The interesting conditions that I wrote about last week have indeed continued ... but they have improved considerably. My wife, Lyn, returned Saturday from her two-week missionary trip to Ecuador.

It was my understanding that we probably wouldn’t have any contact with each other while she and her group were providing assistance to a small community. But I discovered an e-mail from her when she visited a larger town, where Wi-Fi was available. It was comforting to know that she had arrived safely and things were going well. I responded that every living creature at our house was doing fine also.

As we got closer to her return, I had an idea. I called Indianapolis International Airport and asked about the possibility of Stuart, our therapy dog, coming inside the airport to help greet his human mom and the other 14 folks returning from Ecuador. The lady confirmed that it would be OK as long as I had Stuart’s therapy dog paperwork.

I talked with Lyn on the phone while she had a layover in Miami and found out when she’d be arriving to Indy. 
Our daughter, Michelle, came to our house, and we were off to the airport. Michelle and Stuart discussed who was going to ride shotgun ... they decided to share the seat. 

To get from the parking garage to the concourse involves riding in several elevators. But this was nothing new to Stuart, and he handled the rides just fine. He did encounter something new after the elevator rides. Between the parking garages and the concourse is a long hallway with glass on both sides and a moving walkway to ride, which Stuart handled fairly well.

We found the area where people came to retrieve their luggage and waited for Lyn. She spotted us when she was halfway down the escalator, and that’s when we saw her. Big hugs and kisses were in store for all of us.
Lyn needed to use the ladies room, and Stuart gave me this look of panic; I tried my best to reassure him that she would return shortly.

We visited with some of the folks who were on the missions trip with Lyn. A lot of people walked over to pet Stuart. One mom was carrying her young daughter and the little girl got so excited that her mom held her down so she could pet a dog for the first time.

When we were heading back toward the parking garage, Stuart was walking with Lyn. Stuart stepped onto the conveyor belt and rode it like a pro. When reaching the end of the line he leaped into the air, perfected an Olympic dismount and continued on his way.
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Things are back to normal at our house now. Everyone and every animal is happy.

The past 10 days have been interesting for all creatures residing at our address.

I’ll start out with my wife, Lyn, who departed with 14 other folks for a two-week missions trip to Ecuador. From Indianapolis they flew to Miami, where they had a six-hour layover. The area that the group is visiting is 45 miles from a city that has cell towers. They are staying at a dormitory that has cots, electricity and running water ... but there is no hot water. 

Lyn and some of her peers traveled to a larger city over the weekend, and I received a couple of emails from her. Things are going well with her, but she is looking forward to returning home. She asked how our animals were doing.

Our three chicken hens, whom Lyn cares for, have been making adjustments to their daily routines. One of the girls (Betty) is in the middle of a two-week brooding period, during which she does not lay eggs but will spend countless hours sitting on the eggs that the other hens have laid.

During my “caring for chickens” class that I attended just before Lyn left, she told me that I should just lift the brooding hen off of the eggs and pick them up. She said the chicken sometimes pecked at her but it was never hard.

My first attempt at getting the eggs that Betty was sitting on didn’t go well as she was pretty aggressive toward me. So I returned to the chicken house with a 3-foot wooden spatula, which I used to move her.

Stuart, our dog, also has struggled with Lyn being gone. He is not a fan of fireworks or thunderstorms. He has a “thunder jacket” and some calming pills that makes things a bit better. He always goes to Lyn when frightened by loud noises. He made a quick adjustment to me when it was apparent that she was not around.

As he ages he seems to get more upset by the loud explosions. A couple of evenings I put him in our car and drove for an hour or so while playing the radio loudly. He loves riding in the car, and he settled down nicely. 

That leaves our famous neighborhood feline, Guessie. I suspect that he has house privileges at more than a half-dozen homes. He enjoys roaming all night during the summer and sleeping during the day. During cold weather he reverses this plan.

A few nights ago I provided dinner for Guessie and Stuart. Guessie then went to the door and I let him out to begin his overnight patrols. Stuart and I later called it a night and went to bed. Stuart curled up in his bed on the floor beside me. About 2:30 a.m. Guessie woke me by plucking at the screen of the bedroom window.

I got up and opened the front door for him to enter. He followed me to the bedroom and was complaining loudly. That got Stuart’s attention. As soon as Stuart understood that the cat was on the bed, he also joined us.
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I spent the remainder of the night smashed between a dog and a cat. At 5 a.m. I gave up and fixed their breakfast. As soon as breakfast was over, we all jumped into our recliners and took our first nap of the day.
We can’t wait until Lyn gets home Saturday.

I had a really great Father’s Day. Our daughter, Michelle, called and suggested that we have lunch. I liked the idea and carried it a step further. I explained that the Indiana Fever had a home game and that her mom, Lyn, couldn’t attend because she needed to attend a choir rehearsal.
 
We worked out a plan so that Lyn could join us for brunch before the game. Lyn and I have enjoyed our season tickets for several years and have lots of friends who sit around us. 

The game didn’t end in a victory for the Fever, but we had a great time. Michelle got to see how everyone picks on her dad. She felt so bad for me that she bought me a couple of Fever T-shirts. The last time I got a new Fever T-shirt it came flying through the air and hit me in the head. 

That evening Lyn and I had dinner at Uno Pizzeria & Grill. They were busy, but it didn’t take long to get seated. Our waitress, who had just been seated with a party of 14, acknowledged us and said she would return to take our drink order. 

A minute or so later a waiter told us that he would be back to get our drink order. Lyn and I looked at each other and smiled. Just as we were guessing which of those two would be helping us, a third person arrived at our table. He explained that he had been dispatched from his dishwashing duties to ensure we were being cared for properly.

I was beginning to wonder just how many folks it took to deliver a couple of beers and a pizza. The second waiter – Michael – eventually took our order. We found out later that the dishwasher was named Robert, and he was the manager.

As Lyn and I were enjoying our meal, the first waitress was helping some customers at an adjoining table. When I overheard her tell her customers her name, I thought of a plan. 

The next time that Michael stopped to check on us I would explain to him that I thought the waitress might be related to us. I told him that my name was Sun and that my wife’s name was Moon. I then asked him the name of the waitress. He replied, “Star.” For a few seconds he didn’t make the connection. I also explained that our last name was Galaxy. I asked Michael if he would tell Star to stop at our table.

While we were awaiting her arrival, Robert stopped to see if everything was OK. I introduced ourselves to him (with our new names) and explained that we might be related to Star. He caught on pretty quick for a dishwasher. 

Finally, Star slid to a stop at our table, and I explained to her that we might be related. I then innocently asked her name. She walked away shaking her head and smiling.