Garbage Day

Garbage day is every Thurs morning. Wed evening we have to cart all the various objects de garbage' up the driveway and put it in the street for pick up.

I hate garbage day. You'd think I'd love garbage day. You take all the stuff (some of it pretty smelly) up to your driveway and some nice truck comes and takes it all away. If they didn't take it away, I would soon be up to my armpits in unwanted refuse that I would have to find a place for. The truck is a blessing. I still hate garbage day.

I somehow feel that this is not my job and I resent doing it. Interestingly, with Kel in Phoenix, I ask my rational self, "Who's job is it?"

Maddie doesn't want to do it, she hates the trucks that come and would prefer the garbage to stay at home where it belongs.

Tazz would gladly take the garbage out, but he would spend alot of time sorting it (I might have thrown out something good), and not much would make it to the top of the driveway (in a bag anyway).

Rocky helps all he can by picking up all the old apricots off the ground and eating them (the result is more garbage for me to poop scoop, but I don't tell him that, I like him thinking he is helping).

Then there is Fin. She would be willing to help I suppose, but only weighing 7 pounds, I'm not sure she can handle the large amounts of trash we accumulate.

That leaves me. So last night I sat with my broken toe in the air considering the trash. I could have organized it and taken it out last night, but noooooo. I waited till 4:50 this morning organized everything and to the chorus of barking dragged the trash up the driveway.

You'd think it would end there. But now the fun begins for Maddie. The trucks come, she barks, and they leave. I've tried to explain to her that they will leave with or without her barking, but she will have none of it. I crate her, I put the citronella collar on her, I give her a big juicy bone to chew, I've held her in my arms. NOTHING, and I mean nothing stops her from barking at the trucks. I have to plan my business conference calls around the trucks coming. I ask myself, what kind of dog trainer allows this behavior. The answer is quite simple. It is easier to have her bark for 5 minutes than to stop her, so she keeps barking every Thursday.

There are alot of lessons to be learned from garbage day. I'm a little busy trying to stop Maddie from barking to understand everything I have to learn, but I'm sure it will come in time.