The Friday from hell

I came home from work on Friday to find Chloe outside of the house, indeed, out side of the fence waiting for me on the corner of Yale and Lead. She smashed through a window. There's not a scratch on her, though I don' t know how she got out and through the security bars without spearing her self. I came in the gate panicked and feeling her all over for cuts, because there had to be some somewhere. I could see some blood droplets on the ground and blood on the sash. She squeezed through a jagged opening in that window that was surely smaller than her body. And then I saw the flowerpot below the window with large shards sticking straight up out of the dirt. The window is high. I don't know how she did it, but she managed to get through the window over the flowerpot of death and down onto the patio with nothing more than a little nick on her tongue which looked okay. I watched her walking all evening thinking that she must have injured her legs at least jumping out like that...she is a long low dog with thick stout little legs and a very basset hound like body (more so every day I think) so I was worried thinking that once her adrenaline wore off she might be gimpy...nothing. I was devistated because we worked with her to be alone in the house. She was breaking off her teeth in the kennel and so we thought, finally, after some work, we could safely leave her in the house. Now I know I can't trust her. She could have died. I also don't know how the cats didn't get out. And since it's a holiday weekend there is no one available to repair this window until Wednesday. She'll be back in the kennel from now on. I broached the subject of putting her down with Steph because we have been dealing with Chloe's extreme separating anxiety for years and years (thanks to her three previous owners), but we can't do it. I guess medication is next as we have tried everything else. I don't even know why she did it. I was home well before any thunderstorms.

This was part of the rottenness of my Friday which really started late Thursday night. I found out late Thursday night by accessing my Hollins e-mail, that someone from VA training (at my work) sent an e-mail on August 21st stating that I and several other employees needed to complete this cyber awareness training by August 21st or be terminated. Again, the email was sent August 21st at 3:45 in the afternoon. I got this mail on August 30th. So I got in to work stressed on Friday and called the appropriate people to find out what was going on...then I spent THREE HOURS taking online exams on cyber awareness...whatever the heck that is. Then the dog and the window. She had been doing so well. This morning I watched her fly hunting and she was really very agressive and hit the window more than once. I thought, for a second, hey, maybe she crashed the window going after a fly. No matter. It is the kennel for her, and a holiday weekend at home alone waiting for the window guys to come.

Home alone isn't such a bad thing after a Friday like that. I really didn't want to be around anyone. I know I'm doing okay here on my own, and hate the doubts that creep in. Steph is better at handling the home front. She's the rock, and I'm the one who flits around. I miss her. I'm okay, but I really really miss her. After I told her what happened making sure to lead off with the fact that Chloe and the cats and I are all alright, she immediately looked up flights home, and was prepared to fly out that night. I wanted to say yes. She is rarely spontaneous, and is always concerned about the budget. I talked her down from the ledge. We were all fine. There was no need. But I felt so happy that she wanted to take that flight, and so lucky. We are never going to do this again, this living apart, because we both know that we are always better together.