Tut

I have some vacation days that I need to use or lose. Since I am too large to stow away inside luggage bound for sunny California, I thought it would be fun to go to NYC. Jeff said that he was happy to go to the city, as long as he didn't spend all day at an art museum.  MoMA was out.

I thought about the Statue of Liberty, but was not sure I wanted to be on the ferry in such cold weather. We stopped at AAA and I picked up a NYC vacation planner. As I was flipping thru the magazine, I saw an advertisement for the King Tut exhibition. Back in the Spring, I heard about the exhibit, but never pursued purchasing tickets.

I logged onto the website and was pleasantly surprised to find that we would be able to attend the exhibit next week.

Bulb Watch VI

It seems Jeff was right when he said we might have blooms in February! I thought last year's amaryllis was slow to bloom, but these paperwhites are even worse.

Snow, snow, snow

More photos of the snow.....

Cooper loves to eat the snow . He grazes as he walks up the driveway.

Winter Wonderland

Pictures from yesterday's snow storm.

First Day of School

Cooper and Otis attended their first obedience class. It was a little embarrassing to have a  9 & 4 year old dog in a class full of puppies. The class got split into 2 groups, pups with no training and older dogs/dogs with basic training.

Otis did not pay attention to the small dogs, but his alpha tendencies and tremendous bark came out when he saw the larger dogs. Coop was scared and shook the whole time.

This is a beginner class and I thought we would learn the basic commands (sit, stay,down). Instead, since we are in the older group, the expectation is that the dogs already know the basic commands.

This week's lesson was to put the dog into sit/stay and then walk around the dog. It is tougher than it sounds. The other lesson was down and stay. Coop had no interest in laying down. Treats will be brought to future classes. Our homework is to practice these routines daily.

After the 1 hour session, we were all exhausted. When we got home, Coop and Oti hopped up on the bed and went to sleep.

Death of the Thank You

It seems that Thank You cards are also on the list of endangered species. I have noticed that many people no longer send thank you cards for gifts. It does not bother me, if you send me an email and not a letter. I just want to know that the gift I sent arrived and was not lost in the mail.

In August, I sent a check to a couple who were getting married. We were not invited to the wedding, but I thought it would be nice to send well wishes to the happy couple. The check was cashed shortly after it was received. It is now 4+ months later. A thank you has yet to appear in my mailbox. At first, I thought perhaps the thank you was delayed due to waiting for wedding photos to be developed. As the months dragged on, I realized that there really is no good excuse for not sending a brief note.

There are some people who are trying to make sure the thank you survives. I know that my sister, brother, and sister-in-law make sure that thank you cards are sent  by their kids for gifts they receive.

Bulb Watch V

The amaryllis is in full bloom.

The paperwhites continue to slowly reveal their green leaves

Shut the Lid

We spent a few days with family in the "North Country". Staying at a new location is always stressful. After a 4 hour drive, both dogs were thirsty and  quickly drank a bowl of water. The dogs drink a lot when they are nervous and I wanted to limit their intake. Cooper had other ideas and quickly found an open toilet bowl.

After the first incident, the toilet lid was shut. Occasionally, people would forget to shut the lid. Coop is crafty and periodically wandered by the bathroom. If the lid happened to be up, Coop would steal a drink. As you can imagine, all this water meant a lot of trips outside. Thankfully, the weather was warm and there was only one inch of snow on the ground.

Jeff had the joy of taking the dogs out at 2:00 am and 6:00 am. Unfortunately, there was one accident on the carpet. I told Coop that he would not be welcomed back. Grandma was very understanding. Grandpa even tried to take the blame, saying he left the lid up. I'm not sure that I would be so nice.

Otis decided that it would be fun to run around the house with the kitchen towels. When no one chased after Oti, he decided to steal Grandpa's socks. By the end of our visit, there was a pile of slobbery towels and socks.

I said. "We're lucky the weather is good, so we can leave on time." Jeff's Mom said, "Yes, it's good you can leave." I knew exactly what she meant ;)

Both dogs slept on the entire ride home. Once inside, both dogs napped on the bed the rest of the day. The water bowls, have been barely touched.

Happy New Year!

May 2011 be the best year yet!

Where did 2010 go ?

2011 is just around the corner and I am wondering how 2010 passed so quickly. I have always heard that the older you get, the faster the years go by. I guess that is true.

April - Nov was spent focusing on the renovation - packing and moving furniture, living thru the construction and then painting. I do not have such lofty goals for 2011. Although, a new front walkway is hopefully in our future.

Next year will be an exciting time as family members graduate high school and head to college. Some will start their Senior year in high school  and focus on choosing colleges.

I pray that our pack will have continued good health. May the dreaded C-word NOT be heard in the New Year.

2 Dogs & 2 Bags

We lost power at noon on Monday. I was surprised, because the snow storm had stopped by then. It turns out that several large tree limbs had snapped and taken down a power line . I called CL&P and was told they did not know when power would be restored, due to the high number of outages.

When I called CL&P  at 6:00 pm, I received the same status message - there is no estimate for repair. By this time the house was getting cold. Being on a well, when we lose power, we lose water. Jeff and I went out to eat.

With the high winds and cold temperatures outside, the house was a cool 52 when we got home. Cooper goes crazy when he sees a flashlight, so we had no light inside. At 9:00 pm, we went to bed. I was freezing. Even with  both dogs on the bed, it was still cold. I knew it was bad, when Coop snuggled up to me to try and stay warm.

Jeff went down into the basement and brought up 2 mummy sleeping bags. Jeff said he used these when camping and were good to -10. I had doubts that this light weight bag could do much good, but it was worth a try. 10 minutes after crawling inside, I was starting to feel warm. One hour later, I was feeling hot.

At midnight, the power returned. Thankfully the pipes didn't freeze. I guess technology has replaced the 2 dog night with a 2 bag night.

Bulb Watch IV

While the paperwhites seem reluctant to show themselves, the amaryllis is ready to bloom.

After reading last year's bulb watch, our LI family decided this would be the perfect gift. I agree!

Blizzard's End

The blizzard is over. We have about 12 inches of snow and  very strong winds.

The dogs find it difficult to walk in the deep snow.

Blizzard Update

6 inches of snow so far. Wind is starting to howl and snow is much heavier than earlier in the day. Cooper does NOT want to go out in this. What can we expect from an Alabama pup ?

Blizzard

The snow has been falling since 11:00 am. The weatherman predicts 18 inches of snow to fall by noon on Monday with 40 mph winds producing white out conditions. If it has to snow,  I am glad it that it happened the day AFTER Xmas.

We received a call on Xmas morning and found out that some of our LI family had encountered car problems. It turns out that just like the Grinch, a blown transmission cannot stop Xmas from arriving. The roast was started a little later than planned and dinner time found all of us gathered around the table. 

Santa was extremely generous and we now have several new electronic toys to play with. A large box of Godiva chocolates was one of my favorite gifts. Otis and Cooper received new toys which they immediately ripped apart. I would declare this Christmas a success!

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a very Merry Christmas! As you can see, Cooper is concentrating on sending a message to Santa - please  help all the pets in shelters find forever homes.

Our Christmas began with midnight mass at St. Luke's. The choir did a fantastic job in bringing a voice to the spirit of Christmas. In a few hours, our Long Island family will be arriving to share this special day.

May this Holy Day be spent with those you love the most. As we reflect on our many blessings, let us remember the soldiers who are far from home and missing their families.

We Do

I received this beautiful piece of custom artwork for my birthday. (Thanks Wendy!)

The picture is created based upon a list of "We do" statements that Jeff and I provided. The artist creates the picture describing those things that matter most to us- dogs, books, sporting clays, kindness....

I smile every time I see it.

Jolly Old Elf

Fitz and Floyd and Christopher Radko Santas are not the only ones that adorn our home.

Aunt Judy has stitched us several beautiful Santas. I think this is my favorite. Santa's big round belly and smoking pipe makes me think of "The Night Before Christmas"!

Where's Cooper ?

As I pulled into the garage after work, I heard Otis barking. When I opened the basement door, Otis was dancing  around, wanting to be petted. I did not see or hear Cooper.

I looked at the door which leads upstairs, but it was still closed. My heart skipped a beat. All I could think was that something bad had happened to Coop. I went to read the note from Carol, thinking perhaps Coop had gotten sick and was at the vet.

It was then that I saw Coop, still curled up on his bed in the corner. Coop slowly stood up and wandered over to me. I guess Coop was tired, but otherwise fine. Once we got outside, he was ready to run.

Bulb Watch III

Grow, grow, grow!