Sunday Salon...Puppy edition

Mr. Bingley

Weather: overcast and cool, blessedly so. The wind shifted on Thursday and we are now getting the marine air from over the Pacific instead of from the east, south, or north---directions which brought us terrible smoke from forest fires. It was absolutely miserable here earlier in the week because of the poor air quality.

Puppy update: Last week we became dog owners again to Mr. Bingley, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He is now 10 weeks old and a handful. I spent all week playing with, cleaning up after, feeding, and cuddling with our new "baby." I even took him with me to book club since he wasn't comfortable being left alone yet. Fortunately he slept through the discussion. Puppy care update:

Our living room, furniture prearranged to not allow entry by the puppy (and us)

• To my knowledge Bingley's only had one urine accident all week, not bad for a new puppy, but he has decided that our living room is where he wantrns/needs to poop. One day alone he had five poo "accidents." Hence we have rearranged our fuiture so he can no longer get into the living room. neither can we, but that is beside the point. See photo.
• Two cats. Two different reactions to the puppy. Ichi, our old tiger striped cat, has almost abandoned us and the house. We've only seen him a few times since the dog arrived. Demi, our white longhair, has welcomed the dog with limits. She calls the shots.  Rubbing up against the dog one minute, swatting him the next. Bingley jealously watches her as she avoids the floor by hopping from one piece of the furniture to another to avoid him. Pictured: both Demi and Bingley share the couch with me, though the dog is at a safe distance.

Bingley and Demi sleeping next to me but a bit removed from each other.

• Play, play, play, eat fast, sleep. The life of a puppy. Bingley had a big day helping us figure out  the escape hatches in our new fence, by escaping through them. We spent the weekend filling in those holes with rock, gravel, or dirt. It was so fun but exhausting work for a puppy. It was just exhausting for us.

Books read this week:

• Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan---a re-read of a favorite book. Audio.
• Speak: the Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll---Speak is a modern classic, now available as a graphic novel. Print.
• Life Inside My Mind edited by Deborah Burkhart---31 YA authors share their personal struggles with mental illness. Print.

Currently reading:

• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco---this is my Classics Club SPIN book and I confess I am struggling with it, not sure if I will finish it. 55%, print and audio.
• Suite Francaise by Irene Nemorfsky---I have wanted to read this book for years. Finally I am getting to it. Audio, 7%.
• Boots on the Ground by Elizabeth Partridge---America's War in Vietnam. A look at the war through the eyes of soldiers who served there. Print. 10%

Back-to-school: Now that I'm retired I won't be going back to school, so to speak, but I will be going back to babysitting. Tomorrow is my first day back babysitting grandson, Ian, as part of the new school year. Wanna bet I'll be tired at the end of the day? I haven't built up my keep-up-with-a-toddler muscle yet.

Call for Cybils Judging: If you are a book blogger you can apply to be a judge for the Cybils Awards. I participated last year and really enjoyed myself, plus read some fantastic books. If you want to learn more, check out this link. Don't delay. The deadline for signing up is just around the corner.