First of all, Happy New Year! It is great to be living in the year of our Lord 14,147 (that’s in dog years)!
My brother and I both fell asleep while it was still last year. Then, some of the other boaters starting honking their horns at midnight, so we woke up and I even got a little Turducken dog treat. A great way to to start the new year!
The first exciting thing I want to tell you in this new year is that I have a new website! It is ThisRover.com. Don’t worry; I’ll always be the American Dog, too, but my brother thinks that the two websites will play well together. I guess you can also find us on other places as @ThisRover.
The name comes from one of my favorite songs, “The Sunny Side of the Street”. There’s a part that says:
I used to walk in the shade
With the blues on parade
Now, I’m not afraid
This Rover – crossed over
Here’s a funny thing: I used to think the last verse went like this:
If I never have a cent
I’ll be rich as Rockefeller
Goldens at my feet
On the sunny side of the street!
I guess it’s actually “gold dust”, not “Goldens”, but they both sound good to me. Which do you like better?
Goldens at my feet …
Well, because we were getting the new website up and running, we’re about three days behind in telling you about the Treasures of Christmas. Don’t be too hard on my brother, though; all this web design is not his strong suit. We’ll get caught up right now!
The Fifth Treasure of Christmas
On one of our walks patrolling the docks, I got this nice cardboard tube from Carla, one of the ladies who has a boat here. It is sturdy! It’s so nice, I haven’t even tried to take it apart. That speaks well of it!
The Sixth Treasure of Christmas
We have been taking a lot of walks every morning up on the National Mall. It is so different being there early when no one else is there. Just us and the squirrels!
Well, this was a nice surprise! It was the top half of a multi-grain bagel. It was so healthy, even my brother didn’t mind me getting it. With that nourishment, I was able to walk with purpose up to the Capitol building.
The Seventh Treasure of Christmas
To give 2020 a proper send off, I got a new harness! I had rubbed my old one against the rock walls so much that a lot of the seams were fraying. I really like the new one. It’s a very stylish blue, with reflective stripes. And it doesn’t get in the way of my dancing!
There are so many pretty spots on the Mall. This little garden is part of the Smithsonian Castle. It’s hidden away from the main streets – kind of like the Nakatomi Gardens back home. Another plus about going early in the morning is that I get to walk in the actual gardens! I always try to be careful about stepping on the flowers, but sometimes I forget. After visiting the garden, we walked back up to the Capitol. Here’s a little dance to commemorate the occasion:
The Eighth Treasure of Christmas
So here we are, back at New Year’s Day! Did you know that today is also a celebration of Mary, the Mother of God? And if that’s not enough, it’s also called the Octave of Christmas. I always try to sing an octave below the fire truck sirens when they come by! Maybe I’ll try a Christmas carol next time.
To celebrate all those things, we took a walk early this morning. Here is my first Whiskey Tango dance of the new year:
It was so quiet outside this morning. I guess not everyone went to bed as early as we did.
Then, when you least expect it, as we were walking past the American History Museum, look what I found:
Someone left an entire meal of Chinese food! I didn’t get to eat all of this treasure, but here’s the funny thing: about thirty minutes later, I was ready for another treasure!
Well, here’s hoping you find all the treasures you’re looking for this year … and also some that come to you as a complete surprise. Those are the funnest kind!