How DID Pepper End Up There? ..

There's a pretty simple explanation to this question, but first lets back up a bit to the beginning of the day. It was early in the morning, this weekend, when I awoke from my slumber. My back was bothering me and Molly was scratching at my face in order to wake me further. She was ready to get up, and frankly I was too. I shook Pepper form his somewhat deep sleep at the foot of the bed. He has been sleeping more soundly now that his hearing has diminished away to nothing. Good for him, but bad for me to have to always be the mean one to wake him from comfort. We all got up, stretched, dressed, and headed downstairs for our morning routine.

While The Dogs Were Outside ..

Taking a leak, I started to make myself a cup of coffee. I got the Keurig fired up, the K-cup filled with ground coffee (freshly ground the day before), it inserted and perking my cup of joe. In that short time the pups were ready to come in for some breakfast!
That time is wrong.. it's not 5:17PM but rather 6:37AM. I just get tired of setting and resetting the stupid thing and don't use the automatic features anyhow.

Coffee.. Check! ..

Now that I have had my first few sips of the dark brown good stuff, I am ready to give Molly her Life Sustaining daily dose of Prednisolone. We have to give this orally every day.. No way around it. She needs it to prevent the symtoms of her Addison's Disease.

What Is Addison’s Disease?

Addison’s disease, scientifically known as hypoadrenocorticism, is a disease with serious consequences for dogs, although fortunately with proper treatment, dogs diagnosed with Addison's disease are expected to have normal lifespans. Addison’s disease occurs when the adrenal glands fail to produce the hormones that they are in charge of in the body.
The most important hormones produced by the adrenal glands are steroids, particularly aldosterone and cortisol. These steroids play a large role in regulating your dog’s internal organs and body systems. Without them, your dog’s body deteriorates, leading to serious complications and even death.
source

Most days she takes it just fine, with no fuss. On odd days, like today, she is being a little uncooperative. She has been a bit more shaky and tired latly, but after a little coaxing, she allows me to administer her medicine.

After this, both Molly and Pepper are ready for their morning meals. Same thing as yesterday and the day before that and yada yada... Grilled Chicken over kibble. Yum Yum Yummy! After they're done, they'll head out doors one more time, but this time for.. well ummm for.. ummm for I guess you can call it "#2". Hey, It's part of life!

While they're outside taking care of business like champs, I rinse and remove the evidence of our increased habits over the last several days..

I pause for a moment to admire our Leaning Tower Of Amaryllis. Since it is sucking all of the life out of it's bulb to fuel the flower blooms, it has gotten a little unstable. I really should stake it up, but every time I think about it, I am unable to focus my attention on that. Nothing changed today, it's still leaning.. MUST do it soon or suffer the guilt of a horizontal floor plant.

We are all done our morning necessaries, so on to some fun stuff! For the dogs this means heading right into some nap time, while daddy pays bills, browses the net and performs a little research on some things I've been listing for sale on various platforms. Molly has been acting a bit nervous lately and this means she wants more attention. After a healthy dose of affection and holding, she is content to reside with me in the office chair. Just a tad bit uncomfortable for me, but she is a very tiny dog, so there's enough room for the two of us. After 30 minutes of shaking, she settles down and falls asleep.. until I took the picture that is!

Here's Pepper .. Clueless to what is going on around him. Clueless of my many trips up and down the stairs, in and out of the room, and attending to this and that. Or so I thought!!

NOW.. The Story Takes A Small Twist ..

Last time I saw Pepper, he was dosing off in the crib we keep for them by the office window. Pepper is know to find a comfortable spot to sleep almost anywhere. He's very peculiar in his choices.. not to be confused with particular. By no means is he very particular. If something new comes into his environment, he feels it's his calling, his duty, to make a bed out of it. Most notable things are clothing, linens or paper, but I WOULDN'T doubt that he could find comfort in laying on a brick if I were to toss that on the floor. It has always been his thing to lay on things that are NOT beds. Haha.. He's too cute and we love him for it. On one of my trips out of the room and down stairs, he must have taken notice of my movements and followed along.

The Next Thing I Heard Was Some Rustling ..

Some sort of familiar noise. I knew it was Pepper, but I did not know what he was snooping around in. As I started walking in that general direction, It hit me that what I was hearing was him circling around. He tends to do, like most dogs do, circle around just before plopping down onto a good spot to lay. Today, like so many others, he chose a unique spot for his nap area. My wife's Puzzle Box!

My work is considered essential to human health, so I need to leave the house for work everyday. My wife, on the other hand, has been working from home ever since the shelter in place orders were given. She is at her whits end with the boredom that presents itself in between work time, so she has been putting a lot of puzzles together to occupy her mind. Pepper has taken notice of these puzzles all week, and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity (preferably when no one is looking) to make a bed out of that thing up on the coffee table. Bellow (some time later in the day) you can see him trying to figure out why he was yelled at then swiftly removed from the oh so comfortable puzzle box. The idea still looks very inviting to him.

Yeah.. you were a bad boy! Don't give me those puppy eyes!!

My wife fixed up the destruction that was left behind (haha) and was quickly back on task with very little delay. It really could have been life altering! Good thing Pepper is not into eating puzzle pieces.. this would not be as funny then.. hehe.. okay, maybe it would have.

Molly was content watching it all play out from her "Normal" comfortable spot among the blankets on the couch. You can just about see her there in the background.

The Happy Ending ..

Like any worth while, feel good story should unfold, this one ended in just that very manner. After all, it's what you expected, wasn't it? I patted my hand against the couch cushion, inviting him up for some daddy time and affection. He sprung up from the floor, took a quick glace over at the puzzle, and realized that the comfort he was seeking all along, he had found. He found a soft spot within the blankets on the couch, that appeared to have been placed there just for him. All of them for his comfort and enjoyment. This soon caught the attention of his sister, Molly, who rapidly joined him in this place of softness.

Soon, the rhythmic sound of puzzle pieces being laid into place with the most delicate of hand movements, assured them they were in a safe place, allowing them both to fall gently asleep. Later that day, I could hear the sounds of whimpering and barking coming from Pepper, while he was lost in lala land. I could only imagine, and would be foolish not to think, that he was dreaming of his sweet revenge on that puzzle.

Sweet dreams Pepper boy! Sweet Dreams Molly! Rest soundly my little friends.

Have A Great Day or Night my fellow Hivesters!!

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.

If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:

They can be found for sale in

My Facebook Shop

OR

My Etsy Store

If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in SBD or STEEM) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).

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“The problems of puzzles are very near the problems of life, our whole life is solving puzzles. If you are hungry, you have to find something to eat. But everyday problems are very mixed they're not clear. The Cube's problem depends just on you. You can solve it independently. But to find happiness in life, you're not independent. That's the only big difference." ~ Erno Rubik