Was Zum Teufel?!
Tuesday, Oct 16 – During this week of surprising blood connections between Barack and Cheney and the latter’s sack of lies now being spilled all over Iran, Oslo and Mies are beginning to wonder if we shouldn’t be moving to Canada instead of DC. We hear from our dogwalker Jenny that it’s way more dog-friendly in Vancouver than Seattle.
Wednesday, Oct 17 – Nothing happened today unless you count the dogs being ignored. I teach on Wednesday nights which means two gray boys take a backseat to the books.
Thursday, Oct 18 – Today blew in with a gust. Winds in the Puget Sound area were up to 60 miles per hour, but hey, at least it wasn’t raining. The Weims didn’t care, though. They were romping happily at Magnuson where we met two other Weims, Bailey and Biloxi, littermates who were born the day after Oslo. They were gorgeous dogs who looked almost exactly like Oslo + Mies. With the extra cleaning duty I’ve labored with lately due to Mies’s whacked out digestive system, I was wondering if the other owner would notice if I swapped one of my Weims for one of hers. In the end, I decided not to. Mies knows where I live. And he has the nose to track me down for revenge if he wants to….
Friday, Oct 19 – With yesterday’s winds abated, today began sunny, then cold, then sunny, then pouring rain, all within the space of two hours. Sunny when I left the house to walk the dogs to the butcher for their bones, pouring rain by the time I got there ten minutes later. The Weims were shivering in their silver short-hair coats, but luckily, the nice people at AJ Meats let me bring them in while they took my order.
And an order it was! Before I knew it, Oslo and Mies were at the counter, pointing this way and that with their freshly-manicured paws, ordering cuts of filet mignon, beef flank, rump roast, and extra-thick pork chops, throwing in a bottle of Merlot because, Oslo told me, he and Mies are over 21 now and wants to start drinking wine with dinner. "Seattle’s tap water just ain’t cuttin’ it for me anymore, Mom. I’m a Champion now. I deserve more. If it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me."
Ummmm, okay. Anyway, the day ended with Mies trying out a variation of his favorite sport, countersurfing. He now windowsill surfs. A couple of Will’s cobalt blue bottles lining the kitchen windowsill behind the sink were suspiciously lying in the basin, just inches away from the mouth of the disposal.
So, while I allow Oslo’s alcohol consumption on the basis of his exceptional good looks, I tell Mies that he’d better be drinking it as holy communion in atonement for his countersurfing sins.
Saturday, Oct 20 – Today ended with my being $77 poorer than when I woke up. Why? Because I bought Oslo + Mies their Halloween costumes for next week’s Dog-o-Ween party. Oslo really wanted the Chippendale costume at Champion’s so Mies could be his pimp (there was a doggie pimpdaddy costume, too, complete with a big gold chain), but my friend Katie and I decided on something a little more wholesome. She has two dogs and we’re dressing as a group in an undisclosed get-up. To be revealed in next week’s issue of WZT.
Today also saw the incredibly charming appearance of Olivia, Oslo’s 9-week old niece. Flown in from Maine to be our breeder’s next gray ghost, she is cuter than measure. Stephanie brought her over for dinner and she was quite precious, eating off plates and stealing the boys’ bully sticks. Quelle mignon!
Sunday, Oct 21 – Washington, DC, here we come! After two months of due diligence on Will’s part, our apartment search in the nation’s capital has ended. We’ve found a dog-friendly pad with hardwood floors (no floor drains, but oh, well….) right across the street from the National Cathedral. The Weims and I are psyched! And you know all that penance Mies has to do for atonement? Well, how much easier could it be with what amounts to the American version of the Notre Dame right at your doorstep?
In other news, today also brings the discovery of a namesake video for Mies via YouTube. Long live the Bauhaus!
Monday, Oct 22 – Today I conclude that Mies’s digestive system has gone completely haywire. Up until a couple of months ago as predictable as clockwork, he had yet another accident and I spent yet way more time this week than anyone should have to cleaning up dog shit. And as frustrated as I get went it initially happens, Mies is such a loving, tender dog that I can’t stay mad for more than 15 minutes. But I digress….
Oslo had his second Pet Partners class today. He spent the morning learning "Not now." which basically means that we had to walk around a huge room with approximately 20 small treats scattered all over the floor with him ignoring the treats when I said, "Not now". Needless to say, my words fell on deaf ears. He spent the entire morning trying his best to devour each treat while I spent the same amount of time trying to relocate my shoulder from the force of his pulling. We have a loooooooooong way to go, baby.
I also laughed out loud when Christie, the instructor, said this, "I always travel with chocolate. That and dog poop bags." Speaking of which, it’s time to take Mies out.