Thansgiving Reflection and Wick is Wonderful
Thanksgiving was...mellow this year. It was actually - dare I say - pleasant. This year more than before I delegated out dishes and I was only responsible for the deviled eggs, turkey, stuffing, gravy and two kinds of potatoes. We had several people who didn't show, and that was okay. Most of the guests left early and those who remained we played games with and had a lot of fun. My husband brought out the karaoke machine and set it up UPSTAIRS for the kids. They had a BALL singing. My sister in law (the one who used to live with us) stayed until after 9, but we just watched football and had an enjoyable conversation.
Wow. I could get used to this kind of holiday get-together!
Mostly, I was proud of my dog, though. Wick is going to be 6 in March and he has definitely matured to the age where he is easy. Well, Wick has always been easy, but now he is "comfortable" and a real pleasure to live with. Perhaps, as I'm about to introduce chaos (in the form of a puppy) into our home I am starting to appreciate the steadiness of Wicket. He just hangs out here at the house and for the most part I don't have to worry about anything with him. Except the garbage and anything he can counter-surf, but even with that issue we have fallen into a comfortable rhythm. When we leave the house the garbage and recycle get put into the bathroom with the door closed. Problem solved.
"Fk = Force of kinetic friction, μk = coefficient of kinetic friction, N = Normal force or the force perpendicular to the contacting surfaces. Fs = Force of..."
Wicket rarely gets excited about much. He is not bouncy or barky. He does not demand anything, he asks politely. When we get ready to leave the house he stands perfectly still with only a small tail wag to get leashed. He rarely pulls on the leash and does not bolt out of doors. He has an excellent "wait" command, and since I see no point in making two or three trips to the car with all my crap when I can make one trip loaded down like a Sherpa, he is very good about waiting at doors, walking through the door and waiting on the porch steps while I juggle keys, purse, hot tea, coats, dog treats and toys, etc.
Wicket at Wickiup Reservoir
He is left free in my vehicle and just waits quietly and patiently for me to return. He does not eat my car seats or gnaw on my gear shift. He WILL eat the 2.14 lbs of hamburger I leave available to him in the grocery sack, but you can't really blame him, right? When I return, he gives me his slow tail wag - just the tip - as he shows me how over-the-top, ecstatically happy he is for my return. I can leave the windows all the way down in the vehicle and be 99.9% sure he won't jump out (he never has, but...). He is about 80% (although, this percentage has been dropping) reliable to stay in the vehicle with the doors open.
Dad lets me drive slow on the driveway every Saturday.
He can lie for hours at the back door and watch the squirrels in the yard, or the utility trucks driving up and down the easement road without losing his shit. He lies quietly and usually my only clue that he has even has an interest in something in the backyard is when I walk into the kitchen (where the sliding glass door is) he won't move his head, he just looks at me out of the corner of his eye. He won't bolt out the door and will wait to be released. Now, once he gets outside and locked on to something there is no way in hell I'm calling him off of it. He isn't that perfect yet.
(
Wicket is perfectly content to hang out in the house. He has a crate and two dog beds (one elevated) he can use in the living room and that is where he is most of the time. He follows me room to room while I do my chores but he isn't clingy. If I'm in the kitchen he is lying on his rug, waiting for me to drop a piece of food. When I do, he is very polite about not getting in my way to get it. Mali was ALWAYS in my way in the kitchen. She was 6" off my heels constantly and food never stayed longer than .3 seconds on the floor before she had swooped in to snarf it up.
At night Wick has his routine where he asks - very politely of course - my husband if he can come up for his nightly puppy cuddle. I find this hilarious since we don't really let the dogs on the furniture, but about a year and a half ago Lee started this nightly ritual where Wick crawls up into Lee's chair and gets some lovin' on. It is a cross between wrestling and a rub-down, but Wick loves it. Once it is done, Wick gets down. He isn't much of a snuggler.
Yesterday for Tday we had 2 infants here. I was initially a bit apprehensive how Wick would do with them. I hadn't realized until yesterday that Wick hasn't been around infants. I think Kellen was 17 months old when I got Wick, but that's been a while. My niece's son is 5 mo and is a squealer. He laid on his blanket and kicked and made quick, jerky movements and flailed back and forth and made lots of noise as he tried to roll himself over and Wicket didn't do anything but look curiously at him. He gave the baby a cursory sniff and then was done with him. My nephew's daughter is 8 months old and rolled around the floor in a walker. The only thing Wick was interested in with her was all the cute toys she had. But once told to leave her teething rings alone, ignored her, too. Wick is good about removing himself if he gets stressed, which he can get because he picks up on tension FAST. Wick doesn't usually like to hang around when there are lots of people over, but like I said, Thanksgiving was pretty mellow this year so other than being put away while we ate, Wick hung out with us the whole time.
He WAS NOT perfect with the plate of cookies my mother in law set out on the coffee table. He had wolfed down at least two mouthfuls before I noticed it. I was very discreet about it and just rearranged the cookies and set them on the dining room table. Don't tell anyone.
What was even more surprising is how Wick reacted to my sister in law and her 4 kids last night. This is the family who lived with us for 6 months. Wick was not his happiest when they were here because there they are a LOUD, active, busy family, and the activity and energy that 9 people put in our house was too much for him. Wick has not seen any of them since they moved out in August, but last night he was super friendly with all of them. Even crawling up in their laps! He let himself be loved on by them and happily entertained them with a few Stupid Pet Ticks.
Wicket has certainly turned into a Steady-Eddy, and I love him to pieces. I have always liked Wicket and mostly have always enjoyed him, but our relationship has taken a long time to bloom and mature. It took nearly two years before I felt any real "connection" with him, and we are still working on it, but now I can not imagine my life without him and would be devastated if I lost him. I still don't have that "heart dog" feeling for him and I know that's okay. I may never feel that for him, though I certainly feel much, much more deeply for him than I did several years ago, and I can foresee a day when he might earn his spot there. I do know that I love him a whole lot and I am loving his new maturity.
Naomi's Beam, Kellen, Wick
At Lookout Point Reservoir
Snow dog
I will squish him.
Can I push him in?
Wow. I could get used to this kind of holiday get-together!
Mostly, I was proud of my dog, though. Wick is going to be 6 in March and he has definitely matured to the age where he is easy. Well, Wick has always been easy, but now he is "comfortable" and a real pleasure to live with. Perhaps, as I'm about to introduce chaos (in the form of a puppy) into our home I am starting to appreciate the steadiness of Wicket. He just hangs out here at the house and for the most part I don't have to worry about anything with him. Except the garbage and anything he can counter-surf, but even with that issue we have fallen into a comfortable rhythm. When we leave the house the garbage and recycle get put into the bathroom with the door closed. Problem solved.
"Fk = Force of kinetic friction, μk = coefficient of kinetic friction, N = Normal force or the force perpendicular to the contacting surfaces. Fs = Force of..."
Wicket rarely gets excited about much. He is not bouncy or barky. He does not demand anything, he asks politely. When we get ready to leave the house he stands perfectly still with only a small tail wag to get leashed. He rarely pulls on the leash and does not bolt out of doors. He has an excellent "wait" command, and since I see no point in making two or three trips to the car with all my crap when I can make one trip loaded down like a Sherpa, he is very good about waiting at doors, walking through the door and waiting on the porch steps while I juggle keys, purse, hot tea, coats, dog treats and toys, etc.
Wicket at Wickiup Reservoir
He is left free in my vehicle and just waits quietly and patiently for me to return. He does not eat my car seats or gnaw on my gear shift. He WILL eat the 2.14 lbs of hamburger I leave available to him in the grocery sack, but you can't really blame him, right? When I return, he gives me his slow tail wag - just the tip - as he shows me how over-the-top, ecstatically happy he is for my return. I can leave the windows all the way down in the vehicle and be 99.9% sure he won't jump out (he never has, but...). He is about 80% (although, this percentage has been dropping) reliable to stay in the vehicle with the doors open.
Dad lets me drive slow on the driveway every Saturday.
He can lie for hours at the back door and watch the squirrels in the yard, or the utility trucks driving up and down the easement road without losing his shit. He lies quietly and usually my only clue that he has even has an interest in something in the backyard is when I walk into the kitchen (where the sliding glass door is) he won't move his head, he just looks at me out of the corner of his eye. He won't bolt out the door and will wait to be released. Now, once he gets outside and locked on to something there is no way in hell I'm calling him off of it. He isn't that perfect yet.
(
Wicket is perfectly content to hang out in the house. He has a crate and two dog beds (one elevated) he can use in the living room and that is where he is most of the time. He follows me room to room while I do my chores but he isn't clingy. If I'm in the kitchen he is lying on his rug, waiting for me to drop a piece of food. When I do, he is very polite about not getting in my way to get it. Mali was ALWAYS in my way in the kitchen. She was 6" off my heels constantly and food never stayed longer than .3 seconds on the floor before she had swooped in to snarf it up.
At night Wick has his routine where he asks - very politely of course - my husband if he can come up for his nightly puppy cuddle. I find this hilarious since we don't really let the dogs on the furniture, but about a year and a half ago Lee started this nightly ritual where Wick crawls up into Lee's chair and gets some lovin' on. It is a cross between wrestling and a rub-down, but Wick loves it. Once it is done, Wick gets down. He isn't much of a snuggler.
Yesterday for Tday we had 2 infants here. I was initially a bit apprehensive how Wick would do with them. I hadn't realized until yesterday that Wick hasn't been around infants. I think Kellen was 17 months old when I got Wick, but that's been a while. My niece's son is 5 mo and is a squealer. He laid on his blanket and kicked and made quick, jerky movements and flailed back and forth and made lots of noise as he tried to roll himself over and Wicket didn't do anything but look curiously at him. He gave the baby a cursory sniff and then was done with him. My nephew's daughter is 8 months old and rolled around the floor in a walker. The only thing Wick was interested in with her was all the cute toys she had. But once told to leave her teething rings alone, ignored her, too. Wick is good about removing himself if he gets stressed, which he can get because he picks up on tension FAST. Wick doesn't usually like to hang around when there are lots of people over, but like I said, Thanksgiving was pretty mellow this year so other than being put away while we ate, Wick hung out with us the whole time.
He WAS NOT perfect with the plate of cookies my mother in law set out on the coffee table. He had wolfed down at least two mouthfuls before I noticed it. I was very discreet about it and just rearranged the cookies and set them on the dining room table. Don't tell anyone.
What was even more surprising is how Wick reacted to my sister in law and her 4 kids last night. This is the family who lived with us for 6 months. Wick was not his happiest when they were here because there they are a LOUD, active, busy family, and the activity and energy that 9 people put in our house was too much for him. Wick has not seen any of them since they moved out in August, but last night he was super friendly with all of them. Even crawling up in their laps! He let himself be loved on by them and happily entertained them with a few Stupid Pet Ticks.
Wicket has certainly turned into a Steady-Eddy, and I love him to pieces. I have always liked Wicket and mostly have always enjoyed him, but our relationship has taken a long time to bloom and mature. It took nearly two years before I felt any real "connection" with him, and we are still working on it, but now I can not imagine my life without him and would be devastated if I lost him. I still don't have that "heart dog" feeling for him and I know that's okay. I may never feel that for him, though I certainly feel much, much more deeply for him than I did several years ago, and I can foresee a day when he might earn his spot there. I do know that I love him a whole lot and I am loving his new maturity.
Naomi's Beam, Kellen, Wick
At Lookout Point Reservoir
Snow dog
I will squish him.
Can I push him in?