A Dog's Life

 When we first got Cassie three years ago, it was a bit of an adjustment for me.  She required a lot of time and energy, and although the girls swore up and down that they would walk her and play with her, they were on the bus by 7 am and the morning routine fell to me.  At first it was difficult to give up the extra time, but now I've worked it into my routine.  Here's what our day is like:

 After the girls get on the bus, Cassie and I walk around to the backyard and enjoy the sunrise.  Sometimes she rolls down the slope and gets a nice back scratch on the way down.

 Then we sort of pootle around the yard a bit.  Sometimes I do some weeding or some exercise.  Cassie sniffs everything...

 and rolls a little more!

 Sometimes she finds a nice stick to chew...

 or we have a catch with a ball or a frisbee.

 Very often, Sophie and Sandy from next door are out sniffing about too.  Sandy is still a playful puppy and she always looks forlornly over the invisible fence to see if we'll come over to play.

I usually bring Cassie over there on the leash a couple of times a week so they can both blow off some extra energy.

 As you can see, they greet each other very enthusiastically.  No one says hello better than a dog!

 After hello, we all run around to the backyard.  Sandy loves to fetch so she usually brings me a ball.

 While she keeps me busy throwing, Cassie wanders around sniffing out chipmunks along the rock walls.  She usually makes her way all the way down to the water and can't resist a swim! (She can't do that at our house because of our Invisible Fence).

 After her swim, she smells like the lake!  Sandy doesn't mind.  They chase each other a bit...

 and then discover they can get up on the trampoline (a couple of trees came down on it last winter, so it's now pretty much defunct for jumping, but easier to climb on if you're a dog).

 As you can see, it's covered with leaves and still has a little lopsided bounce left in it.  They have a great time jumping and rolling around!

 I throw their balls up there and now it's a real dog playground!

That is one happy dog!

 Before we head home for breakfast, Cassie rolls a little bit more while I enjoy the scenery.  It's another beautiful fall morning.

Sometimes Cassie needs to be hosed off before we go in for breakfast, depending on how much dirt sticks to her fur after her swim.  Today she's pretty clean so I just towel her off and we head in.  In nice weather, I can leave her outside all day because of that invisible fence.  But if the weather is wet, she stays inside and naps...

We have one or two other short play sessions in the afternoon or evening.  She loves tug-o-war indoors or out.

Finally, it's dinner and bedtime.  What a life!

Finishing up some Gifts

Look what I made! It's a Christmas gift for my good friend, co-worker, and next door neighbor, Gail, the one whose dog had puppies in September. I sort of borrowed this photo of two of the puppies off her Facebook page (I didn't ask her because I want it to be a surprise - I don't think she'll mind...). I printed the photo onto a purchased printer-ready fabric sheet and cut it into a heart shape, then stitched it onto a felt backing, which was also stitched onto the checked background. The base of it is that heavy fusible interfacing (Peltex) and the heart is a gold scrapbooking-type brad. I put a pin back on it because we wear lanyards at work and often decorate them with fun pins. It's about 2 inches square, so it could also be a refrigerator magnet, but I think it will be nice for her to have a reminder of all the puppy love she got this fall while she's going about her day. I'll give it to her on Wednesday with a bunch of cookies (I'll post about those tomorrow!). Keepin' busy!

Puppy Therapy

My next door neighbor's yellow lab, Sophie (Cassie's best friend pictured here) had a litter of 8 puppies about 4 weeks ago. We spent some time socializing with them this weekend. It's like therapy. There's nothing that can lift your spirits like being in a room filled with adorable, curious puppies! Here are some cute shots I took.

When we got there, the puppies had just woken up and were beginning to play. They were all over the place, climbing on the girls and chewing on their clothes and shoes.
At one point, I sat down and two of the yellow ones came along and climbed into my lap. Out of the 8, 5 are yellow and 3 are black.
They are already eating soft solid food and drinking water from a bowl. They have sharp little teeth and like to chew on anything and everything!



After a good 20-30 minutes of playing and eating, they start to get sleepy again. They settle down next to you or climb up in your lap.

Look at that face!

These four have chosen this favorite corner of the kitchen for a nap. They are just too cute! Luckily, my friend has asked us to come back again soon to continue socializing the pups!

Summer Fun

Can you find the real puppy? We seem to have a wealth of stuffed dogs the same color as Casse and she spends time every day play fighting and snuggling with them, just as she would with her litter.

We recently took her on a long hike in Patterson, NY. It was a hot, steamy summer day, and the forest was cool, green and shady. I tend to always be looking down, spotting little ferns, moss and mushrooms along the trail. Here are some of my favorite shots from the walk.







Here is Casse with my daughter towards the end of the hike, one tired puppy! (make that 2!)

Our New Family Project!

Here she is, our latest addition! She is a 9-week-old golden retriever. I never thought I would ever get a dog, but knew if I did, it would be a golden retriever, and luckily, all family members agreed, especially our middle girl who has really been campaigning for a puppy for a long time. Hey, you only live once, right? She has a wonderful temperament, calm, friendly, and quiet yet also playful, and not too nippy. Of course, they do not come house broken the way cats do (have I mentioned I'm really a cat person at heart?), and we are now doing the arduous task of training her to let us know when she needs to go. Luckily, she will not mess in several key locations in the house and we are crate training her at night and when we are out, but when she is inside and not sleeping, a family member needs to be assigned to following her around and making sure she does not have an accident. This is our first full week of puppy care and my husband is away on business (have I mentioned he's the dog person?), making me the primary puppy trainer. This is exhausting and time consuming, but I am hoping it will be gratifying in the end, when we can take her for walks on the bike trail and hiking nearby. She will surely (eventually) be a fun and reliable companion for all of us.

Meanwhile, between chauffering the girls to and from camp, my busy summer work schedule, and my husband traveling, there has not been a lot of excess time or energy for creativity. Earlier this month I made three more charm bracelets using real metal chains instead of macrame`, but unfortuately I gave two of them away as gifts before I photographed them! I hope to post pictures of them at a later date. I am also continuing to produce the little 4x4 swap pieces. I am about halfway through that project (we need to make about 30 - hope I can get the rest done next month! My schedule should be a lot lighter in August...)