Just a few more days...of chaos
As often happens in life, once you think you can relax, things get busy. My preparations for Tera's arrival are complete, so I thought that I could slowly await her arrival. I was wrong. I found myself needing to do a woodworking project before Tera's arrival.
Since I am expecting Tera to take up most of my time and energy for at least this month, and maybe January as well, I tried to make sure that other things were done in advance of that; buying enough groceries for myself, so I don't have to leave the house so often, in case of separation anxiety, for example.
Hobbies need attention too.
Another of those things was making sure my carnivorous plant collection was all happy and could deal with a few months of less attention.
I knew that some plants needed repotting, and that building a new plant rack would have to be done sooner rather than later, but when I saw one of my bigger investment plants had outgrown its nursery location, I knew I had to act now, or I might lose my plant, or at least significantly slow its growth and health.
Luckily I still had the material list and measurements of the other racks I have built, so I could get started right away.
Sanding and staining the wood takes time and space, though. I don't have the space to stain the wood all at once, and I can't really speed up the drying process. My rough calculations tell me that all of the wood will be stained and dry on Thursday. Then I still need to assemble it.
Side effect of this all is a renewed mess in my living room, where it used to be nice and roomy, and most of all, clean. Not the ideal preparation, I have to say.
Every downside has it's upside
This famous quote from football legend Johan Cruijff ("Elk nadeel heb z'n voordeel") does apply to me at this moment.
Yes, the downside is that my previously ready living room is now once again in need of a good cleanup, however the upside is that I am kept busy.
I am the type of person that can really make himself nervous in those times. Now I have something to pass the time with, even though it is cutting it close to get it all done before Friday. It is not a disaster if it isn't, since me assembling a plant rack with power tools like drills and impact drivers is great socialisation for Tera.
A St. Nicholas present
About one and a half week ago, the breeder and I made the appointment that I could pick Tera up on 5 December, early in the morning. Traditionally in the Netherlands, the evening of 5 December is Saint Nicholas eve; the evening where the children get presents from 'Sinterklaas' (This tradition is what inspired Santa Claus).
Lucky I get my present early in the day (even though I have to pay for mine), so I can 'play' with it all day long.
The reason I decided to pick her up as early in the day as possible, and not the day prior in the early afternoon, which was the earliest possibility, is that I can spend the whole day on crate- and toilet training. The more repetitions I can get in on the first day, the better. It is roughly a two-and-a-half hour drive to the breeder, and probably more on the way back, since I need to give Tera toilet opportunities every hour at the least. This way I expect to be home around noon, giving me around four hours of sunlight to let her see the place where she will be having her toilet opportunities for the coming weeks, and have her sleep in her crate as much as possible.
I will, hopefully, keep you informed on a day to day basis on the progress of Tera. I can't wait to get started!
How did your preparation go for your first pup?
Was it as chaotic at the last minute as mine, or were you perfectly prepared? Let me know!