Split Personality

Sometimes I think Emme has a split personality. Some times she is "Lovey-Dovey Emme" and can't wait to be picked up, petted and loved. She lies still in your arms or on your lap or legs and wants her ears scratched or her back rubbed. She rears herself back so you can get to her belly to rub that. She is a love sponge.

Other times, she is "Raise a Little Hell Emme." She dashes around the house, grabs a toy, shakes it around, drags it from one room to another, dive bombs Rudy, chases her tail, jumps on the couch, knocks all the pillows to the floor and generally creates havoc.

Actually, I love both Emmes.

Favorite Emme Photo, Number 1

This is probably my favorite Emme photo. She looks so bright-eyed and happy. It was taken by my son, Eric. I like this photo so much, I had a coffee cup made with this picture on the side.

The Wicker Rocking Chair

Emme loves to sit on the wicker rocking chair on the porch. This is one of her favorite places. Maybe it is because the cushion has our smells: my bare feet, when I prop my feet up on the chair as I read or play Animal Crossing, or our bottoms when we actually sit on the rocker. Ken thinks that because Emme is so nosy, she likes the rocker because she has unobstructed vision: she can see out of the front, back and both sides. For what ever reason, Emme loves this rocker.

Big Mama Gorilla is my Solace

Emme loves Big Mama Gorilla. Big Mama Gorilla is not a dog toy, but a child's toy that I bought for Rudy because I loved the soft feel of it. Ever since Emme was a puppy, she has taken over Big Mama Gorilla for her favorite lovie. She carries it around the house, takes it out on the deck, and brings it along for nap time. If Emme is reprimanded for barking at the living room window, she has to dash to Big Mama Gorilla and love her for solace.

If Big Mama Gorilla dies, we have another in reserve. It would be awful to lose your best friend and not have a replacement. We are prepared.

Sleeping Beauty and the Two Dwarfs

Since my surgeries, I have been spending a lot of time napping, trying to rest and recover my strength. No matter which couch I choose for a nap, I always have two companions as I lie down. Sometimes we nap in the living room, sometimes in the family room and best of all, sometimes on the porch. Rudy lies down right next to the couch and Emme climbs up on the couch and settles down by my feet or on my legs. Sometimes one or both dogs get up and go to check out what Ken is doing but for the most part they nap with me. All I have to do is say "Nap Time" and they are off for the couch. Sometimes they bring a lovie: Big Mama Gorilla for Emme or the Really Big Lovie for Rudy. Other times they just nap.

When I get up, I tell Ken that Emme, Rudy and I, are like "Sleeping Beauty and the Two Dwarfs." I know that I am creating a new fairy tale out of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but it seems accurate. My two nap companions are a welcome addition to my recovery process.

A House with No Door

This summer we replaced the deck and living room window at the lake house. The final part of this project was to take off the old storm/screen door in the living room and install a new one. The replacement door is very nice with a full length screen, rather than just screen in the top half of the door.

Before installing the new door, Ken took off the old door and painted the jam and the outside of the door. When the paint was dry to the touch but not dry enough to pull the door all the way shut, we just left the door open. This allowed Emme and Rudy to walk from the house to the deck as they wanted. This was exciting for them. They went in and out many times and then living in a house with no door lost its appeal. After a few trips, they settled down to lie on the floor next to one of us. It is great to live in a house with no door, but it is better to be next to someone you love.

Is an Umbrella a Dog Toy?

Last night, Emme was fascinated by something on our kitchen table. She would stand up on her hind legs by my chair and strain to see the top of the table. Then she would whine. I had no idea what she wanted but I lifted her up so she could see that there was nothing on the table for dogs. In addition to the table runner, there was a Good Housekeeping magazine that had just come in the mail, two to-do lists, a black folding Tote's umbrella, and Ken's watch that needed to go in for repairs. I couldn't imagine what was interesting her.

I went back to the living room to watch the Olympics. Emme stayed in the kitchen and whined. After a while, I decided that I would just take Emme out on the porch to get her away from the kitchen table. So Emme and I sat on the porch in the cool dark for a while. When we came back inside, Emme went right back to the table again.

By then Ken got involved. He put each item from the table down on the floor to show Emme that there was nothing she would be interested in: the magazine, the umbrella (which was folded up into a cylinder about 6 inches long and two inches wide), the shopping lists, and the watch. No sooner had he put the umbrella on the floor, Emme grabbed the umbrella and ran into the dining room and under the dining room table. We stood there amazed. What did she think the umbrella was?

We took it away from Emme and put it on top of the dining room table. Emme sat by the dining room table and whined. Some how she had decided that the umbrella was a puppy toy and it should be hers. Finally, we decided to call it a night and go to bed. Ken took the dogs outside and I hid the umbrella in the laundry room. We got to bed without incident and this morning, Emme seems to have forgotten about her new favorite toy. What a goofy pup!

Every Dog is a Friend of Mine

Recently Emme has had the opportunity to play with a number of dogs at our house. Although Emme spends all her time with Rudy, her contact with other dogs is limited so she hasn't had much experience playing with other dogs.

We had a family reunion a few weeks ago and my son and daughter-in-law brought their French Bulldog with them for the weekend. My brother-in-law and sister-in law brought their Yellow Lab with them from Texas. After a minute or two of cautious behavior, Emme decided that these visitors were all right and they got along beautifully. Size didn't seem to matter. Big or little, the dogs were welcomed. This past weekend, a friend of our brought his Husky for a visit to the lake house. Again, it didn't take long for Emme to warm up to him. It think she likes the idea of canine visitors. They are all her friends.

Another Love Letter

Tomorrow will be the one month anniversary of my second surgery. I was in the hospital only four days this time, but I sent Emme another "Love Letter" while I was there. Ken carried a washcloth to me in the hospital and I rubbed it all over my skin and wore on my chest under my hospital gown until he returned home at night. When he got home, he gave the wash cloth/love letter to Emme who recognized my smell immediately. She played with the wash cloth and brought her bone over to lie on top of the cloth and chew.

I am doing well. I am healing and am in no pain. I still have to work on strength and stamina and that is going slowly.