Sweet Charlotte

May 27, 2016

Some spiritual force seems to continue to protect us and provide pleasant weather and driving conditions. Other than the few hours of storm in the Florida panhandle we have had clear roads and pleasant temperatures.

The favorable conditions continued as we got together in Charlotte North Carolina with niece Catherine, (Cat to me,) her husband Brian, children Molly and Zoe and Jerry the Wonder Dog. Once we checked in we stopped at the house and visited before dinner. We had not met Molly or Zoe, or Jerry.

Jerry is a registered and highly trained service dog assigned to assist Molly with certain medical issues. On part of Molly’s brain continually runs in flight-or-fight mode causing frequent meltdowns and deep withdrawal when in social situations. The result looks like a seizure to us. Jerry, to his wonderful credit, senses these crashes even before she does and acts to warn Cat and comfort Molly. He is very effective, almost spookily prescient and effective.

In the outside world Jerry wears a “uniform”, a shoulder jacket with handle and leash. When we arrived it was off and he was as friendly and playful as any dog. When we got ready to go out to dinner and Molly put his uniform on him his demeanor instantly changed to work mode. He sat and walked quietly near Molly and any playfulness was gone. No aggression, just care and sensitivity to her status. Very interesting to watch.

Other than Molly’s troubling brain issue, both children are very bright and love to learn. They live by their iPads. Brian, who works for IBM, is fortunate to work from home most days with occasional travel.

All of them are so appreciative of Jerry and the value of service dogs they are active in the national association raising money for the extensive training needed and public awareness.

[I had hoped to have received a picture of Jerry before posting this but couldn’t wait longer.]

Typical of the issues: we went out to eat and the hostess told Cat they don’t allow dogs in the restaurant, even when it was pointed out Jerry was in uniform and working.  Cat easily and politely straightened it out with the manager but it showed the continuing need for education.

We were glad it worked out so smoothly. We sat on the patio of the restaurant, Bravo. Once again we were blessed with a mild evening with a gentle breeze. The patio adjoined a small park with kids’ slides and a fountain, all within easy view of our table. We ordered and the girls played in the park while we waited and chatted.

In family get-togethers like this, the food is unimportant. But this time the food was a perfect match to the evening. Geezer Gal and I had a nice wine and split an excellent veal parmesan, a favorite dish we had not had in a couple of years.

That night, as we slept in the motel, a loud and intense thunderstorm passed through. The next day as we hit the road the sky was sunny and clear. The favorable conditions stayed with us all the day.

-Geezer