The Good Boss
We gripe about our "bosses"--Flyboy, The Saint, Sweetie, etc. But they do some good things, right? It's time to fess up and share the good, since we love to dish the bad!
I dog The Boss and he, in turn, gets teased at work about the things I discuss, dissect and expose to the world.
But don’t feel too sorry for him, because my mother takes his side on everything.
She believes a man truly is the boss, and the wife should tend to his every need.
When I was scheduled for a hysterectomy six years ago, what was her first worry? That I might get an infection? Have terrible pain? Nope. The first thing she asked was what meals I was planning to cook and freeze before I went under the knife so The Boss wouldn’t starve.
But one should always give credit where credit is due, and The Boss deserves a lot.
Fourteen years ago when we moved to our house, we adopted our first dog during a cold December. We planned on putting up a fence in spring, but after a few days of taking Tramp out on leash in miserable weather, The Boss spent an entire icy weekend fencing in the backyard.
When our second dog, a stray beagle named Penny, got arthritic in her last years, The Boss replaced the front steps with a ramp so she wouldn’t have to struggle down the many steps to the backyard with the others. He also built a new fence out of lattice to secure the yard.
Though The Boss is a man who didn’t want even one dog in the house, when strays Zoe and Peanut showed up a year apart, he accepted each, and we had a four-pack.
When Penny crawled under the front porch and died one dripping-hot July day, it was The Boss who tore open the side of the porch, crawled under and pulled her body out with a rope. He dug her grave, as I cried from the porch, “Make it deep! I don’t want anything digging up my sweet Penny!” He dug deeper. After I sobbed final goodbyes, he wrapped her limp body in a blanket, lowered her to rest and even added a few cinder blocks before filling.
Shortly after, Scooter joined the family. Both Scooter and Penny were master escape artists, and The Boss spent many hours playing Bill Murray to the gophers, just like in the move “Caddyshack.” He put in a higher backyard gate. He staked the bottom of the chain-link. Finally, he added a line of heavy, 4x4, 12’ posts along the outside of the fence.
When 15-year-old Tramp collapsed late one night, The Boss drove us to the vet, as I sat crying in the backseat with her on my lap. She died there, in the exact same place she rested when brought home that December day 13 years before. He picked up her remains after she was cremated, as I couldn’t bear it.
After our first cat Yogi got killed by a car and I decided I was ready for another, I insisted on buying a cat fence-in system. The Boss spent days installing it across the top of our existing front fence. Now our two cats can go out safely.
The Boss might gripe along the way, but he’ll take a pet to the vet, clean a litter box, fix dinner, administer medicine, clean up messes, give baths.
The Boss and I are opposites—I’m the outgoing, bossy Yankee; he’s the introverted, mannerly Southern boy. I guess we work because we balance. The Boss is a good daddy and a great husband. He puts up with my love of pets because he loves me, and that’s worth more than all the flowers in the world.
So despite The Boss’s many, many—many faults, Zoe, Peanut, Scooter, Tarzan, Catfish and I couldn’t do it without him.
posted by Sandy at 4/18/2007 08:53:00 AM
Pet People
23 Comments:
Sandy,
Our Mothers could be sisters, guess it is partly the generation they came from thinking men should be catered to. My Mother always has taken up for Fly Boy! She also thinks they should eat enough and the kinds of foods that will send thier cholesterol through the roof.
Fly Boy bitches, moans, cusses the cats and complains about all the bad things they do. Says we can't have a damn thing for the cats tearing them up. Sometimes he sends them flying through the house with his yelling when one of them does something to make him mad. Now that being said, Brittany is Daddy's cat. When he gets in the recliner she had to get right beside him. If she isn't there he will pat the chair and say com'on Britty kitty come up here and sit with me. And up she goes and cuddles beside him, they're buds. Penelope will let him know when she wnts him to scratche her head and chin too. She'll fuss at him till he starts scratching. Courtney is much more subtle and will gently rub against his leg or just wait till he comes over to her to give her attention.
As much complaining as he does, he is always more than willing to help with them. He's ready to put them in their carriers to take to the basement when we have tornado watches or to the vet. He does most all of the box changing and never complains about the cost of thier medical care even when it's near $500.00 for the check ups and blood work for all three at once. Even though he does complain that I waste money on toys and playthings that they ignor, ( he is usually right )he never tells me not to buy them. He can be a big bad bear next thing turn around he's a Teddy Bear. In spite of his complaints he loves our girls and helps take good care of them. And like your boss Sandy, Fly Boy does a lot for the girls to help me because he loves me and takes good care of me too. That means more than we can ever tell them. We are very lucky girls to have such good husbands!
My parent was totally opposite. They cautioned me about getting married too soon and being "tied down" for the rest of my life. I was never thinking marriage until I turned 39. I met my hubby in a chat room online and after a couple of months, I became ill and was in the hospital. Hubby quit his job, packed up and moved in and nursed me back to health. We married and have been happy for 13 years now. He is intelligent (hey, he married me), funny, and loves our four-legged kids. One of the things that touched my heart was early on, he mentioned that he had always wanted a dog. His mother didn't approve of pets when he was growing up. Our family had pets from the beginning. I even had a pet spider for one fall season. So, hubby got Aimee, dog princess. Max and Charlie joined the family and hubby is in hog heaven... or should that be dog heaven. I have always had cats. When he first moved in I had my Baby Girl, who passed just before we moved here after 18 years of wonderful, loving companionship. I told hubby if it came down to him or Baby Girl, she would win because I had known her longer. He has loved all my kitties as much as I do. He is patient and caring. Yeah, he's a keeper.
Well his name is the Saint! Dad gave him that name a while back. Said that he is a true Saint to put up with all my sh!t... ha-ha... Daddy, I love you too! Dad says, “Are you taking good care of the Saint, are you feeding him good are you giving him some good lovings etc”… Ah, bite me dad!
Saint is a good man. He does not want me to work outside of the house unless I feel the need to so he provides for us. I do however do the rest of the chores around here. He will pitch in when asked to though. He is easy going and always ready to help a friend…
He is a real Saint when it comes to the animals! When we left Killeen, TX for Germany, he negotiated with his boss for us to get a rental car to drive to Dallas, a hotel for the night and tickets for a direct flight to Germany because of Skeeter! So we drove up to Dallas the night before our flight and got a hotel next to the airport so Skeeter would not have to be in a kennel carrier any longer then necessary! He comes home from work on Vet day so he can be there for their appointments. He hunts for treasures in the sand box, (he has night shift and me morning shift) washes food and water bowls! Heck, he even helps me get dingle berries off Cheetahs butt at times! Ah, what a man indeed!!!
For all the complaining my Hubby does about the cat and the dogs, he still loves them. When we argue about Jazzy clawing on the couch and I say “fine than you find a home for him” he always says “no he is part of this family.” I know he would never want to get rid of him, but I say it to remind him how much he is complaining. But all in all he does a lot with little credit. He’s the first to baby them and get on me if I don’t feed them right at 8 pm. He has spent the last 3 days fixing the water pressure in our new house because it’s not enough on the 3rd floor. He has cooked dinner for us almost every day for the last 4 years and helped clean the house AND he does laundry. In my defense, I do cook breakfast and dinner on the weekends and I put away the laundry when it’s done and well, let’s face it, NO body cleans the house like you do. He can’t mop the floor right to save his life. He went all the way to CO to get the rest of our house hold goods and drove all the way back with my mother who drives him nuts; all because I asked him too. He cleans up the dog yard, but throws a fit if I ask him to clean a litter box. He will even think about stopping at PetSmart to get the dogs a treat on the way home from work. He puts up with a lot and I love him for it.
LOL Skeeter! The Boss would never do butt duty of any kind!Dingle berries--that's a hoot! He can't even stand if anyone talks about anything remotely gross while he's eating. I mean, things not even gross in my book he hushes me over if he's eating. Me, I could talk about anything. Also, if I drop some food on the floor, I'll still eat it (after rinsing it off if anything is stuck to it. If not, rinsing is optional)He would throw it away. He hates if I let the dogs lick the plates, even though they'll be going to the dishwasher. Makes no sense to me!
I didn't work for many years and The Boss to this day says I don't "have to," so I understand. Taking care of a house and kids--two OR four-legged kind is one of the hardest jobs, and often not appreciated. Since going back to work, things have gone downhill around here as far as chores and upkeep!
Alice, I remember some of the things you mentioned about your husband in the past and I was amazed. Was he the one who insisted on getting some contraption for the cats?
Pam, The Boss is a bitcher and moaner too, but by now I just tune that out or give my usual sarcastic comment. I love sarcasm. He says I have a "mean mouth." Judge Judy is my real mother. I LOVE her directness and her smarts and intolerance for BS.
Yes, we got keepers, but lets not forget the gems THEY got in us! I think they got the better deal. LOL.
Well, Sandy, you talked about "signs." We stopped by Cat R Us and found out they are only open 10 to Noon. The we went over to the SPCA Shelter and found that they had moved and didn't post anything on the building where they had moved to. So, no buddy for Scootie today. With my hubby's work schedule, the next time we can go look is two weeks from today. When he has Wednesday off, he has to work Saturday and Sunday. I expected Cats R us to have regular hours. I shouldn't have assumed, clearly. When we didn't have any luck there, I figured it was a sign to check the shelter, to save a cat from being euthanized. But that didn't work out either as they are closed on Wednesday. So... the "sign" seems to be, now is not the time to adopt a cat. I was really looking forward to it. *sigh*
Pearcehart, please give the animal control another chance since thier cats are going to be put to sleep after just a few days. I heard they only have about 7 days to be adopted before they are oout down. That is heatbreaking!
Alice, if you can't make a visit to the shelter during their regular office hours, you can call them at that time and make an appointment for times other than when they are officially opened.Suzanne will schedule a time to meet you there.
Pearcehart, everything happens for a reason! Scooters new friend may not be at those facilities just now. In time, the perfect companion will come to you...
I forgot to add that when Fly Boy and I found out that our baby Cosette had feline leukemia he held me and cried just as hard as I did. He had really fallen in love with her by then, we had had her for a week and she was about 6 weeks old. So mean ole bithcher and moaner can really be a softie sometimes.
I have been with the Saint for over 20 years and the only time I ever saw him shed a tear was when Skeeter died. It was tough on us both.
Oh, Sandy-Sandy-Sandy. If you think The Boss was getting harassed before... that was just the beginning. Now the entire office will know how "whooped" he really is! Of course, experience has taught me that the toughest guys are usually the biggest teddy bears on the inside. I can say that because I "own" one! HA HA HA HA
Hello ashaver, glad to see you on here! Have you been reading all our good stuff we've been sharing from the beginning?
Now Amy, BEHAVE! But, I thought the same thing. Now the Boss can't even talk the big "I'm the man and the boss, yada yada yada" talk, because his secrets are out! Poor man, he'll just have to go out and buy another car now! LOL
And I do have a great story to add here about my Sweetie, but it will have to be later. I've been so busy this week I've barely been able to read, let alone post. Soon though.
Ha, I didn't even think of that effect, that he would get teased for doing all that. But so far he hasn't said anything, so I guess it's ok!
It's still me, ashaver, for those of you that know (or care) who I am. I just figured I'd change my user name. I'm new to this & was a bit irritated that "ashaver" showed up since I've met The Boss in person before. I'm just hoping he doesn't read these blogs & remember ME. He might hunt me down & throw a few dogs (4 from the Britt Farm to be exact) inside my privacy fence. Let's see... add 4 to my 3... and heck, I'd have a ZOO! Works for me!
Sandy - The Boss hasn't said anything to you because inside his head he's probably curled up in the fetal position waiting for all of this torture to END. LOL
Pam - Yes, I've been reading off & on for a while but didn't feel like taking the time to figure out how to get a Google account to participate. There have been SO many times I couldn't help but laugh out loud. I love Sandy's humor & bluntness. Guess that's why I keep her around. :)
I can't promise I'll be a regular blogger... but I'll definitely respond when provoked. Being in a house all day with a toddler, an infant, & 3 dogs doesn't leave me much time for "adult conversation." I work online all day but much of it is dealing ignorance as you all know. Like the lady who called yesterday wanting the Humane Society to use its low-cost spay/neuter program to help dock her puppies' tails! Some people need SOOOOO much education... you just don't even know where to begin. And, it truly feels hopeless sometimes. But, enough of that. I don't want everyone to get depressed just before heading into what SHOULD be a beautiful weekend. TTFN :)
Hi K9rescue, reconized that right off for sure! So glad you have joined us even if it is just whenever you can. As you have seen we get kind of quipy with each other and also spicy every once in a while but it's all in fun.
Now I am going to show my igonrance here but what is docking puppies tails? Is that clipping them? I'm afraid I'm not up on all that goes on.
Docking is cutting the tails off. Cropping is cutting the ears.
OUCH!!!!!!!!!!
Well, I better post my story before this topic drops off the blog!! I need more hours in the day. Or, my Sweetie would say I need less to do (at least with all my "stuff" I do that doesn't involve being at home).
I told this story way back in the beginning of Pet People. So, it may be old hat for some of you that have been around for the duration. Here goes.
In the first couple of years of our relationship (now in our 10th year), Sweetie was always telling me I needed to get a waterbed. He had one at his place and missed it when we had a sleep over at my place. I did have a waterbed for a brief time once before, and loved it. So, I agreed it would be a great thing to have. BUT....
Waterbeds are very heavy when full of water, and they always have a solid flat base to support the gazillion gallons of water. My pupster, Reb, always slept under the bed. Every night, always in the same spot right under where I sleep. I explained to Sweetie that I could not have a waterbed because Reb must be allowed to sleep under the bed where he wanted to be. Period.
Well, Christmas rolled around and I had a HUGE box under the tree. I opened it and it was a waterbed mattress and heater! I got all blustery about how this would not work, what about Reb, etc. Sweetie takes me by the hand and takes me outside to the lawn mower shed. He starts taking out these big square column things. Then, he goes into the spare bedroom and starts pulling long pieces of stained wood out from under the spare bed.
He had designed and built a frame and base for the waterbed. The base was not a solid base like you always see, it was supported by 5 large square columns placed at each corner and in the center! There was plenty of room for Reb (and any other fur baby) to sleep under the bed!!!
I just cried. It was so wonderful. No man had ever done anything that thoughtful for me before. He wanted to give me what I wanted, in both ways. The waterbed and the place for Reb.
What a guy. I think I'll keep him!
Oh, and Reb still sleeps in his spot. And Ranger likes to sleep way up under the head of the bed, hidden away from the world.
Contented sigh.....
Geez Stacey,
I think I would have cried too. I'm about to cry now. Definitely a keeper.Sounds like he went to so much trouble...very, very sweet.
OK, I guess I am going to try to struggle and think of something nice to say about mine now. Thanks Stacey (haha) I don't have anything even close to your story!
I can think of tons of great things he does for me, but not really much to do with the pets. He lets me lead as far as their care goes. He had several of his manly man friends who made fun of him to his face for "letting" me spend thousands of dollars on our boxer Cody when he had cancer. He has never killed me when he came home from being deployed on 3 different occasions and each time I had acquired a new stray cat. OK...I guess I am grabbing at straws huh? My husband grew up in a home that disliked cats and thought dogs were animals you put in pens behind your house.Not a cruel home-just one that thought you didn't bring pets inside-didn't get attached to them-and cats were just a nuisance. Our dogs sleep on the couch, bed, where ever they are comfiest(is that a word?)and we have 4 cats. He loves me enough to let me change his rules. He has even said he likes 3 of my cats...thats a start right?
Stacey, I am a boo hooer and that was a story to get me started. You are right, your sweetie is a keeper! What he did for you was a show of love if there ever was one! What a guy!You got to be proud of him!
Shannon, your hubby is a good guy too. you don't have to struggle to find a way. For someone who was raised the way he was about animals to let you have the stray cats, help Cody through the chemo, and let the dogs lie where they want,I'd say you have a keeper there too.And I have one too. Even with his complaints he lets our girls do whatever they want and deals with it. He does love them and puts up with a lot from them as well as me! Girls we are a lucky bunch!
I remember that story! Yes, we got some keepers, despite the things we have to put up with.
On a side note--The Boss is like that about things I do that I "don't have to do."
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