Peonies are my favorite flower. Most unusual blooms grown from bulbs, until last year, I had no idea they were my favorite. I wish I’d documented the date the first shoots sprouted. I didn’t. But I do recall my wonder at the long shoots supporting tennis ball sized heads. I wondered what on earth these plants were. When they bloomed, I was hooked. Pale Pink Peonies. Each day, I rush to my favorite plant, awaiting signs of awakening. So far, nothing.
In other news, there is the matter of the small little beast that lives with me. Oliver. Some days, I want to cry as Oliver struggles to reach mature dog status. We are well into our second year of life together, and there are no signs that this 25 pound PUPPY is maturing in mind or behavior. None. Emotionally amped-up and needy, this guy runs at full speed all day long, every day, every hour, every minute, every second. Like a puppy on crack. A 25 pound puppy on crack.
One would want to believe that any dog would find Winterpast a haven for the four-legged kind. With shade, far corners, impenetrable fence line, shade, and water, any reasonable dog would prefer being there to the confines of the house. Not Ollie. When he is inside, he wants out. When he is outside, he wants in. Oliver wants what he doesn’t have at the moment, like a small, spoiled child, with me being the spoiler supreme. I’ve created a doggie monster.
Sir Oliver of Ashworth Hall is a Standard, 25 pound Dachshund of the most unusual variety. If you Google Cream, Piebald, Chocolate, Wire-Haired Dachshund, you will find his kind looking back at you. Oliver happens to have green eyes that are alarmingly human. He is smarter than me on most days, just unable to type, having no thumbs and all. He forgets nothing, and has a nose that can find the most carefully hidden treats. He forgives me for all my faults, except when it comes to food. Oliver is a food driven dog with a weight problem who lives on 1/3 cup of kibble twice a day. His world revolves around his feedings, twice a day. Very active and healthy, my chunky monkey zooms at warp speed even with getting such a small amount of fuel.
Winterpast offers so many things that Oliver has decided are treats of the best kind. The most frustrating are the small solar lights that lined all the paths in my yard. The yard is truly park like, with paths that go here and there. It would’ve been so pretty to line them with lights. One day, I decided to make that a reality, buying 50 such lights and installing them one by one. Oliver watched. He pretended he was asleep, with one eye open, of course. Each light took time, as I peeled off the labels, measured for placement, made sure they worked, hammered a small stake into the ground and attached the lights. Around the yard I went along the paths. The yard did look great the first night, when the lights came on. Lovely.
Oliver suddenly wanted to disappear outside during the day. It was a delightful respite from his inside antics, so off he went, sailing into the back yard. Slowly, I figured out why he was eager to go outside. He began digging up the lights, chewing up every small stake I had so lovingly installed. If the light got in the way, he chewed that up, too. At first, I didn’t notice. Now, the measured spacing is no more. A light here, an empty hole there. And Oliver deciding for himself when the next one will be removed.
He also loves the drip system. It must taste wonderful. Perhaps I should try an emitter salad, or Spaghetti with a touch of irrigation tubing. This dog is highly destructive in the cutest little package. He knows quite well this will not find favor with me. He can’t help himself. With 1/2 acre of yard, he has so many tastey treats to discover. I have a spring and summer of mangled irrigation tubing and emitters to repair or replace.
Yesterday, I was busy in the house, and looked out to see him tearing up yet something else. Something new and shiny, like a piece of foil. I couldn’t place it, but went out and picked up the pieces. I know now. He’s decided it’s time for the pipes to be unwrapped and the irrigation system to be turned back on. What a little helper!
Oliver has cleaned up every bit of mummified fruit from last year. Roaming the yard, he finds an old apple and whisks it to the lawn, where he devours it. Any toads should shudder, with his constant patrol. Yes, Oliver is a very busy, busy boy.
Some would say he is bored. To them, I would say you have never lived in my house or with Oliver. He is on 24/7. Visitors come and are shocked at his energy and behavior, because this dog is a crazy Labrador in a very tiny body. He is a solid package of TNT, ready to rock and roll, always with the cutest doggie smile. His days are busy and filled with lots of doggie activities. He just prefers the ones he creates more than the ones I provide.
I know very soon, I’ll have a real dog. Not a crazed puppy. At some point, I’ll look across the grounds of Winterpast and he’ll be snoring under the old apricot tree. His gnarled chewing bones will lay untouched next to emitting drippers watering my pink petaled peonies with the perfect amount of water. For now, he’s right to remind me. It’s time to start watering the back yard.
More peonies are going in the ground today. He will be blindfolded while I plant these. He need not see what treasures Mom-Oh is hiding. Off the the gardens for me. Have a beautiful Sunday!!!