New toy

(Photo by BobbaLew.)

The other day (Saturday, February 16th, 2013) I purchased a new toy — pictured above — for my dog. The first new toy since my wife died.
My wife died 10 months ago as of yesterday, February 17th, so that’s the first new toy in about a year.
I’ve been hesitant to buy new toys since my dog’s toys are semi-retired. She has many toys, kept in a box. She occasionally drags out a toy, and I occasionally toss it for her.
But play with my dog has become just about impossible.
But thinking about it, I realized she never played much with previous toys. What’s most exciting to her is a new toy, for example the window-washer my wife got.
It has a fuzzy section for squeegying windows; “looks like a toy, feels like a toy, gimme that, SHAKE — kill-kill!”
“Yo MeatHead, a window-washer is not a toy.”
It was obvious the thrill was not playing with previous toys; it was a new toy.
So I guess I better buy her a new toy; it’s been a while.
It’ll get retired to the toy-box, but a new toy is always a thrill.
I had to hit the Canandaigua Petco to buy dog-food, treats and arthritis-medication, so I figured I’d peruse the dog-toys. I’d already perused dog-toys in pet sections at supermarkets, and found nothing attractive.
I saw nothing attractive until I saw the bug-toy above with crackly wings-n-things.
It also has a squeaker.
$7.99; is my dog worth $7.99?
SURE!
I brought it home.
My dog was jumping at my grocery-bag as I brought it in.
“A toy? For me? For me?” Bounce!
“Yippee! Gimme-that!”
Off she ran with the bug-toy, obviously thrilled. The killer-dog; SHAKE!
So I guess I better buy her a new toy on occasion, even though it soon will get semi-retired.
I think the world of that dog; I’m as committed to her as she is to me.
And with my wife gone it ain’t easy. —I always feel like I’m not giving her a good life.

• My beloved wife of over 44 years died of cancer April 17th, 2012. I miss her dearly.
• My current dog is “Scarlett” (two “Ts,” as in Scarlett O’Hara), a rescue Irish-Setter. She’s seven, and is my sixth Irish-Setter, a high-energy dog. (A “rescue Irish Setter” is an Irish Setter rescued from a bad home; e.g. abusive or a puppy-mill. [Scarlett was from a failed backyard breeder.] By getting a rescue-dog, we avoid puppydom, but the dog is often messed up. —Scarlett isn't bad. She’s my fourth rescue.)
• RE: “Meathead.....” —Every dog we (I) ever owned I’ve nicknamed “Meathead.” With me Scarlett knows of herself as “Meathead.” (A previous dog, who was rather small, I called “Little Meathead.”) —“Meathead” because like a pot-head likes marijuana, my dog likes meat.
• “Canandaigua” (“cannan-DAY-gwuh”) is a small city nearby where I live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” It’s about 14 miles east. —I live in the small rural town of West Bloomfield, southeast of Rochester.