Henrietta, the amazing wonder poodle has been feeling left out as she hasn’t made too many appearances in this column lately, so to placate her and protect my valuables from being chewed, here are her latest antics.
Now that winter is setting in, I am able to pull out her extensive wardrobe of sweaters, jackets, windbreakers and T-shirts. She has outgrown a couple of items since last year (I guess that means a trip to the doggy shopping center!). Anyway, last week I pulled out her bag of clothes, tried them on her and then put them away because they really weren’t necessary yet.
The other day we were eating dinner and she was sitting behind my chair whining at the corner. Now her whining could mean any number of things but it typically involves me crawling around on all fours searching out a lost toy. This time, there was no toy — I pulled out all of the stuff in the corner, dug through my purse and couldn’t find anything that looked toy-like. Then I grabbed her bag of clothes and she went crazy, hopping around like a jumping bean. Apparently she wanted to don some of her clothes.
I chose the mint green cable knit sweater that I had bought her the last time she went in for a bath and haircut. She sat so patiently waiting while I figured out where the headhole was compared to the legholes. I plopped her over onto her back and stuffed her various body parts into the proper openings and once she was done, she raced around the house. I am assuming she was showing off to the other animals and probably mentally taunting them with, “Hey, I have new clothes and you don’t.” I could be wrong, but I assume they are like children just without the verbal na-na-nas.
Because we were in the house and the sweater was unnecessary I took it off. She struggled in vain to keep it on, tugging at it with her teeth when I pulled it over her head. She was persistent, but I eventually emerged victorious. I put the clothes back into the bag and put them into the closet where she wouldn’t be taunted by them if she wasn’t going to get to wear them.
On Sunday, though she proudly donned her pink heart-designed quilted jacket with its pink fur collar. She pranced through the cemetery, burrowing in the leaves, the pink of her jacket glaring its neon color. Again, it was a struggle to get her to give it up once we got home, but she did. Now, though because of all of the rain and her aversion to wet paws I am considering buying her puppy booties. I know the family will think I am insane, but it won’t be the first time. I just wonder if she would wear them? Guess the only way to find out is to make the purchase ... wish me luck!
Former Journal-Register staffer Robbi Hess is a writer who lives in Albion. She welcomes comments and can be reached at proedge@rochester.rr.com.
Columns
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November 15, 2007
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY: Righting wrongs
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FARLEY: The Erie Canal gun telegraph
The following communication was first published by the Buffalo Historical Society on April 7, 1863.
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CONFER: Climate security and economic run
We live in an era of much unrest in which people fear for their security, be it socially (terror threats), economically (recession), or environmentally (global warming). Feeding off this, our elected officials have been quite successful in using fear-mongering to introduce endless amounts of legislation that do much more harm than good.
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HARDING: Today is Memorial Day
Besides being my birthday today, May 30 is the true Memorial Day. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and serves as a day to remember those who have died defending our country.
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VALLEY: I’ll be on third-base side, section 22
I’ve become a creature of habit. I think it’s because of the sense of security that it offers. The repetition of doing the same thing on a routine basis provides less chance that my already vulnerable focus will be altered — or that my single-dimensioned lifestyle will be challenged by something that entails exertion.
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GUEST VIEW: Farm bill would aid the rich
The front page of the May 23 issue of this newspaper showed a photo of U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer looking determined under the headline “Farm bill appears veto-proof.” Admittedly, Sen. Schumer is one of our most vocal legislators, if not exactly the brightest bulb in the box. Critical thinking is not his strong suit. But considering the company he keeps, this isn’t surprising.
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JENNINGS: Powers is the true ‘Real Deal’
It has been nearly a year since Jon Powers announced his intent to run for the congressional seat currently held by Tom Reynolds. I was at the event, held in Clarence, and I was immediately struck by the candidate’s candor about his upbringing and the time he spent in Iraq.
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HESS: Nature or nurture?
The other day as Henrietta was giving me the stare-down and I was going through the repertoire of things that she could possibly have wanted, I realized that she would likely not survive with another family. She has us (I like to say “us” but that really means “me”) so well trained and happy to comply with her every whim — even when I don’t know what it is — that she would be hard pressed to find a family who could read her mind as well as I do.
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VALLEY: The search for intelligent life (on Earth)
Headline news from various parts of the world ran a parallel course last week as both Great Britain and the Vatican released statements regarding alien life. British officials have decided to release previously classified documents on UFOs and the Vatican has issued a statement explaining that extra-terrestrials and religion can co-exist (on an unrelated matter: I wish they’d also explain why we always have to put the article “the” in front of “Vatican”).
- FARLEY: The ice house on the canal The history of the Erie Canal is filled with information that doesn’t seem to fit into a typical category. One such item was gleaned from the life of Paul Murphy, born in Hartland in 1892.
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GUEST VIEW: Orleans County’s assets shouldn’t be overlooked
Audubon of New York’s Winter 2008 Newsletter reports an 80 percent decline in field sparrows, an 87 percent decline in eastern meadowlarks and a 98 percent decline in grasshopper sparrows in New York state. There were no figures for the vesper sparrows that have long occupied a roadside niche on the back roads of Orleans County.
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