Shortly after bringing Iris home from the shelter we found out she hates other dogs. Especially small dogs, although she once attacked Hawkeye, my daughter's dog who is far bigger than she, to the point where he didn't want to come and visit us for a long time.
It was really frightening when she attacked Cliff's sister's miniature dachshund, Angel, because that sweet little dog always submits to other dogs and loves everybody. Honestly, it was downright scary when Iris attacked her. We're not just talking about a grumpy old dog that snaps at others; Iris obviously meant to kill, and we had to tear them apart.
She finally stopped attacking Angel, although I'd still be hesitant to leave them alone. She has never accepted the other dog that lives with Angel, and went viciously after her not too long ago; once again, if someone had not been there to intervene, I don't know what might have happened.
So, my grandson has been working lots of overtime, and he's been having his girl friend bring their Great Dane pup out here to spend the day. He's no problem at all. He stays near our house, spending lots of time sleeping on the porch. I let him in a few times a day and he does well, mostly just following me from room to room; no accidents so far.
Iris has never shown her usual bad attitude with Titan. He's big and clumsy, and tries to force her to play; you'd think if she was going to attack anybody, it would be him. But after two weeks being forced to put up with Titan, the most she has done is snap at him when he stumbles over her.
Maybe she realizes he's just a puppy.
Not only that, but I've seen her outside playing with him. Yes, she likes the big oaf.
We've had two nights of frost and freezing, and now I'm starving all the time.
Is it just me? It's like I'm going into hibernation mode, trying to put on a nice layer of fat for the winter. I wake up in the morning thinking, "Bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy, pancakes..."
Breakfast is the meal I normally have the most control over: oatmeal or cream of wheat, sometimes a bowl of cereal (all with a banana added). Oh, if we have overnight guests, I'll use that as an excuse for making biscuits and gravy; or if a granddaughter spends the night, I usually make pancakes. You know, fattening meals once in a while won't hurt anybody.
But this time of year I wake up EVERY morning wanting all the unhealthy stuff. ALL OF IT! I go ahead and fix our healthy stuff, then confess to Cliff what I really wanted. Of course, he wants all that stuff too.
Perhaps we could fix this by going to a breakfast buffet and eating everything in sight. Trouble is, I just can't do a buffet justice any more, and besides, buffets are, for the most part, pretty nasty (people sneezing on the food, for example). Anyhow, most "eating out" doesn't fit our budget, with the exception of the McDonald's dollar menu.
Cooler weather also makes me want certain foods that aren't so bad for us: chili (my recipe is pretty good for us), corn bread and beans (in moderation, not so bad for us), soups of all kinds. These are cravings I can submit to, and I do.
But I also get the urge to bake cookies and pies and rolls, this time of year. Even in small servings, apple pie adds a lot of calories to our daily intake. We won't talk about the ice cream on top of it.
Oh well, I guess it isn't supposed to be easy.
