May 26 2008
Puppy Games
We have been playing with Blaze using different balls, ropes, and bones. Today, he decided to invent a few games of his own. The first game was called Fight the Wisteria. The previous owner of the house grew a wisteria as a stand alone tree. Because it is a vine, the branches trail to the ground. Blaze kept grabbing a hold of the end of the vine with his teeth, backing himself up, and tugging with all his might. The wisteria, of course, won. As those who have ever attempted to get rid of it know, wisteria is not easily beaten. His attempt to pull down the wisteria reminded me of one of the numerous things Czar destroyed years ago. When we were in Germany, we lived in an old farmhouse with an enclosed courtyard. The back wall of the farmhouse was covered with ivy. The base of the vines were as thick as a person’s arm; it was quite old. One day, Czar decided that he would redecorate. He pulled all the ivy down and dug out the roots. Dale and I came home and just stared in shock. Blaze’s second game was called Don’t Let the Stick Escape. I had planted some flower seeds in one of the beds and had marked the rows with two sticks connected by twine. (My Mom’s favorite row marker.) Blaze decided those sticks were a great find. The kids would hold one stick and the length of twine and second stick would follow. Blaze had great fun trying to prevent the trailing stick’s escape. Blaze’s third game was called Keep the Towel. In the morning, his feet were muddy and I ran up to get a towel so Josiah could dry them off. I remembered I had used a small towel on my pillow because my hair was wet when I went to sleep, so I grabbed that one. Josiah used it to dry off Blaze’s feet, then Blaze grabbed the towel from him and would not give it back, so Josiah let Blaze take it into the crate with him for a nap. He curled up next to the towel and went to sleep with quite a bit less crying. I was sitting there thinking how funny it was that he wanted the towel, when I remembered a bit of advice that I had read about providing the dog with something that has your scent on it to comfort the dog. I hadn’t done it, because I didn’t really believe that it would work. So, Blaze did it for himself.
We are very excited that you got a puppy, we have been asking Mom and Dad for one too. We wish we had one. Are you coming to MN with your puppy soon? We love you and pray for you daily as a family.
Jeremiah, Matthew and Madeline
Can’t wait to meet him! I love the name Blaze…how cute! See you soon. Meg
Jeremiah, Matthew, and Madeline,
I wish we could all come see you in Minnesota this summer, but we are staying in Virginia. We will have to get the puppy better trained and accustomed to long car trips before we can bring him for a visit.