The Last Chapter

I write this for those of you who asked for and faithfully followed my updates on Bacchus. Many of you are strangers who have become caring, compassionate friends. For all the support you have afforded, and your expressions of sympathy, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

He had a good day Wednesday, he had been to the vet for blood work. His heart rate was normal for a vet visit and in some respects his blood work had improved. He had begun to eat again and was as active as he's been able to be.

Thursday Hub went to get him for his first trip outside and he rolled over to get his belly rubbed which was their routine. First thing in the morning and last thing at night was guy time together. They both loved it.

When Hub turned on the bedroom light that morning and asked me to get dressed I knew we had problem. Bacchus had stumbled and his hind legs had given out. I went out and scratched his ears and we waited together until he felt like getting up. He was walking just fine back into the house and out into his back yard.

We watched as he laid down and decided to let him regroup. If he couldn't, we knew what we'd have to do. Hub tried to give him his morning pills and he turned his head away. Okay, we'd let him rest for a bit.

We had a cup of coffee and started the papers then decided to try again. He had gotten up and roamed a bit but then I saw him behind the flower bed he loved to sniff and water for me. But he was laying down.

Sudden death is always a possibility with this disease. We tried to keep undue excitement to a minimum, not wanting to trigger anything, but excitement is not necessarily the cause. That is what took him. It was quick and with no pain. He actually appeared to have been in mid-step from his position. It was that quick. You just never know.

Other than having him just go to sleep and not wake up, there is no better way for him to have gone. We are so grateful for that. We were spared the dreaded euthanasia.

The house is too quiet and will be for some time. Hub took his walk last night and again this morning. I missed hearing the second set of foot steps. We drank too much wine while we reminisced and cried and hugged one another. The only time I've ever seen Hub cry was when we've lost our dogs.

Today is a "keep busy" day while we begin to decide what to do with things. Tomorrow we're going to WSU to say some good byes than just go for a ride. We need to get out.

There will not be another dog. I know many of you think we'll change our mind. Bacchus was a wonderful and deeply loved member of the family and it will take some time for the heartache to heal. The emotional roller coaster has taken a toll on both of us. I know that grief is part of the price of having a pet that you will out live but at our age we're not sure that would again be the case. Eight or ten years down the road we're not at all sure we'd be able to handle the emotional stress nor do we want to go through it again. If we aren't here we have no one to take care of one left behind. We've had six over our forty years together, and for us, that's enough.

Our final thought on the subject is that the chance of having another pass the way Bacchus did is slim to none. We're going to stop with the memories of a great dog and the five who preceded him. It will do; they filled our lifetime.

Bacchus - Good Bye Old Friend

Bacchus

December 28, 1999 - August 19, 2009

We will walk no more together

When Winning IS Everything!

I watched the video of Brett Favre exiting his private plane on the noon news while the reporter enthused that he was in the Viking's training camp as he spoke. I was thinking to myself what a selfish, self indulgent man-child Favre is.

Last night while watching the pre-season football game, I listened while John Gruden, Ron Jaworski and Mike Tirico were practically drooling over the return of Michael Vick to the pro ranks.

I started thinking about how many people within the sports community are enablers when it comes to boys behaving badly.
Some are in the media. Others among the fan base. Owners. And yes, even coaches. However, I have to say when it's at the college level and a school gives a coach a pass for egregious behavior, it becomes perfectly clear why many of these young men have little knowledge of socially acceptable behavior.

Politicians, as sleazy as they can be at times, don't get the pass that Rick Pitino is getting from the University of Louisville! He's married and supposedly a devout Catholic. He's out with the boys. He gets drunk and while his assistant keeps watch he has sex with a woman he just met, in a restaurant yet. What? On a table? Reminds me of the tag line of a joke, "Oh well, we didn't want to come back to this restaurant anyway!"

She gets pregnant. She wants an abortion. He shells out the money. In a bazaar twist another assistant marries her and tries to extort $10 million from the coach. The whole sordid mess becomes public.

Under the moral code by which most of us live he would have been sent packing in nothing flat. But he wins basketball games. So what did the University do? Had him make a public apology. After all, people deserve second chances. Whew. It Mike's Mike Price's indiscretions while at Alabama seem like child's play!

And we wonder what influences spawn an O.J. or a Vick or a Bonds and so many more. The players' unions protect the players until the public gets fed up enough to demand some sort of punishment but by then the harm has been done, both to the athlete and their "victims". What about coaches?

Coaches are mentors and in many cases father figures to many of the young men in their charge. When their own kids are in trouble with the law, like Andy Reid's, you wonder. The players are kids themselves for the most part. Many never finish college so they can turn pro as quickly as possible. Then the "too much too soon" syndrome raises it's ugly head and infects them. The results are often tragic.

Okay, I'm not well versed in the fine points of the sports industry. I do know when things are skewed. When college coaches get nothing more than a knuckle rap for behavior like Pitino's it's reprehensible. The University needs to look at their president and parents need to look long and hard at the University before allowing their kids to attend. By the time they're ready to turn pro, it's too late.

Just What Is It We Elect?

I was browsing through the headlines today and came across one in the Washington Times that caught my eye. Rep. Massa: I will vote against the interests of my district. Just what is it we get when we elect a Representative?

Eric Massa, D-NY, supports a single payer health care bill. He supports it so strongly that he's willing to vote against the wishes of his district. "I will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful."

That got me thinking about where the line should be drawn. We live in a republic and elect representatives to vote our interests. When, or should, personal convictions deviate from that charge? It presents an interesting philosophical question.

To vote against one's constituents' wishes is risky at best. Done often enough one could find oneself quickly out of office! On the other hand, if a certain constituency goes against the grain of the rest of the country and the representative agrees with that majority should he still vote as his constituents wish?

When you come right down to it, politics is a very personal business for we voters. Often Hub and I are on different sides of an issue but we realize the majority rules whether or not we agree. Such is the message our Representatives take with them to Washington; what the majority of those they represent want. Should we expect that is how they will vote?

So where is that line between personal opinion and public opinion and how much flexibility should Representatives be allowed? Sure, we can always vote them out of office but while they are in office their votes are the one that count.

The reason town hall meetings are held, forget the contentiousness of the ones going on now, is for our Representatives to learn first hand what the people are thinking. The people usually have good questions if the legislation or concept is fuzzy. It's important for the Representatives to have read that legislation in order to answer those questions. We know that most do not unless forced, as is also the case right now.

If they do not, then they aren't representing their constituents at all. They are representing the power structure of their party who dictates what they must do to either rise in stature within the party or get the necessary party support for re-election.

Suddenly, we constituents are on the outside looking in. We should really look more to their knowledge base of the issues than the pork they bring home if we really want true representation in our own government. If we don't, they will always be in and we are the ones who will be out!

Payback!

I've long speculated that Rahm Emmanuel is our shadow President. That he's not the one I voted for nor that I don't like the way he strong arms people Chicago style is of little matter. He is who he is and where he is. I'm somewhat gratified to learn The New York Times is in agreement. There are times I'd prefer to be dead wrong and this is one of them.

When Emmanuel took his time accepting the offer to be Chief of Staff, I always wondered if the delay was so he could put his head together with Nancy Pelosi to determine where he would be most useful. It seems he is quite comfortable in doing so, as is she! Snicker.

One of the biggest disappointments I've had about President Obama is what seems an unwillingness or inability to lead. Cheer lead, yes. Lead? I don't think so. That's coming from Emmanuel, Axelrod and Pelosi. Oh, I can hear the disagreement on this one. Never-the-less, it's my opinion and until I see evidence to the contrary it's unlikely to change.

I will say, in the likability category, the President wins hands down. It's not enough.

According to the Times article Emanuel is creditied with the "do everything at once" strategy. That may be his downfall in the end. He's making enemies for himself and therefore the President. It could boil down to Emmanual's job or the President's chance at a second term.

One thing for sure, he's doing little to please Hillary Clinton and she could be a formidable enemy. Sixteen years ago Hillary was instrumental in getting Rahm demoted because of his aggressive, feather ruffling ways. As Hub often says, "Don't get mad, get even."

It is Rahm's turn. Hillary wanted to bring long time ally, Sidney Blumenthal, on board. Emmanuel nixed it since he was involved in spreading harsh attacks about Obama in the campaign. In the campaign? Where Obama was running against Hillary? What would one expect?

It doesn't quite wash when the excuse is that the bad blood still runs deep. After all, Hillary is now Secretary of State! How much more bad blood was there than between Hillary and Obama?

I also wonder how she feels about have "Chief of Staff" deliver the dictum!

Hillary is not in the best frame of mind of late. She has been marginalized while the special envoys are dealing with the real hot spots around the world. This is why, I would suppose, we haven't seen much of her. Even Bill has upstaged her. Heck, he does that by being in the same room! However, when push comes to shove, if you make an enemy of Hillary you make one of Bill too. They have this bond, you see.

When it comes to the Clintons versus the rest of the party and everyone in it, I'll bet on the Clintons. Not because I like them or agree with them on much of anything. It's just the way things seem to be.

It's going to be interesting theater. The policies may in actuality be Pelosi and Emmanuel's but the name on them will be Obama's. If they fail, they will be Obama's. If the political world gets tired of being strong armed by a profanity spewing henchman, all the likability in the world may be for naught.

The nice guy could finish last.