Holly is a pre-school teacher.  When it rains the kids can’t go outside for recess.   On those days she has to conduct “Rainy Day Recess” inside the classroom.   Miss Holly likes the rain so long as it is not on the days she works and during the hour that recess takes place.  I kid her with a play on words from the 1971 hit by The Carpenter’s, “Rainy Days and Mondays”.  I tell her that rainy days and recess always get her down. Miss Holly doesn’t think this is funny.

Kali however loves Rainy Day Recess.  On one hand Rainy Day Recess for Kali usually means no walk. My choice not hers.   On the other hand RDR usually means getting a Bully Stick. Something that keeps her occupied and happy for a long time.  It’s similar to putting on a video for my kids when they were toddlers and couldn’t go outside because of rain or some other reason.

My kids loved videos.  Remember videos?  Those big clunky things that were never rewound when you took them out of the Blockbuster case.  And the video players that were about as big as a microwave when they first went on the market.  Weren’t those cool!  How about 8 tracks?  Anyone remember them?  Sorry.  I digressed into nostalgia land when this post was supposed to be about Rainy Day Recess and Bully Sticks…

Yesterday Kali and I went to the pet store to stock up on various items. One of them was Bully Sticks.  She picked out three very nice looking sticks about 12 inches long and about an inch thick.  This size is perfect for Kali because she can’t just gobble them down like smaller chew toys.  She’ll work on one for as long as I allow her to methodically tearing off small pieces until the 12 inches becomes 11, and then 9 or 10, and then I usually stop her because too much of a good thing is not good.  Except for wine…

So this morning – even though it was not raining yet – I declared Rainy Day Recess.    I really felt like futzing in my office most of the morning so I made the declaration.  Holly was at Yoga and Kali was sleeping so this declaration was mostly in my mind.  And in this pee brain of a mind that I have there was a royal messenger that appeared in a uniform that would make Liberace blush with an open scroll in hand.  He hollered for all present in the town square to hear, “By a proclamation from the Gods themselves, today shall be a Rainy Day Recess without walks but with a full compliment of Bully Sticks.”  From the back of the crowd I see a small Oliver Twist looking tyke put up his hand and ask if he can watch a video instead.  Mr. Bumble appears and grabs the boy.  But wait, I digress again…

When Kali has a Bully Stick she looks at me with gratitude in her eyes. As she’s chewing if I call her she’ll look up with her big brown eyes and seem to say, “I love you so much; almost as much as this bully stick.  And by the way rainy days and recess never gets me down.  Can I go on chewing now?”

And so it was this morning. This Sunday morning with Rainy Day Recess and bully sticks.

“BY PROCLAMATION TODAY SHALL BE A RAINY DAY RECESS”

Got a light?  Just kidding – it’s a Bully Stick!

Even Smokey enjoys a Rainy Day Recess one in a while

“Hey Dad, you know what would be real cool?  If you put on a video of All Dogs Go To Heaven and I could watch it while I chew on this Bully Stick”