A Joyful State of Trudification

The Dog's sister has come to visit for a few days. We call it a Joyful State of Trudification because whenever the two pups see each other they leap and bound and run around until he does something she doesn't like and she flips him over, pins him and nips his ear. Well, that's a metaphor for something, 'tisn't it?

Once the intial euphoria subsides, the two of them spend a lot of time lying around. Sometimes they take a toy in their mouths and run with it, side by side, until they find the perfect location for a fierce game of Tug.

When I go to Maria's this morning, they will stand in the window and look very forlorn. Then they'll get into the good scotch and play a few hands of poker. When they hear the car coming they'll clean up, air the house of their cigar smoke and run to the window so they can greet me with ecstatic puppy leaps that say, "We thought you were never coming back! Now everything is right again! We love you! We love you! Please don't ever leave us again! We're just little dogs!"

In the evening Trudy will come sit with us on the couch, as she does with her family. The Dog will wander in and out, looking at us remorsefully, even though we will make room for him and call to him and even though he rarely sits with us when it is just him.

At bedtime we will bundle them up on our high bed where they will curl up together on Trudy's chinchilla blankie. We will sleep with the schnoodles until The Spouse's alarm goes off. Then the dogs will scroogle up to occupy his warm side of the bed until I get up and we start the parttern all over again.