My Adventures in Writing

Ahh…my garden. Getting home from work on a warm spring day and touring my yard is a treat. Playing in my garden is even more fun. I love to watch everything grow. The peas are doing especially well right now.

Today as I was out in the yard, our dog did the funniest thing. As I cut the flowers from the garlic, the dog took one and began to throw it around. Then, he started to chew on it. He enjoyed it immensely, until he bit into the flower. Then he hacked and coughed in surprise. Finally the silly dog had to rub his nose around in the grass. He loves his yard, especially on mowing day. He is now a chartreuse green, but I’m not sure the pictures do it justice.

I can’t wait until I get my splint off so I can work in the yard.

Growing up, my sister and I had vivid imaginations, with creative playtimes. Once in awhile we would imagine we had only one arm or one leg and try to get around the house. Well, the past few weeks I’ve experienced what it’s really like to live using only one hand. I suffered a broken right ring finger a few weeks ago while I was walking my dog. With the leash wrapped around my hand, my dog was attacked and pinned down to the walkway. My dog finally wiggled free. I then noticed my numb hand and obviously crooked finger. My dog survived with a few bruises but I have to live with a splinted right hand.

It’s been frustrating to say the least. The main difficulty has been losing the ability to write. As a writer, this a especially hard. I can type fairly well one-handed but it’s not the same. I like to write things out on paper first but I haven’t been able to lately. Simple things like brushing my teeth or eating are also difficult.

It’s been hard for me to ask for help - that’s probably been the hardest.

While walking at Bald Hill on May 9th, my dog was viciously attacked by
a very large German Sheppard. In the process of trying to save my dog
from the jaws of this larger dog, my ring finger was broken. As my dog
yelped in pain, the dog and his 3-4 “handlers” walked off. Without an
apology or offering to help us, we sat on the pathway, crying, shocked.
My dog continued to whimper and yelp for several minutes. The other
people continued on their way, never looking back. We were finally able
to hobble back to the car. I tried to warn each dog owner we met on the
way back about the vicious dog. Several kind people offered to help us.
If not for them, I might have lost all hope in humanity. Today my hand
is splinted and my dog is bruised and stiff. I am stuck with my medical
bills.

So, to all dog owners who walk Bald Hill, please watch out for this dog.
He was very large for the German Sheppard breed, with a black face.
There were 5 people, and they were also walking a white, medium sized
goat. They paid no attention to me or my anguish.

Please be responsible for your pets. If your animal is violent, leave it
at home. Do not endanger the well being of others. If your dog does
bite, be a human being and ask the person if they need help.

Tomorrow I start my new job. This will be very different for me since I’ve worked for the same company for almost 7 years. It was bittersweet leaving my employment, receiving hugs and best wishes from kind co-workers. But they all seemed to understand that good things were happening for me. They thought it sounded like a good step for me, which was reassuring.

I’m a little nervous about my new start, getting used to a new environment. But I am also excited to start working with new people and new responsibilities. I get a chance to show the real me and what I know.