The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Everything (Okay, SOME Things) I know, I Learned From a Puppy

        Our house is no longer a quiet, peaceful place. Four new paws patter and clatter across our floors. My husband and I already had two senior dogs, but a puppy changes things completely...


       Here are some things I've already learned in the very short time (24 hours) we've had Radar:








  • It's a good thing to chew on bark. Radar--no matter how I try to divert him in a variety of ways--loves to get a piece of bark/a stick/a hunk of sod and chew on it. I pick him up and move him to another part of the yard, but he keeps returning to get his "prize" (or a different one--after all, there's an endless supply of things to slobber on in the backyard).
       If I had the same amount of persistence as that little dog, perhaps I'd be a best-selling novelist by now. (And if I chewed on bark instead of chocolate, I'd be skinny and successful!)


 
  • Get rid of the bad stuff. How many times a day can a puppy pee and poo? Yesterday, the count was 1,237. I'm hoping for a few less times today.
       Of course, as writers, the "bad stuff" we have to get rid of is self-doubt. Negativity. That internal editor that cuts us down. Evacuate that sh**. Now.





  • Naps (and breaks) are good things. After spending time tormenting the older, cranky dogs and checking the food bowls and floors for stray pieces of food and trying to tear up the rug and gnawing on the furniture and checking for stray bits of food and knocking over the trashcan...it's time to take a break. A short nap is all it takes to recharge and reenergize.
       When we're immersed in a writing project--whether it's a short piece or a novel-long manuscript--we have to step away. Relax. Do something different. And then get back to it...


        Now I'm off to play with the puppy ... (And if Blogger was cooperative, I would be including a couple of photos. Maybe it will get less persnickety later on.)








 

24 comments:

  1. I know that a new dog is diverting attention from other things...but isn't he fun! Are you out of school for the summer yet? Raining hard here this morning...major storms moving through...

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    1. Claudia--I AM out of school. And yes, he's already a barrel of fun...

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  2. Can't wait for the photos! And congratulations on the newest addition to your family. Radar sounds like a lot of fun (okay, work . . . he sounds like work, but in a good way). Maybe he'll have a positive effect on your senior pups, liven them up a bit. I've heard that happens sometimes. Looks like you have a busy and fun (and I do mean fun) summer ahead of you. Don't forget to post the pics!

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    1. Lisa--The livening up just might happen. They might at least run around more just to get away from him. ;)

      This weekend I'm going to a writing retreat, and it's just my husband and the three "boys." (I wish I had a video camera to film it all.)

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  3. Love how you incorporated the puppy stuff with writing. You're such a genius and a brave one at that...

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    1. Lynn--I am sure you could come up with some writing tips from Smeagol's point of view...

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  4. Now I have the urge to chew on bark. That's going to take time away from my writing. I refuse to balance this urge with less naps and fewer pee breaks. My laurels say this: "We're tired of Val resting on us."

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  5. Replies
    1. Shay--Finally this morning, with lots of wrangling, I was able to include a couple. (Why is Blogger being so difficult?)

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  6. I have the urge to chew on a pencil ...

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    1. Well Marcia, if you're going to chew on a pencil and then swallow, be aware that the wood WILL come out at some point.

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  7. Congratulations, Sioux! Radar sounds precious (and I love the name). My daughter and her fiance got a puppy about two months ago, and boy, is he energetic! Little Pete is breaking me in for grandparenthood. He comes over and wears me out -- chewing and pooping and peeing and jumping all over things (and me), but then I get to hand him back to his parents when it's time for him to go home (thank God). I'm not sure I'd have the stamina to care for him full-time! So kudos to you . . . and I'm sure he's adorable. :) Anxious to see pics!

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    1. Yes, they are incredibly energetic. He is a doll, and perhaps he is going to be in charge of my weight loss program. ;)

      Perhaps I can "pay back" my daughter or son and give the puppy to THEM for a weekend?

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  8. Hi Sioux ~~ I came over from Tammy's Flash Fiction, limericks this week, post. You are a different Sioux than my blogger friend but your episode with the new puppy got my attention. Your post reminds me of how we got our Adi (beagle). Our daughter had this new pup and was living in a third floor apartment. After a number of issues (she even ate the walls and the flooring) Adi came to live with us. We had her for fifteen years. Adi was a very good dog (link)
    ..

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    1. Jim--If you follow Tammy, you've got great taste.

      Yes, sometimes our four-legged friends come to us in a roundabout way, but they always carve a spot for themselves in our hearts.

      Thanks for stopping by...

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  9. I'm overloading on cute over here--which is kinda hard to do since I have my own still-a-puppy, cute-one-minute-annoying-as-heck-the-next-minute dog.

    Seems like there was something about writi--look! A puppy!

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    1. Cathy--
      Yes, they are distracting but oh-so cute.

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  10. Puppies are like human babies and require a lot of energy from the caregiver. I'm too old and tired to come up with this energy! LOL

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  11. Glad you were able to post the pictures. That face makes up for a lot. And I'm with Lynn - only you could relate a new puppy to writing!

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    1. Tammy--He is one cutie. That will probably save his hide on a regular basis.

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  12. Oh my gosh, he's absolutely adorable! How I love the feel of soft baby fur and scent of puppy breath. I need a puppy fix right now!

    Pat
    Critter Alley

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    1. I am renting him out. The "fee" you have to pay: some unchewed wood furniture somewhere down the road...

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Thanks for your comments. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by...