The other day my Dad rented the movie "Marley and Me." Its a story about a dog name Marley. And, just like you'd expect, the storyline builds up, you fall in love with Marley, then BAM at the end the dog dies. Theresa's comment was 'why the heck does anyone even make a movie on something like that? That story happens every day!' Needless to say, that night we watched the movie my Mom picked out at the rental store; An old western flick. Now for any of you that know my parents, it is very much out of the ordinary for my Dad (Ol' Mr. Jason and the Argonauts) to pick out a sappy movie and my Mom (Who cries for commercials) to grab a western. It was role reversal at its finest.
Anyways, our own little "Marley and Me" unfolded this past Monday. Our American Eskimo dog, Cody died. We got Cody as a 2 year old who had already been through multiple homes and names: Wiskey, and oddly enough "Keako" which was very similar to "Teako" the name of our dog who had just gotten hit by a car and died when we got Cody. Cody was 16 years old, and as the vet said when we took him in: "WOW. You guys sure know how to grow a dog!" He lived a long, happy life; despite being hit by 3 cars. He was a survivor.
He was the funniest dog, he had such a character. He liked being around people, but at the same time, was almost Snoopy-like in that he really could care less who he was surrounded by. He SMILED. I have never met another dog that smiled like Cody. Even my mom's piano students that come through each week would pet him and antagonize him, and say that he smiles. He put up with a lot.
Cody was a vegetarian as far as we were concerned. Hmmm, maybe more of a category all in itself. You could give him a piece of meat or bone and he'd be happy (Heck, he was happy when you threw him an old, used kleenex....he actually ATE them. he loved boogers.) but what he really loved was fruit and vegetables! He would go crazy for rotten apples and brocoli stems! We attribute his unusually healthy eating to helping him live so long.
That and his 'spunky, frisky' demeanor. Two days before he died we took him for his regular 2 mile walk! Sometimes, it seemed he was a puppy trapped in an older dog's body, the way he would dash about the house, slide on the harwood kitchen floors, and bark at the gate between the mudroom and kitchen, especially during dinnertime when he wanted to come in and "garbage pick" the floor for food scraps.
Cody had several haunts when he would spend his time outside. His favorite spot was Roger's. Roger is our next door neighbor and quite possibly his best chum. Roger has always adored Cody; and in return, Cody visited very frequently. Whenever Cody wasn't around, the first place to look was Roger's garage where he could often be found eating Roger's little dog's food, or barking at the door to be let into Roger's house, where no doubt, he "garbage picked" Roger's kitchen floor too. Whenever we let him out (especially on Thursday mornings--garbage day!) we had to be careful, because he would sneak his way along our neighbor's fence line and if he wasn't seen, he's bolt two doors down where a neighbor kept their compost pile. I can't tell you all the stinky, gross things he's brought home; from rotten, moldy fruit to a whole deer leg--hoof and all once. His last favorite spot was to sit right beside the brick steps heading down to the pool and look out over our backyard. I think the grass is matted there, he sat there so much.
Cody loved doing tricks for food; he could play dead, roll over, wave, show his paw, and my personal favorite in his younger years was climb up a ladder! As he got older, he loved to take advantage of his advancing years and developed several not-so-pleasant habits. He would often look up when he was called, stare right at you, then turn around and walk the other way as if to say: "Yeah right, I'll come when I want to come!" He was quite the manipulator, and my Mom was the best for falling for his goofy ways. He would saunter along when he didn't want to go for a walk; do almost a limp kind of walk, then as soon as you turned around to head home (or saw another dog out walking) he would put a spring into his step and once he even started running. We were convinced on several occasions that he picked up a potty mouth and in his antics and little ways had been calling us "those fat girls" for years.
However, despite all his quirky, stinky, crazy ways, he will be missed....very much so.
The movie "Marley and Me" went back to the rental store unwatched.
For those of you who know my family, we are a close-knit, goofy bunch who love to get dirty, and seek adventure and thrill together. For us, the more random and less-traveled the excursion, the better. Family vacations in the past have taken us backpacking, hiking and camping in the Wild wild west, jumping sand dunes, and biking across Idaho. This was our last real family adventure; a week before Ellie's wedding. My Dad decided something different, so we drove 24 hours north near Thunder Bay, Canada to Quetico Provincial Park. We rented 3 canoes and spent several days paddling the lake system, camping and fishing. It was complete solitude and just gorgeous. But the best part wasn't the spectacular scenery, the wildlife (bald eagles, loons, moose, and black bears!), or even the vastness of Lake Superior, but it was the time we spent as a family; Getting lost, picking islands to camp on, playing Bid Pitch at night, fishing (and eating the catch!), getting rained on, paddling capsize-able rough areas of lake (that almost resulted in mutiny from one of the paddlers!) and even arguing that made the trip so memorable. I am truly convinced that I am part of the best family ever, and I feel so blessed!
