just didn't want to evacuate

My longtime buddy Wags decided of his own accord to check out today.
I found him - still warm - curled up in the sandbox looking like he was just taking a snooze....

Matt and Raybo were there. We planted him in a hole recently vacated by a re-located palm tree, a spot where he will always be close to me and his original companion, the long-gone but never forgotten Dune Dog.

I have been trying to prepare myself for this day for a couple of years now. It didn’t help. Even though I know he would have been miserable in my non-airconditioned truck if/when I have to evacuate from Hurricane Dean's path, I can’t help wishing he could have hung on for just a little bit longer.
For purely selfish reasons.
Because I already miss him.
Terribly.

Thank you to everyone who ever gave Wags a treat, threw him a stick or fuzzied his ear. Because of you, that little dog enjoyed a long, happy life of the kind too many other dogs can only dream of.

Link

In DEANial

Peach and I took a long walk, timed perfectly to enjoy this morning’s light show just before sunrise and rain -- parting shot from TS Erin or foreshadowing of Dean’s arrival in the Gulf?

I keep hitting refresh on the 5-day forecast graph and really hate the way it keeps looking like the monster is aiming itself directly at us. I keep running over my preparations list in my mind, trying to predict what else I will have wished I had spent this day doing should Dean set his sights on South Padre Island.

From Hurricane Dean Discussion Number 17:
It should be noted that guidance for day 4 and 5 is more uncertain today than yesterday.

At this point I would prefer to see Dean go pretty much anywhere other than where he appears to be heading, so I am going to interpret that as good news and hold off making more preparations for another day or two.

Diane Williams in ICU

I just received word that Dianne Williams - property manager over at La Playa who also happens to be my neighbor here on Saturn St. - went into cardiac arrest this morning and is in critical condition in ICU. She has been ill with a cold or maybe bronchitis for some time and as I understand it the virus settled into her heart and has caused a great deal of mayhem there.

Since we are talking about hearts, let me tell you that Diane has one of the biggest in the neighborhood: taking in stray dogs and never turning away a friend in need. Her husband Stewart is understandably distraught and I was so shocked by his news I forgot to ask him which hospital she is in -- I will post as soon as I know where she is and when she is able to accept visitors. In the meantime, I hope everyone who knows Diane will pray for her speedy recovery or at least send positive vibes in her direction.

Update 8/15: I talked to Stewart briefly yesterday and,while Diane is still gravely ill in ICU at Valley Baptist, there is good news: she is off the respirator, her heart is working at 40% capacity and they are slowly peeling away the drugs that have been sustaining her. We are hoping she will be able to accept visitors as early as next week.

Update 8/17: Stuart says that Diann is doing quite a bit better. She has been moved out of ICU (visit her in room 311 in the South Tower) and is sitting up and handling mundane tasks such as signing checks. It sounds like they are going to install a defibrillator (?) to help monitor her heart but it could still be days before she can come home. Stuart says "I need this hurricane like I need a hole in my head right now." I couldn't agree more.