Enlarging the neighborhood
Cardiff and I have been getting the new house fixed up and accommodating for us. I have to admit to watching more TV since installing the Drive In screen. Even puppy has taken an interest.
We took a trip to the beach last week, starting to navigate around and get a feel for more of the area. It was a gorgeous day that was supposed to rain but just defied the meteorologists for the lols.
Of course I put the long lead on the doggo, and she was at the end of it the entire time. I really wanted to let her loose, but she is so easily distracted and loses her mind when there are so many things to see. I’d never get her to come back, she’d just chase birds - on the ground or in the sky, no matter - and say hello to every human and dog she could find. It was a good trip.
The truck was sandy and damp afterwards, but that’s what trucks are for. And speaking of which, I finally used the winch on the front of my truck. I’ve been hoping I never need to use it, but was digging out bottlebrush trees from the front yard and decided to use modern technology. I hooked that baby up and had the last one pulled out in a couple of minutes. So gratifying after all the hacking, picking, and digging I had done. Of course there’s not enough room in the yard waste container to throw it out, and I’ll have to sneak it into my neighbor’s yard and pretend it’s not mine.
Also, I’ve been cooking more and trying to healthify my diet. It’s amazing how much time all that takes. Thinking up what to eat, purchasing said meal, the actual cooking time, blah blah blah. I can see why people order those services that provide your meals. I need to expand my repertoire further, as I only know how to cook a few things and just keep cycling through them. If only there were a limitless repository of food information available to anyone with a computer or phone…
Why Cardiff?
Are you a Communist? Why would you name your dog something weird like that?
This question comes up a lot. As I covered before, this originates in the name of a city in southern Wales:
I’ve never been there, but it’s come up in stories I’ve read and I’ve always liked the sound of it
I used to have a D&D character named after the same place
I’ll likely visit at some point, but it’s unlikely that my doggo will
There’s a castle there, which totally fits with her name: Cardiff Castle
Also, I’d like to say on behalf of Cardiff that she’s not a terror all the time. She’s actually super sweet and loves cuddles, doesn’t bark much, is actually smart, and loves meeting people. She occasionally terrorizes Japanese cities, but not all the time.
Here’s a little video as a thank you for reading this far
Day 3: Out Come the Teeth
Prison Yard violence, conjugal visits with a hedgehog, and chewing chewing chewing.
First things first. Puppy now has a name, and it’s Cardiff. I know of it as a town in Southern England that I’ve never been to (and yes, there is a Cardiff Castle), but apparently there’s also Cardiff by the Sea in Encinitas. We’ll have to visit the one down south, but I don’t know if she’ll ever make it to the one in the UK.
As for the time she’s putting in, we have an Exercise Pen (or Ex-Pen) in the living room with her crate and mats to provide an area she can be relatively safe without having to actually physically stop her from killing herself falling down stairs or chewing an electrical cord. She loves the pen! As long as it’s open and she can go in and out. Once the door closes, it’s a killing field where she shanks the other inmates (her stuffed animals). She’s particularly abusive to Rocky the Raccoon, maybe because of his shifty eyes. Helen the Hedgehog frequently gets dragged behind the crate in what I can only hope is consensual humping.
Cardiff is much more confident in her domain now, and has begun mouthing or outright chewing everything she’s ignored the past two days. Luring me into a false sense of security with her prior docile playacting, she’s now chewing on the kitchen dining room set she was content to lay beneath just a day before. I think she’s just testing her teeth out, but she was really trying to get the foil off a bottle of wine on the lowest portion of the wine rack too. It’s not like it’s a spectacular vintage or anything, just a $10 bottle of dinner wine.
Pictures abound, but they’re all while she’s asleep and otherwise looking innocent. She’s darling, but they don’t convey the violence she’s capable of.