Scribblings

Tipping … not the restaurant kind

But first ... 10 things I am grateful for today:

1. Michelle made it through the procedure yesterday and recovery and is back home
2. It was a beautiful weather day in spite of the cool temperatures
3. I didn’t have to drive anywhere and didn’t have to drive anyone anyplace!
4. I’m thankful that we are in relatively good health
5. I’m glad TB is not in pain today
6. I’m actually thankful for the dopey dog
7. I’m glad I was able to stay on program(Weight Watchers) so far today
8. Rupert wasn’t voted off Survivor last night!
9. I caught up on my email and news groups!
10. I’ve been able to think of topics to write about

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I’ve heard of kids tipping cows over for kicks. I wondered how in the heck someone could tip over a cow! Today, I think I know how it’s done. Move the heavy animal too much in one direction, and the cow loses her center of balance and topples over. I came to the conclusion after tipping over on Buddy.

I’d been feeling out of it all day. It was my time of the month and so I had some cramps. More than anything else, I just felt very tired. I even took two naps! I still felt a little light headed after the last one.

Trying to shake it off, I sat down at the computer. Billy had Buddy on the long lead and the puppy came over to say ‘hello’. I hugged him and scratched his chest and ears. I leaned over to hug him again and all of a sudden, I felt myself going over. The chair went over with me and I was momentarily tangled between it and the dog.

TB and Billy both jumped up. I was on the floor trying to free myself and just felt totally stupid. As for Buddy, either he didn’t mind or realized something weird was going on because he stayed where he was at first. As TB reached down to try to help me up, Buddy shifted to get out of the way and we were down again.

I finally got up and felt both shaken and foolish. What was the matter with me that I would just tip over like that? Old ladies tipped over, not me. I had this horrifying flashback image of Rich’s grandmother (Fred’s mother) being pushed or pulled up or down the steps. Someone had to get in front of her and someone behind because she would lose her balance and topple over. This can’t be happening to me! What a scary thought!

With my hypochondria, I started imagining all kinds of things that might explain what happened. A stroke. A fainting spell. You name it, I probably had it. The real reason I fell over probably has more to do with my weight and shifting my center of balance too much. Another reason is that I’ve been fairly congested and fluid in my ears would affect my balance too.

So it's all nothing to worry about ... riiiiight? ;-)

The rest of this could be titled "Buddy, ADD" or "Pele Pup, ADD"

Since the kids went back to school, I’ve been taking Buddy out for a stretch of the legs. I’m not strong enough to hold him on a leash so I’ve just been backyard babysitting.

Buddy doesn’t want to be alone. We would try to put him out in our fenced back yard and then go to the bathroom or make coffee or something. It doesn’t work because he throws himself at the door, barks, or cries. It’s really annoying and I felt a bit resentful toward him. I never expected him to be as needy as a newborn!

Since Billy is in school for six hours and since being crated that long is bad for the dog, I’ve been taking Buddy out several times a day. I have to be honest here … it’s sort of fun! He wants me to chase him. I want him to “fetch” and then I’ll throw the stick or ball. At first I wasn’t into that kind of play. I quickly realized that chasing him around the yard is a great way to get some exercise. I can’t run but I can walk and I can walk pretty quickly.

How do you categorize walk-chasing a dog around the yard? Weight Watchers gives credit for all activities but there’s nothing there for pet-play. Hmmmm… so I’ll look for the next closest thing. That would be … Frisbee? It’s the same sort of start and stop activity. It involves reaching out and grabbing for an object. Yeah, Frisbee, that sounds good! Every 10 minutes of play with Buddy takes off a point.

When Buddy gets ahold of the basketball, we play a weird form of soccer. Yes, Buddy pulls and pushes a basket ball around with his paws. It’s fun to watch him. He looks like a cat chasing a ball of yarn. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog play quite this way. He’ll guard the ball with his body, too, and when I manage to kick the ball out from under him he goes charging across the yard churning up a fountain of sand from the ground where the pool used to be.

That's where I got the name Pele, after the great soccer player from Brazil.

The other lovely name, ADD, actually means 'a dumb dog'. Before I go much further I just want to put this disclaimer here: I love Buddy. I don't think he's a dumb moron. It's an affectionate name. Heh.

Actually, the name came from either Michelle or TB after a particularly frustrating episode with Buddy. I just remember hearing, "The vet says Labs ae ADD."

I thought it meant Labrador Retrievers have attention deficit disorder. No ... ADD is the anagram of 'A Dumb Dog'. Cute! I mean, what would you call a dog that chews sticks to splinters and tries to swallow them, inhales sawdust like he thinks it's going to get him a high, and drinks water from any container he can find even though he's got a water bowl filled with fresh-from-the-tap H20?

Truthfully, he's a pretty smart dog. He learns pretty quickly when he feels inspired.

He's true-blue loyal as well. He knows the sounds of the kids' buses stopping to drop them off and he races from one side of the yard to the other to catch a glimpse of them. He is happiest of all to see Billy but he also gets excited over Heidi and Kristin. I told TB that Buddy probably does a jig inside his crate when we get home ... we just can't see him doing it.

He's become more terroritorial as he's gotten older. He barks and wuffes and his hackles go up. I'm glad he does that. I'd rather people think he might be dangerous.

Yeah, I guess he's a keeper now!