Today I got into the elevator on the 26th floor to go to floor 16, and when the doors shut, Mr. Elevator said, “Floor 7. Going up.” Ewkay.

One of the dead bolts to a door of mine became unyielding when I returned home after work. This was not good being tonight was obedience practice, and I had to rush to feed everyone a well-balanced dinner, so no time to fix the bolt. I fretted, though, because I had to take Baby with me to class. It’s not fun to go drill class without your canine partner, and I wondered if I should stay home and fix the darn thing instead. Then I thought to myself, “Whaddya crazy? The house is well protected. Go.” So we went.

In class, Baby, once again, proved to me how much she HATES the recall. Somehow, she couldn’t hear me when I called her. Tonight, instead of running to do something else, she decidedly sat there and looked up and around her as if to say, “Did someone somewhere say something?” Yeah. What she was hearing were two obedience trial entry fees flapping their monetary wings bye-bye. We – that would be Baby and I – are entered in two upcoming trials. See, if we JUST pass them … not spectacularly, just pass them, Baby gets that darn Companion Dog title. That is all I will ever ask of her, and she can retire DoberDiva Extraordinare. After that, I can start working with the dogs who really like doing this stuff. I swear, besidesLilian, Baby is the only snitster Diva in the bunch. I figger.

I’m talking to Luigi again. I had to. He was walking around in a daze.

He’s very personable, and gets out of sorts when his person is chilly with him. And when he is out of sorts, well, the unscrupulous members of the Posse tend to take advantage.

So, here we are, tenuously getting back to normal.

Ginger played keep away the ball from Luigi over the weekend. This is about the only ball she carries around these days. I think the others are too rough on her (and each other) when they are playing keep away with the Cuz balls. But this big one is a good one to use if you want to konk the competition on the head and run like the wind.

One of my friends sent out an e-mail recently on how mast cell cancers can cause itchiness. It was very coincidental that she sent it around the time Ginger started to itch a lot. Though I didn’t think she has mast cell cancer, perhaps she does. According to the literature, the mast cell cancer doesn’t go to the lungs. Confusion sets in, but I am giving her some Benedryl. I may have to up the dosage as she is still somewhat itchy. She is the sweetest red girl in the Posse. I love her dearly.

Then there are others who are sweet, too, with a teeny bit of attitude.

Helen