My son and his family have arrived for their summer visit. He has a wife, two perfect little boys and two dogs. One of the dogs is mucho Chihuahua-like (80% Chihuahua, 20% Rat Terrier, 100% insane), the other is an older, long suffering, 120 pound Coon Hound who somehow makes it through each day. ‘Hang dog‘ is the term that comes to mind. Our dogs are thrilled all to bits to have such good company as dogs and boys. We are relaxing in 84 degree (26C) temps with 200 pounds of excited dog(s) that rarely shuts up. This is summer fun sit-com style.
If we compare life forms by weight, Cheeto (2lbs) is the smallest (but the loudest and most shrill) and the two boys are next in size (small and small-medium – total weight of all three is maybe 50 pounds combined – all equally as shrill). Daisy is 75 pounds – one and half the weight of the two boys and Cheeto. And she can get worked up if all around her are losing their minds. So….she’s worked up now, too!
Our Gus is easily six to eight times our youngest grandson’s weight. Then, the heaviest by maybe a kg, comes their Hound. She (the hound) and Gus are about the same size and temperament – they are pretty chill. Then comes Sally (but only by about five or ten pounds). Any two the non-insane dogs outweigh Sal. But Sal, Thank God, is unflappable.
Fifty pounds of little boy is quite a force to be reckoned with. Irresistible force most of the time. They are curious, active, full of beans and have learned their communication skills from the hysterical little Cheeto. When the three smallest entities are in full throat, it is absolute bedlam.
My youngest grandson (three years old) has taken to oft-repeating a joke he made up…. “Grandpa! GRANDPA!! GRANDPAAAAA!!!!!”
“What?”
He grins at me. Looks me in the eye and says, “……..NOTHING!!” And then flips out howling at his own joke. The kid is a riot.
“Why don’t you and Cheeto go play in traffic for awhile?”
“But, Grandpa, there is NO traffic out here!”
“……yeah. I’ll see what I can do…….”
“Grandpa! GRANDPA!! GRANDPAAAAA!!!!!”
“What?”
“……..NOTHING!!”
Our Off the Grid Home 
Saw the boat load going by this morning and everyone at Surge as Sally tried to corral the gang back in the boat. The boys are too cute for words.
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So good to read Dave that Life is in deed lovely.
Well done!!! 👏👏👏
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I am sure you sleep very well in the evening 🙂
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I can only commiserate with you, having your domain invaded by your brat and his offspring. Enjoy the suffrage for it will not last long enough as they will leave too soon.😇😇
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Ahhhh,
The little tyke so rarely gets to say Grandpa……
Has your “curmudgeon meter” hit “red zone” yet?
🙂
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You know me so well. But I was cool. I was a great gran’pa. And I did a lot of dishes, played Lego, swordfights and listened to every inanity until…..well….the take-a-break intervals got more frequent, I will admit. After three or so hours, I would claim ‘gran’pa’s nap and disappear into my room. I also claimed an early bedtime and escaped into the same room. I kinda thought it was me and my temperament but, after three days, Gus took to quietly leaving the madness and sneaking upstairs to lie under Sal’s quilting table. When the little sweeties left, I came home and slept for three straight hours! I love ’em but the noise level is off the charts.
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Amazing how 2 little kids and a yappy dog can drown out even the most obnoxious ….chainsaw…….
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Oh and concerning the , noisy, yappy, little, barely trained, “toy” dogs……
I believe in the modern, internet lexicon they are referred to as “kickme’s”.
For obvious reasons.
Their sense of self preservation is in inverse proportion to their loudly insistent, self importance.
🙂
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Agreed. I have never wanted to hurt an animal before…..but…well…..the thought of kicking the little rat into the sea did cross my mind.
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