Last weekend we decided to get the interiors of our flat repainted for Diwali. Painting and house upheaval started on Monday, as did poor Nero's confinement.
Nero is now confined to the study/lounge while the rest of the house is shrouded in newspapers, black plastic and an overpowering smell of paint and primer. Not that he really minds. He anyway spends his mornings and afternoons sleeping under and over the lounge daybed. Evenings he tends to get a bit restless and when the painters leave, I open him to the messy house. He sniffs around everything, but I really feel sorry for him. The overpowering primer fumes gave me a hell of a headache...I cannot even imagine how it makes him feel! Strangely though, its been 4 days now, and he hasn't really given any signs of being agitated with the smells though. Of course I keep him confined to the lounge, and make him sit in the balcony to ensure he gets fresh air.
We are also trying to project him as a guard dog, a deterrent for safety reasons against the 5-6 men who come and work in the house (not that they've given any reason to, but better to be safe than sorry!) Also, Nero isn't likely to do anything more serious then growl and jump on them, and that too only if he feels like it!! Though of course 30 kilos of an energetic unknown dog with claws jumping on you is not a very comforting thought!
Well, so what really happened? The first day, Mr guard dog slept away under the bed, completely oblivious to what went on around him. Had we not mentioned him, no one would have realised there was a dog at home, leave alone a big one like him!! He didn't even bark at the doorbells. The second day, he decided to make his presence felt (Mebbe he realised hubby had left on a trip for a couple of days!). Loud barking, scratching at the door when I left the room, no one was left in any doubt and begged me to ensure he was locked up when they were working. Good boy! Now calm down! Since, then, he's been a good mixture of barks and sleeps. Mostly he just stays in the lounge with me sleeping at my feet.
My constant companion and potential safeguard, even if he sleeps most of the day away!!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Big things are nice, but happiness lies in small pleasures
It was Dussehra last week, the traditional burning of Ravana effigies and story of good triumphing over evil. We discovered an trio of Kumbhakarna, Ravana and Meghnath effigies on our normal Nero walk route. So on Dussehra morning, Nero and I walked over to have a look at them before they went up in flames at sunset.
When sunset arrived, hubby and I were taking Nero for his customary walk, when we decided to go and have a look at the effigy burning ceremony as well. Anyway, it was part of his normal route! We weren't sure how he would react to the firecrackers, though so far he hadn't shown any reaction or distress to them. When we landed there, we were amazed to see the huge crowd who had thronged there. We kept Nero close between us to keep him safe...and to keep others safe from him! He was as good as gold. He sat quietly between us, looking trustingly up at us. "Hmmm...I wonder why we're sitting here instead of sniffing interesting things, but I guess I'm happy to be here with them." At least, thats what I hope he thought :)
A little girl next to us pointed to her mother "Look, even the dog has come to see Ravana burning!" Nero, sat like a good boy throughout, only getting up inquiringly when the first firecracker went off. It was all over in seconds, and he remained relaxed between us, indulging the humans in their weirdly polluting habits of burning and exploding stuff. Once it was over, we walked back quickly to avoid the pedestrian and motor traffic on our normally sleepy road.
Supremely blaise about the burning, the crowds and the fireworks, Nero walked back revelling in the natural gifts of the road and sniffing around as the humans stopped for a glass of juice. Looking at him reminded me of two things: that the best things in life are free, and the fun is often more in the journey, than in the destination. And I looked back and thought, I'd had as much if not more, enjoyed walking to the field with my hubby and frolicking dog, creating a greater sense of togetherness, as I had enjoyed standing those few seconds, watching evil burn to the ground.
When sunset arrived, hubby and I were taking Nero for his customary walk, when we decided to go and have a look at the effigy burning ceremony as well. Anyway, it was part of his normal route! We weren't sure how he would react to the firecrackers, though so far he hadn't shown any reaction or distress to them. When we landed there, we were amazed to see the huge crowd who had thronged there. We kept Nero close between us to keep him safe...and to keep others safe from him! He was as good as gold. He sat quietly between us, looking trustingly up at us. "Hmmm...I wonder why we're sitting here instead of sniffing interesting things, but I guess I'm happy to be here with them." At least, thats what I hope he thought :)
A little girl next to us pointed to her mother "Look, even the dog has come to see Ravana burning!" Nero, sat like a good boy throughout, only getting up inquiringly when the first firecracker went off. It was all over in seconds, and he remained relaxed between us, indulging the humans in their weirdly polluting habits of burning and exploding stuff. Once it was over, we walked back quickly to avoid the pedestrian and motor traffic on our normally sleepy road.
Supremely blaise about the burning, the crowds and the fireworks, Nero walked back revelling in the natural gifts of the road and sniffing around as the humans stopped for a glass of juice. Looking at him reminded me of two things: that the best things in life are free, and the fun is often more in the journey, than in the destination. And I looked back and thought, I'd had as much if not more, enjoyed walking to the field with my hubby and frolicking dog, creating a greater sense of togetherness, as I had enjoyed standing those few seconds, watching evil burn to the ground.
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