Another Day in Paradise

Most of my days are good ones, mes amis.  Mais aujourd'hui, c'etait magnifique!  I performed my alarm clock duties as usual: hop halfway onto the bed to lick Mom's face until she takes me out to potty at around 6, then back to bed until 7:30ish when I pop back up and let her revel in my morning breath.  She usually puts me in 'snooze' setting a few times with a muffled but firm "off" and I sit back down to rest my chin on the edge of the mattress and gaze plaintively at her for a minute or two before jumping up to lick her again.  Eventually, this works and I am invited onto the bed for my morning bellyrub.  I cannot comprehend how you humans begin your days without one...
Anyway, she finally got up and tottered about to collect her hiking clothes, for we were perform that most glorious of dog and owner rituals: the morning walk.  And I have the most excellent luck to live just next to Grindstone Park--the off-leash paradise of fields, woods...and WATER!  And I know where all the the stinkiest waterholes are, trust me.  Mom always checks the car doors twice to make sure that they're locked because I lean as far as my seatbelt will allow out the window to feel the rush of morning breeze on face, my tongue flapping in the wind...it is enough to make a dog howl for joy at the mere thought.  My paws hit the parking lot pavement and we are off!  To pee on the first tree I can find and then rrrruuuunnnnn to the next tree and repeat.  Mom swears she's going to leave me behind one of these days because it takes so long to get across the bridge into the off-leash area.  We go nearly every day and I love it every time, but today was especially excellent because I got to play with lots of other dogs.  I swam with Cammie and Willie in my favorite water hole, hopped and howled with Lucy, chased Kimber the Speedy Beagle, roughhoused with Cooper, and got treats from Duke and Lulu's owner.  And I only jumped on a human once.  Mom was so proud she could have kissed me, as wet and stinky as I was.
I was so exhausted that I could barely drag myself into my car hammock.  Back at home, I slumped into the bathtub for a quick rinse and then and guarded the shower mats to make sure they didn't wander off while Mom got cleaned up. Breakfast and then I lounged on the couch with my favorite bone while Mom cleaned for what seemed like forever.  I will just shed more black fur everywhere, so I really don't understand why she takes the trouble every other day to sweep and wipe off everything in the house.  But oh well.  I taste-tested the new carton of yogurt to make sure it was safe and then settled back down to nap--er, watch more cleaning...until 3:30 and then off to Treats Unleashed!
Now you have to understand that while I love my PETCO and have stayed there since I was a young pup, I love Treats Unleashed more than any other store in the world, simply because therein are fashioned my delectable, beloved Crab Cakes.  And a host of other heavenly handmade treats.  I bounded in, announcing the return of their favorite customer with a few excited barks, and made a beeline for the Flossies.  Mom selected a suitably thick one for me while I waited in a quivering Down/Stay.  I proceeded to carry my prize around the store while Mom dragged a bag of Orijen Large Breed Puppy food to the counter and then went to the open treat bar and picked out my favorite cookies.  I confess I drooled more than a little as the mini bundt cake with carob and vanilla icing was slipped into a bag...

Anatole and I

Then off to the grandparents and Auntie Brit, the family's older yellow Lab.  Auntie Brit was about as enthused to see me as she usually is and then settled back into a nap while I ran around in search of my favorite toy in the world: Anatole.  For those of you unacquainted with him, you'd better hurry, as there grows increasingly less and less of him after each visit.  Anatole may seem like a simple soccer ball to the untrained eye, but he is a creature of considerable cunning and speed when it comes to my all-time favorite game: Yard Soccer.  Mom kicks or throws him and I rush pell-mell after him over branches, into bushes and sometimes even leaping up in the air to catch him on the bounce.  Anatole wears his battle wounds with pride, etched all the way over with tooth holes and cracks in his tough exterior.  He is dauntless in the jaws of death and gives as good as he gets time and time again.  I do not know where I shall ever find so skilled an opponent again.  Hopefully we shall have many more battles together and end many more perfect days!