Hmmm.... long time no post.
I've been doing really well. Tired, but well. It's a two job week, so I've just been incredibly tired. Also, I dove into Final Fantasy X on PS2 and the novelty just hasn't worn off yet. Lucky for you, I my chair faces both the tv and the computer, and I have a keyboard on my lap and a controller in my hand, and FFX has a lot of cutscenes. What all that means, is that I can do two things at once, provided Abu is taking one of her frequent naps.
The naps are becoming less frequent, and less long. She is steadily eating more and more, and my theory on puppies is that they ought to eat as much as is puppily possible. Sometime early this morning she polished off a bowl of rice, tuna, and puppy chow, mushified with water. I know she's been growing, because (also early this morning) she got stuck under the bed. I had to lift the bed up and coax her out. You don't notice the growing quite so much, because it's so gradual, but one day you just wake up, and you can't get out from under the bed you crawled beneath.....
I did some reading on puppy training, though I really don't know why. I never agree with the so-called "experts" and usually have more success just following my instincts. For example, they say that before 12 weeks, puppies are un-papertrainable. Well, so much for expertise. Abu has a remarkable track record at 4 1/2 weeks. I would estimate a %75 accuracy level, assuming she's in her known area. This after only 3 days of mediocre enforcement. And I wouldn't even call it enforcement.
Besides that, we're working on the "come" and the "no" which are coming along at a fantastic rate, and I've no option but to conclude that my puppy is a genius in the world of dogs. I think maybe I ought to head down to Universal Studios with her while she's still a little sponge for training. She could be a star. Especially with those beautiful blue eyes (here's hoping they stay that color).
Having a puppy is good. Having someone to take care of, pour into, keep me company. I love watching her grow and learn and play. I love the way she wiggles and yelps when I come home, I even love her stinky puppy kisses.
Spring has leapt on our fair city and these last two days have been glorious. Today I crouched on a grassy bank and watched two Canadian Geese rest on the grass not 50 feet away, and then glide into the river and paddle out to where the current carried them north. I watched three monarch butterflies chase each other along the treeline behind the property. I stood and talked with an elderly man who found me to be quite clever, and told me stories of the various jobs he had held in his 85 years of being alive.
I spent the day without my sweatshirt, and my bare arms weren't a bit chilly even when I strolled through the shade beneath the high rise.
I love spring. I don't care how messy or wet it is. I love it when grass suddenly springs from the ground and butterflies and frogs and robins all appear like out of nowhere, as though they had never been gone, as though it had never been winter.
Well now I've used up half my video game time. I had better go play a bit so that I'll fall asleep in time to get enough rest.
