Monday Afternoon, Pre-Hamlet but Post-Lunch*

How far away and for how long can you go with a dog in the house? The reason I ask is that I'm going to be a foster mother. Of a canine (his name is Hamlet). This is major news in a household that hasn't been home to a bonafide mammal besides myself for more than 2 years. Make that about 28 months. It's just been just me, the dust-mites, my wood floor, the furniture, sewing supplies, a few foods in the refrigerator, and a whole lot of fabric and patterns. Now, I'm only going to be taking care of this dog for two weeks. Or at least that's the plan. I might be taking a short-term job in a place that would be make it difficult for me to attend a dog's need for walks (which I used to would actually spell out when I was living in my mother's house otherwise her dog would just get so excited he would practically hyperventilate on the spot). In any event, I'm going to be a mommy (I feel teary-eyed already) at least until June 14, which means this place needs to be "child-proofed" in a matter of hours. Oh, and the dog is supposed to arrive this evening sometime about the same time I have my last French class. I can just see it already I'll need be worrying about my new child while I'm taking a test en Français. Then, of course, I'll need to rush home just to make sure that my camel-back couch cushions haven't been pulled to pieces, or the foot of a nearby table hasn't been turned into a fire hydrant (that actually reminds me of this cartoon I drew.) Other than putting my piles of magazines and shoes (don't dogs like to destroy shoes?) onto my couch and armchair, I'm not sure what else I need to do. I'll do what I did when I had my trouble-maker cat Freaky. I'll close off the doors to the bedroom and office so that Hamlet cannot go into other room. I'm half tempted to get a gate that I can prompt between the kitchen entryway and the living room/dining and put my new child in the kitchen with his sleeping bed while I'm away. The one thing that complicates my new lifestyle (and isn't having a dog a lifestyle?) is the fact that I don't have a car. It's not like I can take Hamlet with me everywhere. I'm not living in France yet. Since he's not small enough to fit into my handbag so I can sneak him onto a bus (like I've seen other Chicagoans do), he's either going to have to stay at home when I go out (do I hear howls of protest already?) or we're taking really long walks, too long for my bebunioned foot's taste. I wouldn't mind having one of those bikes with a trailer. I could put Hamlet in the back and we could ride away on our adventures for two. We may to walk to this store and see what kind of options are available. That way I don't have spend money on this vehicle, and worry about keeping it fur-free for other prospective motorists. So where are we and Hamlet going to walk to? I"m going to focus on where we can go because the list of where dogs are prohibited is just too long and depressing. I do see the pair of us going here for the Stitch N Bitch every warm summery Wednesday night. We'll sit outside where we're wanted. I'll feed him bits of hamburger while he watches me knit fascinated (actually just waiting for another bite). We might even spend some time at Common Cup, another place in the 'hood where we could probably hang together at an outside table, him drinking water; me, iced coffee. To sweeten the deal, I can get a 10 percent off any purchases because I'm a member of this organization. We could walk to Bark Place, there's definitely a water bowl there, but I don't see myself buying too many toys. I firmly believe children have too many toys these days. Why should I have a different philosophy with a dog? Not too many treats either. I'm trying to cut back on snacks so my dog will have to do the same. Our stomachs can growl together. I'm at loss about other venues where Hamlet will welcome. I just did a search on Google and came up with this blogger, who I might be able to ask for advice. Otherwise, my foster child and I might be spending a lot of time at home...and I actually might be do a little more sewing than I have been lately, which brings me to another question. Are dogs less likely to pounce on tissue-paper patterns than felines? Freaky loved to help me lay out my pattern...with her claws. Hamlet, I think, is much more likely to snooze by the sewing machine pedal and chew on any empty Gutterman thread spools that bounce onto the floor.
* The shrug you see above was recreated with a flame-stitch remnant from Vogue. At 1/2 yard, it could only be one thing - a shrug. But I've gotten many compliments on it. I simply folded it in half length-wise, sewed up both sides, left an opening wide enough for my shoulders to slip in. What do you think?