Chemo Brain is a Real Thing

Yesterday morning was nuts. I had to get out the door with Zack at 5:25 am, pick up his hockey buddy and get them to their practice out at UBC. Then back to the "upper office," to catch up with correspondance and make a blog entry and get myself and Charlotte up and ready to be out the door at 8:30 am. I realize that this is normal for most families and I am very grateful that I do my jewellery design work from home.

Just as we were heading out the door I said "Where's Sadie?!" We called. No Sadie. We ran around the house. No Sadie. I looked out at the back gate. Closed. I looked out the side gate. Open! By this point Tom had shown up to take Sadie for a walk and I just sent Ruby off to get a ride with Tom and pick up her two school buddies and I started calling out both the front and the back doors for Sadie. I realize that not all people are dog nutbars like I am but really one more major trauma and I might just drop dead on the spot.

There were about ten guys who had descended on the house next door to me that has been for sale and empty for almost a year. They were mowing the snow-covered lawn, carrying around gas-belching blowers and basically making a big eco-unfriendly racket. There were also all the guys working on the major reno across the street and as my mind was going a mile a minute, I'm also thinking that our usually quiet street has just had lots of traffic with people dropping their kids off at the elementary school that is just a block away.

I grabbed one of the clear plastic sqeak-makers that I am always removing from Sadie's clutches after she has ripped open a stuffie (she usually gets one in her stocking and sometimes as a just-because gift). When she was just a young pup I had trained her that squeak equals yummy treat...most of her training I did with praise so squeak-hearing is very exciting for her and generally she comes running, tail-wagging and dog-smiling. Squeak, squeak out the front. No Sadie. Squeak, squeak out the back. No Sadie.

It's now 8:40am and I have an appointment downtown at 9am with my lawyer and accountant. I started to do what I always tell the kids to do when they lose something: retrace my steps. When was the last time I saw Sadie. Think computer think...Well...she went with me to drive Zack to hockey practice and then...oh...my...God...!!! I ran out to the car to find my very dear dog with her nose pressed against the front passenger side of the car...wagging madly...and smiling at me as if to say...I would just love some of those treats you were squeaking about!