Rhodies

The rhododendrons are back in bloom.

I think the long snowy winter reduced the number of flowers. Also, this was the first year that the deer at the rhodies, so perhaps some blooms were lost to that.

Otis

I opened my email and found a note that said, "Is Cooper looking for a brother?". The note was from Danny's foster Mom, Linda F.

Linda said that she was currently fostering Otis, an extra special Golden. She thought he could be a good addition to our family. I laughed, because Linda LOVES dogs and all of her rescue pups are extra special.

We had been thinking about adopting again in January, after we got back from Alaska. When I saw Otis, with his beautiful face and pure of heart spot, I knew I needed to find out more.

Linda and I talked. I found out that Otis hates cats (sorry Olive), is house trained and good with other dogs. Otis was turned into a shelter because his family lost their home.

I am concerned that Otis may need a constant playmate. Coop is a loner at heart. He likes dogs, but is happy to be alone. Coop has come such a long way, I do not want to do anything that might cause a setback.

Linda agreed to observe Otis for a few more days and give us some additional details.

Shell Game

We have a stone wall in front of the house which has 3 distinct openings at the bottom.

I saw a chipmunk run into the middle opening while I was walking Coop. Coop did not seem to notice Chip at all.

As we headed into the house, I stopped by the stone wall. Coop gave the first opening a quick sniff and headed to the middle opening.

At the second opening, Coop smelled Chip and immediately stuck his nose as deep into the crevice as possible. A second later, Coop began to dig at the base of the wall to try and widen the opening.

I ended up having to pull Coop away from the wall.

Purple Martin House

Last Christmas we received a Purple Martin House as a gift. Last weekend I finally got caught up with all the other projects on my list and decided to put the bird house up.

Purple Martin Houses are essentially bird penthouses atop a 20 foot pole. When planting a 20 foot pole, you have to dig an 18 inch deep hole 12 inches in diameter. If you live in Connecticut, you know that means about 150 rocks and two shovels worth of dirt. Once the hole is dug, you get to fill it with two sacks of quick-set cement and put your pole in making sure it is plumb in all directions. After 30 minutes, the cement is set so you don't have to hold it any longer.

Hopefully we will get some purple martins in our new house.

Thank You SGRR

In July 2008, Cooper was rescued in Alabama by Sunshine Golden Retriever Rescue.

A year has passed and Cooper wants to send a big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped him find his forever home.

We do not know how many people were involved in Coop's rescue, nor do we know their names. However, Cooper sends doggie kisses to all of you. Extra special kisses go Coop's foster Mom, Linda P.

Cooper is a terrific example of a dog that deserved a second chance. Previously, Coop never knew love. Now, he is joyful, eager to give kisses and wants to be close to his pack.

Life with Coop is not always easy, but we love him completely.

Thanks SGRR, for helping Cooper find his way to Wilton, CT.

Iris Ensata

When we were at Lowes, I spotted pots full of extremely tall (3-4 ft) iris. These were not the typical bearded iris that are often grown in gardens. We do not have iris, but I know that they are deer resistant.

I wandered over and saw that the plants were called Iris Ensata. The label stated that they liked moist soil. Since the area near the pond is always wet, we decided to purchase 3 pots, 2 with white flowers (Queen's Tiara) and 1 with purple flowers (Gusto).

Before planting them, I did some research. It turns out the Iris Ensata are Japanese Iris. These bulbs love to have wet feet. This is a good thing, since when we dug the holes, the soil was muddy.

I am hoping that these iris will find a happy home and multiply over time.

Retriever's Instinct

I have seen many pictures of Retrievers on point in a field as they track their prey. I never expected to see this in my kitchen or considered a cardinal prey.

An immature cardinal landed on the deck, along side the glass doors. Coop was in the kitchen and saw the bird. Coop slowly approached the door and pressed his nose against the glass (exactly where the cardinal was).

Coop then lifted his right paw and "pointed" at the bird. You could see that Coop was getting excited at being so close to a live bird.

Coop could not contain his excitement and began to bark. The bird flew away and Coop looked crestfallen.

Happy 4th of July!

We hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July.

We are heading to Long Island to visit with family. Coop will get to run around in a large fenced yard, chasing birds, bugs and squirrels.

Coop is not a big fan of July 4th. Our neighbors have already been shooting off fireworks and Coop gets very scared. Coop will find the tightest spot to squeeze into and lay there shaking until the noise stops.

Searching for Red

Now that the bathroom is finished, it was time to buy some towels. With the glass tile sample in my pocket, we headed off to the mall.

My first stop was Macy's. They had several shades of red, depending if you wanted Lenox, Martha Stewart or Ralph Lauren. I wasn't sure if any of the reds were a perfect match, so we went to the next store.

After going thru the entire mall, I decided that the best options were at Macy's. I give Jeff bonus points for not complaining at starting and ending at the same spot. I had to decide whether to chose a red (burgundy) which matched the window treatment or a red that matched the tile.

We ended up selecting the Ralph Lauren towels in a burgandy shade.

One

Last year Jeff gave me some potted Oriental Lilies as a gift. These are one of my favorite flowers. I love their exotic look and scent.

When the flowers died, I planted the bulbs in the garden in the hope that they would flower this year. I was excited to see the bulbs emerge after the snow melted and the buds appear on the stems.

Unfortunately, the deer came and ate all but one of the buds.

I was determined to try and save this tiny bud. Each night when I walked Cooper, I would spray the plant with deer repellent and check for insects. Over the last 4 weeks, the bud continued to grow and I crossed my fingers.

Finally, I looked out and the bud had opened. The flower is gorgeous and the size is amazing. Perhaps because it was the only flower, it grew extra large.

Sticky

We finally got a sunny day, so Coop spent the morning on the deck.

When Coop came inside, I thought the hair on his head felt a little sticky, but did not give it much thought.

Later in the day, I went to pet Cooper and his hair was stiff and clumped together. I ended up having to wash Coop's head.

After thinking about it for a while, I realize that the lilies on the deck are dripping nectar. Coop is always sniffing the flowers or trying to dig in the pots, so the nectar probably fell on his head.

More Lilies

I planted all of the bulbs at the same time, but the yellow lilies flowered much earlier than the pink ones.

After

The bathroom is finished!

It has been a long process and more stressful than I imagined, but it is DONE.

I am very happy with the results.

How many tools does it take to put up a Toilet Paper Holder?

About this many plus a vice.

Before

Once the knobs and towel bars are installed, the bathroom will be finished.

Before we show the final bathroom pictures, I thought it would be fun to look back at the original bathroom photos.

After viewing these, you will understand why we like our new bathroom so much.

Rotted

When I got home from work, I noticed that there was a tree down in the back yard. Looking at the stump, I can see that the tree had rotted.

Luckily, the tree is mainly in the woods, so cleanup is not a priority.

Jeff received a new chainsaw for Xmas, so it will be a good chance to try it out.

Chameleon

Look, I'm a chameleon!






It's amazing how Coop blends into the hardwood floors.

Mirror

The Hudson mirror in Cherry Dawn and the vanity light have been installed.

We are almost finished! The polished nickle towel bars and knobs should arrive in the next few days.

$12

The best $12 I spent was on these pink boots.

We were at Christmas Tree Shop in March when Jeff spotted them. I wanted something for dog walking in wet weather and working around the pond.

Jeff said for 12 bucks, how can you go wrong ?

The pink is rather bright, but I tell myself that anyone driving a car will be sure to see me on a rainy day.

The boots have been used almost daily for the past few weeks and were perfect for walking into the pond to remove a neighbor's recycle bin.

I thought that these were the most colorful boots you could get, until we went to NYC. I saw women there wearing neon boots and flowered boots. I guess I would have fit right in.

I wonder if Coop would like a pair of boots ?

Fixtures

The plumber finally arrived and we now have a usable bathroom.

The toilet and baseboard heat have been installed. The shower and sink fixtures were also installed.

I like the look of the Jado faucets and handles. I am glad that we did not pick anything heavier or with a squarer shape.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

We are all getting tired of the endless rain that has fallen over the last three weeks.

When we went to take Coop out this morning, I put on my pink rubber boots and rain coat. I skipped the rain pants, since it was lightly raining.

That turned out to be a mistake. Halfway thru our walk, the rain began to pour down. Coop was quickly soaked and wanted to head for home immediately.

By the time we got back inside, we were all wet. I dried Cooper off, but he was still damp. I am sure the house will smell like dog when I get back tonight.

Murray Feiss

Our Murray Feiss bathroom light was delivered today! This was an unexpected surprise, as I thought it would arrive next week.

I am hoping Jeff can install it and the mirror this weekend.

Blooming

The bulbs that I planted in the deck containers have started to bloom. Only one bulb did not survive Coop's unearthing.

The flowers are gorgeous, but I wish I had thought to plant some annuals at the same time. That way there would be color all summer long.

Polished Nickel

When we were choosing bath fixtures, we selected polished nickel. I wanted a change from the standard brushed nickel which is in our two other bathrooms.

I did not realize that polished nickle is a rarity in the world of lighting and towel bars. I had a very hard time finding knobs, towel bars and a light that would work well.

After I found the items that I liked and placed the orders, it turned out that all of the pieces are on back order. So, it will be a few more weeks until the bathroom is fully finished.

Kisses

We took Coop for a walk in Wilton Center. At the end I stopped at the grocery store. While I went inside Jeff and Coop waited outside.

When I got out, Jeff said that a woman had come by and commented on what a pretty dog Coop was. The woman put out her hand and Coop sniffed it. She then knelt down and put her hands on both sides of Cooper's head and began to rub behind his ears.

Coop immediately gave her a big kiss and while she laughed he gave another wet one. The woman said what a sweet dog and walked away.

Coop continues to become more comfortable with people, which is nice to see.

Wicked

We went to see the Broadway musical Wicked. The show was FANTASTIC! I had heard it was good, but it was amazing, definitely one of the best shows we have seen. I would highly recommend buying tickets to see this musical.

Wicked shows are almost always sold out. We knew we had a hot ticket, when we were approached on the way in to sell our seats. Our seats were 10th row center and we had a perfect view of the stage.

There are many themes in Wicked: preconceptions,misconceptions, friendship, jealousy, "wicked" may be good and "good" may be evil. I won't even try to describe the political themes that are interwoven within an entertaining story and strong, moving songs.

After the show we ate dinner at Ben Benson's Steakhouse. I had heard a lot of good things about this restaurant, but we were disappointed. The food and service were ok, but not great. I expect that at a high priced restaurant the staff and food should be excellent. If you are looking for a good steak in NYC, there are better places.

Happy Birthday!

I love birthdays, not just my birthday, but friend and family birthdays as well. I love to shop and find the perfect gift or card. We too rarely tell people how much they mean to us and I am always looking for a reason to celebrate a happy event.

White roses are my favorite, but I have to admit that the white and red roses look fantastic together! They also smell so sweet.

Many hugs and kisses to Jeff.

Even Coop stops when he walks by the arrangement and takes a big sniff. With his super strong sense of smell, I wonder what he thinks ?

Gold

The New Venetian Gold granite counter top has been installed!

The rectangular sink was the impetus for the rectangle theme on the floor and shower wall.

Party of Eight

When I get home from work, Cooper is usually standing at the door with his tail wagging. When I got home tonight, there was no Cooper. When I looked around, I saw that Coop was curled up asleep on his bed.

I hoped Coop was not sick. I noticed that when we walked down the road, he seemed a little stiff.

It turns out that Coop had spent the afternoon with Molly, Mable and five other dogs. I have a feeling that all 8 dogs were probably tired after their afternoon play date.

Remembering Danny

It has been one year since Danny passed away and my heart still aches from the loss of this special dog. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Danny. Danny was a beautiful, smart and gentle dog who was easy to love.

Sometimes when I am in the house or yard, I find myself looking for Danny in his favorite places. I know that Silverback (woodchuck) would not be so smug, if Danny were still guarding the yard.

The bush that we planted in Danny's memory is growing big and strong. I look forward to seeing it flower in the fall.

When we adopted Coop, I thought that perhaps we were trying to replace Danny. However, I know that will never happen. My always, always boy will forever be in my heart.

We miss you Danny.

In or Out

The weather has been beautiful, so we leave the front and back doors open when we are home. Cooper loves to look out. He will spend all Saturday watching out the front or back door.

As you can imagine with the birds, chipmunks, woodchuck, etc running around, there is always something to catch Coop's eye. If there is anything of real interest occurring, Coop signals us with a bark.

When I let Coop out onto the back deck, he will run around, but once he spots us inside, he wants to come in. Of course, after a few minutes inside, he decides that being out is more fun.

After a few rounds of in/out, I get tired and say to Coop - "Enough - IN or OUT" ? At that point, he is usually hot and stretched out in the living room under the ceiling fan.

Window Treatments

The blind and valance have been installed in the upstairs bathroom.

The granite installer came to the house and created a template for the vanity counter top. The granite should be cut and installed in 1-2 weeks.

New Bling

If it is June, then it is time to register Cooper for his Wilton dog license.

Cooper now has a shiny new tag to wear on his collar.

Edible Arrangements

You know that birthday season is starting when presents arrive at the door!

I received this beautiful fruit from Edible Arrangements. The arrangement is not only pretty to look at, but the fruit tastes delicious.

What a great gift from my LI family.

Hummer's Here

I spotted the first hummingbird at our feeder. Another unofficial sign that summer is here.

Photo from Birds & Blooms Magazine

Cabinets

The Bertch cabinets have finally been installed!

The wood is cherry and the style is Hudson.

The bathroom seems much smaller now that the cabinetry is in place.