hair and the dog

It's been off and on rainy lately, more on than off, but no complaints here. We need the water, and all the more incentive to plan another ski weekend sometime soon. This morning the sun was out and the sky was clear but rain was forecast for the afternoon so we thought we'd make the most of the break in the weather by going to the park.

The usual morning crowd at this park is a group of chinese seniors and who I presume to be the grandchildren they care for while their kids are working. One man who is always there brings his little dog and the girls always enjoy visiting with them. For Erin and Allison it's generally a brief visit but Kate rarely wants to participate in anything else once the man with the dog arrives. This is clearly a kid in need of a dog, doomed to a cruel, neglected childhood because of my allergies. I figure one day Kate will coerce Oprah or Extreme Makeover, Home Edition to do a profile on her life of deprivation. As long as she gets a college scholarship or a new house out of the deal I won't mind.

Or maybe we could get a dog and just shave it or shellac it. Hmmmm. But I digress.

Last winter, before Kate could walk, we'd visit this same park and Kate would crawl over to this dog and give him a huge bear hug, then just kind of hang on for dear life as the dog walked around, dragging her along. The mandarin-speaking audience always found that pretty amusing. Now Kate can keep up with him pretty well but still likes giving him big hugs. She'd follow that dog for hours if we let her.


Lately "Darvin's" owner has been letting Kate feed him doggy treats. Kate loves it and this morning Allison joined in for the first time.


After using the jaws of life to pry Kate away from the doggy, we took the girls to get haircuts. Erin especially was overdue. We have a children's hair salon nearby which the girls enjoy visiting because a) they show Dora the Explorer cartoons, b) they get to sit in cool cars while they get their trims, c) they get a lollipop when they're finished, and d) they get a lollipop when they're finished. Candy is such a rare treat that it is definitely the most valuable and memorable part of the outing for them and Erin verifies the deal well before arrival.

"We're going to the place with the lollipops?"

"That's right."

"And I get to HAVE a lollipop after my haircut?"

"That's right."

"Well, ok."

I'm so glad I get that stamp of approval first. Erin, perhaps a Mary Kay top seller, or a pimp, in the making, chose the pink cadillac as usual. Kate got the fire engine and Allison, clearly displaying a taste in cars that I'm going to have to fully reprogram well before her 16th birthday, took the convertible mercedes.

I've wondered why my car isn't among the choices. After all, there is NO sweeter ride than a japanese SUV with three car seats, a ski rack on the roof, and an "Aggie Alumni" license plate frame. What's wrong with these people?

I wanted to wrap up this entry with an "after" photo of the girls, but maybe you can imagine that such an endeavor is always, always like herding cats, and I had dinner on the stove. This is the kind of photo I get 35 of in order to get one photo worthy of putting on a christmas card. This time around it will have to do. A Kodak moment to be sure.