November 30, 2009

hunkeredHunkered Down

Most of the time, when the weekend arrives, we hunker down and relax. Not that we don’t go for walks or have play time, but it’s nothing like when we’re working. That’s good because I often need the rest and so does Gretchen.

So when a vacation rolled around, I was looking forward to four days of hunkering down. It didn’t happen. Nope. I was busier over Thanksgiving than I am during my busiest weeks of the year. First, there was the trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s for Thanksgiving dinner. Oh it was yummy. Not only did I get turkey with my meals, I also got whipped cream.

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I have the coolest Grandparents and showed my appreciation of the lick and the love. I also got to visit my friend, Tucker, who I usually only see on Thanksgiving. But this weekend, I got to see him when we ate the big meal and then again the next day when we went for a walk. Tucker really likes me and I call him the White Shadow because he follows me everywhere. I don’t mind. He’s very sweet.

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Not only does he follow me everywhere, but throughout dinner and when we walked the next day, he spent a great deal of his time sniffing and staring at me. It made me nervous at first, but once I realized he meant no harm, I just ignored his rather rude insertions.

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After those two busy days, you’d think I’d get to rest, but no…I got to see my friend Ginger and her Dad, Richard as well as Monty and Quillette — my friends and neighbors. In addition, I met a new dog who, I must admit, stole my heart. Her name is Olive and I can hardly wait to meet up with her again! What a beaut!

Olive

By the time Sunday evening rolled around, I was pretty tired, but then Gretchen reminded me that today was a work day and even though we only had three walks scheduled, I needed to be rested and ready to go. I think that’s why Gretchen left me at home when she went off to school this morning. It allowed me a little more time to recuperate from this busy, busy weekend.

The actual walking business started with Gemma. She, too, had a great Thanksgiving with her family and friends, and while she didn’t get any whipped cream, she did get a taste of gravy. Maybe that’s why she was raring to go after our walk when we landed at the tennis courts!

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After we got tired out, Gemma walked me home so I could rest up a bit and then they picked up Oshi and Perrito next door. When O and P met Gemma the first time, they didn’t want much to do with her. She was, after all, a puppy and like any puppy a bit too rambunctious for the boys. But now, after some time and some maturity, Gemma and Perrito (at least) have hit it off.

The three of them went for a walk and once again ended up at the tennis courts where Perrito ran himself ragged chasing after a still frisky Gemma. Oh how she loved that! When Gemma figured out that Perrito wanted to chase her, she raced around the court with a ball in her mouth just egging him on. He loved it. Oshi, on the other hand, hung close to Gretchen. He hasn’t accepted Gemma into his circle of play friends as much as Perrito!

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Oshi and Perrito walked Gemma home and then Gretchen walked the boys home. They frisked around their living room when she let them off the leash, but soon settled down to a cool drink of water and a nap in their beds after such a frolicking good time.

Gretchen and I ate some lunch, but then, after a little bit of work, we headed over to see Saber. Oh my how he’s grown. While Gretchen had planned a walk, Saber asked to go to the courts, too, so what was I to do? I guess one should never argue about more play time!

Unfortunately, Gretchen got frustrated with her camera and decided to lay around with the settings. Instead of shooting everything on automatic, she played with speeds and settings and learned a bit more about her still rather new camera.

Saber and I played models chasing after the ball, each other, and practicing what Saber calls Sumo wrestling — where he butts his head under me and tries to lift me off the ground.

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After a nice play session, we headed over to the school to see if we could meet up with our student who has been on vacation, too. When we pulled up to the school, everyone was out standing in quiet lines for a fire drill, so we (Saber, Gretchen, and I) waited patiently for the drill to end and when it did, we got to hang out with our student! It was great to see him and even though he didn’t get to take any photographs today (it started to rain), he worked on teaching me to dance on my back legs. I’ll do anything for a treat.

Saber will, too, but just getting Saber to sit and lie down takes all of our energy! What a puppy!

So now that our Monday is complete, it’s time to once again hunker down. Whew…that’s what I’m saying. Still, I had a great vacation and am happy to be back at work doing what I love — hanging with friends and playing all day long!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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