My Version of the Movie, Groundhog Day!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Lately I have been starring in my own version of the movie, Groundhog Day. If you haven’t seen the movie I can sum it up for you very quickly. It was about a weatherman sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and somehow ends up in a time warp and keeps repeating the same day over and over again.  I really never understood why anyone would leave it up to a rodent to predict the weather, but I do know that once my sister attended a Groundhog Day party and they had cookies shaped like groundhogs to eat.  I remember when she told me about the refreshments and seemed far more excited than I thought was reasonable and how I listened to her entire monologue and then said, “Why are you such a doofus?”

 

The reason I am bringing all of this up is because lately my life has been just like the movie except in place of a groundhog I have two Doodles and a husband.  Every single night at bedtime we go through the same routine and no matter how many times I mention that the routine is not working, it continues as if I am also trapped in a time warp.

 

Usually in the evenings Fudge and I watch TV back in my bedroom and John and Vern stay out in the living room.  Around ten and almost always at the end of a great show, Vern comes back to the bedroom and stares at me.  What he wants is anyone’s guess and he has the remarkable ability to time his walk by to when it is the least convenient for me to get up and help him.  At this point I like to say very loudly, “Go tell daddy what you want!”  Sometimes I repeat my request in the hopes that Vern didn’t hear me the first time as he continues to stare at me or hope maybe my loud voice will break the trance John is obviously in in the living room and he will come and get Vern.  That never happens.  What does happen is I get up with Vern and thus begins our nightly ritual called “What does Vern want?”

 

I always start with his water dish, which is usually bone dry.  I spend half my day filling up the dog’s water dish.  The weird thing is they have two water dishes, but both of them only seem to drink from the one on the right.  I have switched the bowls after cleaning and they still always prefer the one on the right.  Vern is a big drinker.  If you fill his water dish in front of him, he is driven to thank you by drinking all the fresh water you just gave him and making sure by the obnoxious sounds he makes doing it that you know he enjoyed every drop.  My mom is like Vern in that she is nuts about her water.  She has the nurses at her care facility jumping through hoops to fill her water cup “just right” with ice and water and then it is either too heavy for her to lift or too light because it isn’t full enough.  I have actually had to pour some of the water out and God help you if you pour too much and miss the invisible fill line that only mom can see.  I am about ready to buy her a canteen to keep around her neck, but then I would have to spend my time at our visits filling and emptying that canteen until I got the water level just right.  Suggestions like “couldn’t you just take some sips and get the water down to where you want it?” might render the same response I got when I told her I wanted Archer to call me Lolly and John Pop, so we would be Lolly Pop.  She looked right at me and said, “Laurie, you are some kind of stupid!”  It isn’t always fun to visit a 90-year-old woman without a filter.

 

It isn’t that I mind filling the dog’s water dish, it is just that I mind that no one else seems to notice when it is empty. It is like emptying the dishwasher to me, which has caused more fights in our house than any psychiatrist would deem healthy.  I just don’t know why I am the only one who has to do it. The clean light on the dishwasher that says the dishes are clean and the empty water dish are like flashing neon lights to me that say, “take care of this NOW!”  To everyone else in the family it must say, “leave area quickly and prepare flimsy excuse for not completing task.” And trust me when I say, I have heard some great excuses.  Once, John said he didn’t empty the dishwasher because he was afraid it would wake me up and unless I set the full trash bag directly on top of the stove on the day he makes himself eggs for breakfast the trash is not getting to the trash can by his hands.  Even then, I would be afraid we might have a fire when he turned the gas burner on and claimed he never saw the trash bag.

 

So, every night, I begin with Vern’s water dish and almost always find it empty and when I comment that Vern doesn’t have any water I never feel it gets the reaction I think it should.  Most of the time I get one OK or a vacant “I have no idea what you just said” look and no one ever jumps up to get Vern his water.  Sometimes it is water that Vern wants, other times he walks over to the treat bowl and stares at it willing me to get him a treat.  Usually he has to go out and I often think he comes to me because I am the only one who even notices his stare.  All of these things pale in comparison to the routine we go through night after night when John comes to bed. 

 

Like I said, Fudge and I might be watching TV or we might both be asleep when John comes to bed.  There is no fanfare or lollygagging going on when John decides it is bedtime. He walks around to his side of the bed and pushes anything on his side over and hops in.  I could be in the middle of paying bills or downloading pictures from my camera and just like that it’s all closer to me than it needs to be.  And then I wait because I know Vern is coming and sure enough, it is never long and Vern is standing at my side of the bed doing his stare thing.  So, just for fun, I always ask, “did you take Vern out before you came to bed?”  The responses can vary from “ I didn’t know he had to go out “ to “He was sleeping and didn’t have to go out” but what all the responses mean are John’s part is done and Laurie’s is just beginning.  And so it begins. I start at the water dish, which will be dry, and then move on to the front door to let Vern out. If I am lucky, Fudge will wake up and go out, too.  If I am not lucky, she will feign sleep until I get back in bed and then time her “up button” to the moment I get back in bed. All this is happening while John is enjoying his Kindle!  In all fairness to John, I think we both know Vern is going to come get me even if John routinely took the dogs out before bedtime.  I think it is Vern’s way of having me “tuck him in.” About thirty minutes after this whole thing started and right after I give them their final treat of the night, I am back in bed.  I am almost positive right before I fall to sleep, I can hear my mom’s voice saying, “Laurie, you are some kind of stupid!”

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Oh I get it Laurie! Too funny.  Beau has a favorite chair and it happens to be the leather recliner.  Beau can be anywhere in the house sleeping and if he hears the TV go on, he is right there to claim his chair.  If DH already is sitting in it, Beau will stand in front of him and stare and if he gets no response, he wil put his front leg on DH's leg.  My husband of course thinks it is cute, so after several leg butts, my DH moves to the couch! You can just see the delight in Beau's face when he settles in the chair!  

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

You are funny Laurie!  Thank goodness for folks like you that can help us all laugh at life.  I read some of this to my DH and he just chuckled...the chuckle of "and what's your point?"...

That is one of my favorite movies too...I said that is the most romantic movie I have ever seen!  Do you think any of us can hope for that happy ending? LOL  P.S. My mom was like yours too...not fun, but before she died she did say "I'm sorry Joani"  but she didn't say exactly what for...giving me birth?  

Thanks again Laurie.  Love your babies...mine have a routine also and give me that stare which reminds me oops, I forgot to give them their nite nite treat!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

This scenario sounds vaguely familiar, only now that Mike is out of work (until he finds another job), I am the one that ignores the doodles unless I have to say "go tell Daddy" and Daisy will. Dexter just follows her lead.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Loved this - as usual!  We really haven't gotten a handle on Charlie yet.  He not only stares - but starts talking to you and finally yipping with the stare - every single night.  We check the water bowl, call him up onto the couch,  actually get up and find a toy to give to him! We have a dog door but I think he is afraid of the dark, so I take him out.  I tell him if he thinks it's bedtime  to go ahead!  We are having tummy issues with him, so I have on occasion, given him more food.  Some of them will stop the stare for a while, but none of them seems to be the 'thing' he wants.  I really wish he spoke English or that I was more fluent in Doodle!

[Donna K & Quincy]

So much of this sounds oddly familiar. We get the stare down as well and sometimes I swear Quincy does it just so he can steal my spot when I get up. When Quincy wants water and his dish is empty he just gives it a smack with his paw. I think half the time they don't even know what they want.

[Sally M]

I think all Doodles must do this. I can be in our bedroom, watching TV and my husband is in the living room along with Penny. Does Penny let the DH know she wants something? If she does, Penny gets ignored for one reason or another. So Penny walks to the back and the house and finds me. Apparently I'm the only one capable of attending to her needs. She stares at me for a few minutes, and if I don't react immediately, I get a small "woof" out of her. I, too, go thru a list of the many things she might want. This happens every evening; sometimes more than once.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Bonnie, I guess they just know who is going to act on their stares. I also think I am more in tune with my dogs than John, but I spend my days with them. I suspect the same holds true with you. It's all about the dogs for me. I hope you don't have to spend many days in bed with those migraines. Nothing worse. 

BG, That is why I don't let Fudge have a ball in the house. I would be doing that all day. Fudge would actually push her ball under the furniture on purpose. I guess that was her idea of me fetching. Sweet Gavin...those eyes are hard to resist :)

Maryann, My husband can ignore just about anything for long periods of time, too :) The stare just doesn't bother him. It just forces me to use my loud voice. LOL

Nancy, That is mostly how Fudge would be without Vern. It's Vern...all Vern :) You are lucky with Georgia Brown. 

Ricki, OK, I don't want Tara to teach Vern the low growl. The stare is bad enough. I am pretty sure our dogs know they own us and not the other way around :) Tara is a pip!

F, I know you love her....come down and take a turn visiting her :) I remember that story. LOL I need to call you soon or vice versa!

Karen, I solved that problem. I have a holder that just stacks the toilet paper. I have long ago figured out I am the smartest person in the family....just don't tell my family :) LOL

[Bonnie and Kona]

I fully commiserate. If the dogs want something they come to me. Even if they just want me to tell Mike to do something. No one else is paying any attention. If they need something they have to come to me. If I'm in bed with a migraine and they need to go out or get water or whatever, they know it is a complete waste of time to try to let Mike know. Mom will know and she will text DH to let us out or whatever. sigh. Clearly there are ways to make their wants known and attended to. 

[BG and Gavin]

Ah yes, the stare. Usually I get it when Gavin has lost his ball under some piece of furniture.  He stares at me until I get up. He then stands near the offending chair or sofa and alternates staring at me and then at the furniture. Back and forth until I am on my hands and knees searching.  I can hear him saying "it's about time you figured it out!"

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I feel your pain. Tigger has the "stare" in our house.  He only ever uses it on me, mostly because Pat doesn't pay any attention.  I don't really see how it is possible not to see a large dog head that is less than six inches from your nose, but my DH doesn't.  So I go through the same routine as you do.  Occasionally though I can buy Tigger off with a game of 'throw the soft toy up in the air" for awhile.