Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

Woke up around 5:30, and lay listening to music. A black puppy with a ridge, a fuzzy face and white toes on his rear feet jumped into bed and snuggled sweetly. "Who are you? And what have you done with Molasses?!??"

While rubbing his tummy, I serenaded him by singing along to Revolution (The Beatles, 1968). He listened in rapture until the song was over, then bit me on the nose. "Oh, it is you, Mo!"

[Netfoot]

Rose this morning at first light to open the front door and check on Molasses. He spent the night locked out, because I just couldn't take any more pools of pee in the house.

Last night I found a 7' long puddle in the passage. Admonished him for it and as I was cleaning it up, he came along and peed again, 2' away from where I was kneeling. He got a thorough spanking, then I picked him up and used him like a mop to wipe up the pee, before throwing him out of the house for the night.

First thing this morning, I went out, got a bucket,  put some water in it, put him in it, and gave him a thorough wash. (He didn't like it much at first, and fought for a while, but finally realized the water wasn't doing him any harm and took the remainder of the bath calmly.) Then, with a huge, fleecy towel, I dried him off before letting him into the house. 

Back in bed, with even his footies, ears and tail all warm and dry and smelling fresh and clean, he curled up and went to sleep, leaning against my tummy. I soon followed him into Dreamland where I had a terrible, terrible dream about Buddy, and his last days, and woke with my eyes flooded with tears.

Maybe I am too old for this.

[Netfoot]

 How come all of my puppies like Stilton?!?? I don't mind sharing cheddar, cream cheese, etc, but Stilton, Blue Shropshire, Gorgonzola, and the like are very difficult for me to share. And Mo is only the last in a long line of expensive, blue-cheese appreciating doggies.

I have discovered one thing he doesn't like though... Sprite! He was trying to steal a full bottle of Sprite, so I rescued it, and poured it out into a glass of ice. He was very taken aback. I poured a little into his bed-bowl and cracked an icecube into it as well. He was horrified! If I only offer him the bowl (or my glass) he runs away! And it isn't bowl or glass, because he is happy to see them if they contain milk...

Here he is, perched on top of my tummy again. He pounced from a distance. I think he ruptured something! We are late going for our nap because we had another power cut (2nd in 5 days). I am always uncomfortable about the computer when the power goes out. I have a good UPS but it is only good for a certain number of minutes. So when the computer is on the UPS I like to sample a few data points periodically to get a better feel for how it is working. I could trigger the samples while laying here reading, but I'd have to put the wifi router on the UPS... which would only place more of a load on it and thereby reduce the up-time on battery.

Edited December 16, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

When Dotty was a puppy, and we lived in a different home, he had the run of the house during the day, but slept on the veranda. The veranda was on the lee of the house and was protected by a large almond tree to the west, so even if there was a downpour of rain, he was snug and dry.

One night, around 1AM, there was a tremendous rainstorm, and suddenly, I heard Dotty barking under the bedroom window, on the opposite side of the house from the veranda. Then, I heard him scratching at the front door. Then more barking under the window, then more scratching... He was running back and forth through the rain, trying to attract my attention.

When I opened the door, I discovered that the prevailing wind had turned southerly, and rain was blowing into the veranda and wetting the poor puppy. Of course, I brought him in, dried him off, and he snuggled up next to me for the rest of the night.

But that clever boy realized that when the rain fell, the only way I could tell if the wind had as southerly or not, was to open the door and check. From then, Dotty barked under the window every time the wind blew, and of course, once the door opened for me to check, he was in like Flynn!

Naturally, on dry nights, he still slept on the veranda! Until one night, it was time to lock up, and Dotty was nowhere to be found. Finally, it occurred to me to check the bedroom......

He had decided that he was sleeping inside from then on. And who was I to argue?

Last night, Mo was sleeping outside. He was great all day yesterday, but just before bed, I discovered a puddle. One puddle is a huge improvement over the 6-7 I've been dealing with daily. I fetched him and showed him the puddle and he took off running! I ran after him, growling and clapping my hands loudly, and then I closed the door and left him to sleep outside again.

I hate putting him out at night! He has a large, roomy garage with a bed and a night-light, his water bowl, and any leftovers from dinner.... but I worry about him. When Buddy was a puppy, he was dog-napped, 

and was only returned the next day because he was the naughtiest puppy in the world and the dog-nappers couldn't handle his wicked ways!

Nowadays, I lock the front gate with a padlock, but a determined dog-napper could still get in and abscond with my baby! So, I hate to put him outside to sleep at night.

One o'clock this morning, I was awakened by some spirited barking in a very familiar tone of voice, right under the bedroom window! That was all it took. I brought him in and we cuddled for a while, before we went off to sleep. 

He helped me cook lunch, taste-testing the beef, the chicken, the sweet peppers, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli and tomatoes as they were prepared for the stew-pot. Later, after eating his own lunch, he insisted in taste-testing all those things again, now that they have been cooked. And he demanded a little of the stew-gravy as well. I was a little dubious because it was quite spicy with cayenne and garlic, but I gave him a soup·çon which he slurped right down and demanded more! So, I gave him a ladleful and he was satisfied with that.

As I've been writing this, he's been attacking me and biting me unmercifully, but now he has gone off for a wander. I'm sure he will be back shortly, with some new treasure that he will want to drag a into the bed. 

But for right now, the biting has ceased, and there is a sweet breeze coming in through the window, as Ai Du (Ali Farka Touré) plays, so I will pick up my book and see how quickly I fall asleep! Although, some more of that stew would go down a treat right now, as well.....

 

 

[Netfoot]

He wasn't searching for treasure. He was making mud-pies in the garden. And every time he made a good one, he'd come jump onto the bed to tell me about it! With large globs of mud where his fuzzy feet normally are! 

Thank goodness I'm still throwing an old sheet over the bed to catch pee, sick, mud, or whatever he decides is appropriate. (He doesn't pee in bed any more. I actually have a video of him peeing on the old sheet on top of the bed, when he was a wee babe. But he only ever did it the once, and never since then.)

Well, I never did nod off, so I will I'll just finish the last few pages of this book, and go look for the little lad. It's never a bad idea to keep an eye on him.

[Netfoot]

This morning, as I sat at my desk, I heard the sound of frolicking from the bedroom, so I hussled in there and enjoyed 30 minutes of doing nothing but playing with my boy. Tickling his feet, blowing mouth-farty noises on his tummy, and generally snuggling and cuddling. At one point I sald "Let me see your bum! Are you keeping yourself all clean?" His response was to sit on my face! (Yes, thankfully spic and span!)

We went out to get wrapping paper and some additional ingredients for the stew-pot. Mostly more of the same, but also some pork stew meat, and some brussel sprouts. As we drove through the parking lot at the mall, we passed a small person (and their mummy). Molasses was captivated to see that there are small humans! He indicated quite plainly that he wanted one to play with. Now, where will I find one he can at least borrow?

He had a portion of mackie-pie with chicken gravy plus some of my meat, mostly skin and fat. I thought it would be too much for him, but he did sterling work, finishing off most of it immediately. I've been looking for a good-sized rawhide bone for him, but I can't find one. I will have to try the hardware store on monday, but that place is pure comess come Christmas time, so not looking forward to it. The mall and the supermarket were frenetic enough. Next week will be an order of magnitude worse. I'd normally avoid leaving home, but I've got to deliver prezzies anyway. Including a tin of chocolate biscuits to the ladies at the deli, if I can find one. There is so much ordinary stuff I just can't find to buy this year!

Meantime, I did find "Baked Delights" made with "real beef, cheese and wholesome grains." for Mo. Suppsedly soft and crunchy, all at the same time. Sounds so good I'm tempted to try them myself! Except they're so expensive I can't afford to eat them...

Except, he's disappeared now, so I can't feed him one to see if he likes them.

Hmmm. I bet if I open the package, he'll be here in under a minute!

ETA: better than rawhide is antler! Buddy just loved the stuff and it lasted a long time, but it isn't to be had locally. I'll have to wait until someone I know is going to Florida.

ETA: he liked the "Baked Delights", I had taken out two, and after finishing the first, he attacked with the force of a panzergruppe to pry the second out of my hand.

Also, he is 17 weeks old today, and tomorrow will be 9 weeks since he came to live with me.

Edited December 17, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

He insisted on being lifted onto my desk, then gave me slobbery kisses!

(These were real kisses! No nose-biting.)

Then he went to sleep. On the desktop. He does this 10 times each evening.

[Netfoot]

Daddy takes picture of sleepy puppy laying on his desk!

He repeatedly demands to be lifted up, takes a short nap, and demands to be put down again. 15 minutes later, he's back again, clawing at your legs and whining to be lifted up once more. And he's getting heavy!

Fuzzy beard very noticable in this shot. Green collar now a much better fit than initially.

(Life lesson: don't scratch your butt after eating Moruga Hot potato chips.)

[Netfoot]

Bribed the puppy with a "Baked Delight" to come give me a snuggle.

It's like snuggling with a barracuda. 

Edited December 18, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

First, he tried to rip the bandages off the wounds he caused before.

[Netfoot]

Then, he set out to create a few more wounds.

[Netfoot]

I found myself chasing through earlier posts on this forum looking for something.  What I found was a surprising number of photos with Buddy in them somewhere. Not to mention many references to the sweet rapscallion, and the mischief he was getting up to. 

I miss that boy a great deal. 

As for little Mo, sometimes he seems huge. Like when he wants to be lifted onto my desk. He weighs a ton, and takes up a vast area on the desk! And sometimes he seems so tiny and vulnerable. Like earlier today, when he walked up to me and instructed me to fetch his lunch and quick! He looked so tiny and frail, like he could fit in your shirt pocket.

He is curled up at my feet, eating a take-away lunch container from the deli. Heaven knows where he got it! Arghh! He just hit me in the nuts with it, the little devil! I'm going to give him a huge snuggle as punishment!

[Netfoot]

I'm beginning to think Puppy Mo is sick.

While I prepared additions to my stew today, he demanded a slice of cucumber and a peeled baby carrot. These he ate with his usual haste.

Later, I gave him a tin of chunk-tuna in water for his lunch, and a tin of Vienna sausages as well, so I could conceal his tablet in one of them. He was iffy with the sausages (but did eat them in the end) and wouldn't touch the tuna. He's had tuna lots of times before and usually vacuums it up pretty quick! Eventually he ate most of it, but I had to throw out maybe a quarter.

Dinner was some of the Pedigree minced puppy-food out of a tin, mixed with some puppy chow. He won't touch it.

Now, Molasses is a dog that is remarkable for his appetite, eating everything you want him to, and a lot of things you don't. And he doesn't pick at his food. It's nose down in the trough, and he doesn't come up for air until the grub is gone.

I'm worried that something is wrong. 

If he doesn't eat his dinner tonight, I will try him with something for breakfast tomorrow. And if there is any hesitation with that, he's going directly to the doctor!

ETA: Ok, I just put a spoonful of my stew-gravy over his food and offered it to him. He has begun to eat it. Not with his usual enthusiasm, but he is eating.

I should say that other than his appetite, he is acting completely normal in every other way.

Edited December 18, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Last night, Mo ate about a quarter of his dinner. We went to bed close to midnight, going for a walk in the garden first. He was lively, playful, clambering all over me, chewing various body parts, and snuggling and cuddling. He brought to bed a large, plastic spring clamp - one of my collection used for woodworking. I dunno how he got it, but he had it and he didn't want to give it up.

Around 1AM he woke me with a lot of loud barking, and demanded I take him out. He sniffed around a while, then went for a walk around the garden, and he did a pee in the grass.

Around 4AM he woke me and wanted to go out again. No barking, just whined a lot until I took him out. He did another pee, but on the way back into the house he stopped at his food-bowl and scarfed the lot! Polished it off in quick time, as he normally does.

This morning, he's a little subdued. He got out of bed (after a bit of a cuddle) and crawled under the bed. Maybe he's just tired  (I know I am) because he was up several times in the night. I just went to see him, and he was still there. He came out and jumped into bed and we cuddled and played, and he seemed quite normal. A little less crazy than usual? He still went for my nose, but with perhaps a little less frenzied determination than expected? I left him there, laying in bed.

I'm going to take him to the club this afternoon. I will observe his behavior, and how active he is. And I will see how he eats his dinner.

And if he's not 100%, he's going to the vet in the morning.

 

[Netfoot]

This is a rock.

And the loaf of bread my teeth found it in! 😕

I was making some sandwiches, and Mo came along and demanded a slice of cheese. Next, I gave him some dog-food out of a tin, and he ate it all up. Then, as I continued with my sandwich making, I discovered that a slice of bread had "vanished" into thin air, so I had to cut another slice! Another slice of cheese was demanded. Finally I was able to eat my cheese & tomato sarnies. And in so doing, find that rock!

Christmas gifts all wrapped. The Quality Street is perhaps the worst example of wrapping I have ever done in my life. So, I stuck on a label that reads "From: MOLASSES" so he can get the blame for it! 

[Netfoot]

Playing...

With...

A bottle!

[Netfoot]

Destroying the clubhouse...

...one small piece at a time.

Destroying Daddy...

...one limb at a time!

[Spunkygal]

He is so adorable and cheeky, but there is NO WAY I’d put up with that biting, especially since he draws blood. IMO (which no one solicited), that is a very bad habit for a dog. I would have squashed that by day three. I know I’ve spoken out of turn, but there it is. I won’t say any more.

[Netfoot]

Please don't ever feel you are speaking out of turn. If it needs saying, say it. Your opinion will always be welcome, even if I disagree with it.

I really want to stop the biting (and also the p&p indoors) but I don't know how to do it. I HATE spanking him, even if he deserves it, because I am the Daddy he should always be able to trust, and not the Daddy he has to run away and hide from. But honestly, I don't know what to try next.

With his crate in place beside the bed, climbing in at night is a bit of an exercise. Believe me, there is no portion of my body that doesn't come under attack during the process! If I can catch him, I lock him in the crate and release him again when I'm settled in place. But very often, he doesn't want to be caught...

[Spunkygal]

Thank you for your kind reply! I will PM you with some ideas but remember, YOU are the alpha dog in the house. Just like children, pups need structured, loving discipline. I think that Mo thinks he is the boss. 

[Netfoot]

Is it any wonder his water bowl always has dirt in it?

It's at times like this I can't believe how tiny and vulnerable he is.

[Netfoot]

Ok, so Mo and I went up to the club this afternoon. On the way, in the car, he farted most foul! So noxious, the engine misfired! And he was pretty subdued the whole way there. 

On arrival, I turned him loose and we explored for a bit together. Shortly, he did a very noxious poo, which I had to clean up (yeech!) and flush away. After that, he perked up. Drank some water, ate quite a few honey-roasted cashews and began playing energetically. Including some rocket-propelled running hither and yon, stealing empty bottles (and later a mostly full one), and finding rocks, sticks and any number of miscellaneous items to play with. I posted some photos above -- I hope you liked them. I tried to video the loopy running around, but he's just too fast for me.

Later when the sun had gone down and the flying was done and the drinking started, he was a little tuckered out, so I held him so he could lie against my chest and he snuggled down and dozed until it was time to leave.

Back home, he immediately crawled under the bed, so I left him to it. But a short time later, he came out and demanded food. I gave him a reasonable portion, and he quickly polished it off!

Soon thereafter, I heard him loudly barking at some miscreant passing our gate. The miscreant probably said "boo" because Mo suddenly yeowled and came running in to jump into my arms for protection. From there, once the danger had passed, he climbed onto the desk and went off to sleep.

When my movie was finished, we went out and circled the garden. Baby did a good p&p and we locked up and away to bed.

I am much happier with his activity and appetite this afternoon. I was worried he might be sickening, but I'm not so concerned at this stage. He was definitely off-colour for a day or so, but it looks like he is improving. I'll watch him closely for the next few days and if I see anything I don't like I will whisk him to the vet, like I've been considering for the last couple of days.

Right now,  he is in his crate sleeping, with the door open. Every so often I reach in and gently stroke his fur. I'll close the door when I am finished reading for the night.

Presents to deliver tomorrow. And I have to top-up my phone which is down to less than five bucks. I also have to find a big tin of chocolate biscuits for the ladies at the deli. Then I will be able to just avoid the frantic shopping frenzy by staying home for the rest of the week.

Unless I feel my mouth springing for the taste of some jug-jug...

[Netfoot]

Don't know why there is a blank message from me... but anyway:

Mo seemed fully operational this morning, with a long, fun cuddle-session in bed first thing.

Took prezzies to Dr. Kristi. She forgave the horrible wrapping on the Quality Street, because it was the first package he (Mo) ever wrapped. Later, she messaged me to say how much she liked the Terry's Chocolate Orange. I have no idea how she knew that, because obviously, she wouldn't open her prezzie before Christmas, would she?

Went looking for chocolate biscuits for the ladies in the deli. Couldn't find any, and had to settle for a large tin of Butter Cookies instead. While searching, I found myself in the neighborhood of Central Vet, so Mo went in to have his toenails clipped and to be weighed. He is 16 lbs. now. Started at 5.3 lbs. when he came home!

Bought lunch from the deli, including jug-jug and also bought some sorrel. Sorrel is a purplish, reddish drink made at Christmas time by steeping the petals and other parts of certain blossoms with herbs and spices, in water. So, that was my Christmas lunch, and Mo got a large bowl of lunch as well, and polished off most of it.

Now, I will take another glass of sorrel to bed so I can nap read my book. Hoping Mo comes and snuggles a little bit.

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Gave Molasses his Christmas present a moment ago.

Finally found one to buy today. 

At first he was very suspicious, barking and backing away from the new thing. But then, with a little encouragement he came up and began to examine it more closely. 

Two kinds nutes minutes later I tried to take it away, but he growled most aggressively and pulled it out of my reach. He is chomping on it with great concentration.

I wonder how late ng long it will take him to get through it? Budweiser could eat one of these things in about an hour, but Buddy was a bit bigger than Mo is now!

I know it isn't Christmas yet, but if Dr. K. can get her Chocolate Orange early....

(The spell-checker on this phone is absolutely crazy. It will spell-check a three-letter word into a phrase that is ten characters long!)

Edited December 21, 2021 by Netfoot

[raven]

9 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Budweiser could eat one of these things in about an hour, but Buddy was a bit bigger than Mo is now!

Definitely keep an eye on it.  Something like that could wreak havoc on his digestion. 

Regarding the growling - you should practice taking things away from him.  You need to be able to do that and he needs to accept it.   It also reinforces to him who is the boss; right now Mo is quite sure that he is the boss.

/lecture mode off

He's still super cute!  You two will figure it out.

[Netfoot]

This is the first thing my eyes saw when I opened them this 🌅 n mornings ng mornings ng morning.

I am a lucky guy, really.

A funny thing is happening. As Mo developed more of the wire-hair on his face, some of it is coming out with some white hairs mingled in amongst the black. He's developing a little top-knot, for instance, and it is more visible than expected. I'll try to get a photograph later. Right now, just cuddling!

Edited December 21, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Top-knot.

Isn't as obvious as this photo makes out. There are only a few pale-coloured hairs in it, but they seem to affect the whole little tuft.

[Netfoot]

There are a couple parts of the house that Mo is barrel caded barricaded from visiting with some pieces of plywood. One of these is the bathroom where the shower is.

I was showering, just before bed, when Mo appeared at the door to the bathroom. I forgot to replace the plywood when I went in and he saw his opportunity.

At first he was very skittish, and kept running away at the slightest thing, but by making encouraging noises and standing otherwise completely still, I saw him right to the side of the shower with two paws on the low wall. Blocking the hot spray with my body, I invited Mo to step into the shower, and he did.

He was fascinated with the hot water on the floor, and running down my legs. So he paddled around for a while, occasionally licking my knees. Eventually, I had to come out, so I shooed him out of the shower,  grabbed my towel and headed back to the bedroom with him running in front of me so as to get their first.

(He misjudged his wet get feet on the tiles at high speed, and did a spectacular skid-out and prat-fall going around corners, twice!)

I seem to remember him call ming coming to see me 🤣 n in the shower before, but it must have been a while back because he behaved like he had never seen the place before. I certainly don't remember him standing in the shower with me and licking water off my knees!

So much in life is new and make raculous miraculous to him, like when he saw his first small child earlier in the week. I want to take him to the beach and see his reaction to the sea! But I want someone else along to help me with him. I don't fancy dealing with him in hyper-crazy mode on my own, especially in a public place!

I've given up on my book, something I rarely do. It started off as a who-dunnit. "Help me discover who killed my father!" Says the man to the pretty girl. Then it flashes back to what and all the father was getting up to. Which is mostly having an affair with a married woman. But this affair has been dragging on, chapter after chapter after chapter! And it it doesn't even have the dubious benefit of being all steamy or anything. It's just plenty of boredom with some dullness added on top! So much so, I can't remember any details of what happened before the flash-back, and precious few about what happened after. Except the longest, slowest, dullest romantic adventuring ever! So, I think I'm done with that book, and will simply play Sudoku instead.

(This keyboard is slowly driving me nuts with the ridiculous auto-correct. I've left some of them in place in couple recent posts so you can see what I'm talking about. It even auto-corrects my words into emoji, sometimes!)

[Netfoot]

So, it's the run-up to the four-day holiday weekend (Friday, Christmas Eve is essentially a holiday as well since every business in town will be closing half-day) and I need something to read. I remember I had two boxes of books in the van, earmarked for the Ark's Book-tent. Surely there is something in there I can read again before giving them away?

I came back from the van with 20 books I might read before parting with them. More than half are set in the Dragonriders of Pern universe (Anne McCaffrey). I first encountered the original trilogy when I was around 20 years old? I enjoyed those books, the fusion of sci-fi and fantasy, and simple escapism with (essentially) no villeins and lots of reason for hope.

But the last time I read these books was probably 20-25 years ago! That's why they were in the donation box in the first place. Will I enjoy re-reading them again now?

Mo has been very sweet all morning. He had his brunch, and I gave him a Baked Delight just now. He was here cuddling with me a moment ago, but has now retired under the bed or gone out to soak up some rays. For a boy who is as black as a sweep, he is surprisingly fond of sunbathing. I notice today that he is developing... Well, let's just say he is developing!

I want to increase Mo's exposure to the world. When Buddy first came to live with me, I used to get out more and expose him to lots of new things. I don't get out as much, now. Because: old age and athlete's foot. Got to think of a few places and things I can take Mo to see and experience. Wonder how he would like to meet a cat?

While I am contemplating whether to re-read  the Novels of Pern (please chime in if you have an opinion), I have found a book about a woman who discovers that she and her husband's mistress look like they could be identical twins! I believe there is potential here for an interesting story with room for hilarity and seriousness both, so I think I will start with that.

The day is windy, with plenty of breeze gusting through the burglar-bars, and the house ghost ululating periodically just outside the window. I am going to read, now, and let Stevie Wonder serenade me as I do.

[Browncoat]

@Netfoot, I re-read the novels of Pern fairly frequently.  I love them!  I first encountered them in the late 70s, with Dragonsong, and as long as you stick with the ones written by Anne herself, I'd say go for it.  But I would recommend staying far away from the ones written by her son, and just chuck the one written by her daughter into the sea.  No need to afflict that abomination on anyone.  It's telling, I think, that I can't even remember Anne's children's names.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Browncoat

[Netfoot]

35 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I would recommend staying far away from the ones written by her son, and just chuck the one written by her daughter into the sea.  No need to afflict that abomination on anyone.

LOL!

I'm happy to report that all these here are by Anne herself. Don't believe I've ever read the works of the children, not even the one only suitable for emersion! (Still laughing...)

I too encountered them in the late 70s, discovering the three books of the original trilogy at WH Smith's and buying them all at once. (Shortly thereafter, I met a couple friends and we sat on the lawn of the Royal Pavilion with a baguette, a hunk of cheese and s bottle of ripple. The place was full of people soaking up the oh-so-rare sunshine! One of the lads examined my purchases and wanted to borrow them before I'd even had a chance to read them myself! No chance...)

You know, I think I will enjoy reading them again. I always did like them. Even the ones featuring secondary characters like Piemur and Menolly. Obviously, I will start with F'lar defeating Fax and winning the hand of Lessa....

In the mean time, where is my boy?

 

[Netfoot]

26 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

In the mean time, where is my boy?

There he is!

[Netfoot]

Tomorrow, being the last day before crazy-day, I am thinking of going to the supermarket. I could use some veggies, some Angostura and a lot of food for a boy who gets hungrier by the day. I will just have to risk one of the deli ladies rushing out, twisting my arm, and forcing me to buy myself lunch with jug-jug.

Friday, there will be places open until late, but these are the places you want to avoid. Because only desperate people are still shopping at 9PM on Christmas Eve.

Meanwhile, puppy has insisted on being lifted onto my desk where he can chew up a few things, then go to sleep. 

I like the way how sometimes he morphs from a black doggie to a silver doggie! 

I will watch a movie about Churchill, take the boy for a stroll around the garden, then retire to my bed and my book about the identical wife & mistress. (I've not read much; where I left it the wife just drove her day-old birthday-present beamer into the family pool...)

[Netfoot]

2AM. Another pee-break. Two more crapauds over the wall. Breeze has died, nothing through the window any more. Mo returns to bed in piranha-mode...

ETA:

5AM. Here we go again...

Edited December 23, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I awoke to the sight of Twinkle-toes stretched out on the bed beside me.

My friend John popped by briefly to collect some files on an SD card, and I made introductions. Mo was an absolute gentleman and made me proud. John remarked how handsome and well-behaved he was. I didn't have the heart to correct him!

Later, Mo and I went to a hardware store.

My garage is long and skinny. I could put 3-4 vans in it, one behind the other, if I took everything else out. It is illuminated by two lights, one is a curly-bulb and the other is a 2' florescent tube. I leave one on all night to discourage the curious.  The curly-bulb blew last week, and the florescent tube went last night. Can't have out there in complete darkness! I could replace the curly-bulb with newer LED bulbs I have on hand, but the bulbs are at least 6' over my head. The tube, however, is above my table-saw. By risking my life, I was able to clamber up onto that, stretch up over my head, and remove the bulb/starter. Hence the hardware store to get replacements. Now I have to risk my life again to put up the new ones!

Supermarket was next, for a bunch for stir fry vegetables, plus a few other essentials. A bit of cheese, 10 cans of puppy-food, a stainless scrubbing pad (table-saw needs some attention), Angostura, minced beef, sweet and jalapeno peppers, etc, etc. Plus a bunch of low- or no-sugar things to drink.

Puppy was here a moment ago, bouncing an empty plastic container around the room, making more noise than a Merlin engine on the front of a Mustang. But now he has vanished, and there is an ominous silence hanging over the house.

Better go and rescue whatever he is destroying...

 

[Netfoot]

Last night it was very dark in our garage. Mo didn't like it one bit. Neither did I, for that matter! So, this morning I set about replacing the florescent tube. And I decided to have a go at the curly-bulb as well!

I collyfoxed an device made from a long pole, a Sprite-bottle, some wire from a coat-hanger and (obviously) duct-tape. This got the  curly-bulb out, and got the new LED bulb partially in. It was hanging there, 10' over the concrete, held in by only a couple turns. More duct tape and some whittling on the bottle allowed me to screw it home and get the light on!

After this, the tube was a doddle! Except for clambering up onto the table saw. Kneeling on the cast-iron top was excruciating, and by then it was too late to put the pieces of carpet up there that I'd forgotten. Then, wondering how big a splat I would make if I fell off, I stood tall, reached up, put in the tube and the starter... and the light didn't come on. Fiddled with tube then with the starter to no avail. A wood-slave running out of the fitting when I least expected it nearly precipitated the splat!

But had I switched it on? I clambered down (The knees, again!) hoping that it would work on the switch, and I wouldn't have to climb up again.

Click! Nothing. Dammit! Some choice words filled my mouth... Then the light blinked on. (Dummy! Don't you know you have to wait a second or three before those tubes light up?)

So all's well that ends well. And the best of all, When Mo stole the new LED bulb and ran off with me in hot pursuit, he neither hurt himself or the bulb, even though he bounced it around the bedroom a few times. And when I was cutting the duct-tape and he stole the razor-sharp Stanley knife, and ran off with that, I was able to recover it before he could cut himself to ribbons, and did it without being lacerated myself. And when he stole the plastic protector from the edge of the saw, he didn't get a chance to render it chewed 'n 'useless before I was able to recover it.

Good doggie!

Edited December 24, 2021 by Netfoot

[raven]

You two are like a sitcom!

Mo is expanding on the definition of "scamp".

[Netfoot]

3 hours ago, raven said:

You two are like a sitcom!

So, who is the straight-man and who is the clown?

In my book, the near-identical wife and mistress have undergone makeovers and swapped places. Because the mistress always wanted to be married, and the wife is seeking a more adventurous love-life. Hilarity, I'm sure, will ensue.

I'm not sure I think this is a viable strategy. Is it possible a guy could mistake who he is in bed with? Never mind. It's fiction!

Made myself a wrap for lunch. First time. Only, it wouldn't wrap. So I unwrapped it and made three smaller wraps with the contents. They wouldn't wrap either! You know when you try to eat a dhal puri roti with runny curry, it is guaranteed to burst open at the bottom? These wraps burst open front, back and both sides and two places on the bottom, simultaneously. I was sautéed vegetables and sausage-meat from asshole to eyebrows! Mo thought it was wonderful. Titbits fell like rain and he was a busy little fellow chasing them all down. In the end, it all tasted pretty good, but it would have been less of a mess if I'd just dumped the stuff into a bathtub and dived in after it! After the meal Mo gave me some serious kisses on the mouth. No, it isn't love. He is just checking my beard and moustache for any left-overs.

Speaking of moustache & beard: Later, I gave Mo a little milk and he slurped it all up and came up for air with a glorious milk- moustache... only on his chin, so a milk-beard, I suppose. Very cute boy, but so hard to photograph, due to his dark colouration and the fact that he hardly ever stands still for an instant...

[Spunkygal]

Give Mo a Merry Christmas smooch from his internet fans! 🎄🎄🎄🍾🍾

[Netfoot]

So I took a nap, leaving the empty milk carton on the bed-side table. Woke up to this:

Oh, it wasn't all in a neat pile like this  it was all over the bed, and all over me. Buddy would have had his way with it as well, but not to this extent. Bud simply used to remove the bung or stopper.

Before cleaning this up, I thought I'd mend my spectacles, the right-hand arm/leg/thingy was coming loose. Losing Using a tiny knife with a very sharp point as a screwdriver, I removed the incredibly tiny screw from the hinge... and that's when tornado Mo swept into the room, scattered the milk carton as he leapt into the bed, and sent the various bits of the spectacles, the sharp little knife and the incredibly tiny screw flying in all directions! 

Miraculously, I was able to find everything else, including the incredibly tiny screw, very quickly (with the strains of Sister Maria singing Somewhere In My Youth And Childhood drifting in the window... or did I imagine that?) Anyway, glasses fixed, if only temporarily, milk carton collected again and flung into the bin, and puppy soon to come in and bark at me because: food!

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

It's a bit early, but please let Mo and I wish you a Merry Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then let us wish you the best Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or what ever you do celebrate.

In any case, please take the time to enjoy the company of loved ones, do a little feasting, sample the Holiday Spirit (but not in excess) and just have a good day.

Little Mo and I will spend the day at home, watching old movies, eating and drinking a little in celebration, and just enjoying each other's company. My only regret is that I couldn't find a little Santa-cap to fit on Mo's head. What a photo that would have been!

Also, let us hope together that 2022 will be an improvement. Because after '20 and '21, we need things to start improving!

And a good start to the year would be a great new series of TAR, starting on 5th January. And that's only a dozen or so days from now!

 

[raven]

11 hours ago, Netfoot said:

My only regret is that I couldn't find a little Santa-cap to fit on Mo's head.

He would have just eaten it 😉  Merry Christmas to you and Mo!

[Netfoot]

Mo will soon need a new collar. The green one that was so humongous big just weeks ago is now fitting him fine, and if he continues to eat like a stable of horses, it will be too tight before too much longer.

I've got another buckle and another D-ring (which is the difficult thing to get), and I have a stock of paracord. All I need to do is decide which colour. 

His original collar was a high-visibility orange, and his current one is green. For reasons too complicated to go into, I have an inordinate supply of greens and blues, but don't want to go back to any of these shades at present:

Other colours available are less numerous, but I'm thinking of one of these. Or possibly two of these, if the cords can be fused:

I'm currently thinking red, burgundy or goldenrod, possibly in combination with black. (Except, while I like the colour, I know the goldenrod gets dirty very quickly.) I know that the burgundy and black make a good combination, also red & black as you can see on this revolutionary new short-lead I'm working on:

The loop is joined with a Footrope knot, and the other end is finished with a Mathew Walker. It doesn't have a clip on the end, so you can leave the D-ring off the collar! The remainder of the strands can be trimmed off or (as here) left long for effect.

This type of lead won't work for every dog, but will be perfect for Mo. How it works is, you let him take the Mathew Walker in his mouth, then by repeating "Let go! Let go!" you will be able to lead him anywhere in the complete certainty that he will not let go!

So. What colour(s) do you think Mo's next collar should be? 

BTW, somehow, this lunchtime Mo managed to drop a full 20 oz. bottle of L&P Worcestershire sauce right on my big-toe from a height of 6". That really hurt!

Oh, and I finished the book. The identical wife and mistress, dodging from room to room in the house with 28 guests for Thanksgiving, the turkey too big for the oven, and many a hi-jink until there is a final confrontation. The husband begging the wife to take him back and promising to do anything to make it work, and she not sure she can believe him. Final scene, the husband drives his BMW into the pool...

[luv2lurk]

I am thinking the burgundy and goldenrod would look very regal. Or burgundy with either the neon green or one of the light blues in the first photograph. (Can you tell I like burgundy?) I would be inclined to stay away from black since Mo has so much of that colour naturally, other colours will pop.

Good luck with your choice.

[Netfoot]

My Christmas elf!

Taken yesterday. Why is he uʍop ǝpısdn? Reasons!

A while ago I realized I hadn't seen or heard him for a while so I went looking. I peeped around the corner and saw him playing with the hose. One end was attached to the tap, but he was playing with the other end, which has a pistol-grip nozzle, complete with trigger.

I quietly opened the tap a couple of turns.

Started playing with him, and gradually took control of the nozzle.

Squirt! He ran around on the grass, bobbing and weaving (like the steel-donkey) as I squirted and sprayed but despite his demented best efforts he got a splish here and a splash there are until he was wet all over. Then, laughing, I took him into the garage and towelled him dry. His coat went loco, leaving him looking like some sort of fuzz-ball, but as he dried out it returned to normal.

I'm so glad baby Mo came to stay. After Buddy was taken I felt like I would never recover. But thankfully, Mo and I met, and you know the rest. I still miss Bud terribly, especially when I refer back in this thread and come across his photo posted months ago. But Mo comforts me when I'm sad. And it's hard to be depressed when he is ricocheting around the house, dragging unusual artifacts into bed, moving the garden inside the house clod by clod, tea-cozying my head, sleeping on my desktop, stealing brussel sprouts, running away with my Crocs.....

This holiday would have been a dark time without Molasses.

19 minutes ago, luv2lurk said:

Can you tell I like burgundy?

Me too. Also maroon. I'll get some snippets of some colours and put them together so as to see what they look like in combination.

[Netfoot]

Two of Mo's teeth are loose! Very loose! They are both at the front of the lower jaw. Not the two frontmost teeth, but the next two outward from the center. If I use my fingertip while we are playing, I can move them quite a bit. Obviously I'm not wrenching them back and forth, but they are very mobile. And he doesn't complain at all or even flinch, so I assume there is no pain. 

If you look at the previous photo taken a couple days ago, you can see the two teeth are less prominent and more gummy than the others.

I'm hoping/assuming that this is the natural process of his adult teeth growing out and replacing the baby teeth. After all, he is 18 weeks three days as of today.

 

 

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I'm hoping/assuming that this is the natural process of his adult teeth growing out and replacing the baby teeth. After all, he is 18 weeks three days as of today.

Yep, and maybe once he gets his grown-up teeth he'll be a little less bitey.  At the very least, the grown-up teeth won't be like tiny little needles.

[Schnickelfritz]

My granddaughter would like to place a vote for the colors of the new collar. Hot pink and burgundy.

I'm sure it is just  a coincidence that her bedroom and most of her clothes are some combination of those colors. She also suggests that for next Halloween, you dye Mo's mohawk hot pink.

She's four, so... take it for what it's worth.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Schnickelfritz said:

Hot pink and burgundy.

Wow! OK..... I'll consider that as an option. 

I was going to do up some sample combinations to see how they worked together. Would have done it today, but got distracted with something else.

The choice of colours is not simply a matter of asthetics. Some Paracord is made of nylon, some of polyester. They are joined by melting the ends and fusing them together. Unfortunately, nylon and polyester don't like bonding with each other and the join is weak. So, two colours which might look great together, may have to be discounted, because one is nylon and the other polyester.

1 hour ago, Schnickelfritz said:

She also suggests that for next Halloween, you dye Mo's mohawk hot pink.

His fur being for the most part inky black, I guess the mohawk would have to be bleached white first, before dying could be successful. However, I seem to recall back in the mists of time, that folks used to spray on a highlighting tint in some unusual colour, and shampoo it out again a day or two later. A college friend I remember used to prefer patches of blue colour. I will have to see if I can find something like this in a Shocking Pink shade. If it still exists.

I'll have to be careful, of course. There are any number of people who, upon seeing Mo with a pink ridge, would call the RSPCA and the cops and have me nicked for Cruelty to Animals. Wouldn't be surprised should Dr. Kristi herself (his Godmother) lead the delegation to my house with burning torches and pitchforks!

But if I can find a way to do it without poisoning him or otherwise endangering him, and so long as it's easily reversible when the lynch-mob approaches, I'm willing to give it a go...

[luv2lurk]

3 hours ago, Schnickelfritz said:

 Hot pink and burgundy.

She's four, so... take it for what it's worth.

Well, I am older than four but thought of that combination as well. Just thought it might be too girly for a boy dog.