Life With LuLu – Happy, Content & Caring

Posted: March 20, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Life With LuLu | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

10 Days 'til Opening Day! GO SOX!

LuLu rests in front of the television this morning.  Happy, content, and like a bulldog she is caring beyond her years.  When the mood hits I pen a poem or two for the blog I write about my wife and it dawned on me this morning I’ve never put together any prose for the one member in our family that has just been a gem throughout the ordeal known as breast cancer.  As I’ve written in the few previous blogs; LuLu was a wonderful girl being left in the home late into the afternoon without leaving any “treats” for us to facilitate.  I made my first soup yesterday and my two favorite customers (my other favorite customer is away at school in South Carolina) said it was quite delicious – it’s amazing what can happen when one follows directions, eh?

There are no directions in caring for the Lu-dog.  When we adopted her from the rescue it’s quite similar to bringing a baby home for the first time; there is no Dog Caring 101 guide to follow, but as you’ve read from previous pieces LuLu fit right into the family on day one and as I watch her wrestle to find a “more” comfortable place on the carpet with her eyes lifting every now and then to see what I’m doing and hears the words “Hi sweetie” she puts her smoosh face back down on the carpet and continues her rest.

The rains here in Northern California have been thunderous, wild, diagonal, strong and sweeping this entire weekend.  LuLu does enjoy her backyard but is NOT a fan of the rains.  None of us are really.  A nice shower every now and then is nice to keep the hills and valley green but there’s a point in time when the adjective “ridiculous” comes to bare.

Friends on the East coast are enjoying nice weather, some of them are even skiing in northern New England, while many others are waiting for the next round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament.  For LuLu … it’s all about being next to my side, lying on her bed or in front of the television and wondering what goodies we’ve supplemented her meal with.

I suppose the intent of this morning’s blog is just to let all of you know LuLu is doing well, she’s healthy and she too wishes the rains would find another region of our country to soak.

Here’s hoping your weekend is well and should you have a bulldog (or any pet), I’m hoping they are treating you as kindly as LuLu treats us.

Peace,

Papa

Life With LuLu – Gold Star Recipient

Posted: March 16, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Life With LuLu | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

For all you've done this week LuLu!

It’s early morning here along the river. The sun has no expectation to entertain the idea of brightening our morning skies and even if she could I suspect the weather channel is once again correct … MORE BLEEPIN’ RAIN. The weather patterns matter very little to our LuLu – I suspect she could sleep through the worst of it though and even though her temperament is slow and steady I want to reward her this morning.

LuLu’s mom (Bonnie) has been out of the house the last few days with a stay at the hospital and both Logan and I feel these two have missed each other terribly. Monday was a truly long day for the Lu-dog. We left at oh-dark-thirty and our arrival home was well past the aurora’s setting. What precious gifts would LuLu have left for us? That and a number of other questions raced through our minds as we neared town only to find our bundle of bulldog resting oh so comfortably in her bed – and look – no surprises!!

Last night was no different though we did adjust her schedule a bit. Yesterday afternoon Logan and I were like two house burglars. We opened the door, put on a pot of coffee, grabbed Mom’s pillow, a nice shirt from her closet, her cell phone charger, some magazines, some mail, poured the coffee into a thermos, fed LuLu, let her out and like a flash – we were on our way back to the hospital. Two nights in a row she was a saint, and last night she had more energy than Logan and I have ever seen in her. She appeared to be in a great mood … and still no stinkies on the deck! Nice.

I’ve talked about LuLu with my coworkers – all men – and they all tell me dogs can sense the caution in the air. One minute we’re discussing the dangers of the radiation exposure in Japan and the phone rings … next we’re talking about motorcycles, baseball, the Supreme Court or any other such thing. Lots of random conversations but none that really have a beginning, middle or end so I don’t really know what to think when it comes to knowledge on how our pets react when a loved one is feeling ill.

This morning, directly after my cell phone told me what time it was I could hear LuLu downstairs prancing around. “Okay then” I thought … I stepped downstairs to find our well framed bully standing by the back door awaiting my arrival. Nice!

She was treated to a nice breakfast, a fresh bowl of H2O and with the weather warm enough to leave the back door open – she followed suit and retreated to the confines of the back yard. A nice way to start the day … and won’t she be surprised to see Bonnie come home today!! Yes – I’ll be heading to Marin General to pick up our recovering patient this morning where these two will be reunited with each other right about lunch time.

Gold stars to LuLu for all her cooperation when we desperately needed it. She’s walking up the stairs into the house right now after fetching the treat Logan offered to her just moments ago … and we’re back in bed. Some things just never change – and I truly hope they don’t.

Love you LuLu!

Peace,

Papa

© P.E. Cheney and Life With LuLu, 2010-2011.  All Rights Reserved.

Life With LuLu – American Humor (Screenplay)

Posted: March 2, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Laughter, Life With LuLu | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

When did she start smoking?

Paul: (patting her down) Good morning Lu-Dog

LuLu: (little button tail wagging) Yes , good morning to you. Nice to see you this morning.

Paul: Well it’s nice to see you as well. It’s raining outside – I’m going to open the door so you can head outside before your breakfast, okay?

LuLu: Raining? So that’s what I’ve been hearing all night. Thank you. I won’t be but a minute.

Paul pours his first cup of coffee, fires up the laptop and refills LuLu’s water and food bowl. LuLu is walking outside in the light rain doing her thing.

LuLu: Can I ask you a question?

Paul: You already did. But yes of course, what’s on your mind this morning?

LuLu: Last week we all posed for a picture outside which I found odd since we have so many photos. Was there a reason for that photo last Sunday?

Paul: You really do have quite a memory don’t you? I had no idea you were able to track the calendar as well as you do. Impressive. I remember that photo LuLu – it was to accompany an entry we submitted to a contest to have a contractor come and put in a long porch along the side of the house where you would be able to walk outside without having to climb stairs and enjoy the fresh California air during the day. The photo was to show the design team what our house looks like right now. That’s all.

LuLu: (in deep thought) I see. Well thank you for the answer and good luck on the contest but you know … I believe you are quite capable of putting in that porch yourself. You and the missus seem to work well with each other on the other projects you’ve done around the house. Why not this one?

Paul: So today is already full of pleasantries LuLu – first let me say thanks for your confidence. The missus – you know her name is Bonnie, right? – and I have built a number of decks in the homes we’ve owned, that’s true. We could take this project on during the spring before the weather turns too hot, but we thought we’d give this contest a shot, it’s worth $20K, or where you come from; £ 12 thousand pounds sterling and these guys REALLY KNOW what they’re doing.

LuLu: (heading towards her dog bowls) Okay then. You enjoy your coffee, if you don’t mind I’m going to fill my belly over here. Say good morning to the missus for me when you bring her coffee upstairs.

Paul: Very good LuLu. I’ll crack the door for you before I head upstairs. If you do go out, do me a favor and start closing the door when you come back in, okay?

LuLu: (head slightly cocked to the left with a smile resembling Batman’s RIDDLER) Your American humor still amuses me.

Peace,

Papa

Life With LuLu – A Global Presence

Posted: February 17, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Laughter, Life With LuLu | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

No shovels required 🙂

Good morning from the rain drenched valley of Petaluma!  These rain systems remind me of days gone by when my feet pounded the pavement (I didn’t own a car until I was nearly 28 years old – another story altogether) in places like Kodiak, Alaska … Bellingham, Washington, and the incredible neighborhoods of the University district in Seattle, Washington where I proposed to my wife in a crazy little nightclub on 45th Street known as Goldie’s Tavern. Yes champagne splits all around.  I remember that night as if it was yesterday …

You’ll see a new addition to LuLu’s page on the right hand side titled “Lu Knows!” … this widget offered by Word Press will count the visitors and apply a flag to the state and or nation the visitor is from.  Updates to the counter take approximately forty-eight hours so we’ll see next week how well the new service is working.

I really didn’t see this coming when we started the adoption process for this bundle of bully.  I think it’s safe to say I didn’t see a lot of things coming with regards to how loveable and valuable our dog has become in our lives.  There are days when she’s all we talk about and since I’ve been sharing with you the events which most of the time are amusing, it’s nice to watch the statistics counter each day to witness how many of you enjoy reading this Life With LuLu blog.

Soon this blog will be featured across the services of the local Press Democrat here in Petaluma … still waiting for the staff at the online department to contact me and each day I wonder what I’m going to write about.  The pressures of the journalist, right?

This morning as Bonnie and I were wrestling with the realization our day was about to begin we heard Lu’s toenails walking about downstairs on the hardwood floors.  I love hearing those sounds in the morning, particularly after her recent bout with the depression she was going through after the trip to Sacramento.  I pictured her walking around downstairs, checking her water and food bowls, making the first decisions of her day … “Do I go back to bed, or should I wake the humans?” …

Then the barking began.  For those of you that do not own an English bulldog (I highly recommend it) I’ll let you know this bark is rather comical – it’s a bark for sure, but there’s very little fierceness to it.  Upon hearing her bark this morning I commented “this is a good sign” and then another good sign developed … our youngest got up and out of her bedroom.  Like a little volunteer fireman she was taking care of business which allowed me to comment again “that’s even a better sign!”

While Logan was downstairs letting the Lu-dog outside, I jumped out of my bed and jumped into hers … Logan does not have an older brother so sometimes (ok – all the time) I make the substitution.  When she came back into her darkened bedroom her surprise provided an early morning blast of laughter.

So … LuLu – thank you for starting our day with laughter and silliness.  Your body clock appears to be back in full service, your barking tells us it’s really good to be here and we – every one of us at Chez Cheney and everyone reading this blog is happy to know … the adoption really was a grand success.

I really believe we are the ones who made out in this deal.

Thanks again LuLu.

Peace,

Papa

© P.E. Cheney and Life With LuLu, 2010-2011.  All Rights Reserved.

Life With LuLu – NOT IN THE CAR!

Posted: January 31, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Laughter, Life With LuLu | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Favorite Pet Tricks?

Any idea why I know there is such a thing as the Western Car Wash Association? Normally I wouldn’t pay attention to stickers on the cashier booth of a car wash. I normally just roll on up – select the services I need, pay the attendant and proceed. Turns out I had some additional time on my hands Sunday morning. I had tried to schedule a spa treatment for our bundle of bulldog for Saturday but the folks at Fit N’ Furry were booked all day so we settled on Sunday. A great way to start the day, right? WRONG.

It rained all night and was still raining hard on Sunday morning after LuLu had her breakfast. Raining so hard she did not even consider going outside after her meal. See where I’m going with this? I let LuLu assume the position on her bed where she caught about 90 minutes before I had to roust her and head outside to my car which was conveniently parked at the end of the driveway so neither of us got too tremendously soaked. It really was coming down.

Picking her up is getting to be a task as well. Fortunately I still have some skills in deadlifting – picking up my drunk buddies off the floor … just kidding, but picking up a wrestling LuLu is a challenge. Up we go and into the back of the SUV where I have a rubber mat (whew!) covering the back deck.

The drive to Fit N’ Furry is a quick ten minute loop up onto 101N and then the first exit onto Lakeville. Coffee in hand, LuLu in the rear – okay things are working out nicely. What’s that? What’s that smell? Oooh LuLu – no farting in the car!! I roll the windows down and continue but the smell gets worse – MUCH WORSE and that’s when I started to converse with my bulldog. “LuLu – did you crap in the car? Seriously – did you dump back there?” My mind is now racing a lot faster than the posted speed limit and I can’t see her as she’s decided to duck down behind the back seats. Oh perfect. My mind is asking if she’s rolling around in it. Oh c’mon LuLu.

We arrive at Fit N’ Furry and I take my sweater off. Remember the rains? Well they’re still with us and I notice … well never mind. We’ll keep this blog G rated, but suffice it to say I’ve got some cleaning to do as well as LuLu. Into the spa we walk where she is guided into the back rooms and I slide the rubber mat out of the SUV and toss her gifts into the shrubbery.

Man I hope the car wash is open on Sunday. This is where I get to recognize the Western Car Wash Association credentials.

“Do you remove dog excrement?”

Life with LuLu continues …

Peace,

Paul

© P.E. Cheney and Life With LuLu, 2010-2011

Life With LuLu – Sharing the Rain

Posted: January 30, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Life With LuLu | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The house here is set up so the laundry facilities are in the garage.  There’s a small set of steps leading into the garage which I’ve refurnished and carpeted since moving in.  I was at the bottom of the steps yesterday with the garage door open watching and listening to the rains of northern California when I see LuLu started to negotiate the descent from the kitchen.

Normally when we take her for a walk she has three options when leaving the house; back steps (1), porch steps (5), garage steps (5), oddly enough she normally grooves for the garage steps, but we “help” her along with a soft reminder from behind.  The steps have not yet been a real struggle for her, but at the bottom of these steps sits Bonnie’s car and should her inertia kick in during her descent it’s going to be a serious case of dog vs. parked car.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was just about done with the laundry because I know how hard a decision it is for her to even consider the steps without a leash or a human with her.  She soft stepped each of them right onto the garage floor as if she was trained at the Arthur Murray School of Dance. So once down I grabbed my empty beer cooler and we sat at the end of the driveway/garage watching the world go by.  LuLu receives a great number of waves and hellos from behind the glass of the cars that travel past, though as you’ve probably read in previous blogs; she acknowledges few.

We sat there for an hour yesterday wrapping up a couple loads of laundry, she visited her old kennel and we watched the low pressure system hang over the Petaluma River for the remainder of the day and well into the night.

She climbed the stairs into the kitchen without issue and headed right for her bed.

Countdown to Sacramento: 6 days!

Peace,

Paul

© P.E. Cheney and Life With LuLu, 2010-2011