I was visiting my brother, who lives with other relatives last week. We had a great time! It was all about the ball game. We wanted to play for hours, but it was rainy and so we could only play between showers. Because of the very unpredictable weather, we didn’t even go to the park two blocks away. We stayed in the yard.
My brother, Leif, likes to show off. He makes a lot of noise and is very out-going. I am more than a little quiet, but I do like to join in the hilarious antics he displays from time to time. We don’t often get much encouragement to act this way, but when everyone is relaxed and having a good time we can really get into the running, wrestling and tumbling. Like I said, this is not usually encouraged unless everyone is out in the yard. It is our favorite thing to do on days when the grill is doing the cooking. I just love the smell of the burgers when they are cooking.
My brother’s house is nice. It is always a pleasure to see him there. He likes things to be very tidy and neat. The living room is set up nicely with a recliner and a long sofa. Truth be told, Leif would sleep on that comfy long sofa instead of bed most nights. The curtains keep out the streetlights and blazing sun so you can adjust the amount of light that comes into the room.
There is usually a card table with a jigsaw puzzle on it. A bookcase has board games and videos alongside knick-knacks and some family photos in frames. In the evenings, I usually am not too interested in games, but he likes them. I prefer to play games during the afternoon. I also don’t watch TV too much, but he loves the nature shows. He can be a real geek sometimes.
Leif seems to have magic. Not mystical magic, but he just finds a way of encouraging things to work out. I like to think it’s magic. If he is hungry, or if he is thirsty, he doesn’t complain or anything, he just sits and concentrates on it, and magically dinner and drinks seem to appear. Not that he makes the meal, mind you, but Kiki will ensure that it is there. Kiki is the woman Leif lives with. She’s a very handy in the kitchen or at the grill with those burgers. She makes everyone who visits feel at-home. She is affectionate and works hard. I love to visit, because she is “the hostess with the moistest”.
Leif and I are not twins, but we look remarkably alike. Our black hair is curly and often unruly. People have a hard time keeping us straight. If you just see one of us out of the corner of your eye, you could easily get us mixed up. I usually have what our mom used to call “play clothes” on, and so does Leif. He pretty much lives in his. I do spruce up from time to time and get my hair fixed and nails done.
We talk at times about the people who live in the house. They are very busy. There’s work, there’s doctor visits, there’s school, there’s sports, and there’s fun. The coming and going is enough to make anyone tired. We all try to be good-natured about the schedules, but I confess sometimes that part drives me crazy. I would much rather spend time together than scattered all over the city. Leif and I are getting on in years now, so we depend on others to take us places. That can be frustrating too. I would love to go to the park every day, but that darn schedule doesn’t allow for that.
It can be pretty boring to be the only one not rushing around sometimes. I think that is why I sleep so much. Leif thinks it is depression. I think it’s just physiology. We aren’t kids anymore. Everything is affected by age—right? Well, we debate that occasionally, and neither of us is willing to give up and stop chewing on it. That, too, is just the way it is. That is what it is like to be standard poodles. That’s why I sleep eighteen hours every day.