Close Meditations of a Visual Kind

Over in one of my friends LJ, is a little bit of learning some more about them. Anniversary time for a Most Significant Date with a Most Significant Other. So I tendered my congrats and well wishes and mentioned that I'm coming up on one of those meself, with SWMBO, and that it took place about six months after SWMBO told me I wasn't beating up that baby right.

Yah. Beating up that baby. Is how we met.

'Twas in NICU, and Myself doing chest PT to a premie neonate. Herself was a Respiratory Therapy tech, and told me I wasn't doing it right. Then she proceded to show me how to do it her way. Her way, my way, either way that kid survived and went home. That I remember.

And a couple two-three months later, I bought me a bright shiney spankin' new Chevy Van. And a coupla times shortly after that, got a phone call from Herself to come help with the broken down old Chevy Chevette she had... helped her get to the mechanic and home again.

And then she asked me if I'd take her shopping for a Yule Tree, because I had that bright shiney spankin' new Chevy Van and she wanted a Big Tree. That's when I met Kai.

Kai was a ShihTsu who she'd know since he was a twinkle in his mothers eye, and had given to her sister as a pup. Kai took protecting these two ladies Verra Serious. Had sister's boyfriend quite buffaloed, did Kai. I mean, here's this barely 15 pound soaking wet dustmop of a canine and Boyfriend din't like staying in the house, unless Kai was locked up.

So I comes into the house helping bring in the Yule Tree, and Kai spies this Foriegn Male and launches into UberKai Mode. People two houses over came out on their porches to see who was killing whom based on this canine cresendo. And I squats down and looks Kai in the eye and says, "Hi. Pleased to meet you too. Yup, I know, this is your turf. I'm just passing through, friendly kind of, and don't want anny hassles with nobody. But yanno, ya don't want to go on the breaking skin with teeth trip, 'cause ya won't like how that turns out."

Kai stood there and sort of said, Huh? Whatsupwiththis? I just returned his killing UberKai glare with a closed-lip smile on my face (so as to not show any teeth), and in a bit Kai turned and slooowwwwllly walked over to the side of the couch, and then sloooowwwwllly walked behind the couch.

We got the Yule Tree in the door, and set up in the stand with some water, and then watched some TV because it was time for Herself's favorite show at the time, Magnum PI. Every now and again, from behind the couch where we sat watching Magnum chase down some bad guy, there would waft over the soundtrack this grufflegrufflegrumpbark. Then silence.

When the show was over, I bid my good-evenings to both Herself and to Kai (who grumblegruffed back at me from behind the couch), and left.

A few days later, I went over on an invite for dinner, and when I stepped in the door, Kai spotted me, came over, sniffed my ankle... and wagged his tail. Herself offered Kai quite the perplexed look at that; no grufflerufflegrumpbark, no UberKai Mode, just a quiet tail wag. "What's up with this," she asks Kai, and Kai just looks at her with a "Well, he knows I own this turf and he's friendly" attitude.

Used to drive Boyfriend crazy, how Kai and I got along.