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At the moment a dog named Snoopy
had only one interest. A broken piece of a twig that
had fallen from a nearby tree and now was held between
her paws. She was savoring every chew. A spotted mixed
breed beagle, her ears pricked up and she stared in
the direction of the driveway. She was hearing something
that her highly sensitive ears allowed her to hear,
just as she caught a scent and followed it singularly
intent on following it, no matter how far away it led
her from where she belonged. She would have continued
what she was doing too, taking a another bite of wood
and spitting it out to the side, if the dark blue 1960
Oldsmobile hadn't pulled up into view at exactly that
moment beside the house, the sunlight glinting brightly
off it's shiny surface. She stopped what she was doing,
and devoted all her attention to the car. Two visitors
stepped out, a friendly looking pair. Then suddenly
(when she realized who it was) she bolted, toward and
past her valued visitors. It appeared she had just been
shot out of a cannon into an orbit around the house
at the Carolent Grandma and Grandpa came into view and
spotted her. She shot passed them and then came back
around the side of the house and continued running past
them. She ran at her fastest gallop for at least two,
maybe three times around the house. Then finally slowing
down, she came crouching up to them with her tail wagging
vigorously. Give us some hugs and "koosies", Grandma
said as she extended her arms for a hug. Greetings done,
Grandpa concentrated on Snoopy. She had a way of crouching
and whining with excitement as she came toward him,
her tail vigorously waving. She liked the leather chew
bones or milk bone treats he gave her, but especially
like playing tug of war, in which he'd take two socks
tied together and dangle them in front of Snoopy. She
would grab them in her teeth and never let go, pulling
doubly hard for every pull of his. It was not something
you could easily let go of. Content with her chew bone,
Grandpa then had two main interests: the gardens and
the stove. There were always some new seeds and flowers
continually planted and he made sure that the stove
was clean. Sometime during the visit he would completely
disassemble the greasy parts of the gas stove, cleaning
it out with soap and water his tongue clasped in the
side of his teeth, intent on this job. Sometimes you'd
hear a "Ja-Ja America," or "Ach Du Leiber," When Grandpa
was working on the garden and something didn't go right.
. He might also say those things f he wasn't getting
any help in raking , shoveling or the piano keys he
was cleaning were particularly dirty. For he did a lot
of work before he sat down to talk, play cards or watch
televsion. He would clean the baby grand piano in the
living room, which originally had been theirs. As he
cleaned, you would hear the random sounds that the keys
made as he scrubbed them white. It sounded like the
tentitive music that a young child made as he experimented
with trying to get musical sounds out a piano. When
they came for a visit, they would usually stay for the
day. Grandma made it known early on that she couldn't
stay very long. They'd have a little something to eat.
A cup of coffee and piece of toast with honey and maybe
a piece of crumbcake, just a little noshing, then a
little schlafen. Once in response to Snoopy's barking,
Grandpa stirred awake where he was sitting. On the television
played a relentless series of commericals before a game
show like Let's Make a Deal continued. "Tina, let in
the hoont." Carl said, using the German word for dog
or hound. Grandma was usually trying to knit something,
like a blanket or a wool flag. She would call out for
"Dot, uh Carol," "or Nancy, Kathy," "or Fitz-Norm."hoping
that at least one of them were around and would anwer,
and not to forget, "Tom, Dave." It usually took a couple
of tries to get the name right, and when she finally
got it there would also be a little appropriate chuckle.
Somehow Grandpa would eventually stir awake, looking
sleepily around the room. If the kids came in, curioius
as to why he didn't go into the bedroom if he wanted
a nap, he would admit that it was the television game
show that had lulled him to sleep. If it had been wrestling
it would have been another story...
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