The Prisoner is getting old

 Tuesday June 23, 2026

The Prisoner spent most of Tuesday ruling the roost, but I'm starting to notice his aging.  He seems a little more elderly to my eyes.  It reminds me of the last few months of Rubia's life.  I'm trying to baby him a lot, but it has me pondering in my heart how much longer he'll be with me.

He has adjusted to the narrower rail atop the fence.  Today I showed him how nice and broad the drink rail is, and he navigated that OK.

I really had to smile that he chose "under the couch" as a hiding place.  Not a good idea, bub.  That's where Ember likes to den.

No hiding from that nose, kitty.  When Ember came home, The Prisoner opted to stay outside.

Wednesday the 24th, a Mommy and Me day

We are still in a "nice weather" pattern.  It is humid even in the cool of the morning.  Mommy opted to declare the "pack migration" at 7:15 a.m.

Ember took us through some different parts of the neighborhood, taking us a total of 2.04 miles.  During this walk she got to touch noses with Bella, the older white lab, and she was a good girl and kept her paws down while greeting Bill, a guy I used to work with.  Bill was out walking, and Ember knows him from several past meetings, dating back to when we measured her age in weeks.

However, she also found a patch or two that her instincts demanded she drop and roll to wear its disguising (and to humans maybe disgusting?) scent.

When we got home, we took Dexter (the car) for a drink of gasoline.  Still expensive.  Nearly 7 gallons, over $25.  We added a coffee drive-thru where Mom got her London Fog and Ember got a Milkbone.

Feeling nicely content, Ember settled for a nap in the crate and Mommy took a refreshing shower and wrote this day's entry.

Thursday the 25th

Ember dropped at day care at the usual time.  As it turned out, her vet office has the remaining bird specialist in town, and one of my DIL's cockatiels had been poorly for a week or so, and she brought him in for the vet to check out at the same time.  I sat with her and "mouse in the corner" watched what kind of questions the vet tech asked about a bird. DIL gave informed answers.  She's been around birds from childhood up; her dad is a birdman, never without some avian companion(s) in the house.

The rest of the day was full of human stuff.  I washed bed linens, put away winter/fall/spring covers, stopped at the library to swap out books, and changed burnt out lightbulbs.  All the minutia of life, huh?  The lumber company truck came by and removed the leftovers from the deck construction from the driveway.

Ember came home to a "normal" evening routine.  

I'm noticing that there are fireworks being set off already, and it's more than a week before the 4th of July.  My son's dog Carl is already on his calming meds.  Ember, thank goodness, is pretty OK with distant booms; the ones that are within 50 feet or so will startle her, but she recovers pretty quickly.

Friday the 26th

Now we have a stretch of four days of just us ahead.  Ember took me out for a 1.7-mile neighborhood walk. She navigated well, greeting one gent who was very cooperative about helping her "be good" and keep her paws down.  We did a pretty polite sit to allow other dogs and people walk by on the other side, and we walked on, giving them their space.  

When we got home, Dexter (the car) took us to pick up some of her Wild Salmon kibble with Ancient Grains (have I mentioned my dog is a pampered Diva?).  This is one where she's allowed in the store on leash, and she behaved well, sitting and waiting for the clerk to hand her a treat when it was our turn to pay.  After sniffing the truck parked next to us, she loaded up, and home we came.

In short, life has returned to normal.  The deck is fresh and new, but its footprint is the same, and both animals have figured out it can be used to maintain safety and interest in the same way the old one was.

Life is good.

Keep on Sparking!