Sick of you, sick of me

I took a look at some of my earlier blog drafts. When it comes to doling out daily doses of punishment, my puppy isn't quite as unrelenting today as she was in August.

What can I say, pneumonia and a new labrador puppy combine for a cocktail without FDA approval. Ella, please take Aidan's leg out of your mouth. What began as an ordinary summer has turned into a battle of wits. I fight my dog for alpha status with one hand, and nurse my squatter of a cough with the other. When the doctor said I had pneumonia, my ever-present cough and pathetic show of frailty finally had scope. I spent my days sighing, crying, and cursing. When I felt brave, I would escape to walk the dog only to have her beat the crap out of me all the way home. It's a good show over here on Carriage Drive, watching me in all manner of embarrassment trying out some new training technique or another on the front lawn with the dog. Today I discovered that if I spray my hand with diluted white vinegar and shove it in the dog's face, she'll start to sneeze. Note to self, buy more vinegar.

New Pets and Old Loves

It's hard to be funny when your dog dies. What started out as a vacation-induced respite from blogging has grown to include my hazy days of grief. Rudy was by my side for thirteen years and no dog will ever replace her. She died on May 19th, and I haven't felt like writing for weeks - I still don't. But we're getting a new puppy on the 4th of July, so it's time to get my head around that. Our family moments have been singly focused on finding the perfect name for our new dog. This consumption has been exhausting and I've taken to spouting wildly inappropriate suggestions whenever inspiration strikes. Names like Maggot and Tree Frog, Pickles and Cereal, Chardonay and Vader have been fielded and dropped. I'm inclined to think that the name doesn't matter too much. All the same, I've been jotting top picks on the chalkboard in the kitchen. This morning when my son noticed a new entry left behind from an erased grocery list, he chimed in with his endorsement for the name Cool Whip.