This week I had to drive into town a lot, which meant that I had to leave the doggies alone a lot. The canine team got lots of rest, snoring away their mornings in the downstairs hallway. They like getting their rest these days and it dawned on me that they have actually been really, really good lately. I hesitate to even say this, but it seems like they have finally exited their tumultuous youth.
For those who aren’t familiar with it, doggie adolescence is about as pleasant to live with as human adolescence. I know I was completely repulsive from about age 13 through age 15. Similarly, virtually all dogs go through a "difficult time" from when they are about 8 months to a year old. Of course, some dogs mature later, and they don’t exit their obnoxious age until they are two years old. Or three.
During their troubled youths, our dogs did many bad things, such as, but not limited to, eating carpet, eating a door, eating baseboards, and having every form of "accident" imaginable. We have always kept a *gallon* size container of Nature’s Miracle on hand to deal with various effluent that has landed on the poor unsuspecting hall linoleum. But now we have dogs that are 6-1/2, 6, 5, and 3 years old, so the Nature’s Miracle isn’t seeing as much action these days. Even though I do love puppies, I’m really glad to not have any living in the house anymore.
In more nerdy news, my online class has been up and running for a while now and I’ve been getting some great questions from my students. In an online class, the questions work sort of like a newsgroup; everyone can see everyone else’s questions and the answers in a threaded discussion. And just like in a live class, it’s always more fun when people participate. It’s also just as satisfying when, after receiving an answer to a question, the student says, "I can’t wait for the next lesson!"
Cool 🙂