Sunday for real today

 Holiday weeks always throw off my Monday to Friday meter.  This past week has seemed like it had Sunday the third, Sunday the fourth, Sunday the fifth, Sunday the sixth... and now it's Sunday the 7th which is "for real Sunday".  Hopefully tomorrow my meter will be reset to Monday!

Ember came out of her den a few minutes before 5 a.m., calm and peaceful of demeanor.  I had already escorted The Prisoner down to his luxury suite and fed him, emptied the dehumidifier, and in general followed the normal morning routine.  Ember and I went outside, she found the soggy tennis ball, and just laid on the patio for a bit before deciding to go do her business.  Then she came inside and started playing with Foxy the rope-centered toy while I fixed my coffee.

She even ate her breakfast without much prompting.  We went outside again, for a second pee, and she gnawed on a small branch for a bit.  At about quarter of six, her inner alarm went off and she knew it was almost time for her leash walk.  We came inside, and went through that entire protocol:  put on the harness (get treats), sat at the front door (treat), let mom have "her end of the leash", waited for mom to close and lock the door, and Ember was attentive the entire walk.  We did an "out and back" route, which is always deceptive in its length (to me).  But we were on sidewalks on blocks that Ember had not seen or sniffed before, so, extra enrichment!

The photo is of Ember a little after 7 a.m., snoozing in the arch between the living room and the dining room, with her towel for comfort..  I just left her there, have not put her into her den.  Her grooming drop off time is 9 a.m. and I'm plotting a grocery list for while she's there.  

She woke up a little after 8, and we toss the tennis balls a couple of times, but I tried to keep it sedate.  I dropped her with Tony the groomer at 9 a.m. and she greeted him with a full back end tail wag, both sides (which is dog body language says she's very happy to see him)!

While she was gone, I didn't run errands, not even the groceries I was starting to plot before she went.  I watched the House of the Dragon episode from last week and nibbled more of the banana bread than I normally allot.  Some with peanut butter.

About 11 a.m. I got the text message that she was ready, so I headed over, and she greeted me with the same whole back-end wag.  Can you honestly tell the difference?  My nose can... coconut scented shampoo.  Tony said she was very sweet the whole process.  I'm thinking a spa day every 6-8 weeks, for life?

She was wiped out and I let her just chill on the kitchen floor, after having gone out for a quick pee when we got home.  By the way, the first place she headed in the back yard?  The sandbox!

The rest of the afternoon was pretty quiet.  We did go out a couple of times to attempt to see if she needed to poo.  No dice on the poo, but she dutifully peed.  We took a second leash walk in the 2 p.m hour.  It was hot but not as beastly as week before last.  The fireworks debris has been redistributed and different bits appeal to the pup!  We played "chase the treat" around the block, almost the whole way.

She went into her crate with no arguments at 4:19 p.m.  I think she might have eaten 1/3 of her dinner before that.  I've kind of devolved into "free feeding" for her.  I put her meals down at specific times, but I leave it down and she eats when she's hungry.  Given the poo situation, I'll make a point to try an outside break before I bed down myself.

Anniversaries this week

28 years ago today, my mother died.  A year and a day later, Alicia's daughter was born.  49 years ago this coming Wednesday was when I became an Auntie for the first time, when my older sister gave birth.  Just goes to show how the cycles of time and life events blend into a tapestry over the years.

All told, Life is Good!  Spark on!