and I know he'll love you.


Hugs,
Toni
1:45 PM
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