Living in Lexington, we are both very aware of the importance of traditions in the modern world.
We know, for example, that every April there will be thousands of people wandering around this neighborhood, looking for where Paul Revere made his ride (we're close to "Revere Street"). And, we tell them in the only way that we know how that they're off; they're way off. We're not very fond of this tradition.
And, every autumn, we know that there will be thousands of people wandering around this neighborhood looking at the dying of the leaves on the deciduous trees (Rozi looked that up on a dictionary she recently gnawed on). And, we tell them in the only way that we know how to get the h&#l off our leaves. We really don't care much for this tradition.
But, there is tradition that we hate the most, and by "hate" we mean despise, abhor, abominate, dislike intensely, feel hostility toward, have no use for, loathe, recoil from, reject, and repudiate (there was a thesaurus supplement to that dictionary).
It's Halloween dress-up.
Yup, when Izzi was just a puppy, there were sweaters that made her look like a sausage with a pirate skull and bones on it. And, last year, there were costumes that were too awful to even remember. All of which found their way somehow from the costume store to our home. And, back, since we didn't like any of them well enough to keep them, and by "didn't like any of them" we mean that we tried to pull them off with our teeth, and regretted more than most days that we lack opposable thumbs. We thought that our dislike for this tradition would have meant that it was over in 2011. That we had seen the last of it. That our embarrassment and shame would be clear. No such luck.
Because, earlier today, we were saddled with the most gawd-awful outfits and forced to pose for pictures. Oh, sure there is some silly contest that our mama wants to enter the pictures in, but Izzi is still not quite over the year that she didn't win the cute pet photo contest (losing to a chicken, of all things!). Yet, she still tries to get us the fame that she thinks that we deserve.
So, without our knowledge, the costumes were ordered and we were forced into them. We don't really want to talk about what we were made to wear, or why these *particular* costumes were chosen for each of us, but here are some hints.
Yes, that's right. Izzi was dressed in an angel outfit and Rozi in a devil costume! Can you believe it!?!? And, since we were not happy with the selection of our wardrobe, we did everything we could to prevent our having to wear them, including Izzi knocking her halo off every time it was placed on her head, and Rozi trying to run away (and into the street in an event that was both shocking and surprising, since she'd avoided the front yard for such a long time).
But, our protests fell on deaf ears. The "let's misbehave in the yard" was quickly defended (well played, mama) by a trip to the back yard, where we were encouraged to "sit" and "look pretty" and "look at the squirrel" (by the way, there was no squirrel, only adding to the misery of the day). Sure, the day was beautiful and the weather crisp. And, we did like running in the leaves (or sitting in them; see yesterday's photo), but we didn't like the costumes. They were itchy and scratchy and they really didn't flatter our figures.
Izzi, for example, was wearing a costume that was skimpy and yet whose color blended in so well with her pretty white coat that it was hard to make out the angel wings. And, as we've said, her halo kept tilting (an event that Rozi tried to point out was probably a good representation of the "real" Izzi, but no one was listening).
And, Rozi had to suffer under a black bodice and a tail that would not go the right way. And, it was red and shiny instead of her normal fluffy white. And, those horns! They would not stay on Rozi's head and at one point it looked more like they were some weird red hippie beard than the horns they were intended to be. And, still, she was told that there was a treat if she sat still (yes, there was a treat).
So, we're glad that this tradition is over and we can get back to our normal, naked lives. It's not that we hate Halloween; we hate being shoved into those ill-fitting and caricature costumes.
Maybe next year, we can get the outfits that we would really like: a princess costume for Izzi and chef's outfit for Rozi.
Arf, Yip, Arf, Yip,
Izzi and Rozi
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