Saturday, September 26, 2020

Dog Steps and Voting


I found these weathered cherubs on the side of the Hampstead Parish Church when Olga and I were walking back from the Heath last weekend. I keep meaning to take a look inside that church, and yet I've walked past it a hundred times and haven't done so. (Granted, I usually have the dog with me.) One of these days.

Some of you marveled in comments yesterday that even though I'd overslept and had 45 minutes to get out the door, I was writing a blog post. Let me tell you -- I can get ready for work fast. Not having hair is a huge plus. I can even skip showering if need be -- wash my face, get dressed and I'm ready to roll. I just sit behind a desk, so it's not like I get very dirty. On a normal morning I also have cereal and walk the dog, but if I'm rushed I can take the cereal with me (there's milk at work) and the dog can manage with a quick wander around the garden.

The contractor who damaged our bedroom wall came back yesterday to fix it. He apparently told Dave he knew about the damage when it occurred but "didn't want to come into our bedroom" without our permission. Dave found this unlikely, but at any rate it's fixed now.

Oh, and the big news is....I got my ballot! Woo hoo! So I'll be voting this weekend and mailing it out promptly on Monday. Of course, because it's Florida, there are six constitutional amendments as well as a raft of candidates to choose from -- including an amendment to make it harder to amend the state constitution! I need to look into those just a little bit more.

We got so chilly last night that we turned on the heat for the first time this season. We gave ourselves a blast for an hour or so, and did the same this morning. It felt nice and cozy, given that the weather was gray and rainy and very autumnal.



Remember the dog steps I found on the street several months ago? Well, I just want you to see that Olga does use them. They're a little small for her -- made ideally, I suppose, for a smaller dog -- and it took her a while to warm up to them. But now she seems to like them, at least more than having to jump up on the bed.

12 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

You do not get very dirty behind your library desk and you do not think very dirty either. Do you? (PAUSE FOR THOUGHT TRANSMISSION) Oh dear! Love the clip of Olga climbing up onto the bed.

Anonymous said...

Olga is ready to go to bed before the occupant of the bed. Or perhaps she see signs of you getting ready to go to bed.

Ms. Moon said...

Perhaps we should get some of those steps for Jack, The Enormous Cat. When he jumps on our bed, which he is still quite capable of doing, he shakes the entire thing and makes a great THUD which is shocking if I'm in that dreamy state between wakefulness and sleep. The running start he has to get in order to make the jump sounds like a small rhino running across the floor.

Moving with Mitchell said...

Adorable video. I think I told you that years ago we bought ridiculously expensive mahogany library steps for one of our cats who couldn't jump up to our very high sleigh bed. He would not go near them. For 3 months, we tried and he refused. We figured the wood was too slippery. SG then upholstered them (they looked quite like yours when done). He still wouldn't use them. Finally, I picked him up and put him on the first step. I gently held him there. Then I moved his front legs to the next step. He immediately followed with the hind legs but would go no further. I repeated two more times. After 10 minutes, he was going up and down on his own. And to think it only took six months, a couple hundred dollars, and an upholstery job.

Anonymous said...

That is such a great video of Olga using the doggie steps. Reminds me of the little trunk we put at the foot of the bed so our kitty cat who had physical impairment issues could get up there. He had seizures very often and would fling himself from wherever he was on to the floor. That trunk helped him get back up. Thank you for the sweet reminder.

Red said...

It looks like people are taking this election very seriously.

ellen abbott said...

those cherubs look like they are fixin' to get crushed by a hydraulic press. and yeah, the steps do look a little small for Olga. I have antique bedside tables and what I initially thought was a drawer at the bottom turned out to be a pull out step which I have not left pulled out for my aging cat who finds leaping up to be painful or difficult so she would sit by the bed and meow loudly for me to pick her up. took a couple of nights coaxing her first onto the step and then the bed but she's got it figured out now.

Linda Sue said...

score on the steps!! Love the sit-c0m music as she steps up to snuggle her pink blanket..haha. Here is a video I saw this morning that puts the onus square in the lap of republicans and nonsense if you are interested
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=403&v=JqYYkTsEqBw&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=UnofficialAmyKlobucharVideos

Catalyst said...

Olga looks like his age is causing him to slow down. Or maybe it's because he is headed for his pink throw and a long nap after a long nervous night of guarding the manor against squirrels, foxes and whatever else is out there in the dark.

Sharon said...

I have a fried who had steps like that for their dog too! I can't believe you needed heat already even though there has never been a time I've visited London that I didn't wear a coat. It will be a while before the need arises here. I heard a report on the news last night the disturbed me greatly. It was an interview with the author of an article in The Atlantic. The author is Barton Gellman and he writes that "No matter the outcome, President Trump will not concede the election" and then he goes into rather scary detail of what could happen after that. It made me very queasy.

Allison said...

I saw that interview as well, it was very alarming. There have been some rebuttals of his thesis, some state laws prohibit this action, and etc., but one wonders. The naked desire of republicans to thwart the vote is just astonishing. Hard to believe they were once the party of Lincoln.

Edna B said...

There have been some nights here when we've needed to turn the heat on. It's just too early to have to do that. Sighhhhhh! I think it's wonderful that Olga will use the steps. Hopefully, it makes it easier for her to get up on the bed. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.