May 24 2008
Working in Overalls
Gabe has been busy assembling various items in anticipation of the puppy and kitten’s arrival. Yes, it started with feeding the birds. Then we got fish. Tomorrow we bring home the puppy. And June 18th we bring home a kitten. That’s it. No more. No rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, mice, rats, lizards, spiders, and definitely no snakes. Really, I’m done. Although, I’m sure Gabe would like something else to build. Each time Gabe starts his building project, he puts on his work clothes, a pair of blue jean overalls. He then opens the box, looks at the directions, gathers his tools, and gets to work. His biggest project was the cat tree, purchased in the hope that the kitten will actually scratch that instead of my favorite chair. He worked on it while I was out walking. I came home thinking I would have to help him straighten things out, but instead I saw him proudly displaying his work. He also set up a travel crate and a house crate for the puppy. “You can call it a kennel, Mommy, but it’s a cage. You’re putting the poor puppy in a cage.” I attempted to explain that experts advocate crate training a dog, but he didn’t want to hear it. The crates can’t be too bad, since Zeke keeps crawling inside and locking himself in. Today when Gabe began his work, he looked at me and said, “You don’t need to help, Mommy. I can do it myself.” Gabe has spent the last 9 1/2 months assisting me on my failed home improvement attempts and has apparently decided that he is better off without me.
Make sure you tell Gabe he’s not allowed to sleep inside the crate with the puppy!