Spin Cycle – Page 42 – Lemon Drop Pie

Once, I had a dog.

Wait…that wasn’t me.

That was my old boyfriend. He had a dog, a dog named Josie.

Josie was a black and white medium sized dog. She couldn’t live with Boyfriend, because his apartment didn’t allow pets. She lived behind the shed of a friend’s house. Every day, Boyfriend visited Josie and made sure she had enough food and water. Sometimes he would hide some cash wrapped in foil in the bag of dog food for his friend. The friend didn’t want his wife to know he was borrowing money from Boyfriend.

On the weekends, Boyfriend would take Josie to an open field. There, he would throw a frisbee for her to catch. When I was with Boyfriend, I would tag along. I gave Josie lots of pats, belly rubs and kisses. She was a good dog.

About a year into our relationship, Boyfriend was able to buy a small house. Now Josie could live with him. Sometimes, I waited for Boyfriend at the house when he was working. Then Josie and I would play together. I would throw a tennis ball from the bedroom to the living room and she would chase the ball and bring it back. She sat next to me and kept me company while I watched TV on the old couch as I waited for Boyfriend.

Josie was a great dog.

After Boyfriend and I broke up, I missed him, and I missed Josie. I missed petting her long fur and looking into her dark eyes. I missed playing catch with her. I missed her warm and open companionship. Her faithfulness. Her loyalty.

I wondered if she missed me, too.

I never wondered if Josie loved me. I never wondered if I said the wrong thing to her, or if I did something to make her mad. In Josie’s eyes, I could do no wrong. She was such a sweet dog.

I used to joke that I missed Josie more than I missed Boyfriend, but in the end, that might have been true. Boyfriend and I broke up over 15 years ago and I never saw Josie again. Maybe it was better this way. Even though Josie is probably no longer around, at least I have good memories of her jumping up to catch that frisbee.

She caught it almost every single time.

Link up your post here or at my co-host Gretchen’s: Are you a dog person or a cat person? Use the hashtag #SpinCycle when you promote your post!

Please be kind and visit our Spinners; come back next Monday for next week’s prompt!

Our family is lucky that we live close to a big city with a lot to offer. However, we rarely go into Chicago. During our Spring Break, I wanted to take my daughters downtown on the train, but I didn’t feel like braving the Spring Break crowds at the various museums. So instead, we did something I haven’t done since I was a child. When you live by the city that has the world’s tallest skyscraper, you go to the top. Of course, the Sears Tower has been surpassed since I was little, but it’s still pretty darn tall. And it’s not called the Sears Tower any more; it is now Willis Tower, which is a shame. I used to love it when my second grade students called it the “Serious Tower.”

So on a Wednesday morning at 9:51, my sister, the girls and me boarded the Metra heading to Union Station. The train station is only a block away from Willis Tower, which was fortunate for us because the wind was whipping off the Chicago River and it was COLD!

We had to wait in line to go through security first, just like at the airport. I wasn’t expecting that, but it makes sense. After we bought our tickets, we took the minute ride elevator to the 103rd floor. It may have been cold outside, but the sun was shining and we had a beautiful view! A new feature of the 103rd floor are the ledges; four glass platforms that extend out of the west side of the building.

Lily was enthralled with looking by looking out at the Chicago skyline, and she didn’t want to take the elevator ride down to ground level. But eventually, we had to leave. By that time, we were all starving. Just down the street from Willis Tower is Giordano’s. When you are in Chicago, you have to have a Chicago stuffed pizza! My sister lives in California, so we made sure to feed her a lot of Chicago-style food during her visit.

Where would you go or what would you do if you had a “stay-cation?” Link up your blog post below or tell us in the comments! Please visit my co-host, Gretchen, and see where she would go on a stay-cation. She live in a much warmer place, so I’m sure it’s going to be good!

Don’t forget to stop by Second Blooming or here on Monday for next week’s prompt!

Tag: Spin Cycle

Once, I Loved a Dog {Spin Cycle}

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Staycation! {Spin Cycle}

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