On Landseer's "Princess Mary Adelaide with Nelson"

In our family room, our Newfoundland Nelson balances his dog biscuit on his nose. He is about as tall as I am. I am wearing my warm forest-green dress. It is made of velvet, and there are puffs of cotton around the edges. Nelson sticks out his tongue. I take it to mean that he would like to stop balancing and eat the biscuit. I oblige and take it of his nose and reposition it on his tongue. He gobbles it up. He then goes for the biscuit I have in my left hand. He misses and gets me with his warm, wet, tongue. ''I'm saving this one for your dinner. Get off it,'' I tell him. He gives me a look. I laugh. ''Nelson, honestly!'' He licks me again. I wipe my arm on a towel. Mother calls us for dinner. ''Okay boy, now you can have it,'' I laugh. I run to the dining room, Nelson following close behind. He was probably hoping for some of the steak, the scent of which was drifting out of the kitchen.