(R)egrets, I've had a few

colour pencil sketch from my journal

(R)egrets, I’ve had a few.  Should I start to list them all? I think not. No point crying over spilt Milkbones ™. Let me just say that I regret not posting more often on my blog.

I enjoy the exercise of putting my thoughts into words, and documenting bits of my life. But sometimes life actually gets in the way of documenting. It’s a catch 22 of sorts. If I had nothing going on, there would be nothing to document. But when I am busy involved in things that might be worth documenting, I have no time or energy to do so. Ah, well.

So here’s a bit of catch-up (not to be confused with ketchup, which would be quite messy if I actually tried to feed some to you via the computer screen).

My book, DOG-EARED JOURNALS – art and observation from a dog living in Portugal, has been available since November of 2013. 

back and front covers of my book

Wow, how did I not make a big post about that?! Mainly because distribution is the problem. Since it’s self-published, there are tricky bits to work out if I don’t want to give it away for nothing. I could list it on Amazon, but until I fill out some complicated forms (which make me tuck my tail between my legs), listing it there is out of the question. I would receive about 82 cents per book if someone were to buy it through Amazon. The U.S. government would make about six dollars and then Amazon would pocket the rest.

So for now, my dog-loving Canadian friend Krista sells them from her studio in Nova Scotia (and by mail to North American customers). Go to www.kristawells.ca for more info. For my local friends, she recently re-stocked it in my favourite Portuguese bookstore, Livros da Ria Formosa in Lagos (home of my best friend, Rita).  It’s also available as a digital book from www.blurb.com.

Speaking of my dog-loving Canadian friend, it’s time I made a confession. She is actually my alter ego. I know, I know, some of you have probably already guessed this by now, but I just wanted to set the record straight.  My mind and soul is split: half human, half dog. For the sake of continuity and the suspension of disbelief, I will continue the charade of writing this blog from my dog’s eye view. It forces some interesting perspectives, which might never happen if I simply write from my human point of view. Just play ball, okay? Thanks.

So that’s it for now. My two selves are working on a fundraising event to be held here in Burgau early in April. The proceeds will benefit dog shelters in Portugal.  I’ll let you know details in my next blog post. Tchau-wow!

It isn't right to toy with a dog's emotions.

Rita is upset. She's confused. And I don't blame her. As dogs, by nature, we're pretty laid back creatures. We can go with the flow ... most of the time. But sometimes we can get upset. Like with Rita right now. It all started a little over a week ago. Let me give you a bit of background to this story.

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, Rita spends a lot of time at her person's bookstore, Livros da Ria Formosa, in Lagos. The shop sits on the corner of a block which has several cafes, a padaria (right across the doorway from the bookstore - the tantalizing scents can drive a dog crazy), a papelaria, and several other shops with very dog-friendly owners. Rita has a routine each day when she's at her bookstore. She goes from neighbour to neighbour, has a little visit, catches up on the local gossip and has a little snack, courtesy of the shop owner. One of her favourites is News Cafe. It's a great spot for getting local gossip as well as a bit of a perspective on world events since many of the Cafe's patrons come from all over the world. And of course the snacks aren't too shabby either.

Rita's favourite snack stop

But a little over a week ago disaster struck. News Cafe was all closed up and there is now a Vende-Se sign in the window. Ack! Rita is devastated. Her world has been turned upside down. Of course her person sees how upset she is. He's tried to get her mind off the situation. He makes her big bowls of cafe com leite. He gives her long belly rubs. He reads her passages from her favourite book, Saramago's A Caverna. But nothing seems to snap her out of her blues.

Rita's person tries to console her, but sometimes even love isn't enough.

Now, to make matters worse, News Cafe is open again, but the For Sale sign is still up. It isn't right to toy with a dog's emotions and stomach like this. This is just prolonging the torture. There are too many questions. Will the new owners be as welcoming and friendly? Will the cafe continue to attract the cosmopolitan clientele that is essential to Rita's sense of the wider world. Will the snacks be as tasty as before? All we can do is wait. Rita's person and I will do our best to keep her mind occupied with happy things. Love can't solve all your problems, but at least it can make them bearable. Chin up Rita.

introducing Rita, my friend from the bookstore

Rita standing in front of her bookstore, Livros da Ria Formosa, Lagos

So I've mentioned my friend Rita a number of times already. I suppose I really should introduce her. She's a collared dog who lives with a very good man who has a bookstore in Lagos. She has a great influence on me. It's because of her that I'm doing this blog. She thinks it will help me to organize my thoughts a bit and possibly connect with others who might have common interests. "It's a big world out there. Poke your nose into it," she says. She encourages me to continue to explore various ways to be creative. She's a very well-read dog. She's a whiz on the internet. She comes up with so many ways to solve a problem or to work something out - I'm just in awe of her. I'm not really sure what she sees in me. I hope that I amuse her at least. I love to make her laugh. We just seem to really click. I never have a bone to pick with her - unless we're sharing a tasty pork chop of course.

She's a real beauty, but don't let that fool you. She's got the brains too!

I may be able to pursuade her to do a guest post occasionally, so keep your ears pricked for that!

Tchao-wow!