By our side.

Margaret called this morning (October 12, 2006) from Colorado City.

Our "shared" family dog, Laci, has been happily residing with Patti's mom for about two years, romping freely in the wide open spaces of her countryside farm. Laci would always greet Margaret's many visitors as they crossed the entry gate's cattle guard with an inquistive, but protective "what's your business here?", bark.

My cell phone revealed a deep level of concern and urgency in her voice. "Something's wrong with Laci."

Colorado City is 100 miles away; so I instructed Margaret to rush Laci to her local veterinarian, Dr. Alfred Vardeman, for immediate attention. I would be on my way shortly to bring her back to her own doctor, Charlie Mohr, here in Andrews.

We'd had Laci for almost exactly eleven years. She was a full blood Blue Merle Australian Shepherd with a snow-white neck mane and tan points in all the right places. Her pedigree is impressive, as both her parents were championship show dogs. Laci was one of a kind, and everywhere we took her we always got the same response: "Oh what a beautiful dog."

In November 1995, a puppy was delivered to 1300 NW 4th Street by a private breeder from Grapevine, Texas. The pup was an early Christmas present for Patti, as she was still suffering the "empty nest" syndrome; what with youngest son Brent at far away Texas A&M University.

A cute little thing... as they all are, eight weeks old and just a wiggly fluff-ball of fur. With the biggest eyes and the silkest ears, and a tiny pink spot on her jet black nose. Though we had picked her out of the litter from pictures, up close and personal translated to love at first sight for all of us.

Since we were a tennis family, and that puppy would chase and tumble after rolling tennis balls...and chase and tumble again, we decided to name her "Laci," after the brand name 'Lesse' tennis apparel we wore during that time. So, Laci was ours to raise, love and adore till death do us part.

Unfortunately, Margaret was right. Before I could even get ready to leave for Colorado City, the phone call came from Dr. Vardeman that Laci was gone. If you are an animal lover and have ever lost a pet, you probably know about "Rainbow Bridge"...our imagination tells us that's where Laci is now. [Enter keywords - Rainbow Bridge]

Dr. Vardeman suspected that a pancreatitus attack was the most likely cause of Laci's sudden and unexpected demise. It all started that morning when she refused to eat for only the second time in her life, and Margaret knew at once something was not right. Laci was mostly a healthy dog. We did have a few scary times; like when she somehow ingested something at the farm that made her seriously ill, and she had to spend several days at Dr. Vardeman's clinic. Other than that there was never a time for real concern regarding her health...until this day...when it all fell apart.

A consoling circumstance was that Patti's sister, Bren, had snapped a picture of Laci and Margaret sitting together on Sunday afternoon, and Laci looked perfectly normal, healthy and happy...but then again, she was always content when she was at Margaret's side.

After the shock phase of Laci's death had run it's course, my inclination was to immediately begin this article for my 'Speakin' of Country' column. As I reviewed her AKC papers to access pertinent information, my gaze was drawn to her birth date... October 12, 1995. Unable to speak, I handed the papers to Patti, and a wave of emotion flooded my soul as I finally managed to express myself, "she died on her birthday." The first major eruption of grief and tears engulfed us both.

Before she went to live with Patti's mom, Laci loved to go to our farm (Heston's Haven) south of Colorado City. When the pending trip was announcd with "wanna go to the farm?", she would immediately do a whirling dance and race to our front yard and "do her business" , before jumping into the back of the Toyota 4-Runner.

It was at the farm that we first noticed her 'herding instincts', as she would try to herd anything that moved...including our pen raised chuker quail, cottontail rabbits, butterflies, chickens, goats and even our visitor's cars.

Her most favorite thing to do was to chase down golf balls that we hit from an elevated tee box on our farm's lighted driving range. We kept wondering why our golf ball supply was noticeably dwindling from day to day. We finally discovered that Laci's herding instinct was so strong that she would snatch up the rolling golf balls, run them to a small watering trough in the pasture, and drop them in. There must have been 200 golf balls in the bottom of that tank.

When Patti and I arrived at Dr. Vardeman's clinic the next morning to carry her to the farm, the fact that she was really gone hit us hard. Alfred is such a caring and sensitive being (veterinarians are like that), as he calmly explained his sense that God gives us pets that we might be more aware of our own mortality, since we can normally witness their birth, growth, maturity, decline and eventual death during our own lifespan.

As Laci was gently placed in the back of our 4-Runner for her final ride to the farm, a second wave of emotion rushed through us, and we felt it all the way to Heston's Haven's gate.

When we passed the golf shed at the crest of the hill facing east, 200 yards west from our country home, we knew where we would lay her to rest...right beside the tee box...where she always layed down after she had herded all the golf balls she cared to for that day.

It is there that she will always be "by our side."

Laci 10/12/1995 - 10/12/2006

The dryer factor.

I suppose the good news is that I got our dryer working again.

The bad news is that, like all major appliances getting up there in working hours, it's bound to sooner or later need replacement - and at a cost I'd just as soon not think about. They, like we humans, get old and stop working. It seems to be one of the main laws of the universe - like grandkids never tracking mud across a clean floor, or, if the shoe fits...it's ugly.

One of the more simple lessons my chemistry/physics students had to digest was the cause of things wearing out; something called "entropy", which is, in this case, a scientific term meaning "expensive".

The "things" I'm referring to are all the modern machines designed to make our lives less complicated - washers, dryers, computers, cell phones, stoves etc., etc! They're all subject to 'entropy' and they're all expensive to fix or replace. I won't even mention automobiles. There, the cost of even a seemingly simple repair can be right up there with a monthly mortage payment.

Wearing out is not an unexpected event. Happens all the time. It just seems these "things" always tend to surrender in groups. Consequently, when you experience the apparent last struggles of (in our case) a dryer, it's probably a good idea to check the pulse of freezer and water heater too.

If they don't all die at once, then their other forte is timing.

Example: Home remodeling is so in vogue...has been for at least a year and a half around our homestead. Remodeling translates to new ceramic tile and hardwood flooring, completely redone kitchen and bathrooms, new plantation shutters, new furniture, new deck and landscaping, and far worse, the walls and ceilings (read "paint"). Painting means something, according to artistic Patti, that we can do ourselves (unfortunately including yours truly) to save some green.

So, appliance failure never happens when you are flush with cash. Nope. Appliance death is always inconvenient. When you combine, let's say, a clothes dryer kicking the bucket along with house remodeling, the checkbook starts wheezing like it's going to cross the river Styx too.

Still, I did get the dryer working again. However, that didn't happen without some pain.

Like most married adult males, I've become accustomed to various vocalizations from the significant other and the likely interpretations for such. Be that as it may, when I heard a loud "pop", followed immediately by a startled mini-scream, I rushed into the utility room to find the dryer lid flopped open and the acrid smell of electrical smoke...and Patti with both hands over her mouth.

When I asked her what happened her breathless response was, " We need a new dryer".

I wasn't convinced, although the last thing I wanted to do was to disassemble a dryer to see why it's making "funny noises" and taking twice as long to dry the clothes we generate for washing every few days.

That being the case, instead of calling the repair man, I told 'she who must not be made mad' that I would check it out tomorrow and take appropiate action.

Reluctantly, the next morning I gathered my socket wrenches and other tools and got started.

I'd have been making funny noises too with what I found inside. $.87 in assorted change; an ink pen cap (red); a plastic flash card case (go figure); a large paper clip; an unmatched sock(dryers really do eat them); one very dessicated cricket and enough lint to clog the Disney tunnel.

Two hours later, I had all the parts cleaned, kinked and too long exhaust hose cleared and shortened, fuse replaced, motor oiled and everything back togather generally the way it was before the dryer had been pronounced dead. It didn't even make funny noises when I started it. I felt pretty good for having not succumbed to what could have been an expensive sojourn to Sears.

Still, I'm not too optimistic. The silly thing is still pretty old and the fix is probably only temporary. I'm just hoping to get another year or so out of it before it really does die in some cataclysmic event and takes the dishwasher and refrigerator with it.

No real moral to the story here. Juat another country boy horror story avoided, and 400 or so dollars saved...an amount that's a mere drop in the bucket compared to what's going into remodeling.

Never really ends, does it?

Things I've Learned.

During my lifetime I have always managed to spend considerable time out of doors getting away from whatever needed getting away from.

Over those years, I have learned a few things about communing with nature that never seem to get mentioned on any of the "outdoor" programs I occasionally watch on TV.

Some of these gems are remembered from my childhood days (not necessarily outdoors related), but most are things I learned from hunting, fishing or photographing in the great outdoors, and all have happened to me...either directly or indirectly.

Learned at an early age.

* Smaller brothers don't always stay that way.

* A second grade teacher who cries when we sing "silent night" is a keeper.

* Our dog didn't want to eat my vegetables either.

* Almost anything can be used as fish bait.

* Caution comes in handy when skinning catfish.

* A balogna sandwich taste better the farther you are away from civilization.

Learned during high school.

* Always assume the electric fence is working.

* Sometimes the path less traveled is that way for a reason.

* Always watch your backcast.

* No one ever owned too many Coleman lanterns.

* Rod tips and truck doors are best kept apart.

Learned during college.

* Gates and truck doors make more noise after dark.

* After falling from a boat, try standing up before panicking.

* Fish that make your heart pound should be landed with a net.

* Animals are animals, and humans are humans. Be wary of those who confuse the two.

* Sandy roads are better when wet...dirt roads are better when dry.

Learned after college.

* Dad was right.

* Size rarely matters. Largemouth bass fishing is one exception.

* Never throw away the instructions to a new tent.

* Whoever said "never touch the inside of a tent when it's raining" wasn't kidding.

* Waterproof usually means water resistant. Water resistant usually means nothing.

Learned as young adult.

* No one has ever sold anything below cost.

* The more tags on something the more it cost.

* Anti-hunters are merely one coyote-eaten pet cat or pet dog from seeing the light.

* Whatever the weather report says, be prepared for the opposite.

* It's true...duct tape, bailing wire and a pair of pliers are your best friends.

* Always pack the alarm clock, flasklight and toilet paper first.

Learned as older adult.

* Always duck when testing the corn feeder.

* Regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they are gone.

* Firearms are only an investment if you plan to sell them.

* Never completely trust that the drain plug is engaged in your boat.

* "Cabela's" likely comes from a Latin word meaning "world's largest daycare center for men".

* A GPS isn't worth crap unless you know how to use it.

Learned as outdoor photographer.

* The West Texas sunrise doesn't happen on it's own.

* Don't drink caffeinated beverages or coffee before you put on three layers of clothes and insulated coveralls.

* If you build a photo blind in a prairie dog town, make sure it is snake proof...and bring a flashlight to check before crawling inside...just in case.

* Yes, a snake can fit through a crack that small.

* New camo clothing and barbed wire are naturally attracted.

* Don't try to slide through a barbrd wire fence with a fanny pack on if you are alone; actually, don't try to straddle over one either.

* If a rancher says it's just over the hill, pack a lunch.

* If he says you can't miss it, make darn sure he goes with you.

* Don't set up your photo blind in a bull pasture.

Learned as a grandparent.

* Grandchildren and grandparents are natural allies.

* An hour fishing with grandkids will teach them more than a week of television.

* The world's best babysitters are Zebco rods and reels and Daisy BB guns.

I HAVE A LOT MORE TO LEARN.