The Dog, the Leprechaun, and the Wardrobe

Our girls pretty much had the opposite reactions than I would have expected to our dog passing this winter.  Morgan and Potter had always just occupied the same space, where Zoe was all about giving him treats and laying on top of him like a throw rug.

So I was a little shocked at how inconsolable Morgan was when we told her. And she was prone to bouts of melancholy for at least a couple weeks afterward.  Even today, she told me she misses seeing him in the back hallway when she goes to get her coat.  Zoe, on the other hand, simply asked if we were going to get a new dog that day and name it Potter.

Now Morgan is ready for another Saint Bernard, which I'm somewhat opposed to.  I know plenty of people that are loyal to a certain breed, but I have a hard time "replacing" my pets.  I could also never have another Collie, which is the dog I grew up with. Scott, however, I think will be easily persuaded to get a Saint Bernard as long as it is a short haired variety.  I'm thinking of giving the girls the option of two greyhounds vs. one St. Bernard in the hopes that having their "own" will lean them in the other direction.

Just this weekend, I had the following conversation with Morgan after leaving a house that recently got two new dogs.

"I think we should get another Saint Bernard.  Or maybe a Bulldog.  I like those.  And if it was a French Bulldog it could wear a beret.  Or if it was an artist Saint Bernard it could wear a beret, too."

"Do you know a lot of artist Saint Bernards?"

"No.  But Potter was pretty messy and that is kind of like being an artist.  And then we could get him a little coat that has paint splatters on it, like painters wear."

Why do I have the feeling that I am going to end up with another Saint Bernard?

* * *

Morgan recently spent an afternoon at the Nature Center learning about the Wonders of Water, during which they must have talked about rainbows, which coincidentally lines up nicely with the skit she has been writing with a group from school around throwing a birthday party for Roy G. Biv.

"Do you think the first person to discover a rainbow was surprised to see indigo?  I wonder who discovered the first rainbow.  I bet it was a leprechaun."

Of course it was.

* * *

Me:  We need to go to Target for some cleaning supplies and I need a Valentine's Day card for Daddy.
Morgan:  I am GREAT at picking Valentine's Day cards for Dad.  I think we should get one with a dog in a swim suit...no, a dog in a bikini...a dog in a pink and red bikini.  Because adults have a good sense of humor.   You just need to get it out of them.

* * *

One of our major Storage Wars projects is coming to a close.  This would be a corner hutch that has been installed in our living room.  When Zoe asked Scott what it was, he told her it was something like a wardrobe and then convinced her when he was done, he would make it magical and it could take her to Narnia.

So for the past few days, Zoe has been asking Scott when he's going to put the magic in it and he told her she needed to wait for the face plate he was going to install over what used to be a hole for a light switch.  He then went to Thing Remembered and got the plate engraved with the words "To Narnia".  It looks pretty cool.

Guess who is not happy?  A little girl who put herself inside a wardrobe and stepped right back out into the living room.  I do have her sold on the fact that the wardrobe only works if Aslan needs her to come to Narnia, but that she can pretend it takes her there instead.

She tries the wardrobe every day.  I think I'm going to lock her in there for a while and then redecorate the living room to look like the lamppost in the woods.

Sidebar:  When you spill some of the rustoleum paint you are using to clean up the radiator cover on your finger tips, you should not try to quickly get it off by scrubbing your hands with soap and water in the sink.  This only spreads oil-based paint over BOTH of your entire hands.  Also, be sure that you actually have paint thinner or turpentine on hand when using oil-based paint and not assume that you are not going to spill paint on your hands.  Also, nail polish remover would have worked if you had more than an amount to soak one cotton ball.  Also, your hands may look a little "red" after you pour a substance called "Oops" directly on them.

Stray Dog

Dropped the girls off on this beautiful fall day, before heading to work. Was luckily driving fairly slow due to (1) the speed limit, (2) wet leaves on the road, (3) and a leaf pick-up truck on the curb; because I had to hit the breaks pretty hard to avoid hitting a little dog that ran out in the road.

There were two moms walking the other way with their strollers and they seemed to be concerned and trying to catch him, so I drove past. But now I feel guilty, because as I looked in the rearview mirror I cannot say for certain that the dear dachshund made it back home.

My only hope is that the woman that was rounding the corning had some modicum of common sense, since she was accompanied by a well-mannered German Shepherd.

Here are my tips for Moms #1 and #2, if this situation ever occurs again:

(1) You have a “lick “em and stick ‘em” baby strapped into a stroller. You are on a side street in Hometown, USA at 8AM in the morning. Put the break on the stroller and step 10 feet away from it. A dingo is not going to run off with your baby. While you are at it, put your coffee down in the convenient cup holder.

(2) Mom #1’s warning to me may have been more helpful if I had actually seen her covering her mouth in horror and sticking her hand out prior to seeing the dog the size of a bread loaf and the very same color of the leaves he was running across.

(3) Mom #2 appeared to have the a similar type of dog on a leash, yet to prevent the “stray” from coming closer, she STUCK HER FOOT OUT at it while not dropping her coffee.

A. You have your own puny dog. I would think you could figure out fairly easily if this puny dog was friendly and could be picked up.
B. If you were still unsure…PICK UP YOUR OWN DAMN DOG. Situation solved.
C. This is nothing against puny dogs; I’m just more of a big dog kind of person.

(4) The “stray” dog had a harness around him and legs less than an inch long. It stands to reason he’s from the neighborhood or else he would have been dead from exhaustion. I am not encouraging people to approach strange dogs, but don’t you think in the case of something you can pretty much pin down with your foot, you could manage to at least read its collar and go knock on a person’s door?

(5) Attempting to “herd” a dog back to where they belong doesn’t work. They are the herders. To them you have just agreed to playing a game of chase. Congratulations!

(6) When it comes to you with its tail wagging, pick it up. If it tries to bite you, put it back down. (Exception: If it happens to be my dog, please walk away, because I would rather he take his chances with the traffic than you two idiots.)

And here ends the lesson for the day.

Yours Sincerely,
Woman who successfully rescued three Standard Poodles that escaped the mansion across the street. It can be done! Okay, Scott helped.