This is Freddie being really, really brave. He is sitting about 20 feet from Rocko, the huge, scary bichon frise next door. This is as close as he has come until today. Just after I snapped this he got really brave and went to the fence. They greeted each other with brave sniffs and that was it.
But check out these ears. Yesterday they sort of inflated, going up a little more as the day went on. Today they were totally up except for a tiny corner of one ear. He is so precious! I walked with Freddy and Bubbles and Merlin this morning and Freddie did an outstanding job.
LukeOK, Luke and Rufus and the sauna have nothing to do with each other. The sauna was just a nagging thing this morning at the Y. General question: What is the point of opening the sauna door (wide open), inserting your arm and asking “is it hot in there?”. I always want to say “it WAS”. But I don’t. This happens more often then I would like to share.
Rufus is gone. I brought him last week to the vet and watched him pass over to the other side. It was sad, I cried, and then it was over. It cost more to have both dogs cremated then it would for a whole new dog. Ru lived a long and pampered life. He had beautiful blue eyes that even in their last moments were clear and bright. It was his spirit that was gone. Life was a drag, his tumors were festering and moving around was a challenge. When I finally called the vet (we had been talking of this day since his last exam in August) they told me that he was going away Thursday afternoon until this week. If I wanted him to do “it”, I would have to come the next morning at 10 am. OK.Rufus seemed to know. He pretty much stopped eating and drinking and just looked at us, head on paws. We took some pictures, Bubbles took the last one on my cell phone which I’ll post in a second, and then I left with him. I came back alone, with a leash.
So now we are dogless, me, for the first time since 1983. How odd to have no canines needing my attention this morning. I brought back the most recent litter of SPCA puppies yesterday, so this is our first full day of doglessness. Which brings me to…Luke. That’s not really his name, that’s what we would name him if we get him. His name is “Lucky #5″ because he is lucky. Someone put a rubber band on his leg when he was a baby and it had to be amputated. He is absolutley beautiful and about 17 weeks old. We have applied to adopt him and drove 3 hours to meet him on Sunday. Full of spunk and attitude! A certain cure for doglessness.
This is Chance’s birthday. We love you. No matter what. (Not to be confused with endorsing your life right now).
Check out these beautiful babies! Zelda, Zeke and Zeb (short for Zebulon). They came from a tiny hound mom and an unknown dad. There were 11 in the litter, all survived and were split up for socialization and adoption. They are scrumptious. (Zelda is my favorite).
I didn’t think this blog would be overtaken by pet issues, but here’s yet another post with…pets.
In other news, our spaetzle maker arrived. If you don’t know what a spaetzle maker makes, it is, well, spaetzle. Spaetzle is a german pastry made by dropping dough in boiling water. This is really tricky and potentially dangerous because the water is boiling. After trying various methods and failing miserably, Tom suggested that I look into purchasing a spaetzle maker. What an idea. It turns out that there is such a device, several versions in fact. I trolled ebay for a while and then found a “used” spaetzle maker for about 1/3 the cost of a new one. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Bubbles LOVES spaetzle, so if she’s happy with it, we will all be happy!
Here’s a tip for you. Want to lose your kids in a hurry, if you’re in, say, Walmart and want some alone shopping time? Pretend to sing along with your ipod. It helps if you actully have one with you, but if you don’t, pretend that you do. Not scattering fast enough? Grab an object and use it as a microphone. Now sing louder. Pretty soon you are all alone in the aisle with other people doing exactly the same thing. This can be our little secret.
