Dog retirement home
Do you ever feel like you’re not doing enough? Look at the clock and realize you’ve only made it through half your to-do list? Stay up too late to finish a project, or to finally unwind after working all day?
Do you wish your house was cleaner, garden was weeded, books were read, that you’d finished a workout and prepped meals for the week?
Somehow I thought that if we moved to Mexico without any official “jobs,” living and working on the same 1.5 acre, we’d find spaciousness in our days and satisfaction with how we spend our time.
But I have all the same thoughts and annoyances and worries and disappointments as I’ve had anywhere else. I am glad I don’t have late-night meetings, but otherwise I feel just as behind and frustrated as any other chapter in my life.
I was bemoaning this to some friends and telling them that part of the reason we came to Mexico is that we have these three elderly dogs who can’t potty when it’s cold out and hate being away from us. Here the winter is mild and we hang out at home most of the time. We keep the van door open all day so they can nap wherever they want, potty whenever they want, and follow us wherever we go.
We may not have achieved some permaculture perfection, but (as my friends pointed out) we have an excellent, busy dog retirement home.
Hannah is the youngster, age 10. One stroke but she recovered and she’s tough. Booker, age 13 - any day will be his last with mitral valve regurgitation and other health problems. Max, age 14 - happier here than PA but still a cranky old man with gastritis, neuropathy, mostly blind, etc.