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!

Snowy Day

We have not had much snow in Wilton this winter, but that is changing today. When we took Danny out at 6am, there was 3 inches of snow on the ground.

As we walked down the driveway, the birds started to chirp. Jeff said, someone wants breakfast.

As soon as we got back, I filled all the feeders. In this weather, I know the birds will be looking for an easy meal.

There is now about 5 inches of snow.

One of my favorite images is a brilliant red cardinal perched on a snow covered branch. Unfortunately, our digital camera lens is not strong enough to do a good job with distant bird photos.

Basement Light

At the bottom of the basement stairs is a fluorescent light. I think that these lights are ugly, but it is the basement and doesn't really matter. However, when this light is on, it produces a loud high pitch hum.

I don't know if the humming is a serious problem, but I had visions of the light exploding. At a minimum, it was annonying.

So, on the long holiday weekend, we stopped by Lowes and got a new light. Jeff installed it and said we should have gotten two more, so all the basement lights match. For me, if it's not humming, I'm happy.

Watch Bird

We have 7 bird feeders scattered throughout our yard. I used to fill each feeder completely, thinking that the seed would last for several days. However, the deer and raccoons raid the feeders at night and eat several pounds of sunflower each day.

Now, I only partially fill the feeders each morning. What amazes me is as soon as the first feeder is filled, a bird will begin to sing. If you listen closely, the call is picked up and repeated by others. Soon, all kinds of birds are flocking to the feeders.

I am sure all the birds must be somewhere nearby, but I never see them when the feeders are empty. Is one of the birds a sentry who signals when breakfast is ready ?

Furry

While driving on a road near our home, I spotted a woman walking a Golden. My first thought was that this dog could be Danny's brother, they had the same head shape, size and color.

As I got closer I noticed the dog's amazing coat. Danny has long hair on his ears, shoulders and chest, but this dog's entire body was cover in incredibly long, thick hair. The blowing wind teased the hair and emphasized how gorgeous the dog was.

Thinking about it now, I wish I had stopped and asked the woman what her secret was for such a healthy coat. Was it dog food, grooming or just genetics?

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

On Valentine's Day, I wear a red sweater to work. I thought a lot of people would do the same, but only one other person wore red.

From Danny's red coat to his red collar, he is wearing the color of the day!

Carrots

I was making a salad the other day when a bag of baby carrots slipped out of my hand. Several carrots fell onto the floor and before I could pick them up Danny raced in and began eating them.

It turns out that Danny loves these crunchy vegetables.

Now, when I open the refrigerator crisper, Danny comes running in. I guess his hearing is tuned to more than just the rustle of the potato chip bag.

The Met

The weatherman was predicting a gray and rainy Saturday in Wilton. Tired of too much time indoors or at the local mall, we decided to go to The Met.

We took the 8:30 train to NYC and arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, shortly after it opened.

I haven't been to this museum since college and all I remembered was that it was VERY big.

Our visit started with ancient Egyptian art as we wandered to the American Hall. There was a special exhibit on American silversmiths that we wanted to see. We saw so many amazing things - not just paintings, but Tiffany glass windows, furniture, statues, photos and even clocks. One of the most interesting displays was the medieval armor for both soldiers and horses.

We really enjoyed our time at The Met. Unfortunately, it is so large we only were able to see a small fraction of the exhibits. We both agreed to visit again another day.

The Big Game

The biggest rivalry in men's college basketball will add another chapter on Wednesday, when UNC and Duke play.

Although we are hundreds of miles away from Chapel Hill, we still bleed Carolina blue.

When we lived in Oxford, we knew basketball season had begun when our neighbor would hang their UCONN flag and we would hang out our Tarheel flag.

The Heels struggled Sunday in their win against Florida State. Let's hope that they are more focused against Duke. No matter who wins, all the UNC/Duke games are exciting.

Go Heels!

Beautiful

Danny after he was washed and brushed.

Winter Bath

It has been a few months since Danny had a bath and he definitely needed one. So, we went to the do it yourself dog wash this morning.

Who would think that at 10:30 am on a Saturday, the place would be full. We had to wait a few minutes until a big black lab was dried and a bathing bay was free.

Danny is always a good sport. I don't think he minds the bath, but he did not like the dryer blowing on his face.