It's a Dog's Life

Hello everyone, Laura is a little busy tonight visiting with an old college friend, so I'm taking the opportunity to write tonight's entry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Captain and I'm the owner of this property (don't tell the Vinyards, they think it belongs to them.) So far, this project has been a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Oh sure, I wasn't happy when they took down my back porch. After all, that was my sunning spot and I realized that now I would have to find a new place to take my mid-morning nap and my early-afternoon nap. Not only that, but they removed that lovely screen door that I used to have so much fun with. I'd push it with my paws and make a nice hole to jump through, then Darryl would pretend to get mad at me and I'd push and jump and he'd pretend to make a fuss. Ah, good times.

My playground

Then there was the question of what to do with me during the day. I like to spend my days outside in the yard, watching the sun pass overhead and barking at the birds. This was a potential problem with all the construction going on. They couldn't leave me inside (that would have been bad news for me and bad news for the furniture) but they couldn't just let me roam around in the yard. You see, I have a little, um, problem. Some of you may already have heard about it. I'm what they call a "runner." I see an opening and I'm gone. And with the garage doors wide open for the workmen to pass through, I would have been out of there like a shot. So in the end, Laura decided to put me on the end of a nylon rope (one that I couldn't chew through, even if I tried, which I would never do because I'm really a good dog). The rope is long enough for me to wander around the yard, making sure the workmen are doing their job and the birds are safely chased away. I have access to food, water and shade, and I can still enjoy all of my naps at the appropriate time. The first morning, I'll admit I was a little upset. I cried when Laura and the girls went off to school and then I barked for an hour or so just to prove that I wasn't a crybaby. But every day since then I've taken to it rather well, if I say so myself, and now, well, it's just part of my routine.

Dinner is served

Plus now I can definitely see the benefits to this whole remodeling stuff. Why, I have so much wonderful dirt to play in. Only just this afternoon I was rolling around in a huge mound of the stuff. It was cool and dusty and full of interesting creatures for me to paw at and chew. Bonus: I get to track the dirt into the kitchen so I can keep track of where I've been. Not sure why Laura keeps trying to sweep it up. Doesn't she realize I'm just going to do it again. Silly girl.

And best of all, when the workmen have left for the day, I get to mooch around under their makeshift table and eat all the delicious food they left for me. They really are a most generous crew. Today they left me all the fixings for a tasty taco. I was quite satisfied.

Wait, I missed a spot over here

So all in all, not too bad really. Don't tell Darryl I said this, but I'm quite enjoying my days outside, watching him do all the hard work while I get to bask in the sun. Yep, it's a dog's life for sure.