Blog + Dog

Calm Office

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Beau was confused by the flowers. | Mug | Coaster | Vase | Pens

I’m a writer. 

I’m a neat freak. 

I don’t like working outside of my home. 

This trifecta means my office is my safe place. I love my office. There are a few things I would change. Like a bigger, comfier chair. Or adding a funky lamp. If I’m not binge watching TV or cooking, I’m in my office. 

I like my home to be as comfortable and cozy as it is light and airy. For me it’s a combination of dark and bright, heavy and light, fluffy and stark, cute and functional. Everything serves a purpose. Sometimes that purpose is bringing a smile to my face. I don’t want my office to just be comfortable for me; it has to be a place Beau enjoys being. Wherever I am, she also is. 

I have a desk away from the wall but far from being in the middle. A papasan is nestled into a bay window. I used to have Beau’s Serta dog bed in the bay window, but she refused to sleep in it there. I like to keep the floor as open as possible so Beau can run in and out and play with her toys on the floor while I work without me getting in her way or vice versa. I ended up moving her dog bed next to my chair, up against the bookshelves because she could touch me and see out the window at the same time. 

The other day, my friend brought me flowers. I put them in my office because I love how much life they bring to the room. She gave me the best compliment: It’s so calm. Ugh. Yes. That’s my aesthetic. Calm. Probably not. Between my high energy and Beau’s energy, calm is not the immediate aesthetic of my home, but when I walk into my office, I do feel calm. Beau doesn’t, but it is truly our safe space. 

bisous und обьятий,
Beau and RaeAnna

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Blog + Dog

Couch Potatoes

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I’m getting a pep talk about how I CAN get all the stuff done I need to do.
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She just wants the treats in my hand… | Pajama Top | Pajama Bottom | Mug | Beau’s Bandana |

I’m a writer. Sometimes, I have a really hard time writing when I’m not inspired… I’m probably not alone in that predicament, which is why I am very happy to have a couch and  my dog. 

Luckily for me, I have an almost-comfortable couch and a very cozy dog. Not to mention more subscriptions to streaming services than is probably responsible, a ton of movies on Vudu, and loads of DVDs. Also more books on my reading shelves than I can read in four months. Actually, as I write this, I’m sitting on the couch with Beau under my arm watching The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Prime. (I highly suggest it; it’s based off the book of the same name by Philip K. Dick.)

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I promise. It’s not what you think it is… I dropped a treat in my lap.

Being a couch potato really works for us. Beau is particularly good at it. She takes up well over half of the couch at all times no matter how many people are wanting to sit on it with her. I like to refer to Beau as an oobleck – a non-Newtonian fluid; it’s a liquid until pressure is applied, and then it’s a solid. Beau starts in one position. She spreads out into another position; before, she solidifies and refuses to take up less space no matter how much pressure is applied. 

We’re very happy as couch potatoes. It works for us. Some days we get stuff done on the couch. Other days, we really don’t. 

Today, Beau and I have sat on the couch all day. It’s intermittently storming, and Beau is a little stressed about it. I feel like I haven’t done much, but I did. I wrote this boring blog post. I did the dishes. What took up most of my afternoon was mending clothes. I had a HUGE pile of clothes that needed to have zippers fixed, seams taken in, snaps put on, buttons reattached, straps tightened, etc. I’m actually quite handy with a needle and thread. I spent four hours doing all the mending that needed to be done and that had built up over an embarrassing amount of time. The upside, I have clothes back! And I did it all without leaving the couch! I can chalk this day up to a success.

bisous und обьятий,
Beau and RaeAnna

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Blog + Dog

Closet Anxiety Attack

Just so you know, these pictures were taken this morning. She was in a very good mood with a wagging tail and being bribed with treats. Lots of treats. I would never invade her privacy or exploit her during an anxiety attack. She’s very good at putting on the sad puppy eyes for treats; it’s a boxer trait.

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Sometimes, the only place to go is the closet.

Beau is a rescue dog. Honestly, she is the best dog I have ever had, and there have been a more than a few. I brought her home almost two years ago. The first year was a little rough, but so worth it.

As a rescue, she has a lot of idiosyncrasies. With time, she has gotten more comfortable and less tightly wound. The evidence of her struggle during her formative years is always evident, though. The kitchen is a difficult place for her. Everything is terrifying. I love being in the kitchen, so we have bad days sometimes. Usually, she sits on the couch watching me or curled up on my feet on a comfy rug.

Last week, I was cooking dinner in the kitchen like I usually do. Beau was sitting next to me on her rug. Her back leaned up against my calf. I had one of the bottom kitchen cabinet doors open to grab a pan out; it was situated in front of my legs. The stove made a clicking noise every once in awhile, which is usual. This day, the clicking noise triggered something in Beau. I felt her start to shake. Her shaking became stronger over the next minute. She stood up and pushed her way between my legs crawling into the cabinet. I stopped everything I was doing to sit down next to her.

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Giving the camera her signature side eye.

I put her sweater on her because it helps make her feel safe. I held onto her tight. Like in people, when there is weight pressed on her body, it help calms her anxiety. She likes to be in enclosed spaces where nothing can sneak up on her. As someone with PTSD, I understand this more than she knows.

She crawled out of the kitchen cabinet shaking violently and ran to the closet. She crawled as far into the corner as she could under all the clothes and on top of the shoes. Luckily, I managed to get the shoes out from under her. We sat there for twenty minutes. She shook and shook and shook. She cried. I held onto her. She was so scared. She even peed a little; it’s not abnormal during her severe anxiety attacks. It breaks my heart every time. She was curled into my body as far as she could. We both cried in our own ways. Her breathing started to quicken, and I had to help slow it down. Her shaking slowly eased up.

When she started to pace, I tried to find somewhere else we could sit down. She was not comfortable anywhere in the house. So we went outside. Beau needed to run the shakes off. So we ran and ran and ran around the apartment complex until her tail started to wag again.

Her anxiety attacks have become a rarity now. They happen every few months instead of every few days. They don’t usually last more than a few minutes, but this one was a particularly bad one and lasted over an hour. I still don’t know exactly why it happened because nothing was out of the norm.

Beau is such a sweetheart. She is the light of my life. Sometimes, all I can do is hold her and love her as she fights her own demons. As a rescue and a former abused animal, these things are part of our life.

xoxo,
Beau and RaeAnna
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She’s a happy girl, I promise.

 

Blog + Dog

Starbucks

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Sharing our Starbucks.

Starbucks is a beautiful thing. We love it because the service is always good, the drinks are Starbucks, they treat their employees well. Oh, did I mention there is one right next to my apartment? Convenience factor is high.

When I adopted Beau, one of the first outings was to Starbucks. Beau had a hard life, and she deserved Starbucks. If you’re not in-the-know, Starbucks has puppaccinos – or puppy-lattes depending on the location – perfect for your puppy friends. What is it? Whipped cream in a cup. Honestly, I’ve thought about getting one for me. How much do they cost, nothing.

We go on a frequent enough basis, many of the employees know Beau. I’m pretty unnoteworthy, but Beau is memorable. They remember her cute face!

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It’s almost TOO convenient.

Beau is very neurotic from her years of abuse. There are so many things she is terrified of. Including straws. EXCEPT the green straws. The green straws mean Starbucks. Starbucks means puppaccinos. If, for some catastrophic reason, there are green straws in the house without a puppaccino, Beau whips out her sassy teenager attitude. Dogs are red-green colorblind, so she must have a system for being able to tell… She’s a smarty-pants.

Anyways.

Today was grey and kind of rainy, which has been the case for a week, so I haven’t been able to take Blog + Dog pictures I wanted. So we walked the 532 steps to Starbucks to cheer up my rained out pooch.

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What a happy girl!!!
Blog + Dog

Blog + Dog

Hi I’m RaeAnna! I’m a freelancer and a blogger. This is Beauvoir, my dog; she goes by Beau. We’re almost inseparable. Why? Because!

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Honestly. This is our usual! (Don’t those pumpkin scones look delicious?)

Being a freelancer and blogger means, for me, I work from home. It’s a great gig. I have pretty much zero complaints. My constant companion and the being I spend 90% of my time with is Beau. I absolutely love being a stay at home dog mom. It’s the dream. (Actually, it’s been a huge blessing after rescuing Beau, which I’ll explain another time.)

My life is very dog centered. I have always been surrounded by dogs, but Beau is my first dog on my own as an adult. There’s a certain bond that comes with being the sole financial benefactor, health manager, food distributor, love giver, exercise provider, leisure planner, plaything procurer, and everything else she could possibly need. Yes. I am the crazy dog lady. No shame. I have a bunch of mugs to help with the announcements.

I blog about books and travel and food. I love these things very much. Something has been missing from the narrative. The mundane. I want to start writing about the things which make my heart sing on a daily basis. The things that are important to the essence of my being. I want to bring you into the beautiful ordinary of the things that wouldn’t necessarily be highlighted on Instagram. These things are no less spectacular and perfect. I don’t need an oceanfront mansion in Miami or a mountaintop waterfall behind me to have a great blog post. Those are awesome and fill my heart with joy, but it’s not my daily life.

My day consists of working, blogging (also work), and my dog. Those three things are constants. I also realized: Beau rarely shows up in my posts. What??? She’s always with me. How is she almost completely absent from my digital footprint? Time to make a change.

After discussing with my best friend, Wednesdays will be, henceforth, Blog + Dog days. I’m going to write about the ordinary things Beau and I do together. I’ll probably share some tidbits on our favorite toys, our heartworm adventure, being a rescue mom, traveling with a big dog, and everything in between. It’s a crazy dog life, but it’s my crazy dog life. I love it! Hopefully my photogenic boxer-mix will bring a smile to your face every Wednesday!  

Feel free to drop a comment with requests or suggestions! I’m always looking for new things to write about or fun adventures to go on with my white shadow.

xoxo!
Beau and RaeAnna

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I love her kisses more than people kisses. Also look at those pumpkin scones!