Harriet periodically walks around with things stuffed in her cheek pockets, like she’s some sort of giant hamster. Only, her red ball just doesn’t quite fit.
Tag: Harriet
Arting and Dogblogging
I spent the afternoon cleaning and putting away the mess I made last week. There were scraps of paper and junk everywhere. Thankfully, I can shut the door on it when I’m fed up with it and don’t want to look at it any longer. But, since I’ve finished the Hemp Bound Journal (yay!), I really had to clear away the debris before I could start on a new project. This may be the cleanest this room ever gets, so I thought I’d take pictures before I went to work dirtying it up again.
I didn’t get much else accomplished today. I’m not quite sure where the day went. I did manage to slap a coat of gesso on a crappy old painting I found at a yard sale. I think I paid $2 for it, which, considering I don’t have to stretch or prime it, was a damned good deal. A coat of black gesso slapped on with a credit card (no brush to clean!) covered the hideous Madonna (under)painting. After that dried, I layered some dress pattern pieces, gluing them down with acrylic medium. I don’t have a specific plan for it yet (paint or oil pastels will be involved), but at this point, it kind of looks like a road atlas.
I haven’t decided what I’m going to do, journal-wise, now that I’ve finally finished the Hemp Bound Journal. I’m thinking I might tear down some black Stonehenge paper I’ve got. The surface is a little hard and slick for my taste, and I don’t like how much it buckles with wet media, but it might make a fun change from the earth tones I’ve been stuck in lately. Something more colorful would be nice, and black paper would lend itself well to gel pens. Hmmm. I think I will do that. Maybe tomorrow, even.
And now, gratuitous dogblogging:
This is an older picture that I’ve Photoshopped. It was taken last April, in the country. Harriet liked to stick her head through the holes in the livestock fence, and graze on the grass on the other side. She also would stand like that and call to the bunnies. I think she was trying to convince one to hop in her mouth. Not one of her more brilliant plans, as it turns out. Rabbits are surprisingly unreceptive to that sort of mind control.
Festivus
I went to visit my family for Christmas, something I haven’t done in a few years (visiting at Christmas, not visiting in general). Harriet, of course, went along. She appointed herself as head of Neighborhood Watch, and spent a good deal of time at the windows, keeping an eye on things outdoors. There’s not a whole lot of foot traffic by my mom’s house, which is probably a good thing. Every time anyone walked past, even if they were on the other side of the street, Harriet told them to go away, please.
And, in case you weren’t aware of it, Harriet is a rare variety of Pocket Boxer. Or so she thinks. She was perfectly happy to be picked up and carried around by Andy. I think she secretly enjoyed the higher vantage point.
Harriet also spent a lot of time sleeping (supervising an entire neighborhood is hard work!), which, of course, meant she was well covered.
Snow Dogs
It’s 55F and 92 percent humidity. I’m starting to think it’s never going to get cold this winter. So, I thought I’d take a moment to remember what snow looks like.
More Dog Blogging
She’ll approach someone in a gorilla costume, but wear a pair of new shoes into the house, and she loses her shit.
Sunday Dogblogging
Saturday I went out to the real OC to help Ms. Lea move some more of her stuff. Since we’d be working mostly outside, and it was cold out, I decided that my sneakers were woefully insufficient for the task of keeping my feet warm. I stopped on the way to buy new boots.
Mmmm, cozy toesies!
Anyway, when I came home, Harriet toddled sleepily out of the bedroom to greet me. I bent down to rub her ears, and she bent down to sniff my shoes. Standard procedure, right? Except that the olfactory dissonance of OHMYGODWHOSEFEETAREYOUWEARING?! b0rkened her little pea brane, and she launched herself sideways across the room in shock. I have never before seen a dog move that quickly while staying flat to the ground. It was kind of amazing.
My new shoes have now been thoroughly and completely sniffed, and have been deemed Legal and Allowed by Officer Brown. Also, I laughed so hard I gave myself asthma.
Teh Enb.
In case anyone out there doubts the magnitude of Miss Brown’s bozocity, I thought I’d submit this photo as proof that she is Not To Be Trusted.
Fog
This is a pretty good approximation of how my brain feels this morning. Mr. Upstairs (Milton) has spent the last two nights rearranging furniture, so I haven’t been getting much sleep. How much furniture can one fit into a 700sq ft apartment?! And why can’t it be (re)arranged at a reasonable hour?
I still can’t figure out when Mr. Upstairs sleeps or when he goes to work, assuming he actually does either of those things. Whenever I pass him in the hallway or parking lot, he pretends I don’t exist. Even when I say hello, he stares straight ahead and ignores me. M’kaythen!
In other neighbor news, the Bumpass family have moved into the apartment I share a wall with. I was a little apprehensive at first, but they’re surprisingly quiet. I had to laugh when I saw them moving in. Their patio is cram-packed with filthy, broken-down old furniture, and they’ve erected a Monument to Tackiness that leaves me equal parts horrified and impressed. I’ll try to get a picture of it, but for the time being, you’ll have to make do with the knowledge that it contains a bunch of glass-ornamental-garden-tchotchkes-on-sticks, US flags, and porcelain bunny planters.
Also, they’ve got the requisite Bumpass Hound, in the form of a cuter-than-hell Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy. She seems pretty well behaved, though when she gets barking, it tends to go on and on and on. Miss Brown does not approve. Whenever Miss Catahoula starts roo-roo-rooing, Harriet gets agitated and starts pacing and hrumfing.
Monday Dogblogging
Miss Brown’s Dog Bed
Some dogs have dog houses, some dogs sleep on the floor, and some dogs have their own little beds. Miss Brown’s house has central heating and air conditioning, electricity, and running water. It is furnished with comfy furniture for her to lounge about on, including a full-sized bed. Also, she has staff to feed her and to prepare her bed with fresh, clean linens, and to tuck her in when she sleeps.
Yesterday was laundry day. Miss Brown waited patiently while I stripped the old sheets off the bed and replaced them with clean ones. As soon as the bottom sheet was in place, up she hopped, making a cozy nest for herself with the pillows. I had to put on the top sheet and comforter with her in the bed. The bottom picture is of her under the comforter. She stayed there until I called her for her afternoon potty break and snack.
Sunday Dogblogging
Harriet crashed out on the couch, with her ears up. She’s all about The Comfy, so she’s lying on top of a fleece blanket, with an afghan on top of her. It was a gelid 70F inside, poor baby. (I love the way the fur on her chin turned out in this photo. If you’ve ever petted a horse’s muzzle, that’s what a Boxer muzzle feels like. Soft and velvety, like moleskin.)
Since becoming an only dog, Harriet’s style of play has changed a bit. She plays more by herself, and when she does, she engages in more fetch-chase-kill!kill!kill! games. She’s even begun growling and vocalizing while “killing” toys, which cracks me up. Tennis balls are often the victims of these games. She tosses them around, chases them, grabs them, then shake-shake-shakes them dead, all the while snarling and growling and basically telling them what she thinks of them. This time, after playing on her own for awhile, she spit out the ball and play bowed at me, inviting me to play with her. Meanypants that I am, I took her picture instead. It’s not a very good photo, because I had to act quickly.
CATZ N DAWGZ
Inspired by the recent lolcat hilarity, I thought I’d make a few of my own.
red paper boat 