Quilt Shop Baby

Hello, hello...

Well, today is certainly "brisk" here in Maine.

I'm torn between my love of the cold weather and my fear of the oil bill.

It would be great to crank up the heat just for a little bit to take the chill off but not so great for the invoices to start rolling in.

Still... five little minutes wouldn't hurt...

But enough about my love/hate realationship with the cold.

I have something MUCH more interesting to blog about today and that is our unofficial Alewives mascot and his name is Reuben the Dog.

I "inherited" Reuben (a handsome black lab of 6 years old) when my boyfriend, Oliver, came into my life. I would love to be able to take credit for Reuben's calm, laid back manner and killer smile but it is all Oliver's doing. What can I say, the guy is a good Dad. When we first started dating and I was introduced to Reuben I knew exactly who I needed to make a good impression with: Not Oliver's family, but his dog. Luckily, Reuben liked me from the get-go (Bacon in your pocket will do that every time...) and we have been buddies ever since.

Reuben is a great guard dog. He will bark when people come to the front door of our house, but he wags his tail vigorously all the while. He's just waiting to make sure people are there for friendly reasons. What kills me is when I come home, especially later on at night, Reuben is so excited to see me that he runs and gets his "Duck" toy and brings it over to show me. It's like he's saying "look at my toy! Now that you're home let's play!" I do not know why but I find this to be the most endearing thing in the world. It reminds me of something I would have done when I was a little kid.

Reuben is also very smart. He has figured out how to open doors by their handle (not unlike the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park) and has been known to let himself outside. Once he exited through a plate glass window, but that's another story, and not one of his prouder moments, so we'll save that for another time.

Every once in a while I bring Reuben over to the store with me. He will never be a full time shop dog, because I understand that some people have allergies and some people are just not "Dog" people (including myself at one time: funny the changes you make for men, don't you think?), but a couple of times a week Reuben hangs out at Alewives. He loooves it there. He is admired by everyone he meets and each new customer that comes through the door has "you look like you might pet me" potential.
The cutest thing is when he flops down on the floor and goes to sleep, raising one quizzical eyebrow if he hears a noise, and then dozing off again when he decides it's nothing worth his attention.

I still love cats, but having spent quite some time now living with Reuben, I find that it is so true what they say: You just can't beat a Lab. So, if you see me out walking Reuben or happen to be at the shop when Reuben is there as well, rest assured that he is the biggest, friendliest goober that you have ever met and he DOES accept bribes.

See you soon with new classes and fall photos!!!

XOXO

Rhea