The Mugs and Greta

Sally came to visit and somehow I got her into my bad habit of going to Starbucks in the morning, getting a stamped receipt and returning in the late afternoon for a cold $2.00 drink, any choice. I am going broke over this offer, enjoying it thoroughly and happy to have an accomplice.

One Starbucks is near a complex that has a fine park and often has Greta, a 4 month old Dachshund that this couple got off line from somewhere -- like Tennessee. I've gone nuts for Greta who is quite docile and extremely beautiful.

Tulip, my big idea because Bogie is ten and I thought Krissy was leaving for NY and had no idea I'd get sick as a dog, came from a site in Georgia and she has been no end of trouble. I know that I should have taken her to the training classes that a good friend offered me, but it reminded me too much of when my ex and I got Bogie and took him to endless training so that he became a therapy dog. So, I didn't put the energy into training her and besides, Krissy can't stand it when a dog is kept behind a gate in the kitchen, etc., so whatever work I tried to do, she undid with some sly comment about my cruelty.

However, when I got sick, Krissy and Chris relieved me and Bogie of her company which was a very good thing. She scared the bejesus out of Bogie just by looking at him, and more especially lying in wait on the bed, about to spring as he stood cowering in the doorway. I just couldn't manage this when I couldn't manage anything. Krissy refers to Tulip as Melissa's dog and I pretend not to hear her. I have not yet taken her back and Bogie is very relieved. In fact, I have named her Turnip. Chris doesn't think she's too smart and both of them think she'd be a perfect dog for someone in an office because she makes a big show of a brief greeting and then retires under a desk, sleeping happily. She does like car rides and walks. Sally calls her Polyester which leads to the name of Carpet.

At any rate, Tulip fell in love with Greta, racing like mad with her. after her, over her. It was lovely to see her in an element in which she shone because of Greta's charming presence. Happy on the other hand would have easily taken off her head if she could have and Bogie, not given to much display, growled if she got close.  I have a new camera, Canon G11, and couldn't stop photographing the goings-on which provoked me into trying to import them and sizing them for this blog...so, thanks to Greta, I advanced myself slowly into knowing a bit more how this camera operates. Now I have to figure out how to get RAW images.

I am distracting myself with this because Sally took a look at my attic, let out a gasp and then informed me of the damage I am doing by having negatives and archival prints in all that heat. I should have known this, she said, before we started to strategize how to get them downstairs into a room that is, at least cooler. I am actually beyond embarrassment about the clutter, the endless boxes and too tired to have much distress about the damage I might have done to my work. 

But Krissy is determined to help me cart them down here and turn my bedroom into a storage room. We can't do all this before Wednesday night when Sally returns, but can at least make a bit of a show. When I told Krissy what Sally said about how careless (read destructive) it is to have not protected my work, she said, "Well, you've done a number of destructive things about it over the years," meaning stuff I didn't follow through with or rejected or walked away from in my casual, sometimes high principled, nuts-o way.

Sally also convinced me, after she got my mourning about not teaching run-through, that learning to teach ESL at this point is counter productive.

It probably would be.

She took a wonderful photograph of me to prove how much weller I am which I will put on the next blog. Right now I can't unlock the webloc. 

It's been a wonderful visit -- beach, garden, restaurants, nighttime at Revere Beach, tasks set for the future. We'll go rowing on Wednesday when she comes back for the night and next morning before flying out.