Their highnesses have a routine in the morning, one that they get very upset by if we do not follow it. Princess Diana, the miniature poodle, wakes up first. Naturally the other two princesses then also wake up. Princess Charlotte, the older of the two standards, runs out first, followed by Princess Beatrice and then Princess Diana. Yes, our girls are named after British royal princesses.
When they get back they sit in a row to get biscuit treats and go back to sleep until I get up and get ready for the day. Their “daddy” leaves the house early but fortunately I work from my home studio and they can sleep in a little bit. After breakfast I start my day in the studio. Diana is not so much interested in being with me all day like she was when she was younger and normally sleeps on her bed in the kitchen all day.
Charlotte and Beatrice are like my shadows.
They love it when I work in the studio because then I leave the sliding door open to the front porch and they can be outside but still see me. Beatrice is only 6 months old and still demands a lot of attention. If I ignore her to work she will lay at my feet and sleep for a while. Sometimes I will look for wool or string or a piece of fabric that was on my desk a minute ago and I know exactly where to look. I go out and find madam playing with it outside. Beatrice loves all the different things in my studio. She thinks all of it are her toys. She sticks her nose in paint pots and will sit and look at me while I work. I do not dare leave a drawer half open because then I know what was inside is no more….
Charlotte mostly sleeps on the daybed outside but she loves to lift my elbow with her face when she wants attention. Many abstract pieces have been created this way. I normally do not see her because of concentration and then when my arm lifts up in the air you just see materials or paint brushes fly. Most of the irritation of me ignoring them comes after this in the form of loud barks.
I make time to play with them in my studio, especially when I sit on the floor and sort out fabric scraps or other found objects. They love the fluff that I use in my sculptures but I have to be very careful that they do not ingest it.
I love having our girls with me during the day and even if I am concentrating in what I do I will notice after a few minutes if they are no longer at my feet. I will then get up and go look for them.