Fragments From Floyd

Well, Tsuga had a big Christmas. He got a box of gourmet dog biscuits in a tin shaped like a bone, a collapsible travel water bowl, and a collar that lights up when he walks (for night romps down the road.) He loved the evergreen tree coming inside, and beneath it became his favorite place to curl up (and not infrequently lick pine-flavored water from the reservoir in the tree stand). The best part about Christmas was that he turned six months old on the 26th, and this has made him feel very mature and grown up indeed.

He has finally lost the last of his barracuda baby teeth. Maybe chewing the Christmas tree extension cord in two will be his last teething misadventure. Nah. Probably not. He has replaced licking for biting about 50% of the time; sometimes I'd prefer his gentle mouthful of teeth to a tongue-lashing. When we've had enough of his mouthing our hands in play, we tell him "Go get tiger-monkey" (this was his first soft toy with a monkey face and yellow and black stripes; from now on, all soft toys will be 'tiger monkey'). He goes off and searches until he finds it.

Well, we did get out yesterday to enjoy the warm afternoon, and managed to come in with a few keepable pup pictures. Of the three I'll post this week, this one was Ann's least favorite-- and the reason: she thinks it "makes Tsuga look like an old man."

Frankly, I find this rather odd, since older gentlemen -- especially those with close cropped silver beards -- have an air of nobility and wisdom, an unspoken grace and charm missing from the young. And they never, ever chew on extension cords, gloves or boots and do not expect treats for every good behavior. Well, the first part's true.