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Friday, October 7, 2005
Good Dog
Have I mentioned lately that I love my small Chihuahua? Well, I do. This is a very dear little dog person. Wherever I sit or take a nap, Porque Choppe is there on my lap. She hops up and settles down as though that's her job, sitting on me. She does it conscientiously. If I go upstairs, Porque is beside me. She goes with me from room to room watching my face, trying to anticipate what I'll do next. Sometimes she makes numerous false starts down the stairs supposing that my back and forth from this and that room mean that I'm going down. She eventually goes all the way down, watching over her shoulder to see that I'm also really headed for the first floor.
I know when she wants to go out because she'll stand on her back legs beside me, put a paw on my leg and pat, pat, pat; power-staring, and not jumping up to sit-lap. Some dogs scratch the door. Some dogs bark at the door. Porque quietly and politely hints.
If I take the hint, get up and walk toward the coat rack where I keep her harness, she cries out loud, somewhere between a bark and a crying noise. Sort of a little tiny, "YOOOOORP!!! YORP!" And she frisks happily which makes it hard to get the harness over her little head.
If Porque has been hoping that I'd go out with her, but hasn't needed to go so much that she had to pat and hint, sometimes, I'll go outside just because I've guessed that she wants me to. On those occasions, she doesn't want to seem pushy, but does hope to see me getting down the harness, so she peeks out around the corner of the living room entrance, just a bit of nose and one eye. Then when the harness comes off the hook, she YORPS! joyfully and rushes to the door.
At night she burrows under the covers and then turns around until just her head sticks out onto the next pillow. Her paws fold over the top of the sheet. She snores itty bitty chihuahua snores. Occasionally she re-burrows down until her head is almost by my feet. Little wild Chihuahuas in ancient Mexico must have been like rabbits and prairie dogs, digging homes for themselves underground. She may play rabbitt for a while but always ends up back with her head on a pillow and her paws folded over the top of the sheet.
Porque doesn't do any tricks. She's just there, her big dark eyes soulfully watching me, trying to anticipate me. I am her only job and her only hobby. The other day someone asked how many times/day I have to walk the dog. I had to admit that I go out at least five times. The questioner clearly thought this was a high price to pay. Seems reasonable to me.
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
A NAP!!!!!!!
Today I was up, walking Porque Choppe a bit later than usual...6:15A.M. Then I got busy baking treats for the reception to follow Benny's recital this evening. He has finished Suzuki Book I and that means that he has to give a concert. I've heard him play his pieces and he's doing just great. Big improvement. Another little boy is finishing Book III...he's nearly 10, so we aren't jealous. For Benny to finish Book I at age 5 is just fine.
Lydia and the other little boy's mother agreed to do a Halloween themed reception after the recital. The other lady is doing drinks. Lydia said she'd do treats and decorations. So since Lydia has already got way too much to do, I took on the reception prep. Lydia did cupcakes anyway.
So there I was sweating away in the kitchen this morning right from the crack of dawn. First I made chocolate chip cookies with little pumpkins and ghosts on top. Then I made cookies that have a pumpkin smiling up from the center. Next were sugar cookies in bat, hat, pumpkin, and ghost shapes and I decorated those with colorful icing. Next I made brownies in the shape of pumpkins and ghosts and decorated those, also, with icing. Finally I made meringue and piped it onto parchment in the shape of bones. Those are in the oven at the moment. My back is "killing me". TIRED. Nonstop work since before the sun came up. Right now is the first time I've been seated all morning.
Lydia just popped in the deliver my pans that were at her house. When she arrived, I was upstairs looking for fall fabric. Got it somewhere...with colored leaves etc. Pretty. Benny knocked on the door and it took me a while to get downstairs. I apologized for taking so long to get the door open and said that I'd been upstairs. Lydia asked brightly, "Taking a nap?" :-)strong>
Monday, October 3, 2005
Cessation Of Hibernation
I have now spent a year NOT driving around to do errands. When necessary for me to go hither and yon, Lydia has done the driving.
This morning was the first of the new era when I get a life and start to drive around for myself. Here's how that came about. Susanna, Lydia's Hurricane Katrina surviver friend, is getting settled into her new apartment. Also, she's settling into her new employment as substitute teacher at Old Dominion University. Today was her first time on the job. She teaches on Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings. Lydia has been driving her to appointments and places to get needed supplies, appointments, whatnot. Of course, Lydia has continued to chauffeur her children to all of their usual activities as well...in addition to the errands she needs to run for Dan. By last Thursday, Lydia was looking down and out, frazzled, confused. She was perfectly willing to continue her super-full schedule, but I thought it was time for me to get into the game. After all, I'm retired. I could easily do some of Lydia's running around. So I volunteered to chauffeur Susanna to her job and other places on Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings. On those days, too, I'm going to start...as of today...picking up Benny and taking him to karate, feeding him during Lydia's karate lesson, and then dropping him back at home in time for bed. Each of those days, I'm going to drop off dinner when I pick up Benny, so I'll have cooking to do three times/week.
This may sound like some serious scampering around, but not really. For example today. Susanna needed to stop at the hardware store. Well, I had errands there, too. Also, taking her to work is only slightly out of my way because I go to the YMCA to my Fitlinxx workout at that time on those days. Susanna's apartment and her job are each less than a mile from my house. Same with karate and Benny's house. No big deal.
Quite likely this schedule will not persist through the winter. If it does, though, that's OK. Time for me to get about and about. After hibernating for a year, I should waddle out of the cave and look around.
Friday, September 30, 2005
The Right Costume
Yesterday we bought Benny his dearly loved Incredibles costume. He put it on right away and wore it for the rest of the day. Then this morning he insisted on wearing it today, as well. He wore it ALL day, playing hard. Benny has the movie pretty much memorized and calls himself Dash Netzer. To him, the thought of being an Incredible is so wonderful as to beggar belief. It is the exactly right costume. He will wear it ragged before Halloween. When we bought it, I was sorry it was the only one. I just knew that little boy was going to play Dash until his costume fell to ribbons around him.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Tooling Up
You just can't get Halloween started too early for me. I love it. I'm already working on my decorations and it isn't even October yet.
Today Lydia/kids/I went to Target after leaving the YMCA. The Sunday flyer showed numerous things I need, so we were there a while finding this and that. I bought a vacuum cleaner for just upstairs because I'm tired of dragging the big one up and down the staircase. Enough, already! Also I wanted some cookware, specifically a casserole and a stir fry pan. Got those, too. Then I wanted Tide detergent at the sale price. I don't need it now, but when I'm ready for more detergent, the price may have gone up, so I bought a big jug today. I wanted the DVD of the three Wallace and Grommit half-hour animations, and also I wanted the new DVD of Robotz. Got those. I wanted the on-sale long-sleeved crewneck tops and got some, three black, two white, and one brown.
Finally, I wanted to sniff out any Halloween stuff available. It was great!!! I found a gigantic spider to put somewhere in my house. Also, at last, I got the Martha Stewart Living October issue. Very hard to find, that. For Sadie I spotted a beautiful witch costume covered with sparkles. She looks gorgeous. Benny got an Incredibles costume and loved it so much that he hugged the package to his heart all the way home and when we reached my house, he came in to put it on, went home that way too. Best of all...taaaadaaaa!...I bought every single doggie costume for Porque Choppe. Of the ones tried so far, I like the clown the best. Too good. What do you think?
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Sad
A fellow Tripod blogger has passed on to her reward, and unexpectedly, too. Tessa Steer died in hospital as she was making a good recovery from surgery. Although she lived in England and I live in the USA, and although we never met, we were good online friends. A background of similar experiences and values made it easy for us to become acquainted through our blogs. I came to value her for her lively intelligence and sense of humor. Very sudden and sad that she is gone. I'm really going to miss her. My thoughts and sympathy to her family for whom her loss is going to be a lasting ache. Odd about the internet. It actually does bring people together from around the world. For a long time, now, I've "talked to" Tessa nearly every day. She has been just as real to me as the people I see, and now she is gone.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
The Morning After The Day Before
What a day! At 5:30 A.M. I was up and walking Porque in the near-dark. Then I got busy with various chores. At 8:30 I went to the Y and got my fitness routines, was trained on seven different machines, did the whole work-out. Then I went upstairs and did the exercycle. Could have done it downstairs, but needed to get up and see if Lydia was there. She was. Madly wheeling along and getting noplace, but managing to work up a serious sweat. I chose my usual machine and bicycled with her. As Lydia and I finished upstairs, a woman came up calling for Lydia. Turns out that downstairs in the gym, Benny had a tantrum and was in trouble with the teachers of the Kidgym class. We all left the Y, Lydia to take Susanna to an appointment. I told her that I'd be home soon and she could drop off Benny. Then I went to the grocery store to get bananas in order to make frozen chocolate-covered bananasicles. After the grocery store, I stopped at the hardware store. At home Lydia and kids waited for me in the driveway. They all came in for lunch. Lydia and I had Szechuan beef with a salad. Kids ate this and that. Clearly they weren't candidates for Szechuan beef since it turned out to be hotter than a firecracker. YOW! Just about cauterized my alimentary canal. Then Lydia and Sadie left to take baby home for her nap. Benny stayed to play and do projects. We drew for almost an hour. Then we made "banana trees" with rolled newspaper cut and pulled. Then we put up a scarecrow I'd earlier purchased to place among the cornstalks by the porch railings. Then we took Porque for a walk. We played Chuzzle Deluxe. Etc etc etc. By 3:00 P.M. Lydia and Sadie and Suzanna were back. We went to the mall. In the morning, the fitness trainer told me that in order to participate at the Y, I had to wear regular sneakers. Irritated, I complied, went to Lady Foot Locker and came out with some supremely squishy running shoes and special socks. Then we all went on to April Cornell where we got a fabulous outfit for Sadie and a quilt for on my red sofa. By 4:00 we were at the top of the mall in their wonderful run and play area for small children, full of imaginative toys. Sadie and Benny ran and climbed while Lydia and I sipped vanilla latte from Starbucks. Suzanna was cruising the mall for bargains. At 5:00 I was finally at home again and happily discovered that the new quilt is an exact match for the sofa. Then I walked Porque. Finally I sat down with a glass of iced tea. I checked my e-mail and found that I needed to be at a neighborhood meeting by 6:30. AAAARRRGGGGHH! My morning exercises had begun to take a toll. I was sore and experienced difficulty putting one foot in front of the other. Also, Porque Choppe was sad about being left at home so much. I put her into my doggie purse and took her with me. The meeting was annoying to the tenth power due to the verbosity of a wealthy woman who objects to ethnically challenged construction workers building a house next door to hers. She refused to shut her mouth in spite of the fact that one man asked, then told her to shut up. By 8:30 I was at last back home walking Porque. A man buzzed by us going at warp speed toward the store on the corner. He yelled at me, "Love what you've done to your porch!" Hm...well, I guess that proves that people have noticed. I have life-sized cloth, home-made dolls sitting on my porch rockers with pumpkins around their feet. So, that was it. I was done for the day, came in, made myself a salad and a cup of tea, and went upstairs to eat in bed while watching TV. I went to sleep, Porque at my side, TV showing premiers of the new fall shows. Tired. I hope that today bring less activity. I'm still worn out. HOWEVER, I did make a commitment to do the fitness routine four days/week, so I now have to chug down my cup of tea and get going. Back to the YMCA.
Monday, September 26, 2005
On A Banana Peel, Slipping Over The Edge
For the last few weeks I've clung to my status as a completely sedentary person. I've clung desperately while Lydia pulled the other way, dragging me to the YMCA, weaselling me into buying a year's membership, driving me there for sessions on the exercycle or in the pool.
Today, I guess I'm going to slide over the edge into the lifestyle of a person trying to get fit. Gag. Here's how it works. Sitting on the exercycle and sweating and hating the process, I have wondered, what's this doing for my abdomen, upper body flab? I'm sweating, but so what? If I have to do this, shouldn't I be getting the most for my pain? So I went downstairs and signed up for an appointment with a personal trainer. Then I forgot about it. On Friday that trainer called to remind me that at 9:00A.M. today I'm supposed to be getting a regimen on this and that machine, all designed to turn me into a tougher, leaner specimen.
Now, you know, I expect nothing from this, nothing but additional sweat and misery. However, it is apparent that I've got to keep on going to the Y, so I might as well do the whole experience. Today's the day. I can't believe it. Me. Going to put my wretched life into the hands of a personal trainer. Anyone knowing me would be shocked. IF this ends up with me lean and stringy, I'll be shocked.
Yesterday coming out of church, we were behind a woman who has the body I need. She was less than 36 inches around at the fattest point. Each of her legs was so toned that you could almost see blood moving through her corpuscles. She moved with a blithe zippiness which said, "I have so much energy that unless I rachet back, I'd float off the ground." Is this the picture of the Joanna of tomorrow? No. Tomorrow I'll be crying and groaning, unable to get out of bed and cringe my way down the stairs.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Porque's Power Personality
Feels weird to sit here and type without a tiny warm dog asleep on my lap. Porque is at the doggie beauty-parlor. This is an extremely popular grooming place, over the top busy at all times. You have to call a week ahead to get an appointment and then sometimes you can’t. However, Porque is the exception to all of that. I don’t even have to call ahead. Can simply drop her off. It wasn’t always that way, but by the first week of August, Porque was one of Groomingdale’s primo clients. Like everyone else, they had fallen victim to her doggy charm.
I called to get an appointment for the second week of August. The receptionist said, “Uh…can you hold while I try to see if there’s a time for you?” I could hold. She came back, “So sorry but we’re booked into the third week of August. You could have a Friday appointment then, if you’d like.” I agreed to wait until then and take the Friday.
The receptionist asked, “What breed of dog is this?” A Chihuahua. “Has she been here before?” She has. “Your name?” Jenkins. The dog’s name?” Porque Choppe. “Oh!!! Porque Choppe!!!! You can drop her off any time. She’s no trouble at all, takes very little time, and is an absolute doll. We all just love Porque Choppe. Porque Choppe might be our favorite customer.”
Today when I dropped her off, Porque was wearing her blue leash and halter with pink, blue, and lavender gauze flounces on top. The receptionist squealed, “Oh, Porkee, you’re a fairy princess,” hugged little dog and kissed her on the nose. Porque blinked solemnly in agreement; yes, she is a fairy princess.
I took advantage of this time when Porque would not be home alone to do some extended grocery shopping. You know, the kind where you slowly cruise the aisles looking for this and that ingredient that you’ve read about in cook books but have never noticed in the store. Usually I shop the ghetto grocery, but for once, I went to the rich-people emporium in Ghent and near to Groomingdale’s. They have every single fresh vegetable, every single herb and outlandish ingredient in the world. It’s an interesting place. I found fresh asparagus and parsley, jicama, spaghetti squash, fresh ginger, chopped garlic in a jar, Old Bay Seasoning, diet Arizona green tea in the gallon size, all kinds of good stuff. I even hurried up and bought my Halloween candy because this store had huge sacks of individually wrapped candies in the shape of vampire teeth, eyeballs, and other such desirable items.
An hour and a half went by and I finally approached the check out. Here came the Groomingdale’s receptionist with an armful of Arizona Tea bottles. Evidently she’d been delegated to hydrate her dog workers. I asked, “Porque all done?” She looked shocked, “I guess not! She’s hangin’ out. She doesn’t want to go home yet. Can‘t you just leave her for a while and come back after lunch?”
I can’t imagine where Porque might be ‘hangin’ out’. When I left, the place was so frantic that a groomer tried to find a way to finagle two dogs under one dryer. Comically, the two dogs looked at one another with the same expressions that women would have had in a beauty parlor trying such a crazy thing. ..surprise, outrage, offense, disgust. No barking, fighting, or biting, but cold, polite horror. And this is the place where they want Porque Choppe to stick around, to hang out. Clearly little Porquita has stolen hearts with her power personality. Here I sit in a Porqueless house, typing about her, thinking of her. She’s a rare and loveable character!
Friday, September 23, 2005
Fleo
A while back when we returned from the beach and I found Porque covered with fleas, I was frantic. My goodness. I went out and bought literally every product at Walgreens having to do with fleas. I used them all, too. Took a while, but I did eradicate the problem. Since I used products guaranteed to kill both fleas and their eggs/children/pets/whatever, I felt that I'd taken care of an ugly situation and could forget it.
Cheered up too soon. The other day Lydia looked at Porque and said, "Oh, no! There's a flea." She grabbed and missed. When Lydia and the kids were gone, I resurrected my anti-flea remedies and went to work once again turning my house into a toxic environment. Now, you know, this stuff does work. I have unintentionally killed three crickets. Just because they happened to be on treated carpet, they died, doing nothing more than sitting there where I had sprayed. Having said that, I admit that two days post re-spray, Porque still has a flea somewhere on her little self. I've gone over every milimeter of her small hide, but can't find the offending insect.
Thinking about his has me scratching myself mercilessly, sure that each imagined twitch is a flea-inspired itch. Horrible. I have turned my house into a place probably unsafe for grandchildren, but we still have a flea. So, I'm going with plan-B.
Plan-B is this. We embrace our flea-bitten-ness. We make it part of the status quo. We accept it. We learn to love it. How? Yes...I began by naming the flea. It is now officially, FLEO, Porque Choppes' pet flea. Porque comes scooting around the corner, I look up and say, "How nice. It's Porque and Fleo. Come. Sit on my lap, my little friends."
If I could actually see and grab FLEO, would I maintain this..er, uh, whatever it is? Heh. I only hope the nearly microscopic trouble-maker thinks so.
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