Granddogs

My son's girlfriend pointed out tonight, as she and my son picked up their pup, that Jean-Claude is both my granddog and great-granddog. I said that was a family tree she shouldn't think too hard about. (My youngest son's dog is Jean-Claude's father and my little dog is his mother.) Jean is a year and a half old now, which is so hard to believe. As he ran around (and tried to dig up) my backyard, I reminisced with Mazie about the spot under my dining room window where she gave birth to him. I wonder if she remembers, or if Jean-Claude recognizes my home as his birthplace. (I'm laughing at myself; now that I've given up trying to figure out what other people are thinking, I've started trying to figure out what dogs are thinking!)

All of our dogs are sweet, and I'm sure each family member who has one of the dachshunds thinks his/hers is the sweetest. Angus, my youngest son's dog, is a bit crochety, but he's kind of old now so he's entitled to be grumpy. He's never been the most social dog, but he's always had loads of character and he has been the perfect fellow for my son. My son isn't grouchy, but he's happy enough to be left alone. I think Mazie is like me, generally happy and very social. Jean-Claude is definitely like his (human) dad, full of energy and into everything. Funny how that happens. I wonder if dogs become like their owners, or if we choose pets that are like us.

Despite a weekend of granddog-sitting, I managed to get all my grading and prep done, which means I have a free day tomorrow. My lack of procrastination with my classes this term is astounding. It helps that I have two classes, compared to the four I used to teach per term. My daytime students aren't as awesome as my evening bunch -- don't tell them I said so -- but they're still okay. Now that Mazie and I have seen our boys off, we're going to have some quiet girl time on the porch. It's nice to have company, but it's nice when they leave too.