Dog Gone Right

Happy Valentine's Day...Hat Tip to Houndstooth

2012-02-14T07:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

May I say that in some ways it's been a difficult week or so...lots of life stuff going on...one piece of which included some dear friends losing a very dear pet in a tragic accident. Once again I try to remember to revel in the day...live fully in the moment...love...These are all things my dog teaches me. I aspire to live with one tenth as much joy as my dog and to love my family & friends with complete abandon as she does.

I know who Gwyn's gonna ask to be her Valentine!

Laughing hound

On another note, I started this blog 4 years ago after visiting the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for the first time. My friend (who also happens to be our small animal vet) took us...We've gone to 3 of the last 5 shows with her. This year we couldn't make it work as we had the holiday visit to the UK. But we were there in spirit yesterday cheering her on as GCH Live Oaks My Name is Mike took Best of Opposite Sex in the Bluetick Coonhounds: Mike's results linky

And finally, (for today) I tip my hat to Houndstooth over at Tales and Tails I have truly enjoyed following her blog and through her, many others. Today's post Pillars of Strength really touched me and so eloquently expressed many of my thoughts and part of what I attempted to share with my friends who are grieving their dearly departed boxer

Archie

Please take a minute to check it out, send some thoughts and prayers KB's way, and go spend your Valentine's Day with the ones you love!!!!!

Does it Make Me a Redneck...

2012-02-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

...that I sorta' want to buy this???

On an unrelated note, this is the card I sent my SIL the other day...it made me laugh:

And this is one of the numerous reasons I love coming home:

Best Therapy...

2012-02-07T07:22:00.001-05:00

...for a crummy attitude: time in the saddle!

We took Solana and 'Mo on a trail ride Saturday and had an absolutely glorious time! Weather was perfect. Horses were fabulous. Couldn't have asked for nicer. Ah, that every day could be spent on horseback!

Smack Down

2012-02-04T21:45:00.000-05:00

Why you little pipsqueak....!

I dub thee...

Yes, oh Great Leader, and then what?

Forbidden Love

2012-02-02T07:03:00.002-05:00

Yes, there's kissing going on!

Sunset Flight

2012-01-31T06:52:00.003-05:00

Further Evidence

2012-01-30T06:57:00.001-05:00

For further explanation please refer to previous post. Have a good Monday!

More...

2012-01-29T07:55:00.000-05:00

More of Gwyn enjoying the attention lavished on her during last weekend's hotel stay:

You may admire me now!

Look at that grin!

More shots of the kittehs...I believe that here I caught them plotting the overthrow of the universe...again!

When we rule, there will be noms for all!

This is Willow getting caught checking out Gwyn's food. Because I didn't have the camera physically on me, I missed the shot of both Gwyn and Willow with their heads in the bowl at the same time :D Wil' stretches up and scoops bites out with her paw. That's why there's so many crumbs on the rug...well, that and the fact that housework is not my strongest suit :D

What?!?

Hotel Dog

2012-01-24T07:05:00.000-05:00

So, I got home and realized I hadn't really taken many pix of Gwyn at the hotel because we were so busy enjoying ourselves and being greyhound ambassador (princess?).

Here are just a couple...Gwyn decided it was a bit chilly on the floor and wanted to be covered up...

"Mo-om! I'm tryin' to rest here! Quit shooting pictures of me!! I have to get my beauty rest before greeting my admiring public again. Sheesh!"

Therapy Dog/Greyhound Ambassador

2012-01-21T18:12:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the lack of pictures...you'll just have to wait until late tomorrow or even Monday. But I had to share with you that Gwyn is having a BIG weekend! Yesterday (after a very long car ride in which she again proved herself quite the trooper) Gwyn got to go meet my great-aunt in a quick visit to the skilled nursing unit where she lives. They're pretty laid back about short doggie visits. Gwyn was a little miserable in my great-aunt's room just because there's very little room in there and she couldn't figure out a place to lie down. But she was quiet and respectful. Then, on the way out, there were two older gentlemen that spoke to her. One was ambulatory, the other in a wheelchair. They asked if they could pet her, and when they spoke to her I swear she batted her eyes! She was perfect.

Then, the real adventure of the weekend began. We rode another hour and arrived at our hotel. We're here visiting with friends...a group we get together with every year. This hotel is pet-friendly. Besides our room, Gwyn is allowed in the hallways on the first floor and the lobby. She is delighted that all these people have gathered for the sole purpose of admiring her! :D Any number of people have commented on how well-behaved and calm she is. I snicker when I think about how she'd act if they came to visit at our house! Let's just say we're still working on not leaping on people to greet them at home. But put this girl on a leash and she's terrific. She's generating quite a buzz and we've been having fun extolling the virtues of adopting a grey.

Will post pix when we return home.

Greyhound Guard Dog!

2012-01-19T07:25:00.000-05:00

As promised (late...but if you only knew all the wackiness that's been going on around here you'd forgive me!): a brief recounting of the latest example of Gwyndiculousness at its finest...I was in the dining room and knew Gwyn had been playing in the living room. While she sleeps in her crate at night, she has a bed in the living room that's beside my armchair and next to the built-in, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. That's where she hangs out during the day. Anyway, I suddenly heard her barking. I knew she might be playing, but it had a semi-serious ring to it. As I rounded the corner (it's sort of an L-shaped room), I saw Gwyn down in the play bow pose, focused and barking madly at the intruder. Sharp barks of threat. Quick glances to be sure I was safely tucked behind her. Reassuring me that she had the situation well in hand. Gasping for breath, tears streaming down my face (from the laughter), I realized what Gwyn was protecting us from: a deadly lint ball! Actually, it was sort of a felted circle, about quarter-sized, that appeared to have come off of her blanket. Her. Blanket. It had wandered onto the lowest shelf of the bookshelves. They're off-white painted wood. The grey felt circle showed up nicely. Lamenting the fact that both the camera and the Flip video cam were out of reach, LoML and I continued to laugh. Eventually, as I edged around in a vain attempt to reach said recording devices, Gwyn touched the lintball from hades with her nose and decided it was sufficiently dead.

LoML has decreed that at the very least I should keep the Flip in my pocket at all times during waking hours. (A fine idea...but it's not there now as I'm lounging in yoga pants that have no pockets!)

The British Museum

2012-01-16T17:44:00.001-05:00

Today's showing is a small sampling of pictures I took at the British Museum. LoML & I went there for about half of a day one day...we've been before, but could easily go dozens of times before we even began to see all that needs seeing. I'm not going to narrate...haven't even labeled these. Just thought I'd give you a sampling.

Tomorrow I will try to relate to you the latest hysterical antics of Gwyndiculous...funniest dog on the planet!

What We Learned In School Today

2012-01-12T07:28:00.001-05:00

Hard plastic squeaky toys...not built for Gwyn! Yesterday morning there was a cute little hedgehog toy given to Gwyn. It had a face and everything. By end of day:

Black & White White on Black

2012-01-11T06:54:00.000-05:00

Couldn't resist this photo op: white cat on black jacket purchased from White House, Black Market shot in black and white! By the way, Willow was feeling a bit smug. I had just come in from work and laid my jacket over the back of the dining room chair. Unsupervised for 60 seconds, Wil' managed to pull my jacket onto the floor and curl up on it. She was highly pleased.

A Different Perspective

2012-01-10T06:11:00.000-05:00

Okay. I realize these are not your typical shots. But that's one thing I love about playing around with my camera...going for the unusual perspective. Plus, utilizing my awesome 21x optical zoom I captured a bit of the nuzzling without interference...

And then the wandering off...

And on the lighter side, check out this story: Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop

Self-Portrait

2012-01-09T06:35:00.004-05:00

Balliol College, Oxford

What? Did you think I'd really post a picture of me that you could see well? I assure you that is me in the gazing ball :D

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-08T09:24:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm back. I warned you I'd be gone for a bit. LoML and I had a marvelous vacation visiting my bro' & his family in the U.K. It was a wonderful time...lots of R&R...lots of catching up and playing with his kids. I was feeling very frantic towards the end of 2011 and the time away helped me recharge my batteries so I can start 2012 off at a more sedate pace, in a more serene frame-of-mind...even if it soon gets wildly wacky, as it no doubt will! Anyway, as fun as it is to travel, there's no place like home! (Okay, 'fess up...who just repeated that two more times in their head while clicking their heels together? I know you're out there!) I'm delighted to be back with my furbabies and enjoying the purrumbling and the kissies...even tho' Gwyn's kissies sometimes include teeth! :D

Over the next [insert appropriate time frame] I'll be sharing some of my pictures from jolly ole' England. I have much to do around here before venturing back to work in the morning so today's post won't be terribly detailed. I've been enjoying catching up on your blogs this morning. I missed keeping up with all my bloggy (and doggy!) friends whilst gone. You all inspire me to venture forth and try new things with my writing and my photography and I look forward to seeing what 2012 will bring in that regard!

Hoping everyone had a warm and wonderful Christmas and the New Year brings us all peace and prosperity.

One of the fuzzy horses that lives next door to my bro'

Christmas decorations were still up even tho' we went right after...these from a day trip into Oxford.

Got to go into Balliol College...1263! Yep, that's pretty old!

Lovely garden inside Balliol College..

Holiday Hiatus

2011-12-26T07:24:00.001-05:00

I'm hoping that everyone had a very blessed Christmas and has a wonderful New Year! As opposed to the other random times that I disappear off my blog for a bit without warning, I'm letting you know today that I'll be gone for a bit. Taking a much-needed vacation and will be back on with new pictures and stories to tell.

Meanwhile, here's a couple of pictures to leave you with:

What do you mean that's the cats' toy?

Ah, life is good!

Follow Up

2011-12-20T08:06:00.003-05:00

So I guess I owe you guys an explanation since I left you hanging a few days ago. I mentioned Tales and Tails explanation of the Greyhound Scream of Death...the best-put explanation of the phenomenon I've read. The basic premise is that a greyhound's reaction to an injury is inversely proportional to the severity of said injury. While thankfully I did not get the GSoD the other day...I got the toned-down version. It went something like this:

Gwyn was outside lying in her dirt pile (that's a whole other story for another day!) until the last possible second that I was forcing her to come inside so I could go to work. I was running late (as per usual..much as I will be this morning from 'goofing off' on the computer for too long...anyway....). Gwyn came dashing up the steps too fast..so fast I didn't even see exactly what happened. The end result was Gwyn on the porch pitifully holding up a back leg and whining.

Me: Oh, you poor dear, what did you do?
Gwyn: It might be broken!
Me: (palpating and gently moving leg around) It seems to still move. There's no obvious trauma.
Gwyn: I don't think I'll ever walk again!
Me: (still seeing no evidence of actual injury) Well, maybe we'll have to go let the vet check it out.
Gwyn: But I can't walk! I can't move! You'll probably have to carry me!!!
Me: Let me pick up my coat and everything else I dropped. We'll go in the house and see from there. I can call the office and tell them I'll be in after I drop you off.
Gwyn: (leaping gleefully and dancing the Happy Dance of Joy all around me...using all four legs) Oh, goody, I get to go to work with you?!?!

Several peanut butter and turkey "cookies" later and a Christmas miracle had occurred. Her leg was healed!

I leave you with some more photos of my funny girl from our photo shoot. :D

Photo courtesy of J. Frazz Photography

Black & White

2011-12-16T21:26:00.001-05:00

Did I already share this photo? I don't think so. Then again, the way my brain is these days...

Long day. Long week. Have more hound stories to tell, but they'll have to wait until Sunday. Have a little day trip tomorrow I have to do.

'Til then, I challenge you to go over to Tales and Tails, search for and read her posts on the "greyhound scream of death". It's a real phenomenon. And her description of it is the best I've ever read. Then on Sunday, I'll tell you my latest version. (For anyone not yet familiar with this, don't worry...it doesn't involve actual doggy death...you'll see...)

Random musings

2011-12-15T07:23:00.000-05:00

Just because...

Um, can I go eat my hay now?

My "big girl"...she and her buddy go in their stalls only to eat and then are turned right back out to finish up with their hay. My girl has always inhaled her food. Well, except for the part that she spills on the ground because she's a really messy eater. Really. I'm not kidding here!

Okay, so I was in my chair & Gwyn was looking particularly cute (something she does approximately 9,873 times a day) with her head on her blanket beside the Christmas tree. I was too close and didn't have the camera on the right settings...but I kinda' like the result. Sort of abstract!

I can get this shot (and have a ton of them on my computer already!) so many times it's ridiculous. And yet, even knowing I already have a similar shot...I feel compelled to pull over on my way home, take yet another shot, breathe deeply, and be grateful for the fact that I live in such an amazing place.

And finally (today), thanks again to Lori at What Remains Now for the Liebster...which inspired me to take a closer look at some of the blogs I'd checked out before and catch up on some of their 'history' and follow them more closely. There's some terrific blogging going on out there!

You Take a Few Days Off...

2011-12-12T23:22:00.000-05:00

Wow! I don't really know what to say. Just when I was feeling bad about not posting anything for almost two weeks, I went to catch up on What Remains Now and discovered I'd been awarded a Liebster Award!

This is me expressing my goofy side...so Mom doesn't feel so bad!

Sometimes the demands (read craziness) of my day-to-day life and full-time job get in the way of my goofing off and sharing pictures and funny critter stories. Just when I question my sanity for even trying to keep up with my blog, someone like Lori comes along and honors me and inspires me. Thanks, Lori!

So, what, you say, is a Liebster Award? Well, here are the rules:

Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve. As with any award, there is a bit of ceremony involved. In order to accept the award, you must do the following:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

2. Link back to the blogger who gave you the award.

3. Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.

4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

So here goes...in no particular order, five of my current faves (but gosh there are so many fabulous blogs out there!):

BZ Training

Wonderful, fabulous pictures...inspires my photography while I enjoy Henry and Zachary the beautiful golden retrievers.

Mayzie's Dog Blog

The most glorious adventures of one brindle dog...indeed! Mayzie inspired us through her Rescue Me Week project and I hope we continue to try to do our part to help animals in need throughout the year (and I'm not just sayin' that 'coz we won, Mayzie!).

Cult of the Greyhound

Photography and greyhounds. Two of my favorite things!

Never Say Never Greyhounds

Jennifer shares about working with greyhounds in agility and obedience and has lots of interesting tips to share.

House of Carnivores

Mel the law librarian shares about her life with her husband, three cats, two greyhounds and the occasional foster. Good stuff.

Thank you so much, Lori, for my Liebster Award. I hope some of you have fun checking out my awardees. I know I"ve enjoyed discovering lots of great blogs out there just from clicking on other peoples' links. You all inspire me to be more creative! And, who knows...maybe I'll just manage to keep up with this thing on a regular basis.

Mmmmmm....bread!

2011-11-29T07:11:00.001-05:00

Think I mentioned that I scored a mini bread maker at a church yard sale the other day. Believe I may be in danger of gaining 50 pounds if I keep making this:

It's so yummy it makes you want to just roll around on the carpet like this:

Why aren't you sharin your noms with me?

A Gwyntastic Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T06:59:00.001-05:00

We took a road trip this year over the river and through the woods...to my sister-in-law's house for Thanksgiving. Happily, thankfully, Gwyn got to go! This is the same sis-n-law who let Gwyn & I stay when we took our road trip for the Frazz photo shoot. Gwyn thinks her house is fabulous. (And it is.) Her cousin, Lady (a border collie rescued as a pup from a shelter) is a most gracious hostess. And there are stairs! And a cat to search for! And wonderful places to hike.

A tired hound is a good hound.

Babies are a necessary travel accessory for any girl. Gwyn worshiping her new penguin

I know if I stay near the luggage I won't be left behind!

Did I hear "go"?!

Here's my silly face!

Black Cat in Black & White

2011-11-21T07:12:00.001-05:00

You're interfering with my hunting!

If you insist, I'll come down to be admired

I am feline, hear me roar! Or...purr...

There is something about shooting my friends' black cat in black and white that really appeals to me.

She's a great hunter. She'd been watching birds and squirrels from the woodpile for a while before I interrupted her.

She's also very sweet, and not opposed to coming down to be fawned over.

Wayward Hound - Homeward Bound

2011-11-19T09:30:00.001-05:00

It may be ironic that What Remains Now started a discussion earlier this week about what kind of identification your dogs wear in case they get lost...We had quite the scare last night when Gwyn decided to go on a walkabout...or runabout (the greyhound version)! Don't worry, she's home safe & sound. We're very grateful to have wonderful family & friends who immediately helped form a search party. We also had Home Again (the company who made the microchip she has) send out alerts to members, vets & shelters in the area. Fortunately for my cardiac health she wasn't gone too long. As I've often tried to explain to people who aren't familiar with greyhounds, it's not that they won't come home (she did), it's what can happen before they have a chance to! LoML was out first thing this morning fixing the gate that had gotten messed up and come open that allowed her escape. While the rest of us were out looking (some walking, some driving slowly around the neighborhood) my Mom had volunteered to be the one to stay at the house in case the wayward child returned home on her own. Which she did. Mom says she came running up, grinning her big grey grin...delighted to see that her grandmommy had come for a visit!!


photo courtesy of J Frazz Photography

I don't think my heart could have taken her being gone any longer than she was!
We’re participating in this Saturday’s Pet Blog Hop, hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. If you’d like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor. Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!

Thanks for Helpin the Goggies, Mayzie!

2011-11-17T07:44:00.000-05:00

I was thrilled to learn yesterday that one of my blog posts was selected in Mayzie's Rescue Me Week contest. Now a $100 donation is being made to Greyhound Friends of North Carolina Mayzie says there were 180 posts featuring 233 wonderful animals needing to find their forever homes. May Granpa J's kindness and giving spirit live on through us all and may we be ever mindful of how a simple act can change lives. I'm reminded of the starfish story (many variations...)

THE STARFISH POEM

Once upon a time there was a wise man
who used to go to the ocean

to do his writing.

He had a habit of walking

on the beach

before he began his work.

One day he was walking along

the shore.

As he looked down the beach,

he saw a human

figure moving like a dancer.

He smiled to himself to think

of someone who would

dance to the day.

So he began to walk faster

to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw

that it was a young man

and the young man wasn't dancing,

but instead he was reaching

down to the shore,

picking up something

and very gently throwing it

into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out,

"Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused,

looked up and replied,

"Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked,

why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out.

And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that

there are miles and miles of beach

and starfish all along it.

You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely.

Then bent down, picked up another starfish

and threw it into the sea,

past the breaking waves and said-
"It made a difference for that one."

Thanks to all who make a difference in one life at a time! Also, kudos to Mayzie for showing us this video which I have to share:

New Books & Crazy Dogs

2011-11-16T07:03:00.001-05:00

First: For me, there is nothing quite like opening up that new novel by Stephen King. It makes me so happy. It makes me wish I could call in sick and stay home and do nothing but read. Alas, since I was actually sick recently I am woefully behind at work and have too much of a conscience to "play" sick. Here's something I wrote a while back and somehow never published:

Okay. I get it. Stephen King is not for everyone. But, for those of us that he speaks to, well, the man is a genius. And I'm not ashamed to say I adore the man! I firmly believe he's the most amazing writer of our age. He is the every-man writer of our age. Unbelievably prolific. I'm glad he couldn't stick to his threat of a few years ago to never publish again. Turns out he could not leave Constant Reader after all.

So, I've just finished his latest novel, Under the Dome. As usual, I am blown away. His books transport me to another place and time (which, when it comes right down to it is really my main [only?] criteria for a good book...or movie....hmmm, see a pattern here?). But, I digress.

This would have been in 2009 that I wrote that. It all still applies. I adore Stephen King. I just started my copy of his latest, 11/22/63, and look forward to telling you more about it later.

Next: One of the phrases you're likely to hear me repeat frequently these days is that Gwyn is the funniest dog on the planet. I get that I'm biased. But she is. Really. One day soon I will post a video of her playing with her Kong Extreme Flyer. But for now I'll just tell you about it and show you a few pictures. It's the best toy. Ever. It holds its shape to fly like a regular frisbee, but is made of very pliant rubber and is so soft it can be picked up and folded in half easily. Gwyn has an entire ritual that's developed that in part includes running around the yard with it, playing keep-away and then hiking it like a football between her legs and spinning around to try to catch it when it flies off.

One more reason I love my Nikon Coolpix is the sport continuous mode can take a great series of shots to capture such craziness (Gwyndiculousness--the root phrase originally coined by LoML). Here are just a few of the shots I took yesterday morning:

Hike!

You can't see it, but the flyer just went behind her...she's right up against the flower bed that borders the screened-in porch...that's our rosemary bush in the foreground..it's not unusual for Gwyn to come in smelling like rosemary...which is not a bad thing in my book!

spinning...

running the loop

part of the shake

shaking and walking

Monkey Business

2011-11-14T19:19:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a good day. Went to some church bazaars and an estate sale with my mom. Didn't get too much, but did snap up several stuffed animals for Gwyn. I find that bazaars, yard sales, etc. are a fabulous place to get hound babies. You can get them much cheaper than buying new, plus I prefer to try to find ones without squeakers and with fewer bits that must be removed. If you're owned by a hound you know what I mean. "Babies" are to be rationed out. I discovered with my first grey that you can, if they survive long enough, rotate babies in and out of the lineup...sneak one up & hide it when the pile on the floor's gotten too deep and then give it again one day and it's like a new toy all over again!

Yesterday's new selection is a great monkey. Perhaps this series will give you an idea of the ritual dance of the new baby:

For Me?

Why, yes! I think I will take him!

This is when Mommy realized the monkey's hands velcro to each other & embarassed me by wrapping him around my neck. :::sigh::: I was 'stuck' and couldn't move!

P.S. I started this post on Sunday, but had technical difficulties and am just now getting the pictures to load properly.