dogs, birds, holidays

Well, Henry is the best dog on the planet, the holidays are fast approaching, and here I am, minding not the dog, nor am I tending to the gift-wrapping, instead, I am consumed by a bird feeder. (Yes, there's a pun in there, not a very clever one because honestly, I am not feeling very clever this morning.)

I wont bore you with the bothersome details that lead me finally to disassemble the birdfeeder, pack it up, and take it Kohl's -- the only place from where I could send it back to Amazon without a printer. Needless to say all this took time.

Ironically, when I got back home, I noticed three birds, Finches all, sitting on my balcony railing and table, wondering what happened to the birdfeeder. 

 

Worry not, little birds. Another one is coming soon. A cheaper one that perhaps wont pose the same challenges the other one did. In the meantime, let me contribute to the incredible mess on my balcony and scatter some seeds for you on the table there. I want you to think of it as a happy place for birds! 

 

My dog presents no such feeding problems. Indeed, he is a model pup this morning. Up at 6:30. It is ridiculously cold outside! Rain yesterday, 6F (-15C) today. Of course there will be ice. With a fierce wind added to the mix. On goes his warmest (I think) sweater. A real pain to take on and off for a dog with very long limbs, but worth it (I think). 

Once again, he is not in a hurry to extend the walk today. 

 

 

 

Still, I give him an A- for his behavior: he caught himself and did not woof at the children getting on the 7 a.m. school bus. And he did not woof at the person in the lobby who was fixing himself a cup of coffee. (The Edge has a coffee and tea station for those who do not care about the quality of the caffeinated beverage, nor the fake milk product as long as it gives a pazow hit to get you moving in the morning.) Why only A- ? Well, I went to my storage closet outside the apartment where I kept the box for the bird feeder and Henry ran to the door and jumped up on it after me. That's a real no-no. He could easily scratch the door and leave me with a $$ bill for repairs.)

By breakfast time, all is calm. 

And afterwards, Henry and I play.

And snuggle.

 

I take him to doggie daycare, pick up a few items at the grocery store and go to Kohls to do my return.

I'm not sure what the relationship is between Amazon and Kohls, but they do have a designated Amazon returns station and I was lucky enough to have zero waiting time. But to get to it, you have to make your way to a rather remote corner of the store, passing very many aisles of merchandise. It's been a while since I've been in the clothes sections of a big box store. To say that I don't miss it is the understatement of the year. It's true that after a couple of years of online food purchasing, I've gone back to in-person grocery store visits. The grocery store is closer to my new home and in any case, I do like to check expiration dates and the quality of produce. Clothes? Give me online shopping any time. 

What's missing from this day so far? Holiday prep. And this is getting serious, as doggie day care will be mostly closed next week and I just dont see myself hitting the big packages with Henry underfoot. Ah well. No need to stress about it. Instead, let me start in on a new 500 piece puzzle. It's all about dogs!

 

And then it's time to pick up the kids. Last day of school! PJ day for Sparrow! Holiday garb for Snowdrop! Hot chocolate and movies instead of work! All good stuff. And yet, they appear just a little fragile. 

 

 

 

Nothing that a couple of weeks of later wakeups wont cure. And of course, by the time we settle in at the Edge, they relax, unwind, exhale.

We dont pick up Henry together because they have something to attend to back home. Tonight then, it's just Henry and me, settling in for cozy time by the tree.

with so much love...