First of November is the opening of the pheasants hunting season and every year by tradition the master and his dogs off they go: no matter the weather. Even taking a day off work is allowed for the event, and believe me, considering the travelling husband’s working ethic this is a big deal and a sign of pure and extreme passion.
I strongly respect people with a passion and who are willing to sacrifice for it, regardless of what their hobby is, and that is why hunting is tolerated in the house.
This year, the excitement was even more significant than usual because last year he had to skip it. Of course there was a good reason, like laying unconscious in a bed hospital after having had a life-threatening surgery. Still,in his caveman’s head, skipping hunting on the first of November, it was the closest thing to a capital sin he had ever done. The memory is still unbearable and haunting him.
I am not saying that going into the hospital for a major operation and consequently having to skip hunting time traumatised the travelling husband more than coming to the school disco, but it sure went close. So close that the last few days he was wandering around the house reminding everybody what had happened the previous year at this time.
Was he seeking attention? Pity?A bit of drama? Who knows! The only thing we girls of the house knew, it was that never could come a better time to put in practice what he always says:”You need to be more rational girls and look at things from a more detached point of view. It is part of life!”. So we did, and ignored his little private commemoration. Unfortunately I have reason to believe that he was not as pleased as I thought he would be to see us finally and actively practice his teaching, as one evening he mentioned the scar, at times, still hurts. “Just detach your self-darling, would you?! Be rational. It cannot possibly be after a year”, I said, struggling not to laugh, but at least it was the end of it.
Now, back to the real topic of this post, by eight o’clock in the morning, they were ready at the door fully equipped.
They went locally, but despite not having over an hour to drive as they usually have when going to the lake, they haven’t returned until nearly six in the evening. Just when it started to get dark.
When they got home, I was still busy writing and didn’t pay much attention to them. I only made sure the dogs had a good bath before coming inside because even in the dark it was quite visible how muddy they were. Clara had no white spots left on her fur.
Scented and presentable here they are begging for food, but I am still working.
“Sorry guys, the master brought you out, and the master will feed you”.
The master is not their usual feeder, but after seeing no attempt of mine to leave the desk, they patiently waited for those interminable three minutes until the travelling husband came in too and fed them.
It was after Kurt and Clara had their dinner, and I eventually switched off the laptop that I noticed that something was not right with them. After a long day of hunting they would typically eat and go to sleep, but yesterday, for some reason, they were extremely unsettled. They kept wandering around the kitchen from one of their favourite spot to another as they couldn’t find a place to rest.
In the end, Clara settled and took advantage of the fact Kurt was not in full possession of the couch yet and comfortable snuggled in there peacefully starting to snore away.
Kurt was instead still restless, and after he moved around the kitchen for a while, he tried to lay down in the most awkward positions. Not to wonder he was not getting comfortable!
“He is very unsettled. It is not like him”, I inquisitively said to the travelling husband who had just poured me a glass of wine, probably in the attempt to distract me from the dog’s weird behaviour.
“Cheers”, he says toasting at my glass.
“I am serious. There is something wrong with him.”, I replayed not even looking at the glass but just keeping my eyes on the giant dog laying at my feet.
“I don’t think so, he ate all his dinner, he is fine”.The travelling husband desperately tried to sound calm and confident, but he was not convincing. In five years We have never seen Kurt lacking in appetite, not even when still half sedated after being snipped.
“He is constantly chronically hungry. Having a good appetite is not necessarily a sign of good health in him”, I snapped. The husband changed colour, he knows me well enough to see that what was going through my mind was instead: “What the feck have you done to my dog?”. Everybody knows Kurt is a mama’s boy.
“I didn’t do anything. It was not me. The dog was fine all day, I swear”, panic clearly started to rise in the king of rationality.Nearly a reason to celebrate if I was not so concerned for my dog.
I looked at the traveling husband and thought:”Jesus, how old are you? This is what your kids usually tell me when it is obvious they are filthy guilty of something and they know I know but still are too afraid to confess”.In my infinite gracious,I haven’t said anything further and turned my look back to poor Kurt ,who was now looking at me with big sad eyes.
I go close to him and start petting him, but he is not much reactive. I tried to turn him around, but his thirty kilos make it a bit difficult and so I leave him on his side and start to scratch his belly. That it seemed to like it, but still his usual enthusiasm was dormant.
I go back to my stool, I drink a sip of my wine and look puzzled at the travelling husband who looked back at me as much puzzled as me .
A long, loud sigh claims our attention back to the giant dog who, with significant effort tries to adjust his massive body in a more comfortable position that seems very hard to find.
Should we seriously worry? Kurt’s long loud, and let’s face also pushingly overdramatic, attracted even Clara attention which, with the evident annoyance of having her so deserved rest disturbed, slowly made her way to the brother.
She sniffed him and then look at him straight in the eye. To be precise, considering that Clara is nearly completely blind, she more looked at him wherever she thought his eyes were.
“Come on big boy. You are fine, stop the drama!”
“Oh Clara, what is wrong with me.???????”
“You big ears idiot, if you would not have run for nine hours straight, maybe you wouldn’t feel so shattered now.”
“I am dying Clara, am I? Tell me the truth. My energy is abandoning me. I can feel it.”
“Dear lord the bigger, the sissier. Now get up and go to the couch to show those two you are fine, or else mama will chop papa’s head off if she thinks he had endangered you in any way.”
“I can’t Clara; you can’t understand……”
“Kurt, get up. You are not dying. You are just tired!~ Welcome to the human dogs’ world.”
I can’t be sure that this was the exact conversation that went on between brother and sister, but after Clara growled at him with the last hint of energy left, he looked at her with big tired puppy eyes and clumsily went to his usual spot on the couch.
I kept an eye on him for the rest of the evening, but in the end my diagnosis was the same of good old wise Clara’s.
Kurt was just tired. For the first time in his life he got to experience proper tiredness. For the first time in five years of living together, we got to see him tired and armless, but at least the travelling husband still has his head attached to his neck.
Phew! 🙂
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fantastic writing
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Thank you☺️❤️
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I love the conversation between brother and sister! Glad it has a happy ending 😊
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Thank you dear😀🐶
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Great story. Glad you speak dog. Glad for the traveling husband too.
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Lol,yes everybody is fine💁🏻♀️😉
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I think even dogs get older!
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I m telling you ,it was a long time I was waiting for Kurt to get just that bit older to calm down😂
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I’ve two cats and they’ll never calm down!
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So glad Kurt was ok!!!
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Good old doggie Doctor Clara, and Kurt doesn’t realize he’s actually getting olderer …..
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He will never get old in that head of his😱
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Haha, I understand that, us boys never grow up !! xx
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😂
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So glad Kurt is ok 💗 He and Clara must have had quite the adventure. 🐾🐕 I loved this story 😍
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Hey Ortensia! I and Åke have started a new site. We could not transfer the content of our old blog, fotobloggarna.se to the new hosting provider.
Hope you want to follow our new blog. http://www.thephotobloggers.com
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I was wondering where have you disappeared😳glad you contacted me and of course I’ll follow the new blog😍
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I was so worried when I was reading this post. I am glad Kurt is ok but I think the traveling husband needs discourage him from running so much that he’s exhausted. Otherwise the husband will certainly lose his head! Walter sends Kurt an encouraging lick and Clara a sloppy kiss. 🐾 ❤️ 🐾
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Thank Walter ❤️those licks and kiss must have worked as he was happy jumping right the following morning.
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That Walter…he doesn’t even know the healing powers he has!
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😂
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I would say see how he is in 24 hours although I’m sure he was just tired. Glad nothing happened to him!
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He was jumping on the garden the following morning…..he is fine😎
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Oh good!
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Lovely story, Ortensia! Μy Zoya sends her greetings to Kurt and Clara.
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And a tons of slobbery kiss back to her 🐶
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Wonderful story!
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Thank you😊
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Great story!
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Grazie❤️
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Hey my sweet friend! Great write here. I hope you are well!:)
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Thank you darling😘I’m fine just arrived st the beach under a slashing rain so I predict a very very short walk😉how are you my friend?
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Oh that sounds fun! I’m doing good, on the downhill slide for the semester. I’m so ready for a break!
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I believe so,but soon you ll
Have some deserved pjs day.
My midterm break just flew and didn’t have one damn pjs day….I’m afraid I’ll have to wait for Christmas hols😩
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Oh I’m so looking forward to it! Next semester could possibly be my last semester! I hope you get some days soon!
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They say just an other 8 weeks before Christmas break 😂😂😂in the meanwhile I’m in deep house cleaning as my mom is coming on sunday😱
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Nice to hear that your husband won’t be joining Anne Bolelyn’s ghost in showing scared tourists exactly what it is she’s got up her sleeve.
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Not ,for now😉
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You customized the blog! Cool 😎 I like the way it looks now 🕺🕺🕺🍂🎉
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Thank you😎
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this is what’s happening when you do NOT feed ppl properly…and rationalize things + life 🙂 & writing until they starting to wonder around & disturb u 😂😂😂
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😂😂😂😂you got it😎🤣
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🤪🤪 yeah, clear like a day lol
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Wow I just noticed how many people you have now commenting and following your site. Congrats, friend!
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Thanks dear….I just have to keep them now and with the frequency I m posting lately it might be a challenge🙄have a great day my friend😀
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HEHEHEHE I always like the way you right
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Thank you so much my friend😍
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Another beautiful story. Hugs to you.
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