When it comes to writing, I take the set up very seriously. Some writers may see that as an excuse not to write and most likely they are right. Before the world ended (which I am affectionally calling the time before COVID), I had a pretty good set up. I went to the local library and wrote there for an afternoon. Things were going quite well, and I was pretty content. Then I gave up pretty quickly, which is very Fin of me.

Then, that pandemic thing happened. We don’t need to talk about that; or 2020 as a whole. Life got in the way etc. Life got in the way of most people. But now, two and a half years later, we seem to be as close to the other side as we can be.

I am writing this at the end of July 2022. Today is meant to be the hottest day on record in this country. Today was also the day I chose to kickstart this writing practice again. I have the perfect set up, even in the heat. I am here in my room in an empty house, and I have no distraction, bar one.

Let me tell you about our family dog, Pepper. Pepper will be 14 years old this September. Pepper is the light of my family’s life. Pepper is the best dog in the world. Pepper is also annoying as hell.

I’m sure there have been studies about how dogs develop neurologically and how they perceive the world. I wonder everyday how Pepper sees the world and how she interprets things on a daily basis. Like most dogs, she is smart and caring. We do wonder though if maybe she is too caring. We joke how she is the guard dog of the house and how she hates everything that isn’t us. She would take on any man, dog, or child who she would see as a threat to our family.

At this point, I should let you know that Pepper is a Yorkshire terrier. Pepper, however, has the soul of a rottweiler. In a nutshell, Pepper is currently barking her head off and I am trying to write something. I completely understand why. There is something outside that she perceives as a threat and is vocally opposed to it being so close to our house.

Given the time of day, I suspect it is either morning walkers or blackbirds. In case you were wondering, yes, she hates the postman. Funny story: the first extended holiday we took as a family since getting her was over ten years ago. During this time, she stayed with my auntie. The thing about my auntie’s postman was that he was incredibly punctual every day at the same time every day. This time just so happened to be 12 noon. My aunty tends to have the radio on throughout the house.

Long story short, Pepper has forever now associated The Angelus with the postman arriving and attempting to break into any house she happens to be in. Like I said before: incredibly smart dog, just not when it comes to audio cues.

Pavlov was onto something for sure.

That’s all for this week. Please do wish me luck as I try to write through all the noise. I love my dog. Thank you for your time.