dog lurking

When Henry was a puppy, he was at the center of our lives because he was a puppy.  That's sort of an obvious statement; how can an impossibly cute little creature who makes darling little snerking noises not worm himself into the apple of your eye?  How can he not, when he's disemboweling sofa cushions, ripping up carpet and doing dooty in the living room?

We took him to obedience classes, urban dog parks, Home Depot and Dixie.  My dad called him his grandpuppy when he was tiny, "that dog" when he was bigger and more mischievious, and then just "dog," in a grudgingly affectionate way.

Then we had kids, and despite the fact that Henry had become very large, he walked slowly into the periphery of our lives and fell asleep.  He sleeps for hours and hours, and lurks on the edge of all goings-on.

It's hard to imagine life without him.

(Note unrelated to post subject: if you ever worry about video games rotting your kids' brains, just have them play them upside down.)

Balloon

Yesterday I was up before sunrise, as usual, walking around downstairs, and I heard a strange noise outside.  It sounded like someone was out there blowing up a giant balloon.

And someone was!

Ribbit

I am still here in my bog - I mean blog - but for the last few weeks nothing's been happening when I click the "publish post" button.  The Spouse fixed it.

I'm sticking with the amphibian theme for one more post.

Be kind and tender to the Frog,
   And do not call him names,
As "Slimy skin," or "Polly-wog,"
   Or likewise "Ugly James,"
Or "Gap-a-grin," or "Toad-gone-wrong,"
   Or "Billy Bandy-knees":
The Frog is justly sensitive
   To epithets like these.
No animal will more repay
   A treatment kind and fair;
At least, so lonely people say
Who keep a frog (and, by the way,
They are extremely rare).

Hilaire Belloc

How would Emily...

...have liked social media?

I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us - don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog,
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!

Emily Dickinson