Lambiedog

Elf to his shoemaker

    After his day at school and his track meet, Charlie fell asleep on the sofa without getting his essay done. 

    Looking at his computer, I wondered if perhaps I should write his essay for him, like the elves who helped out the shoemaker.  Unfortunately, that would be a violation of his school's honor code.

    So instead I concentrated, silently yet intensely, on transmitting to Charlie via the ether my reserves of strength, brilliance, and analytical acuity, so that he would awaken feeling inspired and refreshed.

Concert

There was an air of suppressed excitement at the bluffs.

Many dogs had gathered, and more kept streaming in.

    
  

The occasion?

 

An impromptu guitar concert.  

It was a mellow afternoon.  Some of us kept dancing even when the concert was over.  

The dogs hung out, and the people hung out, and everyone was happy.

Bright morning

 

  

Tanti baci

When I visited the Via de las Olas bluff earlier this month, I was moved by a memorial bench dedicated to Dino Alexander De Laurentiis, grandson of the producer and brother of the food personality. 

Young De Laurentiis, a visual effects editor, died of melanoma in 2003 at the age of 31.

The motto on the plaque says, "The Sun Never Sets on Love / Tanti Baci."  

"Tanti Baci" in Italian translates to "Many kisses" in English.  I think the equivalent in dog verbiage would be "Many licks." 

A very nice sentiment.

The ripple effect of violence

When I went to the bluff yesterday morning I got involved in an upsetting altercation with a dog by the name of Rambo.  It was so upsetting that once I had completed my morning evacuation I left the bluff posthaste to run home, ignoring my friend Pookie who had just pulled up and was getting out of his car.

Here's a photo of Pookie looking for me in vain and being washed over with disappointment as he realizes that we will not have a play date:

 

Celebrity I am told I resemble

Really we have nothing in common except for our prominent tongues and white faces.

I don't even play the guitar.

   

 

   

Clean and green

The day after the rain ended, the bluff came alive with green sprouts, literally overnight.

  

Maybe they will eventually mature into foxtails, but for the moment they look innocuous and hopeful.  It's a big improvement over the way things looked before the rain.

The end of the rain also saw an improvement in my own appearance.

My fur had been looking rather murky, and frankly I was feelng somewhat itchy.  I'd been due for a bath, but it was delayed, first by my seizure and then by the rain. Just as there's no point to washing a car when it's just going to get streaked by rain, there's no point in putting me through that misery unless the payoff will be substantial.

Finally all systems were 'go' for the ablutions. 

I emerged sparkling clean, a true ornament to the verdant bluff.

Birds swoop in

    I was on the bluffs with Harry and Finney when all of a sudden the sky swelled with birds.

    It was like an invasion of aliens. 

    Harry scrambled to get out of the way.

    Finney and I stayed frozen in surprise and admiration.  Bird flocks don't come our way that often.

 

The birds circled, then flew off to wherever it is that birds go.

They had not stayed for long, yet when they left the atmosphere was changed. 

The sun seemed warmer.  

At the window

People at the bluffs often tell us that they've seen me looking out the window as they walk by our home.

I might be meditating, relaxing in the sun, or reviewing past events.  

 

It does bother me a bit to have my private reflective moments be so exposed.

But the back of the sofa is without peer in the unique side-by-side configuration of sun worship and sentinel opportunities that it offers.

Via de las Olas bluff

I took a trip over to the bluff at Via de las Olas.   It's always interesting to get a different perspective.

              

    My conclusion:  Nice view, but the fence looks iffy.

You might want to bring a rope and pistons with you so you're prepared in case disaster should unfold.