Two Days Till…
There’s only two days left to enjoy the tree. I wish it were more, the best part of the holiday season, for me, is the tree. Somehow a tree strung with lights manages to make winter bearable for me. This is why, to many a friend’s annoyance, in the past I’ve left the tree standing WAY past it’s expiration date. Some years they have just grabbed my tree and chucked it off my porch, or out the window (that was pretty fun to watch!)
If only there were a way to keep that seasonal magic going through February. The starkness of winter really hits me once the twinkle and sparkle are put away for another year. I think I may need to create a winter decorative tradition that can last through the long bitter cold nights of January and February. I guess I could just completely invent some more winter holidays or figure out how to put a fireplace into an apartment without a chimney and without killing us all.
I think Brutus the Malamute and Séamus O’Reilly the cat will miss whacking the ornaments across the apartment for me to find later, covered in drool and god knows what else. It’s quite a hoot for them; not so much for me.
Brutus, Space Raper Extraordinaire or I Think I Smell Poo!
My Alaskan Malamute, Brutus and brown striped tabby, Séamus O’Reilly
Posted by email from rena katinas aka artgrrrl’s posterous
Brutus, or Brutus The Destroyer, as he is sometimes called, is my adopted 16 month old Alaskan Malamute. When I adopted Brutus, I had never owned a dog, much less an extremely smart and independent one. I had taken in a dog many years earlier, Tyrone, who had apparently been trained to be a racist attack dog. Tyrone stayed three days and was given back to the less-than-bright “person” who, for some reason, mistakenly thought I would want a klu klux klan dog in my home, with my then infant daughter. Just try to explain to your asian-american neighbor, why your dog is eating the nice mexican man, who is just trying to get to his car.
So here I am with this giant, wonderful, untrained, love-bucket of a dog, and I am absolutely crazy about him. I’ve always loved northern breeds, they just look, to me, the way a real dog should look–like a wolf. Unfortunately my love for this dog has somewhat spoiled him as I’m always petting and playing with him. I think his previous owner, who I know loved him as much as I do, spoiled him as well, and as a result Brutus has become quite the raper of space. At well over 110 lbs. you have to be a real dog lover or really want to see me, to come over to my place, right now.
What really amazes me about the Alaskan Malamute, at least with Brutus, is his inability to become riled by any other dog we have come across while walking in a city full of dogs. I am not sure if his extremely playful and easy going temperament is wholly due to his breed or because he personally is a real goofball. One thing I know for sure, Alaskan Malamutes are extremely loving, they love their family and also, all strangers on the street.
I wonder if Alaskan Malamutes can sense bad people from good, whatsoever. I wouldn’t be concerned about his good nature around bad people, if it were not for the fact that sometimes bad people walk down the same streets at the same time as we do, especially as the weather gets warmer. I didn’t adopt Brutus to be a watchdog or a protector, so I’m ok with his overt friendliness, he’s exactly what I wanted, a big loving dog, who is just happy to be with you!
Rena's Not Dead Yet 