Wednesday, August 14, 2019

A Tiny House Guest

The older you get, unless you have accumulated millions of dollars, the less important you are to the lives of others. I used to get grandchildren for a week each over the summer. It saved the parents money on camp and it gave me lots of hobbies and crafts opportunities with them. While the cooking part was a bit of a challenge, all else was exhaustingly marvelous.

Then they grew and are now on the cusp or past the cusp of crossing into teenagedom and their days are filled and super filled. The past two and a half weeks they have been exploring Scotland, Ireland, and Paris with their parents and another family. The trip comes to an end in a few days. I have seen the photos on Facebook and am amazed at how much they have crammed into this vacation.  Everything from castles in Scotland to Harry Potter to bicycling around the Louvre.  A visit with grandma is pretty dull!


I was not exactly forgotten.  Someone needed me it seems.



He gets me up and out of the house in the mornings.  We go together to the end of the driveway and bark at deer.





They ignore him.

Since he is left in a small cage most of his days when his owners are back (except for a mid-day dog walker), he seems a bit lost having the run of the house.  Thus far his only bad habit is licking the cushions wherever he sits!

We walk him on a leash but do let him out of the house with us leash-less once in a while and he pretty much hangs out nearby.  A very easy guest.  He does disappear when I bring out the mop or vacuum cleaner, though.  Not sure what that is all about.





19 comments:

  1. If that poor thing has to spend his life in a cage, why not suggest he go to day camp. Love the red chair, love the deer too.
    I need you.

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  2. That is the cutest dog! I miss the times when we had the grandkids for a week or so but it's also rewarding to see them building their own lives

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  3. my youngest grandchild is 18 and just graduated from high school. this is the first summer I didn't have at least one of the four for a week. the twins in college facetime me or text me quite often though. the grandboy, or rather now young man, drops by occasionally.

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  4. Oh, I love that peek out of the chair picture. Such a citue! :-)

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  5. My granddaughter is 18 and has a boyfriend now., with whom I simply cannot compete. I don't see so much of her anymore. My 12 year old grandson likes a week long visit more than once a summer but he starts to miss time with his friends and he is about to start middle school. I hope he doesn't change too much for a long while.

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  6. We enjoy every minute with the grandkids now because we know those days are coming for us too.

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  7. He is adorable! And I bet, he wouldn't miss his crate if left with y'all permenently.
    Dogs crated all day is awful. They need doggie day care.
    Your sense of humour is refreshing.

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  8. What a fun guest! It makes me sad that so many pets stay in a kennel all day while no one is home, i am glad he has some time away from that with you.

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  9. Well, at least the grand dog like to stay with you. For him it is a great vacation, getting to run free all day.

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  10. Beautiful images of the Deer and the wee Dog, fabulous.

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  11. Those days are ending for me too. My grandkids are local, 9 of them, up until this summer I had the four youngest, two all day Tuesday and two Friday afternoons. The other five, 17 and up, are almost gone. The two eldest of the four are turning 13 this week and have swimming lessons, paper routes, and picked strawberries this summer. The youngest two 7 & 8 now stay at a friends house who has children their age and a swimming pool. Changes are a comin'. I have to plan to get them at all. I just have to remember how lucky I've been to have them so close for the last 22 years.

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  12. Anonymous1:02 PM

    The memories will still be there when your grandchildren grow up....the memories of when they were younger and stayed with you. The type of memories that tug on the heartstrings more. Cute little guest...just don't get tempted to get a dog yourself...then you will have less freedom. (We always debate this at my house but end up with a dog regardless.) Andrea

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  13. I hate that. I commented but Google signed me out and didn't return me to the comment.

    The shots in question were 1/8, f22, ISO 125. The only reason for ISO not being 100 is that I sometimes inadvertently move that dial. The second of the two was an HDR where I had Lightroom blend three images to give me more tonal range. I find that LR gives me a very natural HDR, which I then process as I would any other image.

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  14. same way here with grandchildren
    and even my children
    guess it is time going by
    but I truly miss them all

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  15. My grandchildren are still babies. So advice: What do I do to get them to come visit for a week or two when they get a little older (and how old... when should we start)?

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    1. I started with mine when they were toddlers. I worried about homesickness, but it soon became a non issue. I make plans before they come, it lasts one week and then I create memory photos and send them home. Be prepared for total exhaustion and a week of recovery.

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  16. Oh, poor little sweetie. I hate the thought of a dog being caged for most of the day, and on his own. It’s downright cruel.

    The grandchildren will not come quite so often now, you may have to go visit them, but they won’t forget about you, that’s for sure, because they had such wonderful holidays with you when they were little.

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  17. What a cute house guest. So grandma becomes a dog sitter instead of a baby sitter.

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  18. What a cute little face your grand-dog has. I wonder why they keep him crated all day when they are at work. Was he prone to naughtiness chewing or weeing where he shouldn't when he was with you? Maybe they could put down a couple of wee wee pads when they are at work during the day in case he couldn't wait until they get home.

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Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.