A-bed

Don't think there are visions of sugar plumbs dancing in my head. Maybe sugar squirrels.

I have taken a long break from my writing. I have been so busy organizing my Person's life and making sure she gets out on walks, keeping the ever-errant Ollie in line and most lately, supervising work crews who are transforming our little house by the river into a little house by the river with a modern heating system and slightly more room for cat-swinging. But only slightly more.

The days have flown by, the seasons change. The bright green grass is still bright green but it is deep beneath a layer of Finn-colored leaves (someone forgot to rake) and a deeper layer of cold, white snow.

And I am deep beneath a layer of blankets. This week I sustained an injury and my Person had to drive me to my wacky Vet in a slippery snow storm. It seems I was guarding the house against mail carriers and UPS drivers too vigorously and now I have a bulging disc in my neck.

During my recuperation my Person is responsible for providing soothing neck rubs and hot compresses, and she needs to get on the stick because my neck is a bit cold right now. She made me a little neck warmer by putting some dry rice in a sock and microwaving it. I love how it feels and might try to snack on it when I get better. She also has been giving me tiny pills stuck in peanut butter globs. I love taking peanut butter medicine!

Well, don't mumble out loud while you are reading. Some of us need to rest now.

Bad habits

Nah, I didn't pick up any bad habits. I just picked up my sheltie cousin's chew toy. Actually I guess I kind of stole it.

Maybe stealing is a bad habit.

There have been some bad habits on display around here. My car, which carries me on adventures with my Person, and to the dog park, and even more importantly, on trips to the store to buy my Super Supper, had its battery taken by some people indulging in their bad habit of stealing. Plus they cut all of the electrical wiring and that is just plain mean.

I don't know why I didn't sense what was happening with our little car. If only I had indulged in my bad habit of barking out the window I would have scared those bad people away. But I was indulging in my bad habit of snoring instead.

Well, two bad habits don't make a good one. Maybe that is a bad habit - making up sayings that don't make sense!

On the rocks

I know, it has been a long time. My Person has not been helping me much, busy coping with some sort of personal affliction. She looks like a lamprey bit her on the leg and believe it or not she had it done on purpose by a doctor, a remedy of some sort. I won't be visiting that doctor any time soon!

I did get a very short vacation in on the North Shore, land of wolves and bear and moose and visiting little red dogs. That was quite interesting, especially in the sniffing and running department.

Then came a great heatwave and we all lay low for days and more days and the only relief was walking to the Mississippi River for a big swim. Then back to sleeping the day away under the picnic table. My Person would have joined me there for a nap but she takes up too much room.

Last week she deserted me and I stayed at my frenemy Tasha's house for a sleepover. Tasha treated me very well as long as I stayed away from her Person and her furniture and her dish and so on. I did get to stay next to Tasha's Person's Person, Gary, and he helped me get through a very thundery and lightningy night, as I was very afraid. He is now my second Best Friend, right after my first Best friend.

Just thinking about all of that puts me in mind of napping, so that is what I think I will do.

Get happy

It is always good to see a friendly face when you are far from home. Yesterday my Person and I were on the road for hours and hours on our way to hang an art show at a gallery and then on the road hours and hours to get back home again. I am sure there were many other friendly faces around but they were whizzing by too fast for me to see and this friendly face was not moving at all.

Today I am not traveling by car. I am traveling in my dreams instead. It is hard to get your naps in when you are stuffed in a tiny Toyota and the sun is beaming right on your red rump and the car is bumping and swerving in the high prairie wind and your Person is howling "Summertime" to keep from falling asleep herself. I have a few hours of sleep to to put in before I am back up to "full" on my nap gauge.

But, if you aren't spending the day napping and you want to see a friendly face instead, just head west on that big old highway and at some point you will see one.

Made in the shade

Here is my variation on the dog and chair routine. Sitting on the chair usually makes me the tallest dog around. But today I wanted to be the coolest dog around. So under the chair I go.

It is quite nice under there. It is shady and damp and I am at chipmunk level. I can rest and hunt all at the same time. My Person sits above me reading her book and she sometimes puts her lunch dish down right next to me because she forgets all about me when she is reading. And the sun-loving bugs bug her instead of me.

There are no drawbacks that I can see. Unless I suddenly dart out at one of the young and foolish chipmunks heading for my bird feeder and accidentally bonk my head on a chair leg.

Otherwise it is the most peaceful way of surveying your realm that I know of. If it is a sunny day in your yard you might want to try it too.

Always ready

There are so many great things about being a dog, a little red one in particular. For instance there is attire.

Take me, for example. I am always suitably dressed for any occasion. You don't have to wait around for me to get ready. I am, always. No primping, no adjusting, no changing these white socks for some other.

Today my uber outfit was put to the test. First there was cat-chasing. I woke up appropriately dressed and pounced on Ollie before the sleep was out of my eyes. Next, a morning meal and did I need to change? Not on your nelly. Next, some very dull waiting-around time, but no wardrobe change was needed for that little nap I took to while away the hours. Then - big excitement - a car ride!! I was ready in a flash. Less than a flash. On the trip I visited a native plant store and was appropriately attired in my native garb. Next, a stop at the ice cream shop and it just happens that my native wear is appropriate for dining out! Then a dip or two in the beautiful St. Croix River and turns out my native-plant-viewing, eating-out outfit is, not surprisingly, the perfect swim suit.

Later in the day I watched my Person dig around in the garden and we walked along the river and I ate Super Supper and sat around in my very own lawn chair watching birds and bugs and my Person all toiling. And still I was dressed in the very thing I went to sleep in last night.

Meanwhile my Person was, by turns, dressy, muddy, sweaty, rumpled, absolutely dirty, partially cleaned up and back to rumpled and there were at least three costume changes for her this day.

I get tired just looking at her. And so does the washing machine. And while she spends time cleaning and changing I can just sit here and think about all the other great things about being a dog.

Sweet scents

Summer is sweet. Flowers bloom on trees, shrubs and perennials in my Person's yard. Nectar flows and is lapped hungrily by that wise guy hummingbird and its fellows. So many kinds of bees - giant bumbles and all sorts of medium and teeny tiny ones - visit different flowers according to their body size to gather pollen. There are young birds trying their voices out and their parents' patience as well, hungrier than I could ever be.

The earth is humid and rich with smells. I found a wonderful new smell at the beach: aged carp. I told the flies to move on over and I rolled on that fish and bulldozed my neck across the silvery scales and spread that perfume deep into my fur. How appropriate for a day when the next scheduled activity was a visit to my favorite outdoor fish restaurant!

Until my Person got a hold of me. "Stop that," she roared ferociously. Then she started sniffing me. "Good," I thought, "she's acting more like a dog, a step toward wisdom finally. She'll appreciate me now." But oh no. She sniffed and her nose wrinkled up and she intoned the words I hate but so rarely hear: "You are going to need a bath."

And off we went to the sweet-smelling backyard and she hosed me down and washed me! I smelled like a fish that had been shampooed. So she washed me again! It was awful. But it was that or stay home from the restaurant and sleep in the backyard until I smelled more like a little red dog than a little dead fish.

I got my reward - lots of snacks and even more attention from the other restaurant patrons. I am glad they were smiling and petting me instead of wrinkling their noses and staying far away from me.

If it is true that a rose is a rose, then it follows that a fish is a fish. But when it comes to going out for dinner it is better for a dog to be more like a rose and less like a fish.