The Daily Parker

Politics, Weather, Photography, and the Dog

New use for old sirens

So I'm walking home at 8:15 pm, and I hear Civil Defense sirens. I'm just old enough to find the sound chilling. When I was a kid, CD sirens meant "tornado" or "Soviet missile attack." They sounded for about two full minutes, which I thought was gratuitious.

See, Evanston, Ill., sounded their CD sirens tonight to tell everyone to move their cars, just in case people missed the 20 cm of snow on the ground (parking restrictions take effect after 5 cm of snow).

I also found out, this storm has dropped more snow on Chicago than any other since I returned here in March 2000. As I walked home in my long underwear, thich Irish sweater, ski gloves, fleece scarf, snow boots, and heavy jacket, I thought, "you know, it's not so bad..." Not to mention, Parker is having a grand old time, though it did pain me to see him try to do his business with snow all the way to his chin.

This weather builds character, after all.

Late update: The Chicago Tribune has picked up the story.

Another random destruction

So I'm in my office, working on stuff, when all of a sudden my speakers go haywire, then dead. Yup: Parker bit right through the speaker wire, destroying the best computer speakers I've ever had, which were about $150 back in 1998.

Destructo-beast from Hell, that's what he is.

Today's Daily Parker

You know, sometimes I forget things. Today, for example, in getting Parker to give my boots back to me and rushing to get to the play group, I forgot the ParkerCam at home.

So, Parker is in the office, but this is probably the only office-puppy shot we'll have today:

And how was the play group? Well, take a look outside Inner Drive World HQ's office window and imagine:

That's the view from 6:40 am CST (1240 UTC). What you can't see clearly are the 42 km/h wind gusts. At least Dexter and Key, two of Parker's big yellow lab friends, made it there.

Today's Daily Parker

It's amazing how long the hand puppet has survived, despite Parker's best efforts:

Yes, it's still around, but completely emptied of Hollofil and turned inside-out. This has the interesting side-effect of exposing the squeaky part. Maybe "interesting" isn't the right word, as I didn't feel "interested" in it after Parker spent ten minutes wandering the apartment chomping on it (squeak squeak squeak).

Parker still has some anxiety about the new place, which manifests in an inability to be alone for more than two minutes. Last night he didn't even go into the kitchen without company, for example. So he spent a lot of time barking and whining until I either paid attention to him or followed him into whatever room he wanted to be in at that moment. I still can't decipher the "I'm thirsty" warble from the "I want to go outside" song, but I'm getting better.

At least he's sleeping through the night consistently.

Today's Daily Parker

It seemed like the perfect toy: a hand-puppet with extra padding and a squeaky, so that Parker could play with our hands and (a) not really compute that hands are involved and (b) not bite our hands to shreds. When finished with the toy, we put it back in Parker's toy basket.

Well, last night, Parker decided to play with the toy, and as is his wont, he disemboweled it:

Maybe if it had a Kevlar coating it might have lasted longer...

I thought he felt heavier

It turns out, despite a brief plateau in January, Parker continues to grow by about 600 g per week. He's now up to 22.4 kg:

I feel much better now about getting him the "large breed" puppy food. But he still seems so small next to the labs at the play group...

Today's Daily Parker

Ordinarily I would not be happy to wake up at 5:15am. Today, however, I was overjoyed, because except for a brief moment around 1:30 when I had to shove Parker's fuzzy butt out of my space (he was laying across the bed almost completely), we both slept through the night.

My hypothesis from yesterday confirmed, I will now spend at least an hour a night running him ragged. It probably helped also that everyone—and I mean, everyone—was at last night's play group: Boo, Scotchie, Hannah, Dexter, Buck, Tucker, Rhea, Tinkerbella, Ross, Finnegan, and the little frumpy dog whose name I can never remember were all there. If Parker's buddies Paris and Brumley had been there, I think we wouldn't have left.

Today's Daily Parker

I love Parker. Who wouldn't? I mean, look at him, sleeping so peacefully:

But last night around 2:30am he was neither peaceful nor adorable. In fact, from 2:30 until about 4:30, he whined, chewed my comforter, squeaked a toy repeatedly, barked at random intervals, and went outside twice—without actually descending the stairs into the yard.

By the way, this is the second night in a row that Parker has confused 2:30 with 6:00. If he does it again tonight, I don't know what I'll do, since killing him seems like a bad option.

Actually, I think he's just anxious. He's in a new place, his routine is all messed up (even though I've dilligently gotten my butt, and his, to the play group every morning at 6:30, including yesterday when it was -16°C outside), and he spends all day sleeping.

I hope against all reason that he gets more comfortable in his new home. Tonight, after the 6pm play group, I think we'll just hang out at home and play. In fact, I think we will play non-stop for three hours, until his little beady eyes are rolling from exhaustion and he collapses in a fuzzy ball at the foot of my bed to sleep, like a puppy, through the entire damned night.

Today's Daily Parker

I apologize for the TDP hiatus, but we had a lot going on over the past week, not least of which was moving. Even though the new place is within 1500 m (0.9 mi) of the old place, Parker has still exhibited a lot of anxiety: whining, pawing, going from peacefully gnawing on a bully stick to running and barking. At least he didn't mark his territory.

When moving with a dog, it's important to make sure he has toys and other familiar items around. Parker has a towel, which he has tailored into a flattering garment:

Once we get settled in I'll resume daily Parker photos. Bear with me for a couple of weeks.

Today's Daily Parker

When I took this photo, Parker weighed just over 10 kg (22 lbs):

He's grown since then, about another 10 kg worth, until last week. Apparently he's leveled off at 21 kg (46 lbs), which makes him a perfectly normal German Rat Beagle:

I thought he would get to 22.5 kg (50 lbs), but maybe not. Regardless, he's just the right size.