Getting our amusement where we find it

 

On my Friday grocery run, I purchased eggs.  When I was putting them away, I realized that the old carton had an expiration date on one niece's birthday, and the other on another niece's birthday!  We take our amusement where it encounters us!

Saturday morning started out rainy.  I snuck down the stairs before 4 a.m. to make sure I was not watering in the rain.  Then went back upstairs and puttered until 5 a.m. so I wouldn't get the animals off schedule!

Prisoner was nowhere to be found, at least not without raising a ruckus, so I just put his breakfast in his "room".

Ember was disturbed by the rain jacket I put on, but I just kept feeding her treats and crooning "It's still Mommy.  I just have a coat on."  She eventually settled down, but when I put the coat away, snagged one of my snow boots.  I did not give chase, and eventually she gave it up for a "good treat".

I'm just focusing on loving my little one.  And with no people showing up at the house to do any work today, we had quite a pleasant morning.  Indoor games, outdoor potty breaks, and eventually when the rain stopped, a walk around our normal morning block.  So much going on during that walk, because everybody else who has a canine was doing the same scheduling shift around the showers.

Most of the doggies that were out are ones we encounter from time to time on our walks, but they were all out at once!  Ember did very well with the distractions, and lots of treats.  We finally found out what all the flags were about on the corner to the East of us, as there were men at work this morning.

Right on that same corner, a FedEx truck was making a delivery.  Ember did her little "sit and watch" drill, augmented by good treats, of course.  She did get to greet one walker, before we got there, and she loves that.

Back from our walk, she napped on the floor in the kitchen.  I nodded a bit in the wingback chair, then shifted to the couch in the family room before getting up to write this.

I had tried to get Ember into the new harness when she came out of the crate, but my clumsy fingers just could not get it snapped before Ember lost patience with the process. This happened twice Saturday. 

When it did, I just took the harness off, and said, "we won't do this right now".  She did let me put the old harness on without the detour through the crate, twice.  She has learned this drill, and a couple of good treats and she doesn't play tug with it.

Thus, we earned our walkies!

Later in the day, we earned a time out for tearing at the carpet where I'd taped the threshold from the hallway to the master bedroom.  Not so much for that, but for the reaction to the correction, when she raced down the stairs to jump on me and put her mouth on me.

At this point, I decided I needed to leave the house.  I went and got my hair cut!  I came back and let her out and we tried another leash walk, but never left the yard.  I tried to take her on a car ride, but I did not clip her in, and she jumped into the front seat, so I didn't even go around a block, pulled in a driveway and came right back home.

We went out again, and tried, with her clipped into the seatbelt.  She wasn't wearing a harness the first trip.  This time, though, she put her paws on the back of the driver's seat and was starting to nibble on my shoulder... didn't even back out of the driveway that time.  Back in the garage, back in the house. and she started to piddle on the floor... "You're supposed to do that outside!"  Clipped the leash on, and out we went.  She not only finished the piddle, but she also pooped.

Soupy poop.  She's been overfed treats, and fed too many "new" things, I perceive.  Two meals, true, but way too many treats between.  It's such a balance.  The treats save my skin and calm her down, but they aren't so good for her digestion!

The little one took yet another puppy nap, including a short interval with her head on my lap on the couch.  She got up in time for her snuffle mat supper.  When it came time for Mommy's supper, she went into her den with no complaints.  All in all, I would give Saturday a B+.

Now the dog laundry is in the washer, the cat has been given supper, and I'm finishing up this blog!

Life is Good.  Spark on!