What ?

It was a sunny day, Cooper and Otis were on the deck while Jeff and I ate lunch in the kitchen. Coop was starring at a shadow and barking and pawing at it.

Oti raced over to see what all the excitement was about. Oti stared at the floor for a minute and then looked at Coop with a quizzical expression. Oti seemed to be saying, "What ? What am I missing ?" You could tell that Oti did not see why a shadow would be exciting.

Oti wandered to the door and waited to be let inside. Coop's tail was wagging a mile a minute and he was blissfully happy to be with his shadow friends.

Bon Jovi

We went to the Bon Jovi concert at Mohegan Sun Arena this weekend. When I was a teenager Bon Jovi had their first radio hit. Twenty six years later, I decided it was finally time to see this band.

I thought Bon Jovi would be good - how else can they consistently sell out major stadiums ? However, I was surprised at how EXCELLENT the concert was. For two and a half hours, Bon Jovi played new songs and old favorites.

The crowd was on their feet and the arena rocked. The energy in the 10,000 seat arena was palpable. I wondered what must a concert at the Meadowlands be like ?

Jon Bon Jovi is an fantastic performer. You can tell that he loves to sing and the audience is happy to get swept up in the moment.

As with most concerts there are a lot of video screens to show close ups of the band performing. Bon Jovi also had extensive video clips and graphics displaying during songs.

I thought we would be some of the older fans, but as Bon Jovi said, there were a lot of "cougars" out on Saturday evening. The people sitting near us had traveled from Maine and many had been to multiple concerts.

I am very glad we went to the concert. As we left, I said to Jeff, I would like to see them again someday ;)

Toyota

Maybe, just maybe, it's not always Toyota's fault...

Fan Club

Carol, the dog walker, stopped by the other day with another client Laurie. It seems that Laurie loves big red Goldens and wanted to meet Otis.

Laurie's red Golden, Jake, had passed away. I thought Laurie was now dogless, but she owns 3 yellow Goldens.

Laurie cooks liver for breakfast and salmon for dinner DAILY for her pups. I told Otis not to listen, otherwise he will not eat his IAMS.

Otis loved all the attention, especially the belly rubs. Oti was ready to pack up his toys and race into Laurie's car, until he heard that she also owns 2 cats.

Maybe the grass isn't always greener....

Frogs for Breakfast

When I looked out the window this morning, I saw a hawk sitting on a rock at the pond's edge. The hawk sat unmoving for several minutes and then took off, his wingtips brushing the water.

The hawk landed on another rock and began to eat. I realized that the hawk was having frogs for breakfast!

The hawk must sit close to the water, because the frogs only appear for the briefest instant. They could never be caught if the hawk perched in a tree over the pond.

I am fascinated by these beautiful birds. The hawks are smart, swift, strong, deadly and yet at only 2 pounds surprising fragile. Hawks mate for life. Our pair seem devoted to each other.

One website said hawks are rarely seen in back yards. I smiled, because the hawks spend large portions of the day at our pond. I realize we are lucky to have these unique guests sharing our home.

When I arrived home in the evening, the hawk was again perched at the edge of the pond. I guess frogs make a good dinner too!

Englehardt on Wealthshare Healthcare

Signs of Spring VI

Easter lilies are on sale at Costco.

Signs of Spring V

The frogs are back - the croaking is long and LOUD!

Good luck trying to sleep at night.

Signs of Spring IV

Otis and Cooper's coats are at their fluffiest.

This means that soon they will start to "blow their coats" and I will be vacuuming every day

Signs of Spring III

Love is in the air! A pair of red tailed hawks have been showing their affection while perched over our pond.

No pictures of that, since this is a G rated site!

Signs of Spring II

Daffodils bring sunshine to gloomy days

Signs of Spring I

The crocus cheerfully announce that Spring is here!

Your Iditarod 2010 Winner!

Congratulations to Rev and Maple as the lead dogs of Lance Mackey's winning Iditarod team. These strapping dogs raced the 1100 +/- miles from Anchorage to Nome Alaska in 51 seconds short of 9 days.

The Iditarod is quite a fascinating competition. There's rules, strategies, and lots of personal stories that make the whole thing very interesting.  Some animal activists think the Iditarod is dog abuse, but does this picture suggest dog abuse? 

Our Bettles favorite musher, Sven Haltmann, was running  in the top 10 until he dropped from 13 dogs to 9.  He finished today in 17th place overtaking Sonny Lindner in the last two checkpoints and coming in less than 10 minutes ahead.

Cooper and Otis have been on pins and needles everyday awaiting the results.  Cooper thinks he could be a "lead dog" next year...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Cooper's green collar proudly tells the world that he is Irish. His smiling eyes and wagging tail say "Kiss Me and I will kiss you back!".

With Oti's dark red coloring, no one can doubt there is Irish in his blood.

This is truly a day for celebration. Last year, Cooper spent St. Patrick's Day at Norwalk Vet Hospital undergoing cancer surgery. One year later, Cooper is looking more beautiful than ever.

As you get dressed this morning, don't forget to wear something green!

Storm

On Friday, it started raining in Wilton. On Saturday, the rain became extremely heavy and there were wind gusts of 60+ miles per hour.

On Sat afternoon, we were sitting in the kitchen when there was a loud snap and our neighbors 50 foot pine cracked in half. Luckily, the tree did not fall in our direction.

The wind howled all night long and the rain poured down. When we walked the dogs on Sunday morning, we saw that several of our neighbors had lost trees. When we drove in Wilton and Norwalk, we found that many of the streets were closed due to downed power lines and trees.

We were lucky and had very little damage. We did not lose power and our phone was working.

Fast forward to tonight. I got home from work and noticed that our phone was not working. I called AT&T to report the problem. They estimate we will get phone service back on Thursday night!

Maddy & Paddy ?

When we first bought our home, we had a pair of mallard ducks visit us for several weeks. We named them Maddy and Paddy. Last year, Maddy and Paddy did not appear. I feared the worst.

We now have two mallards visit us every few days. I was sure that these were new ducks, but now I am not so sure.

This morning, we went out to walk the dogs and noticed the mallards on the pond. I went back into the garage to get some corn. By the time I made it out of the garage, the female was off the water and running in my direction!

Coop and Oti barking did not phase her at all.

So, I wonder if this might be Maddy and Paddy ?

Hawks

When I was walking Cooper and Otis the other day, I saw a bunch of hawk feathers in the driveway. I wondered if something had happened to one of the hawks which often hunt in our yard.

The next day Jeff took these beautiful pictures. The hawk looks healthy to me.

The hawks often hunt in pairs and usually you can spot two of them. I always hope the pair will nest in our yard, but that has not happened.

Wet

After Friday's adventure, you would think that I would have had enough of wet dogs. However, Cooper and Otis needed a bath, so we headed to the dog wash.

Now that we have two dogs, we each wash a dog. These "water dogs", should like a bath, but they don't.

Coop refused to jump up onto the bench, so I scooped him up. Coop was obviously surprised (or maybe terrified) and did not move. I turned on hose and began to wash him. Coop was covered in suds and I was thinking that this was going remarkably well. All of a sudden Coop gave a big shake and soap flew everywhere.

By the time we left, I was once again soaked.

While the washing may not be fun, I love how soft and silky the dog's coats are. Coop and Oti never look more beautiful then after a bath.

Springtime

A pair of mallard ducks have come to visit us. Sadly, these are not Maddy and Paddy. I guess we will never know what happened to our two friendly ducks.

When Coop and Oti see the ducks swimming on the pond, they bark.

Last year when our neighbor's tree fell in the pond, two limbs broke off and are floating in the middle of the pond. The ducks seem to enjoy sleeping on the logs.

Ferry Ride

Remember this next time you decide to take the Ferry...

Happy Ending

I work at home on Friday's. On Fri, the usual wake up, shower and get dressed for work rules don't apply.

I was working in the office wearing my purple sweatpants and pink pajama top and thinking it was almost time for lunch. All of a sudden Oti started barking like crazy and Coop quickly joined in.

When the dogs would not settle down, I went into the bedroom and looked out the window. I saw a yellow Lab racing around the pond. All of a sudden the Lab jumped into the pond.

I had not seen this dog before. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. Should I let the dog run loose or try to catch him and see who he belonged to? I realized that if Coop or Otis got loose and were running in someone's yard, I would hope that person would help to reunite us.

I grabbed my coat and Coop's leash, pulled on my boots and raced out the door. The dog was now racing thru the woods. I called to the Lab and he came bounding over. The dog was soaking wet and jumped up and rubbed against my legs.

I grabbed the Lab by his collar, but there was no tag. Now what to do ? I had no idea where the dog had come from. I attached Coop's leash and thought perhaps this dog either belonged to a neighbor up the road or had run off from someone in the nearby park.

The dog and I began walking down the road. The Lab was blissfully happy. As we neared the end of the road I heard someone calling long and loud. Could this person be searching for the Lab ? The dog showed no sign of recognizing the voice.

It turns out that the dog's name is Dusty. Dusty belongs to a neighbor's employee and had suddenly run off. The man thanked me for returning his dog and headed inside.

When I got back home, I laughed at what a sight I was. My purple pants were soaked, my boots were dirty and my hair was a mess. Oti smelled the Lab on my clothes and would not stop sniffing me. I realized it was the perfect time for a shower

Obama's Road Trip

Found this YouTube video that explains Obama's spending in a fun way.

Shortcut to China

We went to visit our Long Island family this weekend. Cooper and Otis love to visit Grandma and run in her large fenced yard.

When we arrived, the dogs went into the backyard and raced around kicking up snow as they ran. After a few minutes Otis ran up the deck stairs and stood peering into the kitchen. Oti looked pitiful, panting and pleading with big sad eyes to be let inside.

Both dogs came inside and were later let out for one last chance to run free before leaving. Oti did not want to go out, when his people were inside. Cooper on the other hand raced out the door.

30 minutes later I looked outside and knew there was trouble. The pure white snow was now brown with mud. I called to Coop and he raced over, covered in dirt. His legs, belly, chest and ears were caked with mud.

I went over to look at the muddy area and there was a hole a foot deep! I have no idea what Coop smelled that made him dig or if he was just bored.

There was no way Cooper could get into a car. Since the outside faucets are shut off for the winter, I grabbed a bucket of water and tried to clean most of the dirt off him.

Cooper left Long Island in disgrace. I am not sure if he will be welcomed back at Grandma's. At a minimum, Coop can no longer be allowed unsupervised time in the yard.

We will be going back to LI in the spring to fix the lawn. This time the dogs may stay home.