A strange new word...

Myrtle taught me a new word today.  Or a game.  Or both.  I am not sure what I think of it, but she laughed and laughed and laughed.  I like hearing my puppy momma laugh.

One of the things that Myrtle taught me is the word "where."  Where means find, actually, as I understand it.  That dawned on me tonight when Myrtle taught me her ... game. Definitely, I think it is a game.  Like Fetch.

Sometimes my puppy momma likes to distract me by asking me, "Where's your baby?"  Or she will ask, "Where's your ball?"  That sets me off to find one of my many babies or balls and bring it back so that we can play together.  Both babies and balls alike, Myrtle will throw them across the room, let me play with them a bit after I bring them back, and then take them from me to toss away again.  She knows.  My puppy momma knows that I would never just leave a baby lying by itself across the room.

Of course, when it comes to babies, one is never enough, so I like to bring two or three.  You need at least two because it is ever so comforting to tuck a baby beneath your chest as you lie on the floor nuzzling your baby and making it squeak.

Anyway, today, Myrtle taught me "Where's Momma?"

Myrtle hid herself from me and then called out.  The first time, she asked, "Where's Momma?" and then followed it up with words I know:  "Come-Come-Come!"  After some searching, I found her hiding behind one of the doors to the parlor.  She started toward the living room, and so I raced ahead.  Only Myrtle tricked me.  She didn't follow.  Instead, once more, I heard, "Where's Momma?" then a long pause followed by "Come-Come-Come."

I also found Myrtle hiding on the servant's stairs, in the half bath, and on the landing to the basement stairs.  By the last, Myrtle only had to ask, "Where's Momma?" and I would come find her. Each time I did, Myrtle laughed and picked me up to let me rest my head upon her shoulder, relax my body against hers, and just soak up all her loving of my canine self.  I don't get to do that as much as I'd like these days, being held that is.  She teases me that I am getting heavier, but really we both know she is getting weaker.

I was the one laughing when Myrtle, having squeezed herself in between the wall and a burled maple chest to hide had a very hard time squeezing herself back out.  Since she was down low, I squeezed myself in there, too, and climbed into her lap and gave her lots of kisses.  She laughed even harder.  Saying something that means something to her but not to me:  "Silly Amos, Trix are for kids!"

I do have my suspicions, though, about this game.  I mean, Myrtle does very little moving, whilst I'm racing all about the house.  It is kind of like when Myrtle sits at the top of the stairs and tosses one of my squeaky balls down the stairs for me to fetch and bring back to her.  She just sits there and I do all this climbing and descending of stairs.

Myrtle says it's good for me.
Why is it that things that are good for you are often hard work??


This is my life with Myrtle.  Amos Adams signing off!

Vocabulary Lessons...

So, well, Myrtle finally agreed to type for me again. I think it is because of the topic I proposed.  You see, having a puppy momma who is disabled with chronic neurological illness means that you learn different vocabulary words than most puppy dogs. I wanted to share a few:


Darn-it!:  This means that you need to leap off of your puppy momma's lap even though you just settled down because she forgot to get fresh ice packs for the wonky nerves on the back of her head when she was up getting something else.

Laundry:  This means that you need to race upstairs and stand at the top to make sure your puppy momma is following, run around in circles as she fetches the laundry basket, race downstairs and watch to make sure you are out of the way if she falls, run ahead through the kitchen to the basement steps and race down them, then take up your part of the laundry process, which is sitting atop each of the piles as your puppy momma divides her laundry to keep them from getting too high.

Come:  This means that you need to hastily take your puppy dog self to your puppy momma's side because she is missing you, now that you have overcome your anxiety and learned to remain behind if she leaves the room.

Come-Come-Come:  This means that even though you are curled up at your puppy momma's side or on her lap that she is need of greater comfort and wants you to climb up on her chest and tuck your neck against hers, preferably falling asleep and snoring if possible.

Don't!:  This means that, even though you spend most of your time curled up next to or on your puppy momma, she is in so much pain that you have to inch your puppy dog self away from her and comfort her with your presence but not touch her in any fashion.

Why-Are-You-Doing-This-To-Me?!:  This means that your puppy dog momma has reached the end of her patience with you watering every living thing in the back yard and you need to conduct your major business post haste or massive amounts of tears and raised voices and then heaping amounts of remorse and self-recrimination will follow ... things that will make you both very, very, very unhappy.

Time for Bed:  This means that you are going to be in the bedroom for long amounts of time so that it is important for you to utterly and completely empty your bladder.

Clean-Up!:  This means that your puppy momma has dropped or knocked or spilled a bit of food on the kitchen floor and needs you to come eat it so she doesn't have to bend over and pick it up, because bending over often makes her faint.

Do-You-Want-Some-Food?: This means that my puppy momma is willing to get up and feed me if I am willing to get up and eat.  Sometimes, continuing a nap is actually more appealing than food, so I appreciate the choice.


I am sure there are more words I have learned because Myrtle is my puppy momma, but these are the one that come to mind just now.  Last night, Myrtle said, "Come-Come-Come," so I did.  But I asked her to write for me today.  So she did.


This is my life with Myrtle.  Amos Adams signing off!