Tinkerbelle on living in the country with a writer.

My min-pin/chihuahua mix lap dog is named Tinkerbelle because she fit in my hand when I brought her home. But like all children her nickname is Tink, and she only gets called Tinkerbelle when she's in trouble. Today, Tink wanted to put her two paws on the keyboard and tell you what it's like living with a writer. Here's Tink!

Hi! Hi! Hi! I get excited(Paty says hyper) when I meet new humans or family comes to visit. She thinks the high pitched barks are because I'm overly excited, but I've learned the only way to get her attention away from that clicking black thing is to make it unbearable for her to think. 

Oh cat, she's taking a picture.

Right after she gets breakfast for me and Boots(the old dog who sheds everywhere and gets better food than me), she feeds the fun guy who overfeeds me when Paty is away and forgets he already gave me treats and gives me more. Yumm. I REALLY like him! But once she feeds all of us, she takes her hot chocolate, phone, and reading glasses up the stairs to the loft and forgets I'm around. Which I like because I can sneak in and sleep on the pretty rose quilt in the guest bedroom and she doesn't know until she sees the indent in the pillow. (shhh...don't tell her it's me) Or if I don't want to sleep in the sun streaming through the bedroom window, I stretch out on the pillow on the cane wicker couch in the loft. There I can keep one eye on her when she does get up and make her breakfast. I do have Speedy Gonzalez genes and can swoop in and pick up anything that falls on the floor in a flash. 

I don't mind getting my feet wet when it's hot.

My favorite part of the morning, other than breakfast, is when we do chores. While Paty feeds the giant four-hooved beasts hay, I look for fresh round horse apples. They are quite tasty and nice dessert after my kibble. The best time of year is when there are baby calves We walk all through the tall grass looking for newborns. I like how the grass scratches my belly and it hides me when I find a nice fresh pile of calf poop. It's so tasty because of the milk the calves get from their mothers. This part of the day makes for a nice long walk. When we return, I jump up in the chair to bask in the sunshine and sleep until Paty comes down from the loft for lunch.

Lunch requires the TV be turned on and I don't know how she can stand it, but every day, Paty watches an episode of Castle while preparing and eating lunch. I'm bored with that show and would rather sit next to her staring at her lunch. Once in a while a crumb will fall. But she's a greedy thing and sometimes gets to the crumbs before I do. If she didn't catch every crumb she might be able to lose that weight she complains about. 

The afternoons, I make sure Paty works off those crumbs she stole from me. I ask to go in and out of the house about four times making her climb up and down the stairs and interrupting her train of thought. At least that's what she tells me as she's climbing the stairs and glaring at me. About three, I go upstairs and pounce at her leg to remind her it's time for my snack. If I don't pounce her and break her concentration, I'd never get an afternoon treat. But with persistence, I eventually wear her down, and I dance down the stairs and into the laundry room with her behind me. I get my mini treats and settle in for a nap in the sunshine.

When Paty starts banging around in the kitchen, I wake up and investigate. If she isn't making anything that looks like it might land on the floor, I perch on the back of the couch waiting for the man who gives me treats to get home. If I cry and yip loud enough and he hears me from outside, I get extra treats because he thinks I'm that excited to see him. He doesn't know I've figured out he's a big softy. 

When the humans eat dinner, Boots and I get fed again. Then this time of year we go out and change sprinkler pipes. I don't like to get all wet and stay to the edge of the wet grass and watch out for deer. They like to come at me with stomping feet. We also have to check for baby calves in the evening and the humans sometimes catch the calves and lay them on the ground while they do things to them. I don't always stay back like I'm told. But I do watch out for those angry mother cows! The calves always follow me. I don't know why they think I'm so interesting!

Back at the house, I stretch out on the couch while the humans take showers, then we all watch television. Well, I mostly sleep, but keep one eye open. That softy guy while he gives out lots of treats, he thinks I should play with him in the evening. Sometimes I do want to chase a ball or play tug of war with my stuffed animal, but there are some nights I just want to sleep. Those nights when he pesters me, I wish I had the meanness to bite him hard. 

The best nights are the ones when one of the humans is gone. Then I get to sleep on the bed. But when they are both home, I have to go to my kennel. It gets lonely in there in the dark. Some nights if I cry loud enough, one of them will come let me out and I get on the bed. Those are my favorite nights. When I can sleep between my humans.

My favorite thing to do is ride on tractors. When I hear one start up I yip to get out and go for a ride. The softy even put boxes in and on all the tractors so I can ride.

I've been helping Paty with the latest book she's writing. It has sled dogs in it and I've been giving her my thoughts on pulling three heavy sleds with five other dogs...isn't going to happen! I don't like other dogs, and I sure don't like doing anything that could hurt me. I hope she doesn't decide Boots would make a better writing partner!