Four More Salad Eaters
I have this neighbor....let's call him Chuck. Chuck is freaked out lately because they are sanding and painting our apartment complex and it's been going on nonstop for ten weeks with no end in sight. As for me, I've been out of town for months, so I kind of welcome the distraction as a reminder that home is sweet even when it's not. Besides, I can go up to the Pig to write. Chuck, though....he's stuck. He doesn't like people much so he confines himself to his home, even when his home is in total deafening chaos. In truth, he likes animals more than people and I believe Chuck feels like he would be subjecting them to cruel treatment if he didn't stay there and suffer along with them. He has three cats. He feeds the coons and the skunks living under his building. He feeds the neighbor's cats and the strays in the hood and walks the dogs in the surrounding buildings. Chuck is the Doctor Doolittle of my street.
The other day Chuck comes over asking me for a favor. I am happy to oblige without question, but what is it? "Did you know I have turtles?"
"No. When did you get them?"
"About twenty five years ago."
Apparently they hibernate in his back yard during the winter. It's not like I should've expected anything else nor should I have known. He just never mentions them, that's all. So I was a little taken aback when he asked me to Turtle-sit for a while. Well it turns out that as much of a random personality as Chuck is with humans, he's the exact opposite when it comes to animals. He's the fucking Timex watch of animal maintenance... true as North, Right as Rain. As he doesn't really trust me to actually take care of them so every morning he wakes me up to come through my place to get to the patio and feed the turtles. He calls me every day, probably three times a day to tell me about the progress of the sanding and painting and whether he'll need to move the turtles that day. He also asks me if I will go to Dan Tana's and get him a salad. This has been going on for about three weeks now.
So I've added to my menagerie. Three lizards in mobile homes and a small, moody creature who keeps odd hours named Chuck. Who knew pet-sitting was going to be such work?
The other day Chuck comes over asking me for a favor. I am happy to oblige without question, but what is it? "Did you know I have turtles?"
"No. When did you get them?"
"About twenty five years ago."
Apparently they hibernate in his back yard during the winter. It's not like I should've expected anything else nor should I have known. He just never mentions them, that's all. So I was a little taken aback when he asked me to Turtle-sit for a while. Well it turns out that as much of a random personality as Chuck is with humans, he's the exact opposite when it comes to animals. He's the fucking Timex watch of animal maintenance... true as North, Right as Rain. As he doesn't really trust me to actually take care of them so every morning he wakes me up to come through my place to get to the patio and feed the turtles. He calls me every day, probably three times a day to tell me about the progress of the sanding and painting and whether he'll need to move the turtles that day. He also asks me if I will go to Dan Tana's and get him a salad. This has been going on for about three weeks now.
So I've added to my menagerie. Three lizards in mobile homes and a small, moody creature who keeps odd hours named Chuck. Who knew pet-sitting was going to be such work?
posted by wally @ 3:33 PM
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