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I’m home after travelling through 4 cities in 10 days. I was very happy to see my parents, brother, and aunt (godmother) during this time. The company that sponsored this trip was both gracious, lots of fun, and full of vim and vigour.

I picked up Baka today from Jilly’s place and was given a lavish welcome as he licked my hands and face for about an hour. I think both of us appreciated the time apart, but it is also nice to be back with family. Something to be said about the unconditional affection and trust given by an animal.

How Daydreaming Leads to Abuse

[10:14:51] AH: Was daydreaming while walking Baka, he pissed on somebody’s step ladder, they got miffed about a little waste water, ground is wet from rain.
[10:15:13] AH: People seem to get all upset about dogs pissing on their car tires, but happily ignore the mud and shit they drive through.
image002-640x480[10:15:28] SF: (chuckle)
[10:15:39] SF: That’s pretty funny
[10:16:12] AH: It is actually. The French seem to take great offence about anything of theirs being pissed on.
[10:16:49] SF: Hehehehe – that’s given me the giggles just thinking about it.
[10:17:39] SF: I have a mental image of a typical Frechman going about his work on a stepladder smoking a Disque Blu cigarette and silently cursing under his breath.
[10:18:40] SF: Then you walk down the road idly looking into the middle distance, one foot going in front of the other automatically – the familiar pull and wiggle on the lead as Baka walks along.
[10:20:01] SF: You instinctively stop as you feel Baka stop – then get a torrent of abuse from the frenchman as you notice Baka has cocked his leg and is pissing carefully up the steps of the guys ladder ……. ROFL….!

Winter Sheets

No sooner that I put the winter sheets on the bed, guess who decides to settle into a warm comfy spot – Baka. Good thing he had a bath the day before, but now he’s as white as the duvet cover. I wonder if he’d be visible without the blue pillows.

My previous bichon, Cotton, was really hard to spot in the snow at night. All one could see was three black spots for his eyes and nose. Guess the same would be true of Baka against the white duvet.

Cast of Characters

People reading my posts and haiku might wonder after some of the names or words mentioned. I like to borrow from mythology and folklore, as the various gods, goddesses, heroes, villains, and creatures often lend so much more colour and personality to a story or poetic image. So I thought I might provide a brief run down of the cast of characters I’ve mentioned recently:

  • Baka: My white fluffy little dog; a bichon frise. Word from Japanese means fool or idiot, though I meant it, when I named him, in the context of clown, bouffon, or jester. And Baka’s friendly, affectionate, and often amusing personality has developed along those lines.
  • Cotton: my previous bichon frise I had from just after graduation from U(W) in 1990 to his passing in early 2005. Still in my memories.
  • Eos: Greek goddess of the dawn.
  • fée: French for fairy folk.
  • Helios: Greek god of the sun.
  • Selene: Greek goddess of the moon.
  • Tatty – A online friend from Norway. Witty, fun, free spirited, chatty friend, who likes dark beer and light bruises.
  • Thor – Norse god of thunder.
  • Unclr – An excellent photographer from Norway and friend of Tatty.

I often write of dawn, dusk, scenery, and storms as I find them interesting times of change often mixed with beauty, colour, scents, sounds, turbulence, and emotion. They act on the senses and the mind in infinite ways and every day nature offers a new painting to begin and end the day. It also happens to be times of the day that Baka and I go for walks and the places we go when I might reflect on the world around me.

Salt-cicle

I like to go out running and unlike some people (who claim they went running or have no sweat glands or are simply not human at all), I tend to come back sweating profusely. If I walk around a bit to cool down, I’ll sweat even more as my body expels excess salt, minerals, moisture, heat, and gasses and generally makes a small contribution to global warming.

On those really hot and humid summer mornings, I can end up soaked head to toe, such that my running shoes will go squish squish squish as though I’d been running in the rain. Those are the days that you leave a trail of warm saline from the door all the way to the bathroom, fridge, or laundry, which ever comes first.

Now Baka just loves this. From the moment I’m in the door, I’m besieged by a fluffy little white dog intent on giving me a tongue bath. First the legs, then arms as I bend down to remove my squishy shoes. His little tail wagging furiously as though this were better than play time or long walks.

I hate to deprive him of his small pleasures, so I’ll sit or lie down on the floor and let him enjoy his moment licking my legs, arms, and face. It is not like I have much use for the sweat anyway. It’s not like I’m going to scrape it off and put in jar to use as lard or soup bouillon. And having Baka show his affections and interest in the by-products of my physical exertions allows me further time to cool down and can actually be quite relaxing, though it tends to tickle when he gets to the ears.