It never stops.

I just got off the phone with Marie.  She went to her boyfriend’s house this afternoon and arrived just as her boyfriend’s father collapsed.  She called 9-1-1 while her boyfriend performed CPR.  The emergency folks arrived and continued the CPR.  But by the time everyone got to the hospital, the man had passed away.

Marie’s at the hospital now with her boyfriend and his family.  I feel so bad that either one of them had to go through something like this.  It’s scary stuff, this mortality business.

Calvin and I had been having a really good weekend.  We spent all day yesterday on the motorcycle, and went to Scottsdale and then to Tempe, to our favorite beverage locales.  Today we spent seven hours at “our” pub, watching first the Patriots/Chargers game (YEAH, PATS!), then the Giants/Packers game (I guess the kicker isn’t fired after all). Michael and his girlfriend (hmm, I guess I should come up with a nom-de-net for her too!) joined us for the Giants/Packers game. We’re getting along better with him now that he doesn’t live with us. Heh.

So, we came home thinking this was a pretty great weekend.  Then we called Marie to check in with her, and she gave us her news.  And it made us feel so sad, knowing that while we’re having a good weekend, there’s a family out there who really, really isn’t.

There’s no good way to transition out of a topic like that. So I’ll just say…

On another note, I just had to answer the doorbell, at 9:37 p.m. on a Sunday night. The DOGS are making too much noise in the side yard and are disturbing the neighbors. Let me say again, DOGS, and let me mention that said DOGS do not involve Gadget and Gypsy.

This is the dog that Marie brought home on Friday evening. He (very, VERY HE) has apparently been wandering around her office complex for some time, so she decided to see if she could find a home for him. She called her mother (X(f)), who said she would take the dog in. So Marie brought him home, gave him a bath, and took him over to her mom’s. Who then promptly decided to change her mind about keeping the dog, so back to our house it came.

Marie’s supposed to be doing “something” with him tomorrow, because we really, REALLY can’t keep him. He and Portia are great friends, though, hence all the noise in the side yard that disturbed the neighbors. The dog is a complete manner-less spaz, in keeping with his previously bohemian lifestyle. I don’t think he’s fully grown yet. And WE AREN’T KEEPING HIM. No. More. Animals.

Calvin’s snoring fit to be tied on the couch next to me. I’m going to send him to bed soon, but I want to wait up for Marie. Tomorrow’s list of work and chores is never ending. It seems like it was just Friday night, and here we are back to Monday again. We just keep on keepin’ on with our little lives. Grateful to have our health and our family, and sadly aware of how fragile it all is.  Life may be tedious at times, but that doesn’t make it any less precious.