The dog and the fish

Kevin had a doctor's appointment yesterday (17lbs, 1oz & 28.75 inches). When I arrived home, Kevin was asleep in his car seat (he didn't take any naps yesterday) so I checked on Marco before waking Kevin (the pond is directly behind where I park, for those of you gasping that I'd leave him in the car). There was my poor fish at the bottom of the pond and he was belly up. I threw my head back and wailed at the heavens, "MARCO!!!!" in a way that was reminiscent of the scene in La Bamba. Not my Marco. Not the fish that was named Marco because he was the first of the fish in the plastic bag that had the brains and the guts to actually swim out of the bag and into the pond (the second fish was named Polo, BTW). Not the fish who has managed to evade the ruthless predators that has killed his friends. Not the fish who I saved a couple of years ago when his tail fins were tangled in the pond plants and he couldn't get loose to swim. Not the fish who I took a pair of tweezers and pulled a mini pine cone from his throat as he laid STILL when I noticed that, when I fed him, he'd take the food in and it would come back out of his mouth. Yes, I know it's a Fantail. Yes. What's your point? I prodded him with the net and moved him back and forth in the water to get the water through his gills. Then I grabbed Kevin (who didn't know what the fuck was going on with the rude awakening and hustle out of the car and into the house, but was quiet throughout. Probably sensing that Mommy was a bit on edge). As I opened the front door, Carly and Annie were running around the living room. I was completely stunned because they are supposed to be gated in their room. That's number one. There is also a second baby gate between the kitchen and the dining room that is used when we let them out of their room to have more room roaming. Somehow Roni forgot to latch the first gate when she got in the shower. To see them in the living room was such an unexpected experience that I froze in the doorway with my mouth hanging open for a second. That's all it took. Carly saw her chance to make my life even more of a living hell at that moment and bolted out the front door. Annie started to follow, but I got my wits about me by then and grabbed her in time. I tossed poor Kevin in his walker (with his coat still on so his little arms are sticking out to his sides-similar to the kid in The Christmas Story) and ran for a leash while cursing a blue streak. On the way, I plugged in the heater to the pond in the hopes that it wasn't a case of too little, too late for Marco. I ran out the front door thinking, "Katie should be coming down the street from the bus stop. Maybe she grabbed her." I was right. Katie was coming down the street with her friend and there was Carly. Did Katie grab her? Was she even attempting to grab her? This dog she professes to love so much? Nope. She was standing there with her thumb up her ass watching Carly. I start jogging down the street thinking, "at least I don't have to do the treadmill today." My life was made ever-so-much easier when a guy came out of his house and grabbed her for me. Carly then walked me down the street to the house and went in like nothing had happened.

Marco, BTW, was swimming around the pond today. I guess he hates the cold like I do.