Mama said there’d be days like this
February 5, 2011 § 3 Comments
Today I did not work on my dissertation. On purpose. Today was Saturday. My day off.
I awoke around 9 a.m., my amazing husband graciously giving me not just thirty minutes to sleep in, but actually an entire two hours to sleep in. It was…glorious. He fed the dogs, took them potty, and even went to Chick-Fil-A to pick up breakfast. Whatever I did to deserve that, I hope I can make that happen again! 😉
As our morning wore on, I realized that I was itching to do something. Anything. As long as it was not in my house. This week’s worth of rain not only caused me to develop a little head cold but also effectively grounded my happy ass and kept me inside. The dogs have been rambunctious all week–Annie, the worst. I told Robert that I had to get out of the house and take them somewhere and run their energy down.
To the dog park! As soon as we got out of the car, the dogs were immediately thrilled. Milton was anxious to get off the leash and play, and Annie’s little nose worked overtime. We walked them almost two miles around the park before finally taking them to the dog enclosure to play with the other rambunctious, cabin-fever-suffering town pooches. Annie literally vroomed! around the park several times, chasing dogs of all sizes and being chased. Milton sniffed and politely introduced himself to the other dogs. He ran around a little while, but poor Milt’s hips are painful, so he spent more time just sort of meandering around.
After the dog park, Robert and I went grocery shopping, and then I had dinner with the girls at a local Irish pub. We had such a relaxing, hysterical, supportive time. I love hanging out with these girls. V and I finished our evening hatching a brilliant (not hare-brained, thankyouverymuch) idea. More to come on that later.
This has been the absolute perfect Saturday. This is precisely how I imagined spending my day.
Thank you Robert for letting me sleep in and humoring my whims. Thanks to Milt and Annie for the exercise and laughs. Thanks girls for being such great friends. The perfect day off. 🙂
A.Hab.'s View 
Good for you!! I absolutely maintain that days like these are vital to keeping one’s balance and sanity, especially when working on a dissertation or any all-encompassing project. Downtime helps prevent burnout! I’m so glad you took the day for yourself. 🙂
Officemate! My parents’ mini schnauzer turns 10 this year, and because his “jumper” wasn’t working very well back in the summer (he was unable to jump up onto the couch, for instance), they started giving him doggie glucosamine, and it’s worked wonders! He’s able to run and jump like a puppy!
We actually do give MIlt glucosamine tablets! They really do help. When he doesn’t get them, he actually crackles when he stands up! He’s not arthritic yet, but our vet says it will probably be something we’ll be looking out for in his future seniority. He has hip dysplasia as well as a bad knee (the knee cap pops when he overexerts himself), so we try to keep him as full of these glucosamine supplements as is good for him. He’s so sweet and has special needs, lol. Before he had the glucosamine, though, he was really slowing down. We recently took him to the vet, and she actually gave us some Rimadyl (which is a pain medication similar to Advil for humans) that we’ll use as a response to pain (rather than as a preventative to pain). She told us not to give Milt the Rimadyl before going to the park because it can cause him to think he’s feeling better than he actually is and possibly stress his joints past the point that is healthy for him. So, I guess in Milt’s case, is better to treat the pain rather than to try to “stay ahead” of it, like we would do for painful humans.
Sigh…these doggies teach us so much about their medical needs as they age, don’t they? 🙂