Hallo, Mom!
Are you staying inside and being safe during the pandemic? Lynn and Craig have been staying home, but luckily I still get two to three walks every day.
Mom, I know that you are really smart and know lots of things, so I wanted to ask you about something that Lynn and Craig say all the time. It's, "Oh, Pepper!" and they usually laugh when they say it. I am a little puzzled about what it means. Lynn said that she would post a few photos to help me explain.
In this photo, Lynn is seated at her desk and working. (She wanted to write, "trying to work" but I told her to take that out.) I am curled up around her legs and holding onto one of her legs with my front paws. I ask you, why say "Oh, Pepper" to that?
Here's another example. Lynn says that this photo reminds her of the story about the camel in a sandstorm, asking to put his head just inside the sheik's tent. Then his neck, then his shoulders, and so on until the camel is completely inside the tent. (Makes sense to me. Who wants to be out in a sandstorm?)
All I am doing in this photo is sitting in her lap on the couch. Well, okay, I'm not supposed to get on the furniture, and I did start out by just leaning on her. But she can pet me so much more easily if I am in her lap, so it just makes sense to climb into it. (And how does that relate to camels??)
Now, in this next example, Mila and Lukie are visiting our house. I am trying to get them to play by rolling around on my back and offering them three of my favorite toys - the donut (Lynn says that is donut #42; eye roll!), my donut-shaped squeaky red ring, and Squeaky Cow.
Lukie and Mila are hanging back, unsure what to make of me. (Lynn did tell me that their other grandma's dogs are not very nice to them and that they are a little afraid of dogs.) I rolled and I wriggled and I tried to be so cute that they would come play. And what happened? I hear, "Oh, Pepper!" yet again.
Now, while I am not allowed to get on the furniture (um, true confession, I do get up on it at Nacho's house but Lynn doesn't know. Shhh!) I am allowed to sleep on Lynn and Craig's bed. It took me a while to convince them that I belonged up there, but they FINALLY accepted it, and so I hop up whenever they go down for a snooze.
So, why did Lynn wake up and go, "Oh, Pepper" when I snuggled up beside her and stuck my hind paw in her face? She puts her hand on my side while I sleep; I am just returning the favor.
And sometimes she reads in bed. If she can bring a book to bed, then why can't I bring my kong and Squeaky Reindeer to bed, too? As you can see, I kept them right close by me (in case she wanted to play during the night) and they weren't bothering her. So why the "Oh, Pepper!" remark?
This last picture is just for fun, although it probably was an "Oh, Pepper" moment, too. I am cuddling Squeaky Cow between my front paws as I lie under the dining room table and make puppy eyes at the camera.
So, there you have it, Mom. Knowing how smart you are, I am sure that you can explain the "Oh, Pepper" phrase. It doesn't really bother me, but it does puzzle me.
In the meantime, I hope you, Dad, Ursula, and the kitties are doing well. Give everyone hugs from me.
Happy, wriggly licks,
Pepper
