I HATE WIND. I said it. And if you really know me, you’ve probably heard me say it more than once. There’s just something about it pushing your hair into your face, throwing your papers around and then budging your car all over the road that drives me crazy. If I have one elemental enemy it is definitely that.

But regardless of wind, rain, hail, or (heaven help me) snow, I have a responsibility to take my four legged soul mate outside. So I threw on jeans, flip flops and a half hearted smile and out we trooped. There is a beautiful church next door to my house in downtown Provo, and this was our chosen spot to wander. Ollie finally does not need a leash - and I know I’m going to get some angry comments for that sentence, so I’ll rephrase that. Ollie is TRAINED enough to STAY BY MY SIDE and not chase people or cars, so I feel I can trust him in a huge, fenced field.

I’ll be honest - it’s time like these when I have a million things to do, that I sometimes wonder why I got a dog. Then again, it’s hard not to be frustrated when you’re waiting for a dog to choose his “spot”.  I’m standing with my hair all across my face, freezing and irritated,  crossing my arms, stomping my feet and making the hhuuuph noises I make when I can’t help but be impatient. And Ollie? He’s blissfully exploring, wandering, smelling. Taking life in. So I try to enjoy it a little too.

Maybe it’s not so cold.

Maybe I do have a few minutes to let him be a dog.

With that new attitude in mind, everything shifted. The wind was no longer an enemy, but a gentle hug from a long lost friend, greeting me after the long awaited winters reprieve. It was change, bringing fresh air and seedlings waiting to grow. Whispering to the earth wake up, it’s Spring. It was invigorating, awakening, beautiful. It made me feel care free, like I wanted to run. So I did, with slow little Ollie in tow, looking behind me as he pushes himself harder, and harder until he’s sprinting past me. Witnessing as, for once he actually acted more canine than feline and chased a group of robins with reckless abandon. Watching my dog, playing, leaping and bounding with his tongue half out and that crazed look in his eye, I realized life is more simple than what we make it out to be.  Life is about living.

And life doesn’t get any sweeter than the birth of four beautiful, healthy baby Pomeranians that Sam’s dog just gave birth to. Welcome to the world, little ones. I know you’ll always help remind your owners what the true meaning of this world is, just as Ollie reminded me tonight.

IT’S TWO IN THE MORNING RIGHT NOW. Correction, make that two-thirty. Why, oh why am I still up, playing on my macbook and surfing the web? Well, I’m glad you asked. My new room mate is making it rather hard to sleep. So instead, I’ll recount what I’ve done for the day.

Tasks:

Manage to live through the drive home - check.

Pick up indoor rabbit cage - check

Clean cage - check

Add one adorable, floppy eared goofball of fur to the cage - check

Shovel driveway, do dishes, wash laundry, wrap presents, shop for more presents and wrap them? Um, can I get a rain check? Those are still a work in progress.

Here’s.

The.

Deal.

Rabbits make for noisy, messy room mates. I took pictures of the cleaning/cage setting up process. I should’ve taken one just five minutes after I had it all done pretty and he’d messed it all up.

Take neat picture of cleaning the cage.

Photo of me dreading to finish cleaning the said cage.

Add bedding. Run hands through it for a half hour for its cheap, relaxing quality.

Top it all off with water bottle, food, hay, litter pan with Kitty Litter

(that he neglects to actually USE)

Add Houdini to the cage. Hope he doesn’t escape! No that’s not really how he got his name. That’s a completely different story.

And now to top it all off. . .take the freakiest picture of an eye I’ve ever seen.

Houdini, I know you don’t read, but please understand at least this: I could have left you out in the frigid cold all winter, with me only making trips to feed your insatiable hunger, and break the ice out of your water day in and day out. It would have snowed. And since you tend to use your BED as your litter box, I’m sure it wouldn’t have been very comfortable.

And to be honest right now, having you outside doesn’t sound half bad again, since I’ve been listening to you digging out all your precious litter I carefully arranged. Give it another twenty minutes and you’ll get bored with that, and move to chewing the bars like a madman trying to break out of a top security prison. I’m sure I’ll move your cage around the house at least five times, trying to find a spot where I can’t hear you jumping about.

But noooooo . . .despite the fact that you have a double coat of fur, regardless of the fact that you beat Bigfoot when it comes to how much fur-per-square-inch you have on the bottom of your feet, and ignorant to the history books that tell me your ancestors have lived, do live, and will continue living outside, MY NURTURING INSTINCTS MADE ME HAVE TO BRING YOU IN. Dang rabbit, you better love me, that’s all I gotta say!

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