Doggie Apologies

I sat down tonight, tapped in the title of this entry, cracked my knuckles, and found the home keys when our lights flickered once......then again......I looked up at the light fixture on the ceiling just before the lights went dark as a moonless night. But just before the electrons evaporated into the ether, I noticed  ivy and gardenia blossoms on the light cover that Jilda hand painted years ago. I thought to myself, I don't look at the ceiling nearly enough.
All of a sudden we're in pitch black, the only light in our house was my computer screen, which thanks to a UPS (uninterrupted power supply), had about five minutes of life before it too faded to darkness.
I scrambled to save all my work and shut the computer down gracefully.
I fumbled in the dark for my backpack and felt my way to the side pocket where I keep a Swiss Army penlight. I screwed the beam on and went in search of our battery powered lantern.
We're power outages warriors now. I've railed against the power company for years, but to deaf ears. We live in a rural area, almost at the end of a ragged leg of power. We've complained that our power goes off when squirrels fart, but call center people take a dim view of my humor and can't seem to find a box in which to put "squirrel fart". Go figure.
About an hour later, the lights came back on.
.......now where was I? Oh yes, doggie apologies.
Today was the day for Caillou's annual checkup. For new readers, Caillou is our rescued collie that came to live with us a couple years ago.
This afternoon when Jilda headed off to work, I called Caillou outside. He loves walking and follows me around like a summertime shadow, but he must have sensed that I wanted to take him to the vet because he became elusive.
I finally managed to grab his collar and lead him to the truck and he wouldn't get in no matter how convincingly I coaxed. I finally had to pick him up and put him in the front seat.
On the way to the vet's office he laid his head in my lap and looked up at me with sad eyes. "Daddy, please don't put me down. I'll be good. I promise." I kept petting him and talking reassuringly.
We we got the the vet's office but while closing the truck door, he jumped out of the cab before I could grab his collar. I thought he'd be halfway home but instead he ran a few feet away and turned to look at the building.
I squatted down and called him over to me and he came. I clipped the leash on his collar and we walked in.
They called us back to a room  immediately, but they left the door open. Caillou sat between my legs and listened intently. In the next room, a dog was moaning as if the vet were lashing off a paw.
Caillou looked up at me as if to say, "I'm sorry I did my business on the walking trail, and I promise I'll never dig in the flower beds again!"
One of the vet tech's in training stepped into the room with his annual shots and put them on his chart. I said "See there, she doesn't look mean." Caillou didn't look consoled. In fact, he buried his long snout between my legs and I cupped my hands over his ears to drown out the sound of moaning critters.
When it came our turn, the vet, who is a woman and a good friend, sat on the floor and petted Caillou for a long while before giving him his annual shots. I don't think he realized he'd gotten shots.
I paid the tab, and were on the way home. I stopped by a convenience store and bought him a Slim Jim.
When we got home, he jumped out of the truck and it was as if a weight had been lifted. I'm guessing he knew immediately that he'd over apologized, and it would be a good idea to watch my step when I walk tomorrow.