Like a Baby, Only Worse ...

Travis the Puppy has arrived.

I will post pictures soon. He is cute and cuddly and really quite beautiful, but man--he is such a puppy! Which is like having a baby, a toddler and a wild teenager all rolled up into one. We're dealing with some serious nipping issues right now, especially when it comes to Travis and Will. Will is finding it hard to tell Travis "no" as firmly and as sternly as he needs to, so as far as Travis is concerned, Will is one big chew toy.

The good news: Travis sleeps through the night. The bad news: He poops under the dining room table.

It has rained the last two days, which doesn't make one hop up and down and say, "Whee! I'm so glad I have a puppy to take out in the rain every hour!"

What I hadn't anticipated is how much you have to plan your life around a puppy--the way you have to do with a baby, really. When will he nap? How long can we leave him alone in his crate when he's awake?

(later) It has taken me three days to compose this. Am I feeling puppy love? You know, not really. It's nothing about Travis personally. Personally, he's adorable and I find him interesting and occasionally entertaining. It's just the situation of having a puppy. I know it's only temporary; he'll grow up and be a chilled-out dog who can be left to his own devices. But for now, it's like, "Who stuck me with an extra kid? I've got a book to write! I've got my parents coming in two weeks! It won't stop raining!"

So that's the story right now. I know it will get better. But for the moment I am plum wore out.

Emerging ...

I haven't posted regularly at all this year, mostly because I've been writing books. I finished one in February and started another one in March. All my creative energy has been focused on that writing, not this writing.

I've had things to write about, just not time. For instance, I've pondered hiring a cleaner to come clean my windows, hardwoods and fridge once a month. Oh, and the tubs. These are the jobs I put off forever, and it occurred to me it would be nice to get someone else to do them. But it's a lot of money to pay out just because I'm lazy.

Well, it's winter, at least on this hemisphere, and in winter I want to sit on the couch and read under a blanket. So that's what the last two months have been like: writing in the morning, reading in the afternoon, cooking and cleaning in the late afternoon/early evening. Then more reading and bed. It's a schedule that suits me, but not my house, at least not in the corners where the crumbs gather.

Spring is coming. Everything's starting to bloom. There's a mist of color across the yards and the roadsides. I ordered some seeds two weeks ago, and they arrived today, mostly herbs, but some shade loving plants as well.

We're getting a dog on Saturday. A puppy named Travis. Cockapoo. I've always imagined myself as the kind of person who drives around in a used truck with a mutt from the pound in the back, but the fact is, I've got a minivan that will soon contain a designer dog I paid big bucks for. I suppose everyone has a secret self that never see the light of day. Mine wears workboots and hangs out in honky tonks.

I was driving somewhere today and thought that the one thing--and maybe the only thing--I miss from my teens and twenties is dancing. I loved going out dancing. I haven't done it in years, and now I don't think my knees could take it. But dancing to bands was some of the most fun I ever had.

Those are my thoughts. I may have more one day. I'll let you know.