Brett Sheffield (he/him)Nov 28

RE: https://chaos.social/@dentangle/113561039557941252

It's our Alonsoversary !

For a year now, this little dog has been turning our life upside down in the best of ways with his regular visits, and, so you've told us, putting smiles on the faces of folks on the Fediverse from around the World.

It has been a helluva year, but Alonso has made it bearable. Alonso doesn't read the news, but he can tell when we have.

Alonso reminds us that no matter how small or unimportant you think you are, you can make a meaningful difference.

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Nov 28
We've always wanted a dog, but circumstances made it difficult. Apparently a year ago we wished REALLY HARD, and Alonso turned up. 🐶
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Nov 29
Day one of the new year here in the Alonsoverse started with the traditional Friday night sleepover. I made Rad Na for dinner and Alonso had a bit of the gravy with his croquettes. He likes to eat what we eat.
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Nov 30

Alonso was unable to come today, we assume, thanks to the chasseurs being out in full force with dogs and guns.

It really shouldn't be necessary to keep your pets and children indoors and wear hi-vis on your own property to avoid getting shot. 😠

Glad they kept him inside and safe though. Their 6 yo daughter too, presumably...

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 1

No chasseurs today, so we might get a visit from Alonso later.

I hope so. I scrawled a database schema on a piece of paper the other day and Alonso approved it by adding his paw mark to the page. 🐾

I'm reluctant to update it without getting Alonso's sign-off.

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 2
08:13 sunrise 🌅
08:20 Alonso 🐶
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 2
Alonso is on the blanket
Alonso is under the blanket
Alonso is in the blanket
Alonso is the blanket
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 3
👩 I think Alonso might be hungry.
🧔 Is he awake?
👩 Yes.
🧔 He's hungry.
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 3

It was raining lightly but we managed a walk to the lac with Alonso. 🐕 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

It was the kind of weather where we were quite surprised not to find a body along the route.

Perhaps we've watched too many scandi murder series, but this was an "episode one" kind of day. You know, the one you probably shouldn't watch while eating dinner where the passerby finds something gruesome in the forest.

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 4

Alonso is still here. 🐶

It's been two days (and two nights). Hope his owners are okay. Will check in with them a bit later.

He's been here two nights in a row before, but generally he's been collected, taken home, escaped, and returned.

Of course, *we* don't mind how long he stays, but this is somewhat unusual.

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 4

Alonso was just collected by his owner, who also brought us another 10kg of dog food for the boy. Alonso thought this signalled a bonus mealtime and had to be extracted from the kitchen to go home.

His owners are okay, just both working late, and apparently each thought the other was going to collect Alonso 😅

We understand. Many parents have a school run to do. Fewer also need to make time for an Alonso run too 🐶

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 4
Update: Alonso's head wound is healing nicely. He tries to scratch it every now and then, now that the dreaded cone has been removed. However, it's clear the thing he missed most while wearing the cone was being able to lick his balls. He spent most of his first day of freedom making up for lost time. 😉
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 6
A rather moist Alonso has arrived, and says that yes, pancakes on a Saturday morning would be lovely. 🥞
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 6
Alonso picked out and ate the larger beef rings and ignored the "old manny porridge" (the stuff his owners gave us to feed him), then turned to us to ask where his pancakes were 🥞
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 7
Poor Alonso is not happy that the chasseurs are nearby. He's been barking at the window and whining. He KNOWS.
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 7

Alonso just fell off the desk.

#Gravity

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 7

Alonso has been collected by his owners after another sleepover. I think this determined little dog has spent more nights here than at home this week.

He's here so often now they're going to give us the medicine he's supposed to have for his rheumatism so he doesn't miss any doses. ⚕️

👩🐶🧔

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 9
Alonso, boulot, dodo.
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 10

Alonso stayed here last night, which meant we could get an early start on testing Linux kernel release candidates 6.17.12-rc1, 6.12.62-rc1 and 6.18.1-rc1

Alonso says those look ok and can we have second breakfast now?

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 12
Alonso has just arrived, which means Friday night can begin.
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)

Last night Alonso watched through the whole process while we prepared dinner, sniffing each of the ingredients that I held out for him, and supervising the cooking. He was then was whisked away by his owner before he got to try any.

He is once again in the kitchen, supervising the dinner hopefully. Will he get to stay?

Dec 12 at 7:02pmWeb
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 13

Alonso's Friday night sleepover plans were foiled as his owner finished work in time to collect him.

He did, however, manage to share a little bit of our dinner first 🥩 🐶

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 13

No sign of the boy today. It was a beautiful day so we went to the lac without him.

The top of a fallen tree has been blocking the path next to the lac for weeks, which meant precariously squeezing past it and trying not to fall in. Today I decided to do something about it, and spent about 20 minutes sawing all the small branches with the tiny bush saw on my pen knife and cleared the path. Next time I'll take something a bit bigger!

At least now we won't have to worry about Alonso falling in!

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 13

Pizza night tonight. We'd just sat down to eat when a familiar WUFF came at the door. 🐶

It's dark and after 9pm. We've texted his owners and told them he can stay 🤣

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 14
The pile of blankets on my desk is snoring. 🐶💤
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 16

Alonso is one smart dog.

We took him out into the woods yesterday to collect some firewood with the tracteur. 🚜 🪵 🐕

Today, we were out in the woods again and so not at the house when he came to visit.

Alonso followed his nose out into the woods and found us, to tell us it was time to come back in for lunch and to work on some code.

He's such a good boy. 🐶

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 17

Alonso really didn't want to go home last night.

He'd waited patiently for dinner, which was almost ready when a knock at the door signalled the arrival of his owner.

I took him outside (and closed the door behind me). After a quick run around outside, Alonso returned and tried to get back inside, then implored me to let him in. His poor owner was calling to him, but he kept looking up at me *pleading* to be allowed to stay.

😢

Alonso was back before breakfast this morning.

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 18

Alonso is back with his owners tonight again after a two day visit. Mostly coding, a little light forestry and many many naps.

Alonso was very cold out in the woods this afternoon so we put him on my jacket in the tracteur while we finished up. He liked that. Warm, and able to keep an eye on us. Then he had a ride back to the house sitting on my lap 🚜

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 19

A whine at the door during breakfast heralded the arrival of a somewhat moist Alonso. He has been towelled-off, fed, wrapped in a blanket and is now fast asleep. 🐶 💤

Think I'll grab another cup of tea and work on some code.

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 19

Alonso's Friday night plans have been curtailed. He wandered off while we were chopping wood and his owner picked him up down the road.

He makes choices. They're not always good choices, but they are his.

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 21

We hadn't seen Alonso since Friday. The chasseurs have been out all weekend, festively shooting festive things in a festive way, so his owners have probably been keeping him in.

Alonso arrived well after dark this evening, having staged a late escape. I suppose we should let his owners know he's here, although I think they can probably guess. 😉

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 22

That was quite a yelp, indicating the arrival of a very wet and cold Alonso, who then proceeded to resist all attempts to dry him properly.

It's chucking it down out there. We're not had any of the forecast snow but I wouldn't describe it as warm outside.

(A THUMP in the other room while typing this suggests Alonso has just had one of his gravity moments)

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 23

Alonso's owner came to collect him last night and said he probably won't be here much because they will be home for the holidays.

Apparently Alonso didn't get the memo.

WUFF! 🐶

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 23

We went out to the woods earlier on a secret quest (ssh! - more on that later). Alonso, paying no attention at all, went off in the other direction towards the lac.

When Alonso is focused on his nose he is almost completely deaf, or so it seems.

He was searching for us in the woods, and only about 20 metres away when I called loudly to him and he couldn't apparently hear me. Eventually he spotted us and ran up to greet us.

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 23
Alonso lives with a small human. She's 6 and just started school this year. Her father takes her out into the woods on our property, teaching her about the outdoors and things like how to find mushrooms. They've built a little place near the stream.
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 23

Since we spotted their secret place in the summer ideas keep popping into my head. The former Scout leader part of my brain wants to set a treasure hunt.

Bearing in mind Miss 6's age we decided that some of my more elaborate ideas, such as "Crime Scene Santa: the Hunt for a Killer" will have to wait until she's a bit older.

In the end we went with a simple note:

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 23

Bonjour [redacted] !

Un de tes cadeaux est tombé du traîneau !

Je suis vraiment desole, mais je ne peux pas m'arrêter pour le chercher car je dois rendre visite à beaucoup d'enfants pour Noël.

Le cadeau a atterri dans le bois près de chez toi.

Je pense que tu pourras le retrouver dans les bois si tu regardes attentivement. Je crois qu'il est tombé près du ruisseau.

Joyeux Noël !

père Noël

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 25

Yes! Miss 6 found her presents in the woods today! 😃 🎅

We just received a lovely message from Alonso's owners along with some pictures of their daughter finding and then using her presents. It was just little stuff - some colouring pens, a book to draw in and some stickers, but the smile on her face was totally worth it.

Right, next year she's going to have to work for it. There will be a map 🗺️ 😉

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 28
Alonso came for a visit on Boxing Day, and his owners brought us a lovely hamper when they collected him to say thanks. ❤️
Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 28

Alonso also came for a visit yesterday and had another sleepover here.

This is the dog that won't be here much because it's the holidays 😉

Show threadBrett Sheffield (he/him)Dec 30

Alonso arrived (just in time for breakfast, having, presumably, just had breakfast).

He's now helping me prepare my company accounts while sleeping under a pile of blankets on my desk.

Alonso is, I assure you, more capable and attentive than our previous accountant, less likely to give bad VAT advice, and his fees are very reasonable.

💸 🐶

Show threadfedops 💙💛Dec 23

@dentangle that is a really nice idea! 😀 It is also refreshing to hear about her dad's efforts in teaching her the land and the woods. I wish more parents did that. We'll have a 3.5 year-old visiting for The Thing tomorrow and maybe he will be taught by his dad eventually.

Around here they have so-called "forest kindergartens" which is a fantastic concept. They have a building but whenever possible will be outdoors playing in the dirt and learning practical things. ❤️

Show threadfedops 💙💛Dec 23
@dentangle failing everything else I plan to take him (and his dad) to the forest when practical. He can start by pulling branches onto the hedges and then work his way up through collecting disks and eventually give me a hand cutting trees.
Show threadGreem (Graeme. Not Graham!)Dec 23

@dentangle why is it that I get the feeling A Conversation will soon happen regarding Who Owns Alonso?

Or more accurately, Who Alonso Lives With...

Show threadRené Seindal (MOVED)Dec 22

@dentangle

I think it is both unfair for Alonso to be subject to gravity, when he has clearly not given his consent, and that the world would be a better and much more interesting place, if he wasn't.