Heavenly Beverley : Mornings With Lexi... (And Stella)

There is a book that I have never read, but always loved its title. "Tuesdays With Morrie" is a memoir, a biography, a thesis, a comment on humanity. Conversations between a former student and a professor about life, the universe and everything, occurring in the last months before the professor's death. So, now I will have to actually read "Tuesdays With Morrie" and discover the world that was created by Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz. Maybe I'll even absorb a bit more wisdom and insight. And the universe knows I can use all the help I can get!

Mornings with Lexi is an entirely different proposition to my imagined gentleness of Morrie's and Mitch's Tuesday communions. Lexi is our eleven-month-old black Groodle puppy. For those who may not know what a Groodle is, she is currently a very expensive mutt with hypoallergenic tendencies. Groodles will probably be bona-fide pedigree dogs in about seven more generations. Lexi's mum is a caramel coloured Groodle (Golden Retriever/Poodle cross) and her dad is a standard black Poodle. Sourced from Apache Park Groodles near Newlands in the south west of WA, Lexi has been with us since last August. She has added a dimension of delight and hilarity to our lives, as well as being Stella's much-loved sister and buddy.

Lexi's mischief making usually occurs in the early morning, around sunrise. Before that, she sleeps angelically sprawled on one of our couches, usually with Stella. Between the pair of them, the dogs take up the entirety of a three-seater couch. Stella prefers the tucked position to keep her feet warm. Lexi's position is not for the faint-of-heart. Her preferred sleeping posture is on her back, legs splayed in all direction, her head lolling to one side or the other. There is definitely no primness about our Lexi.

Once awake, she energetically explores her options. She might try her paw at a spot of gardening, and is often particularly eager to dispatch any of my plants that may be displaying murderous intent. She also enjoys upending pots so she may munch on the plastic feet that keep the plants' roots from becoming waterlogged. She is rather partial to disused plastic pots left on the outdoor table but only the ones that have some remaining soil so that she may leave a trail of debris when she joyously carries them into the house.

If Lexi is not in an outdoorsy mood, she surveys the inside opportunities. Being a keen connoisseur of all plastic (preferably hard), she may liberate the dish drainer of both containers and lids, carrying them to her bed, breaking them up into small and sharp pieces very unfriendly to bare feet. Michael's water bottles are also a favourite target. Full of water still? No problem! At least I know she hasn't weed all over her bed from the lack of smell. Currently, she has also gnawed her way through two shire registration tags and I am hesitant to ask for a third one.

Important papers are no match for Lexi's chomping. Newspapers and magazines are another chance to test her fine motor skills, delicately tearing pages apart whilst holding them between her two front paws. Cardboard boxes? As she possesses the sixth sense, she is aware that we have far too many boxes already and is then forced to destroy any others with gay abandon. Sturdy document boxes with lids are easy prey if we are silly enough to leave them in accessible locations. Which of course, we have done.

She has embarked on some minor excavation of one of the couches, but has been mostly been foiled by the strategic placement of a foot stool. Lest we forget the extraordinary repurposing of our previous red couches and three club chairs. When Stella was a puppy, her destruction was definitely on a grander scale. Four sets of Michael's thongs were also demolished by Stella before he cottoned on and began putting them away. Now that Stella is a far maturer lady of five years, she does not display such behaviour, at least when we are looking. I have a distinct feeling that Stella joins in the fun once Lexi has begun, making sure she is demurely lying in the crate when we reluctantly rise from bed to investigate the latest carnage.

I do sometimes become cranky at both dogs. Stella believes she is the world's greatest watch dog and will bark furiously and continuously at any minor disturbance outside until our ears are ringing. Lexi dislikes rain and will wee and poo inside the screen door, rather than becoming wet outside. This is in spite of the fact she loves pools of water...Stella will paw visitors repeatedly for pats, tummy rubs and scratches around her head and shoulders. Lexi will howl piteously when we leave them inside to go to the clothes line. But when the chips are down, we wouldn't be without our Fatheads for quids.

I used to wonder how much affection and caring that Stella (the older) felt for Lexi (the young whipper-snapper). My slight concern was spectacularly quashed one summer morning at our local oval. Set upon to two larger and aggressive Staffies, I was battling to get Lexi away from them and into the safety of the back seat of the car. She was screaming in terror and I was bellowing like a bull. One of the attacking dogs attempted to get into the car. That was too much for Stella. In a shot, she jumped out the back window and faced off with these heavier dogs. As I thankfully heaved Lexi into the car, behind me was dead silence. I have really no idea what Stella communicated through her eyes at those dogs. However, I get the impression she may have intimated something along the lines of "Do you feel lucky, punk? Do ya?" All I know if that we left safely and headed for home, Lexi shattered, me slightly less traumatised and Stella proving to be our fearless heroine.

We will be heading for the North West once more sometime in early winter. The dogs will travel with us, which Stella has previously enjoyed and Lexi will be on her maiden voyage. We are very much looking forward to our combined adventures. Two people and two dogs in a twelve foot A-Liner caravan. Cosy, for sure!