


New Year's Eve 2011 began with a surprise for Mom and Dad, courtesy of me. Let me set the stage. Dad was putting a shine on the wood floors, and Mom was plating her delicious creations enough to cover the granite island in the kitchen. Meanwhile, I was up in the loft at my main command post, a repurposed pop-up bed layered with blankets that fronted a window overlooking our driveway on the southern frontier of the house. From the bustle of activity, I knew something big was going down, and I expected the action to begin in the driveway directly below.
I was wrong: it began at the front door. Our guests lived two houses away and rang the doorbell when they arrived. I'd never heard the bell before and exploded into action. With an initial loud yelp followed by a series of excited barks, I launched into the air, raced across the carpeting, and flew down the front stairs to the door. Dad was already there, and he picked me up, introduced our neighbors, and explained that, because of the doorbell, for the first time ever, Mom and Dad had heard me bark.
It's true. I'd barked sometimes when I was alone during the day, but never with Mom and Dad. I'm not sure why. Input, output, I guess. Ding-dong. Suddenly I felt afraid and when that happens, my motto is, 'Bark first and ask questions later.' It was the first witnessed bark of many to come and, in that instance, pointless. No danger lurked on the front stoop. Our neighbors and their wonderful daughters became great friends in the New Year. Among other things, they gave me Toki Bunny, my best doll friend. I'll tell you more about him some other time.
Which brings me to an even BIGGER surprise, one Mom and Dad had for me. It all came down to a choice Mom had made about a week after the New Year began. She was a well known cosmetic dental lab technician and an expert at making cast porcelain crowns. During a career spanning over twenty years, she'd studied and trained with famous dentists in the Columbus, Ohio area. Lab owners recognized her talent; actors and newscasters sought out her skills. She'd designed a multitude of crowns, some with unique features, like the Ohio State University logo or the Harley Davidson emblem. For her, making crowns was part artistry, part satisfying the patient and the dentist. But by early 2012, the thrill was gone. She no longer got enough joy to justify putting up with several work-related downsides. She needed something better, something more rewarding.
So Mom chose me. From January 11, 2012 she stayed home with me. She said goodbye to the money and the work-related anguish, and hello Tango 24x7. Goodbye to weekend shopping sprees at Macy's and Nordstrom's, and hello sweatsuits. So long to new French and Italian handbags, and hello the old ones. And bye-bye to her beloved black dresses, blouses, pants, jackets which, because of my wayward hair, all got relegated to the back of the closet. Mom chose to spend her time with me and make great memories all day long. Next week I'll continue to share them.
Thanks for reading my blog,
Tango
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