Stairs and Happiness

I've just finished with the third coat of finish on the stairs. As you can see, I have chairs at the bottom and the top, with ropes hanging between to help Cheryl and Willow remember where not to walk (and I think maybe one of the them has gotten the hang of it).


This project all started when we decided that Willow should not sleep downstairs alone. Poor Thud couldn't walk up the stairs, so he and Willow slept in the sun room downstairs. After Thud passed away we got Willow a princess bed and now she sleeps on the floor on Cheryl's side of the bed (naturally).

But to be honest, we missed having a dog sleep in our room. Willow has a favorite couch downstairs, and she would be perfectly happy to sleep there, but we prefer to believe she is happier staying with us. And possibly she is aware that we prefer to believe she is happier with us, so she actually is happier. Maybe that is true measure of happiness.

If left to her own impulses, Willow will run up and down the stairs at full speed and with all the strength of a world-class athlete and Frisbee master (I'm not bragging--it's a fact), ripping the stair steps with her nails. In the morning we have a new routine. We take one step down, wait 5 or 10 seconds, take another step, and so on, until she almost explodes from frustration. Then at the bottom she laughs and jumps up and down, as if it couldn't be more fun.

After the finish has dried for several days, I'll move the chairs and start on the other side. I probably should have a greater ambition in life but do not.