EVERYONE’S A CRITIC!

Posted on January 27, 2014 by BigFootClub

4/23/09

One thing we love about our Newfs is their honesty.  Flattery would be less than honest, of course, and I would never ask such of a good Newf.  However, there is something to be said for basic courtesy, isn’t there?

I clearly need to pick up the guitar more often than 20 minutes every six months.  I know that it was that long ago because the books I used last had some spectacular fall leaves in the pages.  Jade wasn’t around then.  She was delivered by the stork (Midwest Airlines) in mid-December.

I usually have some guitar picks sitting around, and I had bought some in bright colors in the past couple of years so I could find them more easily when the mood struck.  Bright colors also appeal to Jade, so she may have assumed those were for a different purpose.

She looked at me curiously and with doubt as I removed the guitar from its stand.  As I began to tune the mysterious monster that she had previously presumed to be another inanimate piece of furniture, she got this look on her face that conveyed the feeling you might have if a corpse raised from its coffin.  (She watches too much television, but we don’t watch scary movies.)  Her jaw dropped and she froze for a split second as if she wanted to run away but she couldn’t make her feet move.  And, since she couldn’t move, frozen as a statue, she was forced to listen long enough to settle down and decide that it wasn’t a monster, not really, but some strange new behavior that she had not yet witnessed in humans.  She laid down with something to chew on, an unapproved purple tail of something that was now tailless.  I continued for a few minutes, and she kept an eye on me the entire time.  Maybe she just didn’t like my choice of music, but something tells me that she thinks I need a LOT more practice, but not while she’s in the same house.  <g>

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WORRIED MOTHERS

Posted on January 27, 2014 by BigFootClub

11/17/11

(In remembrance series)

First, I don’t really think that I have a “worried mother” personality.  In Parker’s case, I think he has a remarkable ability to reach hard-wiring receptors in me, though.  For one thing, he can make sounds that penetrate like electrical voltage.  It’s more than that, though.  When something seems wrong, it triggers my worry response in a very non-voluntary way.

For several days before the last show, I noticed that he wasn’t sleeping much.  I would wake up during the night and he would be already awake.  He does this from excitement, like before a camping trip or before Christmas or sometimes when it is snowing, when he knows that something good is in store.  I had been talking with him about the upcoming dog show, but even knowing that, my worry process had spun into full gear.  He is getting older.  Does this affect his sleep?  His energy is good, maybe he doesn’t need as much sleep.  Don’t women begin having trouble sleeping when they reach this age?  Is it just me, am I the one who’s not sleeping well enough?  I usually sleep soundly when all is well.  Is something wrong with Parker?

When he was younger, my worries had some justification based on his choices, which stemmed from exuberance and a no-holds-barred approach to life.  Now that he’s approaching 10, it’s easy to worry again.  Geesh!  No wonder I’m getting grey hair.

Well, the show is over, and he’s settling back into a routine.  He’s past the blues stage.  Normal is sleeping so soundly that he has no awareness of what’s going on around him, and sleeping to normal morning hours, and taking a solid nap after breakfast.  He’s beginning to sleep more normally again, and funny thing, so am I.

My brother, who is now a grandfather, once looked at my dogs and remarked, “At least kids grow up.”  I said, “Yes, 20 years later!”  I wonder if I have less grey hair than a parent who has gone through teenager-hood.  <g>

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SAVED BY THE NEWF! (KITCHEN HELP PART 135)

Posted on January 27, 2014 by BigFootClub

Posted 2/15/10

I thought he was getting a bit lazy about it – warning me that dinner needed attention.  Especially when it is his dinner, I would think he would put more effort into helping me pay attention.  But (sigh) he must have decided it was a lost cause.

After a long day in KC, I came home, started dinner and turned on the computer.  (Do you hear the word “MISTAKE” in that sentence?  <g>)  I was surprised at the number of messages in Newf-l alone.  In what seemed like only a matter of a couple of minutes, Parker came to the door and barked at me.  He had already been outside, and I had just given him fresh water.  What could he possibly want?  “OK, just another minute.”  With a little insistence from Parker, I looked up again.  “Oh!  Thank you , bud!”  (glad he’s back on the job!)

I can be good kitchen help, as long as I’m properly supervised.

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Who’s Leading Whom?

Posted on January 27, 2014 by BigFootClub

Written 6/23/10

Parker has always been one of those Newfs who likes to carry things.  It gives him delight, and he shows his pride through his expression and his posture.  He’s been in a very good mood yesterday and today, and as you know, when a Newf shares their joy, it brightens everything.

Monday night was less than joyous, though.  Greg went out of town, and since he hadn’t been traveling as much for a while, Parker seemed to have lost touch with his ability to recognize the signs, like packing a suitcase.  He is usually very tuned into this, and is aware long before one of us begins packing that something is going on.  Maybe the problem was that the dogs have been traveling with us for the past few months when suitcases are packed, so his alarm level was low.  In any case, it caught him off-guard.  Monday night was not good for sleeping.  At the point that we went to bed, Parker was aware that something was wrong.  Not all of the “pack” was where they were supposed to be.  He laid with his head pointed toward the doorway, doing the whimper-cry-worry distress sounds that connect deep within me like a cattle prod.  This meant that Jade didn’t get comfortable either, or Corky (Boston Terrorizer).  Shortly after this, Corky heard a monster outside and went into full alarm mode.  (The sprinkler was on.)  Jade and Parker joined in for this one.  It was a long night.

The next morning, we went to Work, and things gradually began to feel more normal.  Greg called during the day, so maybe he didn’t “run away” after all.  By evening, with a good afternoon snooze for the Newfs, all were happy again.

This morning, we went to Work again, walking along the road to the office, me with two Newfs beside me.  It was nice enough that I thought we would use the opportunity for a little exercise by walking down the road and back, passing the drive to the office.  Suddenly, it felt like I had hit the end of the leash.  <g>  Jade was beside me, but where was Parker?  I turned around to see what was wrong, and saw that Parker had taken the leash in his mouth, not with the usual joy of enthusiasm for doing something together, but to stop me, and it did stop me in my tracks.  I don’t know whether he thought we missed our turn, or if he thought the pavement was too hot for a walk, but clearly he wanted to go to the office, not further down the road.  I do appreciate that my Newfs are independent thinkers with the confidence to communicate, but negotiation goes both ways.  This time, I convinced him to walk with us a little further, just a short distance, then we went back.  The Newfs explored their yard for a little while, then came in for a cookie and another good nap.

I do love sharing our place in the world with a good Newf who teaches me that listening is very important (a phrase that I often use with them).

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