puppy

Before I tell you a story, you should know that I tend to use the word "puppy" to talk to or about any dog, no matter the dog's age or size. I think there's probably a bit of puppy in every grown dog, just like there's a child inside every grown up person--the question is whether we let it out.

So today, the 5th of July, was the Crystal Lake 4th of July Parade.

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I don't understand either, so don't ask.

My friend Cecily is out of town for the long weekend, camping with her family in the Wisconsin Dells. So I get to take care of Bonnie, her adorable puppy...who is, umm, an unknown age. Probably older-ish. I'm not sure what kind of dog Bonnie is, but I do know she looks a lot like a bichon-frisee, but isn't one. She's very loving, very funny, and very good.

Anyway, the last few parades I've been to (well, okay, Memorial Day and 5th of July, for the past 3.5 years) have lasted around 30 minutes. And they begin just 2 blocks from Cecily's house. So I thought I'd pick up Bonnie and we'd walk over to the beginning of the parade route (literally right where the various groups stage and then enter the route) and watch the parade.

Our first spot lasted only a few minutes because there was a boxer puppy (a young one) nearby who just Could.NOT.Contain.Himself and wanted to come play/eat bonnie every few seconds, and his owner was *clearly* annoyed that we had taken up residence only 8 feet away. So we moved across the street, where I sat on a curb and let Bonnie run as far as her leash would take her (about 6 feet). There was a great dane nearby, but not close enough to be interesting or interested. There were also two small dogs (one VERY small and yappy) but they were interested in each other, though Bonnie wanted desperately to join in their fun. And so Bonnie frolicked, made friends with some small children, and did that thing where she burrows her face into the grass and rolls around. I watched the parade, which was a typical small town 4th (5th) of July parade--a truck carrying the community band, trucks carrying the praise bands of various local churches (including one church that, I'm pretty sure, doesn't even use a band in any of their worship services), trucks carrying people who work at local businesses, girl scouts, library workers doing drill-team-esqu routines with book carts, local high school pom squads, the Jesse White tumbling team and the South Shore Drill Team, the local drum line, etc. It's a good time. But pretty soon I noticed that I'd consumed my entire bottle of water, Bon-pup was getting restless, and there were still an unknown number of acts lining up in the staging area.

The parade ended up being over an hour long. Bonnie was so tired and hot that I had to carry her partway home (much to the amusement of the police officer, who stared at me as I walked down the street with the 12 pound dog in my arms). And, of course, I have a RAGING sunburn. Because what fun is a parade without an unexpected sunburn?

I will say that I think I had more fun at the parade with Bonnie the lovely white puppy than I ever have by myself. She was fun to watch, fun to see kids interact with, and cute to carry home. Thanks, Bonnie, for a good afternoon. Hope you got a good nap and lots of water!