Saturday, April 23, 2011

How I Like to Spend My Saturdays


by Maureen O. Betita

Nothing terribly exciting here, but let’s see what I can do with this. Well, my regular week is spent with my dog, Bonnie. We get up, I open the computer, she crashed next to me on the couch until she’d finally had enough lazing around. At which point, she begins to paw at me, gaze at me, grab toys and look at me.

There’s a lot of looking at me.

Until I break down and take off. I load her, and my laptop, into the beat-up red Caravan and we head out. The back of van is literally her mobile kennel. Only one row of seats, at the back, and she’s in heaven. We take a walk. Maybe at the bluffs overlooking Montery Bay, maybe at the resort down the road, with a trail that eventually overlooks Monterey Bay…maybe the dog park, surrounded by redwood trees, or the trails at Nisene Marks Park…

Then it’s Starbucks and she crashes in the van while I get my caffeine fix, surf the internet, think about writing – okay, sometimes I actually write. We take another walk after I’ve been a few hours in the café. I’m lucky, the climate is mild, I can leave her in the van, windows open a good few inches, a bowl of water and she’s fine. Until she wants to walk again. She’s got long legs, she likes to walk.

Home. Where I avoid doing housework, watch TV and play on my laptop.

Hey, I never said I slaved at anything! I blog a lot, I play on the Romance Writers Revenge, I write more blogs… I write! Really! Between walking the dog.

And on Saturday? I get to do it all without the dog, taking the other car out. The husband takes the dog and does the walking/running/cycling. And I can sit in Starbucks for hours and hours and hours instead of just hours and hours. Sometimes the husband will join me, Caravan/traveling kennel next to my car in the parking lot. But only for an hour or so.

It’s a good life. For Bonnie. Can’t leave her at home or she’ll destroy everything. Sigh. I love my Saturdays. I love my dog, but Saturdays belong to MEEEEEE!



16 comments:

Maureen said...

BTW, Bonnie enjoys it, too. Daddy takes her on longer walks, sometimes they run and sometimes she gets to race next to his bicycle. Working out makes Bonnie a happy dog!

Kathleen said...

Bonnie looks content and happy. She's a beautiful girl. Life sounds good!

Maureen said...

Bonnie is sometimes a very happy and alert dog. Too often she looks at me like I let her down. I don't run. I don't jog. I don't cycle... But I do let her run off leash where it's safe!

Dog guilt...if I could harness it I could rule the world!

Samantha Gail said...

Oh, what a sweet puppy! I love doggies:)

Stephanie Williams said...

Awww, Bonnie so cuuute, and lucky to have a family like you. She looks does look happy. :)

Maureen said...

Samantha - She's pretty good! A bit on the needy side for a dog her size! 50 pounds trying to get on a lap can be a bit bothersome!

Maureen said...

Stephanie - Save for the puppy dog eyes she casts at me from time to time...I think she is happy!

Stephanie Williams said...

I just saw my comment. Boy, I am tired. Yes, she looks happy. They give you the puppy dog eyes for guilt effect. LOL!

Author Leanne Dyck said...

Thank you for sharing your dog--the beautiful Bonnie--and your day with me. It was fun!

P. Kirby said...

Aw. What a cutie. Lookit her smile!

Maureen said...

She always wants more walking...if anyone is in the area and wants a dog to walk...give me a call!

JM said...

Ha. It's her evil puppy plan. Make you THINK she's energetic. She just wants to go to Starbucks.
Starbucks loves you, don't they? Honestly, if there was one closer than an hour away, I'd be there everyday too.

Maureen said...

JM - Yeah, she sprawls in the van and enjoys watching everyone coming in and out of Starbucks. Though her favorite thing is the gophers on the bluff... ;-)

No, she doesn't get 'em. She just likes to eyeball them. We call it counting gopher noses.

Barbara Elsborg said...

Bonnie looks adorable. We look after our son's miniature doxie - no problem. Went to visit daughter who has flat coated retriever - arrgghgh huge black ball of energy - eats everything, including me, I have bruises on my feet because he likes to step on them and his poops - well the less said the better. Dogs are fun but they are hard work!

Maureen said...

Barbara - Is that the granddog? Oh, what a cute picture!

But yes, Bonnie's favorite annoying thing to do is get too close to poison oak on her walks, then snuggle up to my left leg on the couch... Days later, I get the rash and spend weeks dealing with it!

Rotten dog.

Kate Richards said...

I don't get in here often enough! What a seriously adorable Bonnie, cute!