Yes, it has been a few days, and yes, both Amanda and I have been struggling to get back from whatever it has been that has zapped both our energy and heads.  I think in all honesty, I am doing better than she is, but as of late we sort of take turns being in the lead as to who feels the worst.  Today however, she wins.

And as for me, I went to Nashville, Indiana today to celebrate with the good people of St. Matthew’s (it’s in Nashville, Indiana, but if you were paying attention you already knew that).  And as I left this morning I got this crazy idea that I might take Viper with me.  1) He LOVES to ride in the truck; 2) the service in Nashville would not be too terribly long; and 3) he really has done a great job since Scotty has been gone….he deserved it in my mind.

So I told Amanda that he was going, and suddenly Viper, and the “Squirrel of Pain” were in the truck heading south, and everything was right in the world.  And when we arrived, I parked by a window, so Viper could see in.  He is a happy boy and I figured, once again, that he deserved it…..what I didn’t take into account was that people could see out.  SO SOON I was confronted with a congregation that insisted that Viper “attend” the service, and although voting is not an Anglican form of polity, that is still what they did, and he won the right to attendance only fielding one dissenting vote, mine, which I was told didn’t count.  (The evidence is in the fuzzy picture above)

Of course Viper is an AKC show dog by “profession,” so to him this was no big deal.  And although he listened to my sermon with the rest of the congregation, I do believe he was laughing at me and getting tons of attention.  He was far from the needy poor lonely dog I started the day helping out.

But soon we packed up and got back into the truck for the trip home.  He was invited back “anytime,” and yes I noticed I was not made the same offer, though I will just assume they would welcome back his driver.  And as we made our way through Columbus (also Indiana) I stopped at Subway for lunch, and wouldn’t you know it that some canine scored a Perry the Platypus lunch bag (pictured with the Squirrel of Pain) with his turkey sandwich kid’s meal (he is still under 10).

And if that were not bad enough, I decided I needed a coffee (for MYSELF) to give me a little boost to make it home.  And to my surprise, the young, attractive, red-headed girl at the Starbucks drive-thru was happy see………MY DOG, or at least my son’s dog!!  And she asked him (yes, the dog) if he wanted a “pup-cup”.

No, this was not any type of protective gear, nor was it a “real” dog treat.  That sly fox scored a Starbuck’s cup FULL of WHIPPED CREAM!  Now I do not drink girly drinks there, just a large coffee with skim milk, which they always correct me in Italian, since we live apparently in Italy……BUT, I am ALWAYS behind someone getting something with whipped cream and I have heard how much those drinks cost!!!  So I figured Viper scored again somewhere in the 8,000 to 10,000 dollar range in Starbuck’s whipped cream.  He is a PRO!

But now we are home, and all fed, and all ready for bed.  Viper is sleeping, as he does for about 23 hours every day (he is a Golden Retriever after all), and because he now sleeps in Ben’s room I will need to rouse him when I get up in the morning.  But tomorrow after Amanda goes to work and Ben goes to school I will work in my office, and Viper will lie at my feet.

But after today I am convinced we have it all wrong.  That dog is amazing, and I need to be at HIS FEET.  I can learn a lot from a dog like that!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+