If you’ve noticed the banner on the right side of this website, you can see that I have committed to writing 30 posts in 30 days for the month of November. It’s just a fun activity, sponsored by NaBloPoMo, otherwise known was National Blog Posting Month to get people in the habit of posting. While I would love to post every day for eternity, lack of energy and time prevent me from doing so regularly, and that’s really upsetting. So in honor of NaBloPoMo, here is one of 30 posts you will see from me in the month of November.

Let’s start with Halloween.

Hello from 1963! I went as Jacqueline Kennedy, complete with a “Rock the Vote” pin, gloves which my mother wore on her wedding day, an Ann Taylor suit, a Chanel bag and pearls. I was only a handful of people dressed up at the office, and was rather disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm. I picked Jackie O because not only have I admired her for a long time, but since it was a political year, I thought I would make a statement. A couple people mentioned to me that I should have come with blood splattered on my suite, mimicking the day that JFK was shot, but I am not suited for such attempts at trying to be gory or funny. I’m way too sensitive for it. Too much maybe. Henry was meant to be George Washington this year. I even bought felt and a curly white wig to fashion him in to America’s first president, but unfortunately, because I had been concentrating on grad school, work and writing, I didn’t get a chance to sew it. So I went and bought him a last minute costume of a ghost, which didn’t really work because he’s already white, with black beady eyes and nose.

When kids starting showing up at the door, he barked furiously, as if to say “hey, why are you on my property,” and then he got excited at the thought of people coming over, but when he realized that they were just showing up for candy and then going away, he began to cry after them. Every time a troop of snow whites, goblins and pumpkin-ofied babies would approach, he would frantically try to smell them. When they left, he was whimpering after them. He then spent the rest of the night waiting by the door for more kids. He did this long after everyone had come by. My heart melted.

When I came home after 2 hours in traffic, I found out that I had received a notice about a traffic violation. I was slightly confused, as I know that I haven’t been stopped by police for any type of violation for years. Lo and behold, it wasn’t a cop who had stopped me, but one of those pesky video cameras, that had taken photos of my car, supposedly passing a red light. In all honesty, I can’t recall if I had actually done this or not, but at that point it didn’t matter. I am now stuck with a huge and hefty fine and traffic school. I really hate my life. My plans of getting a new camera have now been delayed, thanks to Big Brother. George Orwell would not have been happy.

It has been about eight weeks and four days since Henry’s luxating patella surgery. I’m happy to report that for the most part, he’s doing very well. It’s almost as if he didn’t have surgery. He’s forgotten it, except when he’s taken outside early in the morning towards the cars parked in the driveway. I think he thinks he might be going back for more bandages and stitches.

There are times when I think I’ve seen him slightly lift one of his legs while running, although this could either be me worrying more than I should be, or just a normal part of the recovery process. His fur is growing back at a good rate, although he still looks like a lion in the front and a mouse from the back. One of the most important things that I do now is trim is pads, paws and nails frequently. Because we have hardwood floors, I want him to be able to grip the floor as easily as possible because the hair that grows between his pads might cause him to slip. Right now, he’s wrestling with an empty water bottle all around the house.

It’s been a long journey, and perhaps one of the most difficult things I’ve yet to experience in my life. I imagine I’ve experienced somewhat similar feelings of having a child recover from surgery. I know that might sound over the top and possibly an unfair comparison, but it’s something only dog lovers and owners can understand, especially people who own Maltese dogs.

Now that the surgery has been put more or less behind us, Henry and I have more important things to worry about. Like what he’s going to be for Halloween!

Last year was Henry’s first Halloween. Because of this, I wanted to make an extra special costume for him. I thought long and hard about what would be the best costume for an almost 1-year-old white ball of fluff and it came to me almost suddenly.

A gnome! I ended up making most of the costume out of felt, with the exception of his vest and belt, which was made out of Persian silk. It’s a shame that I hadn’t gotten Henry a year before, because I was Amelie two Halloweens ago, in tribute to my most favorite film.

Because of his costume, Henry even won second place at Etsy’s Halloween Costume Showcase! This year I have a couple of ideas for him. I’m strongly leaning towards Sherlock Holmes or some old timer like Benjamin Franklin or George Washington. We will see in a month’s time!