Dudley and Blanche |
'Make-Up' cuddles |
As it too often does, the 'June Gloom' has settled in bringing overcast skies and chilly (by California standards) temperatures. Tanner likes it cool but not foggy, and he detests the rain. I like it warm and sunny, so I'm bummed.
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"Our first year here it rained all spring and the lousy weather lasted well into fall. Like a kid who’d been promised a trip to Disneyland but forced to settle for a T-shirt, I felt gypped. And ill. Before we quit New York, Eugenie’s mom graciously supervised the fix-up on our Malibu rental. Under her decorator’s eye, the place was painted top to bottom, the floors and furniture refinished, and new carpeting installed. The work took all of February. During that time it rained so fiercely that she kept the doors and windows shut tight, allowing the petrochemical fumes to reach critical mass. When we boarded the plane that would take us to the Left Coast, we had no idea that we’d be moving into a toxic time bomb. Shortly after we arrived my head began to pound. I was green, listless, and in constant agony. I tried aspirin, massage, and meditation. Nothing could blunt the pain. Either I was dying, or I was allergic to California. I agreed to give it one more week; then I was flying back to New York where I’d stay until I recovered. In desperation, Eugenie took me to see a homeopath who diagnosed me with chemical poisoning. I scoffed, but I took the little sugar pills and the headaches went away." (from "Gimme Shelter: A Damaged Pit Bull, an Angry Man and How They Saved Each Other").
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Right now Tanner is crashed out on his bed, taking advantage of a lull in the hammering and sawing to catch up on his sleep. He'd better since we're off to Fashion Island in Costa Mesa tomorrow to visit with Eugenie's godfather, Gene, and his wife, Jennifer. There will be tons of Yorkies, Shih Tzus and other pocket pooches at the mall so Tanner will makes lots of new 'friends' and probably scare a few uptight O.C. residents.