House Guest

Well it did snow yesterday. The amount changes based on your location but it’s averaging about 9 inches. It’s going to stay like this for a while – milder temperatures aren’t expected for at least a week. It’s very pretty, however there was a flash freeze first and there is a lot of ice under that white stuff.

I can (should, must) wear my ice cleats. Unfortunately I have a visitor and he doesn’t have any. As a result he faceplanted on my driveway in the middle of the storm. There is no way, however, that I will try and outfit him with the proper boots.

Many on the Island already know that I am speaking about my dufus neighbour,the yellow lab. Most of his household have flown off on vacation and he gets one of his own – at my place. 🙂

I love this dog but adding 150 pounds of canine makes this house seem a lot smaller than it did. The cats have complained that there is no room for him. I disagree and he just ignores them anyway. Fish on the other hand is perfectly content to have his friend do an extended sleepover. Well, content apart from the extreme jealousy over toys and treats and attention.

Now when friends come to stay you usually receive some basic information such as allergies, food preferences (e.g., vegan), and any special arrangements (e.g., handrails) you should provide to make their visit a successful one. It would also be helpful to know in advance if they have any potentially annoying quirks.

The first night he was here I realized that he likes a cool environment. For this reason he prefers to sleep on the bare floor rather than his bed or one of the carpets. That’s fine – I can accommodate this. Unfortunately his floor of choice was directly in front of the door to the litter box. We had to have a chat.

It took a while for everybody to settle down so that we could all get some sleep. It didn’t take long, though, before most of us were wide awake again. What I thought was a loud truck outside, with a very expensive sound system, the bass at maximum volume, was in fact a snoring dog. I texted his mother the next day and expressed some surprise that they had installed a performance muffler in him (Note. For those who don’t have to experience them, they make engines louder not quieter.)

The truth is that his visit is going well. I know he misses Robbie and Anna Gail but we go on extended tours around the Island and he gets to play tug of war with Fish. I’ve told him they’ll be gone for 6 months but that it will go by as if it’s only 3 weeks. I’ve also promised this to the cats. 🙂