Winter’s Vice…

Pregnant Skies

The gray sky–low, gravid, and calm–waits to unleash torrents of chilling rain. Despite bundled from such brumal weather, winter chills still slither ‘neath frocks and slickers alike. There is no escape.

And poor Andi. Of late our walks have been truncated due to his sad visage. We only manage to go half way before he looks up at me with pleading eyes, begging to turn around.

I stop, and stoop, and ask, “Well, what do you want to do? Go home?”

And with that one magical word—home—he turns around and leads me back to the comfort of our old house.

Realm of the Sauropods

Here are a few shots from a month earlier, a time when Andi didn’t mind going the entire distance on our daily stroll. You half expect an Apatosaurus to rear its lengthy neck among the reeds and grass, with giant clumps of fauna dripping from its maw.

Redwing Retreat

Our walks are calm and healing. Only a month ago did swarms of redwing blackbirds squawk and twitter amongst these very same reeds, chattering away unseen.

But now, the bitter chill of November lingers, the kind of day that cannot shake  frigid frissons from your shivering body. No matter how many layers, the cold creeps into your bones.

Feline the Warmth

Our cats, not accustomed to sleeping together, have found refuge in each other’s midst, a feline yin and yang. And not to be left out, Andi on occasion will drape a heavy paw over a kitty. (I think Boo simply tolerates this and enjoys the warmth.)

Pooch Love

As for us humans, well, we keep this 213 year old house somewhat warm. With plastic wraps around most windows, and having a forced air system, they manage to keep ol’ man winter at bay. As long as there is oil in the tank we won’t allow hypothermia to visit our dwelling.

Thanksgiving is nigh and come Thursday, long travels await us. Let’s just hope those pregnant clouds disappear without too much of a drenching.

“Can we go home now?”

Happy holiday to all. May warmth, comfort, and calm be yours.

©Paul Grignon-2013, All Rights Reserved.  

Dog Daze of Spring, Part 3…

Anxious Andi

Imagine this; I have not been a dog person for most of my life, and yet here I am, still marveling at our latest family edition. Andi is getting better when I leave the room, but in the beginning he always needed eye contact.

I guess that’s why whenever I had to use the loo, or go do the dishes, he’d either follow me or sit and howl his hound sound at the ceiling. It’s a form of separation-anxiety for poor ol’ Andi. Well, not old, really. He’s pegged at 3 ½ months, so he has a few years left in him.

Since we’ve had Andi for over two weeks now, he does appear much bigger and stronger and relaxed than when we picked him. And remembering that very first day, when we went to surprise our son, Jace, at his Dad’s house with a puppy,  Jace’s look was priceless.

Jace Meets Andi

That was a great moment and memory. We called Jace out of his bedroom, managing to pry him from his precious video games. He came out, clearly bothered by the interruption.

Julie had hidden behind the house. Jace sighed, came down the stairs and turned the corner. He saw Mom with a dog and asked, “Who’s dog is that?” And Julie replied, “It’s yours, honey. An early birthday present!”

Our son’s eyes filled with wonder and excitement, and I bet he could not really believe it to be true. But there Andi was, in Julie’s arms, waiting for Jace’s first touch.

That night, Andi slept soundly with Jace without incident. Already Andi seems to have a remarkable disposition.

A More Relaxed Andi.

As for me? Well, I suppose my disposition has been altered as well. Pup-sitting, sitting on the couch, and writing questionable prose with Andi close and fast asleep.

I guess a person can be a cat lover and a dog lover. At least, I seem to be leaning that way.

Imagine that.

to be continued…

©Paul Grignon, 2013, All Rights Reserved.

Dog Daze of Spring, Part 2…

“Hi! I’m Andi.”

I sit on the floor, and look down into the doe eyes of Andi. It is a vastly different perspective from my previous  world of only cats.

A cat. Now there’s an easy animal to train. A little kitty, bring him home, set up a litter box, bowl of food and water, done. Set for life. The kitty will know to poop in the box, and has free reign of your house. No worries. Except perhaps a pilled chair or a furball now and then.

But a puppy. Hmm, slightly different, I am finding out.

We are crate training Andi, so that has been a challenge. But last night went well. He slept the entire night without having to go outside. A good start. But way too soon to give him free reign. I’ll give you an example.

I made a foolish mistake the other night. Andi woke up at 2:30 in the morning, so I took him out to pee. When I let him in, I told him to go to ‘Andi’s room’, what I call his crate. He usual does. But as I rounded the corner to the living room, there he was, curled up on the couch, staring at me with pleading eyes: “Please! Please let me sleep with you!” those eyes said.

“Oh, please! Can I…?”

How could I resist such magnificent beseeching eyes? So I did.

Well, come the morn’, I woke up and had to use the loo. I looked down at Andi, and he was fast asleep. I thought, ‘I should take him out first.’ But I didn’t.

When I returned, he was in the middle of the room, peeing on the rug. Aargh!

Holding back the urge to admonish him, I gently coaxed him into the cage, and cleaned up the puddle. I learned my lesson.

And our cats are slowly learning about this new creature in their midst, even boldly venturing near the crate. But I believe it will be awhile before they become best of friends. At least the cats are making the effort to introduce themselves. (Or maybe they’re just sizing him up and plotting Andi’s demise…)

‘What is that creature in there?’

Miles plotting.

It has been six days since we adopted Andi and things are going much better. Right now as I type this he is wrapped around my back, pressed close to me and snoring away. I am barely perched on the couch, a mere few inches on the edge. Andi cannot get close enough it seems.

I look down into his eyes once again, and my mind returns to cats. Yeah, sometimes cats do what Andi is doing right now. But for the most part, what I love about felines, is their independence.

Some days, when you want your cats on your lap, you call them over to you: “Hi guys! C’mon, come here! Come sit on my lap!” The cats slowly turn their heads toward you and think, ‘Yeah, right. In your dreams’ and then they turn away, irritated that you bothered their precious nap time.

‘We don’t think so.’

But a dog. After the same command, he couldn’t get there fast enough. Unless, of course, you have a leash in your hand, and you’re going to take him out in the rain again to see if he’ll pee or potty. Then, he’ll hesitate, and suspiciously eye your ulterior motive.

At this juncture, Andi will usually dart into his ‘room’ and curl up, still looking at me with those big, wary, brown eyes. Ah, so much to learn.

to be continued…

Our son and Andi (with pilled chair).

©Paul Grignon, 2013, All Rights Reserved.