Happy New Year! Brrrrrr .....

Happy New Year to everyone! It's hard to believe it was 10 years ago that we were consumed with Y2K, and holding our breath to see if there was a massive computer crash, power grid failure etc. at the turn of the millenium. It's also hard to believe that 10 years ago, I didn't even know what a 'corgi' was!!!! I got Princess in October, 2000 - and my life changed forever. 

It is COLD. REALLY cold!! Minus 33 degrees F this morning, with a wind chill that is minus 60! The girls tolerate cold weather quite well, but they went potty pretty fast this morning! I get such a chuckle out of Princess. She stands on three legs - alternating the leg that is raised - presumably to warm it up! Smart girl!

We are taking care of our neighbor, Sadie, today. Sadie and Princess are the same age, and they've been pals since the beginning. When they were young, they used to chase and chase and chase around the garage and through our yards. Now that they're old ladies, they just enjoy hanging out together. Dee Dee adores Sadie. I mean, really adores her. Occasionally she gives Sadie some 'lip' but most of the time she gets under her head and gives her lots and lots of kisses; then rolls over in an act of total respect and submission. It's so interesting, because she doesn't do that with any other dog; certainly not with Princess. Sadie is much bigger, of course, but she's really the most mellow of the three of them, which has been a good thing because she could take care of Dee Dee in short order, if she wanted to. But they are all great pals.

Christmas Snowstorm

It's been many, many years since the Midwest has had a major snowstorm on Christmas Day. There are a couple of aspects of this one that are headed for the record books .... 18 inches and counting, and the duration of the storm: 3 days, if you count the 5 inches we received Thursday night. We had a little reprieve yesterday for a few hours and then it wound up again, dumped another foot of snow and brought a lot of wind with it. Plans were changed and, unless you got out of town Thursday night or early Friday, you ended up staying home. The girls and I slept late this morning (soooo nice .... had the radio on, listening to Christmas music in the background), and I spent the day finishing up my cards and blowing snow. My snowblower isn't very big so you have to stay ahead of the drifts. I'm usually at work, so don't have the opportunity to do that, but this time I did and I'm so proud of myself. I was dug out before any of my neighbors (for once!) and even was able to help with my neighbor's driveway, since he DID have to work ... a 12 hour shift, no less.

The girls think the snow is just great, and they had a lot of fun playing with Sadie, their pal next door. Running through deep, heavy snow with legs that are 5 inches long is a lot of work, and they are getting older .... so they came inside and went right to sleep. Merry Christmas girls!

Reluctant Reindeer Christmas Photo Shoot

It is nearly the middle of December, and I have never gotten such a late start on my Christmas cards. Sending and receiving Christmas letters from family and friends is one of the best parts of the holiday season for me. Since I grew up in five different states, and have lived several different places as an adult, I have quite a few friends who I hear from only at Christmas. Facebook has been a new point of connection with old friends, but I still enjoy reading the comprehesive Christmas letters .... and I'm dismayed that the trend is moving to shorter and shorter letters; sometimes only a paragraph! No! I protest!

This is the way they're supposed to be worn, aren't they?                                          

Usually my cards are made by the end of October, my letter is written the day after Thanksgiving and they are in the mail the first week of December. Not this year! I had company over Thanksgiving (great fun!) and December has been consumed with baking for three different cookie exchanges, hosting a graduation open house for a friend and a year end fundraiser at work. Suddenly I find it is mid-December, and I'm almost in a panic! The letter is yet unwritten, and I don't have a single card made! I don't even have my tree up yet. Last night I decided that 'this was it' .... do or die ... so we went over to my friend Sandy's to have our picture taken in front of their tree! And my usually very cooperative and photogenic girls decided to be stinkers. Maybe they were picking up on my sense of urgency .... who knows? Whatever the case, we could not get them to look at the camera ... let alone 'smile'. And, just as I knew she would, Dee Dee finally 'had enough' and started to snarl at Princess .... at which time Princess closed her eyes and arched her neck as faaarrrr away from Dee Dee as she could ... and the photo shoot was over! But, just like with kids, sometimes the funny, candid shots tell the best story - and I think that will be the case with us this year!

Fright Night

Halloween isn't exactly the most favorite of days for Princess and Dee Dee. It ranks up there with the Fourth of July. Even the cute little toddlers who come dressed up as puppy dogs or clowns are scary looking to the girls. The other day I left them in the car while I ran into a grocery store. There was a display of ghosts and goblins just across the street, and when I came out of the store, the girls were looking out the back window, barking furiously. We can be walking in the neighborhood, and suddenly they will stop - dead in their tracks - suspiciously eyeing someones' lawn decorations. 

October isn't their favorite month for several reasons; Halloween just being one of them. It's also the month we go to the vet for their annual checkups. When Dee Dee recognizes the clinic, she refuses to get out of the car and wants me to hold her when we get inside. Princess puts on a much braver face, but her quivering back legs give her away. They were both pronounced 'in excellent health' for their ages. No cataracts (common in dogs of their age) and I was complimented on the condition of their teeth. Dee Dee's weight has been right at the 28.5-28.8 mark for years, but Princess - who has a much smaller build - has now dropped to 25.6 lbs - which makes her look and feel so much better. We love the staff of the Casselton Veterinary Clinic ... they are the best!!

October also took us to Michigan to see family, with a stop in Eastern Iowa to see friends. The weather in Michigan was the same as what I left behind in Minnesota - cold and wet!! Nonetheless, we did work in a trip to the beach one day, and the dogs had a great time. Dee Dee picks on her brother mercilessly, so she has to wear a muzzle when she's around him. She really doesn't mind it all that much. I think it makes her feel more secure, and it keeps Elvis safe - and my blood pressure from rising! The weather this month has been absolutely miserable, with several days of snow (thankfully, it has all melted), but the sun is out today and hopefully that bodes well for November. My leaves still have not been raked .... that is on the 'to do' list for tomorrow!

A Bad Joke or a New Breed?

It's that time of year when we are transitioning from summer to fall, meaning you can need air conditioning one day and heat the next! We've had a beautiful September though; in fact, I think it was warmer than June, July or August! It's a very busy time of year for me at work, and I feel guilty that my girls don't get to see a lot of me. I try to make it up to them when I get a chance. Last weekend I took them to a lake where they could swim. They LOVE that! Yesterday I took them for a walk around a little lake - but one that doesn't allow swimming. For Dee Dee, that is sheer torture. Every ten steps she would pull towards the lake with eyes pleading, "Can we go in here?"

I had a very funny experience with them a few days ago. I had taken them to a fairly large park near our home, quite early in the morning. I didn't expect to see anyone there, but there was a big truck in parking lot with a lot of cameras set up and a few men standing around. It turns out they were there to film a commercial. I parked, let the girls out and they bolted across the grass, barking all the way - just as they always do. The men had a bit of a puzzled look in their eyes and one of them walked over to me, asking if we were there for the commercial. I said, "No - we're just here for a walk." "Oh", he said, "We're waiting for some people to come for a commercial, and we ordered two Great Danes. When I saw your dogs, I thought it was somebody's idea of a bad joke." I burst out laughing. "Well, these dogs are the new Miniature Great Danes."

Three for Thee - ODB Designs - September challenge

I've done it again .... hijacked Princess' and Dee Dee's blog to take part in a rubber stamping blog hop. This time it is for Our Daily Bread Designs which has become a favorite company for purchasing wonderful scripture stamps and sentiments. The card I have posted here is a pocket card for their September challenge. It is a 4X6 inch card, using the Fruit of the Spirit set. It's one of my favorites. Cardstock is from Stampin' Up (elegant eggplant, always artichoke and sahara sand); jumbo brads are from Close to my Heart. Autumn Traditions DP, tab punch and ribbon are also Stampin' Up. I got these recipe cards from Current - but they are VERY old - and I don't know if they're still available. I thought they were perfect for this card though. Be sure and check out all of the other participants in this challenge.

http://kellrick.typepad.com/our_daily_bread_designs/2009/09/our-daily-bread-designs-three-for-thee-design-team-challenge.html

Farewell to summer .... NOT!

Labor Day is generally viewed as the end of summer, but we're not about to let go of this one yet! We just haven't had enough summer yet ... in fact, the past week has been one of the warmer weeks of the season. We had a wonderful holiday weekend, visiting friends in Paul Bunyan land. My friend Laurie and I enjoyed a little kayaking, and the girls got to swim ... well, actually swim is a misnomer, as Pelican Lake is so shallow that they were able to sprint through the water to retrieve their stick.

This picture of Princess swimming beside me was actually taken a couple of years ago in Michigan. There's a funny story behind it too. My brother Tim and I took turns in the kayak while the other one had 'dog duty' (my two plus Elvis) on shore. Princess didn't like me going off without her though and kept swimming after me until Tim came out to get her. He finally tied her leash to a lawn chair so she couldn't get away (or so he thought). It worked for a while. I paddled upstream and around a bend so she couldn't see me. Eventually I turned around, came back into view and !

I saw Princess in the water, still tied to the lawn chair, swimming towards me with the chair flopping behind her. It was the funniest thing I ever saw! She wasn't making much progress, but her determination was impressive