Scorcher - sunny, hot - temps 30
Too hot to be outside. Quebec! I'm telling you. If it's not minus 30 it's plus 30.
Well, we puppy-sat Pat and Tony's dog, Daisy. You can see her in the foreground of the picture, with Trudy behind her. She's a gorgeous golden mix - but she's mostly golden, as you can see. Just a funny sort of tuft of hair on the top of her head which makes her look like she's part blue jay. Daisy's a rescue dog, and just now a year old. Beautiful temperment, but with some separation anxiety...which we began to feel too. We longed for Pat to return!
In fairly short order Daisy (despite walks around the pond) had peed in the house - twice and destroyed the child-proof gate down to the mudroom. Granted, Pat had warned us to keep her in the same room with us - hence, the gate.
And walking Daisy was an experience. She definitely was not used to a leash. She'd get a whiff of something (perhaps our newest arrival, the gopher) and take off...yanking my arm, and thankfully the rest of me, still attached, along with it. At one stage she wiggled out of her collar and took off. I was terrified she'd smelled the porcupine. Or, perhaps worse, a deer and was about to disappear into the forest and not stop running til sunset. We'd never find her.
but then - as I ran after her shouting, 'Daisy!' 'Daisy!'....I suddenly remembered what works for me when I hare off after something. 'treat!' I started calling. 'Treeeeeeat!!'.
And, my God, didn't Daisy stop. Right at the border of the woods. She looked back, at the demented woman with the empty collar and leash - like a failed dominatrix - and either took pity on me, or (like me) was totally seduced by the promise of a treeeeeat. She came back.
Oh, what a relief. She got her cookie...as did Trudy, for being a good girl and not running off.
It was an extremely entertaining, at times amusing, but not very restful afternoon. Still, I have to admit, I'd rather baby sit a one year old puppy than a one year old human.
Watched the Vancouver Canucks lose to Boston last night in the Stanley Cup hockey finals. 4-0. Enough said.
Had breakfast this morning with Joan. Loads of fun - nice to be getting caught up with people. And tomorrow I'll be having breakfast with Cheryl. Then an 11am conference call to discuss the upcoming booktour. Then at 12:30 I'll be at the Cowansville prison, to talk to the prisoners about literacy. The local Yamaska Literacy Council gives classes and quite a few of the men attend. In fact, when the local radio station had a contest to write a radio play - open to anyone in the Eastern Townships - one of the inmates won! We'll be giving him his prize too.
Saturday we have a lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday - then a party Saturday night - and then spending all Sunday with Joanne Sasvari - who lives in Vancouver but is here to write a travel article on locations in the townships that have inspired my books. I'll be taking her to Brome Lake Books, and the monastery of St-Benoit, where Brother Charles has agreed to give us a special tour - and Georgeville...and finally, dinner at Hovey Manor. she'll spend the night and I'll drive home.
Next week I'm off to disneyland (or is it world?) in Orlando with Linda and Bethany Mount - to celebrate Bethany's 16th birthday.
Not a bad life at all! Butter Beer at Harry Potter World! I hope to blog from there.
Hope you have a great, relaxing, weekend.
