Sometimes isn’t it nice to walk into a place and see a familiar face? or better yet, someone who knows your name? someone who has a smile that makes your day. Maybe that person is not a person, but a cat, who slinks over and gives you the butt, or the cat back as they rub up against you. Or maybe that person is a dog who does cart wheels when they see you, or they jump and lick and throw themselves at you in the overwhelming recognition of your divinity.
Even though I am a die hard cat person, I have managed to fall in love with my dogs and have even found myself warming up to other people’s canines. I’ve even gone so far as to let one or two hump my leg. I have come to realize that each dog has their own way they express joy. It took awhile to get the hang of this. Cats don’t really express joy, I mean you can tell they are happy or content or interested, but they are far too cool to bust out in uncontrolled joyous wiggles, they have a reputation to uphold, maybe they’ll give it up by lifting a paw, making dough, or the more pedestrian, ‘purr’. Dogs don’t seem to care about what
any time can be nap time when you are a dog
anyone thinks of them. They will lick their crotch, sniff a pal’s butt and sniff your crotch if they are tall enough. They will eat from a trash can, and forage for the creations others have left behind (super gross). Dogs have no qualms about belching or passing gas. They just let it fly (like my friend’s grandma)
On the positive side, they can be counted on to find any crumb dropped. They are loyal and look at their person as if they are the second coming. Every time you leave and then return – it’s like Christmas morning. Unbridled joy. Maurice gets so worked up when the Fed Ex dude arrives, that he leaps and paws and falls backward onto the concrete driveway in a full swoon. Mistere Fed Ex dude just loves this, he drops the packages and gets down on the concrete and lets the Frenchies have their way with him. He says over and over “what a great dog, what a GREAT dog, this dog loves me” (you, and everyone else, i think to myself) He has no idea that this expression of glee goes on all day long with each new victim.
Though I am the main fixation. I can’t be entertaining at every moment. At some point I must shower, run an errand, or go to the loo. For just these occasions, there is the Dog Toy. Before getting dogs, I had no idea the role the dog toy played. I though dogs just chewed on bones. I have met people who pack their dogs toys for a trip, and keep them in toy boxes at home and buy back-up toys for when the favorite wubbie goes missing or damaged. There are toys that dispense treats, toys to slow down the speed eater, toys that squeak, toys to be pulled, thrown and just carried around in the mouth. I can see that the wearing down of
striped thing lost it's innards in seconds flat
the toy is sort of an expressionistic form of art therapy. Profound communications can be interpreted by the playing with and chew pattern of THE TOY. Dogs can learn and understand hundreds of words. “get it, drop it, leave it, go potty, etc are heard from dog owners. It seemed silly to have to tell someone to go potty. But I do it, and when I don’t, there is trouble. Anyhow…. Back to toys. In the salon we have, gwinny the robin with the tennis ball inside it,
We’ve got Dirty sanchez, the headless
sanchez, before the head disappeared
chicken, striped thing, the frizbee, the beloved Wubba (this is big hit with all players), the eviscerated ferret, lammy pie, the cow and a host of other toys stolen from other dogs looking the wrong way at the wrong time.
A dirty sock or a used tampons can delight a canine for hours in a pinch. We keep these items in lock down in the salon to avoid me having to pretend it’s not actually happening.
Aside from all the extra hairs, for the most part, the cats, and the dogs add a special element to the Salon. One that the majority
the disappearing rear trick
enjoys. The animals set a tone of relaxation. It’s always soothing to be around a hedonist, right?
I saw my first French Bull Dog in a Salon many, many years ago. I didn’t really like dogs in those days, but I knew I would have a Frenchie when I first laid eyes on it. Now, I have two. They not only bring joy and snuffles and snorts to my life, but to the lives of many who patronize Simone Salon.
So even where critters are concerned, everything including the lint roller, comes back to the follicle.
Do you have a story about doing hair or having your hair done?
If so, i want to hear from you for my Book Project. Please leave your comment and we’ll ‘Tawk”.
If you have a friend who could use a lift today, I hope you’ll pass this on.
-Simone
it was directly related to a popular saying amongst gay men in those days having to do with fish, and we embraced it. Our apartment became ‘the grotto’ and we were the fish living in it. Eventually we moved to the top floor in our apartment building and then we were living in ‘the top of the grotto’. Our apartment building was in the ghetto, so we were at the grotto in the ghetto. Such clever girls we were. When you have a long history together, all inside jokes are woven together to become not just a new language but another way of life. Many years later we lived and worked in Japan together and were able to experience the 5th of May (in those days known as ‘boys day’) right there in the belly of the beast. There were lots of Koi flags flying (again, the fish theme, are you connecting the dots?). Even though we were, and still are girls, we celebrated the day like it meant something.
