Superstitions

Hey Rubin…

Yes, Gretchen?

Do you have any superstitions?

Wow, what brought that up?

I don’t know. I was just thinking about mine.

Yours? I’m confused. I thought you were asking me for something.

What do you mean?

Well, I suppose I should confess that I’m not sure what you mean by “superstitions.”

Oh, sorry buddy. A superstition is a belief that doing something or seeing something will cause something that’s really unrelated to the thing you see or do.

Examples please.

Okay. Some people believe that if you open an umbrella in the house you’ll have bad luck or if you crack a mirror you’ll have 7 years of bad luck.

Weird.

I suppose but I was just thinking about how you always avoid the heating vent in the hallway and I was wondering if you had some superstition about it.

No, not really. It’s just evil and scary.

How so?

First, it’s like 4 times larger than any of the other heating vents in our house and it sucks in air, it doesn’t blow it out.

True, but how does that make it evil?

Next, it reminds me of those grates on the sidewalk. You know the ones you keep trying to get me to walk on to build up my confidence?

Well, I just want you to know that nothing bad will happen to you when you walk on them.

You walk on them barefoot and tell me that.

Good point.

So no, I don’t think I have any superstitions. Do you?

Not really.

When you count steps is that a superstition?

No, that’s just obsessive compulsive.

What’s that?

Oh Rubin…that’s too much to go into on a blog.

Okay fine, but why did you ask me about Superstitions?

Well because today is Friday the 13th and some people don’t like this day. They think it’s filled with bad omens.

That’s just silly! Don’t they know that time is a human construct?

Wow, you impress me sometimes.

Only sometimes?

On a daily basis you always do impressive things, but when you pull such big ideas out of your curly head then I’m really wowed.

I do a lot of reading.

Which in and of itself is impressive.

Why?

Most dogs don’t spend their days reading.

How do you know?

Good point. I don’t. Do your dog friends read?

Yes. In fact just the other day, Paige and I were discussing the benefits of sunshine after I read an article that people who live in the Northwest don’t get enough Vitamin D.

Had Paige heard of the study?

No, but I sent her the article and she’s reading it now and next time, when we go for a play date we’re going to talk about it.

How about Monty? Does he read, too?

Oh yes! Monty is the one who taught me the importance of reading.

What’s he reading these days?

How to talk with your groomer.

Seriously?

Yes! Monty loves Liliana and loves going to Dog Mania…

Unlike some dogs I know!

Hey, I love Liliana, too, I just don’t like being primped and snipped and squeezed and shampooed.

Maybe you should read the article Monty just read.

That’s the point. He was reading the article to help me and to find out how to explain to Liliana that he didn’t like so high of a poodle-do on top of his head.

Did it help?

You tell me.

Does Roux read?

Yes, but she’s more into graphic novels and vintage comics.

Really?

Yep. She’s kind of an expert in the topic and often quotes passages from “Duncan the Wonder Dog.”

I’ve never heard of that book.

See, I told you she was at the forefront of the graphic novel world.

How about Tyson?…Rubin, are you okay?

Yes, I’m just sad. I love Tyson, but whenever I think of him I think of my dear friend, Rosie who is no longer with us.

Yes, her passing has been hard on all of us.

Recently Tyson has been reading about grief, but he also likes to read fishing magazines.

Curious.

Well, his Dad likes to fish and Tyson is hoping one day he can go with him and catch a big, fat trout in a raging river.

That sounds like fun. I hope it happens for Tyson one day.

And Woobie, she’s reading about living with a baby!

I bet she is…now that her mom is pregnant, I bet she’s reading everything she can get her paws on about babies.

She’ll be a most excellent big sister, don’t you agree?

Absolutely.

And Woobie’s reading all about gardening as well.

Is that because her parents have turned their yard into a HUGE garden?

Yep and Woobie is supervising so she wants to know exactly when to plant the potatoes and what’s the best way to plant rutabagas.

Do you really think they’re going to plant rutabaga?

You never know!

True, but I don’t think a lot of people plant rutabagas.

Why? Is there some superstition about them?

Probably although I don’t know of one.

I have a question though.

Yes.

Do you have some kind of superstition about your food bowl?

No. Why do you ask?

Well, I’ve just noticed that when you eat…

And I’m eating so much better now, aren’t I?

Yes, why is that?

Because you finally figured out that there are certain things in my food that I MUST have.

Oh like chicken necks, oregano, and salt?

Yep…or I like sardines, too.

You’re welcome.

But you were saying…my food bowl and superstitions?

Well, I’ve noticed that you like to pick you food bowl up by the very edge and carry it to a different place in the kitchen or sometimes you even take it to another room. Why is that?

Oh that. My bowl tends to move around a lot…have you noticed? So when I find it difficult to get my tongue in the last corner, I pick it up and move it to someplace else hoping that it won’t move around so much. And sometimes I just like to move it to a sunny spot.

Sunny spots. Thankfully we’re having more of those these days.

Yep and it’s great to eat my breakfast or my dinner (now that the sun is staying around longer) in the warmth of the sun.

I couldn’t agree more.

Do you think that’s a superstition?

I don’t care if it is or if it isn’t…sunshine and food go wonderfully together and if it is a superstition it isn’t about bad luck or demons.

Nope! It’s about good food, good light, and happiness.

Happy Friday the 13th little fella!

Same to you, Gretchen.