Pets, Volcanoes, and Monkeys, Oh My!
Late start this morning as our gas oven abruptly decided to stop working in the middle of cooking dinner last night so I spent the evening scrambling to open windows, finding a reliable repair company, sniffing around the oven for gas leaks, and figuring out Dinner Plan C instead of writing this morning’s Caterpickle.
It’s only now that I’m waiting through our repairman’s 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. service window that I have time to share with you any of the things that came across the Caterpickles news desk this week.
First up, we’ve been spending lots of time this week thinking about pets.
Specifically dogs, and whether I’d be any good at raising one. I am definitely the weak link in this equation. I’ve been spoiled by years of living with cats. Even kittens pretty much come trained. Show them where the litter box is and you’re basically good to go. The thought of spending 1 – 2 years (!) actively training a puppy to stop puddling on the floor doesn’t exactly fill me with eager anticipation.
And then there’s the fact that thanks to my FitBit tracker I know that while the cats were alive my sleep looked like this:
My FitBit sleep record for January 12, 2012 – about a month and a half before Mulberry died.
Now it looks like this:
My FitBit sleep record for September 12, 2012 – about a month and a half after Cozy died.
Much improved. I shudder to think what will happen to all this luxurious sleep when we adopt a puppy. I hear dogs have to be let out every six hours.
But I promised The Five-Year-Old that I would at least learn what it takes to care for a dog before I rule a puppy out completely.
Plus I kind of miss waking up like this:
Although come to think of it, I may not want a full-grown Golden Retriever to get in the habit of snoozing on my back every morning.
But a promise is a promise. So I’ve been diligently interviewing every dog owner we come across in the parks on our playdates and bike rides. I’ve also been reading articles like “Find the Perfect Dog for You” from Maplewood Dog Training.
If like us, you’re thinking about getting your first dog (or having behavior issues with your current dog), Maplewood has quite the online primer. Well worth checking out.
Of course, I know what you are really all wondering is what has The Five-Year-Old been thinking about this week.
So here goes:
- The Volcano of Fire, which erupted in Guatamala this week
- The newly discovered monkey with the blue buttocks from the Congo rainforest
- Her tea party with SarahJane Cassie and Martha Taylor, the artists who painted Totem, The Mother’s Rabbit, which I’ll tell you all about on Tuesday
Dedham Public Art Project Update
Finally, I had planned to tell you about our interview with Catherine Gruetzke-Blais (the artist who painted the Regal Rabbit) last Wednesday, but it was preempted by the fundraiser for our Four-Year-Old Friend. I’m hoping to run that interview next week. Keep your fingers crossed that the week doesn’t get away from me again.
You know I really thought I’d have more time when The Five-Year-Old started going to school six hours a day, five days a week. Kind of reminds me of how when we moved up here from Texas twelve years ago, I thought I’d be able to simply park my car and use public transportation for everything. Not really how that played out either.
Anyone care to chime in with some advice on adopting a dog after a lifetime of caring for cats?
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[…] started off with dogs. I’ve always wanted a nice big dog. A golden retriever or a collie. Some medium to […]
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