Wordless Wednesday: Watching the Bruins Playoffs

Wordless Wednesday: Look Who We Found in Our Yard?

Wordless Wednesday: Grist Mill

Our Day at Paws in the Park

We had a wonderful day at Paws in the Park on Sunday. The one mile walk was held at the historic Wayside Inn in Sudbury and we got to walk past the Grist Mill. Mom used to picnic there with her grandmother, so it's one of her favorite spots. We weren't so crazy about the water from the mill. We had a big surprise when Cousin Heather showed up to accompany us for the day. Katy seemed to do really well with Heather. There were lots of vendors to visit before and after the walk.

We got to try some new things and got better at some old things. They handed out complimentary bandanas. Blue meant we weren't rescued from Save a Dog, but were there to support them. There was a woman promoting her dog massage business who gave us complimentary massages.





Katy wasn't too sure about having a stranger do a massage and then the woman found the spot. First Katy dropped to a seated position and then she laid down. She was actually disappointed when the session ended. Bailey could have stayed all day.

There was a fun try out agility course to raise money for Save A Dog. Bailey did the best he's done yet. Katy has always refused to try any of the exercises before. However, lately she's been creating more of her own obstacle courses. Today, she was still paniced over the crowds, but only refused to go through the long tunnel. She did go through the short one.

We haven't moved much since we got home. It was a pretty exhausting. We are so glad so many people turned out to support Save A Dog.

Dad's Birthday Present

We were supposed to get back to posting last week, but Mom got involved with the local library book sale and she got behind with all her blogging. Can you imagine putting the library before our blog?

The last time we blogged we said Grandma made a special present for us for Dad's birthday. You might have noticed we have a bit of a love of fleece. Mama's Aunt made Bailey a Patriot's blanket of his own before Katy came into the family. Mama is not so good with a sewing machine. She claims they have it in for her. Grandma came to the rescue so the Patriot's blankie could be rested. It gets a periodic washing, but unlike Dad's sport fleece that get's rotated with the sports seasons, the Patriot's blankie has not had a break in a LONG time. Dad told Mama the Joann's has fleece on sale. Grandma told Mama if she could find the rest of the Boston sports teams in fleece she'd make our blankies. For that it might be worth letting the parents leave the house.



We are still working out the details of who gets to use which blanket, when, but we technically each have our own Red Sox blanket to rest on while watching them play.

Paws in the Park

As rescue dogs we love to promote events for other dogs in need of a new home. Save a Dog is hosting Paws in the Park at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts on Sunday May 5 from 10-3. The cost is $10 for adults and children 12 and older. Those 11 and under are charged $5. Registration for the one-mile walk starts at 10 AM. The walk begins at 11 AM. There are all kinds of vendors, doggie games, food, and more. Check out the event website here.

Mom was all excited about going to this event two years ago and then she got sick. Somehow, she missed it last year. This year we are determined to be there.

Checking out the Tractor

Dad got help from a friend to do some yard repair this weekend. With all the snow, we have had some erosion, so we needed to fill in some holes and fill in some gaps under the fence. Dad's friend brought over his mini-tractor to help with the work.

Katy was too afraid to check out the tractor. After he was done working and the machine was shut off, I got curious. At first, I sat on the floor with Dad's friend sat on the seat. That was fun, but the view wasn't great. Also, Mom does not like to post other people's photographs on the blog if they aren't comfortable with that idea. Therefore, he let me sit on the seat so I could have a picture she could post.

It was fun helping Dad and his friend do the yard repairs. The snow is almost gone and Mom and Dad will be back to gardening. Katy and I will have to do snake patrol. While Dad was working yesterday, Katy and I were already checking out their favorite spots. Mom says it is still too cold for them, but we want to be prepared.

We have been so lucky

Last month we were one of six winnners in Dakota's Den Kong Premium Treats Giveaway which just arrived this week. (Katy has been have a little tummy problem so we have had the chance to try them out yet.) We are so looking forward to having some.

Then yesterday we discovered we were one of three winners in Dakota's Petcakes giveaway. We are so thrilled!!!

Thank you Dakota. Katy should be able to try out the Kong treats this weekend and we can't wait for the Petcakes to arrive after seeing the pictures of the ones your Mom made you.

Wordless Wednesday: Love Is

Easter Bunny Picture

As promised we got our Easter Bunny picture in the mail on Saturday, so Mom agreed to post it today. Isn't it interesting that the high tops the bunny was wearing were cropped out?

Mom is considering having some professional photographs done by Fred Levy's studio. We've had Christmas and now Easter photographs done at fun shoots. He's thinking about doing private animal shots and while we are not crazy about pictures, he does seem to catch us in a good light.

We Survived the Easter Bunny

As you know we are veterans of the Santa visits, but this Easter Bunny thing was unchartered territory. Dogs chase bunnies. It is the way of the world. We have a very friendly relationship with humans, so this Santa guy is nothing but cool. A human sized bunny give you pause.

When we arrived, there was literally a bunny trail to follow to reach the big guy. Along the path were vendors of different whole foods kind of companies trying to give out samples of their food or treats. Not a bad deal as we got to try out several different kinds of treats along the path to see the great bunny. We knew Katy was nervous when she left huge crumbs behind. The doggy vacuum has never been known to leave any traces of anything resembling food behind. This large bunny visit had her spooked.

When we finally arrived at the Bunny Den we found a very friendly bunny and lots of dogs hanging out trying to figure out what we were doing there posing with a bunny. Would our friends find out, what would the neighbors think, etc? However, most of us knew we had no choice. We were going to pose with the bunny. Now I bet you don't know this, but the Easter Bunny wears high top sneakers. Who knew he could fit his big bunny paws into high tops, but they must be magically made to keep those paws toasty warm.

Our picture hasn't arrived yet, but we will share it when it does. We just wanted all of you to know, he isn't such a scary dude after all. For a bunny, he seems to understand how to hold you for the picture without scaring you or squishing too hard. This is good because I can see Mom wanting another trip down the bunny trail.

Visiting the Easter Bunny

We have been going to see Santa since I first came to the house and I was able to reassure Katy that everything would be fine. Dad found out the Easter Bunny is coming to a local dog fair event, Mom and Dad both want us to go and get our picture taken. We’ve never met the Easter Bunny and we are having a bit of a panic.

Santa is a jolly old fellow and while he may have magical powers, he smells like a human and he's no giant. Katy and I have been herding tiny bunnies out of Mama's veggie gardens and the thought of meeting a human sized bunny is a bit intimidating. This strange bunny has been leaving Easter presents for us, for years without us ever meeting and we were Ok with that. After all, how will this bunny feel about dogs that chase away its smaller relatives? Does he understand that veggie gardens are to be protected? Will it change how he thinks about our Easter toys? What if we have the urge to chase it?

We are looking for advice before Saturday. Have any of you ever visited the Easter Bunny?

Wordless Wednesday: Snow Cookies Get Them Fresh

Just When We Thought the Snow Cookies Were Gone

Yes, Dad saw a crocus popping up through the ground yesterday. I've been standing watch on the last of the snow, but truthfully the cookies are a bit stale. Dad doesn't wanting us eating them anymore because he says they are mixed with other stuff we shouldn't be eating.

Then last night while he was watching basketball, we heard the magic words, we are predicted to get 4-8 inches of snow cookies starting tonight. Our spring snow cookies are headed our way baking in the clouds even as we speak. Fresh snow cookies might even be here as a bedtime snack.

We just can't understand why Mom and Dad just don't seem to show the same excitement.

Wordless Wednesday: Birthday Pictures

Happy 10th Birthday Bailey

Yes, Mama is waxing poetic today. She just can't believe her little puppy is 10. She still thinks no time has passed since she drove all the way to CT to pick me up from my foster Mom when I was only four months old. Lots has happened since that day. Mama even brought home a girl Sheltie to live with us. While I am pleased with the extra bakery cookies, the bully sticks, and the new toys, I am not sure why Mama is so mushy over the big 1-0.

Mama even admitted on another blog that she's been lying about my age. Can you believe she's trying to make me younger than I am? Actually, I think she forgets. She wants me to stay young and she kept telling people I was 6 when I was 8. Then Dad would correct her. It's odd for a woman who admits to how old she is once she counts up from the year she is born. She doesn't lie about her age either, but every so often it does seem to surprise her when she adds up the numbers.

Any of you find your Mom gets mushier about your aging then she does her own?

Anyways I am looking forward to a great day of playing with my snow mounds, having my birthday treats, and getting in some snow cookies before the spring snow is gone.

Happy Spring ahead everyone.

Snow Cookies Refreshed in Time for Bailey's Birthday

Our snow cookies were tasting a bit stale and today, in time for Bailey's birthday celebration on Sunday, we got nice fresh snow cookies for the party. As you can see we didn't wait to celebrate. After all who says you need to wait for your birthday to start a party.



I know Dad has birthday treats hidden away so I don't have to worry he isn't ready for my party. However, he isn't giving out anything early. However, we get as many snow cookies as we want.

Spa Day

Saturday was spa day. Mom likes to make a big deal of spa day and Dad keeps telling her it is nothing like the stories she tells. No long gossip sessions under the hair dryers, no warm towels, etc. That was until she told him about the oatmeal baths and then to his amazement when Katy had dry skin, they suggested an oatmeal bath and Dad nearly burst out laughing. Score one for Mom. Since then we have been getting oatmeal baths and man does our skin notice it.

The dryer thing, well Dad just wasn't buying that. Then Saturday he called to find out if we were ready only to find out, yep, Katy was in a drying crate. Dad didn't find out if she was gossiping with the "girls" and she'll never tell. However, he's stopped mocking Mom's stories.

Dad figured he'd better grab a shot while Katy's bow was still in her hair. She loves her spa days, but once home, the beauty effects don't last long. Hair ribbons gone and mud appears.

Wordless Wednesday: Nemo's Trenches

We Survived NEMO

Mom likes to brag about how she survived the historic Blizzard of '78. She got an award for delivering newspapers in the snow. Well nobody deserves a reward until their bathroom is covered in snow over their head and they still go out in it to do their business. We sucessfully survived NEMO with Dad's help with a shovel and snowblower.

When Dad opened the front door after having shoveled a eight inches of snow before going to bed this is what we saw. After Dad shoveled the back deck we thought we'd be fine and we raced off into the snow. Katy got stuck in the snow bank and has been a little scared of the snow cookie mounds ever since. It took lots of herding work from Bailey and Dad to get her to go all the way around the track Dad eventually built.

Now we are old pros navigating the trenches. We are enjoying our easily available snow cookie supply. We do miss getting to the back fence to check out all the squirrels.

Wordless Wednesday

The Valentine's Toys are Back

Mama thought she was being sneaky when she packed away our Christmas toys. She had Dad sneak them into the attic when we were outside thinking we would not notice a few holiday toys missing among the huge stack of other dog toys. However, we know our toys and we miss them when they go away. However, we do seem to get very excited when they magically reappear and we treat them as if they are new friends.

That is how we felt when the Valentine's toys appeared this weekend. Mom got out the Valentine’s box and inside the box were our holiday toys. We immediately took to fighting playing with our stuffed candy hearts and other Valentine stuffies. Dad was out shopping this weekend and he said he found some new doggy Valentine stuff for us. Of course we have to wait for the big day and then they will put it away shortly afterwards, but there is always next year to look forward to seeing them again.

Wordless Wednesday: Where Are the Keys?

Clean Bill of Health

Dad took us to the vet on Saturday. Dad did warn me about the rabies shot, but he forgot to mention the several other pokes for shots, blood and that awful inhaled stuff up the nose. Katy sat bravely with me. The vet is extremely nice about letting us go to each other's visits. She seems to understand we support and encourage each other. Katy sniffed me all over when it was done and stayed by me all afternoon when I was feeling the after effects of all the pokes.

The Vet gave me a clean bill of health. I am dealing with some aging issues, but nothing that was not expected of my breed and age.

Wordless Wednesday: Taking Care of Dad

If That's Not Love What Is?

Can we get any privacy in this house? The Paparazzi is incredible. Here we are sharing a private moment and now it is splashed all over Blogville. They have no shame.

Mama is slowing returning the house to pre-Christmas status. The tree is almost ornament free. You have no idea how much that tree can hold. Our Christmas toys have not yet gone away. We are trying to hide some of them, but Mama always manages to find them.

Our snow cookie supply is holding out. We are starting to enjoy ice cookies as well. It is a new treat this year. Much like the ice cubes Mama gives us in the summer, these we can have without having to wait for Mama to give them to us.

We are getting back to our walk schedule now that the holidays are over. Mama and Papa donned their winter gear and took us out last night. Surprisingly we were the only dogs out. It seems others either went earlier or decided not to brave the cold.

Pictures may not be reposted without permission.

Happy New Year

We had such a busy Christmas vacation we did not have a minute to blog although we did get a few comments in here and there.

First, we would like to thank everyone who sent us cards. We got so many wonderful compliments on our card wreaths and Mama had to admit most the cards were ours.

Second, we want to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. We had a wonderful New Years Eve celebration. One of our favorite relatives was here and we got so much attention.

Christmas was amazing, too. Our Florida Grandmother spoiled us with new toys. A friend bought us toys and treats on Christmas Eve. Santa had bones and new toys for us in our Christmas socks. (Dad always donates Christmas socks for us to chew through as our Christmas stockings.)

We were in such a mellow mood on Christmas Eve we let our NC Grandma brush us out when we found our tree house trees left us with tree sap on our coats.

Mama told Papa she is going to start taking down the tree today. We will be sad to see it go as it is one of our favorite places to hide. However, it will give us back more room to run around, so that is a good thing.

Those Tempting Sheep

Sheep the final frontier. This is what stands between me, Katy, and Santa. I try to avoid them, but just this morning I found one in my mouth and Mama was yelling at me to drop it like cops do on those criminal shows she loves. I have no idea how that sheep popped into my mouth. However, Bailey says confess and Santa will forgive. So Santa here I am, guilty as charged....again. I am sorry. However, could you make those sheep less taunting?

The cards are still coming in and we may in fact fill that second wreath. Thanks for all the wonderful holiday wishes.

Wreath 2 Filling Up

Wreath 1 is completely filled, mostly with our Christmas Cards. Wreath 2 is also filling up with cards from our blogging friends. They are adding lots of festive cheer to our holiday! Mom is having a tough time getting shots of the 2nd wreath with her phone as she doesn't have room enough to back up to get the whole wreath in the shot.

Two Grandma's and one Grandpa will be arriving soon for Christmas. None of them are staying with us, but they will all be visiting, especially for the big Christmas Eve party. Daddy's parents bring the BEST pressies. Since they come on Christmas Eve we even get our stuff early!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

We know about the Santa Cams, so I thought it best to fess up before you got the official report. I attacked a plastic canvas sheep yesterday. I know the rule is herd not hurt the sheep, but I don't know what came over me. It looked so tempting sitting there among all the Christmas toys and I just couldn't resist picking it up and giving it a little love. Thankfully, Mama stopped me before any serious damage could be done. Who knows what the penalty is for destroying a manger scene.

I am truly sorry dear Santa and am really trying to only play with my Christmas toys. It is hard when Mom and Dad have these tasty distracting items to play with all around me. I will try harder.

Love,
Katy

We are Good with Santa

We went and had our chat with Santa on Sunday. It took two pictures, but we have our proof that we went in case there is an issue later with our presents.

Bailey earned Santa points when he helped keep a young pup from bolting away from Santa. Dad helped get the dog to sit on Santa's lap so the pup could have her picture taken with Santa. We are hoping Santa remembers all those good deeds when it comes time to visit our house.

Mama promises to post the picture with Santa after Dad scans it in.

As you can see, the first card wreath is almost full and it only has two cards belonging to Mom and Dad. The rest are all from you, our blogging pals. Mom has two wreaths, so we she will have room for the cards that are sure to come from the Grandmas and other family.

Going to Talk to Santa

We are headed off to visit with Santa on Sunday. We have much to discuss. Been working on sharing and not fighting over toys and food. Hoping Santa will forgive some of our "minor" disgressions and not forget us.

The tough part is we have to get our picture taken. Mama says it is for a good cause. It helps raise money for dogs and cats that do not have any place to live. However, we are just not crazy about this whole picture taking thing.

Anyone else off to see Santa this season?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

We are so thrilled that Mama is sticking to her commitment about walking. Last night Dad was so surprised when Mama texted him about walking. After all it was snowing!!! Mama stuck to it though and we got to walk in the snow. There were so many delightful things to sniff and examine. We can only hope this trend continues.

Yesterday, Mom helped us address our first batch of cards. Dad brought home stamps, so we will be working on more cards today. Mama also has to ship some packages, so she is working on balancing Christmas cards and Christmas wrapping/boxing. It will all be done soon.

More cards arrived yesterday. So far, we have 9 cards and Mom and Dad have yet to get one. I think it is because we send out more. Our blogging friends have some great Christmas card designs.

The Christmas Card Exchange Has Begun

Mom was so thrilled, when she got the mail out of the box on Black Friday. She already had Christmas cards from the Dog Blog Christmas exchange. After our Christmas toys, the card wreaths were one of the first things to come out of the box. Mom loves displaying all the beautiful Christmas cards.

We were thrilled when Dad said he found a great Black Friday deal at Walgreens and hopped online to order our cards. He picked them up the same day and now that all the family cards are done, Mom has promised to get to work on our card exchange ones.

Happy Thanksgiving

We know Thanksgiving is Thursday, but once Dad is home from work tonight, the holiday rush begins and we may not get back to blogging until next week. We wanted to stop and wish everyone a safe and snack filled holiday.

Mom got a summary note from her doctor yesterday with good news about her tests. The best news for us, she included a note to tell her to continue walking. Can you imagine that a human vet gave us the best present ever, mandatory walks. Right after dinner Dad got out the leashes and despite the bracing cold, Mom and Dad took us for an evening walk. This Sheltie trainer thing has its benefits.

We are hoping to get our cards printed after Thanksgiving and then we can get started on the card exchange.

Sheltie Fitness Coaches

The Human Vet confirmed it. We are making Mama healthier!

Mama had to go for her yearly physical. While she still has a long way to go the human vet saw improvements and asked Mama what she was doing. She told her about walking us when the weather wasn't wet and we received great compliments for motivating her.

Don't doubt your healing power folks. We can do it.

Tyler the Turkey Returns with a Friend

Some of you might remember Mom's obsession with holiday toys. She just took down the Halloween decorations and mysteriously our Mummy and Bat toys have gone missing into the strange world of the Attic. However, as the Halloween toys went missing, who should appear, but Tyler Turkey and his friend.

Last year, Mom looked everywhere online and in person for Thanksgiving dog toys. She finally found Tyler. While taking Bailey and I to get pictures with Santa she was so thrilled to discover a Tyler on clearance at the place we were having our pictures taken. She stashed him in the Thanksgiving box and we were thrilled to discover not one but two turkey toys to play with this year. We do need a name for the second one though. It is too confusing if they are both Tyler.

If anyone spots any other Thanksgiving toys on the market, please let Mom know. She is always looking to expand our holiday toy options.

The First Snow Cookies of the Year

It snowed yesterday and we were treated to the first fresh snow cookies of the year. The best thing about snow cookies is Mom doesn't care how many we eat. We can run around the yard and scoop up as much as we want and she doesn't seem to worry about it ruining our dinner. That's what she says when we want to many of our other snacks.

We are still having wet weather, but it is more sleet than snow at this point.

This is our friend Mrs. Pumpkin. She has been on our porch for a while now. She had a brief trip indoors during the hurricane, but moved outside afterwards as we missed having her out there. Mom and Dad seem to think she will be traveling some time before Thanksgiving. We will miss her as we have spent hours sunning ourselves next to her.

So Much Going On

We survived the Sandy without a loss of power. Mama kept rubbing her magic emergency lantern every time the power dimmed and the lights came back on. We are praying for all those who are still without power and recovering from all the damage.

Bailey came up with a new idea for trick or treat. He got a head pat for every treat given out. Katy came closer to the door and was spying at the trick or treaters from a cave she created. She might not have wanted to get close, but our girl is getting braver and refused to miss out on the action.

Katy has also discovered the joy of leaves. Last year Katy was terrified of the sound made as people and dogs pushed through piles of leaves left on the streets. This year as we've been walking more frequently, she has become very curious about the smells and the texture of the leaf piles.

What really drew us out was the card swap. It has been a tough summer and fall for Mama and she hasn't been doing much blogging. She preposted a bunch of stuff for her education blog last winter that has continued, but everything else has been dragging. However, she has been scanning blog postings and when she realized she almost missed the sign up for the Christmas cards she not only signed us up, but she wanted to let people know we were still out here.

We Love Fall

Summer has many benefits, but there is nothing like the cool fall weather for outdoor fun.

Mama melts like an ice cream cone so she comes out more when the weather cools down. We get more walks. There are so many interesting smells. The back porch is warm, but lacks that sauna effect of midsummer.

When Mama and Papa clean out the gardens, we have even more room to play. Truly, there are no down sides to fall in New England for a Sheltie.

Fall Has Arrived

We took some time off from blogging. As we mentioned in our last blog one of Mom's relatives was very sick and finally passed away. Mom has not felt much like working on the computer.

Mom and Dad have been walking more and Katy has finally taken up reading pee mail although she rarely responds. Up to this point, walking has been about walking and occasionally meeting other dogs on our walks. However, in the last few days she has finally developed an interest in the environment, stopping to smell the grass along the way.

Football season has arrived and we have our bed positioned right in front of the tv for maximum viewing pleasure. Sometimes we even get to share the couch with Dad. We like watching both college and professional football. Dad has been much calmer since the ref situation has been resolved.

We hope to catch up on all your blogs soon.

Monday's News

We can't believe the Olympics is over. Mama wanted to be more active, but there has been lots of family stuff going on.

We celebrated our Grandpa's birthday not to long ago. He's visiting from Florida for the summer and we are so glad to spend time with him. For someone who hasn't spent much time with dogs, he truly has taken to his doggy grandkids. Mom and Dad are often surprised that we have charmed them so much.

On a sadder note, we went to visit one of our favorite relatives at the hospice center. Katy has never been to a nursing facitity before and she was so brave. All of you would have been so proud of her. She even let two older ladies pet her as she was leaving. She spent most of the time at the end of the bed guarding against intrustions. She really couldn't grasp the purpose for the visit. Bailey has had nursing home experience. He spent a good bit of time visiting my grandmother when she was staying in one. However, he is much closer to the person who is there now and you could tell it was troubling him when he realized who it was and where she was and he hopped up on the bed and snuggled with her for most of the visit. It was hard not to cry when you realized how much he understood. Bailey slept most of the afternoon away when he got home.

We thank everyone for raising our spirits during the Olympics. We enjoyed all the events.