What to Do About Chris

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Our stuff finally arrived from the moving company after they held it hostage for 38 days. Rose called them every other day for the last two weeks and got one promise after another. She was convinced we would never see our stuff, and that was a big stress factor for her. For me, there was only one thing on the truck that I would grieve over losing: Chris’s ashes.

His remains are here on my desk now.

My original plan was to spread his ashes in the backyard near the catio here. A place he enjoyed hanging out. Now, I feel I should bring him back to Florida and spread his ashes outside the catio there. Rose thinks that is a bad idea because he has never lived there. My concern is we may not own this house for very much longer and I prefer Chris to be near us.

I know it is not really Chris. I don’t really think his spirit hangs out where his ashes are. It is just symbolic. It would be nice to look out and know Chris is out there, or at least part of him.

There are two reasons why I don’t think we will own this house for a long time. First, we had discussed selling it at some point and using the proceeds to buyto pay down our Florida mortgage.

The second reason is more complicated. We have been working nonstop on this house since we arrived. It’s like a money pit, but it has been rented for over three years, so that’s part of it. We don’t expect it to be as much work next year, but it is an old house.

There was also the stress of our stuff in limbo and then there was the “incident.” A little over two weeks ago on a Saturday, Rose was outside with me helping to do yard work. Foolishly, she was wearing shorts and flipflops like she was in Florida.

Afterward, she noticed two bite marks on her foot, like she was bitten by a snake. Later, there were what appeared to be numerous minor marks on her body, resembling insect bites. She was convinced our house had fleas, but I was not affected, and neither were our cats. She had terrible itching for over a week and a half. During that time, she went to the doctor three times while her symptoms continued to worsen. It was determined she was probably bitten by a brown recluse spider, and her itching caused a bacterial infection to spread. Only during the last couple of days have the symptoms started to diminish.

I know this is a very wordy explanation, but the point is that during those dark days, she kept saying she hated it here and wanted to return to Florida. Now that she is getting better, she is more receptive to staying here, but I still feel that we are far more likely to grow old in Florida, so I think I would like Chris to be there too.

Another Dog to Worry About

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Yesterday, I heard barking outside that reminded me of the barking I heard outside years ago when a Pit Bull was in our backyard trying to get our neighbor’s cat, Casper. You can read that story here.

The barking sounded close, and I knew our cats were on the back porch, so I hurried outside to see what was going on. Sure enough, our next-door neighbor’s dog was outside in their yard. The dog had no supervision, which was okay since it was in a fenced-in yard, but it had pulled one of the fence slats off and also pulled away the chicken wire attached to the other side.

I tried talking to the dog calmly, but it would not stop barking. It wanted our cats just as much as the pit bull wanted Frankie a couple of weeks ago. It tried crawling under the fence a couple of times, but the chicken wire was just enough in the way to prevent it. I’m sure that if the dog kept trying, it would have made it under the fence. It then surely would have taken no time to rip through the screens.

I took a less-than-great photo just before the neighbor’s door opened, and the sound of a whistle caused the dog to go inside.

The funny, or not-so-funny thing about the incident is that both cats were standing near the screen closest to the dog. This makes me worry that if a dog does get into our backyard, the cats won’t have enough sense to run into the house.

This morning, I put a couple of nails in the fence slat. Hopefully, that will hold the dog back.

Photo Friday: Post Traumatic Cat Walk

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I took Frankie for a walk several days after the dog attack. Here he is enjoying the flowers at the side of our house.

I brought along protection just in case we needed it.

The photo was taken nine days ago. The last time we were here in West Virginia, I set a personal record for most consecutive daily posts. This time, after renting our house for three and a half years, there is a list of things to do a mile long. I barely have time to read other people’s posts, much less write my own. It seems every time I finish something on the list, two more things get added.

My Newest Book: Truth Be Told

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I just released my latest book, Truth Be Told.

Here is the official book description:

Peter Beckett awoke 25 years ago with no memory of his past. Since then, he’s been haunted by a gift he never asked for and doesn’t want. People can’t lie to him. To Peter, it feels like a curse that has left him isolated and feared by all who get to know him. Only his priest accepts him for who he is.

The FBI has been watching him, and they need his unique talent to track a deadly drug cartel that has infiltrated Milwaukee, fueling a dangerous spike of fentanyl overdoses. Rookie agent Hannah Meyers is assigned to recruit Peter, who is reluctant to help, but is intrigued by Hannah after she lies to him.

As the investigation deepens, details of Peter’s former life emerge. With secrets unraveling and lives on the line, Peter must decide whether to return to the glorious life he once knew or give it all up for love.

This one was a bit difficult to write because a man whom people couldn’t lie to would make short work of any investigation. To counter this, I added layers of deception and other obstacles to slow them down. You can read more about the story and where my idea for it came from on my personal blog here.

As always, I need your help with reviews. If you are okay with eBooks, you can get a free copy until Saturday on Smashwords. Click here and enter code WUUWD. If you want to read any of my other books, send an email to “me at charleshuss dot com and I will arrange to get you a copy.

In other news, I have not taken Frankie for a walk since we were attacked by a pit bull. I did order a dog repellent for future walks. Hopefully it won’t be needed.

Finally, the incident with the pit bull reminded me of the story of Casper the friendly cat. You can read it here.

Update: I forgot to mention that there is a cat in this book. He is a gray cat that looks similar to my cat Vinny from years ago but I didn’t want to use his name as well so the first name that I thought of was Sammy from the blog One Spoiled Cat. I asked and Pam was okay with me using Sammy’s name.

Frankie and I were attacked by a Pitbull

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I started helping out last week with painting at the apartment complex my wife oversees. That means Frankie has not been going for a walk everyday. Because of that, Rose insisted I take Frankie for a walk before work on Friday.

We live on a corner lot. The main road going into town runs along the side of our house. Frankie crossed the main road right away and we continued walking away from the main road.

After a block and a half it became clear Frankie had no intention of turning around. He might be the cat version of Lewis and Clark. I had to pick him up and change his direction.

When we were about four houses from home, we heard a dog barking near the corner house on the right, which is kitty-corner to our house. When we got a little closer, a Pitbull came trotting toward us, barking the whole time. I looked but no people were around.

When he got closer, Frankie hissed at him. I knew he was after Frankie so I picked him up and held him out of reach. The dog jumped on me, putting his paws my back and arms, while barking and trying to get at Frankie. I turned and yelled, “Stop,” but that just seemed to anger him more.

I walked faster toward home with the dog jumping on me and biting my calves. Fortunately I was wearing blue jeans instead of the shorts I normally wear in Florida. That, and the fact that I was moving made it hard for him to sink his teeth into my legs.

I was getting worried and called out for the dog’s owner but no response. If the dog started taking chunks out of my leg, I was going to have to do something drastic, like kick it in the face, and I didn’t want to have to hurt the animal.

When I reached the main street I heard cars coming. I hoped they would be a distraction. I quickly crossed the street. When I looked back the dog was lingering on the other side. I didn’t know if he would cross but I didn’t wait around to find out.

When I got inside I told Rose what happened and then put soap on my bleeding elbow. I think the dog got me with his nails. We still haven’t seen our moving truck so we had no antiseptic.

I then grabbed my lunch and went to the car. As I was backing out of the driveway, I saw Frankie walking down the sidewalk toward me. Really? I have no idea how he got out but it was very lucky I saw him.

I jumped out of the car and he gladly followed me to the back door. Once he was back in the house and I again tried to leave for work, I saw a man walking down the sidewalk toward me. He was one house down and across the side street. The dog crossed the main road because he was now harassing the man. He was barking and jumping on the man. The man tried to get the dog to stop to no avail. After fifteen seconds the dog moved on.

I got in my car and drove to where the dog was and snapped a couple of pictures.

When I got to work the manager there said she knew someone at the city that she would talk to. Later she said the guy told her talking to the police would be a waste of time. He also said the woman in charge of animal control was a POS and would do nothing about the dog.

Now I have to worry about taking Frankie for a walk and I especially have to worry about him escaping.