The writing life can be a lonely one. That isn’t to say it’s an unsocial one. I know many writers who, due to the unpredictable income of the writing life, hold down full time jobs. Writers younger than myself juggle jobs with an active family life.. some also have school. So, not all writers become a hermit like unto myself.
Don’t get me wrong.. I like people. And with certain limitations I like doing social things.. especially the family oriented ones. I even do lunch with the gals from time to time. But as an empty nester, married to an MPO director with doctor’s hours, who’s only been in town a few years, I’m slow to make friends and, bottom line, I do have reclusive tendencies.
In other words: It would be safe to say that all the pages in my address book are far from being full. Of those sparsely filled pages, most entries are that of family… who are the closest friends I have. A small percentage are professional and business entries.. and then maybe a dozen or less social ones.. Friends are a premium. I know a lot of people with which I’m friendly.. but real friends.. best friends if you will.. are not only few and far between.. but, due to my solitary leanings, end up being people who either understand and can work with my on again-off again social life, or who are so busy themselves they don’t notice the lack of my presence in their lives! In other words, high maintenance relationships are a real challenge for me.. and I usually do poorly at them..
..... And then there’s Ella.
Ella is a 7 month old Golden Lab/Vizila mix. Energy is her middle name.. which must mean that her official name is Ella Energy Enchanted now that I think about it.. When we adopted her from the Humane Society, a few weeks ago, she came with the name Natalie. We knew that wasn’t going to work before we even had her out of the pen!
A few hundred dollars later (puppies take almost as much gear as a baby these days!) we arrived home with my new best friend and settled in for our first evening at home. EX Man’s mom who was visiting from California, loves to watch movies. EX Man loves to show off the flat screen over the fireplace, mom-in-law had never seen Ella Enchanted.. …you can see where this is going.. right?
EX Man’s first suggestion was that we give our puppy the name Ella of Frell. This had to be ruled out immediately since, two years ago, K-girl dubbed my computer with that tag. Her dad, otherwise known as I.T. Guy, had just replaced our hard drive and was asking me what I wanted to title the new brain. Voila!.. there was my little decorating assistant ready to supply an identity far more gentle, not to mention regal, than what I frequently and heretofore had used. The computer and I are on precarious terms as it is.. I dare not confuse it with the dog!
So Ella Enchanted is was.. and Ella Energy Enchanted is it.. Talk about a high maintenance friendship.. I sometimes have to wonder what I was thinking to take on a puppy just as I determined to give a writing career another try.
While it’s been suggested that Ella is full grown at 8 months, you should check out her paws. I seriously have my doubts! But a girl can hope! At 45 pounds, on a dead run she can knock you over.. well just about.. Not that she means to.. she just thinks you’re another puppy who likes to romp around as much as she does. I’m thinking of investing in football gear.. you know.. the stuff those NFL guys wear to keep those big fullbacks from breaking bones when they take ya down.
Chew!… gracious this girl can chew…. I think we are fortunate that she is enamored ( for the most part) with the plethora of chew toys and snacks we keep on hand. Shortly after getting Ella home I read where puppies have two chewing periods in life.. the second one starting at about 7 months.. We immediately went out and purchased another plethora! Still, we have a wicker chair that has a slight boo-boo, and have quickly learned that plastic planters in the yard are no longer feasible. This is how we came to learn that spray bottles filled with water at all times, dispersed about the house.. are excellent deterrents to bad behavior. (I am hopeful that EX Man doesn’t get any ideas where I am concerned.)
I will also sing the praises of crates. As we left the Humane Society, we were gifted with tags, as well as a collar and leash of our choice. I chose poorly. Reeling in a 60 pound tuna on the open sea would be easier! But on the plus side we also were given an abundance of good ideas and info on integrating a puppy into our lives. Crate training was one of these suggestions. It’s the best $90 invest we’ve made.
Perhaps the previous owners of Triple E had done some crate training with her. We’ll never know. She came to us via a city far to the south with no pre-history. But her crate is her safe room.. She insists on sleeping there at night. She goes there when she knows she’s been naughty and pouts.. (She’s quite the dramatic pouter.. so she fits right in with several members of the family, who shall remain nameless) Best of all, when, on the fifth day of her life with us, Ella decided to stop being the perfect dog and chose indoor plumbing to outdoor, the crate was the tool that helped us change that idea in just 3 days. Add to this the idea that Ella will be traveling a lot with us (crates are far safer than letting her take over the back seat). …and you can see why we are big advocates of the ol’ crate.
Kongs are the other deal makers. And I’m not referring to the big apes. Filled with ground dog food and then frozen for longer lasting chew sessions, or slathered with peanut butter, which makes for a humorous round of silliness from Ella, these doggie toys are real life saver when the muse is collaborating with me and that latest idea has just got to get onto paper. http://www.petmountain.com/product/chew-toys/105306/kong-company-red-kong.html
Regardless of the challenges Ella presents. I wouldn’t hesitate to call her my New Best Friend. Our routine games of fetch and “where’s the kong”, help me ‘step away from the computer’ and get the exercise this old body so badly needs. She makes me laugh countless times throughout the day (I’d have named her Goofy if it were left up to me) And when she is calmed down and in a cuddly mood there’s nothing better than to have her nuzzle up to me. I can scratch her belly, or behind her ears, and it’s all tail waggin' GOOD!
Having read this I am realizing I should perhaps clarify a few things for those of you who are family and/or suspect you are on my best friend list:
- I’m still good for lunches that don’t include playing fetch
- Pouting sessions will still find me a good listener but I fear I haven’t a crate in your size should you feel the need for one
- Please don’t feel the need to provide me with a crate when I pout
- You won’t be getting kongs for Christmas unless you put in your order now
- Please don’t compare my yeast rolls to Ella’s chew toys.. Bread making is still a new experience for me.
- While I think Ella is the most beautiful puppy ever, you all need to know you are truly more beautiful than you realize... and this hermit oriented would-be writer wouldn't want to be without any of her best friends.. whether you can wag your tail or not.
Don’t get me wrong.. I like people. And with certain limitations I like doing social things.. especially the family oriented ones. I even do lunch with the gals from time to time. But as an empty nester, married to an MPO director with doctor’s hours, who’s only been in town a few years, I’m slow to make friends and, bottom line, I do have reclusive tendencies.
In other words: It would be safe to say that all the pages in my address book are far from being full. Of those sparsely filled pages, most entries are that of family… who are the closest friends I have. A small percentage are professional and business entries.. and then maybe a dozen or less social ones.. Friends are a premium. I know a lot of people with which I’m friendly.. but real friends.. best friends if you will.. are not only few and far between.. but, due to my solitary leanings, end up being people who either understand and can work with my on again-off again social life, or who are so busy themselves they don’t notice the lack of my presence in their lives! In other words, high maintenance relationships are a real challenge for me.. and I usually do poorly at them..
..... And then there’s Ella.
Ella is a 7 month old Golden Lab/Vizila mix. Energy is her middle name.. which must mean that her official name is Ella Energy Enchanted now that I think about it.. When we adopted her from the Humane Society, a few weeks ago, she came with the name Natalie. We knew that wasn’t going to work before we even had her out of the pen!
A few hundred dollars later (puppies take almost as much gear as a baby these days!) we arrived home with my new best friend and settled in for our first evening at home. EX Man’s mom who was visiting from California, loves to watch movies. EX Man loves to show off the flat screen over the fireplace, mom-in-law had never seen Ella Enchanted.. …you can see where this is going.. right?
EX Man’s first suggestion was that we give our puppy the name Ella of Frell. This had to be ruled out immediately since, two years ago, K-girl dubbed my computer with that tag. Her dad, otherwise known as I.T. Guy, had just replaced our hard drive and was asking me what I wanted to title the new brain. Voila!.. there was my little decorating assistant ready to supply an identity far more gentle, not to mention regal, than what I frequently and heretofore had used. The computer and I are on precarious terms as it is.. I dare not confuse it with the dog!
So Ella Enchanted is was.. and Ella Energy Enchanted is it.. Talk about a high maintenance friendship.. I sometimes have to wonder what I was thinking to take on a puppy just as I determined to give a writing career another try.
While it’s been suggested that Ella is full grown at 8 months, you should check out her paws. I seriously have my doubts! But a girl can hope! At 45 pounds, on a dead run she can knock you over.. well just about.. Not that she means to.. she just thinks you’re another puppy who likes to romp around as much as she does. I’m thinking of investing in football gear.. you know.. the stuff those NFL guys wear to keep those big fullbacks from breaking bones when they take ya down.
Chew!… gracious this girl can chew…. I think we are fortunate that she is enamored ( for the most part) with the plethora of chew toys and snacks we keep on hand. Shortly after getting Ella home I read where puppies have two chewing periods in life.. the second one starting at about 7 months.. We immediately went out and purchased another plethora! Still, we have a wicker chair that has a slight boo-boo, and have quickly learned that plastic planters in the yard are no longer feasible. This is how we came to learn that spray bottles filled with water at all times, dispersed about the house.. are excellent deterrents to bad behavior. (I am hopeful that EX Man doesn’t get any ideas where I am concerned.)
I will also sing the praises of crates. As we left the Humane Society, we were gifted with tags, as well as a collar and leash of our choice. I chose poorly. Reeling in a 60 pound tuna on the open sea would be easier! But on the plus side we also were given an abundance of good ideas and info on integrating a puppy into our lives. Crate training was one of these suggestions. It’s the best $90 invest we’ve made.
Perhaps the previous owners of Triple E had done some crate training with her. We’ll never know. She came to us via a city far to the south with no pre-history. But her crate is her safe room.. She insists on sleeping there at night. She goes there when she knows she’s been naughty and pouts.. (She’s quite the dramatic pouter.. so she fits right in with several members of the family, who shall remain nameless) Best of all, when, on the fifth day of her life with us, Ella decided to stop being the perfect dog and chose indoor plumbing to outdoor, the crate was the tool that helped us change that idea in just 3 days. Add to this the idea that Ella will be traveling a lot with us (crates are far safer than letting her take over the back seat). …and you can see why we are big advocates of the ol’ crate.
Kongs are the other deal makers. And I’m not referring to the big apes. Filled with ground dog food and then frozen for longer lasting chew sessions, or slathered with peanut butter, which makes for a humorous round of silliness from Ella, these doggie toys are real life saver when the muse is collaborating with me and that latest idea has just got to get onto paper. http://www.petmountain.com/product/chew-toys/105306/kong-company-red-kong.html
Regardless of the challenges Ella presents. I wouldn’t hesitate to call her my New Best Friend. Our routine games of fetch and “where’s the kong”, help me ‘step away from the computer’ and get the exercise this old body so badly needs. She makes me laugh countless times throughout the day (I’d have named her Goofy if it were left up to me) And when she is calmed down and in a cuddly mood there’s nothing better than to have her nuzzle up to me. I can scratch her belly, or behind her ears, and it’s all tail waggin' GOOD!
Having read this I am realizing I should perhaps clarify a few things for those of you who are family and/or suspect you are on my best friend list:
- I’m still good for lunches that don’t include playing fetch
- Pouting sessions will still find me a good listener but I fear I haven’t a crate in your size should you feel the need for one
- Please don’t feel the need to provide me with a crate when I pout
- You won’t be getting kongs for Christmas unless you put in your order now
- Please don’t compare my yeast rolls to Ella’s chew toys.. Bread making is still a new experience for me.
- While I think Ella is the most beautiful puppy ever, you all need to know you are truly more beautiful than you realize... and this hermit oriented would-be writer wouldn't want to be without any of her best friends.. whether you can wag your tail or not.
1 comment:
Just a comment or two:
I attended "Triple E" in 5th and 6th grade and never had as much fun as you are having with Ella.
I'm sure I'm not one of those "pouters" you referred to...right? :-( I'm not am I? Oh man this could be devestating.
Keep up the writing! I'm looking forward to your first book with great anticipation.
Love,
E.
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