Pupdate #12 (The joy of playdates)

Got back from New York at midnight (!!) Friday a week ago. I've been spending most of my time since then either working at The Store or chiseling away at the Federal disaster area that was my apartment. It had reached a state I call Critical Mess: so cluttery and fuzzy-around-the-edges that spending time at home was no longer enjoyable and I couldn't concentrate on anything.

I am happy to report some success in my efforts: the carpet is green again and the stove is white, the bathroom is less of a biohazard than it was (still a work in progress!), and there is no longer a big scary pile of clothing-and-blankets threatening to topple from the foot of my bed and smother me in my sleep.

Linus thoroughly enjoyed his stay at Casa John and Melissa's, coming home covered in cuts and bumps from having been flung about the yard by their three big shepherd dogs. The next day, he was still... subdued. Well-behaved, even. Amazing.

"A tired dog is a good dog," the saying goes. Unfortunately for me, on an energy scale of 0 to Border Collie, Linus ranks about a 9. These pictures are a small taste of what he gets up to when he CAN'T burn it all off.

Yep, that's my hammer sticking out from under his pillow.

So I take every chance to introduce him to new doggy pals who will run him around and beat him up (in a good way!). We also perform the same service for our own dog friends--Linus is much in demand as a play-pal for his ability to run any other dog (including Stella the whippet mix!) into the ground. On the weekends, we've taken to visiting our friend Nonprofit Dave, who has a new Scottie puppy. Teddy was adopted as a companion for Paisley, the grand old lady of the house; however, he is less than a year old and more eager to play than Paisley likes. After our first visit, Dave called me and said, "You've gotta bring Linus back. After your visit, Teddy didn't move for TWO DAYS!"

Here are Linus and Teddy playing:

Arrrr! Death to the stuffie bone!

Spring is here! Doesn't it make you want to leap off your couch and run in circles on the grass?? Me too.