Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder...

Going back to work has been challenging for me this time, for various reasons that I won't mire everyone down with here.  The girls all handled it pretty well.  I imagine Bunny envisioned stretching out even more on the couch than she did before.  Blueberry probably figured she'd be able to rearrange the dog beds however she wanted them to her heart's content.  Lilac was probably enjoying eating out of any dog bowl she wanted to without me telling her to eat out of her own bowl.

However, they all have their own little routines to let me know that they've missed me, just a little, during their regularly scheduled all day naptime.  Lilac goes first, barking at me early in the morning while I'm getting ready in the bathroom.  Most of the time, she staunchly avoids the bathroom at all costs, because she believes the only good thing about water is that you can drink it.  She does not want any part of a bath, playing in the pool in the summer, or even walking through a shallow creek or water puddle.  The fact that she gets baths in there a few times a year has made it a perilous place to be avoided at all costs.  Yet this week, she's decided she's coming in for a morning scratch and chat time every morning.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Mr. Taleteller, aka The Giver of The Dreaded Baths, is back in bed at that time.

Blueberry is the most aloof of our girls.  Her little routine is waiting to come in from turn out and then getting on the couch with me before Bunny can.  Her beautiful head will wobble a little and she curls up just close enough that there's not room for Bunny, looking like a regal queen on her throne while she allows me to pet the softest greyhound fur in existance for a few moments.  As a lowly serf, this is a great boon she allows me.  She will close her eyes in contentment for a few minutes while Bunny snorts and stamps her little foot on the carpet.

Bunny doesn't waste any time letting me know she's missed me.  There are soft sighs from her in the morning that let me know that she's unhappy that I'm leaving, at least until she gets to have my yogurt cup to clean out.  When I get home at the end of the day, she has to do a little tap dance on the floor, then she runs to the living room, where I am expected to follow.  So, I sit on the couch for a minute, while Lilac grabs her rabbit to let me know that it's time to go outside, and Bunny leaps up to lean against my chest for a few minutes.  Her little body just can't seem to be able to contain her joy.

I have to say, it almost makes it worth going back to work, just to come home and see them so glad to see me.  Almost, but those Monday mornings still come awfully early!  If we could just ease back in with a later work start on Mondays, that'd be great. 

The Cold Shoulder And A Warm Gaze

You may recall that last week, Mr. Taleteller was gone for several days.  If you're a dog owner, you know that the best thing about coming home is being greeted by your adoring dogs when you arrive home.  I know that Mr. Taleteller missed his girls a great deal.

Of course, the girls missed him, too.  Of our three hounds, Blueberry seems to be the closest to him.  She expects his attention first and is most content when they're together on the floor with his quilt.  She is probably also the most sensitive of our three girls.  If you are having a bad day, Blueberry knows it before you have walked in the back door.  Perhaps she expected him to make more of a fuss over her.  I'm not sure, but I do know that after she sniffed him to see where he'd been, she suddenly was a bit put out.


To add insult to injury, Mr. Taleteller returned without presents for the girls.  He did bring back some of the best bagels I've ever had from a shop that his family always visits when they're out East.  However, they're onion bagels, and onions are dangerous for dogs.  Bread products are Blueberry's very favorite thing, and she sometimes can't resist stealing some when it's not shared with her in what she considers a timely manner.  She has been sulking since he got back, barely glancing at him and mostly sucking up to me in what I believe is her eloquent way of making a point.

Every morning, I've had half of one of these giant bagels with cream cheese for breakfast.  My husband will usually get one ready for me while I'm finishing putting on my makeup in the bathroom and set it on the counter for me.  Blueberry always appears right after this delivery, sits in the doorway and gazes at me with the utmost adoration.  Telling her that onions are bad for dogs does not deter her.  I have to watch the bagel at all times, because I know the second I look away she will have it not only off the plate, but devoured.  Greyhounds aren't just fast at the track!

Today, I decided to break down and give her a tiny bite off the corner that didn't have any onion on it.  I believe that it might have sealed the deal and won Daddy's Girl over as mine!  She seems to be a much happier hound now!

Where Is The Love?

Well, as it happened, Friday night I went out with some friends and the dogs were not involved.  My husband stayed home with the girls and they had a cozy evening together from what I hear.  According to my husband, they all had a good time. 

When I arrived home, I expected to be greeted by the usual fanfare.  However, not a single dog met me at the back door.  I reasoned to myself that it was late and that they were probably asleep and didn't hear me come in.  As I walked into the living room, however, I saw that I was wrong.  All three of the girls and my husband were awake, watching the Late Show and enjoying their own comforts.  Lilac had ensconced herself in my spot on the couch.  Bunny was curled up to my husband under the quilt and giving me a serious case of stink eye.  Blueberry, surprisingly because she is the one who is really my husband's girl, was the only one who got up and came to greet me.  She had to give me a thorough sniff over, her tail wagging gently as she touched her nose gently to my face over and over.  I sat on the couch beside Lilac and got the hairy eyeball for my troubles, while Blueberry still remained by my side.

Bunny wanted nothing to do with me, even when we went to bed.  I got a serious case of the cold shoulder from her.  I'm not sure why Blueberry was so happy to see me.  Perhaps she was giving my husband a case of the cold shoulder after he spent the evening under the quilt with Bunny.  Usually when she's put out with him, she will glance meaningfully in his direction while she's lavishing her attentions upon me, however, this time she seemed just genuinely glad to see me home.  Perhaps she's taken up Hawk's mantle as the family shepard, keeping us all together.  Whatever it was, it was nice to have at least one of them happy to see me!  It's funny how fickle their affections can be.  Blue, the extra cookies are in your food bowl!