Leave Your Mark

Me, calmly and appropriately awaiting our guests.

I love to entertain. There is nothing better than a kitchen full of friends and a yard full of fur balls. The summer season is upon us, and when we have company i like to put on tunes, whip up snacks and create a place where every day troubles fade away through conversation and laughter.

When guests arrive at the house, i get exuberantly exhilarated…jovially jazzed… radiantly roused…merrily moved! I mean, i love to entertain.

I want visitors to leave here feeling lighter than when they arrived. I want them to partake in the peace and quiet we have to offer. I want to make a difference in their lives and leave my mark.

Just the other day we had company (see Barb on my friends page) and i got so excited i went into my welcoming ritual… jump up onto the sofa, jump back down on the floor, jump up onto the sofa, jump back down on the floor, all the time wagging my fully fluffy tail. It is polite to show enthusiasm when companions come calling.

Unfortunately, as is often the case in my journey of imperfection, my friskiness flopped, my pep plopped, my vigor was less than victorious. Let me add clarity by painting a picture of the sofa to which i alluded earlier.

The base of this leaping lounger is about two feet off the floor and has a nice straight back standing another two feet high. No problem, right? I am a huge dog. I can jump onto a settee in a single bound. But, the doggy devil of this ditty, as they say, is in the details.

Picture if you will, the back of the aforementioned cozy couch perfectly level with a six-inch ledge of a beautiful bay window. Now, picture a cool and refreshing glass of iced tea set atop said six-inch window ledge waiting for its owner to take a sip.

Flashback: Just the other day we had company (see Barb on my friends page) and i got so excited i went into my welcoming ritual… jump up onto the sofa, jump back down on the floor, jump up onto the sofa, jump back down on the floor, all the time wagging my fully fluffy tail.

Connect the dots. Do you see my fo paw (that is dog for faux pas)? Can you wrap your mind around my wreck? Are you beholding my breakdown?

Fluffy tail meets libation.

Iced tea EVERYWHERE!

On a side note, i recently overheard mom and dad discussing the need to work on how Molly and i react to company.

Anywho….

I love to entertain, and entertaining takes time and preparation. Yes, there is the typical cleaning, arranging and staging of the domicile a few hours before relaxation commences, but there is also more behind the scenes maintenance that goes on when no one is looking.

Weeding. Mowing. Weeding. Sweeping. Weeding. Planting. Weeding. Weeding. Weeding.

Because i like to be in the great outdoors, it is crucial i keep my countryside ship shape.

I want visitors to leave here feeling lighter than when they arrived. I want them to partake in the peace and quiet we have to offer. I want to make a difference in their lives and leave my mark.

Just last week, we decided the deck was in need of a makeover as our deck is a big part of beholding the countryside.

Powerwash. Sand. Stain. Three days, hot sun, no fun.

While mom and dad accrued some serious sweat equity, Molly and i were left to our own accord to entertain ourselves and keep out of the way. (you didn’t think i did the work, did you?!?)

Molly chose to sunbathe, but i decided to find some sticks, chase my tail, search the woods for buried bones, and mostly make merry.

I have always believed a job done well is a job well done.

On day one “we” attacked the right side of the deck and relied on the laundry room door to come and go. Confusing. On day two “we” took on the left side of the deck and returned to normal door usage. More like it. On day three “we” tackled the steps and just jumped off the porch into the yard. No problem. Truthfully, i was exhausted from the door changes and route rearranges.

So on day four we rested. Team work makes the dream work.

Until it doesn’t.

We live in the woods, and unfortunately, those woods are made up of mud. And i am a dog. And i like mud.

So, just last week, in preparation for a summer season of entertaining…i love to entertain… “we” decided to power wash, sand, and stain the deck. On day one “we” blocked the right side, on day two “we” blocked the left side, on day three “we” barricaded the steps, and somewhere in the middle of it all, i ran through the woods, jumped in the dirt, embraced the peace and quiet, and left my mark…all the way across the job well done.