Peanut and Riley

I've been dogsitting this week, and it's always an adventure and a test of patience. My family didn't have a dog after my Kindergarten year. Before that, the dog was my brother's dog. Even though its name was Happy, I didn't like to get near it because it was bigger than me and barked. I have a distinct memory of waking up late on a Saturday morning and finding no one in my house. I went outside and the dog was out of its pen because someone was mowing the pen. I was not a happy child that morning.

Anyway, back to the present. The dogs I'm sitting for are nowhere near as big as Happy was (he died sometime while I was in middle school at my grandma's house in North Carolina). Also I've conquered my fear of dogs for the most part.

Peanut is a poodle. He gets really excited when I head toward the couch.

He's a bit older so he sleeps quite a bit. A little old man without the snores.

This is Riley's favorite spot. Even though he doesn't live in this house on a regular basis, this is his favorite spot.

I brought some laundry over to wash. He claimed this blanket as his own.

For the most part, they are good dogs. They do like to bark at  cats incessantly in the yard, and they beg for my food like they haven't eaten for days. I enjoy their cuddles and kisses though.

Tick Tock

Sometimes my brain works in strange ways. The following is an excerpt of what it's like sometimes.
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Tick tock tick tock. I hear the clock go but I have no idea if that was the 28^th tick or the 2800^th. The blank page glares back at me like a mother scolding her disobedient child. Tick tock tick tock.  I hear the clock go. Change scene the smell of rotting fruit and dirty laundry over powers me taking me to a distant memory where I was 14 years old getting shoved to the ground by my peers again after P.E. class because to them I don’t belong. Tick tock tick tock. I hear the clock go. Change scene the brown walls swallow me in like Jonah and the whale then spits me back out because even the walls can’t stand me. Tick tock tick tock. I hear the clock go. Change scene I feel the hug of my sweatshirt engulf me and now I am back at the house in the same room where many nights of unwanted hugs overwhelmed me. Tick tock tick tock. I hear the clock go. Change scene the scolding mother, change scene the ground my friend, change scene brown walls, change scene change scene change scene. Tick tock tick tock. I hear the clock go. Finally I look up and see that 18000 ticks have gone by. Five hours yet nothing has changed in the reality outside of me. Tick tock tick tock. I hear the clock go.  Sirens blare, people talk over each other, cars screech and then I find myself under my bed curled up in a ball. 21600 ticks gone now. Tick tock tick tock. I hear the clock go. Change scene my eyes are heavy now, the blank page is dark now, the brown walls are no longer hungry, the hug lingers the longest but finally it goes away too. Tick tock tick tock I hear the clock go softer and softer as I drift off to sleep. 23400 ticks gone in all.