The Sound of Happy Crunching

As I age, I pay more attention to, and am far more sensitive of, sounds.  Like most children of the 70s, I used to love very loud music, and probably did a bit of damage to my hearing by standing too close to loudspeakers at concerts and clubs.

Now, when I come into a room at the house, Wifey typically has the TV blasting.  She's always been more hard of hearing than I.  I march over to the remote and turn it down -- it affects me right away.

We have a funny side to sound, these days.  My mother in law has gone completely deaf, but not at all dumb.  Her voice is now VERY loud -- leaf blower loud.  She is a true freak of physiology, this woman -- 92, very obese, and a power to her voice like a 40 year old opera singer, but without the melody.  Often Wifey sits near her, and all of a sudden the suegra just belts out some complaint or another -- Wifey grips her ears like a little child at a car horn.  This never gets old for me...

I always laugh, and the suegra says "Oh -- so you tink I so funny????!!!! Vy you lauging????!!!!" This just makes it worse -- then Wifey and I both crack up...

But turning to a much more pleasant aural topic -- the little crippled Spaniel Bo.  In the am I bring him his food.  When D2 had him in Gville, she would feed him like a normal dog -- putting his kibble in a bowl, and he would stand by it and eat.  Wifey decided that was too much for his spindly and crooked legs, so she started bringing his food to the couch, where he eats while lying next to it -- like a caricature of a spoiled prince.

When my nephew Henry visited, he was amazed.  Henry and his lovely wife Val have a very spoiled dog, Rocco, but he is a real dog -- eats at a bowl, goes for runs on the beach.  Henry was taken aback at Bo and his royal treatment.

But the sound is lovely.  Bo crunches away, happily, at his kibble mixed with some fresh chicken.  He is dainty, and as I read the paper, or type on the keyboard, the noise is pleasant and subtle.  Vienna, the much more street, badass rescue, waits patiently on the floor.  When Bo finishes, and gets down from the sofa, Vienna pounces -- to polish off any remaining food.

I enjoy this daily pup ballet.  I find Bo's quiet and happy crunching so soothing.

Meanwhile, it's back to the office today.  Two of our young troops are off to battle -- a trial against the County, in which they're accusing a bus driver of waving a 15 year old to cross, whereupon he was killed by a passing pickup truck.  The bus driver denies this -- says the boy walked into traffic on his own.

It's the first civil trial for Vince and Michelle -- they're both veteran prosecutors, though.  It'll be interesting to see how they do.

As for me, I have some mail to open, and strategizing to do with John about an upcoming trial for one of our clients.  It could be the largest jury verdict in a good long while.

Either way, I look forward to the daily sound of the crippled Spaniel -- the little man, Bo.  Regardless of the activities of humans, he just keeps crunching away...