I have been going to the Reindog Parade for so many years I can’t even tell you how many. The first year I went was soon after I got my dog Cosmo, an Italian Greyhound. What better dog to make into a reindeer than one that already looked like a little tiny deer? I know I had some kind of coat on him, as he’d freeze otherwise. I made antlers out of brown pipe cleaners. They didn’t stay on his head very well, but they looked great. Cosmo made the newspaper that year.
I skipped a few years after that, but picked up again. Cosmo was the little deer some years, then an elf, a toy soldier and maybe a different elf the last time I took him. When I had more dogs I would take Cosmo, Ozzie, my Greyhound mix (even more of a deer-looking dog than Cosmo, who could wear the human headbands with antlers) and my Chihuahua-Pug with one eye (Andy). Cosmo & Andy were elves, and Ozzie was the Reindog. Put in link to Mary’s website with Ozzie & Cosmo Here’s a link to 2002 photos of Cosmo and Ozzie from photographer Mary Strubbe’s website: Ozzie and Cosmo
After I started getting more interested in photography and had my big Canon camera, I came to the parade without dogs (there were too many years of my dogs not being able to handle the cold). I almost had as much fun and I definitely came home with better photos. Here are a few I took last year:
and here are even more in my fotki albums
So this year, it will most likely be without my dogs, though the weather might be OK to take them. If I bring few camera extras I might be able to handle both. But it’s always been a plan of mine to photograph as many dogs as possible, so that will be difficult with two dogs in tow. This is where I really miss having a partner to help me out.
I will never win the costume contests, unless I could find several people with me who would also dress up. They used to have contests for senior dogs and when I had two 16 year old dogs who were dressed up it was the year that they discontinued the senior contest.
One might ask why people do this kind of thing? I can only tell you it is such a joy to see so many dog loving people in one location. And the dogs look so good. Many dogs get excited to be in the parade. My dogs would come to me excitedly to get their costumes put on. That is, they loved it all except for anything that went on their heads. They hated hats.
Last year I took photos for the SPCA. It took many long hours to edit and get the photos to them. Not one photo was used from it. So this year the photos are all mine. I can do whatever I want. I’ve been getting pretty sour about the SPCA and might want to stop volunteering for them soon. Same might go for other endeavors for animal rescue. It’s a shame I am losing interest in this type of thing, but I just feel it’s getting nowhere.
Speaking of getting nowhere, I completed a week as a vegetarian. I think I screwed up yesterday because I got a soup (Broccoli & Cheddar) that I’m sure they used chicken stock in. It’s not that it’s so hard to keep this diet up; I just think it’s kind of futile. One person can’t save all those animals from becoming slaughtered. I find that I do miss pepperoni, bacon & my Chicken Tikka Masala (which I will cheat and have at least one more time soon).
And yesterday I was thinking about buying a house sometime (it’s just that peer envy as my coworker is buying a house). I like where I live and there are a few for sale around there. But now Northside seems tempting. I lived there before and wasn’t real happy about it, but now that I’m spending more weekend time there it would be convenient. But how long have I wanted to live in NKY? A pretty long time. It’s close to downtown, with both a city and small town feeling. Maybe if I lived within walking distance to Hofbrau I’d be more satisfied. But I also like living so close to the river. That nice little beach park in Bellevue is the perfect place to walk the dogs. I know I’d be close to the dog park if I lived in Northside, but there are not many places I’d like to walk a dog. And I’m not sure if I’d want to live alone in Northside either.
Tonight I’m going to Hofbrau for a drink. I like to go there on Wednesday evenings because my hairdresser has a standing reservation and he’s so fun to talk to. I think of it as my midweek counseling session. But I also feel this Christmas Bier they have now is ruining my taste for other beer. Wish it would stop me from drinking anywhere else. It doesn’t, I’m just not as happy about it. Oh well.
No comments:
Post a Comment