Pontoon Ride 2025

Mother’s Day week-end provided some cabin time for DeeAnn & I and the four dogs.  The dogs all fall into cabin routine as if a 6+ month absence never occurred.  Rainie checks things out, strolls around while keeping an eye on DeeAnn’s every move, and swims.  Helen runs towards the lake as far as her lead allows, then circles back and tries again and when opportunity allows – swims.  Holly & Keltie play chase around the yard circling behind the cabin and popping out from around the corner as if to surprise the other who is waiting for them, then they swim.  There is a theme here and it includes water.

For us, the pontoon gets prepared and loaded up with life jackets, snacks and dogs.   We circle the lake checking on the condition of the cabins after the winter season, who has the dock in and what sort of tree damage there might be.   If the pontoon were a car it would likely have 200,000 miles on the odometer and collector license plates.  It keeps floating and puttering around Lower Comstock Lake seemingly just as happy as the rest of us that cabin season has arrived.

Cabin neighbors, the Olivers, have a new puppy.  They said good-bye to their loving, trusting friend Harry, in January of this year.  Shortly after they brought a little golden lab puppy home, a girl named Brook Trout Oliver.  She is 3 months old and a spitting image of Kimber.  Holly stopped in her tracks and did a double take when Brook came by her.  It didn’t take long and Holly had Brook running and playing comfortably and confidently.   Brook hasn’t had much contact with other dogs and has shown reservations with them.  Holly was the perfect partner.  She approached her slowly, dropped to the ground, placed her head lower than Brook and wagged her tail.  Holly took Brook’s lead on how and when to play.  It didn’t take long and they were chasing and wrestling.

Kristie and Dan stopped by the Harvy House to plant the Innova tree they have been fostering for DeeAnn since last Fall.  She didn’t want to plant it at 2406 W 8th St knowing she would be moving so they harbored it until the new home was ready.  Kristie’s brother, Craig, came with.  We were not able to attend Craig’s 60th birthday party so we celebrated at the Harvey House that day.  Craig is a dog person so he was a happy camper hanging out with us.

Back home, my backyard is going through the annual spring make-over.  Grass seed is getting spread out, section by section.  The yard shrinks for the dogs but for the most part they stay in their zone.  Holly has gotten clever and creative in how she persuades me to ‘touch’ the soccer ball, her new outdoor obsession.  It is placed on the pile on leaves when I am raking.  It is placed in the middle of the grass seed when I am watering.  It is placed on the garage steps when I am carrying bags of dirt out from the garage.  And more.  Finally I had had enough and I tossed the ball from the side pen over the fence and into the front yard.  Holly stares at the gate.  When I had finished my project, I went to the front yard to get her ball.  No ball.  Not anywhere.  I am panicing thinking I will have to return to Holly without having her soccer ball in my hand.   I knew it had to be somewhere in the front.  My persistence in searching paid off but it also led to me having to lay flat out on 5th Street, face down on the ground so I could reach under the parked car where the soccer ball had so strategically stopped rolling.  When I got out, and up,  with the soccer ball I looked up at the house and could see both Holly & Helen peeking through the gate slats watching my every move.  And behind Holly I could see the shadow of a tail wagging, back and forth with a steady pattern.  I have a feeling her gleefulness was about me flat on the ground getting her soccer ball, not about the soccer ball being rescued.  Holly has a way of one-upping me with gamesmanship.  She has a knack of getting the last laugh.  As frustrating as that is, it is also what I love about her.