The Diary Game | 08/16/20 | Day #16 - A puppy!!!

"OMG - what am I doing?!", was exactly what I thought to myself as I peeked in my pocket to see how much money I had. Like a hand of fate - I had just the right amount to take this leap. So many times I had said NOOOO emphatically in the past. Why should today be any different?

Saturday began with a walk and ended with a new family member.

All pictures are my original photography and rights are restricted to Open Minded Traveler. I use a Sony NEX-3N and basic photography principles, plus a Samsung S7. Most pictures are edited using Canva Pro.

Dear Diary - Did I really bring a puppy home?

The day began with our rock-solid routine of devotion, reading, and bulletproof coffee. We finished at 9:00 AM and then I scrambled to leave the house by 10:00 AM.

I always try to be out walking by 10, because there is a radio show I always listen on Sunday when I walk. It's called Una Cita Con El Tango (A date with Tango), mc'd by Alex Giraldo, in nearby Pereira, Colombia. An hour of tango/milonga/vals by a local personality who is well known and appreciated in the tango world for his tango shows and that slightly deep, yet velvety presenters voice.

Check it out every Sunday at 10:00 AM (Bogota Time): http://emisora-cultural-rac.escueladidactica.com

Today, the sky was a bit overcast so we decided not to go as far, but still take as much time as possible to enjoy the scenery. We passed the man-made dam, wandered up around the bend to the back side of La Sultana. On the other side of Quebrada Olivares, is a simple football field with men and boys playing. Every week the amount of players and spectators doubles. People walking on our side of the creek stop to watch.

On our side of the creek, a man was feeding his cows. He had a cart full of the most adorable puppies I had ever seen. They were a tumbling mess of black rolly-pollys. Daniel stopped and looked at them with the most beautiful 5-year-old curious eyes I had ever seen. Tentatively, he poked the nearest one to try to figure out what that squirming mass of baby pudge was. Scared black eyes looked back at him.

The farmer explained that he was charging 30,000 each - which is the near equivalent of a days wage in Colombia. These puppy's mother is a mix of labrador, and something fancy from Palermo, a wealthy neighborhood of Manizales. Seemed legit. The markings have a rather Rottweiler look to them, but the mother is "un amor," (a love) says the man. Nearby was a gamine with a small speaker/radio combo playing typical music of the Colombian Coffee Axis, the upbeat rhythms.

Reluctantly, I peeled Daniel away and we walked onward. After passing a grouping of houses, we stopped. Usually we go much farther, but there would be no wading today, only a little bit of wandering around by the creek. Daniel wanted to wade across so badly, I worried he would get knocked down by the stronger-than-usual current. It was a bit too deep for his rubber boots.

When it began to lightly sprinkle I zipped Daniel into his raincoat, threw mine on, and we began walking for home. As we walked back, I couldn't stop thinking about the puppies. My friend who I mentioned the puppies to was right, Daniel needed a friend, and protector. Every day he sits out on our front porch playing, and saying hello to everyone who would give him the time of day. I fear for his open innocence. It's time to do something special for him.

When we returned to the campesino (peasant/farmer), I let Daniel poke around with the puppies for a while. The man even put his own sweater down on the rain-damp ground so my son could sit and play with them. Torn, I agonized over whether to buy the puppy, or be smart and keep on walking.

In the end, our new lives in quarantine tipped my hand. My mom and son rarely go out any more, but I want them to have a reason to go out for short walks every day. I felt it would help both of them. And, on Sundays we would have a walking companion. Time to read up on dog training and puppy care.

The final piece was when I peeked in my pocket, and found exactly 30,000 Colombian pesos. And, I bought my son a puppy. To be safe, I saved the phone number of the man in case we had buyers remorse and things didn't work out.

Now, we have a puppy. Daniel is bouncing with joy and I have to sternly admonish him to relax and let the poor scared 6-week old puppy rest and adjust to his new environment. I even caught his first pee with a piece of paper out on my terrace. Yes, I know - TMI! (Too Much Information)

Time for me to become more sharp and consistent on my house cleaning routine too. I got this. All things happen to make us into better humans, and a little bit of applied discipline is always good. First things first, a bath!

Until tomorrow...

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I am a proud member of Team Colombia with @marpa @franyeligonzalez @josevas217, and @helengutier2.

If you missed my last post from Day #15, you can read it HERE: https://steemit.com/thediarygame/@openmindedtravel/the-diary-game-or-08-15-20-or-day-15-saturday-work-day