A one-dog weekend!

 

Saturday afternoon sunning.  Would you believe it got up to 96 degrees Fahrenheit?  On October 5th?  Those football players must have had a rough time of it down on the field at 3 p.m.

Mom actually watched most of the game, on TV, while the Cornhuskers seemed to be reviving their old winning ways.  Knock wood!  They are now 5-1 on the season, having defeated Rutgers in the heat.

Mom calls this one a moment of peace.  A warm puppy and a biocoffee in the mug.  

Ember slept outside the crate for puppy nap #2 on Saturday and had at least part of her pupsicle in her X-Pen.  As warm as it was, it was a good day to just chill.

Sunday morning challenge was that Mommy put on a different pair of shoes.  Mommy did her distraction thing to get the focus on other things.  One thing that startled Ember on Sunday morning was the discovery that if she dropped her big bone on the tile floor, it clattered loudly.  She went into indoor zoomies over that one.

Sunday featured a morning neighborhood walk, and a late morning visit to the dog park.  I seemed to have a hungry puppy on my hands.

At the dog park, I walked Ember on leash outside the fence for a bit before going into the "free play" area.  Someone had brought a child that looked to be five of six and said child was hanging out around the entrance to the park while parental unit was chatting with another adult.  I was concerned about the clump of dogs, the child, and Ember the adolescent puppy who loves people but doesn't always greet appropriately!

Still, we got inside.  Given that I had a pouch full of treats, I attracted lots of dogs.  I would ask their owners if it was OK to give them treats before I did, just because.  Another dog owner had an "open bar" bowl of water at his picnic table base, and Ember took advantage of both that one, and one at the entrance before we left.  On Sunday I figured a way to get her back in the car without assistance of another human!  I crawled into the backseat myself, and across it, and out the other side, turning it into an agility "tunnel".  Ember followed me in once I got out the other side, and happily allowed herself to be clipped into her seat belt.

At home, there was a roast in the crock pot, and an ounce and a quarter of that became the topper for Ember's supper kibble.  She ate the roast pieces, but did not polish off the kibble.  All the treats from the morning filled her up.

Monday morning, we had a fly inside the house!  Given that we keep the sliding door open at lot for ease of Ember entrances and exits, this should surprise no one.

I was distracted for a minute and left the flyswatter on the counter.  One of Ember's favorite toys.  Flyswatter.  Dust pan.  Empty plastic bottles.  Anything she can destroy.

We had a neighborhood walk before Mom cooked her own breakfast.  Mom kind of overdid the fat and sugar and even some flour Sunday night, trying to regulate her feelings after Ember chose the basement level to use like a giant pee-pad... both pee and poo.  I cleaned it up. I put her to bed and then I went nuts in the kitchen.

Sunday night I did not sleep well.  I cannot do the night before / morning after thing these days.  Too hard on the body.  I was therefore not hungry Monday morning at the usual time.  Ember did not seem to mind going for a walk without waiting for Mom's breakfast.  We used to do it that way when the sun rose earlier, anyway.

During puppy nap #1 I did a little furthering of the deconstruct of the sliding door myself.  After puppy nap #1 the HVAC guy came to do the annual heating check of the furnace.  All clear for the heating season.

It was a bit of a shuffle to get Ember out of the way, into the back yard, and later into her X-Pen, so as not to interfere with the young man's work.

After he left, we did a reward trip to the dog park.  Ember raced around with a whole new group of dogs.  She's getting to expect this level of exercise, and I truly appreciate how calm she becomes afterward.  From just three trips to the park.

We'll see how Tuesday goes!

Life is Good.  Keep Sparking!