Pictures of Princess Ruby Tuesday and the Old Dowager Zoey

NEARLY WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Instead of waiting for the Chem Geek Princess to send me pictures--I have yet to receive any from her engagement--I took some of my own on Sunday.

I was going into town for Women's Torah Study, so I took my camera with me, and stopped by the CGP's little house on the way home.

Ruby Tuesday, her official name, is a little gem! She greeted us at the door, as her Grandpa Engineering Geek came just to meet her. So here's the pictures, bracketed by two of our Old Dowager Queen, Zoey. After all, the reason we took a second look at Ruby in the Animal Care Shelter, was that the Chem Geek Princess called me over, saying: "Oh, look, Mom! It's a mini-Zoey.

And here Queen Zoey lounges on her New Zealand
Sheepskin bed, showing off the Boychick's new floor.
(September 2008).

Her spots and ticking, once so black, are going white with age, and she likes to lounge in the sun more of late. She still plays, but less often during the day, and for less time.

And here, Little Princess Ruby lounges on

some of the carpet that was replaced by the

wood flooring at our house.

Now it provides a soft place in the CGP's

'Little House' for a puppy tired from

playing and performing for her hew family.

Here, Ruby demonstrated her newfound skill: Down. Stay.

Each time the CGP says it, she pushes her firmly down, and then rewards her by stroking her face while telling her what a good puppy she is!

Ruby is a calm, but curious dog who is happy to please her new mistress.

Ruby came home knowing a few skills already.

She can Sit. Stay.

She asks to go outside, being fully

housebroken, and she can shake

hand-to-paw when she asks for a biscuit.

We really don't understand why she was

returned to the Shelter. That lady's loss was our gain.

Ruby already has two toys.

A sheepskin giraffe for inside,

and a big purple squeaky ball for outdoor fun.

Here she demonstrates her play-bow, before she fetches the ball. It takes her a few tries to get it into her mouth, too.
And no matter who throws it, she always brings it back to the CGP. She knows the hand that feeds her!

And another look at our Old Dowager Queen.

You can see the resemblances and the differences

between the two.

Zoey doesn't have black ears, nor the black rings

around her eyes. Ruby does not have the big

black spot on her back.

Zoey is bigger, and her ticking is

fading with oncoming age.

But the two have uncanny similarities in personality.
They are both dainty Princesses, they hold their bodies and tails in the same way, and when Zoey was younger she had the same calm curiosity.

Both are a little on the thin side, too.
Ruby with the leggy thinness of late puppyhood.
Zoey with the stiff thinness of old age.

Ah, dear Zoey. Are you eleven? Twelve maybe. You were certainly at least a two when we rescued you in January 2000. But you were not yet three, according to the vet. Well, old girl, I know exactly how you feel on those cold mornings when the barometers falling and we both get out of bed stiff with arthritis.

But love is wasted on the young, they say.

Princess Ruby

I ask for congratulations. I have become a grandmother by adoption.
Today the Chem Geek Princess hauled me and the Boychick off the Albuquerque's East Side Animal Care Shelter to "look" at the dogs. "Now, we're just going to look today," she cautioned the Boychick as we went into the building.

We got three quarters of the way through the kennels in Building A. I was talking to a very pretty Shepherd mix on the female side when the the CGP, who had gone ahead a kennel said: "Oh, Mom, look! It's a mini-Zoey."

Sure enough, there in the next dog run was a small Zoey! She was looking at the CGP and tilting her head toward the outdoor part of the run. Then she sat down and looked positively fetching. We were cataloguing the similarities and differences:

• look, she's half of Zoey's size
• she has the same gestures and look in her eye
• she holds her paw in the same way
• her ears are bigger and they are all black intead of spotted

As we were talking, with many oh's and ah's, a kennel worker--I think they are trained to know when humans are falling in love with a canine--stepped forward and asked:

KW: "Can I help you?"

CGP: "Can I take her out?"

KW: "Before I do, do you have cats?"

CGP: "No, I don't."

KW: "What about birds?"

We must have looked puzzled, because the Kennel Worker then said: "This dog was adopted yesterday, and the lady was waiting here with her when I got to work this morning. She said the dog barked at her birds and chased her cat. She came in originally as an owner surrender because they were moving and couldn't take the dog. Now she's been adopted and returned. I don't think this lady tried very hard."

CGP: "If I take a dog today, I will make it work. Besides, dogs do chase cats sometimes. They're dogs. Anyway, I don't have any cats. I don't have any animals at all. But I have a house with a fenced yard and a dog run."

So the Kennel Worker slipped a leash on 'Dakota' and the CGP took her out of the kennel building. We walked her around a bit, then we took her into one of the enclosed bonding areas where we could take her off the leash and play. At first the dog made a circuit of the small space, sniffing at the toy ball. We settled on the floor to get at doggie level. Then the dog sat down in front of the CGP and put her paw up, just like Zoey. I think that was it, but we spent some more time with her there, throwing the ball, talking to the dog, who had somehow become 'Ruby.' We found that she had good manners, she let the CGP lift up her feet, and she seemed very anxious to please. So we slipped the leash back on and went out to find our friend the KW. It turns out that she was waiting just outside.

CGP: "I want to adopt this dog."

KW: "I think it was meant to be! We'll just put her back in her run, and then I'll write down her number and you can go into adoption couseling to fill out the paperwork."

But when we got back to the entrance to Building A, poor Ruby heard the barking inside, and shied away from the door. "Oh," the CGP said, "She doesn't want to go back in there. She's afraid we'll leave her again." So the KW let the Boychick and me sit outside with Ruby while the CGP went inside to fill out the paperwork and pay the fees. As we played with her, and let her sniff around, she got comfortable enough to climb right up on the concrete bench with us. As other kennel workers passed by, they kept saying "Hi, Dakota! I sure hope it works out for you." She apparently had made herself known and loved.

As she was filling out the paperwork, the Adoption Counselor said to the CGP: "I have to inform you that this dog chased a lady's cat . . . because, you know, she's a dog!" (I think they were rather disgusted with this lady's lack of any attempt to orient the dog at all). But it all the better for the CGP, because, as she told the Adoption Counselor, "She's so much like the dog I grew up with!"

So we took Ruby home to the CGP's house. She had a snack and played with the Boychick in the backyard while the CGP and I went to the pet store to get a few things. When we got back, decked out in her new collar and leash, Ruby accompanied us on a walk to the park. There, she ran around the park (on leash of course!) with the CGP and the Boychick. My knees are in the grandma stage and I prefer a brisk walk. After that, it was time for a bath--the dogs come home pretty dirty from the pound, er, I mean the Animal Care Shelter. So the Boychick and I left the new dog owner to her work.

I had forgotten to take my phone to town with me today, so I don't have a picture of Ruby. When the CGP sends me one, I will post it.

Now I have a granddog! Zoey and Lily have a niece.

This was not what I expected when I took the CGP's desk to her house this morning.

Life is full of those little surprises that make us smile. Princess Ruby has joined the extended family. What a happy day for us and for her.

Be It Ever So Humble...

Ah, home.

We arrived last night at about 7 PM. Since it was my day to drive, Bruce got a nap. He unloaded Henry with a little help from N. while I had a Guiness Draught and put my feet up. We were just in time to watch the sunset from our bedroom patio doors.

It was nice to walk through the house and feel the familiar space. The dogs were overjoyed to see us and did their happy dances. The cats?

Cloudy: "Will you greet them or should I?"

Binky, while grooming his forepaw: "I greeted them last time. It's your turn."

Cloudy: "If I must..."

Binky: "But wait! It's dinner time. I think you should meow at the door. It's your turn. And besides, you have the loudest meow. I have a hard time sounding Siamese..."

Ah! Home Sweet Home!

The Good Life

Don't you just want to lay down there with them?



Sometimes, I say to myself, wow, I'd love to just lay down there with them!

The daybed in my office has become Nap Central.








And look at these feline nappers!

They have a two story Napping Heaven!



We should only be so lucky.



In Israel, they have menuchat --a few hours in the afternoon when the shops close and people gather to eat lunch--the main meal of the day--with friends and family. Even school ends before lunch, with sports and music lessons and scouts after menuchat.



They say that "only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon-day sun."



Sigh! In America, only dogs, cats and babies take a daily nap.
Somehow, in our Puritan work ethic, we are missing out on the Good Life. (Capitalization on Purpose).



We will be taking a break from formal lessons this week. At least, I will. I have midterms tomorrow and Friday. No menuchat for the weary! N. is working on his Kamana. I will be a week behind him.