Sorry there’s been a huge gap in my posts the last few months. There’s an explanation for that – we’ve been so crazily busy! Our computers have been totally unreliable, our internet sporadic due to travelling, and last night our new external hard-drive suddenly decided it doesn’t want to work anymore.
The drawers that we were had our clothes in fell apart about a month ago, two and a half years after we brought them for $5 at a garage sale. That’s pretty good for cheap secondhand stuff! So we took it out as well as the drawers and bookshelf on the other side and replaced them with an awesome looking “dog box and pigeon hole” combination. Eventually there’s gonna be doors on everything, but we ran out of time and timber.
I brought a new pillow yesterday pretty much just coz I felt like it. Turns out I actually needed it more than I realized – I took my old one out of its pillowcase and the pillow had gone mouldy! Probably because Sparkie likes to lie on it after she’s just gone for a swim in the creek, or maybe because she lies on it and licks it until it’s practically soaked with her saliva.
Gyvie is currently confined to the bus after he was gone for four days in Roma while we were building the dog boxes. We came back several times to the place we lost him, and even stayed overnight once. Unlike the time he was gone during the Gympie Show, this time he was skinny and dirty. Mummy said he looked like he’d been sleeping under a truck. I thought he looked like he’d been sleeping in an old fireplace. So he’s not being allowed outside at all while we travel from Roma to Townsville. He’s got a cage in the kitchen with food, water, and a litterbox, and he gets to wander around inside the bus all night and sometimes while we drive. He’s becoming somewhat nocturnal.
We live in a space similar to a 38ft long hallway. The kitchen is 128cms wide (from sink to pantry), which is probably the widest area apart from the back bed. The narrowest area, between the bunks, is only about 52cms wide. What do we do on rainy days? Swing off the rails, bounce on the beds, and drive our parents insane. Imagine, for a moment, living in a place like that. With 6 siblings, 4 dogs, 9 puppies, 1 cat, and your parents. Don’t you think you’d get frustrated? Snappish? Maybe even grumpy? I’m not complaining, but this is the reality of living in a bus.
The only thing that keeps me from totally losing my head some days is Sparkie. I remember arguing with Daddy one night a few years ago, when Sparkie still had so many behavioural issues we despaired of her. I was getting so worked up I was ready to run out the door and not come back. I can’t even remember what I was arguing about, but I remember feeling something press against my leg, and I looked down and there was Sparkie. She had this confused look on her face, like “What are you yelling for? You don’t need to do that.” So the argument flew out the window. Another time, not so long ago, was when I came out of the hospital having lost my newborn sister. Sparkie was right there at the door when I got to the bus, overjoyed to see me but sensing I was upset. That night she slept with her head on my pillow and let me hug her all night. At the funeral I had her right with me. I wouldn’t have coped if she wasn’t there. Afterwards we just sat by the grave together, my hand on her shoulder as I processed everything that had happened in the last week. When life just gets too much to handle, I can just grab her lead off the rail and head for door, knowing she’ll be right behind me when I get there. We can easily spend a couple of hours walking and running together, preferably in the bush but we’ve done it in towns too. When we get back home I’m totally calmed down and ready to face life again.
Which brings me to the next part – Sambo. Only some dogs can cope with hallway life. The almost constant noise and kids running past them in cramped conditions is something not every dog can handle. And poor old Sammy Boy couldn’t handle it. Eventually it got too much and it wasn’t fair on him to continue letting him be a Superdog. It’s not all fun and games – in exchange for being with its owner 24/7, a Superdog must be able to accept everything that comes their way. At shows, Sambo just couldn’t accept sitting nicely for pats or ignoring other dogs. At home, he couldn’t accept daily brushing or ignoring food on the kitchen bench. Which is unfortunate, because he was a beautiful dog. He’s now living a much better life with someone else.
Meanwhile, Sambo’s kids are growing at a very fast rate. Asta and Dixie are learning sit, down, and come. They’ve been introduced to pack walks in the bush and through parks. We haven’t taken them to busy shopping centres or main streets yet, but they’re learning to ignore loud noises, joggers, and other dogs. We’ve also introduced them to tug-of-war and fetch. They’re chewing almost everything and their social skills need a lot of work! But they’re only 9 weeks old, and we’re making progress.
In the next post – photos of the dog boxes/pigeon holes, what the other dogs are working on, the new bus tyres, where we are going next, and the crazy wildlife we’ve seen on our travels, as well as anything else that might come up! Until then, stay safe, happy travelling, and live like there’s no tomorrow.
