The grass is thick, and growing too fast. Rain, rain, more rain, then sun... Muddy paws on my trousers, wet dog to greet me, chores, gardening, and maintenance to distract me... My days are full.
Soon, the children will be out of school - Lin isn't old enough, quite, to leave home all day. I actually trust her, and she's certainly mature enough, but Qestions Would Be Asked, and I really don't want to deal with that drama. So, I'm pawning her off on my music-teaching psuedo-sister. Whom also happens to be Lin's voice and piano coach. Pricy, but more than worth it! The girl needs a bit of social polish anyway, and my sister is just the one to gently help her down that path. :-) That leaves Ian, and he'll be easy - The Child Development Center here at work runs a full-day summer camp.
OK, kids handled. What about Suka? I'm changing my hours to stagger my wife's schedule a bit with mine, that'll keep Suka from being alone too long. I've found that she's no fear whatsoever of the lawn equipment, though she's not terribly fond of the noise. So, I let her supervise my yard work, which she's content to do at a distance. The front yard not being fenced, she watches from the porch on a 30' lead, and is happy, though she does on occasion rearrange the slate border of the center island with the lead. In the back yard, she normally hangs out in the garage, and observes from the shade of the doorway. I'll need a child's wading pool for later, when things get hot - Some place in which for her to lay down, get wet, and cool off.
We're continuing our trips downtown, and she's really shaping up - her winter or more-or-less isolation is sloughing off, and her 'public' face is coming out to shine.
I've plugged the gaps in the fences where Suka has managed to slip through, and no longer need to watch her quite so closely. Likewise, I've sealed off the undersides of the shed, so the skunks are less likely to camp in our yard, though there's always the off chance of one wandering through. Now, if I could only stop the squirrels from chewing up the roof of the shed...
Gonna be a busy summer. I'll try and get some more photos, when I've got the initial rush of tasks handled.
Suka the sage
Suka sees all, knows all!
About Me
- MaskedMan
- Ex-Sailor. Ex-Recruiter. Ex-IT consultant. Ex-Pizza Boy. "Ex" a lot of things, really. Currently, I'm a dog nut. No, not doughnut. I'm into dogs. Well, that, and my family. And my guns... ;-)
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7 comments:
What a good girl she is. I am going to start working Meg out front and the heathen boy Conner too.
so much to do, so little time!
Yup - So much to do, indeed. I've got the saplings planted, and the day lillies from the Church in position, but not planted... There's mulch to move, and trimming to be done, and flagstones to lay down... But with all that, I'll tell you, it's nice having Suka out with me as I work - There's something complete about it.
In other news, I've got an abscessed tooth... Courtesy of the high quality Naval dental work I recieved over the years (roll, my eyes). Suka clearly is concerned about me, and has clung velcro-like to my side every possible second of the day. She's also bound and determined to lick the side of my jaw where the abscess is causing so much swelling.
My good little girl also has ambitions to be a nurse...
Sounds like you've always got something going on around there...and a beautiful Suka to keep you company, too. Where is her favorite place to go in town? Coffee house? Diner? Shopping? Where does she get the most attention?
What is the age of your daughter? My twinlings turned 12 this Spring and we just started feeling comfie leaving them alone together for a couple hours. It was nerve-wracking the first time, though. hah!
~Lisa
ps, I just wanted to let you know I really appreciate the wonderful comments you've left for me. They've been fun to read and also very kind. Thank you. :)
Yeah, it's a busy life. Better than being bored! ;)
Downtown, there are a lot of restaurant/bars (including a couple that are three star, or better) with dining areas out on the sidewalk. She's always good for an awwww! along those areas, and she's extremely fond of any place that has lots of interesting scents (not always a restaurant!), but she's most fond of, overall, are the places that have retaining walls supporting elevated planters and lawns. About half the storefronts and other buildings have lawns or landscaping elevated about two feet above the sidewalk, and she loves to walk along the top of the retaining walls, cat-like. I must get photos of that, I suppose.
Really, though, the downtown area is sooo flooded with college students, that she can get a belly full of love almost anywhere we go; The University of Delaware is inextricably intertwined with the town, so you're going to find hordes of students anywhere you turn. Well, at least when school is in session, anyway. ;) Right now, classes are ended for the summer, and there's a lot of moving out going on... So the nature of the crowds has changed for the nonce; More young kids and families, fewer young adults.
Lin is 11, going on 15. She's smart, tallented, and mature... And oh, so very Goth right now. :-p Heh! It's OK - My family is used to people being different, and this is just a phase. Or maybe not. Doesn't matter - Her fashion sense is outstanding, so even as 'Goth,' she's more than presentable. None of the scraggly look for her, oh no! More high Victorian in tone, with touches of punk for accent. Good kid, does well with her most annoying (according to her, anyway!) five-year old brother, is outstanding with Suka and the cats, and could be an academic star if I could just keep her nose to the grindstone IRT homework. But that's every parents complaint, isn't it though? ;-)
Not, mind you, that I'm a proud father or anything, though... :-D
IRT your blog - It's a lovely piece of work, and you take such outstanding photos! I call Colorado the home of my heart, and many things I see on your blog remind me of home. If my comments bring you pleasure, well, that's small enough reward for what you do for others. :-)
Thanks for replying. I'm never sure if people will reply when I leave a comment with questions.
I loved envisioning Suka walking along the retaining walls like a cat. She must have wonderful balance. Would be something if she could climb a tree, too, eh? hehe! just kidding :D
We should take Zuni, our GSD to the city to walk around and become more socialized. She's rather shy and we're still working on her exuberance (read: jumping up). She's 16 months old now, but still acts like a puppy sometimes.
I find that most people seem put-off by larger breed dogs, especially the 'guard' dogs, and are often unsure about approaching or petting.
We used to have a Papillon/Pomeranian mix and everyone wanted to pet her wherever we went, but she wasn't too keen on large hands swooping down at her and she would bear teeth, though she never bit or nipped.
But our previous GSD was a huge love and anyone could do anything with her and she would just be patient and sweet. Unfortunately, people tended to be intimidated by her because of her size and facial marking and would avoid her. :(
I'm sure you have mentioned it before somewhere, but I don't remember seeing it, but do you do Agility with Suka, too?
I enjoy watching dogs and their owners working so closely together, in their own little world, running through the challenges. So exciting!
Your daughter, Lin sounds delightful! I love seeing kids striving to be unique. So often what you see is kids trying to be another stalk in a field of corn...instead of a colorful flower in a field of wildflowers.
She does sound like she has a great fashion sense. Those are the kids that grow up making a difference and fulfilling their dreams, because they're not afraid of standing out and being different.
I hope you enjoy a wonderful week,
~Lisa
word verification: driola
What happens when there's not enough rain. hehe!
In regards to Jumping Up:
http://www.mabcr.org/home/jumping
Bet you can't guess who contributed to that... ;-)
I find that people strongly react accordingly with public perception - I recently saw an enormous Swissy - Had to be 180lbm, or more, getting mobbed by people whom just had to come see him - They had no diea what he was, other than huge and lovable; he was an over-the-top love-bug ham. I've seen well-bred ISSR Shilohs, whom have [i]exactly[/i] the same attitude, clear a room by their very presence. Since an ISSR Shiloh is a LARGE dog, descended from the GSD line, I know what you mean.
One thing you might try is stop people about two yards away, have Zuni drop into a 'down-stay,' then invite people one at a time to come in and pet her. That will build Zuni's confidence and comfort without straining her copoing ability. It will also calm the audience down, which will remove a lot of teh energy from the interaction, and make everything more comfortable for everyone. I actually do this with Suka at times, when she's stressed, or the people are too many/too high energy. When I invite people in, I coach them on canine body language, and proper manners for greeting a dog. It seems to work very, very well, and I've yet to have anyone complain that I was being too helpful! ;-)
I don't work Suka on agility, per se - I'm more of a herding enthusuast - but as she's NOT a herding dog(!) in temperment, I have done some basic Agility work with her. If there were more time, I'd do more, and I've no doubt she'd do well at it. She's got the basic moves and ability, e'en though she's not particularly high-drive.
Lin is definately a flower of another color! Mind you, she grows in a field (family) that is so highly diverse that our 'family rollcall' is a joke and punchline all in one go.
Word Ver: sauxe
Socks. From France. :-p
Lin sounds delightful. I have always said "it's just clothes and hair, relax". Hair grows back, clothes can be changed and as long as she is appropriate for the places she goes or is taken to....pffftttt.
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