Kitchen Treats

It began with the sound of the mixer, whirrrrr... The next thing I heard was the scampering of little feet running, sliding, skidding across the hard wood floors, then a thump! as all 3 1/2 lbs of my teacup poodle came crashing into my leg.  He knew that it would only be moments before he would have his beater to lick and he was excited!  I'm not sure when this ritual started, I think it had to be 8 or 9 years ago, right after I got him.

As I looked down at his precious little face I began thinking about how Boppy came to be in my life.  It was about a year before my 40th birthday.  Jim told me he wanted to get me something extra special for my birthday.  I told him I wanted a teacup poodle. I think he was less than excited about this choice.  I had been intrigued with them since high school when the urban legend about teacup poodles was floating around.  You know, the one about the lady drying her teacup poodle in the microwave.  As horrendous as the story was, I was intrigued that a dog could actually be that small.

Jim went to work, locating a breeder in Nashville, TN.  Next thing I know, the deposit had been made, the plane carrier bought, and Jim boarded a plane to Nashville to pick up my, at the time, 1 lb puppy!  I remember the boys and I driving to Albuquerque to pick Jim up at the airport. As we looked up and saw Jim approaching security, dog carrier in hand, the boys and I took off running.  You should have seen the smile cross Jim's face.  It is almost as if I could hear what he was saying inside his head, Oh! They missed me, they really missed me!!

The moment we reached Jim we eagerly snatched the carrier out of his hands and ran for the nearest bench.  We couldn't wait to see our new dog! Jim just kind of stood there as we oohed and awed over Boppy. He was so small, so frail.  It was a blessing Jim brought him with him on the plane.  Due to Boppy's size, he is so frail that he crashed twice on the flight and Jim had to do everything but mouth to mouth resuscitation to keep him going. Later we assured Jim we actually were happy to see him as well :0)

Boppy has been a faithful companion and family member.  True, he is spoiled beyond all definitions of spoilage.  He has his own doggie couch, handmade quilts, 4 beds strategically placed in sunbeam paths throughout the house.  He sleeps on the bed, has puppy stairs, and a heart shaped pillow he props his little head on.  He eats from the table and his favorites are pasta (cooked any way), french brie and filet mignon.  He has a heightened palate and even shows a bit of food snobbery from time to time (this, I am sure is the french poodle side).

Boppy has games he plays with each of us.  He plays sock, ONLY with Jim. Morning back scratch is with Dalton, snuggle up is with me, and I-bet-I- can-ignore-you-better-than-you-can-ignore-me, well, that is reserved for Austin. Especially when he comes home from college.  He does these things and plays these games, solely to please us.   He monitors our moods and really picks up the playfulness when we are down.  

Jim is always teasing Boppy about his size. (Yes, we talk to him like he is one of us - to do otherwise is simply rude). Where we live hawks are one of our local birds.  Over the years I have watched in horror as a hawk has swooped down and carried off one of my baby ducks or geese.  We have to constantly monitor Bop when he is in the yard for fear of this happening to him.  Jim always tells him that if teacup poodles were to run in packs, the most they could take down, collectively, are butterflies. That image always makes me laugh.

Back to the beater...Whirrrr... after I have knocked the last glob of creme - for my Strawberry Creme Pie - back into the bowl I set the beater on the floor for Bop to lick.  He daintily approached the beater, gives it the once over, moves into the middle, and delicately begins his lick-o-rama. I stand amazed, watching him.  He does it with such precision, not a drop on his face!  As I watch how he cares about how well he performs this task, I am reminded of a verse, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 When is is finished, you will never have a clue that it had once been covered in creme.

I wish I were like Bop. I want to take the time to do things correctly, precisely, as close to perfect as I can.  Often I fall short, very short of that.  I want to work on the areas of my life that are lacking and give glory to God in all I do.  I think about God and I recognize that everything I have in my life comes from Him. I often can't wrap my head around the fact that not only has He forgiven me, but He turns around and blesses me on top of that! Wow, all I can say is WoW!

Boppy doesn't have any idea the surprise in store for him.  You see, it's a two phase pie.  After I have washed the dishes and allowed the base of the pie to chill for a few hours, I start on the whipped cream topping. Whirrrrr.... Wait, no running? No scampering? No collisions into my leg? It's then that I feel the small tap of paws on my knee. I look down, only to see Boppy standing on his hinde legs, front legs stretched high into the air and he is dancing! Doing the dance of beater joy!