Lizzie From The Block

Hi Everyone…

It’s Lizzie writing for Mason today. Mason asked me to because he is just plain exhausted from our morning book reading and signing at the Osterville Library. I think Mason gets himself very worked up at these events and by the time they are over, he just crashes. I don’t have the same interest in meeting “our public” (Mason’s words) because, as you know, I am quite shy. I like little children who are very quiet and gentle. They don’t scare me and I actually like being petted by them.

Mason, on the other hand, loves it when people get excited over him, exclaim about how cute or handsome he is, and run around with him. If you didn’t know Mason, you would assume he really loves everyone (which he does) but what he actually loves more is the thought that they may give him food! He always has an ulterior motive. He cracks me up because I can see just what he is really after and most people don’t have a clue.

Mason makes such a big deal over these appearances, telling me to look perky, eager, and alert. He says I act like a loser by hiding under a chair or behind Grandpa’s legs. He says my droopy looking tail turns people off and that I really need to “turn it on” for the crowd. I’m sorry, Mason, but I am not like you and never will be. I do try to be friendly but I can’t light up like a Christmas tree on a moment’s notice. Mason says we’ve got to give the people what they want, and what they want is some “razzle dazzle.” I don’t know about that. I’m just Lizzie…nothing more, nothing less. I figure that folks will either like me or they won’t, regardless of how I “work the room.”

Okay, that’s it from me today. I know Mason will tear this to shreds after he wakes up from his beauty nap. He specifically said, “Don’t make a fool out of yourself, Lizzard, and try to sound mildly intelligent.” As Popeye would say, “I yam what I yam.”

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lizzie

Sometimes I also get exhausted after these events and just fall asleep in weird places.

The Yin and Yang of Pugs, by Lizzie

Mason really didn’t feel like writing today and I did, so he very generously offered me his space. I think his exact words were, “Go ahead, make a fool of yourself. It won’t be the first or the last time you do.”  He even suggested this title after I told him what I wanted to write about. I hope it makes sense. What a silly old grumpus he is, but I love him dearly.

 I think Mason and I are so different in our personalities, interests, and habits that I’ve decided those differences are what make us work as a pair. It is also interesting that Mason pretty much assumes I am slow witted and timid, and therefore not a real pug by his definition. I admit it, I am slow and I am shy but maybe people and pugs shouldn’t be so quick to judge a book by its cover. He still hasn’t gotten over the night that I took his beloved little bear from him and put it in my bed. I’m not  sure why I did it either, but at the time, it felt really good. I know Mason was upset and confused, which made me feel a little sad, but not enough to return it. He did retrieve it later but I was over the moment.

 Mason hates the heat and suffers so much when he gets hot. His panting and discomfort are  awful to watch. I, on the other hand, love to curl up either in the house or outdoors, wherever the sun is brightest. I adore sunbathing. Mom thinks I’m more like a cat in that regard. I love burrowing under the blankets, up close to Mason or my parents…the more heat, the better.

 I do not like crowds of people – they scare me – and so I hide away someplace quiet and safe. Mason, however, loves crowds and will always go where there is the most action. He tells me he has game and I have none, whatever that means. He can always make me laugh at some of the stuff he says. A lot of it I don’t even understand and that makes him laugh! He calls me a fool, which is okay because I know he really loves me, and I call him my hero. I don’t think he really minds that though.

 Food comes first for Mason, but for me it is and always will be love and hugs. To cuddle up with Mason, Mom or Dad is the very best treat in the world. I know Mason will make fun of what I’ve written, saying it has no focus, no conclusion, is too sappy, and isn’t literate, but I say “vive la difference!”  See, Mason, I know some stuff too.

 

 Pugs and kisses,

 

 Lizzie

 

Here I am, on Dad's lap having a nap. I look like such a baby, don't I?

 

Here I am sunbathing on the terrace. Mason says I should be ashamed of myself because I look like a frog and not a pug.