Behind the Scenes during February...

~OH February!~

Its becoming a month I love to hate. Long, dreary, chilly, teasing of spring, and disappointing you with a rainstorm. The only lively thing about February is Valentines Day, and even that is cheesy. I have come to realize that February for me, is one long month, and thankfully its only 28 days long. I have also come to realize that taking a winter break to such places as South Mexico where the sand is warm and the Sun is hot, is not such a good idea.

Its great while you are there, but unless you intend to stay there permanently, and unless you live in a very warm climate, the coming home part of such a vacation is just plain disappointing, and in a very short amount of time, one finds oneself day dreaming away about all the fun in the sun just a short time ago.

So, February for me has, is and probably always will be just one long dreary month!

Coming home in early January from South Mexico left Chuy refreshed for his days back at his job. For Julieanna, freshly tanned and relaxed, she found solace in returning to her routine of school, school, and school. As for me, I became an official home bound and bored person.

I took my break from blogging ( a pleasant pastime to while away the hours) and realized it was too soon for Spring cleaning, and with not much desire to be outdoors in the drear...I tried my best to stay occupied at something!

I did find a few things, and I am almost ashamed to admit that they are very elementary things. Stuff that should occupy a child's mind. However, occupy myself is what I did, and I suppose I will share them with you, for the sake of my neglected Blog.

Here goes my late winter, not yet spring confessions of February.

First of all, I start out my day by hearing the early morning weather report on TV, in Spanish. Chuy is usually the first awake, (that counts for the Spanish news channel) and is out the door before 6:00am. I await the dawn, as it is still dark out. At first glimpse of a sunrise, I look out the window to surmise for myself what the day looks like. And, for a long time now it has been much the same. I see a rather dreary, dead looking bunch of tree trunks and branches with no leaves, or with dead leaves still clinging on them, that somehow didn't fall off last autumn when they were supposed to.
That view is nothing new, and unless there was an unexpected snowfall, of which has only happened once this year, there is nothing remarkable to wake up to. Or at least to want to venture outside to investigate.

So, after the daily visual of the same ole, same ole, I change the channel of the TV off of the irritating and annoying Spanish chatter. I have come to really enjoy an old TV series that used to air when I was a little kid. You might remember the show. Its called: "The Beverly Hillbillies"...

Well one morning, as I almost skimmed past it, something made me hesitate. This particular segment was about "Granny" and her being manic about her housecleaning, so "Jed" makes it his business to find a housekeeper for Granny. Of course at first Granny objects ferociously, and is offended by the thought of her not doing the cleaning, but, after Jed and his banker figure out a scheme to trick Granny, she obliges. Well, the story went on, and it was funny and hilarious, and I became compelled to watch another segment and then another one after that.

I was feeling happy, and comfortable, and something felt so familiar with that show, and then I realized what it was.... Granny was reminding me of my Grandma Hazel. I had to smirk at all the similar oddities of the two. My Grandma Hazel was also always cleaning something. And, when her house was in a state of perfection, she would go on to someone else's house. I have enjoyed that show so much, and now have made it a permanent part of my early morning routine. It is funny how we can find comfort in something so silly as an outdated TV series.

Well, I am always a little disappointed when that show is over each morning, because I realize that I have hours and hours to try to find something "Constructive" to do with myself. So, usually by the time the show is over, its time to let Chivas outside for her morning routine.

Lately, that has been a chore in and of itself because if Chivas gets even one little glimpse that the grass is cold and wet from rain, she doesn't want to go outside. I try to nudge her with my foot, I call her in a high pitched voice, (that she usually responds very well to), and I have tried walking out the door before her in hopes that she will follow. Nope, she wont. So, we are still working on that one.

I have hopes for Chivas that one day she will be trained to perfection, and I wont have to be dreaming of calling Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer) to come and help me out with my stubborn little Jack Russell.

In between Chivas morning routine, and thinking about that pot of coffee I need to brew, I glance outside the window again, just in case something has changed in the past 30 mins or so. And, usually its just the same. Sometimes, I catch sight of a squirrel running around doing something... and I think of the old adage about "squirrelling things away for winter".... and I ponder on old wise sayings... like; 'The Early Bird gets the worm". Those sayings just make me feel guilty for some reason, so I stop thinking about them.

With the coffee brewed, I of course grab a mug of it and walk past the window again, and again I look out, just in case there is something I missed the last time I walked past. And, usually there is nothing new, or changed. That is a great past time of mine now days. Looking out windows.

I think many deep things about life, while looking silently out cold paned windows that fog up with my breath until I have to back away and find something else to do.

As I head thru the house, there is Chivas trailing right behind me. Sometimes I think, what a life. I have all day to myself to do anything I want to do, and I cant seem to find anything that I really want to do. Then, I look down at Chivas, who is looking up at me, and I grab a cracker and proceed to make her do her routine of tricks. Chivas becomes instantly enlivened and happy, and starts in her little jumping and dancing and doing about 5 tricks at once, until I take control of the situation and calm her down to perform in a more orderly manner.

So, I admit, I have used some of my days in February teaching new tricks to Chivas retinue.

She can sit, lay down, rollover, stand back up, walk on her feet, dance around on her back feet in a small circle while I say, "Dancy Dancy".... I think I have a circus dog in the making!
And, for February, we came up with a couple new tricks.

Chivas can now climb into the small opening of a poncho (that is laying down on a bed) and make a small turnaround once she is inside the poncho, and stick her head back out the opening and it looks like she is wearing a poncho. She does this on command, and it is hilarious.

The other grand new trick, is that Chivas will jump up on my chair, while I am sitting in it at the computer, and make her self wedged between me and the back of my chair, and she will just sit there until I say, "Cracker?" At the sound of "Cracker" she stands up on her hind feet, placing her paws on the back of my shoulders, and just stays there until I pass a cracker over my shoulder for her.

So, with emails read, and Blog posts made, and Internet news read, and the "Beverly Hillbillies" over, and the coffee done, I get up to go check out the window again.

Nothing much has changed since the last time I checked, except that this time, I think I see a green bud on the end of 0ne of the dead looking branches. And, at the sight of that small speck of green, I suddenly feel great. I look around the surrounding woods, and see more green, and suddenly the day is not so bad. Funny how such a little thing as a green budding branch can give one a surge of hope. Winter doesn't last forever. And, thank God so doesn't February.