Ummmm. Mom…I don’t have nothin’. Just look away. Really. My flapper is covering it, right? Not that it’s anything. Don’t look! Awwww, Mom. Please let me chew it. Just a little bit more. Please?

That terrible, cold, wet stuff that sometimes falls from the sky is back. I don’t know where it comes from, or why. But I do know that I don’t like it.  So I ventured outside for short, necessary trips (including a walk with Dad to move branches out of the street). But the rest of the day, I spent snuggled up on my living room cushion, strategically located between the fireplace and a radiator. I looked so cozy that my girl couldn’t resist a little snuggle time.

They think they’re cute, but they’re not.

They think they’re smart, but they’re not.

They think they’re fast, but they’re not.

Okay…well…yes…maybe they are fast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBlmk4Bu6xs

Oh, what a beautiful day! Mom took me to the park ALL BY MYSELF…to celebrate my “ampuversary”, she said.

I got to run and run and run in the long grass by the river. And then I got to roll and roll and roll in the short, sweet green grass in the park.

We are having a great weekend at our house.

Mom’s finally home from the longest business trip ever.

Grandma flew in from Minnesota for my girl’s 18th birthday.

On Friday night, the Volleyball team had a party and sleepover …which meant 10 girls for me to kiss and endless ear scratches!

On Saturday, my girl’s boyfriend surprised her with a visit home from college. So he slept here last night (him in the attic, my girl in the basement–Dad kept guard all night).

With all of this going on, I woke up early today to make my rounds… from the basement to the 1st floor, to the 2nd floor &  to the attic, giving all of the sleepers a good sniff and the occasional wake up kiss.

As soon as they’re all awake, I’m going to need a big nap!

Mom just went up to the attic. I followed her, even though she told me not to walk on the steep steps. I was hoping and hoping that she wasn’t going up there for the suitcase. But sure enough, she grabbed it, looked at me and said, “Sorry Buddy…another stupid business trip.”

Oh, I hate it so much when she’s away. I mean, Dad’s fun, and the kids are nice. But Mom…she’s my girl.

One of the things that I was most worried about before Rumbles surgery was how he would play with us and other dogs without one of his ‘boxing’ legs. His right front leg was always his lead jab…also used as his shaking hand and his ‘what’s up’ wave. The first time he tried to ‘box’ post-op, I had to leave the room with tears in my eyes. His shoulder muscles were moving, but that was it…he looked so bewildered. I hated that moment.

But today, something wonderful happened. He ‘boxed’ again…up on his hind legs and with his left paw.  This is what happened…

While doing our weekly shopping at Petsmart, Rumbles was suddenly and without much warning “volunteered” to interact with a Yorkie who was being considered for adoption. The prospective parents wanted to see if the little fluffy girl could get along with a big dog. I said sure, because he’s been so mellow with other dogs since the surgery. But Rumbles decided today was the day to show me a new trick…he playfully bonked that Yorkie with two left jabs to the head and followed with a jumping lunge. She barked a lot. But he was very happy. Tail wagging all over the place. And me behind him with a big smile.

He’s baaaack!

August flew by in a flurry of hot days, mom’s business trips and family vacations. I stayed cool with fans, homemade pupsicles and resting on my squishy cushion on the back porch. Some people say these are the dogs days of summer. I don’t get that. Aren’t ALL days of the year dog days?!

In the summertime, I love to hang out on the front steps. I can see the whole neighborhood from here. Mom says that I think I’m the Governor of Herrick Ave…but I think I look a bit more Presidential, don’t you?

Only one new thing in my life to report:  Mom got me some non-slip socks with little rubber pawprints on the bottom. Gosh, how I hate them! She said that I need to practice now, so I can wear them when walking on the snow and ice this winter. Well, no thanks, lady. They are just about the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. They make me walk all crazy. I pick my feet up really high and hope they’ll slip off in the process. I also snort loudly, so that Mom knows that I am NOT HAPPY. The socks don’t fall off, no matter how high I lift my feet, so I lay down and lick and lick and lick and lick them. They still don’t come off, but they sure do get wet. Mom says the wet socks are “gross” so she takes them off. I win!

Based on everyone’s advice, I waited awhile before returning to the Dog Park. I’m happy to tell you that it was a success! Rumbles was such a good boy! He was super excited when we pulled into the park and we ran from the car to the dog area, which is way on the opposite side of the park from the parking lot. This was the longest distance he’s run since his surgery. I was thrilled that he was running again and that he was soooo happy.

There were about 6-8 big dogs in the Big Dog side of the fence. And one annoying bulldog that should have been on the Little Dog side. Thankfully, Rumbles chose to ignore the snippy little beastie and proceeded to greet each of the big dogs. I kept him on his leash and we just walked around, saying hi to the people and the dogs. He was content with that and didn’t try to engage anyone in playing chase or a wrestling match. Quite the opposite of his former Dog Park behavior, but kind of a relief to me.

I answered a lot of questions about his leg (or lack thereof). I understand everyone’s curiosity and concern, but saying the word ‘cancer’ over and over kind of took the wind out of my sails. You know what I mean?

After awhile, he started to look a little bit tired, so we headed back to the car. I knew he wasn’t going to make it all the way back without a rest stop, so we headed for a big tree and laid down in the shade for about 15 minutes. Then we got  up to go and he wanted to run again. I was shocked, but cautiously trotted along with him, until he plopped down in the grass for another rest. Then he was back up, making it almost all the way to the car. Then back down for another rest. Eventually we did get to the car, I boosted him in and he contentedly sat in the seat, eager to see where we were going next.

So, this is another lesson for me in our new normal. Running and resting. Go and stop. Up and down.

That’s what Mom says anyway.

The other day she took me along to run errands with her. We went to Petsmart, which was really exciting. I snuffled all of the corners and met a bunch of other dogs. Mom got food for me (yay!) and she bought a toy for the cat (which I thought was completely unnecessary).

We went to the hot tub store. I do not like water and that place is full of big tubs of the nasty wet stuff. I visited a couple of the guys who were working, then I scooted out of there before that water could get me.

Then another wet place…the carwash. Luckily I was safe inside the car. But I kept an eye on the windows…just in case.

Then we got out of the car so the men could clean the inside, and Mom took me for a little walk down to the river. More water! What is wrong with her? I kept my distance, Mom got the message, and soon we were back in the car.

After we got home, I tried to destroy the new cat toy, but Mom caught me. Then I took a big snoozy. Mom’s right, running errands is exhausting!