Dogs on the run & Lunch meeting

Acer and I were prepped to go and walk down the street when my next door neighbor showed up at the door to thank us for collecting her mail while she was camping. We're really blessed to have Linda for a neighbor, she and her daughter Leeanna are great. Anyway Linda accompanied us as we marched off. I had just finished commenting to Linda that you could hear the dogs complaining because we had left them behind when we see the two of them barrelling down the street, shoulder to shoulder towards us. I managed to grab Rugby's collar and Linda stayed close to Acer gently guiding him back towards the house. I kept calling "Lobelia. Car!" but it seemed she didn't believe me and disappeared around the corner. Rugby is always happy to get into the car, Linda offered to come & be another set of eyes, so I put Acer in the car seat & away we prepared to go. Just as I went to put it in reverse, there appeared Lobelia at my window. I guess she figured that we really were going for the coveted car ride & she didn't want to miss out. She hopped in, over my lap and away we went around the block. We got back home and I made sure the gate was securely latched so they couldn't push it open even with a lot of effort. It's funny, Rugby is better behaved on the whole than Lobelia is but he hates to get out of the car. Lobelia hopped right out & into the yard & Rugby just sat there. I finally got him out of the van, but he switched seats several times before he actually left the car.

At 11 Acer and I headed off to meet my good friend Mindy for lunch. Acer decided on the fish children's meal and even ordered it from the waitress himself. The only problem was that he's used to Bill's ordering fast food on Sundays and so he didn't know it would take a long time for them to cook the meal. It was a huge piece, larger than the plate, and Acer ate almost the whole thing. I was amazed. Acer stayed in the booth the whole time and only dropped his fork at the very end, after he was done eating. It was good to see Mindy, because of schedule differences we haven't been able to get together for a long time.

After lunch, when Acer was lying in bed chattering and not napping, One of Acer's seeming Non-sequiturs was explained. Acer has been saying "Rugby shirt" and I would reply, "no, Rugby doesn't wear a shirt" thinking it was a joke he'd made up. I mean 'Lobelia is Nanjing dialect' is a joke to him so why not Rugby Shirt? Acer also says, Rugby whining, Rugby groaning and Rugby barking. When he was lying there, he was saying Rugby Panting, and then panting in imitation. Then he said Rugby shirt and I finally understood. If Acer has pants and shirts, and Rugby pants then, Rugby must have pants and shirts too!

Oddly enough, I would have said that Lobelia would have been Acer's best buddy, I mean she's much younger and always wants someone to play with her, but generally she leaves Acer alone to do whatever Lobelia things she wants to. She also steals his food off the table, including bottles or other milk containing devices (we're down at least 4, I think she buries them), but other than a food source, she doesn't pay a lot of attention to him. Rugby on the other hand is 10 years old and is slowing down, but he's Acer's buddy. Where Acer is, Rugby is. I don't know if it's Rugby's herding instincts coming out or what. Rugby has even stood there while Acer climbed up and sat on his back. That's why you'll see Rugby in pix with Acer but far more rarely, Lobelia.