he's had a long, hard day

... for a dog who usually sleeps all day, that is.

Today we spent the afternoon with four families with lots of little kids. My little guy was game. He kept away from the teensiest ones, went belly-up for the gentle ones, and sniffed around for whatever people food they all might have dropped on the floor or in the yard. What he did not do is sleep. Not one minute.

It was a beautiful day. So beautiful, in fact, that when we got home I immediately donned gardening clothes and went out to spend an hour or two trying to reclaim the perennials from the weeds and neglect they've suffered from all summer long. This is the first week I've had time to spend out there, and I've tried -- not completely successfully, I confess -- to spend an hour or so in the garden every day.

So, of course, Simba came outdoors with me. He chased a turkey, and he wandered around a lot, and mostly he just laid there, head up, eyes closed. On the asphalt driveway. With a gorgeous lush lawn right next to him. No doubt wishing I would take him inside so he could curl up and drop his head on his new pillow.

But even lying there wasn't all that relaxing, because every now and again something caught his attention, so he would have to look.

Tonight, the dog is zonked. Totally. Not even interested in treats. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[This story is for Gannon and Acadia. Hi, guys!]