At 1:30, Grace was lying on her side on the living room floor. At 6:00, Grace lay awake as the dawn’s early light beckoned. I greeted her briefly before returning to bed. At 7:00, I let Grace out on the balcony. A few minutes later, Grace spotted Abby in the park. They played for about fifteen minutes. Then Grace stuck her head out the wide bars to let me know she was ready to go.
Grace headed for the gate to Grace woods. There, she met an older dog who is somewhat cautious with other dogs. Grace put the dog at ease with her non-threatening posture. The dog’s owner was very impressed with Grace and petted her. Grace was anxious to get going though. She pawed at the gate to open it.
I moved the latch up, and Grace open the gate. I unleashed her, told her to sit and stay, walked away about ten feet and whistled for her to come. She did, but she was so happy to be free, she kept on going, frolicking in the woods. It still was a bolt, but I let her go.
She traveled down across the bridge and over the guard rail following scents. As we entered the Greenway, I was able to get her to stop and leashed her there. Its a good thing I did, because Grace was headed down to the open gate at the lake. She moved ahead like she was on a mission.
Here first stop was a great scent just as she reached the other side of the lake. Before I could stop her, Grace rolled in an 18-inch carcass of a long-dead catfish. I had to be sure to make it back before 8:30, so I stopped her at the first deck at the water — sort of across the lake from Grace Beach.
There Grace did a bit of wading. We ran most of the way back to the other side. Then Grace wanted to go along the shore. We passed a son and his elderly mother on a fishing outing. As we ran along the shore we went past the flow-control platform and another fisherman.
Then it happened. A barb poked the back of my calf. It was a fishing hook attached in to a lure on a fishing line that was lying hidden in the tall grass. The fisherman couldn’t remove it. I didn’t want to go to the hospital again. He cut the hook loose from the lure and gave me the pliers and held Grace. I tore it out — leaving a small puncture wound and moved on.
We ran home and made it back at 8:30. Betsy gave Grace her breakfast, followed by a shower. She could tell Grace was worried about me. When I returned at 9:30, I greeted Grace lying in the chair. At 10:00, I left Grace with Betsy at home. I made sure to say good-bye.
At 12:30, after returning from church on her perch.
At 1:00, I fed her a small piece of chicken near her dish. Grace went back to her perch. There I let her lick the dinner plates.
At 1:45, Betsy took Grace out to Grace Beach. There, she met a Labrador Retriever friend. They went out retrieving a stick in the lake. One time they came back swimming next to each other, both with the stick in their mouth. Betsy said that was really cute.
When they returned home at 3:45, Grace had a shower followed by a doggy treat. From there, she returned to her perch. At 5:00, Betsy gave Grace her supper. From there, she went to the balcony to watch for friends.
At 5:45, Grace raced down to meet Noah in the park. He is a two-year-old Australian Shepherd. Grace and he really could not play because his interest was mounting her. We tried a ball and the flying squirrel, but we couldn’t get them to play together. After about six times, Grace turned and snarled at her. We called the dogs off, and they stopped. Grace returned home at 6:00 and went to the cool balcony floor.
At 9:15, Betsy prepared to take Grace for her last walk. Grace wanted me. She came to me kissing me profusely. I took her. She returned to the balcony and the glorious night air. Then she saw me eating a snack at 9:50. Grace came in and said she wanted a little something. I gave her a half cup of duck food. That didn’t do it. A dental chew did satisfy her though. When she finished at 10:00, Grace curled up on her perch and went to sleep.
Monday
2:00 out of it on her back in her bed
6:30 on her side next to her bed
6:55 out, park, fetch a few times, a little digging, lying enjoying the fresh air
7:10 Abby came and they wrestled for about 15 minutes. Then, Grace went to the opening next to the gate to say she was ready to go.
Grace took her usual route to Grace Woods. On the way, Grace found something that looked like puppy pellets or cat food. I let her eat a few before I decided it could be rat poison and told her to leave it. She went on to the gate. It was open, so Grace went in. We practiced sit, stay, and come. She didn’t bolt this time. When she finished, I told her “Okay,” and she moved on.
Grace went to the bridge, crossed over, and jumped the guardrail. She checked for scents. I marveled at her interest in tracking scents and concluded she would love to work as a hunting dog. When we entered the Greenway, I leashed her.
Grace took me down through the lower gate and around the lake to first deck. 8:00 phone call to orthopedist for appointment. Grace waited patiently.
Grace found three or four slices of bread in its bag left for birds. When she finished her treat, she spotted a glider. With an appointment scheduled, that made it particularly difficult for me because Grace wanted to chase it and bark at it, but I needed to get home.
Home 9:10, balcony
Left with balcony door open.
Where’s Grace?
When I returned home at 1:15, I looked in the usual places, but Grace was not in any of her usual places. I had left the balcony door open for her and I wondered if she had caused a disturbance and the apartment staff took her away.
Grace was not on the balcony, on any of the pieces of the living room set, on the floor in the living room, under the dining room table, in the kitchen, the foyer, or the office. She wasn’t on her perch either.
Then, I checked the master bedroom where she lay on her side against the wall. I trust she went there to get away from the lawn-blower noise or to find a dark place. We greeted with tummy rubs and kisses as I told her “Good bye-bye.”
About fifteen minutes later, Grace joined me in the kitchen as I prepared something to eat. After I had my plate prepared and sat down to eat, I realized that I had forgotten Grace’s duck food and eggs snack. I prepared it immediately as Grace waited patiently under the dining room table.
When she finished, she came by my side for her ration of toast. I didn’t have any for her but told her to wait. She did. When I finished, I gave her four saltines and then let her lick off my plate. When she finished, Grace went to her perch to relax. I opened the window there for her.
At 3:00, I decided to check for a package. As Grace lay on her perch looking out the window, I asked her if she would like to go for a walk. As I put on my shoes in the foyer, Grace came bouncing in to join me. We went by the postal display, but it was not showing packages.
We went to the office to find out about notice by email. They said they pick the person associated with the package and notify him. Of course Grace wanted her treat. I told her to sit. She did but also gave me her paw. I told her to sit again. She then went down on her belly. Finally, as she started to drool, she sat without offering the paw, and I gave her the treat.
When she finished, Grace was in no hurry to leave. She lay there on the carpet in front of the treats jar panting softly. I let her rest a minute and then told her to stand. She got up and we walked back home. Grace went to the balcony as usual.
At 4:50, Grace whined. I went to the balcony and saw friends were at the park. We raced down to meet Abby and Jonah. Jonah left as we came in. Abby was energetic for a few minutes. Then things calmed down. After a few minutes, Betsy came up with a bag of french fries from Wendy’s.
Betsy shared some with Grace, Abby, and me. After ten minutes, we downed the treat and went home. When Grace came in, she drank her water bowl dry. I told her to wait. She did. I filled her bowl and she finished her drink.
At 5:55, Grace barked a few times. I started to get up as Grace looked at me through the window. Grace stopped. Betsy commented that Grace is well-trained. At 6:00, Grace stretched off of the lounge chair. I let her in. Grace looked at her empty bowl. I promptly filled her bowl with her supper. Grace polished it off presently and lay under the dining room table. After ten minutes, Grace went to her perch to watch the dreary rain out the window.
At 6:15, I went to the kitchen and pulled out a piece of chocolate. Grace marched into the kitchen looking for a little something. I gave her the crumbs from the doggy treat bag followed by the last doggy treat. I put the empty cardboard box in her toy box.
When she finished her treat, Grace went to her toy box, retrieved the empty cardboard box, brought it to me, and did the chomp-chomp. I threw the box for her to fetch. After a few throws, Grace shredded it. I joked to Betsy that was Grace’s way of telling me what she would do to any dog that tries to hurt me again.
At 6:20, Grace threw down the large Kong. I gave her small one. She did it two more times. I gave her two more small Kongs. Grace wanted more. I told her to wait. I gave her some mozzarella cheese. She then waited next to me as I ate.
I gave her scraps from the chicken legs that we had for supper. I also let her clean off my plate. At 7:15, Grace wanted more. Grace went through her battery of tricks. When she finished, I gave her a half cup of duck food. When she finished, she drank her bowl dry again. I refiled it, but Grace went on to the balcony.
At 8:00, Grace returned inside, lay outside the kitchen, and took a nap.
8:55 up out
9:05 home, balcony. I went to bed.
Tuesday
At 4:00, the alarm clock sounded to allow Betsy to look at the blood moon. It must have been cloudy though because she returned to bed. Grace was sleeping on her back on the sofa. At 6:40, the alarm clock sounded again. Grace was sleeping in her bed. There we did tummy rubs and kisses. Grace responded with lots of yawns and moans.
It was pouring down rain. After she saw it, Grace curled up in the chair. By 7:15, the rain had ended. I took an umbrella anyway, but didn’t need it. I also took a ball for playing fetch. Grace went to the park. I gave her the ball and then went out to freshen up the water in the pail. Abby came out briefly, but stayed away from the park.
A few minutes after I returned with the water, Grace moved on. She took her usual route. She found something to eat sticking to the pavement near one of the dog waste stations. One worker gathered there commented on Grace not knowing what she was eating. I told him she finds all sorts of things and that she even likes coffee. He said he needed the coffee, but will bring her something some future morning.
Grace moved on. After going through the gate at Grace Woods, I had her practice sit, stay, and come. The first time was good. The second, she was not as responsive but eventually did complete the commands. I removed her harness and told her “Okay.”
Strange Animal
She ran quickly into the woods and down to the bridge. About half way across, she noticed something strange in the road. She apporoached it cautiously, keeping her distance. It was a box turtle. Grace moved on. On the other side of the bridge, she saw another one but was less interested in that one.
The lower gate around the lake was closed due to wet conditions. Grace went into the park and headed down along the lake shore as I stayed on the Greenway. She went to Grace Thicket and then up to Grace hill. She was clearly on the track of something.
The Herd
She went down the hill to the meadow and up to the terrace road on the other side. She then returned to look out from Grace hill. Suddenly, she saw coming from the other side a herd of dear. There were about two small adults and four young. None of the young had spots, but they were small — about the height of a tall dog.
Grace tore off after them. She ran down to the meadow near the river, around the dam opening, and up the other side to the grassy area. She chased the deer until they went under the fence at the drainage area near the Greenway entrance. In the process, she almost corralled the last deer along the fence.
Grace came back after her run. She was tired but proud of herself having flushed out the deer and chased them away. I tried throwing the ball for her to fetch, but she wasn’t interested. After a few more minutes on the hill, Grace went down to Grace Beach. There she had a drink of water, fetched a stick in the water a few times, chewed on logs, and played fetch with the ball briefly along the shore.
Squirrel Chase
After about twenty minutes at the beach, Grace moved on. I knew what she had in mind. It was time to chase squirrels. She went down the Greenway toward Squirrel Run. Just after the first walk back up to the apartments, Grace found her first little furry friend to chase. She barked at it as it ran up a tree to safety.
Grace met Kiko along the way really wasn’t interested in socializing. Her search for squirrels continued as she pressed on. As we approached the first highway overpass, I called her back. She had just run into the woods to the left. As I turned, she followed and then ran ahead.
As we approached the second entrance to the apartments, Grace tuned up early to the gravel path that leads to the Weston One parking lot. I began whistling for her to return. She ignored me. She ran into White Cat Woods, past the car wash to the hill past the apartment main-entrance area.
I went to the dog park and whistled for her from there. That captured her imagination, and she came running. Once inside, Grace lay on the wood-chip floor and rested. She was safe. After fifteen minutes of resting, we left for home.
When we returned home at 9:20, Grace went to the balcony. Fifteen minutes later, she came inside through the open balcony door and glanced at her empty bowl. I immediately got up and filled it with her breakfast. When she finished, Grace curled up in her chair for a nap. At 10:55, Grace got up, went out the open balcony door to the lounge chair. There, she rested and watched in the pleasant but dreary morning.
At 11:30, Grace returned to the chair — napping some more. Suddenly at 12:20, she got out of the chair and moved her head in different directions sharply. She must have seen a flying insect. After a minute, she moved on and went to her perch.
I took Grace running with me at 1:15. We stopped off at the park to meet with Jack. They didn’t play. They just hung out with each other. After fifteen minutes, we moved on. As I headed for Weston, I could tell Grace was going to be a problem. I turned and took her back. She went to the balcony. Then I went running on my own.
When I returned home at 2:45, Grace was on her perch. She watched as I prepared food. When I was about done, she moved to beneath the dining room table. As I sat down to eat she softly licked my leg. When her duck food and scrambled egg cooled, I gave it to her as I finished up my meal. When she finished, Grace went to the balcony.
At 3:45, I went downstairs to clean the interior of my car. Grace watched from the balcony and barked at the black Poodle that always bothers her. When I finished, I returned to find Grace still on the balcony. As I prepared and ate a sandwich, Grace moved to her perch.
At 4:30, I went back down to vacuum the interior. Twenty minutes later, Grace was still on her perch. I came in to get some cleaning materials. At 5:00, when headed down to clean the interior, there was Abby in the park. I thought about interrupting my work but decided against it.
When I finished, at 5:30, I found Betsy and Grace munching on fresh pizza that Betsy picked up on the way home from work. I shared some of my pizza with Grace as she sat next to me. Then Betsy fed Grace her supper. When she finished, Grace wanted more.
I called her into the bathroom for a shower since she had been swimming in the lake earlier in the day. At 5:50, the phone rang as I was waiting for the water to warm. I stopped the water and answered the phone. After a fifteen-minute call, I returned to find Grace lying on the living room floor watching the bathroom doorway.
I called Grace into the bathroom again and this time Grace was able to have her shower. When she finished, Betsy gave her a doggie treat.
Sundowning
Grace was definitely sundowning. Betsy tried to play fetch with her and considered taking Grace outside, but that wasn’t what she wanted to do. At 6:30 she grouched at me. I told her to wait. Grace went out on the balcony and came in a few minutes later.
Finally, at 7:15, I took Grace through her tricks and followed up with a half cup of duck food. Ten minutes later, she threw her Kong on the floor. I prepared a small Kong for her. Ten minutes later, I gave her another. Then she threw her Kong down again. I told her to wait.
Grace lay at Betsy’s feet as she patiently waited. At 8:00, I gave Grace another small Kong and an empty peanut butter jar. Ten minutes later Betsy took Grace out for her last walk of the night.
Ten minutes later they returned.
Betsy began running the vacuum cleaner, and Grace took refuge on the balcony. At 9:00, Betsy turned off the vacuum cleaner for a moment. Grace asked to come in. I let her in, and she went to the chair to curl up for the night. Altough Betsy resumed vacuuming in the other room, Grace was content to settle in for the night.
Wednesday
At 4:00, I found Grace in bed on her back. She may have been asleep and sensed me, or lying awake. I did a very brief and gentle tummy rub and stroked her face gently before returning to bed.
At 6:50 when I got up, Grace and I greeted briefly as she sat at the balcony door. Grace went out for ten minutes into the clear cold morning. When she came in, Betsy applied topical flea medicine. I then took Grace out for her morning activity. Her first stop was the park. There she met Abby, and they started to mix it up immediately. A few minutes later, Zeke and Reggie joined the fun.
Grace was on her guard with Zeke. She took refuge beneath the bench and did not hesitate to show her teeth to him. Strangely, when she stood next to Zeke, she did that lapping of his face that she used to do more frequently when she was younger.
After ten minutes, Zeke and Reggie left. Grace and Abby mixed it up a few minutes more, but Grace was about done. She went to the gate. I tried to delay so she could get some more play in, but she was ready to go.
Unusually Short Outing
At 7:25, Grace and Abby left the park. Grace had hoped to take her usual route, but I didn’t have time. When she tried to go up Clump Grass Hill, I redirected her to stay down. She met Olivia and Rascal on the way, but they had little interaction.
As we headed between the pool and Grace Weeds, Grace hoped we would continue to the other Greenway entrance. She was disappointed again though. I took her through the parking lot and to the back entrance of our building.
When we returned home, Grace went to the balcony. I cleaned out her bowls, gave her fresh water, put out fresh water. Grace was watching through the window. When I finished, she came in, ate her breakfast, and went to her perch for a nap.
Ten minutes later, I told Grace good-bye and left for a doctor’s appointment. When I returned home at 9:50, Grace was in the chair. I greeted her and gave her a treat. While she was content enough, she was not worn out as usual. As she looked at me from across the room, it was almost as if she was saying that I owed her more time outside. I told her to wait until it warmed up.
At 10:25, Grace got up and went out to experience the 43-degree sunny outdoors in the balcony lounge chair. A little after noon, I went out to the kitchen to prepare some food. After about ten minutes, I could see a couple of eyes fixed on me through the balcony window.
At 12:30, her duck food and scrambled egg had cooled sufficiently. I put it out for her. Grace came in immediately and then moved next to me to get her portion of toast. After about five minutes, I fed her a small piece. When she finished, Grace lay on her side under the dining room table for some serious napping.
At 1:55, Grace went to her perch. I opened the window for her. An hour later, she moved back under the dining room table to lie there and keep a closer eye on me seated on her sofa. At 3:25, Grace yawned as she walked across the living room toward the balcony. I let her out, and she got up on the lounge chair to watch activity below in the shade of the bright afternoon sunlight.
At 3:45, I took Grace out for a run. When we returned at 4:55, Grace went to the balcony. She came in at 5:25 and threw down her Kong. Grace was ready for her supper. I filled her bowl. Grace ate her supper, took a drink of water, and curled up by the balcony door.
At 6:15, Grace spotted friends at the park. She ran down. On the way, Finn 2 was already leaving. Abby played with her for about fifteen minutes and left. Grace played fetch for another fifteen minutes before Bones came in. They didn’t play together. Instead, Grace focused on playing with her toss toy. Bones stayed about ten minutes before leaving.
Shortly after Bones left, Betsy returned home. We walked down to meet her. She brought some french fries from Wendy’s. Grace sat next to me on the sofa with the munhies while I shared mine with her. When she finished, Grace curled up in the chair.
At 8:40, I took Grace out for the last time. I commented to Betsy that Grace didn’t sundown all evening. She speculated that perhaps it was the topical flea medicine that she applied in the morning. I told her that the lack of sundowning was the only behavior that changed from usual. Grace did a bit more sniffing than usual. When she returned at 9:00, she curled up on her sofa for the night.
Thursday
When I got up at 6:30, Grace was lying in her bed as she and Betsy were exchanging enthusiastic morning greetings. As I walked by, Grace motioned that I should greet her too. We did tummy rubs and kisses. She then went out on the balcony to watch in the 34-degree clear morning.
I had to wear a winter coat and take the car keys with me. The car windows were frosted up. I turned on the car and defrosters. We then went by the park to take care of business. At about 6:55, we went to the park as Abby was entering.
The park had a fresh, thick load of wood chips applied the day before. It made the grounds much less muddy and much more appealing. Grace and Abby played for about ten minutes. I went back to the car, turned off the ignition, and returned to the park. Abby left at about 7:15. Grace played with her flying squirrel for about fifteen minutes before she also left.
Grace took her normal route, but spent more time than usual sniffing Clump Grass Hill. She also scavenged at the parking lot just before the gate to Grace Woods. Eventually Grace went through the gate. I kept her leashed until we made it to the Greenway.
The lower gate was shut, so I figured it was safe to let Grace loose. I threw the flying squirrel a few times, but her heart really wasn’t in it. Grace moved on. Before I knew it, Grace was on the other side of the fence! Thankfully, she didn’t bolt around the lake. I noticed there was a spot beneath the fence she could have crawled under. I called her there and she returned to the area on my side of the fence.
Grace traveled along the lake shore and chased two gray herons away from the area. She then found something long dead (perhaps a fish) for a crunchy, chewy snack. She looked very contented munching on her treat while lying in the freshly mowed, lush upper lawn overlooking the sparkling lake.
Grace went up Grace Hill and followed me to the meadow. There she played catch with her toy for about five minutes. I leashed her and we headed on. Grace stopped at the overlook deck for a few minutes and then went down to the shore. Poison ivy was starting to come out, so I had to be careful.
Grace went through the woods back up to the Greenway and to the second path back home. She would have preferred to head on to Squirrel Run, but she grudgingly came along. I realized that Grace is okay with open stairs, but not with ones that turn. She never knows whether or not she will be met by a vicious dog coming around the bend.
At 9:00, when we returned home, I took Grace’s leash and collar and put them in the washing machine. I wiped Grace down with some paper towels to remove any poison ivy oil she may have on her from brushing up against the new growth. When I finished, Grace went out on the balcony.
At 9:30, when she came in, I washed her bowl, gave Grace her breakfast, and as she ate, gave her fresh water. When she finished eating, Grace went to the balcony lounge chair for a morning nap in the sunshine.
At 10:40, Grace came in and got up in the chair for a nap. Five minutes later she got down and had a long drink of water. When she finished, she went bak to the chair. At 11:10, Grace was in dreamland.
When I came back in the room a half hour later, Grace was awake. I went over to her, petted her face, and told her we would be leaving soon. At 11:55 I invited Grace to go for a ride with me. She declined. I propped the balcony door open for her in case she wanted to go out.
When I returned at 2:15 Grace was lying on the floor outside the kitchen. The leaf blowers were making noise. That may have had something to do with it. When I came in I told her “Good bye-bye” and told her I would give her a treat. I gave her a near-empty ice cream container. While she waited, drool streamed out of her mouth. When she finished, Grace went to her perch.
I transferred some food from her large bag to the small one. Grace hopped down from her perch and watched me. After I emptied the large bag. I opened a new large bag to finish filling the small one. Grace watched. I intentionally let a few pieces fall with each scoop. When I finished, I gave her a small bowl.
Grace stayed there as I prepared for a trip — including taking the car down to the car wash. When I returned home at 4:30, Grace was still on her perch. I made a sandwich while Grace watched for Betsy’s return. At 4:50, Grace whined, got down, and headed for the foyer. Betsy was home and coming up the stairs. Grace went out in the hall to meet her. Betsy gave her a royal greeting and Grace returned the same.
At 5:15, Grace grouched about not having her supper. I gave her some. Then waited next to me as I ate some chicken drumsticks. When I finished, I gave her the scraps and some meat from them in a bowl. She polished that off in short order.
At 5:30, I took Grace out as I checked the mail. While out, Abby showed up. It was sunny and in the mid-sixties. Grace and Abby wrestled for about fifteen minutes. Then the new female dog Poodle/Lab mix came in. It has a bit of a problem playing with Grace despite Grace’s many attempts to calm the dog. When it came up to me and I petted it, Grace came up and licked my face. She doesn’t like it when I show any affection to other dogs.
That dog left after about ten minutes, but Oliva came followed by Jonah. Grace really did not mix it up with them either, but the dogs did enjoy hanging out with each other. Jonah wanted to mount Grace. She was very tolerant with him despite his many advances. She didn’t even snap at him.
When we came home at 7:00, Grace went to the balcony. At 8:10, she whined softly at the door. I let her in and she curled up on the sofa.
Friday
5:00 Grace was on her her perch and was ready to go. I greeted her briefly and went back to bed. When I got up at 6:30, she was still on her perch. I told her good morning. Ten minutes later, I took Grace out for a short walk. We went past the park and through the main building breezeway. We walked past the pool, down the stairs and back home. As we packed, Grace could tell something was different. As I loaded up the car, Grace went to her perch to watch. I could see her watching as I looked up at her window from the parking lot. She seemed concerned. It was very cute. Although her friend Abby showed up at the park at 7:00, I couldn’t take her to play this time.
At 7:30, Grace had her breakfast. Twenty minutes later, we left the house with our last load and, of course with Grace. Grace settled into the back seat — covered by the new dog blanket that Betsy had recently purchased. It was cute to see her sit and look out the window and remember how she was only half as tall our her first trip to Asheville.
At 10:15, we stopped at the Statesville McDonald’s restaurant for some breakfast. Grace always perks up when we stop at fast food restaurants. She was ready for a nice snack. We each gave her some of our scrambled egg, sausage, and hash brown breakfasts. This is the one of the things that Grace loves about travelling. Grace loves fast food!
After about a half hour, we moved on, and Grace settled in for the second half of our trip. Grace rested in various positions and sat up a number of times to look out the window.
We arrived at Brian Center at 1:00. Grace attracted loving attention from dog-loving staff and residents. After a brief visit with Betsy’s mom, she went outside. She walked toward town and returned 30 minutes later. She came to Betsy’s mom’s room and lay at our feet for about ten minutes. Grace then let me know it was time to go.
As we approached the car, I decided to stop and give Grace a half cup of her food for lunch. After she polished that off and had a drink, she headed off for her next adventure.
This time, she went the other direction and took me to the cemetery to explore there. Grace followed her nose as she combed the nicely manicured grounds for scents. Suddenly at 2:50, Grace started barking. In the adjacent property across the fence was a small herd of horses. This was Grace’s first close encounter with a horse. After I calmed her, Grace stopped barking.
Next, Grace saw goats on the same property, and again she barked. As we walked back by the horses, we were within ten feet of them. We could hear their characteristic snorting sounds. Grace barked again. I calmed her again, and we moved on.
Then suddenly, Grace barked again. At first I didn’t see it. Then I did. It was a white animal, but not a cat. Brevard is famous for its white squirrels. That’s what she saw. After a minute, Grace again calmed down, and we returned to Brian Center.
The time was 3:30 when we made it to the room. First, Grace played tug and fetch. Forty minutes later, she lay on her side on the cool linoleum tile floor. After a twenty-minute nap, Grace was ready to go. We took Grace and went into town for a bite to eat. Betsy went into Ingles to make a salad at the salad bar. While Betsy was inside, Grace was outside scavenging. She hit the jackpot. There on the pavement was a complete Wendy’s hamburger.
When Betsy finished, we returned to the car and drove to the hotel. Grace and I made it to the room at 5:10. I gave Grace her supper. When she finished, Grace jumped up into bed. At 5:30, Betsy came in, and I went downstairs to get something from the car. When I returned, Betsy told me she had just fed Grace supper. That was her second within a few minutes.
Five minutes later, I left to get dinner at Fish Camp. When I returned, at 6:30, I met Grace in bed who greeted me with enthusiastic kisses. I had brought a small piece of a hush puppy and gave it to her. She then lay on her side until we took her out for a trip back to Bryan Center a few minutes later.
At 7:00, we returned to Betsy’s mom’s room. Grace watched intently as Betsy assisted her mom with dental hygiene. Then Grace played tug with me as she worked through her sundowning time. By 7:55, Grace was about ready to pack it in for the day. She lay on her side and prepared for sleep.
At 8:10, we left. Fifteen minutes later, when we returned to the hotel, they had fresh cookies set out for the guests. Grace wanted one. We gave her a dental chew instead. When she finished, Grace lay in the bed waiting for us to turn out the lights. At 10:00, we finally did.
Saturday April 19, 2014
I slept in the bed by the window because Grace took up too much room in the one by the door. In the middle of the night, I passed her awake and rubbed her tummy a few times. At 7:00, Grace whimpered softly. It was time to get up.
I took her out in the light rain. The wet grounds were getting my shoes wet. At 7:20, I took Grace back and changed my shoes. Grace was a trooper as always. After I changed to waterproof shoes, we resumed our walk. Grace took me around the back of the building and straight out the road next to Lowe’s. At 8:10, Betsy called. She had finished her breakfast, was in the room, and was ready to switch off with Grace.
When Grace returned at 8:20, she was greeted with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. When she finished that snack, Betsy gave Grace a smaller portion of her regular food. I went downstairs to eat my breakfast. When Grace passed the dining room on the way back outside, she just had to greet me before heading out. After we exchanged pleasantries, Betsy took her back outside, and I resumed my meal.
When they returned twenty minutes later, Grace couldn’t pass by without giving me lavish kisses. Betsy took Grace to the room, and I finished my breakfast. When I returned to the room at 9:00, Grace was squeezed between a chair and the wall in the corner. She looked very uncomfortable and almost as if she didn’t know where she should go. Betsy went downstairs to see if she could use the computer downstairs.
I moved the chair to give her more room. A few minutes later, I moved the other chair by the window and invited her up there. It was a bit small, but she got up and was able to curl up and get comfortable there. After a half hour, Grace got down and went to the other chair next to the open window. She enjoyed the fresh air and the view. She stayed there until we left later in the morning.
At 11:30, we arrived at Torre’s Place. After greeting Betsy’s dad, Grace made herself at home outside — safe to roam in the fenced-in area. She had a contest with a crow. Betsy said she thought the crow was taunting her as it perched itself safely out of range in a branch overhanging the fenced-in area. Eventually though, Grace barked the bird away.
After we stayed there for an hour, lunch came for Betsy’s dad. Suddenly, Grace perked up and became his best friend — sitting next to him and watching his every move. At 12:45, when I returned with a half cup of Grace’s food for lunch, Grace was eating from Betsy’s dad’s plate. She happily and methodically polished off both. Grace then went outside to hang out near the open door.
At 2:00, Betsy came in with food from Wendy’s. Grace enjoyed some of my hamburger and french fries. When we finished, we moved on to see Betsy’s mom.
We arrived at Bryan Center at 2:30. Grace and I stood outside the cafeteria where the pre-Easter service was being held. As the people were singing, Grace whined and talked — almost as if she was singing along. A staff member invited us in. Grace wanted to go in and be with Betsy and her mom.
Grace and I went in. She made it through the whole service without making a disturbance. While she attended a Christmas service that we did, she didn’t make it through it. I’ll mark this as a milestone.
When the hour service ended, Grace went back to the room. As she looked in, Grace was startled and barked. There was a little dog there. I turned and took Grace to the car in the heavy rain. Grace happily settled into the back seat at 3:30.
After about forty minutes, Betsy joined us. We drove off and stopped at a drive-in to get some fried onion rings. We took some to Torre’s place to share with Betsy’s dad. He was napping, so we moved on to a grocery store, a drugstore, and another grocery store. Grace stayed patiently and obediently in the back seat the whole time.
We returned back to the hotel at 6:00. There we met two four-year-old Labrador Retrievers. The male named Trigger and the female Molly were both friendly and playful. Molly had a tail wag just like Grace’s mama and was also sweet like her. Unfortunately, they were tired from running all afternoon.
I left Grace off her leash to play with new friends. Grace bolted the other way! I called her back. Grace came immediately. Unfortunately, her friends were ready to go to their room for a nap. Grace went inside ours and had her supper.
She and Betsy interacted a bit, and Grace tried to occupy herself. Grace finally let me know she wanted more to eat. At 6:40, I gave her another half cup of her food. Ten minutes later, Grace wanted to play. She gave me the chomp-chomp — which means, “Pay attention to me.” After fifteen minutes of hotel floor shortstop, I was interrupted for a moment. Grace was content to lie on her side at the foot of the bed and take an after-dinner nap.
At 8:15, Grace got up and grouched. She was correct. It was time to go out for her last walk. Betsy took her but returned five minutes later complaining that she couldn’t stay out long because it was raining. Grace settled in for some more sleep on the floor. At 9:30, as I moved her leash, Grace came to me. I took her out for another last walk. This time, she quickly did what was necessary. When we returned to the room ten minutes later, Grace joined me in the bed by the window for the night.