Sunday, August 24, 2014

Doggy Mornings at the Park

The new dog is always rushed by a pack of dogs. The first time this happened to Tessa, she ran out the park  and hid between cars on an adjacent street. We left the park that day and went straight home. 

Now Tessa has no problem meeting the dogs and is often prodding them to play with her by nipping at their neck and teasing. Sometimes this results in some fun chasing and wrestling, but there are times when it results in a grumpy growl and a snappy warning.

At times there are 10 to 12 dogs sniffing, wrestling, playfully biting at each other, chasing balls, begging for treats, lapping up water. And of course, there's the usual pooping and peeing. But the concerned citizen need not be alarmed, these owners look out for each other and let the owner know when their dog is pooping.

It's fun to watch the happy dogs. Here's Levi, who always remembers that I have a hip bag of treats. He's such a good beggar. 

The dogs often love to play rough and the snapshots capture what may seem to be a horrific scene. They look terrifying one moment and then sit patiently next to each other for a treat the next.

Believe me, there were no animals injured this day.

Many of the owners from this group come back to the park later to play ultimate frisbee. It's neat to see how pets can bring people out of their homes to meet each other and enjoy the neighborhood.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

First Day of Homeschool

The end of summer came quick. I think my busy work schedule has made the summer hard to grasp. The days flew by and then though I was adequately notified by Jenn, I still felt unprepared for summer to end and school to start. I wish we did some more fun stuff before it ended. Perhaps I will be more prepared for next summer by preparing during the winter. 

Matthew is now in 4th grade and Claire is in 2nd grade.

They are making the challenging transition from a loose summer schedule to a tight school schedule. I'm not sure who is more challenged, Jenn trying to chorale them towards towards the start of another school day, or the kids trying to remember and focus on what they need to do to be ready. Most mornings I'm going to the gym, taking the dog out for a run, and getting myself ready for work. So I'm more or less an observer to their morning routing. 

Around the evening meals I've made it a habit to ask the kids to recall something they learned that day. They struggle at times, but I've made it clear that if they can't recall what they learned from the day, then they will not be going out to play and will stay inside to review the material until they can explain it. The first time I set this guideline, suddenly Claire was able to recall a flood of information! It's always nice to see how rules can sometimes make things happen in a good way.