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If there’s one thing I’ve learned over years of home renovations it’s that sometimes you have to call in a professional. There are times when your own handiwork just might not be good enough.

With that in mind, I recently made our beloved RoadDog an appointment with a professional groomer. After five years of no haircuts and several months of my own painstaking efforts, I wanted to see what Jake would look like if a real pro cut his hair. We also wanted the hair on his ears cut short in typical Cairn terrier style and, for some reason, I just wasn’t sure how to do that and blend it in with the rest of his head.

So, with some trepidation, I delivered Jake to the groomer one day last week.

Tanya Greek of Greek’s Grooming Boutique in Upper Branch is absolutely wonderful. She groomed our last dog, Nicki, and always did such a beautiful job. Nicki adored her. I’d seen her with Nicki and with other dogs, including her own, and knew she treats them like royalty, so there was no question about where Jake was going. (Our boy definitely likes to be treated like a prince.) I also knew that, although Cairns are often stripped of their underneath hair, I didn’t want that done. It might be the “right” way to do it and they say it doesn’t hurt the dogs at all, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I knew Tanya wasn’t going to strip his coat, but would cut his hair instead, so off we went.

Having never been through the experience of dropping off a child at day care or school for the first time, I can honestly say it was a little trying. We never leave Jake anywhere with strangers. Once in awhile he stays with my parents. Sometimes when we travel with our friends, Heather and Dennis, one or both of them “borrow” him for a bit. We sometimes leave him in hotel rooms, but he’s used to that and knows we’re coming back soon.

But when Tanya scooped him from my arms and plopped him down in a bathtub (not his favourite thing at the best of times), he stood up on his back legs, waved his front arms in his “please pick me up” move and pleaded with me with his eyes. It was gut wrenching and I got out in a hurry.

I’ll stop with my dramatics. Let’s just say I returned promptly at the appointed time. Jake was glad to see me and so, so handsome. He really did look like a little prince. Tanya did a fantastic job, just as I knew she would. And those ears, those adorable Cairn ears, I just can’t stop looking at them when I’m around him. She also did the most astounding job with his nails. I have no idea how she did it, since he hates anyone messing about his paws.

Our RoadDog is gorgeous. The only downside is that once I’d picked him up, he quickly got over being happy to see me. He sat on the passenger’s seat of my car (belted in of course) just staring at me with woeful eyes. “Why? Why did you do that to me? Why do I smell good? Why am I so neat and clean and perfect?”

it’s taken nearly a week for him to get over his own drama and forgive me, but he finally has … and he still looks great so all’s well that ends well. Thank you Tanya.
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Sometimes even a big dog with short legs who rides around on a motorcycle needs a rest.

And that works out very well every now and again when we’re on vacation and Steve and I want an evening out without our much-loved Cairn. Love the boy, but there are places where he’s just not welcome that we occasionally would like to go.

So it was in August while we were staying in Boothbay Harbor in Maine. Our wonderful and very dog-friendly motel was tremendously conveniently located with a wonderful theatre next door. En route to a nearby trail, Steve and I saw a sign for the dinner theatre which sounded like a great deal of fun. We spent the day seeing the sights with Jake, which tired him out, gave him his supper, tucked him in for a nap and headed next door for drinks, dinner and entertainment. We were not disappointed.

The Carousel Theater is a wonderful building. While it resembles an unassuming barn from the outside, it was actually built as a theatre and the inside is fantastic. We were served good wine (is there such a thing as bad wine, I wonder?), seated with a smile, asked about our dinner choices and then it all began. While we ate, the cast entertained us with songs made famous many years ago by Judy Garland, Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney. They were fantastic!

I was already having a wonderful time when two of the young women appeared on stage with large feather fans and I knew immediately that I was about to hear one of my favourite songs from my favourite Christmas movie of all time — Sisters from White Christmas. Honestly, it brought tears to my eyes — it was that perfect — the song, the setting, the evening, everything.

Once we had dessert and coffee in front of us, served by the performers between songs, they disappeared briefly and the play began. Murder a la Moliere was their homage to Tartuffe with the twists of a murder mystery set in the 1970s. It was, in effect, a play about a high school play set to music some of us might prefer to forget and others among us secretly love. It was wonderful, hilarious and highly entertaining. Without giving it all away, try to picture a man wearing a long, dark, curly 17th century wig and disco attire from the 1970s — I bet you get the idea. Too, too funny!

Steve and I had a wonderful time and would go back another time in a heartbeat. Whatever they perform at the Carousel, I have every faith will be simply fantastic and definitely funny.

And Jake got an evening’s nap so he was ready to roll again the next day. It really worked out well for all of us.

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Sometimes Jake likes to be helpful — well, I’m sure he thinks it’s helpful — well, maybe I just like to think he thinks it’s helpful.

We’ve just finished another reno project. I know, shake your head, it never seems to end at our house. We’re now beyond the stage where we’re changing things for the first time and we’ve moved into the redoing things phase. Owning an older home can just be scary sometimes.

The latest project was a facelift for the master bedroom. When we gutted the original section of our upstairs about 10 years ago, we created quite a large room with built-in closets and drawers, a vaulted ceiling and lots of light. We painted it in shades of blue and put down navy carpet. It was wonderful … but then we got tired of it, particularly that carpet. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but in recent years it just never felt clean because, no matter what we did to clean it, we knew it wasn’t clean. That’s carpet.

So the room is now painted in yellows and the big, wonderful difference is the new laminate floor, which we love, love, love. Well, two of us love it. Jake, maybe not so much, but I’ll come back to that.

Jake is so used to our renovation projects that he basically looks at us as if to say “Again? Let me know when you’re done” and walks away. This one was a little different. It reminded me a bit of the kitchen reno when we upset him so much by removing the kitchen counters that he seemed to believe were the source of his food supply. Two things our boy does not like anyone messing with are his eating and his sleeping.

Steve took a week off to do the work. Jake didn’t care too much about the painting. Steve said he sniffed around a few times, but was mostly concerned that he couldn’t nap in the bedroom because Steve was disturbing him. But then we took the bed apart and that got his attention. Then Steve tore out the carpet. That also got his attention. Jake was the one member of our little family who still liked the carpet since he tends to like things that are dirty and stinky. Boy dog!

Our RoadDog decided he could be a big help while Steve laid the new laminate floor. We started it one evening and Jake really didn’t seem to care all that much. However, when I went to work the next day, he apparently decided that Steve needed an extra set of hands, or I guess paws.

Steve told Jake he had to stay back from the saw, which he did, standing about three feet away waiting as patiently as he’s capable of being, but then when the saw stopped he’d charge in to help. I understand he was of huge assistance for awhile in the afternoon when he concluded that Steve had put the flooring ends in the wrong spot. They didn’t belong in the cardboard box in the corner, obviously, so he carefully carried them one by one to an opposite corner whenever Steve wasn’t watching. Big help!

We all survived. Jake is far too cute to even get mad at because he sticks out that tongue, just a bit, and your heart melts. We didn’t get a lot of sleep crowded into the spare bedroom, but the reno is all done now and we love the new look. Well, Steve and I love it. I think Jake will love it more when we buy another rug. I bought one for under the bed thinking that would be enough to keep him happy. However, I clearly got that wrong because he’s rather lost about where to play with his toys now. I need to buy something for the centre of the floor, a Jake rug if you will, and then our RoadDog will be happy waiting for spring to come.
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Our RoadDog has travelled via a variety of means of transportation and we try to keep adding to the list.

Steve and I are always kind of on the lookout for new experiences, both for ourselves and for Jake. It doesn’t have to be grand — just different.

Over our years together, our RoadDog has ridden not only via the typical cars and trucks and, of course, the motorcycle. He’s also experienced ferries, a motorboat and even a gondola. We haven’t managed a hot air balloon yet, but I’d love to finagle that one somehow. But I digress.

Last summer, we all enjoyed a new means of travel while visiting Boothbay Harbor — an old-fashioned trolley. Sponsored by one of the local hotels, the trolley made regular runs throughout the town during the day, picking up locals and tourists alike. It was a wonderful means of reducing the downtown traffic congestion. And a fun diversion.

The trolley pulled up at the front door of our hotel. Steve confirmed that Jake could travel as long as he remained on my lap. I didn’t actually manage to keep him sitting still, but I can confirm he never left my arms. He spent most of the ride on my shoulder looking out the windows at the passing scenery.

The trolley was beautiful. All decked out in wood, even the front console, it had wide open windows — with flaps for bad weather — and marvelous wooden bench seats. The driver was a wonderful gentleman who could truly maneuvre the trolley in some very tight downtown quarters. It was a great experience for all of us.

And Jake added trolley to his list of transportation accomplishments.

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