I woke this morning around 7:30 to the sound of my wife and the dog starting their day together. Kathryn asked Ellie if she was ready to get up and go for a walk, and Ellie made her low, several-second, wookie-like noise that means “Of course!” Kathryn went downstairs; Ellie waited a second or two at the top of the steps, then set off quickly down, padding soft, staccato thuds until she reached the wood-floored hall.
When the side door shut and they were off on their walk, I got up and went to the kitchen. I pulled the slow cooker from the top of the fridge, got the butternut squash, apples, leeks, ginger, and chicken broth from cupboard and refrigerator, and spent the next thirty minutes prepping the squash soup we would have for our late-afternoon lunch-slash-dinner. I then went back upstairs to lie down.
I dozed for what must have been fifteen or twenty minutes, when I was woken by Ellie, who ran upstairs after a slight nudge from Kathryn (“Go get him!”), jumped into bed, and made her wookie noise again. This time it meant, “I’m ready for my weekly trip to Paw Run Dog Park.” I got back up, dressed, and the three of us set off west of town where Kathryn and I walked a couple of miles while watching Ellie romp with the usual pack of well-behaved dogs.
When we returned home, I checked on the soup — which was simmering nicely — and scrounged in the bottom cupboard for the electric hand mixer so I could puree the soup later before serving. I got back in my car and drove to get some bread to go along with our meal, as well as picking up some plain yogurt and smoked cheddar as a garnish. I also stopped and rented a video game to play in the afternoon, because today was a lazy day and I had nothing to do other than enjoy myself and take it easy. Kathryn had designs on napping in the guest bed with the dog; I had designs on checking out the latest in the Call of Duty series for the Playstation.
A little while ago Kathryn and Ellie returned from the shorter evening walk — it’s a long story, but Ellie will put up a bit of a protest when I take her on a walk if Kathryn’s at home, because she is so Kathryn’s dog — and we had soup and watched an episode of one of the TV series we’re currently getting on DVD through Netflix.
Today the temperature outside was near sixty, even though it’s late November and the nights are getting into the twenties and thirties. But it’s cooled off now. It’s dark outside, and I’m settled in for the night with my laptop and a cup of coffee on a sofa in one of the back bedrooms in our house. I have the lamp next to me turned on low, and there’s a little bit of soft music without lyrics that I barely hear from the other room. I’m doing well. It’s near the end of yet another year that’s had its ups and downs. I’m relaxed. I’m thankful. I’m happy.
And yeah, I have Type 1 diabetes. So what?
