A week or so ago at Corvallis’ Cloverland Park, where I help my daughter Pam practice softball, I stumbled upon a blast from the past of sorts:
I heard the woman he was with call him Atticus.
“Hey, Atticus,” I said as the old dog wandered toward me, and I bent down to pet him. “You just loved ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ huh?”
The woman laughed.
“He came to me already named,” she said. “But I do love that movie.”
Atticus, I told her, reminded me strongly of my dear departed friend Bingle, who died in 2002 at age 16. Coincidentally, Atticus was also 16.
When he started to stroll away, sort of aimlessly, I called for him.
“He can’t hear,” his owner said.
Just like Bingle, who by the end was so deaf I could run the lawn mower right next to her and not wake her up.
“This is a good park for him,” she went on. “There’s a lot of room, and if he starts to go anywhere, he can’t go very fast so we can get him before he gets into any danger.”
I’ve always loved dogs and loved meeting Atticus. Here, btw, is a picture of Bingle. She’s on the right, and Data, who also shares the resemblance, is on the right. Data had untreatable cancer and died 10 years ago also, at the comparatively young age of 11:
And now for the Catch of the Day, No. 12:
This is a Goldsmith glove, an Elmer Riddle model, that I bought maybe 15 years ago at an antique store in Albany. I actually paid $40-something for this one, which is at least three or four times what I have paid for most of my collection, but back then I only had a couple split-finger gloves, and this one is in great shape.
3 comments
Joy says:
Jul 24, 2012
It was nice that you got the chance to share a fond memory of your dog. I think pets help us connect with others in a way nothing else does.
Heather L Ross says:
Jul 24, 2012
I like hearing the stories behind name choices for our furry friends, it tells much about a person. Someday when I am hanging out at the Rainbow Bridge for my menagerie, I will laugh to hear what they have called me through the years. My pets tend to have official names and then many variations depending on what we are enjoying together. Mollee Monster when she is in stealth mode, sneaking up to steal toys from the human baby, to join in the fun. Montee-saurus because he is so huge, especially when stretching out after a nap. Steve, I like that you find so many ways to connect with strangers and the pets that own them, it says much about you too!!!
Steve Lundeberg says:
Jul 27, 2012
Thank you Joy and Heather. Bingle, btw, is a old-time slang term for a base hit in baseball. I heard Bob Costas use it just before we adopted Bingle and thus named her that. My father-in-law named Data; he just loved Star Trek: The Next Generation.