My first day back to work – Thursday – was a busy one. Dave remembered my treat, so the day definitely started off good. We were getting a new phone system and I had to supervise that. My minions the church volunteers gathered in the front office in the afternoon to be trained on the new phones. I paid close attention in case no one is around and I have to take a call.
What a time of it I have had. All the boarders (both of them) finally left and I thought I was on easy street. Mom and I had a great day at home by ourselves on Saturday, doing laundry and stuff. “By ourselves” reminds me that my Dad had been missing for well over a week. No one would tell me where he was. I finally gave up and decided it would be just me and Mommy. Next thing that happens…Mom pulls out a suitcase and starts packing it. Then she pulls out my bag and starts packing it! Yay! We are going for a trip.
We were all ready to go when Auntie Jen showed up. She helped put Mom and my stuff in her car, but I wouldn’t go near it until Mom got in. I wanted to be sure she wasn’t sending me off by myself. We spent a nice evening at Auntie Jen’s, and at bedtime I got a bit confused. Instead of going home, Mom lifted me into a big bed and crawled in next to me. This would have been alright, except there was another person and her schnauzer in a bed just across from us. I stood on the bed and stared at them, but they did not seem threatening. In fact, the other person looked a lot like my Mom and was getting under the bedcovers at the same time. The other dog was a rather attractive schnauzer and looked very intelligent, so I just kept staring, as she stared back. Mom had already turned off the lamp but there was enough light coming in the window from the moon that I could see they were still there. I watched them as long as I could keep my eyes open. Apparently the beautiful dog in the other bed was also tired, as she sank down into the bed at exactly the same time as me! We both closed our eyes and went to sleep.
Mom was up early the next morning. Hmmm. Strange for a Sunday, but everything was strange by now. We went downstairs to the kitchen where Mom finally explained to me where my Dad had been for so long. His uncle -who was also his mentor – was dying. Dad had driven our car up to a place called Fort Wayne in the state of Indiana to sit with him. Uncle Don did die, Mommy explained, and she was going to join Dad for the funeral. She went through the mind thought of suns rising and setting to help me know how long she would be gone. Then, she and my Auntie Jen went out the door without me! I know she had explained everything, but I didn’t believe she was leaving me! Auntie Jen finally came home, and my Mom wasn’t with her. I was so upset, I wouldn’t even let her touch me. I just cowered down every time she came near me. I know she felt bad, and I was glad, because she took my Mom away and left her somewhere. I didn’t want her to get ahold of me and do dog-only-knows-what with me, too.
I have a new Uncle Bill who lives with Auntie Jen. I stayed in his lap a lot when he got home from work at night. I also spent a lot of time in the big backyard with my cousins, Piper the schnauzer and Ella the part boxer. We ran and ran and smelled the bunny holes and squirrel droppings and all the other wonderful smells. We chased each other and even played tug of war with a drain pipe that I think Ella might have torn off the house. I dug holes and got my beard filthy. It all helped take my mind off of possibly being an orphan. I still hadn’t forgiven Auntie Jen.
Finally, after supper on Wednesday night, Mom and Dad came back to Uncle Bill’s. Mom withstood Ella trying to knock her down to swoop me up in her arms and let me kiss her all over her face. I was so excited I shook all over. Then Dad held me and pet me too. My family was back!
This morning I went to work with Mom, but that’s a story for another day.
Before I tell you about my final gig as Toto, I remembered that I wanted to show you something from the first show. The Theatre Centre had these cool buttons made. That’s ME!
Now, I am back to give you what you crave: details of my final appearance in a production of the Wizard of Oz.
It was spring of 2014. I was eleven years old, limber, sharp of mind, and jonesing to get back on stage. My first Dorothy had been one of the managers at Rock City ever since I knew her. Every year she would hire Dad to teach Irish folk dance in March at Shamrock City and polka at Octoberfest. She deserted us left after having her second baby and Rock City hired a new person, Jonathan. During the Shamrock City gig in 2014 Dad heard Jonathan talking about bringing WOZ back to the Colonnade. Dad came home and told Mom she needed to go with him the next weekend and bring me and some of my calling cards. Of course we went, and the next thing we knew we were being asked to submit my bio for the play. It’s pretty impressive, so I know you will want to read it, too. Lexi’s Bio.
Even though it had been a couple of years since my last performance, I was still active in Freestyle. That kept me sharp and responsive to movements. I still did a bit of preparation for my part, which you can read about in a previous post. There were lots of rehearsals, too. I knew what to do, so I tried to help everyone else so we could just get on with opening the play. Here are some pictures from rehearsal:
Always listen closely when the director gives directions.
Finally, rehearsals were over. Every night for a week we didn’t get home and in bed until eleven o’clock. Mom and I were exhausted. We were barely getting to work the next day. And there was too much to do for us to sleep at work. Our schedule was get up, eat breakfast (me), go to work, eat lunch (Mom), starve the schnauzer, go to the theater, rehearse and get treats (me), go home, get a treat (me) and go to bed. Over and over again. I lost a whole pound.
The play opened in September of 2014. I loved being on the stage again. It was on Mommy’s birthday that I posted my thoughts about it, which you can read here. Of course, I had a different Dorothy again. Here is a picture of us on stage. I know this is while we are in Oz because her dress is blue. In Kansas, everything is black and white. Isn’t it funny that I am still black and white in Oz, BOL!
I look at the picture now and am embarassed about my weight back then. No wonder she grunted every time she picked me up! What an extra 5 pounds can do to a little schnauzer!
On opening night, those munchkins kept getting in my way. They started dancing as I was entering from stage right and almost danced me right off the front of the stage. Now that would have been an opening night to remember! It shook me up. I wasn’t myself the rest of the night. I hear people say that, and I think it is funny. Who are they if they aren’t themselves? Of course, in my case, I was Toto. BOL. The next night Mom adjusted my entrance to be from stage left. It worked much better.
I performed every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, plus a matinee on Saturdays. I’ll tell you, by the time Saturday night came around I was almost too tired to walk onto the stage. I know my acting Saturday evenings suffered from it. At first Mom would take me out shopping – like to Lowe’s Hardware or the pet store – after the matinee, just to kill time. We live an hour away, so it was too far to go home. When she realized how tired I was she let me sleep in my kennel in the wings, just off the stage. That helped, but I was still ready to go home. By the end of the second week I was posting about that.
One night my Dad came and watched me perform. I didn’t realize he was there until I saw him in the lobby at the meet and greet. He held me while everyone pet me and asked if I was his dog. He had the honor of saying yes. I was really tired from my performance so I laid quietly in his arms. However, when he put me down, I tried to scamper down the hall, where I could smell the Mexican food from some other event. I am never too tired for food. After that, either Mom or Dad held me until it was time to go home. Drat, foiled again.
The last day of the play was a Sunday. Before the curtain opened on the evening performance Mommy said she had something very important to tell me, and to listen closely. She said it was not only the last performance of this production, but probably my last performance as Toto. She said to do my very best; push away being tired and give them a show they will never forget. So I did. I acted my little heart out. I think it was my best performance ever. I took my final bows with Dorothy and the cast and walked to the door. I was too sad to say goodbye to anyone. At least I have my memories.
When all the world is a hopeless jumble, And the raindrops tumble all around, Heaven opens a magic lane. When all the clouds darken up the skyway, There’s a rainbow highway to be found, leading from your window pane. To a place behind the sun, Just a step beyond the rain. —- Somewhere over the rainbow…*
*The opening lines from the song “Over the Rainbow.”
Today was a better day. I went to work with Mom to the Methodist Church. Some people I had never met came in and I didn’t growl, not even once! It is after Christmas and I am still trying to be a good dog. When I need to go outside there, Mommy insists on putting a leash on me. There are lots of neighborhood posts about coyote sightings. Mom said it’s one thing rescuing me from another dog, but it would be quite another trying to snatch me out of the jaws of a wild coyote. Although I agree, sometimes my nose leads me toward the trees, hence, the leash.
I also went to the children’s hospital today. One teenage girl was a good petter, plus she seemed to really want or need me there on the bed with her. I kept snuggling in closer, and when Mom said it was time to go I pulled back and tried to make myself really heavy so she couldn’t move me. Miss Lois, the hospital worker, was as surprised as Mom, knowing I had never done that before. That made the nice girl smile, so I sat with her a little longer before I told Mom we could move on to the next child.
This was our last day of work for this entire year. I was so excited all day, knowing Bogie, the parti colored cocker, was going home tonight. Can anyone say Hallelujah? In line with my resolution to be good, I let him sniff me all over. He started sniffing in – yes, in – one ear, worked his way around my face, shoving his nose in my beard, and finished in the other ear. At one point he even tried to stick his nose in my mouth, but I kept it firmly closed. He left a little while ago, after Mom cleaned up more pee and poop. Mom promised he won’t be back to stay, just to be groomed.
Finally, I am an only dog again. Hmm, I wonder what Riley is doing tonight…
A special thanks at year’s end to those who commented the most:
1. Noodle of Noodleforpresident
2. Sidney, Shelby and Sophie from Corkscot
3. Shoko and Kali of The Canadian Cats
4. Sidhartha Henry (S.H.) of Nylabluesmum, and
5. Cupcake from Cupcake.
Hey Cupcake, I just realized I’m not following your blog. Fixing that right now, my friend!
So what are you waiting for? Click on the link below – lots of interesting info. Then post your wordpress.com stats!
Source: See the #fireworks I created by blogging on #WordPressDotCom. My 2015 annual report.
Christmas night wasn’t the best around here. As of last night we have another dog “boarding.” I’ve seen Bogie (actually, I have smelled him) come here from time to time to be groom. This time he didn’t leave. After he got here last night he was so nervous he had “intestinal upset” in the house. Mom got that cleaned up only to find that the groom room was flooding from all the rain. Mom and my brother Adam spent a lot of time with a mop, towels and a shop vac trying to get up all the water. It was coming in as fast as they worked, so Mom finally quit and went to bed.
Today was better. All the water had mysteriously disappeared from the groom room floor, sort of like it had never happened. Weird, huh?And so, with her work space once again usable, Mom groomed Bogie. She was careful to keep her voice soft and sweet so she didn’t upset him. She figured this out this afternoon after she yelled, “Stop!” when he was about to step on a big spider and, as if on cue, liquid poo squirted out of his butt. We have gone through a lot of paper towels so far this weekend.
Here’s the thing though. Gracie does not like Bogie. I actually heard my sweet little friend growl at him – several times. He bounces around like a Tigger dog and just doesn’t know when to quit. Hey, Noodle, you feeling my pain, sweetie?
Mom decided to open Bogie’s new can of tennis balls and try to wear him out a little. The ground is very soggy and muddy, so they played in the house. I even grabbed the ball away from him once!
Bogie won’t eat, not even with meatloaf and other good stuff crumbled up in his food. However, he tried to stick his head in my food bowl and it was my turn to growl. At least he understands what “grrrrrrr” means. OK, so he is probably a nice dog, but he is just so obnoxious. Gracie and I have decided to just stay away from him.
I think that if Bogie keeps refusing to eat all the wonderful food in his bowl, Mom should just give it to me. After all, isn’t wasting food a sin? I know there’s something about poor hungry dogs somewhere in the world, not having enough to eat, who would love to have this food. It only seems right that someone should eat this food, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t be me. If you agree, put up your paw! Anyhow, Bogie Wogie is here until New Years Eve…pray for me to survive!
–Although I have lost 5 whole pounds. Do you realize that was something like 20% of my entire body weight?
What I do mean, is that Noodle, my most excellent boyfriend, asked his Mom to show my Mom how to see where in the world people are reading my blog. Mauritius? I had to look it up.
| United States | 1840 |
| Canada | 284 |
| United Kingdom | 93 |
| Australia | 77 |
| New Zealand | 32 |
| Brazil | 31 |
| Zambia | 13 |
| South Africa | 9 |
| Argentina | 6 |
| Netherlands | 6 |
| Italy | 6 |
| Spain | 6 |
| Hong Kong SAR China | 4 |
| France | 4 |
| India | 3 |
| Germany | 3 |
| Malaysia | 3 |
| Philippines | 2 |
| Mexico | 2 |
| Colombia | 2 |
| Costa Rica | 2 |
| Slovenia | 1 |
| Mauritius | 1 |
| Portugal | 1 |
| Pakistan | 1 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Israel | 1 |
| Morocco | 1 |
| Greece | 1 |
| Ukraine | 1 |
| Estonia | 1 |
| Poland | 1 |
| Singapore | 1 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 |
| Mozambique | 1 |
Four people from France…hmm…I wonder if any of them are my friends from France who came to my house and ate supper with us a few years ago. Even trying to use my considerable counting abilities, I had to ask Mom to tell me how many countries are listed. She said 35. 🙂
Gracie and I have started sharing. I let her eat some of my food right out of my own food bowl and gave her my blessing as she did. She let me sleep in her very own kennel that is in my Dad’s office.
And now, in keeping with my resolution to be a better dog, I share a blessing with you:
See that you are at peace among yourselves, and love one another. Follow the example of good dogs and cats of old and God will comfort you and help you, both in this world and in the world which is to come. In His Holy name. Amen.
I am Lexi, the good Episcopalian/Methodist dog. (Do you think Santa Paws will see this?)
I laughed this morning when Mom tossed Gracy into the tub before work and gave her a good bath. I was so lost in the moment that I didn’t stop to think what that might mean. Yep, she went to work with us. I was not at all happy about that. She rode in my car, she ate my food, she drank my special water and she got all the attention that should have been mine. I growled every time someone pet her instead of me. Mom says I am my own worst enemy. I don’t know what that means. The pastor’s 8 year old daughter was there today and she played with Gracie and took her outside and took her in the pastor’s office to watch a show together. Then she thought she could be all nicey-nice with me after that huge betrayal. I wasn’t having any of it. Dad stopped by and Gracie thought she could have all his attention too. I was so upset that I managed to get out the door and took off. Mom had Gracie on a leash and was holding the door open for Dad to move some big stuff into the church, so she couldn’t exactly chase after me. She took Gracie to her office, hollered for Dad, and by the time they got outside to look for me I had decided to return, since it was drizzling rain. Mom was so mad she swatted me with the leash as I tore up the stairs. It hurt my feelings more than anything, and I knew I was in deep trouble now. Mom had a lot of work to get done, which meant that I only got a short lecture this time.
By the time we got in the car to head home Mom was in a better mood, the sun was shining and I didn’t even care if I had to share the front seat with Gracie. I’ve been thinking, and I realize that I have to change my attitude to keep my job as the church dog. I think it will be a better night. I hope it’s just me and Mom going to work tomorrow.
Love and kisses to all. May the Lord be with you. (I am practicing.)
The weather today was perfect: 72 degrees and slightly overcast. What to do on a day like this? Dog park! So off went me, Mom, Dad and Gracie. I was sniffing all around the little dog side of the park – I am sure we went to that side because of Gracie – when things got interesting. This is what showed up.
I think he was a dog, not a pig. He sure sounded like a pig. I may need Riley to verify that for me when he gets here next week. (He is now the pig expert in the family.) Did you know that the tops of the water drains on the Cathedral of Notre Dame in France are made to look like a French bulldog? Yep, that’s your trivia for the day.
Let’s see, where was I in recollecting my first experiences as Toto. Ah, yes, we had just met my now Auntie Jen.
In theater, there is something called a green room. It is where the cast can sit and rest between scenes, but most especially between the first and second act. I usually showed up about 15 minutes before the show started since I didn’t need makeup or wardrobe. It would be just in time to warm up my voice with everyone, as I previously posted. Besides, it was fun to see the stage manager sigh with relief every time I walked tore through the back stage door. One evening as I ran toward the warm-up room I smelled, then saw, someone walk in with baked goods and place them in the green room. During the entire play I couldn’t stop thinking about that. Now let me mention that as unlikely as it may seem, there are a few scenes that I am simply not supposed to be in, such as when Uncle Henry and Auntie Em can’t find me or My Dorothy after the tornado. It was during one such scene that I could no longer control my urge to eat those baked goods. Unfortunately, they were on the far side of the stage. Sure, I could have taken the long way around behind the back curtain. Bwahahaha! Who are we kidding? Even I know the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and that line took me straight across the stage. Like a good quarterback (my peeps brother Andrew watches a lot of football so I understand a bit of it), I made it through the first line of defense as I exited the stage, intent on my goal. The second line of defense closed in on me just before I could round the corner and devour what was calling me to it like a siren song. So I didn’t get my baked goods and Auntie Em was mad at me. 😦 Mom wasn’t very happy with me either, but gave me points for speed and determination. Points? She could have just given me baked goods.
In June I posted some Memory Mondays about my time as Toto. If you missed them, you can read them here. I was going to tell you all about winning my Annie Award, but that is included in the June post, too. I guess Mommy’s name is also on the award because she was my stage director.
Mom actually made a schedule of when I was supposed to be on stage with cues and stage sides to enter and exit. If you are interested, you can see it here.
2nd Production of the Wizard of Oz (WOZ):
Early in 2010 I got called to star once again as Toto in a WOZ production at a convention center called the Colonnade in a town called Fort Oglethorpe in North Georgia. I blogged about it at the time, also. Go ahead, click the link, it is safe. I got left out of the playbill, if you can believe that! I mean, who leaves the star out of the program? I wasn’t too happy about it, but Mom was steamed!
This time the director didn’t have a plan for what scenes I could be in or how much I could be on stage. Having had some experience at this, Mom called the shots for me. She let me go on stage a lot more, but not when it would have hurt the story line. She still had my playbook all marked up with when and where I was to enter and exit. Apparently, direction and routine appeal to her as much as they do to me.
I didn’t understand why there were long gaps between each scene as the sets were changed. At one such time I was with Kandis the Dorothy behind the curtain, bored with waiting and peeking out to see what I could see. Suddenly I spotted my Auntie Jen in the audience! I glanced back at Kandis, who was distracted with texting, and made my break. For the first and last time in my career I forgot the stage actor rules and tore down the stairs and into the middle of the audience, leaping right into Auntie Jen’s lap. I was wiggling all over, wagging my tail and even gave her a hug. She was beaming. I could feel the happiness radiating off of her. People in the seats near her were asking if I was her dog. “No,” she replied, “this is my niece.” ❤
We went to the Star Awards ceremony, which was held at the Colonnade. I fully expected to get another award, but those people forgot all about me – again. I made my point by running up on stage while Kandis (Dorothy) was singing Over the Rainbow. Would you believe she had her eyes closed and didn’t even see me! So I trotted backstage, lickity split, where they were setting up the food for after the awards. If I wasn’t going to get an award, I sure was going to get something out of being there. I came back out as she was finishing the song and this time I know she had to have seen me because people were chuckling. When she looked down, I slipped her and went back to the food. She came after me, though, and acted so very glad I was there. We went to the lobby and she wanted me to run with her and play with her, but I just wasn’t into it. I was a bit bummed, no award and all, and I just wanted to get back to the food.
When the play was over, I did a final blog about it.
“Stay tuned” as they say, “for my final Oz blog the first Monday is January!” Great story! Great pictures! It is all about me!”
I (still) am LexiToto.
We headed home on Wednesday morning and drove about nine hours before stopping at our new friend, Baymont Hotel in Metropolis, IL. While Dad was checking out of Baymont on Thanksgiving morning, I decided I would drive for a while. Dad came back and said, “No.”
It seemed that we had already escaped the cold of NW Indiana as it was already 60 degrees at 8:00 in the morning.
So, instead of getting right on the Interstate, we decided to look around. Everyone seemed to still be asleep as we cruised by old, but well-kept homes, to the city’s small downtown. We saw a giant statue of Superman and lots of gift shops. If the name Metropolis sounds familiar, it is because it is the home of Superman, as well as…
Since we work at a Methodist Church, and since Mom and Dad didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get home, Dad took 
a shot of us in front of the Methodist Church across from the city’s newspaper, the Planet. The church was founded in 1853! We sent the picture of us as well as one of the plaque with the information about the church to our friend, Pastor Evelyn, to say Happy Thanksgiving.
We finally got back on the road. My food dish was in the back seat, and it contained only dry kibble. In protest, I used my nose to try turning over the bowl. Mom told me to stop, so I tried harder. More loudly, she again told me to stop, so I tried even harder. She kept getting louder and so did my efforts until Dad broke out laughing at us both. At that, Mom reached back and removed my bowl of crap food from the back seat.
We finally made it back home in time to cook steak and squash for Thanksgiving supper. I sat at the table with my peeps and had a bit for myself. I can hardly wait for Christmas…Riley and my peep brother Andrew are coming home and I bet there will be lots of good food!
Yes, we crossed some pretty big rivers to get to Grandma Jean’s, among them the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers. Once we hit the area where Grandma lives, called The Territories, we saw lots of wooded areas. So I am sticking with my Christmas song for Thanksgiving week. If you remember, it had started to snow just before we pulled into the garage. It snowed all evening and all night and most of the next morning. There was about 8 inches of snow here in Northwestern Illinois and the temperature outside was down in the teens. Today it warmed up into the 40’s and the snow started to melt.
My bestest and only boyfriend Noodle has blogged about sitting in his Grandma’s lap when she comes to visit. It looks very cozy.
My newest friend Dante just finished a long visit with his Grandma. He rode around on her walker and got lots of kissies.
I miss my Grandma who went to Heaven. I spent a lot of time with her, almost every day for awhile until she had to move to assisted care. It is nice to remember that I have another granny, Grandma Jean, even if she is so far away. While I am here, I decided to try one of Dante’s favorite things with his granny.
Today, everyone left without me.
When everyone came home, I spent some time with my peep cousin, Josie. She is a good petter.
We are heading home in two days. Just when I started getting used to everything and everyone. Oh wait, that means… Road Trip!
Dad picked us up at the church and we left for the North right after work on Thursday. We drove a few hours before stopping at a different hotel than we usually use. Mom said it was a lot less expensive and it wouldn’t hurt to try it. It’s name was Baymont. We used to stay at the one called Holiday Inn Express. Our Baymont room had one of those beds as big as Kansas. It was so big I could sleep in it all night without even touching anyone. So I took advantage of that and curled up in the bend of my Dad’s legs.
In the morning I waited in the room while Mom went out to hunt a chicken so I could have my usual on-a-trip scrambled eggs. Apparently Metropolis, Illinois doesn’t have chickens because she came back empty-handed. We all piled back in the car and a couple of hours down the road stopped at one of my favorite places. You guessed it – Mickey D’s! Mommy got out a bowl and poured some kibble, and green peas in it, then topped it with lots of scrambled eggs. Hallelujah, someone must have found a chicken.
For lunch, Mommy and I had hot dogs.
After my hot dog, I got really thirsty.
It started snowing about 30 minute before we got to Grandma Jean’s house. Thankfully, it hadn’t started sticking on the road yet and we pulled safely into her garage before the blizzard hit. More on that and my visit later.
I am Lexi: have hot dog, will travel.
Riddle: What does a rag + a gauze pad + duck tape + a baby sock + safety pins=?
Dad took me for my wonderful acupuncture treatment today. Dr Karen, who is my favorite vet in the whole world, said the wound where my nail was removed was slightly infected. She put me on antibiotics which also doubled as the second round of antibiotics for the bacteria giving me bad breath. Dad said we couldn’t drive all the way to Illinois with my breath like that. My BFF Dr. Karen also said I could lick my wound a little and it would be ok, but not a lot. I am like a sugar addict with a bowl of frosting when I start licking. A little is never enough.
Mom knows how much I hate the lampshade thingie, so she thought up this scheme to make it easy to change out the dressing without me losing all the hair on my right lower leg. Yes, she has had to cut the hair from the duck tape every time she changed the dressing, which she claims is why she started making me wear the dreaded e-collar. Mom permanently (well, it sure does seem permanent) attached a soft rag around my leg just above the knee with white duck tape. Then she pulled a pink striped baby sock that she found at the Dollar Tree (2 sets of 2 sock for $1 – go wild Mom!) over the gauze square that she had placed around the toe end of my foot. Then she pulled the baby sock up to the rag and safety pinned it in place. Now all she has to do is unpin the sock to change the gauze. I got it off in the first hour when Mom used regular paper tape to attach the rag to my hair. So we are back to white duck tape. Or is it duct tape? Franklin, will you weigh in on this? Franklin?
So, a trip to Illinois. Dad’s rude comment was the first and last I have heard about a trip. I love trips. My Grandma Sandy lives in Illinois. I will let you know more when I get the low-down.
There is a wound where I lost my toenail. There is a red hole where my toenail should be.
I licked it. Mom bandaged it. I was patient for two days. This morning I tried to chew off the bandage. Mom cut off the dressing.
I licked it. Mom put the collar of shame around my neck and a bandaid on my toe. Mom left.
Mom returned and I guilted her into removing the collar of shame.
I licked it. Guess what happened next.
If you are squeamish about b-l-o-o-d, then skip the parts I tell you to skip. Remember, I warned you.
I have been getting treated for my left hip having dysplasia. B12 shots, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, all good. I was starting to feel much better and not even limping, then I started limping on my right foot and licking it incessantly. Mom couldn’t see anything wrong with it, but we both knew it hurt or I wouldn’t be licking it. Finally, she saw that my middle toenail was jutting out at an odd angle. She trimmed it back a little so it wasn’t hitting the floor when I walked and that helped, but not enough. Alert, skip the next paragraph if you are faint of heart (FoH).
This morning started out with me tracking blood all over the kitchen floor. Other places too, but no one noticed until I hit the white tile floor.
You FoH people can start reading again.
Mom put a cheap, disposable plastic glove over my foot, then tied a cheap green bandana – that I refused to wear around my neck – around the glove. She called the new vet and we got the first appointment of the day. I was in the car about 3 seconds before I had that horrible glove-bandana contraption off and was back to licking it. Pretty soon not only my breath but the whole car smelled like blood. Oops, sorry, forgot to give the warning.
We got the the vet’s office and a different doctor, Dr. Smith, saw me. Let me add here that when Mom saw the vet tech walk in the room with the glass stick, Mom said, “No, I don’t think Lexi will need her temperature taken today. Let’s try to keep this a good place for her to come.” Yay, Mommy! While we waited for the vet to come in, Mom explained to me that he might have to do something that would hurt a lot, but it would be quick and my foot wouldn’t hurt any more after that.
This next part might be a bit much for you FoH folks. Just sayin’, proceed at your own risk. Hey, there’s a nice picture at the bottom!
The doc examined my nail and told Mom it was only hanging on by a thread, or the quick, or something like that, and he would have to pull it off. Mom said he could get her from the waiting room when he was done and she deserted me. I knew she was waiting to hear my scream, so I just gritted my teeth and didn’t make a sound. I waited for my revenge, which came as soon as the vet let go of my foot. I shook it as hard as I could and blood sprayed all over the entire room. Ha, ha, ha. That’ll teach them. They had to clean everything before they could go get Mom and tell her I was ready to go.
OK, you FoH folks. You can finish reading now.
I went to work with my foot all bandaged up. They even put a little no-slip pad on the bottom to keep me from, well, from slipping. Tonight Mom had to take it off to check it and re-wrap it. She didn’t do as good of a job, but I guess that’s cause they are professionals. She even lost the tape sometime between removing the old wrap, spraying cold water on my poor foot to remove the dried b-l-o-o-d, towel drying it, and wrapping it again. Now I have a layer of gauze, a layer of vet wrap, and a layer of white duck tape. Sheesh.
I was elected to stay home with Mom on Sunday and with Dad on Monday (today). *yawn*
I have had three sessions of acupuncture and B12 shots for my hip. Since my last visit, I have been running around like a puppy, up and down stairs and all over the place. Until today. I woke up hurting. Mom called the vet and Dad is taking me Wednesday morning for another treatment. I don’t mind going to this vet. They are super nice to me and feed me so many treats I don’t even notice what they are doing. In the meantime, I got another hydrotherapy (bath in the jetted tub) and a buffered aspirin. Mom sat in the tub with me and said she was very proud because I didn’t even shake this time. I just have tomorrow to get through until I get some more relief with the acupuncture.
Now, about Memory Monday. Since several of you expressed your delight in reading about my times as Lexi-Toto, and since I never tire of thinking about it, I have decided to share more stories of those years. My career spanned three productions over the period of eight years.
As I’ve mention, the first production – the one in Chattanooga at the Theatre Centre – was my favorite. Here are some of my first thoughts about the experience, posted during that time.
A local bakery donated biscuits in the shape of hot dogs with a hole in the center so that a stick could be put through them. You know, so it would look like a hot dog being roasted over a campfire. Mr. Marvel would lower the stick while he was talking with My Dorothy and I would run and pull the hot dog biscuit off the stick. The audience loved it. Then Mr. Marvel always chuckled and said, “What’s a sausage between two friends?” Or something like that. One time I was still chewing when My Dorothy grabbed me up into her arms and swung sharply around to try to head back home before the tornado. That was right when I was opening my mouth to chew, and pieces sprayed all over stage. In a subsequent scene I made sure to clean the stage!
It wasn’t all fun and games and treats. There were those dreaded flying monkeys. When they started screeching and flying – yes flying – at me I would run as fast as I could across the stage, heading for my kennel dressing room. Most of the time Mom would catch me and hand me over. Traitor! Didn’t she know those monkeys were terrifying? At least I was compensated each time with an extra treat from the head monkey, who had to run back out on the stage with me when the scene changed. That’s when everyone found out I wasn’t a water breed. When the wicked witch told him to take me and throw me in the river, he would always fumble and I would leap from his arms and, this time, make it straight into my kennel dressing room.
Sunday afternoons were fun shows. There were always lots of little people and they adored me. After the show, folks were allowed to come up and have their picture taken with some of the cast. They could ask for who they wanted in the picture with them, such as Toto, or Dorothy and Toto, or the Lion and Toto or the Tin Man and Toto or the Scarecrow and Toto or Glenda and Toto. They usually asked for My Dorothy and Toto. Even then I loved having my picture taken! That’s how we met my Auntie Jen. The story goes something like this: Jen saw my picture in the newspaper and said, “How did Piper’s picture get in the paper?” When she read the article she found out that my cousin Piper and I came from the same breeder. She e-mailed the breeder and got my Mom’s e-mail address. They started corresponding like that until my almost Auntie Jen came to see me perform. It was an instant friendship between us all, and we are now all family. Isn’t that super neat? I don’t know why people think you have to be born into a family to BE family. After all, both my Mom and I were adopted and we couldn’t be more family! Same with my Auntie Jen…I love my Auntie Jen.
I think that’s all I can tell you for now. My hip is starting to hurt again and I need to rest. Next time I will tell you about receiving the Annie Award, about attending other plays at the theater, and maybe even about my second time playing Toto, two years later. I’ll have some pictures to show you, too. In the meantime, if you get lost, just remember to follow the yellow brick road.
Love,
Lexi, the Toto
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