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Heather helps with the laundry … and any ‘Jeopardy’ fans?
By Gina Spadafori
June 12, 2007
For the last year or so my work load has been so overwhelming (including co-authoring five books in 18 months) that I’ve had to have done for me things I’d always done for myself. Of course, I started with the things I like doing least, like laundry.
Doesn’t cost much, either. I drop off the laundry on the way to work and pick it up on the way home, all clean and folded. The big stuff — sheets, blankets, quilts and dog bedding — I still do myself, but the rest … well, it’s tempting to keep having it done even when the work load eases up. Now, if I could just get them to put it all away, too.
Yesterday, I took a large load of laundry in. It was my day off, and very early and still cool, so I had Heather, my almost 11-year-old retriever, in the car with me. I hauled the laundry bags in — almost every scrap of clothing in my house was dirty — and didn’t notice Heather had trotted in behind me, sitting next to me at the counter as I waited for the woman to add up the bill.
“Oh!” she said in surprise when she saw Heather. “Well, now we know where all that black fur we get out of your mom’s clothes comes from!”
Um, yeah, I guess that would be it.
Now … about “Jeopardy.” I got an e-mail from a friend who say “Dogs For Dummies” — which I wrote — was an answer on the show last week. But she didn’t remember the question. Anyone catch it? I’m dying to know. After all, it’s not every day a book you wrote ends up on everyone’s favorite game show.
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Hey, Heather looks like she’s just longing to do the laundry for you. I was interested some years ago in a Papillon service dog (I have Papillons) who had been trained to pull the dryer door open (a rope tied to the door), take the clothes out of the dryer and dump them into the basket, and then pull the basket (another rope) to her mom who was in a wheelchair. So I read the story to my pups, who made it plain that they aren’t “staff”, they have staff. (Me!) You’d have to teach Heather about the red socks in with the sheets, though.
Comment by Nancy Nielsen — June 13, 2007 @ 4:57 am
Hey! That’s cool your book got mentioned! Maybe they have copies of the program, or at least a transcript?
Could you send Heather around to do my laundry when she’s finished with yours? If she could just do the folding that’d be wonnerful!
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — June 13, 2007 @ 6:15 am
I love Heather’s eyes. I miss so much Mitzi’s eyes and presence….she would follow me anywhere and we sure enjoyed our relationship - real girlfriends. Please give her a big hug for me - just plant your face and hands into that beautiful black air and squeeze her real tight. Thanks Gina.
Comment by Bee — June 13, 2007 @ 6:20 am
correction: beautiful black hair
Comment by Bee — June 13, 2007 @ 6:26 am
Heather looks like a twin to my dead dog. I’d give anything to have his fur all over my clothes and house once again — died Feb. 5, 2007 — from what I know was POISONED FOOD!!! Give Heather a great big hug!
Comment by petlover — June 13, 2007 @ 6:43 am
I didn’t see that Jeopardy! episode, but this page of clues for the show broadcast on 7 June 2007 has a clue about the “Dummies” series: see the $400 clue for “Publishing”.
Sometimes they have video clips before commercial breaks where they mention additional details about clues. Perhaps they mentioned your book there?
Comment by Barry — June 13, 2007 @ 8:58 am
Let’s try that link again…
http://www.j-archive.com/showg.....ht=dummies
Comment by Barry — June 13, 2007 @ 9:00 am
Oh, bummer! It wasn’t “dogs,” it was “DOS.”
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 13, 2007 @ 9:05 am