How often do you groom Riley?
Simple answer? Anytime he starts to look like this: 
When his hair gets long I think he looks like a grumpy old man, which means he gets away with less because he loses that cute-innocent-puppy look. It benefits both of us when his hair is shorter because he gets away with more, and I find myself laughing at him more. :)
I used to have us on a schedule [which is probably sad to admit, but I think I missed having obligations so I tried to schedule the mundane in my life], so I would alternate months for our haircuts. May, I’d cut my hair… June, I’d cut Riley’s hair, and so on. That’s out the window now, though, and I get out the scissors for one of two reasons. Either it’s because I have some energy or it’s because one of us looks so shaggy it’s unavoidable!
Sometimes that unavoidable shagginess occurs when I have no energy and the result is how he’s looking right now. Because I can only stand for so long, or my hands can only work the scissors for so long, Riley ends up getting haircuts in stages. Right now, he has an almost-complete cut as I have yet to trim his front legs.
In other words, he looks silly and ridiculous. I thought about taking a picture for you, but since he asked for his dignity back after being seen in the Snuggie I thought I’d better not. :)
If you could have one thing for your house [decorative, not practical] what would it be?
Usually I have instant answers in my head when I read your questions, but this one I really had to think on for awhile. Logically, if I really wanted to dream about something in my house I’d have to add on a room because there’s no space left to put anything else!
One thing I’d like to do is figure out an easier set up for painting canvases, like putting in a tall center island I could stand at, or an architect table that could tilt. But either option would require me getting rid of my dining room table, and it is pretty convenient to have a place to sit when company comes for dinner. :)
If I’m thinking extravagant, I’d take up all the carpet and put in dark, hardwood floors. Then I would use Flor carpet tiles to create large area rugs… that way if Riley marked anywhere, I could pick up that piece of tile and clean it or replace it! But now that I’ve written that out, I realize that DEFINITELY has a practical purpose behind it, so I’m not sure it would apply to this question. I’ve often thought I’d like it if my woodwork was painted white, or if my kitchen cupboards were darker and more interesting, but in truth I’m not dissatisfied with anything in my condo, really. I just like to daydream about those kinds of things.
The ideal scenario would be to have Nate Berkus show up at my door, tell me what HE thinks I should do, and then let him go crazy!
I think I may have just come up with the perfect scenario for a reality show… Nate could re-do my condo while the Dog Whisperer whipped Riley into shape, all while Ellen DeGeneres hosted her talk show at my house and surprised me with all of her 12 Days of Giveaways prizes…
… never let it be said I don’t know how to dream big, people!
