hot and not bothered!

Well, for sure it is a hot May day. Not initially, but by the noon hour shorts are appropriate (with the exception of for Ed: he's been wearing shorts since February). 

(the beauty of sunshine and flowers, together)

 

 

And I am resolved not to get frustrated with little Millie, only because she is little! Why would I be even mildly vexed with this incredible package of goodness? 

It's the potty training: she will not hold it in. When she feels the urge, she goes. Taking her outside frequently? Oh, I do! Believe me, I do! She'll go outside. And then a half hour later, she'll go inside. Usually in the playroom because that is her preference.

You could tell me to check with the vet. Perhaps she has a problem? But of course, it'll take a lot to get me to call the vet yet again. I need to give that lifeline a rest before they throw me to the dogs! Moreover, Millie stays in her crate all night -- a solid 8 hours and there will be no accident, ever, because it is her den. Even if she wakes up earlier and has to wait for me to open up the door, she'll hang on until I do so. So, a strong bladder after all!

To her credit, she did test the possibility of using the porch for peeing. She watched me, befuddled. Why are you cleaning up? I went outside! I explained to her the difference between porch and grass, but I could tell she wasn't listening. 

Of course, I'm not really mad at her. She is still learning stuff. Chewing books on the shelf is a no? You didn't tell me! And some behaviors are so endemic to her breed and personality -- for example, scratching furiously on the couch cover before nesting -- that I wont even touch that.

When we move in July to Steffi's House, there will be a fenced yard, but I know that this is no panacea. You have to go through the garage to reach it. Will she sit by the garage door to let me know that she wants out? I doubt it. Moreover, the grass there is not yet set. Almost all the landscaping in a new developments is done for quick results. Looks okay at the beginning (if you like lawns), but the plantings are without imagination, and the turf doesn't always take, and at the edges it is easy to rip it up. I am quite sure Millie will attempt to rip it up by digging her way to the other side of the earth. She's not really a digger, but the temptation there will be too great.

So no, I'm not really bothered by her potty routines. In nice weather at least. Downright hot.

 

Breakfast on the porch and it's quiet today! I don't know why. I do not understand the construction schedule, but I surely do appreciate the lull in the noise.

Afterwards, I brush the girl thoroughly. You'd think that such a short coat doesn't require daily brushing. You'd be wrong. I can tell when I get to patches that I missed the previous day (because she wiggled out of my hold): it starts to matt overnight. You really do need to groom these dogs daily! It's a chore I actually enjoy. The end result is very satisfying.

 

 

 

I take her to daycare. Friday is not usually a daycare day, but I have a doc's appointment and a chore or two to attend to and then of course there's the school pick up, so I think it's better for her this way.

At the doc's  office, I am told that of course I would have great eye pain! Such dry eyes! But I use drops... You dont close your eye lids fully when you blink. You probably sleep with your eyes partly open. So now I have to practice blinking fully? You also have cataracts. Wait, I had them removed! You have secondary ones. It's a good thing I am otherwise fond of my eyes (performance wise), because they sure have been coming up with irritating issues, requiring repeated interventions.

 

I'm early for Snowdrop (Sparrow is not with us today). I see a very excited girl come to the car. Guess what, I had a major trauma in school today!

Trauma? I can't imagine what it may have been. She seems okay now... She continues: when half the fifth grade was out at recess, the lockdown alarm went off. We all ran like crazy, all the way to the police station. Well, some kids ran to Culver's. My friend said that if she was going to die, she may as well die eating something she likes. Some kids were crying, some were trampling over the slower ones. It was awful! I, too, thought I was going to die! They provided counseling afterwards, but since in the end no one got killed, I thought I could skip it.

This is what being a kid in an American school feels like. 

It had been a false alarm, and for that we're all grateful, but the kids were scared because so many times it isn't a false alarm. In 2023, there had been 352 school shootings in American schools. Where shots were fired. How many countries can boast that kind of a statistic? And of course, kids know this. They drill for it. And they worry.

 

Snowdrop and I pick up Millie. Given that it's 83F/28C outside, I am so very glad the pup got a coat trim. 

Ed comes over in the evening for supper. Not that he is necessarily crazy about the salmon I bake for us, but the asparagus is abundant and the supper is healthy and I love it!

And now it's late evening once again. A hot day that turned out quite okay. And for once, Millie did not have an accident, as of this writing anyway!

with so much love...