The Fantastic Mr. Louie

I'm pretty sure Louie must have had a good old Fantastic Mr. Fox (:30) dining experience when we were gone today. It's a fairly safe bet, based on the remaining evidence strewn around our front room:

Oh, Louie. Once again you've got some 'splaining to do (remember these other times?).  (Kids are better than dogs reason #2947: kids understand when you're upset, why you're upset, and will help--or be convinced to help--clean up their messes. Dogs? Not on your life.)

And then he makes it hard to stay angry with him, following me all around the house, being absolutely fascinated--enraptured!--by everything I do (a good route to forgiveness in any situation) and looking at me with those puppy dog eyes.  Here, look. I found him snuggling Emily doll on Maddy's bed a bit later:

He's so manipulative with his cuteness.

You guys,

I have turned into the kind of person who dresses up her dog:

^Louie bee

We've been managing sick kids (and therefore a cancelled family portrait--boo!) around here

but

we're looking forward to a fun, (& healthy, darnit!) weekend.

Hoping you have the same!

Louie, Louie

Earlier this week, we came home at the end of the school day to find the back door blown open by the wind.  Louie had taken full advantage of this all-day, unfettered access to the outdoors and gathered up ten (TEN!) shoes, one by one, and ferried them out onto the back lawn.  Interesting sense of humor he has, that Louie.  I wish I knew for sure the statement he was making to us.  A commentary on the stinky state of some of the shoes around here? An anti-consumerism protest?  Shoe-envy? Critique of our so-last-season footwear?

. . .

Also. Yesterday Maddy found another little treasure tucked into the corner of our couch in the family room (remember when he stored up a bunch of dog jerky treats there?).  She plopped down on the couch and felt something nudging up against her hip so she snaked her hand down into the crevice (brave girl) and pulled out....a wrapped cube of butter!? He must have snatched it from the counter at some point.  I had to applaud his delay of gratification on that one. Hardly a toothmark on the cube!  Also, I'm trying not to take it too personally that he thinks he needs to hide the butter from us, from me.  (What?! Louie, I gave up dairy last month! Really!)

Shoes and butter. What can you do but laugh?

. . .

Listen: Louie, Louie ~ The Kinks

Another episode from the I Love Louie show

We were sitting on the sofa in the family room, Lauren and I, when I noticed something sticking out of the crevice between the sofa cushion and the arm. "Ew, what IS that?"  I tugged it out.  Wait, I tugged them out.

They were two dog jerky treats, long strips of burgundy I-don't-want-to-know-whats. We laughed at his forward thinking, tucking away a little treat for a rainy day. Hey, what do you know? Louie has caught the vision of food storage and emergency preparedness! 

A little later we heard Louie in the kitchen and then, through the window, saw him scamper out the open back door with something in his mouth.  I investigated in the kitchen. The pantry door was open. I peered into the pantry and it all became clear.  His new, Costco-sized bucket of jerky treats was wide open and half-full.  Louie had taken advantage of our distraction over the last few days (and ample alone time in the house) to help himself to dog jerky All Day Long, squirreling away more than a few here and there for later and (no doubt) eating a bunch along the way.

Louie...

You've got some 'splaining to do.

. . .

p.s. I took the waiting room opportunity to finally do a new post for Student Mom, if that's your kind of thing. Lauren's all tucked in on the couch recuperating and continues to feel better every hour. I have to admit I was a tiny bit disappointed not to get any great funny lines from her when she was coming out of sedation. Nothing like that wisdom teeth girl, anyway.  Have a great weekend.

Santa squirrel drops in for a visit

This morning I had a surprise visitor from a Santa impersonating squirrel.  I was in the next room and I heard a plop and the fireplace screen door opening. I went in to investigate and IT WAS A SQUIRREL that had come down the chimney.  A squirrel, in the house, running around crazily and bumping into windows and jumping on things.  Neither of us were very happy about the situation.  Here's what I learned:

While I do fancy myself as someone who's good in a crisis, it turns out I do freak out and squeal loudly and talk to myself when there is a wild animal loose in my house.

Emergency pest control services cost $195.

Apparently the "emergency" part does not mean they come quickly.

(two hours later) Opening all the windows, channeling the Three Blind Mice farmer's wife, and shooing it with a broom works just as well, thereby saving us $200.

I feel like that $200 is now mine to spend as I choose.

Louie is not a hunting dog (remember how he's not a watchdog either? When will he earn his keep?).

While he didn't trap or chase the squirrel, Louie was a good wingman, standing in the doorway & preventing the squirrel from running into the rest of the house.

Wild animal stress will drive me to eat all the Trader Joe's peanut brittle 3 hours after I swore off sugar.

The stress of being cooped in a human home drives squirrels to wet their nonexistent pants.

Also, google images even has something fitting the search term "santa squirrel":

. . .

Best of .09: Best rush.  Well, I'm inclined to say this squirrel-chasing thing was quite a rush.  But I guess I'll have to go with the shock in receiving the Zero to Three fellowship and attending the first retreat.  If a rush is measure by adrenaline and heart rate, I'd say mine hit a year-long high when I was presenting my project to that group and the mentors, all eminent leaders in the field & heroes of mine.  

Oh, but I reserve the right to change my answer after I take the young women I mentor at church on an adventure at the end of the month: skydiving in a wind tunnel.  Gulp.