As I groomed dear Benji today, I thought about what a gift my career is to me. If what I offer to my small part of the world is appreciated, then I am even more fortunate.
Tomorrow I will meet a new doggy friend, Gizmo. I can hardly wait to meet him. Considering that his owners live in McBride, we have likely crossed paths. Gizmo’s owner politely asked if my facility allows for a small dog who lives almost exclusively indoors, and of course the answer is yes. People are very welcome to ask, view my website, and even visit ahead of time. Most folks are very courteous when they want to come by to meet us, but occasionally one makes me feel a bit defensive when they state, “We’ll stop in to see what you’ve got.”, or “… to look around your place.”. Try telling me that your purebred dog is “very valuable”, as if I don’t take care of your neighbour’s pound puppy with the same diligence! Condescension takes the cake… you’d be surprised! Is this a matter of protocol, manners, or merely semantics? Perhaps if I’m in business another decade or two, I’ll develop thicker skin.
All that said, and my inferiority complex aside, I revel in new acquaintances and friends both human and pet, in business and life.
When the treasured new table arrived, I moved some things around the kennel building. Taffy’s cage is against the wall, and even nearer to where I work. The bin of cat food is approximately back in the same place, but this seems to meet with renewed approval from Prin:
I was glad I had just the one small dog to groom today. Several are coming to board, but I will not have to lift them. Back and rib pain is making me miserable, and I know that tincture of time is all that is needed. Ibuprofen or Alleve helps… at least I can heft my coffee cup, or sneeze, without yelping. My friend called to see if I was coping with the snowfall today, and I am… I’m leaving it all for Gary! I did get the tractor plugged in, at least. I’m more worried about my “peeps” who must be out on the roads today, including Gary and Rob.
Yesterday I gave this tiny old guy a “spa morning”:
Had a lunch date yesterday, and I’m so glad. Glad for lunch and visit, and the fact that I ventured into town while the roads were excellent. Thursday is usually my day for errands, but I have customers coming and going throughout today, so it’s good to stay at home. By closing time, we will have Maggie, Zippy, Ule & TJ, Seltzer & Maya, Oscar, Tilly, Squeaker & Kelef, Dawson and Takwa, and Kifaa.
In my spare time, my latest craft has been dying of silk scarves. It’s a short-term passion that I’m revisiting. The latest two turned out well, I think; I haven’t taken photos of most I’ve dyed. I always start out with a plan for colour and pattern, and invariably there are unexpected results. Random results are now the expectation, which adds to the fun.
This is all for now. I’ve turned on a movie in Netflix that I’ve already seen many times, and so I can snooze through it. Oh wait … our Internet signal is intermittent at best, so that’s not going to work today.
Love to all, Ann