Our (cough) high speed internet service is provided by a company called Wild Blue. At least it does when the moon is in the right congress, and the weather co-operates, and the wind doesn’t blow the pine trees too far to the left. Needless to say, the “service” has been pretty iffy lately. For 95 bucks, a technician came out to look at things after we had been without a connection for 5 days. He made a few adjustments and gave me two options: cut down my favorite white pine, or spend $150 for a pole on which to move the dish. Nevermind that it has only been a year since it was installed, and the rocket scientist who did the initial installation (at a cost of $300) put it behind the tree in the first place. See where this is going?

To say that we’re not happy with our options is to put it mildly. If we can actually speak to someone who can gives us a definitive answer, we hope to switch to Citizen’s Cable. According to several friends, that may be like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. I’m told Citizen’s has their own problems, but at least they have an office in Floyd where I can go postal with any complaints if necessary.

That said, things have been interesting here on the Creek lately. Anne is in DC for her week in the office this month, leaving me here with our 14 year old dog, Tasha, and 4 year old cat, Sassy.

Tasha is part Keeshon and part psychotic. She requires a great deal of human contact which is standard for her breed. That’s not too difficult when there are two of us around to provide it, but when it’s just me, having a senile, arthritic canine follow (literally) your every move can be a challenge. And the cat? Well, Sassy has been in a snit and refuses to have anything to do with either me or the dog.

Domestic animals like routine. In fact, they demand routine. Any interruption in their routine leads to unhappiness. When you leave a dog alone, even for an afternoon, they think you’re gone for good. It can lead to anxiety which can lead to the destruction of some of your most favored possessions. That’s why they’re so happy when you return. Jumping all over you and peeing on the rug is just their way of saying, “I’m glad you’re not dead, now feed me.” And cats? Who knows what the hell the cat is thinking. Sassy just seems to tolerate me. Thankfully, Anne will be back Saturday.