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Big Dog’s Coat of Not Many Colours

It was cold today. I mean not too cold.  My words are too short. I feel I should be writing something poetic about the approaching winter and I know that Smidge would say this with a whole lot more elegance and poetry but there was a wintry feel to the air that blew around our heads today.   So we put Big Dog’s new coat on.

He had begun to actually shiver. He is old, and though he eats very well, he does not carry a lot of warming blubber. His blue coat may attract some giggles from his co-workers on the farm though I am sure that the mirth will be firmly hidden behind paws and wings  because he seems to be quite happy with his coat. He has not tried to roll it off, or drag it along tree trunks. He trotted off to his bed in the barn, curled up in his blankets and went straight to sleep. 

After he  told TonTon the Wellington Dog that if he so much as imagined a snigger, his head would be chook food. 

Daisy, as usual, watched the proceedings with sublime detachment. 

And Li’l Puss the Scrapper chose the wisest course of turning a blind eye. 

I forgot the Daily View.  How did I do that? I remembered to take the shot of the thermometers and walked straight past  the Daily View.  Ah well.  No animal was harmed in the making of this forgetfulness.

Many years ago I began to write a play about an old man who spent the summer living in a cherry picker raised up into the trees above his big old house by the sea, he would lower a flax basket down to his daughter-in-law, she would load it with food and books and he would haul it back up with a reluctant grunt of thanks.  He very seldom spoke, and was full of crushing wit when he did, as he slowly worked his way through the grief of becoming old and the other various and sundry  disappointments that follow us through a life.

This old man popped straight back into my head at 4 .30 this morning and asked ever so politely if I could write him into my NaNoWriMo Novel.  Because he lives up on another level, and there are not very many characters in my story, he and his cherry picker are most welcome. He does not have a name yet though.  He needs a name.

Have a lovely, lovely day.

celi

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62 responses to “Big Dog’s Coat of Not Many Colours”

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  2. There is nothing like an old dog, who has gathered all that knowing behind their eyes and dignity in their being. I can hear Big Dog saying “Good Celi. It’s ok. Like coat”… and possibly, “Really, I like the coat, why do you need to point that thing at me.. but if you must” 🙂

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  3. Your dog has a lovely new coat and yes, as dogs get older they do feel the cold more. How lovely to have the intrusion of a new character in your novel. BTW – I have thrown out that dreadful commenting system on my blog and now have the WP one. I hope you find it easier to use! xx

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  4. What a handsome blue coat, and how I laughed at the idea of mirth hidden behind paws and wings. Your creative imagination is so alive and well! – and I’m interested in the old man in the cherry picker already. Another perspective in a story is always a good thing. I think we are definitely warmer than you today. It’s as if the seasons are swinging between us, but our temperature gauge is now back in the right direction.

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  5. Big Dog loves his blanket, so why should he dislike a flattering and warm coat to show off 🙂 ? And Daisy’s eye looked so deep and soulful, I DO hope you did not mind my making a copy!!!

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  6. Blest is he who has earned the love of an old dog. Could your curmudgeon possibly be that crotchety old cuss Hiram Osgood Upperworth?

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  8. So glad he’s warm… I know how he feels, and feel the cold badly….
    Your story sounds as though it’s going to be deliciously zany… how do we get to read it? Did you ever read Truman Capote’s book The Grass Harp” – more rebellious bodies up a tree!
    Think I can feel a re-reading coming on…until I can get my hands on yours…

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  9. And now the pressures on.. thank you for your sweet words:) but I have no words, er name for you.. yet. Let it percolate a bit while I admire your pup’s face. My dog also wear a coat, I didn’t know their fur grows thin as they age. Even his nose is rubbed off on one corner.. he is more and more like the old skin horse or the velveteen rabbit… I will come up with a name, sooner or later.. xxSmidge

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  10. As always such beautiful photos. I have a picture in my mind of you standing at the racing block, pen and paper (computer) in hand, waiting for the “Ready, Set, Go!” and you’ll be off and writing! The characters are all lining up waiting their turn! 🙂

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  11. I am so glad to have a chance to catch up with the farmy again! Suburban fulltime life has bowled me over lately, but rest assured that I am not lost, only waylaid. (p.s. I like Barbara’s idea of a nickname for the old coot.) xo

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  12. I like Big Dog’s coat, and happy he wears it proudly. That’s an interesting character who woke you this morning. I’m excited to observe you and another friend as you undertake NaNoWriMo, remembering those thought processes that consume the minutes of each day.

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