Day Fifteen, Monday - AM/PM

Today is the first day of a three day seminar I'm attending in DC. The alarm goes off EARLY. I feel as though I've been hit by a truck. I reach over to hit the snooze button, only to be greeted by a cold nose in the face. More dogsnot. Hunter is awake. I forgot that he's a morning dog. He's bouncing and jingling from the bed to the door, and I groggily get up to let him out, tripping over Buster and Potsy in the process. Georgia is awake now, and barking to be let out of her crate. I open her crate, and she and the boys go running down the hall toward the back door. Daisy is up, but she follows far behind. I let them out and then turn to see what Daisy is up to. She is sitting in the middle of the hall, with Georgia, who is madly licking Daisy's face. Daisy puts a paw on Georgia's back. I'm thinking "A truce at last?" I round up the boys, and get everybody fed. I jump in the shower and get dressed and head downtown.

After the seminar ends for the day, I rush home, first making a stop at PetSmart to buy dog food, then the grocery store for more pumpkin. People tend to look at me funny when I'm in line on days like this - frozen pizza, TV dinners, cans of various soups, some bread, bananas, eight cans of greenbeans, 4 cans of 100% pumpkin, and three boxes of Frosty Paws. My beagles eat better than I do. I get home, put the groceries away, and let the hounds in the house. They run all over the house - why they save their energy for INSIDE, I'll never understand.

Hunter and Buster are arguing about something. I step in to stop the argument, armed with a can of compressed air. Three short bursts break up the discussion and send the boys to different corners. Georgia is following Daisy, who quickly jumps up on her couch, and when Georgia tries to follow, Daisy bellows. But Georgia doesn't budge. Daisy bellows again, and then comes Georgia's first "big dog" bark - no more tin horn - she says to Daisy "I mean BUSINESS"! This is effective. Daisy is momentarily silenced and Georgia jumps down, mission accomplished. And I get the food ready - six bowls, six globs of pumpkin. I hide Daisy's heart pill in the pumpkin, hoping she'll eat it without noticing. She does! Georgia and Buddy have switched bowls. Hunter finishes in less than 15 seconds - I doubt he chewed anything. They all finish eating and go back outside for a while. I went outside to watch the dogs run around. Georgia found a branch about three times as long as she is, and she's running around the yard with it in her mouth. She's running pretty fast, with the branch swaying when one end gets stuck in the ground. She clamped her teeth tighter, and the branch bends and it flings her head over tail for a good four feet. She jumps up, looks around, and shakes herself, clearly not sure of what just happened. I'm doubled over laughing. Georgia went over to the stick, sniffed at it, pawed at it, looked at me, looked at the stick, and then she ran in the other direction.

I bring the dogs inside and settle down to read for awhile. I put the baby gate up to keep the dogs out of the living room, which is out of earshot, and which will hopefully keep them all out of trouble. Georgia climbs into her crate and settles down to chew on a toy she found in the crate. The boys are on various other pieces of furniture or the floor, and Daisy is on her couch. Hunter ventures over to the couch and jumps up. I expect Daisy to raise a fuss. Instead, she sighs, and Hunter moves closer. Soon the two are snuggling like long lost littermates.

I have to pick Pam up at the airport at 2AM. It's no wonder she got such a great deal on the ticket. Weird flight times. So, I settle down for a nap, surrounded by beagles. I am half awake, listening to the television, and then it starts. I hear a gurgling stomach, and I know it's not mine. It has to be one of the dogs. And of course, it's the one closest to me, Buster. I've learned that nothing good ever comes from noisy doggy insides. And, as anyone who has ever owned a beagle can tell you, the gas they pass is in a category all its own. Buster gets up off the couch, rolls his eyes in mock disgust, snorts, and leaves the room. I follow and put him outside. Then they ALL want to go outside. My neighbors LOVE me.

I drive to BWI and pick Pam up, and get home and set the alarm for 6AM. The resident four plus one and the Belle come in, and I wheel Georgia down the hall on top of her crate, followed by all the other dogs - which sends Pam into fits of laughter - Georgia, the Southern Belle, in her own parade. We settle down to sleep. Sigh. At least I'm at a seminar and not at work this week.