I don't want breakfast

Danny has always been a chow hound. As soon as he hears the dog food cupboard open, he comes running into the kitchen.

Lately, he has shown no interest in breakfast. Danny will take a sniff and then turns his nose up and walks away.

Danny still eats the same amount, but now prefers one meal at night. Why the change ? I have no idea.

We asked the vet if this was a problem. The vet said as long as he eats, that it really doesn't matter.

I think this is a sign of how truly spoiled Danny has become. Danny is sure that his food will always be plentiful and available. So, he can be choosy about when he eats.

Mama Mia!

We went to see Mama Mia at Broadway's Winter Garden Theater on Saturday.

The show was surprisingly good. There is not much of a plot, but the music (ABBA songs) was fun and the singers were fantastic. Everyone who left the theater was smiling and laughing.

We had dinner at a little Irish pub (Connolly's). The beer drinkers in our party enjoyed the 30 beers that are on tap.

The weather was beautiful - a little cool, but sunny. In all, it was a great day in NYC!

Trip to the Vet

Danny had his 6 month wellness checkup and he lost 2 pounds! The Vet would like him to be a little thinner, but overall he is doing well.

The Vet commented on what a calm (I believe the exact words were "Finally a calm dog")and sweet dog he was. While the vet was checking for lumps, Danny just closed his eyes and leaned against her. Danny seemed to think he was getting a full body massage.

Easter Lily

We bought this Easter lily last week. Most of the flowers have opened as you would expect.

However, one bloom has some of the petals fused together, creating a fan effect

Lots of visitors

It seems as if the nicer weather is bring all of the animals out into the yard.

Early in the morning, the coyote was in the woods behind our house. I am not sure if this is the same one we have previously spotted. If so, the winter was easy, because he seems heavier and more muscular. The coyote's run through the trees was effortless and beautiful to watch.

It seems as if the back yard is the fox's shortcut. He often trots by, stopping to sniff at Danny's favorite spots.

I looked out in the afternoon and there was the red tailed hawk, perched in a tree, close to the feeders. Below on the pond were Maddy and Paddy (the mallard ducks).

Lunchtime brought the woodchuck out from under the shed.

No wonder that Danny can spend an hour in the yard- sniffing, running forward, doubling back and sniffing again.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We think Danny must have a wee bit of Irish in him.

How else can you explain his name and his beautiful red hair ?

ACC Tournament Champions

It was a hard fought game against Clemson, but UNC managed to hold on and win the ACC Tournament. I can only imagine the partying on Franklin Street this afternoon.

The win should guarantee the Tar Heels a #1 seed in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

March madness has begun.

Congratulations Heels!

The Return of Silverback

I looked out the window this afternoon and there was Silverback (the woodchuck), sunning himself on the ramp to the shed. It seems as if this garden destroyer fared quite well this winter.

I sent Danny outside. However, at the opening of the door, Silverback ran under the shed. Danny sniffed and sniffed and did not want to leave the shed, so I knew this creature was still close.

Looks like it will be another year of trying to outsmart the woodchuck!

Around town this morning

I occasionally have to go into New York City in the wee hours in the morning. Usually the morning train is filled with dark suit Wall Street banker types trying to get a few extra Z's before they start their day. But today was different. The train was abuzz with talk of Governor Spitzer's indiscretions and how much of a "prick" (their words, not mine) he was to people in their line of business.

"With all his money, you'd think he'd pay cash", one rider joked with his seat-mate.

Getting off the train at 125th Street in Harlem was not that much different. The freebie newspaper hawkers were trying to outdo each other for your attention. "He got nabbed!" won my business over "Read about the Gov's honey!". The cover of AM New York proclaimed "Out With a Bang" and had some local details about Client Number 9's latest purchase. There was even an article suggesting the time may be ripe for NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg to make a run at Albany in the next election.

Everybody had an opinion, even the doctor I was going to see. His comment was "you'd think that if he prosecuted things like this that he should be smart enough not to get caught." Good point.

At the bagel shop on the way back to the subway, one of the construction workers next to me was saying something about Jersey girls being the best in the world. The guy at the counter asked a patron "Do you think she'll leave him?", an obvious hint at Mrs. Spitzer's future.

"Leave him? He'll be lucky if she doesn't STAB him!" to the laughter of the other bagel fetchers in line.

As I got back onto the subway, I spied a copy of that AM New York crumpled up in a ball on the tracks. "How appropriate", I thought to myself as the train steamrolled over it as the whole thing becomes a distant memory. Not so easy for Silda and the kids.

UNC vs Duke - Round 2

We were out of town this weekend and I thought we would miss the UNC vs Duke men's basketball game. This was going to be a great one - UNC is nationally ranked # 1 and Duke #5. It was Duke's Senior Night and after the UNC's loss to Duke earlier this season, the Heels had something to prove.

Did I mention that whoever won the game would win the ACC regular season title ?

It turned out that we were able to watch the game - on a 55 inch flat screen High Definition TV with surround sound. The picture was unbelievably crisp and you could hear the clank of the basketball off the rim

It was a great game with UNC the victor!

Next stop the 2008 National Championship!

GO HEELS!

Spring arrives in Wilton

The first daffodil has appeared in the yard.

The robins are back.

Let spring begin!

The Search for Chip

Danny is a sniffer. On his morning walks his nose is to the ground catching up on what's been going on in the neighborhood. We say he's catching up on his "pee-mail" from the local creatures.

I took him out the other day and he caught wind of a little chipmunk. He dashed for the chipmunk that quickly darted between the rocks in our stone wall. Instead of giving up, Danny went to every crack and crevice sniffing here and there to find the chipmunk. After about ten minutes, I had to pull him off so we could get on with our business.

The first place he visits in the morning is that stone wall. I can almost see the wheels turning in his head saying "I know he went in here...". Meanwhile, the chipmunk is probably four houses away gnawing on a birdfeeder bounty.

Deer Hunter

Danny and I rounded the corner into the back yard when all of a sudden he stopped and his ears perked up. There were 6 deer standing 20 feet away!

Danny took off like a shot, barking as he went. The deer jumped the stone wall and Danny followed. A few yards into the woods, Danny stopped running yet kept barking.The deer did not stop and raced across the neighbor's yard.

The odd thing was that Danny stood there pawing the ground and kicking up dirt while he was barking. Was he trying to cover the deer scent with his own ?

More snow

It seems that Old Man Winter does not want to let Spring arrive. It snowed again last night. Just a few inches, but it still means the driveway and stairs need to be cleared.

As winter continues, the deer are foraging closer to the house. One bush that is planted along the side looked beautiful on Wednesday and was completely bare on Friday.

Scary Moment

Danny and I were playing fetch in the driveway when all of a sudden he ran up the stone steps and collapsed.

I was not sure if Danny had a seizure or just slipped. I ran over to see what was wrong. His head was not bobbing (a seizure symptom) and his eyes were focused. I ran my hands over his body, expecting to hear a yelp of pain if anything was broken. He didn't make a sound.

After a minute or two, Danny gave me a look as if to say "What happened!", got up , walked down the stairs and into the house.

I thought that after his fall, Danny would be sore. So, he got to spend the entire night on our bed.

In the morning my back was sore from Danny's bed hogging, but Danny was perfectly fine.

Fitz and Floyd - Spring

Looking out at the snow, it is hard to believe that Easter is less than one month away.

Easter means it is time to display the Fitz and Floyd spring collection. After many trips back and forth to the basement, the house is now overflowing with bunnies.

Seeing the bunnies reminds me that spring will be here soon.

Costco

I love Costco.

We wanted to switch cellular companies and were looking for new phones. We went to several stores and then stopped at Costco. The phone selection at Costco is more limited than a regular cell store, but Costco had the phones we wanted at great prices and included a free bundle pack (car charger, etc).

We have used Costco travel for great pricing on vacations.

Costco is a lot more than just food, cleaning supplies and paper goods. They have beautfiul flowers and plants and interesting seasonal items.

If Costco sold Liz Claiborne and Ralph Lauren, I would never need to shop anywhere else.

Danny's new friends

There's only two ways to cope with Winter in Connecticut; embrace it, or spend a month in Palm Desert California. Being that we're stuck here, we embraced it by taking Danny for a walk in Wilton Center on Sunday morning.

While Valerie dropped into CVS to pick something up, Danny and I waited outside. A young couple came out with two little kids who immediately stopped and were glued to "the pretty puppy". The Mom let them look for a couple minutes and then loaded them into the car.

Just as they were driving away, a man with a Golden approached us and said "We just had to say hello!". The other Golden's name was Bodie and he was about three years old. He was a dark Golden, but not as dark as Danny. We exchanged pleasantries while the dogs exchanged sniffs and they were on their way.

As Valerie dropped into the Post Office, Danny decided to take a quick rest, so he jumped up on the bench outside as we waited.

Godiva

I love Godiva chocolate. To be honest, I love all chocolate, but Godiva has become my favorite. Lindt is a close second.

I received Godiva cocoa as a gift and it is fantastic - very rich. For this cocoa you use milk, not water, so that helps enhance the taste.

On a cold day, I can't think of anything better than hot chocolate and a warm fire.

More Snow

More pictures of the latest snow.

In total we got about 10 inches!