Drew and the doggy door

Shortly after we got Maya, we bought a doggy door for her as part of her training. It sat in the garage for a while, as we were still going outside with her to potty and making a big fuss when she actually did it. She's now gotten a little older and her accidents in the house have decreased dramatically (praise the baby Jesus!) and she's starting to scratch at the back door to go outside so we figured it was time for the doggy door. Bless Drew's heart...

Sunday he borrowed the neighbor's jigsaw to cut a hole in the door. He took the (old, solid wood) door off the hinges by himself, carried it out to the (sauna-like) garage by himself and got to work. I could hear the saw going as I was doing laundry and keeping an eye on the dog. After a while, I heard some creative cursing coming from the garage so I came out to see how it was going.

Apparently, the jigsaw was not the best and didn't cut a perfect hole in the door and he was none too pleased. 'The door's f*cked, we're going to have to get a whole new one. F*CK!' Lots of pacing, clenched jaw, sweating, and he was covered in sawdust. Poor baby.

I spoke in quiet, even tones, and slowed my breathing in an effort to calm the air around us. 'Baby, it'll be okay, just keep going and I'm sure it'll be fine. We won't have to get another door.' He was mumbling and cursing the borrowed jigsaw, saying he should have just gone to 'damn Home Depot and rented a damn jigsaw'. And I'm making this PG-13 - Drew's got a mouth on him when he gets frustrated. Anyway, I stayed out there with him while he installed the doggy door, helping where I could, staying out of the way when I could.

Finally, finally he got the door installed and it was just fine. I knew it would be - and we got the door back on the frame, pins back it and it was good as new. All told it took almost three solid hours in 90-plus degree weather in an un-air conditioned garage. Drew was soaked in sweat, but the doggy door was installed. Success!

Maya wasn't impressed - she barked at it for a while and bit the flap but with Drew and I on either side armed with treats she very quickly learned to use it. I crouched at the door for the longest trying to get a shot of her using the door.

For all his hard work I was willing to do just about anything for Drew - it is no joke installing a doggy door! Remember how I said I was pretty much a one-trick pony when it comes to cooking? I'm not horrible - Drew loves my mole chicken enchiladas (that's mo-leh) and my banana nut bread. So last night, I made some for him with our almost-dead bananas. Not too bad if I do say so myself!

I used a different recipe but they still came out okay - I definitely enjoy baking more than cooking but I don't have the sweet tooth that I used to. But now that we have the house, I'm kind of looking forward to baking for the holidays.

Funny how this little family circle is taking shape. Drew installs the door for Maya, I bake for Drew and he got a haircut for me! I had been after him to get a haircut because he gets this blond 'fro and it gets on my nerves. I was going to cut it for him but that was a disaster! He had a full out panic attack after I was two snips in. It was actually kind of funny but I'm so touched that he tried. He pulled out all his clippers and everything and sat there fully knowing I had no clue what I was doing and being super meticulous about his hair. But he looks so much better - see? He's so cute...
















All for this little creature...


Things are getting so much better - after only one day she's going in and out on her own and we only had one accident yesterday. For some reason she pees in the dining room - she's done that since we got her. I've tried my hardest to wipe up the spills immediately and douse the whole area with vinegar but she just goes to another spot in the dining room. Haven't figured that one out yet - I'm hoping that's one of those things she grows out of. At least she doesn't poop in the house anymore - thank heaven for small miracles. And I taught her how to shake! It's really cute - I'm going to have to see if I can catch it on video. She really is a smart dog. It doesn't hurt that she's cute too - I guess.