Men of Midwives

I changed the format. The green Dave spoke of earlier was just too green, a little like our living room wall, but less busy. Let's try this orange.

For the past 4 out of 5 nights I've been up caring for women in need. Dave would like to start the "Men of Midwives" support group. He reached for me in bed this morning and forgot that I left him in the middle of the night. He said good-bye and everything. If he had my schedule, I wouldn't be able to deal.

-CKJ

the rules of tuck in

I am writing a story about a man with rules for drinking when Courtney comes in and asks if I'll tuck her in. Actually she doesn't ask. She supposes I won't.

"I guess you won't be tucking me in tonight."

She says this because I am writing, and because a day or so ago I shared with her "my rules" for tuck-ins:

"If I'm going to bed within 20-minutes or so, I'd rather not tuck you in so as to use those last 20-minutes or so productively before I bed down."

However:

"If I'll be up for another hour or two, I'll tuck you in."

Tonight, my guestimated time of bedding down stretches close to an hour. Courtney calls me out on my rules. Then I say:

"Except when I'm writing."

And she roll her eyes.

Dogs in the Barnyard

We had Moe's 6th birthday party today. His birthday is Dec. 3, so he gets two parties in Moe10.

We scratched the first one because of weather. It was 15 degrees or so in Portland. The party's in a barn. No one wanted to stand around a barn in 15-degree weather. I don't blame them. I was one of them. I don't blame myself.

Satchel looks forward to his birthday all year. And his party. Maji too. We don't have a party for her, just Moe, so really this is Maji's party too, even though it isn't.

Is it weird for people to gather once a year in a barn to watch their dogs run around for two hours?

We've been doing the birthday since the first birthday. It's because two of Satchel's litter mates also live in Portland, and we've become friends with the owners of both. And Satchel's breeder lives in town, and we've become friends with her.

Is it strange that dogs who were born together from a local line of dogs bring people together?

What are bloodlines for but for keeping together.

Maji is not of this bloodline, but she snuck in.

Courtney and I and the rest of the people do not share a bloodline, except the youngest person in the barn today, Zander, 18-months, who shares a bloodline with his mother and father.

But the mother and father do not share a bloodline with us. It's their dog that shares a bloodline with our dog.

And another dog at the party.

And another, though she was in the car because she can't walk.

That's aunt Syd. Aunt Syd has been at these parties before. But her hips are gone and her body's aging faster than her mind.

Imagine your body aging faster than your mind.

Would it be worse than your mind aging faster than your body?

Is what we want to keep the body and the mind aging at the same pace, and hopefully slowly.

(As I typed the last few lines, Courtney rolled out the yoga mat and began stretching at the fire; Satcheled rolled around on the couch so his other hip was on the heating pad.

Hips are bad things to lose.

My hip is sore but not as sore as yesterday. Yesterday I stretched.

I'll stretch later. Sore this evening from running around the barnyard with my pack.

MAJI'S FIRST POST

HI THIS IS MAJI - I AM RESIDENT BEAGLEBACK HERE IN JARECKIVILLE.

EARLIER TODAY I CAME UP WITH THE BEST ADVICE OF THE YEAR, AND I AM GOING TO POST IT HERE FOR EVERYONE TO LISTEN TO:

ALWAYS FLY THROUGH WINDOWS, NEVER THRU WALLS, BECAUSE WINDOWS ARE MADE OF WATER AND WALLS ARE MADE OF FUDGE, AND WATER IS MUCH EASIER TO PASS THRU THAN FUDGE.

AFTER I SAID THIS ADVICE, MY DADDY STOLE IT AND USED IT IN HIS OWN WRITING ON HIS OTHER BLOG. JUST REMEMBER THAT I MADE IT UP FIRST.

THIS IS MAJI AND I LOVE YOU.

First post by Dave

Hi.

Courtney picked the green. It's like her to pick the green. She loves this color green. I am not fond of it, but as the husband I am OK when she is OK - essentially, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander" philosophy.

Yesterday I found out what a gander was. Thirty-four years later, I finally asked. And someone responded.

Amazing what you find out when you ask.

In my mind (blame the architect of my wiring), a gander referred to "gandering", or, "having a gander." A look, a thought, an exploration.

"Let me have a gander at those directions, son."

How this applied to a goose in my mind, I haven't the foggiest.

There's no real rhyme or reason behind why we started this blog today, or, for that matter, why we didn't start it five-years ago, or, for that matter, why we didn't start it tomorrow.

It came out of Courtney's mouth. Then it was alive.

Eventually we'll have pictures. Eventually our numbers will grow. Eventually we will paint the walls.

And change the color.

But for today, for this moment, this is what we have.

Welcome. There will be more.

-Dave
1/1/10