Last week was Hot Bananas season in Gladlyville (by which I mean it was the beginning of a new academic year), and it wasn't only the bananas that were hot. We spent the week under an Excessive Heat Warning. Between the new dog and the new classes, I had a lot of walking to do -- more than 76,000 steps between Monday morning and Friday evening -- and the combination of hot weather and hot bananas meant that I generated a fair amount of smelly laundry.
But now the smelly laundry is clean, the hectic first week is in the books, the unpleasant heat wave has broken, and by the way our sweet new dog is THE BEST.
Sandy has been here for two weeks now and is settling in nicely. She is affectionate and snuggly and well-behaved, delighted to see us when we've been away but well-mannered while we're gone. (When I'm out she likes to take one of my shoes and bring it to the living room-- I suppose because it smells like me. Not to gnaw on, just to have nearby. She seems to think smelly feet are a feature, not a bug.)
For the most part she does fine with the people and the animals we encounter on walks, observing them with quiet curiosity and the occasional attempt to outrace a squirrel or a bunny. I think she may have some unpleasant crud in her history, though, because she gets nervous sometimes with men in spaces she considers hers. When the refrigerator repairman came, for instance, she was very firmly of the opinion that he did not belong in the kitchen; when our next-door neighbor was working in his usually empty yard, she invited him to reconsider. She will position herself so that I am between her and the suspicious man, and then growl as if to say "I don't like this, Jamie; I don't like it at all." She has even growled at Elwood when he tried to hold her while I was leaving. She's never the least bit aggressive, but she does make it clear that she is having some Thoughts about the situation.
She has excellent Jamie-is-leaving radar, and she will race to the back door when she realizes I'm heading out. It's a little strange to me that she has it figured out already: if I'm picking up the knitting bag, it's not a problem; if I'm picking up the very similar bag that holds my wallet and keys, it's time for ACTION. She stands by the door with pleading eyes and tail, saying, "You are going somewhere! I like going places! I am such a good girl, Jamie; please take me with you!"
She has been the perfect distraction for Stella and me. I think without her we would have felt totally adrift after Pete's departure; instead we are only somewhat adrift. When I am tempted to send Pete an over-the-top text full of exclamation points ("Hi!! I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!! what did you eat for breakfast tell me more about your roommate when are you coming home?!?!") I just pat the couch next to me and Sandy hops up to accept some belly rubs. When she is snoring gently, resting her nose on my leg, I send a calmer text.
Work is fine. The new prep is a giant time suck, as expected, but I genuinely love the material and I hope that is more obvious to the students than the annoying logistical stuff (library e-book licenses are so mysterious, and the usual course reserves guy is out on medical leave). I'm looking forward to a cooler week, in both a meteorological and a metaphorical sense.
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