February 4, 2017

White Dog was in a Queenly mode at dinner…maybe she was channeling Empress Cixi.

When we visited Beijing years ago we learned of Empress Cixi who had 200 chefs and eunuchs to prepare her meals, and 20 of them were just waiters. Meals were super feasts of dozens of favorite dishes. Her breakfast alone had to have at least 100 dishes. She would take a few bites on one dish and then demand another to taste.

Tonight Steve made dinner for the White Dog Army. First the issue was WHERE her highness desired to dine. Not on the couch where she generally eats. Not on the floor. Not on the watching chair with her bowl on the end table. She finally settled for the leather chair with a pillow behind her back.

THEN she waited for an audience. Steve sat with her. She looked at him. “Come on Little One, please eat,” he cajoled. WD looked around; the others were finishing their meals. She waited. It was not until Pearl, Bella, Sachi, Zsofia and Stormer were arrayed around her volunteering to help if she needed it that she dipped her nose to sniff her bowl.

 WD inhaled the fragrance then turned to look at Steve. The tilt of her head seemed to indicate a problem. “What is wrong?” he asked and tried to handfeed her a mouthful. WD’s lips clamped shut. Steve sighed and carried her bowl back to the kitchen. She listened as he opened the refrigerator and closed it. She turned to watch him snap the lid off of the yogurt container and add a dollop. Then he returned the bowl to her.

A whisper of a smile indicated her approval as she bent and ate all of the yogurt from the top of her meal. Then she sighed heavily in sadness and looked at him.

“Aren’t you going to eat the rest?” She nudged the bowl with her foot.

He went back into the kitchen and took out the container again…except this time he did not add any more creamy goodness. He took the spoon he had used and stirred her meal loudly and returned.

White Dog inhaled again and looked sharply at Pearl who had inched forward to see what goodies where inside the bowl. Then, with the WDA watching,  she finished her meal, hopped down and left the room.

The other scrambled for a chance at the bowl but Steve swooped up the empty and put it with all the bowls to be washed.

Later, as she rested at my side, I leaned over to say, "I would have let you go without dinner; be sure to let dad know what a great guy he is."