More Melody

Here's a few more photos of Melody. She's such a little cutie!

She weighed 20 pounds at her last vet appointment. 

That's the exact same amount Blondie weighed at that age.

She often takes naps near her bowl.

It's as if she's telling us, 

"I don't want to sleep through any meals!"

If she's not napping there, she will probably

be cuddled up next to her "big sister" Blondie.

Today the girls were by the door. I felt like they
didn't want us to leave after all that time spent
together during the cold snap. It also reminded
me of this photo of Rusty taken in the same spot.

Well, it was time for me to get out of the house.

But I didn't get out before shooting this movie

of Melody climbing our stairs. This was a big

deal at our house because Blondie has been too 

frightened to climb stairs for a long time. We are

hoping she will conquer her fear now that she

sees the puppy doing it without any trouble.

Digging Out from the Snow

Today was our first day of normal after a polar vortex brought record low temperatures. We stayed indoors for nearly three days before venturing outside yesterday to clear the driveway and sidewalks. The cold did not seem to bother our golden retriever Blondie too much although we made sure she and the puppy Melody did not stay out in it too long. Here are a few photos to give you an idea of what it was like.

So what did we do with our days spent indoors? Well, naturally we played with the dogs a lot. Some of the time we used to take photos and video of Melody which I'll post next.

Fun in the Snow with Melody and Blondie

Here's a short movie clip of my two dogs playing in the snow. The puppy is named Melody and the bigger dog is Blondie. The clip is open captioned in English.



After all that fun in the snow, it's time to come into the house and get warm. I like this photo of them side by side so you can see the size difference. Melody is growing at the same rate that Blondie did as a puppy so she may end up the same size when fully grown.



Look at who's taken over our living room couch. Blondie is dog tired but Melody looks as if she's ready for more play time.

Merry Christmas

I received some thoughtful gifts this Christmas. The ones in the first four pictures came from my dear friend Liz, who lives across the ocean from me in England. She's the writer of Liz's Deaf Blog as well as a photography blog and a blog narrated by her cat, Miley. I met Liz in person when I went to England in 2010. We keep in regular contact through email.

I had been thinking to myself that I ought to buy a pretty pen for my purse so you can imagine my delight when I opened the box (on the right in picture #2) and found a pen with my name on it. Isn't the bookmark next to the pen lovely? The photo doesn't do it justice. It has a 3D effect and contains lovely facts related to my name on the reverse side. I always associate the color purple and butterflies with Liz.

Photo #3 shows two books she gave me on castles in England, a postcard of a Robin Hood statue, and a Union Jack tea towel. Just the thing to tide me over until season 4 of Downton Abbey begins.

The plaque I am holding in photo #4 says Life's truest happiness is found in the friendships we make along the way. Liz is certainly a true friend of mine who has added to my happiness this year and ever since we got to know each other. Thank you, Liz. I'm fortunate to have you as my close friend.

More thoughtful gifts I received include those from my Aunt Louise. She reads my blog regularly and is a great source of support for all that I do. She took seriously my posts on my desire to do more public speaking and sent me two recommended books on the subject. I can't imagine a nicer gift than having someone take your dreams seriously and help you to achieve them. Thank you so much, my dear Aunt Louise.

This year I am especially thankful to share the holiday with my family. Although they are camera shy and seldom featured on my blog, I wanted to include photos of them in this holiday post.

The first photo is of my husband Rob. He's my rock. The second is of my son Charlie. He's holding an Army cap ornament. He has enlisted and will be serving our country after he graduates from high school. I don't know if he will be spending the next Christmas with us or where he will be posted, so this ornament is poignant.

The third picture is of my Dad. It's hard to see but he's holding a pocket New Testament. It's our family tradition that my Dad reads the Christmas story from Luke and Matthew before we open our gifts. As soon as he got into my house, I asked him, "Dad, did you bring your Bible to read the story?" With a big smile on his face, he said, "Of course I did."

The next photo is of my Mom holding Melody. My mom was really happy to meet her today. Although we had a present for Blondie to unwrap, we all knew that the real present for her and all of us was Melody, the new puppy who has claimed our hearts. She's a little sweetie, just adorable and Blondie's shadow. Happy Holidays from my home to yours.

Meet Melody

Meet Melody, our new golden retriever puppy, just 7 weeks old.

Our little beauty

She's ready for playtime.

Me and Melody bonding.

Sleepy little girl.

Blondie watching over her new friend while she sleeps.

Melody and Blondie meet for the 1st time.
(with captions)

Skunk - 2, Dogs - 0

Recently, our dogs have had two unhappy encounters with a skunk in our backyard. P.U. Multiple baths later and hours outdoors drying off, they have been allowed back into the house. 

P.U. That skunk smell is hard to get rid of. We used a home made recipe from the internet which combines 1 qt. hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 2 teaspoons dish washing liquid. We also used a product from the pet store. (We had to visit two stores because the first one was sold out of it. Apparently skunks are active right now around the area.) Then we used normal dog shampoo and conditioner with oatmeal. 

As you can see from the photos below, the dogs were not too happy about their cleanup. Maybe next time they will learn to run the other way when that skunk comes calling!

By Reader Request: Blondie & Rusty

I was asked by a blog reader to post a recent photo of Blondie & Rusty. So here they are! It's hard getting the dogs to pose together, so I hope you will enjoy these two separate portraits. The dogs were wearing flag bandanas in honor of a special family occasion.

Blondie is now a year and a half old.

Rusty is almost 9 years old.

Funny Text Message

My husband sent me this text today:
I hope you didn't like the shoes that were up on the table in the Florida room.

Oops, I had put them up on the table (not a table for eating I want to make clear) to keep them out of my puppy Blondie's reach. Ha! She got into them anyways.

The Crime Scene

The Accused

Blondie's 1st Birthday

What a difference a year makes!

Picture of Blondie taken the day before her birthday.

Photo courtesy of her breeder.

Blondie has brought so much love and joy into our home this year. We celebrated Blondie's birthday over the weekend by taking her and Rusty on a special outing. She had such a good time I want to make it a regular part of our family routine.

Last night I came home from work and discovered she had chewed one of my winter boots into an open toed design. I admit that for a minute I was exasperated, but then I quickly forgave her. After all, it's easier to replace boots than one of my best friends!

While I've Been Busy, Blondie's Been Busy Too

 While I've been busy with school, the
morning glory vine grew into the bushes.



Blondie noticed my lack of time spent in the garden
and decided to relocate some fencing and plants
to our side entrance. See the missing piece of fencing
near the bottom right of the photo? Although at a glance,
the fencing may look like wrought iron, it's only
plastic and apparently easy to chew through.


  Speaking of chewing, this is a new shoe
I bought to replace the first pair of sneakers
she chewed. I must have a lot on my mind,
because it didn't occur to me that she might chew
these ones too. LOL - Blondie's teaching me to
put my shoes in the closet when they aren't on my feet.


 Blondie must not like my busy schedule. When I
came home from work on Friday, I found our
family calendar in shreds on the floor. I spent an hour
piecing it together just so I could write down when the
dogs' flea treatments and heartworm pills are due next.

Another day, I came upon Blondie creating a tutu. She
was unraveling a shower sponge and had it arrayed all
around herself as though she were wearing a tulle skirt.

I feel as outwitted and exasperated as Wile E. Coyote.

Stay Cool

Blondie keeping cool 

With temperatures soaring, nothing beats an afternoon nap in front of the fan. This picture was taken in our basement which stays naturally cool. With a fan running, it feels just like air conditioning.

How are you staying cool?

Beached Blonde

Blondie at Central Avenue Dog Beach, 

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Blondie enjoyed her first day at the beach. At first, she was uncertain what to make of the waves coming up on shore, but unlike Rusty, it wasn't long before she was swimming. Rob had fun tossing her a frisbee and watching her retrieve it. One time she even dove under the water to fetch it. Good girl!

As always, Rusty preferred to stay dry. He enjoyed saying hello to the other dogs that were there.

Blondie and Rusty

Love is blind.
Love is Blondie!

My little miss at 4 months and 40 pounds.

Look how tall she's gotten.

"C'mon, Rusty. Let's play!"

Blondie & Rusty - best buddies

Enjoying each other's company in the backyard
It's going to be a wonderful summer!

Blondie

My aunt asked me for an update on Blondie. I told her I never realized "house breaking" meant so many things around the house would be broken. Blondie looks adorable, but she's a one pup demolition crew in disguise. Here's some of the evidence for your entertainment:

Oops. Did I do that?

Having fun with Mom's puzzle magazine

(When I took this photo, I didn't realize
she had torn up the answer pages too!)

"God bless me" - Blondie

"But where is the plant?" - Mom

Blondie is 3 months old now and 32 pounds.

If they made American dog dolls...

At the end of a long day, we are all "dog tired" at our house.