I have a new routine. It has been unavoidable. You cannot
introduce a 5 month old puppy into your life without a few life alterations.
The first has been to my bank account, significantly lighter since Lucy’s
arrival. Pam cannot leave the house without “picking up a few things” for the
puppy. She has already amassed quite an impressive stash of sparkling new chew
toys, not to mention her shiny new dog bone shaped ID collar with Lucy Dunnevant etched into the silver
plate. Her new bright red food bowls look smart sitting on her giant food tray
in the corner of the breakfast nook. At this pace, Pam will be on Petco’s
permanent Christmas card list before the end of the month.
My old routine was much less exciting. I would wake
up somewhere between 5:30 and 6:30, walk downstairs and make coffee. Nothing
else could happen until that coffee was brewed. Then I would check the news on
the internet, spend 15 minutes or so inspecting any overnight damage that may
have befallen foreign markets, and then write a blog entry if I was so
inspired.
My new Lucy-inspired routine still involves the
brewing of coffee, but it has to wait until I have released her from her crate
and endured a wildly enthusiastic greeting of puppy kisses to the face. After
sitting on the floor with her so she can sit on me while giving me more kisses,
she races to her toy basket and picks out a favorite for a vigorous game of
tug-o-war. Only then does she realize that she really, really needs to pee. So,
she marches over to the back door and lets out a discreet whine. I take
advantage of this break to brew my coffee and at least make an attempt to check
out the news. When she comes back in, she is ready to rumble, so a bout of
puppy wrestling takes place in the family room. Only after all of this does she
assume her favorite position on the sofa for a very brief break, which I use to
continue what used to be my regular routine. Then, after about ten minutes, it
dawns on Lucy that she is hungry. Break time is over!
This new routine is extraordinarily
inefficient. By the time she gets settled down, it’s time for me to get a
shower. I will have to come up with a different schedule for keeping myself
informed of world events and writing blog posts. Mornings are now officially Lucy Time! 
No comments:
Post a Comment