the last night we spent together?
I can’t, those days are foggy now
but the memory of your smile
still carves rainbows from the clouds
It is Friday, finally. This week has been a long but good
one. Mostly I read, specifically the Blood of the Falcon volumes from Court
Ellyn. You can read my review in the previous entry. It helped me get through
the days, as there was very little actual proofreading to do and more time than
usual to waste. I took a half day today so that I could take Mira to the vet.
In order to do so, I “worked” through lunch for the first four days. I never
realized what a difference that one free hour made in making the day shorter.
Not having to be at work didn’t really make the morning any
shorter. Mira decided it was playtime around 5:30 and didn’t calm down to sleep
again until I finally forced myself out of bed at 7:30. Needless to say, being
in bed involved hanging one arm over the side and playing tug of war with my
eyes closed, letting her out, letting her in, collapsing back into the sweet
arms of my mattress, only to fling myself away in order to keep the puppy from
eating the Labs’ food. She discovered that she could reach where we’ve been
putting it and knocked the whole bowl off. It is one of those self-feeding dog
bowls, so it isn’t exactly small.
It was nice to sit and drink coffee with my dad while
everyone else had started their day at work. I reveled in it a little, squirmed
happily inside and had another sip of my ghetto mocha. If I were any less of a
morning person, I would be in Florida eating someone’s brains.
It turns out that Mira loves the vet. There are new people
and new smells there and a pretty lady who gives her treats while the nice old
man sticks her with a needle. She was so busy with the treats and licking the
vet tech’s hands that I don’t even think she noticed getting her shot. Everyone
at the office adored her, but then, she’s a puppy and most people adore
puppies, let alone people who have dedicated their lives and careers to caring
for animals.
After the vet we went to work just to take her around for a
visit. My co-workers hadn’t seen her since she was 18 pounds and she weighed in
at 30.2 today. That was three weeks ago, for the record. The appointment took
15 minutes, tops. Getting in and out of a building that employs 350 or so women
took an hour and a half. I barely made it home and back in time to grab lunch
with a friend of mine before we headed back to work. I clocked in at 1.
There isn’t any particular reason for me to be here, quite
honestly. My day continues much like my week. You may have figured that out by
now, having read as much as you have to get to this point in my post. I look
forward to going home to my pup and taking the dogs for a quick walk down the
river before the sun slips behind the mountains and takes most of its warmth
with it. We have 30+ degree shifts in temperature daily around here. I almost
always leave for work in a light jacket and end up in a t-shirt by the time I
get in the building. Last week it was 40 degrees when I left for work and it
hit 80 that day, give or take a few degrees.
I don’t mind the wobbly temperature. I am not a big fan of
the heat. I like four seasons and find beauty in them all. I am still enjoying
the summer, but I have fond memories of drinking red wine in front of a blaze
winking at me through the glass of a wood stove and I can’t wait to see Mira
bounding through the snow as she meets it for the first time.
In interest of having a dog that promises to grow about 72
pounds in the next 6 months and living at the end of a bumpy 2-mile long dirt
road, I am car shopping for the next couple of weeks. I am currently looking
into a Ford Escape, but am also considering a Nissan Xterra. I currently drive
a Honda Accord, which doesn’t have the greatest clearance ever and can’t tow a
boat. If you haven’t been reading long, my current dream is: dog, truck, sail
boat. Got the dog. Working on the SUV, since a truck isn’t the best way to haul
a mastiff. Since it’s August, I think I will hold off on the boat until next
spring. Plenty of time to save some money and let Mira grow so I only have to
buy her a life vest once. You didn’t think I was going to leave her behind when
I went sailing, did you?
I suddenly had this amusing, but likely practical, idea of
training her to know the commands “port” and “starboard” so she’ll lay/sit on
whichever side needs weight. Probably wise. Otherwise we are probably all going
swimming. Hopefully she figures out fast that she needs to be laying down. If not,
she may be one of the few mastiffs ever to learn why that long metal bar is
called a boom.
In the meantime, I am planning on starting Mira on group
puppy classes next month. It will be good for her to socialize with strange
dogs. She has met a few but none since July. No problems socializing her with
people, however. We have guests in and out regularly. I am going to do my best
to have one of the best-trained pups out there. Maybe not show quality
training, or dog dancing, but the kind of behavior and manners I expect from a
dog. I can’t stand it when people have poorly trained dogs. It is a disservice
to dog, owner, and any potential guests.
I hope you enjoy your weekend. Play hard.
And a thousand words, goodnight.
-m0rg4n
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