At 5:30, I found Grace lying on her perch. After a brief greeting, I returned to bed. At 6:45, Grace lay on the living room floor. There we did tummy rubs and kisses. Grace went into the bedroom to greet Betsy. When she returned as I dressed, she let me know she was ready to go.
No Spark but Still Adventure
We arrived at the park at 7:00. Abby had just entered. The two dogs did not play much with each other. Abby grabbed the AirDog and hogged it. Grace didn’t bother to pursue her.
At 7:30, Grace started her morning adventure. She went down through the gate to Grace Woods, across the bridge as two cars drove slowly behind her, entered the Greenway, greeted a couple of Golden Retrievers, and went down to the lake shore. There, she played ball with me and then with Betsy and me after Betsy arrived. She made a short stop at Grace Beach before returning home at 9:10. Grace had her breakfast and went to the balcony to enjoy the sunny, 40-degree morning.
Home Alone and Afternoon Fun
Grace knew the routine. At 10:05, we told her good-bye as Grace lay in the chair. When we returned home at 2:00, we greeted Grace as she lay on sofa. After having her duck food snack at 2:20, Grace went out to enjoy 70-degree weather.
Grace went to the park for about a half hour. No friends showed up. Grace was content just relaxing in the fresh air and sunshine. When we left, Grace went down by the pool to the walk closest to the meadow. Grace went into the meadow and played ball for a short time. Then she found one of the toss toys that Kaiser’s owner had left behind. Two young men with a Pug came in the field next. Grace played with it for about twenty minutes. Then a Boston Terrier joined in.
Clean-Up, Relax, and Recharge
At 4:40, Grace returned home. She took a shower followed by a bath, a treat, and a small Kong. When she finished, she went to her perch. When I saw her there, I opened window to give her some fresh warm air.
At 5:30 as we ate supper, Grace sat next to me and gently prodded me with her paw. I gave her a few saltines as I ate my soup and salad. When I finished, she wanted more. I gave her another small Kong. When she finished, she went to the balcony. She barked at something. Betsy let her inside for a few minutes. I let her back out and she was fine.
At 6:40, Grace came inside and wanted more. Betsy was snacking on some oat O’s cereal. Grace let her know she wanted some. Betsy gave her only a few. She wanted something else. She did tricks for duck food. She did them nearly flawlessly. When she finished she wanted more. I gave her a doggie cookie. She still wanted more. After a dental chew, Grace was satisfied and went up on her perch to watch the night action.
Hated White Cat Sighting
At 8:10, Grace went out on the balcony. After twenty minutes, Grace erupted into barking. Could it be the hated white cat? Grace came in with an urgent demeanor. I rushed to dress and go out the door. Grace flew down the hall and down the stairs. Grace then raced across the parking lot to flush out the hated white cat and chase it through the woods to the Weston 1 parking lot. There I stopped her.
When she returned home fifteen minutes later, Grace went back on lookout patrol on the balcony. I made popcorn at 9:00. After I finished one small bowl, Grace spotted me and looked through the window at me. I let her in. She had the muchies! We shared the remaining bowls together in the usual way with Grace seated first in the chair and me next to her. When we finished, Grace went back on patrol. At 10:15, I called her in, and Grace curled up in the chair for the night.
Monday
At 4:00, Grace was lying in her bed. At 6:45, Grace made some very soft sounds. I got up. Grace was lying on the floor just outside the master suite. There we greeted with tubby rubs and kisses. Grace then went into the bedroom to greet Betsy. When they finished, Grace came to the foyer and waited rather impatiently.
Morning Romp
At 7:00, Grace met Abby at the park. They enjoyed playing with each other for about twenty minutes. The pleasant 55-degree start of the morning was predicted to deteriorate rapidly. When Abby left at 7:25, I decided to take Grace for a run. Grace had different ideas.
She headed by the pool and down the walk to the lake. I started running there. We headed toward the meadow. Grace then turned into the meadow. I went along with that and continued my run into the meadow. I got a bit bogged down as we approached the river, but was able to dodge the puddles well enough to keep my feet fairly dry. Once we made it over the rock drainage ditch and up the dirt dam to the Greenway, Grace had finally caught on.
We left the Greenway and ran up Old Reedy Creek Road. I decided to take Grace the scenic route to Wessex. I knew that Grace usually understands to run that route without stopping — except for the occasional squirrel of course. We turned around at the 300 block and made it back to the Greenway at about 8:10. That gave Grace some time to still run free a bit and sniff around the park by the lake. I brought the throw toy from Kaiser’s owner. Grace enjoyed chasing and fetching that. She stopped and chewed on deer legs for a few minutes. At 9:00, I leashed her, and she headed home.
Deteriorating Weather
When Grace returned home at 9:10, she went to the balcony. I prepared her breakfast. When it was ready, Grace came in, ate it, and curled up in her chair for her morning nap. By this time, the temperature had already dropped to 43 degrees on its way to below freezing, and it had started raining. At 9:40, we left to meet a termite control contractor at the lot.
At 10:00, we arrived. I left Grace in the car since it was a mess outside. We stood out in that nasty weather discussing options for forty minutes. The two umbrellas that I kept in my car were missing. At 10:45, I met another contractor. This time, Grace came along as we walked the lot. She was no problem at all, but the weather was less than pleasant.
Missing Phone
Betsy called me a couple of times as I was out in that mess. I try to keep my phone in a pocket that is deep, but in the process of dealing with the rain, talking with the contractor, and holding on to Grace, I ended up putting my phone in one of the shallow pockets of my (soaked) ski jacket.
I finished up with the contractor, returned to the car, and filled some gallon jugs with well water. When I finished, I put Grace in the car while I moved a temporary electrical wire running from the utility post to the well. When I finished, I noticed that my phone was missing! I backtracked to find Grace pulling her seatbelt over the console trying to get comfortable in the driver’s seat. I freed her and proceeded back into the mess to search for my smart phone.
I backtracked and concentrated especially on places where I bent over or may have jerked around. After one trip, I came up short. I returned to the car and checked inside — no luck. I decided to try again with my backtracking trip through the woods and mud. As I was ending my second pass, I found it! That was a big relief. I then returned to the car, buckled Grace in her seat, turned on the window defrosters and headed home.
Give Me More, Give Me More
When we made it back at noon Grace went to the sofa and curled up there for a nap. I made a couple more trips to the car, including one to put an umbrella in there. At 12:40, Grace heard barking dog on a television show that Betsy was watching. She got off of the couch and looked out on the balcony. Once she was sure the grounds were clear of barking dogs, she went to her bed and took a nap. At 2:15, Grace had her scrambled egg and duck food snack. When she finished, she went to her perch.
At 4:00, as Betsy made herself some food, Grace got up and started grouching at her. At 4:20, I gave her a small loaded Kong. When she finished that, she came into the bedroom and grouched. I went to the living room for a ten-minute tummy rubs and kisses session followed by a ten-minute fox-toy tug session. When I went back to the bedroom, Grace continued grouching.
At 4:55, Betsy gave her supper. Five minutes later guess who popped into the bedroom. I went back into the living room with her to play a little tug with fox-toy. Then, as I grabbed a few snacks, Grace wanted a little something too. I gave her a doggie treat followed by a doggie cookie.
When Betsy went to the kitchen to cook at 5:45, Grace watched. Betsy gave her a dental chew. Fifteen minutes later, Betsy gave Grace a small Kong. At 6:30, she gave her a large Kong. Grace watched as we ate. Betsy gave her some of her chicken leg scraps from the table. When I finished eating, I gave Grace more chicken scraps.
When Grace finished with scraps, she wanted more. She threw down her Kong to let us know. I told her to wait as I cleaned up. When I finished, Grace did tricks for duck food. She still wanted more. I told her “No.”
Preparing for Night
At 7:05, Betsy took Grace outside for a short walk because she hadn’t been out to relieve herself in over seven hours. When she returned ten minutes later, and sacked out on the sofa. She likely was confused by the gloomy weather into thinking that it is later.
At 8:55, I took Grace out for the last time. When she came in ten minutes later, Grace lay on the dining room floor as Betsy worked in the kitchen preparing some baked item. When I went to bed at 9:30, Grace was lying on her perch.
Tuesday
At 12:30, Grace was still on her perch. I greeted her there before returning to bed. At 2:30, Grace lay in her bed asleep. At 6:40, Grace made a few soft sounds outside the master suite. I went out to meet her there, and we did tummy rubs and kisses.
When Betsy called her, Grace made a brief retreat to the bedroom to greet her. When she finished, she returned to the living room. She sniffed out the balcony door into the 17-degree morning. I spent quite a while putting on multiple layers of clothing to weather the bitter cold. Grace waited patiently. We left at 7:00 and went first to the car to turn it on and get the windows cleared. I left the car running as Grace went to the park.
Frozen Fun
The latch to the park gate was frozen. I lifted Grace over and then pushed the gate free. Abby and her owner came in the gate. I gathered up AirDog and a ball and told Grace to play with her friend. We then proceeded to break the ice in the water bucket.
The ice was enough to keep both dogs occupied most of the time. Each dog happily munched on ice chunks. Because there was no action, I got the AirDog and threw it to them. Unfortunately, Abby got it and hogged it. When Abby left at 7:20, Grace played with AirDog and the ball. After ten minutes, Grace left to start on her morning freedom trek.
She went to Clump Grass Hill, but this time from there she headed back to the first walk down from our apartment complex. She went to the meadow where I found the large yellow ball. Grace seemed invigorated by the weather. She chased the ball and kicked up frost as she put on the breaks to grab it. She played fetch and shortstop with the ball for about forty minutes.
Then, she saw a dog that looked a lot like Bailey walking on the Greenway. This one’s name was Daisy. Grace ran to meet her. The two dogs chased each other for about ten minutes. When they finished, Grace went down to the lake for a belly-deep dip and a drink. She then came up for a short deer-leg snack.
Suddenly, as she looked up, Grace looked towards the road and barked repeatedly. I didn’t see anything. Then, after about a minute, I saw a man walking up the road and into the Greenway. I used that incident to interrupt Grace and get her moving the direction of home. We ran out of the Greenway, up the road, past the dog park, and to the elevator.
Cozy Morn
When we made it home at 8:45, Grace had a shower, followed by a doggie treat and her breakfast. At 9:00, Grace got into her chair for a nap. Thirty minutes later, she went to the sunny balcony. When she came in at 10:15, her coat was warm from the heat of the sun. She stayed in the chair for fifteen minutes before getting down and cleaning out a yogurt bowl and lying on the floor.
At 10:40, Grace made her way back out into the balmy 28-degree sunny balcony. Fifteen minutes later, she returned inside. This time she jumped up on the sofa and propped up on the pillow-like arm to look out the window.
Afternoon Outing, Snack, and Nap
At 12:50, Grace got up and went to the balcony door. At 1:30, we left for a run. I took Grace to Wessex and back. When we returned at 2:30, Grace went to the balcony, and I took a shower.
When I finished showering, I prepared some food. Grace came inside at 1:45 and lay watching me just outside the foyer. I prepared her duck food and scrambled egg and left it out to cool. At 1:50, as I finished eating and gave Grace her snack. When she finished, she curled up in her chair for a nap.
At 3:30, she got down and looked out the balcony door window. She spotted a white Scottie at the park. She wanted me to take her out. I told her “No.” She persisted for a few minutes and then went to her perch to nap.
Wrath of Grace
Grace left for the dog park at 4:35. No dogs were there when we arrived. Grace played ball a bit but wasn’t particularly playful. She returned home at 5:15 and immediately came after me to play tug with her. Grace seemed to be in rare form. She tore up a box from her toy box. She then went to the kitchen to request supper. I fed her at 5:40.
She then went to the kitchen and threw down her Kong for more food. Betsy gave her a half-cup of duck food out of the measuring cup “because she was too busy.” I left the room to let her to face the coming wrath of Grace. Betsy gave her a treat followed by a dental chew. At 6:10, Grace lay on her side outside the kitchen. Betsy said that she was asleep.
7:25 came into bedroom and gave me repeated chomp-chomps. I got up and had her do tricks for duck food. When we finished, I returned to the bedroom. Betsy followed. After twenty minutes, Grace followed also. Grace wanted attention but did not want to be hugged or cuddled. Betsy and I both got up and gave Grace lots of petting.
At 8:00, let Grace on the balcony and then made popcorn. After a bowl, Grace came in. I was eating saltines with my soup. Grace sat next me and had about five. She then told Betsy that she had the munchies. Betsy share a small amount of popcorn with Grace sitting with her on the chair as I do. Then, Betsy threw out the remaining popcorn and said it’s not good for Grace to eat grains. Grace went to her perch.
At 8:20, Grace heard me preparing to take her out. I also took the trash with me. We went to the trash bin first. Then we doubled back and did our normal route behind the building and back inside. At 8:40, when Grace returned home, she went to bed.
Wednesday
At 3:50, Grace was lying awake in her bed. I went by and briefly greeted her there before heading back to bed. At 6:45, Grace came into the bedroom and said good morning to Betsy. Grace was concerned by my being asleep. She made some soft sounds. When I got up, she came over and greeted me with wags and kisses. Betsy wanted to see her some more. I had to walk over to Betsy’s side in order for Grace to go there. When I left the room, Grace followed.
Cool, Clear Treat and a New Dog to Meet
The temperature was 33 degrees. At 7:00, we left and headed for the park. Grace arrived first, but Abby came a few minutes later. The water bucket had a layer of ice in it. I broke the ice, and Grace helped herself. She munched on some chunks. Then Abby came to do the same. After about ten minutes, the two finally did their running and roughhousing puppy play. Ten minutes later, Abby left.
Grace took a different route for her free roaming. She started at Clump Grass Hill. Next, she went to the small dog park with her usual, entry and immediate exit. From there, she went to the dog run and spent five minutes there walking and sniffing. Then she proceeded to the gate to Grace Woods.
Rather than go straight down to the bridge, Grace explored the area. At one point a Boxer mix came through the gate. Grace barked at it. She approached it in her usual non-threatening manner. The dogs greeted each other with sniffs and began some play. Grace was free. The Boxer was leashed. Grace ran some short circles around the dog and then did a long one down to the drainage area and back up.
Running Free and Relaxing
Grace lost interest and proceeded to explore some more. Finally, she went back up to the gate and went out. That’s the first time she did that. From there, she went back over to the sidewalk nearest the meadow by the lake. As Grace approached the meadow, I unleashed her. She explored there and on the weeded hill portion of Grace Hill. When she came down, she played fetch with the solid large yellow ball fashioned like a golf ball.
At 9:00, Grace came home and went to the balcony. When I put out her breakfast and fresh water, Grace came inside to eat. When she finished, she stretched out in the chair for a nap.
Squirrel Sighting and Goose Chase
A half hour later, I called Grace and told her that we were going for a ride. Grace came immediately. Our first stop was the auto repair shop. Shortly after we arrived at 10:00, Grace saw a pet squirrel outside the door begging for peanuts. Grace pushed on the glass door and moved it but did not open it. The squirrel was so tame, it stood there even when Grace barked. After about ten seconds, it moved out of sight. It did give Grace something to capture her imagination though for a about a minute.
Grace then waited patiently, lying on a carpet mat there. The car was fixed at 11:15. We left shortly thereafter. Next, Grace went running at Borador Pond Park. When we arrived, a flock of geese were in the field. They quickly spotted Grace, sounded the alarm, and retreated to the safety of the water.
Designated Greeter and Eater
At 12:20, we stopped to get an oil change. That’s when I first noticed swelling beginning for her heat cycle that we had been expecting. Grace seemed to be most content lying on a carpet mat there also. There wasn’t one in the waiting room, so I went to the showroom, took her to one and told her “down.” She calmed down and relaxed. As customers came in, she greeted them. Grace mainly lay on the floor though as she waited patiently.
At 1:30, when we returned home, Grace went straight to the balcony and curled up in the lounge chair for a nap. A half hour later, she saw me put out her duck food and scrambled egg snack. Grace came inside, ate it, and then proceeded to the spot just inside the foyer to watch me finish eating and cleaning up.
Nap, Shower, Play, and Eat
At 2:30, Grace went to her sofa to continue her nap there. When the phone rang at 4:15, Grace went to the balcony. She returned inside twenty minutes later and went to her bed. I told her that she needed to take a shower. Grace went to the bathroom, took her shower, ate her doggie treat, and went to her perch to watch for friends.
At 5:00, we went to the park. No dogs showed up. Grace played mainly tug with AirDog but spent most of her time just hanging out in the sunny 45-degree late afternoon. When we returned at 5:40, Grace ate her supper and went to her perch.
This Is a Test
The door to the office shut — creating a good test as to whether or not Grace would remember to tug the sock to open it. At 6:55, Grace heard me get something in the kitchen. She went to the door and was stuck.
I told her one time to tug. She did it. I gave her a half of a doggie cookie. I could tell she was ready to do tricks for duck food. We started and then the phone rang. Grace waited patiently. When I hung up, Grace finished. At 7:10, Grace brought one of her puppy toys to me to play fetch. After three retrievals, Grace entertained herself with it, tossing it and chewing on the squeaker.
Good Night, Grace
At 8:00, I told Grace I’d take her outside. Then I remembered that I needed to get a check in the mail. Grace waited patiently. We finally made it out at 8:15. We altered our normal route to include the mailbox.
When Grace came home fifteen minutes later, I told her it was time for bed. She got into her bed, I turned out the lights, and I prepared myself for bed. At 8:55, Betsy came home, and turned on some lights.
Thursday
At 3:00, when I got up, I didn’t see Grace. I noticed the door to the office as nearly shut. I opened the door. Grace, standing on the other side, came out directly and went to her bed. I have no idea whether she was just standing there for hours or sleeping there. I remain perplexed why she didn’t open it with her tug sock.
Considerate, Playful, Athletic Friend
At 6:50, I got up to find Grace lying outside the master suite. Betsy said that Grace had come in earlier, saw that I was asleep, and left without disturbing me. I greeted her with tummy rubs and kisses. Betsy joined in too.
At 7:00, Grace left for the park. No friends came to play with her there. She played tug and fetch for about a half hour. Grace went through the breezeway, by the pool and down the walk to the Greenway and to the meadow. The 31-degree temperature felt much colder as a 10 to 15 MPH wind blasted. There she explored the weeds on Grace Hill, played with the large yellow ball, and played with and chewed a Frisbee.
When she had the yellow ball in her mouth, we spotted a soaring hawk. Grace tore around Grace Hill at Grace Beach side and streaked after the bird flying high above. Before she went out of sight, she still had the ball in her mouth. By the time I made it to the Greenway and Grace found me, she had dropped the ball.
After a five minutes, Daisy came by. The two ran playfully on the hill for a few minutes. Grace showed off her vastly superior speed and agility as she ran circles around her playmate. Then Daisy had to move on.
Deer Snack, Breakfast, and Rest
Grace found a deer-leg snack and worked on it until 8:50. I attached the leash while she lay there. When she had enough chewing, Grace got up, and I directed her home.
As usual, Grace went straight to the balcony. When she saw her breakfast was ready, Grace came inside, ate, and returned to the balcony. At 10:20, Grace came inside, got up on the chair and curled up for a nap. At 12:10, Grace went back to the balcony lounge chair and lay there watching the action.
Last Trip to Borador Pond Park
Grace came in fifteen minutes later and grouched to go outside. I finished up my immediate work and took her on a ride to Borador Pond Parak at 12:35. When we arrived at around 1:00, we were the only ones there. Grace chased some birds to the right, but left the flock of geese in the field alone. Many of the geese retreated to the pond anyway.
As we made our way around, Grace made a stealth attack from the rear after the geese. As usual, her speed was fun to witness as she scattered the geese. After a couple of laps, I heard someone call. Then I saw a white dog (perhaps a Labrador Retriever) come into the park. Grace went back to meet the dog. I couldn’t tell whether or not the dog was on a leash, but I think it was running free.
Within a few minutes, a pickup truck from the city pulled into the park. We were back by the entrance. I tried to call Grace to me to leash her. I had debated with myself earlier as to whether or not to even carry the leash around with me but decided to put it in my pocket. Grace didn’t come. I acted like I was leaving the park. That prompted Grace to come and allowed me to leash her.
As we came around the track again the man got out of his truck, stood next to the sign indicating pets were to be leashed. He told me respectfully that my dog is to be leashed at all times. He left. We continued to run, now connected by the leash. As we finished our last lap, he returned. We left when we finished the lap.
Snack and Male Attention
When we returned home at 2:00, Grace had a shower, followed by a doggie treat. She saw me preparing food and settled in to watch and wait. At 2:30, I gave Grace her duck food and scrambled egg snack. When she finished, she went on the balcony for five minutes. When she came inside, Grace got up on the chair for a serious nap.
At 4:40, Grace moved to lie on her side at my feet by her sofa. She came to me, looked me in the eye and pawed my leg. I relented, and at 5:00 took Grace out in the 36-degree drizzle. She wanted to go to the park, but she settled for a long loop walk. Basically, we walked around the apartment complex including a small stretch of the Greenway between the two walks that go to the apartments. The last few days I’ve noticed an increase in male dog attention toward her as her heat cycle approaches. This time she met up with Bones who showed her added attention.
Sundowning
When we returned home at 5:40, Grace went out on the balcony. As soon as I put it out, Grace had her supper and then curled up in her bed to relax. She moaned. We came over and comforted her. Grace got up at 6:20 and gave me a chomp-chomp. I told her to wait. She lay down, but as soon as I sat down, Grace went to her toy box and grabbed the small flower pot tray and started pushing it around the floor like a cat. I then gave her some cardboard paper rolls to shred.
Next, Grace went to the kitchen to work on Betsy for more food. She loaded the large Kong for her. When Grace finished with that, she threw the Kong on the floor. Betsy ignored her antics. Grace got a drink of water, looked out the window, and came to me grouching. I gave her a half-cup of food.
As we ate our supper, Grace watched. I told her to wait. When I finished, I gave her chicken leg scraps. When I sat down, she did the chomp-chomp routine. I tried to turn it into a trick with rewards. At 7:15, Grace did tricks for duck food. When she finished, she threw her large Kong on the kitchen floor. Betsy gave her another large Kong loaded with duck food and capped with peanut butter.
When she finished, at 7:35, Grace went out on the balcony for one minute. When she came back inside, she got into her bed. I turned out the lights to perhaps settle her down.
At 8:15, Grace was ready to go out for her last walk of the night. It was still raining, so I again took my umbrella. As usual, when Grace passed a puddle in the hallway, she walked around it to keep from getting her feet wet. Yet, when we went out for her walk she got not only her feet wet, but her head and back as well. Grace spent more time sniffing than usual. I finally had to move her along. When she returned at 8:30, Grace went to her sofa and stretched out for a night of sleep.
Friday
At 3:00, I got up to find Grace lying awake on her side next to her bed. A couple of minutes later, Grace had curled up in the chair. When I got up at 6:30, Grace was lying outside the master suite. Betsy and I greeted her with tummy rubs and she returned the greetings with kisses.
Nasty Morning
At 6:50, Grace went out into a 34-degree rain. Her first stop was Borador Park. There she played fetch with the ball and AirDog for about twenty minutes. She then went to the gate to move on. At that point, I determined that I could not do the normal walk because it was too wet.
Grace headed for Clump Grass Hill, but I turned her up to the entrance road to the apartment complex. From there, we walked on Old Reedy Creek Road over the one-lane bridge and up to the Greenway. While Grace would have liked to run free, I didn’t want to risk it. We stayed on the Greenway, and Grace made the best of it.
I led her past Grace Beach to find a section of about ten feet of the Greenway flooded at the low area between the lake and meadow. We walked in the grass and along the side of the hill to avoid the water. Grace poked around in the lake along the way and dredged out an old basketball that she had played with weeks earlier.
Grace passed the first walk toward home as well as the second. She was happy to go on that less-explored section of the path. After about a quarter mile though, the Greenway had another flooded section right before the first road overpass with no real way around it. I decided to turn around and head back.
We went up the walk to the apartments and along the back of our building. Grace still wanted to go, so I led her to Wessex. I wondered as we passed the dog park whether she would try to go there. She didn’t seem that interested. Instead she wanted to explore distant horizons.
In Wessex, we took our normal route down to the 400 address block. We then turned right into another section and circled back to the main road. This gave Grace a chance to see something different. She actually did a very good job walking. At one point, the rain had stopped and I folded up the umbrella. I wasn’t paying attention, and before long I realized it had started up again and my coat was getting wet. I marvelled at Grace’s coat how it sheds the water and keeps her warm. Occasionally, she would shake off the water and thicken her coat.
Nap and Eat
When she returned home at 9:10, Grace went to the balcony. A couple of minutes later, she came in and curled up in the chair. There she groomed her wet coat. I fixed her fresh water and breakfast. Grace got down when I put it out and ate her breakfast. While she was down, I grabbed a towel and dried off the chair. Then I dried off Grace’s coat. When I finished, she looked back to see whether I would have a treat for her. I didn’t. She then curled up back in the chair for her morning nap.
At 12:40, I put out Grace’s duck food and scrambled eggs snack. She got down, ate it, and lay by the balcony door window, longingly looking at the dreary day. After a few minutes, she went to her bed.
Go For Ride
At 1:15, I asked Grace if she wanted to go for ride. She perked up. When I said it again, she got up and went to the door. Grace stayed in car as I drove by houses to look at details of their exterior construction.
Our next stop was the lot. Grace got out with me. I kept her on the leash. It was pretty wet on the ground and raining. I took a few pictures. We left after ten minutes.
Finally, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things. Grace waited patiently in the car for about fifteen minutes. When I returned I told her “Good wait” and gave her a treat.
Late Afternoon Treat and Play
Grace returned home at 2:35. She needed some prodding to get of the car and to put her paws on the wet pavement. Once out, she was fine. As usual, after entering the house, Grace went to the balcony. Fifteen minutes later, I gave her an ice cream container to finish off. When she finished that, she went to her perch. There I gave her a dental chew.
At 4:30, Grace played hall ball (throwing a ball in the hallway outside our door with the hallway closed off by shutting the doors at each end of the hall). After fifteen minutes, Betsy came and played hall ball with her too.
Home Alone, Pizza, and Bed
At 4:55, Grace came inside, had her supper, and curled up in the chair. We left her home alone at 5:15. When we returned at 7:30, Grace greeted us with wags and kisses. We told her “Good bye-bye.” Grace was ready for more. I gave her some pizza from our dinner. Next, Grace did tricks for duck food. When she finished, I gave her a doggie treat.
At 8:00, Grace went out for her last walk of the night. She did extra sniffing in the wet grass. When she returned home at 8:15, I turned out the lights and Grace went to her sofa for the night.
Saturday
At 6:00, Grace made soft sounds lying at the entrance to the bedroom. I got up, and we did tummy rubs and kisses. When we finished, Grace greeted Betsy.
Fun in the Cold and Flood
At 6:20, we ventured out into the 29-degree weather. Grace’s first stop was Borador Park. After playing ball with me for fifteen minutes, Abby joined her for some puppy play. As they played, I noticed Grace’s swelling from heat had become more prominent.
I had forgotten to put Grace’s collar on her. At 7:00, we returned to the house to get it. As we headed back out, Grace took me down the walk closest to the meadow. When we headed for the meadow, we found that the walk was flooded.
We took an alternate route travelling on the terrace road heading toward the river. For a few minutes, Grace disappeared. I wondered if she went to Grace Woods, but a fence blocked that. When she reappeared, we went down the steep rock irrigation ditch at the end of the terrace road near the river. The river was raging as it worked overtime to empty excess rain water from the lake.
Once we made it to the meadow, Grace played fetch for forty minutes with the rope fetch toy. When we finished, Grace went near the raging river, but didn’t go in. Thankfully, few people were out for a Saturday morning walk. Grace went down to the drainage control platform. As she approached it, I told her “Danger.” She turned, went to shore. Shortly thereafter, she came up to the field across the Greenway.
Then a man motioned to me. I thought perhaps he was concerned that Grace was running free. Thankfully, he was only looking for directions. He said he was trying to meet a group of runners at a roundabout. I wasn’t sure which roundabout he was referring to, but I tried to help him.
At that point, I leashed Grace, and we headed home. We went through the Greenway entrance, over the bridge, and up the hill. Grace looked longingly to the right at Grace Woods as we went. We moved on though. Next we stopped to look at a Labradoodle 50 yards away in the area of the Lofts next door. After about five minutes of watching, she finally broke free and finished walking home.
Lonely Morning at Home
When we returned home at 8:50, Grace went to the balcony, came in to eat her breakfast, took a shower, enjoyed a doggie treat, and went to her perch. At 9:30 she spotted Betsy coming home from shopping as she relaxed on the sunny balcony.
Grace came in to the cool foyer floor an hour later. I was in the bedroom studying with the door shut. After another hour, Grace whined softly for me. I came out, and we did tummy rubs and kisses. At 10:30, Grace moved to the foyer to cool down as Betsy was in her chair.
Snack and Afternoon Outing
At 11:45, Grace went back to the balcony. As Betsy fixed Grace her duck food and eggs snack at 12:30, Grace came into the dining room to make her presence known and wait for it. Fifteen minutes later, after it had cooled, Grace enjoyed her snack and then returned to the 63-degree sunshine out on the balcony.
By 2:20, the temperature had risen to 66 degrees. I took Grace for her afternoon outing. She headed for the walk by the meadow. When Grace reached the Greenway, she was surprised that I directed her left rather than right toward the meadow. We ran to the west end of the Greenway. Despite her occasional stops, I was able to have a reasonable run.
On the way, we met the Poodle that she does not like. That dog’s owner admitted that it’s not good with other dogs. It’s amazing how Grace can pick up on that.
She also passed Kaiser twice. Betsy called as we finished up and asked us to meet at the semi-covered deck on the lake between the two walks down from the apartments. At 3:25, I gave Grace to her, and I went home.
Clean Up, Fill Up, and Curl Up
At 5:00, they returned. Betsy said that Grace met a year-old mixed breed and taught him to swim. The two had a good time playing together at Grace Beach. When she came in, Grace took a shower, ate her doggie treat, and went to the balcony.
She came in at 6:30 and ate her supper before returning to the balcony. A half hour later, Grace went to her perch. I had to refill Grace’s food bag. Grace heard me. She came over and sat patiently next to me waiting for me to give her a few morsels and a small portion when I finished.
As I ate my dinner at 7:30, Grace lay at my feet silently and patiently as I ate. When I finished a half-hour later, Grace did tricks for duck food. When she finished, she went to her perch.
At 9:05, Grace went for her last walk of the day. When she returned ten minutes later, Betsy had lights on and music playing in the living room. After ten minutes of trying to sleep in the living room, Grace opted to curl up for the night on her perch.