Shot-Gun

A long time ago, I used to ride shot-gun in the car.  I used to ride with the tip of my nose stretched out toward the partially open passenger side window, taking in the smells that were whipping by me.  I used to relish in the gentle breeze that used to fluff my fur while I watched the world fly by.

But that changed one fateful day years ago; the day I decided to jump out of the window of a moving vehicle (the story can be found here).

Since that fateful day, I've been not only relegated to the back seat (forced to occasionally share the area with other travelers) but I've also been forced to wear a seat belt which, obviously, severely limits my ability to roam about and drool on the driver's neck.

But something changed a few weeks ago.  Not only did Sister take me for a ride in her car (a rare thing given her desire to maintain a fur free zone in there and my on again off again willingness to climb into her car (remember when Karin and Sister tossed me into Sister's car at the end of a summer BBQ?)), but she also let me ride shot-gun.

Shot-gun!

Here's what happened.

Wednesday mornings generally go one of two ways--either Sister runs around like mad doing errands before going to work or she and I plop down on the couch for a morning of napping and television watching.  That particular Wednesday started as the former, however, after she got home early from her errands, Sister said one of my favorite phrases:  "You wanna go for a ride in the car?"

Well, you know what my answer was.

Minutes later, we were both sitting in the car; Sister in the driver's seat and me in the passenger's.  Immediately I became aware that Sister was requiring me to sit on a bed of towels--most of which were strategically placed directly under my chin--but a car ride is a car ride so I let it slide.  Besides, I was too busy trying to upgrade my seat to dwell on the offensive drool towels.

You see, Sister and I were engaged in a bit of a disagreement regarding who was going to drive.  I wanted to give it a go, but Sister didn't agree.  Throughout the argument, I kept trying to muscle my way onto Sister's lap, but each time I was met by an elbow and a hollered combination of "sit," "no," and "stay."  Eventually, I decided to be the bigger dog/person and allowed Sister to persevere.  It's okay; I'll drive next time.

As exciting as a car ride is by itself, the true thrill is in the destination and Sister did not disappoint me that day.  We didn't drive far, but we drove far enough to visit one of man's most ingenious inventions:  the drive-thru window.

I was an itty-bitty puppy when I was first introduced to the concept of the drive-thru window and it was love at first site.  How could it not be?  You get in the car, drive around, park in front of a window, then someone hands you a bag of food.  Ingenious!

My withdrawal

Sadly, Sister didn't take me to a hamburger dispensing drive-thru window that day.  She took me to the bank.  But even though it quickly became apparent that I wasn't going to be going home with a large side of french fries and a couple of ketchup packets, I didn't go home with an empty stomach.  When the teller gave Sister her money, she also gave her an envelope filled with dog biscuits.  Needless to say, as soon as that envelope appeared alongside Sister's window, I pushed forward and, standing (and drooling) on Sister's lap, I made sure that I was given a sample of my bank withdrawal right away. 

A Belated Christmas Roundup

For those not living in the Long Island area, the temperature outside pretty much plummeted over the last few weeks.  Heck, we even had a major blizzard complete with two-foot-tall snow drifts (for all those wondering, I am not a fan of two foot tall snow drifts).  But what's more telling when it comes to how cold it’s been is the following photo.

As you can see, I am laying on the couch wearing my stylish green sweater.  I had just returned from a morning walk with Pa and it was so cold outside that I downright refused to let anyone take my sweater off of me once I came in.  And let me tell you, I was nice and roasty-toasty comfy-cozy in my sweater all curled up on the couch.  That is, I was until Sister decided to use me as a muff to warm her ice-cold hands.

But I'm not here to harp endlessly about my stylish green sweater or how cold Sister's hands are (if she weren't standing upright at the time I would have sworn that she had died).  No, I'm here to give my yearly Christmas roundup (even if it's been a couple weeks since the actual day).

Christmas was kind of weird this year.  Santa arrived on time, but the usual Christmas festivities were postponed twice due to illness (not mine).  I was okay with it though.  Eventually, the family got together on New Year’s Day and celebrated with the usual array of food, laughter, belly rubs, and presents and, as bad as it sounds, I love it when my family stays home sick because it means that we get to spend the entire day snoozing in bed or on the couch.  What a wonderful life it is!

Toys from Santa

A toy from Dixie

Anyway, like I said, Santa arrived on time and I was obviously such a good boy this year that he told a number of my friends.  From Santa I got a stylish new collar, a new Bill (“Oh nooooo!”) toy, a giant tennis ball, and a plush football.  From Ma and Pa I got a new antler.  From Sister I got a giant plush worm toy (as Sister explained “all toys I buy him ultimately turn into a worm once he rips off all the limbs...might as well start with one”).  Aunt B got me a crunchy gummy log.  Dixie and her family got me a couple of Mini Meckis and a Lamb Chop toy.  Dianne got me a giant Christmas cookie.  What a haul, right?

So merry Christmas, happy New Year, and thank you to all my friends and family.  And remember, don’t let anyone take away your cozy green sweater.

Atop a snowdrift