Aren’t long weekends wonderful? For us, it means having time for fun, a house project and a little rest in between. For the dogs it means playtime and meeting new people, baths and lots of sleep. Maisie thinks this is all wonderful, Annie still has her moments of doubt.
Chris and I are finally tackling one of the projects we have postponed every summer since we moved in: replacing the shingles on the north side of the house. When we moved in, we ripped the old siding off and began the slow process of restoring the clapboard and molding, replacing what was necessary and repainting the house in a cheerful 5 color Victorian scheme. We have worked our way around the house each summer and have even made second passes of touch-ups when needed. The top portion of the north side has been out of reach from our 35 foot ladder and has been a topic of debate every summer. I wanted to hire someone to complete the job, I really don’t like Chris being up that high. He wants to do it himself, so we’ve been at an impasse. I finally caved, he bought a 40 foot ladder and 4 boxes of new shingles and the process has begun.
Setting aside time to have fun was part of the weekend plan so we managed to take the dogs to the beach on 3 occasions. We had our niece over for dinner Friday night, friends who were in town for the weekend came by for brunch Sunday morning and we had our new neighbors over for drinks Monday evening. For Maisie, this was all lots of fun and she was completely worn out by Monday night. I hoped Annie would be receptive to house guests since she has become so much more relaxed in the house. She knows Maggie (our niece) and when she came in the house Annie was wagging her tail and started to approach her. Unfortunately, she got spooked, put on the brakes and backed up until she could turn around and retreat to her crate.
When our friends came for brunch I knew Annie would spend the entire time in her crate but at one point she did venture out and walked around so that she could take a look at who was in the dining room. When she was acknowledged, she quickly turned back around. I always think this a good sign when she wants to see who is in the house. When they left, we walked them out to the sidewalk and they weren’t even to their car when I felt Annie by my side. She listened for the goodbye and came right out once they were out of the house. So there she was, next to me, as we waved goodbye. Baby steps with her and hopefully one day she won’t hide in her crate when we have visitors.
After a full day of work Monday, Chris on the ladder stripping off the old paint and me removing the thistle bush (truly one of the worst things I’ve done in a while) that the dogs keep brushing past and picking up terrible, prickly burrs that are very difficult and painful to remove from their fur. We got our work areas and ourselves cleaned up just in time to get to know our new neighbors. We stayed outside and while Maisie was very social, loving the kids, running in the yard with them, Annie stayed by my chair most of the time but didn’t seem to be uncomfortable with the new voices. All in all, a great weekend. We got a lot accomplished but still took the time to have a little fun.
We have been taking Maisie to the beach almost every weekend since she was old enough to go. She loves it there, rain or shine, hot or cold, it is one of her favorite things to do and she knows when it’s time for another beach day. She can tell by the way we are dressed and how long we sit and drink our coffee, a trip to the beach is on the morning list. Before we got Annie, she would head straight for the basement shower when we got home and patiently wait for all of the sand to be washed away.
se. Maisie jumps right up without the step but Annie uses it so that she can easily walk in when it’s bath time. It also works well with the grooming table (Maisie despises the grooming table, Annie stands patiently like it’s no big deal).
room but the 3 Princesses each have a place of honor right over the rolling cart. Bailey in the snow, Maisie at the beach and Annie in our backyard.
We didn’t intend on bathing them together but one day Maisie decided to jump in with Annie and they both fit so we went with it. We also blow off a lot of the water with the dryer before they get down. It keeps the hair and water contained and then I can move them one at a time to the grooming table if we are doing a full groom. (This doesn’t happen after every bath, only when I’m feeling especially motivated). 
maisiethenewfieandcompany 