Parker doesn't take well to change. Neither do I. Its why we get along so well. When something changes in my life- a new job, new home, new friend, losing an old friend, any type of adjustment- it takes me a long time to accept it and feel comfortable. Its why I mourn so much when a friend moves away, or takes a new job that will change their schedule. I want everything to stay the same. Its why I worried myself sick when I moved from the Clarksdale job to the Cleveland job-- same exact job responsibilities, but different people and different procedures. Unknown. While I love my living situation, I still haven't driven down Victoria Avenue past my old house since I moved-- its too hard to see and be forced to reflect on the changes in my life. Don't like them.
Similarly, Parker doesn't do well with change from her daily schedule. Which usually varies from playing with Atticus, napping, ignoring me when I try to get her to snuggle or go outside, playing with Mr. McCarty, going outside for Meghann as soon as she mentions "door", napping, sniffing, getting her nest built, napping and snuggling.
But lately, she's not adjusted to change very well. I rearranged my room yesterday and she has refused to jump on the bed since I did it. Something she could absolutely do before I rearranged my bed. The same bed. I did not raise it at all. It is the same bed but now she refuses to jump on it or jump on the small stool I keep for her and Atticus to help them get on the bed. Instead, she "pretend" jumps which means she jumps about one inch off the floor. She does this over and over and over and over until finally I get annoyed and reach down and pick her up. But when I try to pick her up, she walks away to another side of the bed, and forces me to get off the bed, walk around the bed and pick her little butt up. Because she is trying to tell me that she doesn't like the new placement of the furniture. Very judgmental.
Normally, when I am getting ready in the morning, she lays on the bed and watches me. When its time to put my makeup on, I sit on the bed and she comes and snuggles with me while I get pretty. Its our thing. This morning, I couldn't find her. I finally found her. In the closet, on top of a pile of dirty clothes. She stayed there all morning while I puttered around. Its apparently her new "place". Whenever things change, she finds a new place or a new routine and sticks to it for a while. This under-the-bed thing is something she's done before. Sometimes, she's raring to go outside in the morning- she will stand on top of me until I get up. She'll do this for weeks. Then, for weeks at a time, she won't go outside in the morning unless I literally pick her up and take her out. She's found solace in the laundry room, in my closet, in the bathtub, under couches and bed, behind pillows, on top of shoes. She'll make that her spot for a few days and then move on.
Whenever we go home for the weekend, she acts all weird, refuses to eat or go outside, etc. Even though she's been at that house before. She still acts all weird for the first day or so. She doesn't like change, even if its the type of change that lets you go home and be with your family for a few days. Or maybe she's rebeling-- her way of saying she's tired of hanging out with the family and prefers to go back to Cleveland. That is a definite possibility!
The other night, my knees were hurting really badly and I got home from work, exhausted and sat down to chat with Meghann. Its our thing-- we spend a lot of time going different ways, doing different things, and sometimes we will go days without seeing each other very much, or even at all. Last week was one of those weeks. Its always nice when we get a chance to talk and catch up about things. This was one of those nights. I was glad to see her and wasn't going anywhere. Mostly because my knees hurt so badly I didn't think I could get up, but also because I missed her!
The dogs had been outside for a while since it was finally decent weather after a lot of rain. Meghann goes to let them inside and Atticus comes in. And then Parker. With mud all the way up her legs. I was devastated- I didn't have the energy to give that bratty girl a bath. Luckily, I have the best roommate I could ask for. Meghann offered to wash off her feet in the sink.
Here's Parker looking a bit guilty. She wasn't guilty, really. She was just sad she had to face the consequences.
It wasn't just a little bit of mud, it was solid chunks of mud-- all in her paws and up her legs. like coin-sized blogs of mud. It was awful.
Definitely a photo submission for "World's Best Roommate":
Dirty Face:
Yesterday, Meghann was off work and she worked in the yard. She's a ... (I tried to think of a clever name for this-- a garden genuis person. But I couldn't. Are their garden genuises? Garden Gnomes? I don't know.) Well, she's got a green thumb and the yard is looking great. But she comes in last night and tells me that she figured out how Parker go so incredibly muddy last week. Apparently Parker has been digging in a muddy area near the fence. Dug up a big messy area. Which we've now filled back up, so take that, Parker girl.
Now Parker is no stranger to unusual behavior. As noted above. And she's often tried to steal out from an open gate before. But she's never, to my knowledge, tried to dig a hole anywhere. So I will chalk this strange behavior up to her growing adversion to change. And not to, say, her unquenching desire to escape from me and my snuggles.
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