"Last Hurrah" Weekend

Lomax is up at the GDA kennels for his...operation, which will be sometime today. (I've noticed that for some reason, I can't just seem to refer to the...neutering...without pausing momentarily with some elipses. It all just seems too much to come right out and say it as though it's a perfectly normal part of his average day. Hmm. I'll try it again. He's being...um...you know...fixed. Nope, can't do it without the dots.)

Anyway, we had quite a lovely time the last few days, as a "last hurrah" before the...you know. Spent the weekend at my cousin CJ's house, which was great fun for Lomax because they have stairs he could run up and down with his favorite toys, and a yard full of delicious cat smells -- though the cats were not nearly as pleased about his visit.



My aunt's bathroom is beautiful and luxurious, like that of a hotel, and Lomax looked not just at home there, but also as though he had been part of the design scheme:



On Friday, CJ and I took Lomax to the Armand Hammer Museum in Westwood to see the first half of the Masters of American Comics exhibit, which he enjoyed very much despite his opinion that the works should not have been hung so high on the gallery walls. There were several school classes at the museum that day, and we had to politely deny many small children's requests to pet him (we even got an "Awww, MAN!" from one disappointed young lad) because Lomax was being very good, and I didn't want to break his streak. I've found that one small child petting a dog quickly becomes twelve small children petting a dog, and Lomax's attention span for obedience dissolves into the excitement of lots of little hands to lick and faces in which to snort. He was quite a sport the rest of the day as well, at In-N-Out Burger for lunch, Diddy Riese for cookies, and an early evening showing of Hoodwinked (which was surprisingly clever and enjoyable).

The next day, I crated Lomax for a few hours while CJ and I headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art for the second half of the comics exhibit, but we had lots of play and snuggle time that evening back at the house.

Sunday morning was very exciting! We attended a graduation up at GDA with all of our puppy friends and colleagues...the best part was that Lomax got to spend a little time with Joanna, his first puppy raiser. The first words out of her mouth when she saw him were, "He's huge!" Lomax responded with his usual wiggly enthusiasm, lots of kisses, and my favorite little whiny-grunts that are clearly an expression of love. He sat with Joanna and her friend Christina during the ceremony, being the adorable and well-behaved little gentleman he is. Afterward, Lomax and brother Liam checked into the kennels for a few days of raucous bachelor playtime before the...procedure.

So, now we wait, praying that the vet does everything perfectly and that the world famous "L Brothers" will heal quickly and not obsess on licking their stitches. I'll get my little man back tomorrow afternoon, take him home and make sure his recuperation is filled with cuddling and treats.