Two complete wash loads of jeans had been pulled off the line, and I knew immediately who was to blame -- Dobby. Fortunately, none of the jeans were damaged; he apparently didn't chew on them, he just pulled them off the line. I guess he couldn't resist the legs that were gently kicking in the breeze. At least he was appropriately contrite.
Last Saturday, I tried again. I mean, the weather is perfect right now for drying stuff on the clothesline, and why should I have to use the electricity and spend the money to run the jeans through the dryer because of a dog? So I hung out the first load and then went in the house, determined to keep an eye on them and to teach Dobby a lesson if he pulled them down.
I was opening a window to let in the wonderful fresh air when I saw Dobby coming toward the clothesline, and I knew by the look on his face he was getting ready to have some fun. So I yelled at him out the window, in one of those horribly threatening "Mom" voices. Of course, there was nothing I could do - I was in the house and he was outside; if he wanted to jerk the jeans down, he could have done it before I got out there.
But he didn't. He gave me a guilty look, then went off in the other direction. And he hasn't touched anything on the clothesline since. He may be an annoying puppy, but he's not dumb!
By the way, some of you may be wondering why I call this "The Musing Reader," and then talk about nothing but dogs and food instead of books. I am reading, just not what I would prefer to read. I'm on the committee that is preparing the accreditation self-study report for my school, and that means I'm looking at all kinds of annual reports and such. Bleah. I'm also teaching News Writing this semester, and wow, what a lot of grading if it's going to be done right. By the time I get in bed to read, it's either too late or I'm too tired. I am trying to plow through Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. I don't mean to imply that Ivanhoe is dull. I'm enjoying it. But it certainly is different to read something in nineteenth-century prose (which has LOTS of telling) than to read the fast-paced prose of the 21st century. I'm about 70% finished, according to my Kindle, and I'm really anxious to move on to a couple of books I've acquired in the past month. But it may take me the rest of the year to get through this one book....
6 comments:
Good news for Dobby...right? I was nervous for him when I saw the picture of the laundry on the ground. I never made it all the way through Ivanhoe. My dictionary wasn't thick enough!
I read Ivanhoe when I was eleven. And then Quentin Durward and The Talisman. The thing is, when you're eleven you have all the time in the world; and I was really into knights in armour and all that stuff. I couldn't read it now. I admire your determination!
Ah, yes, the long-ago days of being able to curl up in a comfy chair and read with no guilt.....
If you do have to ever take on a new dog, I hope you might name her Winky!
Just found this blog, and spent a good amount of time going through the previous posts. Makes me think that I need to read more (I admit that I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix right now)...
Thanks for stopping by! I hope there's something here you can enjoy. I agree, Winky would be a great dog name.
"He gave me a guilty look, then went off in the other direction."
I'm glad he didn't feel the need to punish himself though! LOL I was reading the part last night where Dobby told the D.A. that Umbridge was coming and your post made me laugh!
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