Wood Chips are the New Eleven

Max and the neighbor dog, Lucy have grown pretty close as the summer progresses. At first, when we'd pull up in the car, Max, before getting out of the car seat would query, "Lucy not outside?" Once it was confirmed that the offending Labrador was not outside, he would happily exclaim, "Lucy notoutside!" And comfortably trot to the house. All this, of course, was based on irrational kid-brain fear, as Lucy as never met a molecule she wouldn't lick and call a friend.

Now, every time Lucy is outside, she and Max share special moments through the chain-link fence that separates their yards. Max will hold his hand and giggle madly while Lucy licks it; Max will find a good chewing stick in our yard and pass it to Lucy; Max will turn to Frankie and ask, "Seriously, why can't you be fun like this?"

Recently, we've had Lucy over for a visit or two which culminate in Max screaming with absolute glee while Lucy tears around the yard, buzzing past Max in a full-tilt tear. "Lucy fast!" Max observes once he's caught his breath. Frankie tolerates all this with an occasional Grandpa Simpson-esque bark that says, "Whipper-snapper!!"

Here's Max trying to interest Lucy in an alternative to plain, old, boring just water.