Category Archives: Butters the dog
Musings from the Laundromat: Early Bird & Bush Maze Butters edition
I slept most of yesterday away – I feel guilty about that – like I’d wasted precious life time, then try to convince myself it’s a decadence I deserve occasionally.
As a result, after also going to bed early, I woke quite frequently in the night. But every time I did, I had that lovely sensation of ‘tomorrow is Sunday – go back to sleep’.
I haven’t been feeling well lately – for about a week I’ve been tired and have a strange goosebump thing going on. It only occurs on my left thigh. My vision has been blurry, my stomach upset and I’ve just been so tired!
I tried not to google – reached out to some friends and then yesterday, after the goosebump phenomena became more frequent, I flipping googled.
So now, I know, it could be anything from a B12 deficiency to a life threatening thing I can’t even pronounce.
I digress. So I slept a lot yesterday.
I awoke promptly at 6 a.m. Put the coffee on and grabbed Butter’s leash.
We ventured out into the yard and after stopping a few times to nibble on grass (her, not me) we headed to her spots.
“Hey! Let’s try to remember you have me on the other end of the leash.” This, after she tried to take me on an adventure.
It’s a gauntlet out there! She has mazes and pathways that I can’t join her in exploring. I end up quoting Star Wars’ Padme often, “You’re going down a path I cannot follow!”
There was the one time I tried and ended up in a Superman flight pose hung from a palm tree. No joke. It was like a scene out of Hellraiser.
Barbs dug into my skin suspending me while I tried to maintain hold of her leash. (She had just been spayed and I didn’t want her exerting herself.) Oh how I wish I had a picture of that for you – because looking back, it was VERY comical. Although, at the time, with blood exiting multiple puncture wounds, not so much.
Here’s one picture of her entering her maze. Look carefully, you can see her bum and tail.
And here she is on the other side.
The great thing about this morning was the fact that it’s overcast and we have rain in our imminent future.
As I drove to the laundromat, sparse sprinkles hit my windshield. Perfect weather for a Sunday.
And, perfect movie weather. I’ll get my chores done in record time and watch ‘Room’ which was finally available in the Redbox. And I will rest some more.
Because I’ve decided it’s not a waste of a day if you’re taking care of yourself.
Musings from the home (since glaucoma man was ‘Chatty Charlie’ today
I tried, I really did. I pulled out my iPad after giving my ‘laundry lady’ her Christmas ‘bonus’ :). I was so happy to be able to do that. I see her 52 times a year and each week, she has a smile for me – makes coffee and is sure the WiFi is working. So yeah, she got a little something.
But, Glaucoma Man WAS chatty Charlie this week – so I listened. And didn’t type.
So I’ve decided to share my day with you in photos.
FYI: My Nannie is being moved to a ‘care’ facility tomorrow. There is nothing more the hospital can do for her – and my mum is still over there. Of course she is. She is a strong, amazing, loving woman. And if I’ve been anything but positive this season, it’s because I miss her and I am wishing I could hold my Nannie’s hand.
ANYWAY!
Let’s get to those photos before I start being allergic to something and have water coming out of my see-holes.
I think my favorite bird has to be the sparrow. I love how they hop. I love how unassuming they are. Others might think them bland – I find them adorable. I captured a few in my ‘faux’ garden. I keep the plants to the right of this picture because they attract bees and we SO need bees, I keep that weed to the left of the picture because – well, because it makes me feel like I HAVE a garden. LOL.
This one – I keep telling Butters “Santa is coming!” I also told her today, “You’d better have a bath for Santa” and she hopped right into the tub. This was what remained of her after she went outside to completely dry off.
This was my clean ‘Bah’ before she left those prints. And the Pokemon towel in the background? That’s become hers – but I remember how much it meant to Nic when first purchased.
Flowers from last weekend wilting – 😦 They were from my son’s girlfriend and I adore them. You’ll also notice an Elinor Donahue cook book. Fun fact: One of my favorite people on the planet, and my son’s godfather is her son. I miss him and wish I could hang out with his lovely wife and gorgeous daughter.
Bumblebee has this outer seared inner sashimi thing available – and right now, there is a $2.00 off coupon available. I snatched it up. Add wasabi and soy and HEAVEN!
Just love how the light caught my little chair Santa. He’s actually supposed to be ON a chair – but, we don’t have a dining room table/chairs anymore. So, he get’s the cushy life. 😉
And lastly, my sleepy girl. We played ball after her bath so she would totally dry quicker. (That doesn’t seem like a grammatically correct sentence – but oh well.)
THAT was my Sunday.
I did laundry, chatted, shopped at Walmart and completely melted down due to um, being @ Walmart – wrapped,
took photos – ate yummy food and NOW! Now, I’m going to watch my recorded ‘Top Chef’.
I’ll post before Christmas, but if you don’t read before then, Merry Christmas or Merry whatever you celebrate OR just, have a happy week – and thank you for following and I wish you nothing but gratitude, love and peace. X
The Octopus in the room
Ok. I’m going to give this a go. I am keyboardless and, as well as my fingers fly over an actual keyboard, is how NOT well the touch screen thing works for me. I’m awful at it. Which I think is partly the reason my ‘pay as you go’ cell phone terrifies me. The whole’ touch’ ‘swipe’ thingy combined with auto-correct, back up and do it again thing is like a bizarre millennial hokey pokey.
I didn’t want to open like this, and if I had a keyboard, it would start like this:
I’m scaring my dog.
Then it would go on to say:
She sticks close by, unsure of my current mood. Or, like yesterday, sticks close, positive of it.
I was alone and having one of the worst spells I’ve had in a while. Ms. Agnostic hit her knees and prayed “PLEASE don’t let me die right now. Not today.”
My heart was acting up big time. I could barely walk Butters. I took the three steps down to our yard and though, “oh my god, I can’t do this.”
But I had to do it. She needs me.
It was a quick walk around the yard, and when I came in, I felt like calling an ambulance. My face was flushed, heart pounding, dizzy. Yeah, taking the dog out to pee.
I know the difference between a ‘spell’ and my ever-increasing anxiety attacks. This popped up in my news feed the other day and I thought, “Yes!.”
Used to be I had a few triggers. Now, I have an arsenal. The screaming from the house next door, a weird sound coming from my car, crowds … Any sort of dispute in my ear shot. Now, add changing lanes in traffic, Butters taking off and barking in the yard.
My poor nails try daily to grow, but I hinder them and their quest.
I’m alienating friends, scaring off others. The only time I feel comfortable is at work or with my son.
Even when I DO ‘reach out’ I can’t find the right words and come off as a psycho.
My sleeping pattern is off. I’ve gained weight, which, is a good thing … But, I haven’t been trying.
top all of this off with my Nannie who has been in the hospital for a while.
I feel like I don’t get to say how much she means to me, because someone might be offended.
I also feel like someone may be offended by sharing my current state of, let’s just say it … Depression.
I am still quite capable of seeing ‘good’, I just don’t feel capable of participating in it.
Poor little Christmas tree is barely ever lit. I’m not counting Christmas down in ‘how many sleeps!!’
I’m just here.
And mostly smiling all day and then scaring the dog when I sit on my bed and cry.
But I did just notice my purse looking like a weird octopus, so I still have that.
(Cartoon art credit to Hyberbole and a Half … Please don’t sue me.)
Le Drape & Butters
I’ve had neither the discipline nor the inspiration to write of late. Not even a sea of new faces at the Laundromat last Sunday could tempt me.
Needless to say, there have been a LOT of life/routine changes.
New dynamics in the house: Two new roomies.
Getting used to living with someone you didn’t give birth to is weird!
Although, living with someone you DID give birth to has its moments too …
Adjusting has been surprisingly easy actually. It certainly helps being über comfortable with that person to begin with.
Helps that they spoon and tell you ‘I love you’ first thing in the morning even before you brush your teeth.
AND … Butters is enjoying her new friend the cat. That alone, was a HUGE relief for me!!
It was the only variable I was terrified could go horribly wrong!
I was certain, worrier that I am, that I would be getting a phone call advising that either: A) Butters eyeball was now located on cat’s claw. Or, B) Butters had just ended all 9 of the cats’ lives.
But those things did not happen. It’s a freaking miracle as far as I’m concerned. Okay, maybe not, probably the prep work, patience and work we put into their introductions had a lot to do with that one – and the fact that both fur kids are inherently sweet-natured.
Cat has a name. Draper. Poor Draper – reducing him to ‘The Cat.’
Le Drape.
He’s so mellow – except when he gets a little bonkers in the morning … then there is that whole run at top speed from one room to the next feline ‘thing’ that happens.
He’s also learned to sit on the rug in front of the fridge alongside Butters when I am making my lunch sandwich in the morning.
Clever. Clever boy.
So they each got a bit of cheese and lunch meat, because they were being freaking adorable – which, started a bad habit.
I own it! My fault! Totally my fault. But they were working together and getting along so WELL during begging!
So anyway, here they are staring at ‘dad’ wanting some of HIS food. You’re welcome honey.
They are the alpha’s in the house, no doubt. They have us VERY well-trained.
I even managed to have one of those moments I only read about on the internet. My fiancée explaining that he came to bed only to find me, snoozing diagonally across the king sized bed – Draper curled in between my legs and Butters smashed up against my side – leaving him with the conundrum of ‘where the hell am I sleeping??’
SO now you’re caught up, turns out I will not be the cat lady – just a one cat gal – and a happy ever after after all.
Musings from the Laundromat: Cats & Dogs and Naming Glaucoma man Edition
Me: Glaucoma man is here.
Jim: What’s his name?
Me: Glaucoma man … I don’t know. I don’t name them, then I won’t feel so bad if I lose one.
Immediately upon introducing the two, Jim got his name.
Dammit!
So, now you do too.
Glaucoma man is Roger.
And he’s sporting some serious shorts today.
All this time, we shared our lives, but never our names. He still doesn’t know mine. Oh! I ran into him at the grocery store last week! It was bizarre.
I was getting groceries the morning I was to pick up Jim at the airport, and I heard a familiar voice in the cereal aisle.
It’s like seeing a teacher out of school … or a co-worker in an unexpected place.
He showed me his new haircut and asked why I wasn’t at work. When we parted, he said “Don’t work too hard.”
I found that odd. Well, the whole interaction outside of the laundromat was odd.
______________________________
It’s been a great weekend. I would say it’s been weird adjusting to having a roommate, but it hasn’t been. At all.
What we ARE still adjusting to, is the integration of my dog and his cat. It’s going well. But Butters (as Jim so appropriately described her) is like a bowling ball with legs.
Her eagerness might end up causing Draper an injury. So we’re very watchful when they’re together.
And yes, they’ve reached the point, after a few nights of pining and sniffing and exploring – of being in the same room.
We followed the SPCA’s advise and rewarded Butters for calm behavior walking past the baby gate divide. Draper was on one side, leashed and Butters leashed on the other. Each with their person.
We were determined not to rush it.
Needed it to be a positive experience for each of them.
We still have a lot of work to do … but making great progress.
_____________________________
So many new people here today – people I’ve never seen before. Glaucoma man is leaving, I feel a little out of place now.
Then I glance over at my honey’s seat and he’s been drawing as I have been writing …
And now I don’t feel out of place anymore.
Everything is as it was meant to be.
Roger that.
Debauchery Soup 