her name was Ashley...

she shuddered as i put a warm towel around her, drawing her body close to mine. i swept her wet hair from her eyes and gave her a tender kiss on her forehead as her hot breath mixed with mine. gingerly, i picked her up and proceeded to the bedroom, where we would lie in front of the space heater, clutching each other as the cold drizzle trickled relentlessly outside.

cheating on lois? nah. when i got to the house after a visit with dad, the neighbor's dog greeted me. it looked like she had been outside in the rain all day...this little shih tzu was drenched. i could tell she was happy to see me, since John wasn't home yet.

she happily trotted to the front door and i let her in. luckily, lois and the girls had gone on an errand...i wasn't sure how annie and coco would initially react to the young visitor. after all, they had never seen Ashley. rather, they had always greeted each other through the brick wall with a snort, some sniffs and a few sharp territorial barks (the neighbor just moved in recently).

as she ran roughshod in the house, i went next door to see if he was home (since he could have parked in the garage instead of the front). nope. no signs, although i could hear his three other dogs barking inside...

so, i traipsed back to the house and tried to calm Ashley down with a doggie treat, bowl of water, and a couple warm towels. she had just realized that it wasn't her house - how cute - and wasn't about to trust this goofy looking asian kid who let her in...but, boy...it sure is warmer in here than outside!

doggy treat...ooh, thanks! my tummy was growlin'
bowl o' water...thankyouverymuch. water all around and not a drop to drink...
warm towel...ahhhh. okay, you can touch me. so what are we havin' fer dinner?

thought so, dogs know when they got it good. that's why annie and coco have never run away...

after three warm towels, treats, more water, and cuddlin', she was okay. good thing because she was shivering BIG TIME when i put the first two towels on her. by the time we got a fire started, Ashley had already jumped on the sofa...like she OWNED the house ;)

so Ashley got to stay for dinner and hang out for a couple hours until 8:00, when John got home. it was good timing too because the delivery that we had ordered from a new chinese restaurant on Colfax, had just arrived. we just got their take out menu in today's mail. not bad. decent egg rolls (hot and crispy), VERY good hot & sour soup (a sure sign of a worthwhile restaurant is if they know how to season soup), okay ham fried rice (mine's better, but it always tastes better if you don't have to cook ;), and a tasty roast pork and vegetables (although a bit salty).

looks like we'll probably order from the chinese restaurant (China Star) again. and we're hoping that Ashley comes over for another visit...her underbite is precious.