stresstwig

so in an eerie precursor to the events that would later transpire, i posted these pictures earlier of carl chasing squirrels up a tree. these two squirrels taunt him all the time and wait up in this tree and drop acorns on him while he barks at them and wastes time outside. today he spent an unusually long amount of time barking at them and chasing them in the yard.

this evening i let carl out and laid on the couch. ten minutes later i heard him bark and assumed he was waiting at the back door, so i got up and opened the door but he wasn't there. i looked out to the back yard and couldn't see him, so i put my shoes on and walked out by the tree. he wasn't around and wasn't responding to my calling him.

my first thought was, "dammit, i don't have a flashlight." the one i had broke a while ago and i've always used portable plug-in lights when working on my car. i walked down the street a bit but it was so dark i turned around. i walked out to the front of the house and didn't see him. i watched a bunch of cars pass my house and started to think about carl getting run over by a car. i kept going back and forth thinking, "should i leave and go buy a flashlight, letting him wander farther away, or should i keep looking, possibly missing him by not being able to see?"

a few more times around the house and i finally grabbed my key and was going to drive to walgreens. as i got to my car in the driveway, there was carl, standing next to it looking at me like, "damn, the squirrel got away." i looked at him and said aloud, "what the fuck, man?" i put him inside and drove to walgreens and still bought a flashlight.

so i guess the moral of the story is to always have a flashlight around before something bad happens. or maybe it's, don't be a bad dog and chase squirrels and escape under the fence and run away. either one, i suppose.