Up watering and appreciating the morning. I love summer, and the freedom I have in this one. I love knowing I can go lay down if I get tired. I love being able to arrange my activities (well, those I can afford) exactly as I like. I wish all my time was like this.

Yesterday I groomed a friend's poodle. I could tell my friend was embarrassed when she brought her dog. The dog desperately needed grooming. I felt like saying, hey, come on in and you will see my house looks a lot like your dog. I understand WHY the dog looked the way she did. My friend is no slouch and is not uncaring, but like a lot of people I know she is overwhelmed. Things I wish I had known before the groom. This dog is 3 and she had never been groomed before. From a lot of her reactions to the process, I guessed the latter, but she was so calm and sweet and good by nature I wasn't sure. I love grooming. My ideal life work would consist of many tasks and grooming would definitely be a part of it. Right now I only do a few dogs, for friends and for free. My ideal job would also be able to work for free. There's a whole different feeling to that. I really would like to do dog grooming part time from the garage. I need a tub. Bruce tried to make that happen without spending a good deal of money but my grandmother had a solar water heater and a regular water heater in the garage. The solar one wasn't working and reluctantly we had it removed but the plumbing in there is nothing Bruce has ever seen before. He got me rigged with hot water, but when I was joyfully trying it I found there is no cold water. I have hot and hotter and so I cannot bathe a dog. I am bathing dogs in my kitchen sink which is not optimal. My own dogs are getting the hose, which in summer is not too bad, but I'd like them to have warm water.

Back to dream jobs, what i'd really like to do is to be able to take in children who need homes and run a rural school with gardening, animal care, arts, sciences, literature and history as the main curriculum. Since I don;t have means for that, I would still like as wide a variety of tasks as possible. I really need to think of something I can do to make enough money that we can live without Bruce needing to work. He is going over and over this offer from his former employer. He has a good list of pros and cons. But what I most remember was how glad I was when he quit. More than money Bruce is motivated by appreciation, respect and honesty and those things were in short supply when he left. He did love that job for a long time, but it is arduous and he feels he won't live a very long life. What really makes him happy is to do art and meditate and just BE. He's really simple and I would like to see him be able to live free. I wish I could too. But I am more cut out to interact with others than he is if only marginally. We need means though, even if on the modest side.

Back to the poodle. Oh communion! I learn so much and feel so much grooming! This little dog loves to be clean. She's very sensitive and appreciative of touch and as she was I am doubting she got much cuddling. I would swear she was trying to help me as new parts of her opened up. I think she understood EXACTLY what i was doing. She didn't much care for he legs and feet being groomed bt that's typical of a lot of dogs. She LOVED the clean face and the head grooming though. Once she figured out I wasn't going to hurt her she was very steady. She seemed to enjoy the scissoring and she loved the bath. Very very sweet little dog!

My friend posted a picture of her cuddling with one of her sons. There is a soft happy light in her eyes and that makes me feel so good!

Today I am going to groom Jetty Lee, our one dog who benefits from a summer clip. I usually 10 strip her as I did the poodle (no choice) A #10 blade leaves only 1/16th " of hair. This time I think I will try Jetty Lee as either a #4 (3/8") or a #5 (1/4"). Just a little fluff. I like short hair on dogs generally speaking. If I ever DO get garage grooming going I will call my business Clean and Simple Cuts and take on small dogs for poorer or elderly people mostly.