So, nothing real exciting to write about this week, so I’ll tell you how I often surprise my Mommy with the level of my intelligence.
In the above photo, I’m sitting on the only piece of furniture I’m allowed on, just relaxing. That’s where I can be found while Mommy is working on her writing at the dining room table. When Mommy needs a break, or just needs to get up and move around a bit, she’ll often come into the living room and talk to me and pet me, and occasionally, she’ll sit down next to me for a couple minutes.
Well, last week one day, she came in, perched next to me, talked to me and petted me. One of the things she said to me was, “In two weeks, you have your checkup with Dr. Hockenberry, so I think you need a bath before that.” I don’t like to get baths, so my ears perked up and I thought, “Oh no! Not that.” Then I lifted my front paws, placed them on Mommy’s chest and gave her a push to let her know I wanted no parts of that.
Mommy looked at me and said, “Are you trying to tell me you don’t want a bath? I know you don’t like baths, but you have to have them sometimes. I can’t believe you pushed me away because I said you have to have a bath soon.”
I thought, “Yep, I’m smarter than you think I am.”
This past weekend, Mommy took me for a walk around our neighborhood. (She does that four or five times a day.) When we got to Kevin’s house, Mommy saw a pick-up truck parked in the grass. She recognized it as belonging to Kevin’s brother. Mommy is close friends with Kevin’s brother’s wife.
As we walked by, Kevin called out to Mommy, then her close friend stuck her head out the door. She shouted, “Can you bring Harper up? I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
So Mommy took me up to Kevin’s doorstep. Then Kevin’s brother came out and wanted to meet me, but I was nervous. The red step up to the stoop scared me because we don’t have one of those at our house. Our stoop isn’t as high as Kevin’s. Also, in the little flower bed next to the stoop, Kevin has one of those small banner/decorative flag things and there was a light wind that was blowing it, and that scared me too.
Well, Mommy told Kevin and her closest friend about her website, and that she lets me post here on Wednesdays. So Kevin said, “So this week’s post is going to be ‘A Visit to Kevin’s House’.”
Mommy said, “Only if we get a picture because every post includes a picture.”
So, the picture at the top of this post is me with Kevin, and this is my post about my visit to Kevin’s house.
Melisande took a seat at the table in the kitchen and Griffin sat across from her. She studied the plate before her. “This looks good. Where’d you learn to cook?”
“My mom taught me some stuff. She also taught me how to follow a recipe, so I’ve been able to expand my culinary skills.” He grinned at her as he picked up his fork.
“We need to pray first.”
Griffin put his fork down as his face reddened. “Oh right.” He bowed his head and folded his hands in front of him.
Melisande reached across the table and took his hands in hers, then bowed her head. “Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this food we are about to receive. Thank you for Griffin and his ability to cook a good meal. Please guide and direct Griffin and I in our thoughts, words, actions, and decisions, and please bless Adora. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
She opened her eyes, picked up her fork, and her eyes collided with Griffin’s. She wasn’t sure what she saw there.
“That was nice.” Griffin picked up his fork and stabbed a piece of chicken.
Melisande followed suit, and for several minutes they ate without speaking.
Griffin was the first to break the silence. “Would you like to go into town tomorrow? Pick up some stuff that would be helpful to have for Adora. To make you more comfortable?”
That wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. “What do you have in mind?”
“A playpen, highchair, and some more toys. You might be more comfortable with her in a playpen instead of on the floor with Finnegan around.”
“Cats jump.” Realizing she sounded harsh, she attempted to temper her next sentence. “I’m sure Finnegan could easily jump into the playpen with her, if he wanted to.”
Griffin met her gaze once again. “He could, but I doubt that he would. I don’t think he’d be interested in being in such enclosed surroundings when he’s used to having the run of the house.”
He’s trying, Melisande. Give him a chance. She finished chewing a bite of vegetables and swallowed. “That would be nice.” She gave him a small smile and watched his eyes light up.
“Great! After lunch, I’ll work until two o’clock, then call it a day. That way we can go buy what we need, maybe grab dinner in town, and still return before it’s too late so that we don’t tire Adora out.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” She watched the corners of his lips tip up as he nodded. She also noticed his shoulders lower a bit. He’d probably been tense–worried how she would respond. This wasn’t the conversation they needed to have, but maybe it was better to start out this way–being kind and both of them trying to, maybe, begin as friends instead of trying to begin where they had left off a year ago. Too much time had passed, too many feelings had been hurt, and each of them had experienced too many changes to be able to do that.
This past weekend was Easter weekend, and Mom and Dad planned for us to go up to Grandma’s house for Easter dinner after they attended Sunday School and church.
There are several children in our neighborhood who love me, and earlier in the week, Mom was walking me around our neighborhood one day, and Carter, a little boy in our neighborhood, stopped us to say “hi” to me and pet me. Then he told Mom she should have an “egg hunt” for me. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I do like eggs!
I didn’t get any eggs, but after all the people had enjoyed their dinner, Mom went outside for awhile. I was wondering what she was doing because she didn’t take me outside with her. After a while, she returned and put my prong collar and leash on me to take me outside. In the first picture at the top of the page, you can see a treat, just above my head in the picture. I caught a scent of it and soon after the photo was snapped, I gobbled that treat down.
Mom walked me all over Grandma’s deck, just below the deck, and in the front flower bed. She had hidden some of my treats all over that area and I sniffed them out and enjoyed eating them! In the second picture at the top of the page, I had found a treat on the edge of the driveway and those green weeds to the left of me and was eating it. And, in case you’re wondering if the two tan/brown things you see to the left of me in the photo and near the wooden railing are treats, they’re not. They’re dead leaves.
I sure enjoyed my Treat Hunt, and Grandma said it was fun to watch me have a treat hunt! Dad said it was another way for Mom to spoil me. That might be true, but maybe it was an idea for something for me to share here. 😀
