Happy Birthday Puppy

What I was attempting here was a birthday 'cake' of spare ribs sort of thing. Something only a dog could appreciate and go crazy over. Looks delectable, doesn't it? You better believe PonyGirl certainly thought it was. She got a little crazy (well, more so than usual) and we only gave her a couple of them to celebrate the event. This was after torturing her by making her pose for pictures. She of course, thought she was going to get the entire pile so proceeded to eat her allotted two in record speed. Sorry, sweet tarte, but there will be another meal and you are so acting like a dog here. We have taken the liberty of moving the PonyGirl's birthday forward a couple of days to 'Cinco de Mayo' . This will make it easier for us to remember and anyway she was born in La Paz, Mexico so it fits. So, by all calculations she is now 1 year old. What we know now is that she is a bit of a gangly, silly, hungry, playful & mischievous girl. Not an A-student and maybe not college material but doing the best she can. We love the skinny rascal and are having a blast.

"Leave it"

There is nothing in the world that smells better than a loaf of baking bread. We have taken on the joy(challenge?) of baking our own bread these days. Please trust me I am not going to preach about it. I know that it is an endeavor that is time consuming and fraught with dangers. There is a learning curve that involves some failures and some so-so successes, but ultimately once you figure it out,the best thing you ever will taste is smack in front of you. It draws crowds of admirers both two-footed and four-footed, and provides a 'leave-it' training opportunity as well. PonyGirl could barely contain her enthusiasm, but she did. I swear, this consistency thing with dogs really works. If only we could stifle her yodeling alarm bark that scares the living shee-it out of me every time I hear it. Anyone for a warm slice of bread with some, (God help me) real butter?

Seeing Clearly

I have been thinking about this place lately. Well, not the place exactly, but the state of mind of the place. That is, seeing the beauty of imperfections. I wonder why we are so much more forgiving when we are somewhere 'foreign'? I personally have such a hard time with less than perfection in my real life. I have tried, oh yes I have tried, but I just don't feel right when things are amiss ( or, a mess). But, get me out of my comfort zone, baby, and suddenly ...Colors are just right. Decay is lovely. Noise is not disturbing. Everything is ambience. Disorder? Syndrome?Disease? Nah, just your normal, common, everyday compulsive personality who likes to get out there and see the world (through sunglasses, of course) and then come back home and tidy up. No apologies.

Say When

Want vs. need. Luxuries or necessities? Come on, a big comfortable bed with clean sheets and a down comforter? Indoor plumbing? Hot water? The list goes on and on and on. What a delectable world we live in with just these basics. Yes, I consider those things some of the basics. I do live in North America after all. Then, there is food. That is an issue that can be so simplified merely by deciding to only eat, grow & buy REAL food. Sure your choices are pared down, but what a relief that actually is. It it ain't food then why put in in your mouth? Well, okay, that is not a trick question and this is not an x-rated post but we will make that exception and concession to adolescent humour. I will admit that I can get sucked into the vortex of want just as easily as anyone else. Sometimes I have to have some thing because it is beautiful (earrings, sexy boots, french perfume, my Alessi tea kettle...okay I'll stop) but the less often that happens the more I treasure those few items. The best is when function & beauty collide. That my dear little puppies is when she lives happily ever after. The end.

When Good Things Happen

When something nice so unexpectedly happens, it is such a treat. A chance meeting on a trail in the woods on a frigid day and 'voila' somebody is giving me a really nice winter coat for my pup. Her eyes told me the story first and then when she asked more questions about 'the girl' I knew her interest went beyond the typical 'what kind of a dog is that' question. You know what followed was the sweet short story of her dearly, departed dog. It was nice listening to her and having that moment of meeting a kindred spirit. I popped over to her house later in the afternoon. It turns out she lives in one of my favorite houses in town, just a few blocks away. The coat is perfect and my camera is missing-in-action so the picture posted is totally random. There you go...a random act of kindness. Feels good.

She's Got Some Legs

Oh, bear with me. Sometimes it's just time for gratuitous puppy pictures and some bragging. PonyGirl has entered into a wonderful new phase just recently. I think all our work together is finally paying off. We have been consistent with the rules as well as the rewards even when it would have been easier to go the lazy route and let things slide. She has learned to enjoy and savor her meals. She eats everything. She is far less barky. She sits by the door instead of dashing out as soon as it opens. She greets people in a friendly way (although we are still working on the excited jumping up on them). And, a really big one is that after people arrive in the house...she actually goes and lies down on her bed and goes to sleep! Even while we are eating! It has a lot to do with the exercise and let me tell you, this girl needs a lot of exercise. Hence, it has become the daily priority to tucker her out. This can only be done when at the end of our hour long walk/run we meet up with other dogs so they can play eachother to exhaustion. It is fun to watch and the dogs always work it out as long as the people don't interfere. I guess not everybody watches the dog shows on NG. Having a dog around just seems like the natural order of things. Having a well-mannered, secure, & happy best friend in the house and on the trail and by your side is just -- right. If you can, if you're thinking about adopting/rescuing, do it. As the saying goes, 'it won't change the world but it will change the world for that dog' or something pretty close to that. You get the idea.

UXORIOUS

Is that a great word or what? I was reading in bed the other night and came across this word and could not, for the life of me, figure out what it meant. I re-read the sentence it was in, then re-read the paragraph and still...duh. Resorted to asking my partner-in-crime but he was just as flummoxed (another good word!). So, it was Google to the rescue. Yay. Upon learning its meaning, (you'll just have to Google it yourself) I LOVE it even more. Maybe this is why girls love their dogs so much... because they are just so 'foolishly fond' of us. I even like the other part...the 'submissive' part. But I especially love the 'devoted' part. Ah, devotion, so sweet. Nothing wrong with a little fantasy now and again, eh?

Finding Our Way Home

No. Dogs are not like children. I have been thinking about this for a while now and I used to believe that. But let me explain. This inter-species connection that some of us are lucky enough to have is unique to dogs & people. When we become the guardians of dogs and let them into our hearts and our lives, we sign on for a wild ride. We sign on for a lifetime of unconditional love... really with no strings attached. Well, maybe some, like getting out and about every day to see the world and maybe being responsible for feeding and keeping them healthy. But even when some of us fail or fall short on these most basic things, our dogs make no judgments and hold no grudges. Imagine that -- not holding grudges -- wow. This relationship can't be explained, it can only be experienced. That seems to be why their deaths are just so personal and seldom shared. When we lose our dog, we lose a part of ourselves that we won't see anymore and that was what we saw through their eyes. Those who do understand become our saviors and for that we say thank you. Yeah, we move on. We may even get over 'it' but we will never, ever forget how they looked at us and how each and every look told us and only us exactly what was up. We get to have them their entire lives, by our sides. We don't have to let them go their own way. Our way is their way. It is our own secret club. We are the lucky ones. So I guess what I am saying is...it's simply a case of a girl & her dog.

The more time we spend together, the more I am convinced that this girl has a streak of wild in her that is always simmering behind those eyes. She is so unlike Cowgirl ever was and I really have to watch my expectation that she be more like her. I forget sometimes and just expect her to 'be-have' and then she reminds me by acting just like herself -- a 10month old undomesticated pup of indeterminate origin. So, there you have it and as is sometimes said, there must be a lesson to be learned here or something like that.

One Last Time

It's been quite a few weeks filled with many intense experiences, the most important one being the loss of a dear friend just a few days ago. It is so difficult to express all the emotions surrounding losing the 'WildMan' as he was affectionately known for so many years, but I'll give it a try. Bill was a very kind man. He was a man of principles with lots of tolerance for those without so many. He was a fine example to his children of what a good person is ( and they took that to heart). He really lived his life...the one he wasn't supposed to have...the one that was supposed to only last a year or so (according to the doctors way back then). He was a very loved husband. He left behind a lot of people who loved him very much as well. He is already sorely missed. We are glad we got to say goodbye to him and to see him smile one last time. I am glad that he even called me by my nickname, 'Bambina' one last time. I am glad to have held his hand one last time. I am glad that he made me laugh one last time. I am glad to have known him.