Mia and Cherry Blossoms

On the latest episode of "Little Chihuahua, Big World," Mia can't go potty outside because the wind is so scary. The blustery days we've been having lately send lots of pollen, leaves, dirt, and other debris flying around in all directions, which means Mia has to stop in her tracks and cringe from the mysterious attack. In our little dirt patch--my flower garden, her potty patch--a loose wooden board that is used to cover up the space between fence and concrete so that little puppies can't escape, got knocked over from the wind, and, of course, it happened while Mia was right next to it trying to go to the bathroom. So now she is terrified of the strange, unexplainable force that knocked something on top of her. Every time she hears the wind from inside the apartment she becomes very alert. She was sitting beside me on the couch, but when the blinds started moving by themselves, she immediately scurried off into the bedroom to hide in her bed. World 1, Mia 0.

I have mixed feelings about the wind. I'm glad that all the pollen is being knocked down, but not happy that it's being blown around and around again. My allergies are absolutely horrible. I've been taking Zyrtec, Sudafed, and Dayquil. Yesterday I bought a Neti Rinse, but have yet to use it. I requested an appointment with my doctor, thinking that maybe I had a sinus infection. That was April 4th, and my request is still showing online as unanswered. I should have talked to the receptionist in person today when I went to get blood taken to check my potassium levels, but the ordeal of getting my blood taken causes me too much anxiety and I can't think of anything else. I keep telling myself that it's just allergy season and the congestion and sneezing will go away with the pollen, but I can't hold out much longer before calling PAMF and requesting a different doctor. The wind is definitely not helping. What we need is a good long rain. Oh wait, this is California.

All the spring sun, however, is making my ground cover of baby's tears and alyssum grow beautifully. And the cherry blossoms in Charleston Park are exquisite. Mia and I take a walk in Charleston Park every weekday. Today when we dropped off Eric and went to the park, the colors of the green grass, bright blue sky, and pink blossoms were just perfect. Minus the allergies, I love the early Spring of California.

There are two things that Mia has been doing at the park lately. One, is that she likes to go up to any men seated at benches and immediately become best friends. Anyone who knows Mia understands that she is a highly stressed out dog, and she barks and nips at strangers. But there is something about the Googlers sitting quietly on the benches at the park that turns her into the sweetest, best behaved little dog of all time. I have a theory behind this. When we adopted Mia, the people at the Humane Society told us that she had been previously adopted by a retirement community and then returned for bad behavior towards children. I bet it was her job at the retirement home to go up to the elderly, most likely sitting down, in wheel chairs, or moving slowly, and to be a therapy lap dog. Of course, what happens to little dogs who are allowed to take possession of laps, they begin lap guarding, which probably made her defensive towards the quick-moving, reaching children that came to visit their grandparents. Poor Mia. But why else would a dog who is normally afraid of everything and anyone, insist on going up to the random strangers sitting in the park? It's definitely something she feels comfortable with.

The other thing, which is really new, is that Mia has suddenly discovered California Ground Squirrels. She likes to sniff them out in the grass and chase them when she finds them. Now, whenever I say, "Where's the squirrel?" she gets crazy excited and starts looking. She wants to walk by the grassy area next to the trees so she can find them. It only took her two and a half years to realize there were squirrels and that she could chase them. I won't let her run to far, and they are very fast. I don't think she could ever catch one. Also, the squirrels quickly learned the sound of her collar, so as soon as we start walking down the sidewalk of the park, you can see all the ground squirrels in the grass scurry into the trees and their holes. We haven't found a squirrel to chase in at least a week. Squirrels 1, Mia 0.

This post is mostly about Mia, not just because of the wind and squirrels, but because at the end of March she had her 4th birthday. I can't believe she's been with us for almost three years, and that she is four years old already! We celebrated by giving her a can of Beneful and a piece of chicken--her favorite. She may be afraid of everything except strangers sitting on benches, but she is my baby and I'm so glad that she's been in our family for so long. I'm still working on Eric for that second puppy, so that Mia can have a friend to play with. Come on, Eric!