Canine Cabbies

I feel like we've been running a canine cab service today.

The day started with Walt letting me know it was 7:15. I had overslept, slightly. The new air conditioner/heater people were arriving between 8 and 8:30 and I had planned on getting Lizzie and Sheila to the dog sitter's by 8. We were leaving the house just as the truck was pulling up with our $8,000 new air/heating system. Exciting stuff.

Walt put Lizzie and Sheila in the car, I locked Scooby in the back yard, with access to my office through the dog door, and I went off to the dog sitter's to leave the big dogs. They were ecstatic to see Kathy, whom they seem to genuinely like, and she treats them like part of the family, so I always feel good leaving them with her. It's the next best thing to having Ashley living in your house!

I had an appointment to have my blood checked at Kaiser at 9 a.m., so I drove over there, read my book for awhile and then saw the nurse, who, not surprisingly, recorded a high blood pressure. I assured her that if she went away and came back in 5 minutes it would be lower, and it was. But they prescribed blood pressure medication and I sat at the pharmacy for awhile, holding an Indian mother's baby while she rummaged through products on the shelf. I marveled at how trusting she was because she didn't even look to make sure the baby was still there once she asked me if I'd watch the baby for her.

By the time I returned home, work was in full swing The old a/c unit was in the driveway and there were men running in and out of the house. I locked myself in my office, so Scooby would have somebody to be with and I could work on the article I was writing.

Work was finished around 2 p.m. and the new unit was functioning beautifully and the house was deliciously cool.

It was time for a nap. I sat down with Scooby in my lap and fell asleep. So, apparently, did Walt (without Scooby in his lap). Next thing I knew he was waking me up again, letting me know that it was 5 p.m. and that we were late getting Scooby to the Farmer's Market.

I asked him to come with me to save the time of looking for a parking place when we got there. We packed Scooby in the car and raced to the Farmer's Market and dropped him off with the SPCA. He was being placed in a pen with "Freddie," another foster dog, whose foster mom is going out of town for a few days, and we have volunteered to take Freddie in while she's away. We figured they'd be friends by the time the Farmers Market was over.

It was also an hour later than I'd told the dog sitter that I'd pick up Sheila and Lizzie, so we raced home, got the checkbook and headed out to the sitter's. The dogs were thrilled to see us, and we brought them back home again. One of them threw up on the floor shortly after returning home. I suspect Lizzie, since she seemed a bit out of sorts, but once it had been cleaned up, she seemed none the worse for wear.

No time to worry about that, though. It was time to get Scooby and Freddie from the Farmer's Market. Again, Walt graciously agreed to come with me because parking around the Farmer's Market at that hour is horrendous and he could just double park while I went and got the dogs.

Freddie seems a very nice little guy and he rode well in the car--very happy to sit in my lap and look out the window.

At home, there was the usual chaotic "meet and greet" when a new dog is added into the mix. I tried to capture the flavor of it all with the video of the day. I discovered late in the evening that one thing he likes to do is the paw at water. Maybe it's trying to get to his reflection in the bottom of the water bowl.

But I had steam cleaned the floor the day before, in preparation for the workmen who would be wandering about in here and I wasn't happy to see the floor flooded with dirty water . If he doesn't stop, I may try a non-metallic bowl that has no reflecting bottom and see if that works.

But now it's 12:30 a.m. and it's time to test out the always questionable BEDTIME. I hope he settles in as nicely as the others have done.