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TOMMY DOG
Steve spent every hour he could with Tommy Dog. Together, they would sit up on the grassy hill and stare at the city below. You could see all the way to the islands. Brushing Tommy Dog, this was great for his coat, Steve would stare towards the islands and drift off into verbal thought about the things he learned in school that day, or memories of events past...
“Trees were discussed in school today. Trees. A very important part of the early settlers success in building the “West”. Trees that used to crowed this very hillside. Trees that are no longer there because some singer/cowboy, he always wore black and played guitar, was driving in the hills and his car backfired and started a fire that wiped out the entire mountain forest. From up near the old Indian cave to clear down the cost line south, for over one hundred miles. Dad had piled everyone in the Desoto and drove up to TV Hill so we could watch the fire as it engulfed the hillside. Burning old growth pine and oak and spruce and homes.”
“Quite a lot of discussion after that fire to keep another fire from happening. All the ecologists screaming to keep things the way they are, fighting with all the landowners. This was, of course, a complete waist of time”. All anyone needed to do was ask Steve. “This whole thing was solved years ago by the Indians. They just started fires to burn off the underbrush. That way it didn’t pile up so high that the trees would burn.”
“Nothing ever came of the discussions. Just last year, while the new house was being built, another fire destroyed the trees North of the old Indian cave. That was something to watch. Very exciting.”
“Went with Dad and helped a friend evacuate his ranch. The fire was just on the other side of the hill behind the ranch when the horses were being loaded into dad’s trailer; the last of the animals except for a dog and cat. During all the rush and excitement, nobody noticed that the fire had reached the top and was starting down, until the wind started to blow like crazy. As the fire crept down the mountain, the wind got stronger. The canyon was like a funnel. The fire sucks air up so fast, that a vacuum is created. That is very dangerous. There is no air to breathe, and the fire just explodes onto everything around you.”
“The wind was howling and the air was getting hot. Someone was yelling to get the horses out, and that he thought that whatever was going, was packed. Everybody was jumping into cars and trucks and racing to get down the road. Someone had yelled that there was probably less than thirty minutes to get out of the canyon before it would be completely engulfed in fire.”
“This wasn’t the movies; the air was very hot and there was a loud roar. It sounded like it was coming from the mouth of the canyon below, but it wasn’t. It was coming from the fire above; something to do with sound not being able to travel against the wind. The inside of the truck cab was hot. Sweat was running down our foreheads. As the truck came out of the canyon the air grew cool. It wasn’t even as dark as it was back in the canyon.”
“There had been less than thirty minutes to get out of the canyon. There was a low muffled “thrump” of a noise as the fire consumed the canyon. The ranch house survived the fire. Part of the barn was scorched. Strange how fire seems to select what it will burn. Trees. They were gone. The entire canyon was barren. The only tree that survived was the one next to the house. That had to be cut down a year later.”
“That fire burned from the old burn near the Indian cave, all the way up the coast to the beach. Even burned part of John Wayne’s property. Now the whole coast line is without trees.”
“Don’t you think someone ought to plant new ones? Someone should, you know”. Steve has been talking out loud to Tommy Dog, while he was brushing his short black and brown coat. “There used to be trees right on this very spot. If they can build a forest in Disneyland, then they could put the trees back.”
“You should see the island they built in Disneyland, with trees and caves and secret doors down in the tunnels. We could have a lot of adventures together there.” Steve’s change in voice, from just talking, to excitement and wonder got Tommy Dog’s ears up straight.
“They built that whole island you know. That’s right. They dug this huge hole around a pile of dirt and then laid railroad tracks at the bottom so the big steamboat could go around the island. Around the sides they built cement houses to look like log cabins. They colored the cement to look like wood and then ran gas pipes to shoot flames out of the windows. It really looks like a log cabin is burning.”
Tommy Dog shot off in a full run after a butterfly. Keeping an occasional eye toward Tommy Dog, Steve began to pull the hair out of the brush. Steve continued talking to Tommy Dog, “I even got to see them build the New Orleans Square and Haunted House. They even had a house from the future with all kinds of science fiction type appliances, like a whole wall that was a TV screen. Home of the Future they called it. It was four cubes stuck together in the middle. Tommy! Come! Tommy! Come! Tommy Dog! You get over here!”
Tommy Dog had started off up the grassy hill, nose to the ground and tail high. This is a sure sign that Tommy Dog caught scent of a rabbit or something. Steve stuffed the now clean dog brush into his rear left pocket as he jumped to his feet and started up the hill in pursuit of Tommy Dog. “Tommy! Come! Damn dog. Where the hell you going?” Steve caught sight of Tommy Dog’s rear going around a bush at the end of the grass up ahead as he picked up speed. “Tommy! Come! Tommy! Heel!” That did the trick. Here comes Tommy Dog.
Wagging his tail, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. He did not heel. Instead, he stopped right in front of Steve’s feet and sat down, staring up at Steve. His tongueue quickly went back into his mouth as his eyes sparkled with a “Give me a pat. I done good.” look. Steve looked sternly at Tommy Dog and pointed a finger to his left side and gave the command “Heel!” Tommy Dog just sort of moved his butt back and forth and looked up at Steve. “Tommy! Heel!” Tommy Dog moved to Steve’s left side and sat facing ahead. “Good dog. Good Dog.” Steve bent down to give Tommy Dog some pats and a good scratch behind the ear. Tommy Dog broke free and started barking and dancing and just making a lot of excited racket. It’s like all the brushing had charged Tommy Dog’s batteries.
Tommy Dog kept racing up the hill and then back to Steve; yapping and barking. Crouching on his front legs, his head low to the ground, Tommy Dog barked at Steve. It was obvious what Tommy Dog wanted; another adventure, to find that scent again and begin the chase.
Steve reached out and grabbed Tommy Dog’s collar. Pulling the leash out of his right rear pocket, Steve continued talking to Tommy Dog; he clipped the leash to the collar. “I know you like trees Tommy. You can’t pass a single tree or bush without leaving your mark.”
Steve got to his feet and started back down the grassy hill while giving Tommy Dog the command to heel. Dinner would be ready soon. The sun was going down behind the Islands. The sky was kind of pink and the fog was rolling in from the beaches.
It seems growing up comes in different stages. First the child is a baby, cute and fun to play with. Then the child learns to talk. Of course, most children’s first word is “no”. Only because the parents have used that word more than any other for the child’s own protection.
Then the child begins to discover independence. For some children, like Steve, this can be a deadly combination. New home, new school, new friends and new territory to discover; adventures any kid would love to have every day, and with a great dog to share the adventures on top of it.
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