My Dear Lily’s Halloween

Really 300xHalloween is over, and I have to say it was an amazing week.  Sugar comas are out of the way and the candy quest is complete, but that isn’t what made this week great.  This week was all about the dog.  Yes, that dog.  My dear Lily, as you know, can be a handful.  She chews, irritates, and even sits on her family.  Gardens are not safe.  Fresh baked cookies disappear and noise traps are set in utter frustration.  You know all that.  You may not know that Lily has OCD and an obsession with my daughter and her friends.  She pursues these passions with boundless energy.  It appears, however, that even Captain Eyetwitch, the most intentionally annoying dog in the world, has a tipping point.

The adventure began with Captain Eyetwitch seemingly in command.  After the yearly kid’s Halloween party, during which she was banished to her grandmother’s house, our antihero noticed the fake ghost in the yard.  She noticed said ghost at midnight and alerted us to its existence by continually barking for thirty minutes.  At twelve thirty, the ghost was cut down from the tree by a very irritable pajama wearing woman who I fear briefly considered replacing the fake ghost with a real canine ghost.

Now, you’re thinking the dog has the upper hand, and I too made this mistake at first.  As the week went on, however, the truth began to reveal itself.  Trick-or-treaters came and went, and came and went, and came and went.  The dog barked.  The day after Halloween, my nine year old twin nieces came to stay the night with my daughter.  They took turns playing with the dog, inside and out.  Three young ladies devoted to the dog and she devoted to each of them.  She barked.  She played.  She ran and tugged and fetched.  Then her eyes began to flag, but the girls pushed on.  More balls were thrown.  More ropes were tugged.  Each elongated blink was met with an irresistible “Here girl” or sprint across the yard.  No sleep for the weary dog.  My wife was the first to notice, and she laughed in retribution and karma.  The dog would lay on the couch to catch a quick snooze, and my wife would say, “Why don’t you girls go outside and play some more?  Take Lily with you.  Be sure to run a lot.”

Lily is now asleep.  She’s been that way for the better part of 24 hours.  She fell asleep trying to lick my face.  She fell asleep trying to eat.  Once, we even pried one of her eyes open to make sure she was still alive.  She simply sighed, closed it, and went back to sleep.  Yes, it’s been a great week.  In fact, I think I might hang the ghost back up just to see if she falls asleep barking at it.

Source: David Swann