7 Random Things Including Big Red

Clare from Clare's Sunflower Sky challenged me to write 7 weird/random things about myself. We love the world of blogs and the friends we are making. Clare's blog is really interesting and her dog Moose looks like someone who might really be fun to hang with at the beach.

So here are my 7 things:

1. Turkey. I can still remember my first Thanksgiving. My discovery of TURKEY. I never left the meat platter. It's rich, it's moist, and it's one of the few food items that I really get excited about. Periodically, Mom makes me turkey in the crock pot. Misty and I sit at the door of the kitchen, waiting, waiting, waiting for our special treat. Since Mom is mostly vegetarian, Misty and I have to send deep telepathic nudging messages to Mom to get her to cook for us. And it totally works.

2. Big Red. Big Red is a very large stuffed red dog that Dad bought for me a couple years ago. I have abandoned almost all other toys for Big Red. After dinner, I ask (rather emphatically) for Dad (or Mom if Dad is unavailable, but truth be told, I really prefer Dad for this) to hold Big Red while I (um, how can I say this?) love up Big Red. Ayla has been interfering with this game and it's the one thing that really bugs me about the kid. Big Red is MY love muffin.

3. The Smell of Coffee in the Morning. When the coffee is ready, the morning walk follows. When I see Mom pouring coffee into her travel mug, I know we are going soon which brings me to number 4...

4. Walk. Mom and Dad have taken to just saying "W" so as not to overexcite me with the word, "walk." Come on you guys, I'm 6, you think I don't know how to spell yet? Especially that word. So I now know that they don't say "walk" until they are ready to go. The morning walk is the most important one for me. It doesn't really matter if it is a long or a short one, but I do get extra excited when we turn right instead of left at the end of our street which means we are going for a long one. One of things I really appreciate about Cesar Milan is that he emphasizes the importance of the walk. Everybody needs a nice walk together as a family. It's the best part of every day.

5. Ladies. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am a Ladies Man. Girly, sweet, flocky Bergamascos, especially Aria, make life extra special. We are going to see Aria tomorrow, so I'm chillin' hard on the couch today, saving my precious manly energy in anticipation of the lovin'.

6. Bedtime. Our family has some pretty intense bedtime routines. Mom goes to bed first after containing the kid next to her side of the bed (can you believe she still thinks it's okay to pee inside the house?), then Dad. Then Misty needs to lay on Dad's chest to claim him. Then I ask very politely if I may join the bed, and I jump onto the foot of the bed and curl up to rest. Then Anna comes creeping in to find the coziest spot to snuggle. And we all relax in contemplative family joy as we gently find our way to sleep. After I rest a bit and clean myself, I leave the bed. A sheepdog needs to protect the family at night, so I sleep in the doorway. Of course.

7. Couch. Some *dogs* are not even allowed on couches, but I am no ordinary canine. It started as a fluke, snuggling on Dad's couch when Mom and Dad were dating. And gradually, the right side of the couch became mine. They put some blankets on my spot to make it extra cozy I guess. I'm a little irritated by it, but they have been letting the kid up there with me. She really likes to snuggle up against me, and I think I'm starting to like it a little bit.

Thanks to Clare for some new inspiration for writing!