Oh, this dog. She makes me crazy. This morning she was just rotten. She was insistent about snorfing up every little crumb she could find during her walk, no matter how much I told her "No!" And then she hoovered up half a falafel sandwich and swallowed it in one gulp, with me fruitlessly swatting her on the head and yelling, "Drop it!"
I have to remember not to walk her on Portobello Road on Sundays. There are just too many sidewalk snacks left over from the big Saturday market. Not to mention chewing gum -- she loves used chewing gum. She picks it up, gnaws it for a few paces and then drops it again. She just wants a quick taste.
So, yeah, that was our walk this morning. Quite different from the walk I took yesterday through East London, without the canine vacuum cleaner. It was nice to leave home and know Dave would be here with Olga. Whenever I leave her alone during the week I feel guilty -- closing the door on her is always hard -- and then I have a nagging urge to get back. But yesterday I stayed out for five hours or so, guilt-free. I walked and walked, took lots of photos, and had fish & chips at a little chip shop overlooking a lake in Aldersbrook, complete with a cold, sweet Dr. Pepper. I think it's been about 20 years since I last had a Dr. Pepper! I drank it watching the moorhens and swans in the lake, and the people coming and going from a nearby bus stop.
Ah, yes, it's the little things.
Today I've got some work to do -- my weekly sub reports -- and Dave and I are planning to see "Silver Linings Playbook," to put my inquisitive mind at rest about why Jennifer Lawrence deserved that Oscar.
(Photo: Scooters outside a school in Holland Park.)
It really is the little things! I agree 100%.
ReplyDeleteAnd everything you've said here about Olga reminds me of Jake - the hoovering of moldering food on the sidewalk, the shouting DROP IT which he always ignored, also my reluctance to leave him alone.
Dogs are crazy making. They are so good for us.
I miss you, Steve. When I come visit, I'll stay home with Olga so you can go out and drink Dr. Pepper. I promise.
And this is why I do not understand why anyone gets a dog. Okay. Maybe that's too harsh. But having raised four kids I don't want any guilt when I leave the house and I certainly don't want to have to get up fifteen times in an hour to let dogs in and then out and in and then...
ReplyDeleteTry to learn to live without the guilt. Okay? Because a walk with Olga is not the sort of walk you need. You can do both. Your alone walks sustain you and they are the fuel of your creative drive. Olga may not understand this but she doesn't have to. It's just the way it is.
It's been a long time since I had a dog. At least Olga isn't into cat poop. Or she may be and city living doesn't provide for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteSubheading:
ReplyDeleteOlga snaffles falafel.
Love this photo, so colorful and love the depth of field that you chose! :)
ReplyDeleteOlga is a bad girl!
Reya: I guess dogs are dogs everywhere!
ReplyDeleteMs Moon: I haven't raised kids, so maybe this is my kid penance. Ha! But seriously, you're right. I do need to get better about just leaving her here and going out and doing my thing. As Dave always says, "WE have the opposable thumbs."
Ellen: She's certainly into cats. When she sees one she goes ballistic. I don't think she encounters enough cat poop for us to say one way or the other whether she's into that!
Peter: That's the poetic approach, yes. :)
Lynne: Thanks! The colors of the scooters were what caught my eye. Olga IS a ball of mischief.