Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: fun stuff


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These boots were made for walking

Penny here, writing to you from subzero Michigan.

So apparently my parents don’t get that my breed originated from frigid Shetland Islands in Scotland where the weather is worse than anything they’ve endured. And that shelties, as a breed, love winter. Because when the temperatures here were forecasted to be below 0 F (-17.7 C) mom and dad dug out my sister Katie’s boots.

These are not a fashion statement, mom!

They said if I would please wear the boots on our abbreviated trips out to do my business, they would feel much warmer themselves.

Uh huh.

So yesterday mom started putting boots on my feet, all four of them, every time we went out. I didn’t resist but I certainly don’t help her. By the time she’s got all 4 on me she’s usually sweating.

I guess they don’t look too bad against the snow.

Then she has to get all her own paraphernalia on, sweatshirt and hat and scarf and coat and mittens and boots (only 2 for her). By then I’ve usually decided I don’t really have to go out after all. So I stand still in the foyer and refuse to move.

Yep. Mom loves it.

I think I’ve changed my mind, mom. I’ll stay in for awhile, OK?

Mostly I’m just messing with her. The first three times mom took me out I managed to throw off one boot every trip. But then that naked foot got really cold and I stopped running around and held it up and looked pathetic and she carried me back inside.

Win for the sheltie.

Well, they DO give me an elevated look, I guess.

Today mom has perfected the boot placement and has them on nice and tight and I can’t shake any off, so I decided to dance around out there and find sticks to chew on and play in the snow and not go to the bathroom, cause it was so fun.

Win for the sheltie.

Can I get these off now mom?

Mom does not appear to be having fun. Did I mention the wind-chill is -15 F? That’s -26 C! Mom says she’s leaving the stinking boots on my feet, even inside until I pee when we go out. But she was only kidding. She took them off when I asked nice, and I took a nap.

This boot thing is exhausting.

They say by this afternoon the temperatures will be back in the teens, maybe 14 or so (-10 C) and heck, that’s a heat wave, I can go out to pee without my boots, and I very likely will…cause between you and me?

I gotta go!


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Searching for a redhead

It’s been awhile, a really long while, since I’ve been out to Kensington to feed the birds. A photographer friend and I have been talking about it for what feels forever – – stuff just got in the way. But this week we decided we needed to make it a priority, because the weather around here isn’t going to get any better.

Do you see what I see?

With negative wind-chill predicted for next week we decided to get out there Friday afternoon. And boy we’re glad we did because the sun actually came out while we were there. Yes it was cold, but back among the trees, out of the wind, it was magical.

Maybe if he looks at us he will be more obvious.

There’s a lot of content in the 765 images I took. Seven Hundred, Sixty-Five! That’s crazy! We were only out there maybe 2 hours. OK…maybe 3 hours. That’s 255 images an hour, or about 4 every minute…a picture every 15 seconds? Thank goodness it’s digital!

Anyway.

Well that’s more obvious.

The biggest reason I wanted to be out there with my camera was to find the redheaded woodpecker. Hard to believe that until a couple years ago I had no idea there was such a bird in my area. But then I saw pictures online from Kensington and one winter day I saw him myself!

I think he (or she) might be young. Notice the brown feathers between the eyes. Juvies have brown heads.

Now that I know what part of the park I’m most likely to see him, I steered my small party in that direction. Along the way we ran into a couple of other photographers (recognizable by the extra long, super cool 800mm lenses on their cameras) and spent a long time talking to them about camera bodies, lens length, f-stops, tips for bird photography and… wait for it…while we were standing there, 5 people talking camera stuff, the redheaded woodpecker arrived, with much noise and fanfare.

The black and white feathers on their backs make them very elegant birds.

Now that I’ve heard him I will be able to find him more easily because he makes a noise different than all the other woodpeckers around. He was definitely interested in us, just as I was interested in him.

One of the guys with the big camera lens told us that if we threw a whole peanut up in the air the woodpecker would come off the tree trunk and grab that peanut right out of the air! Since we did, indeed, have a peanut like that, he volunteered to throw it so we could try to get a picture of the bird in flight.

Portrait of a beautiful bird.

I failed miserably, shooting wildly and blindly, but I did get one image of the bird flying, kind of in focus, and I’m proud to have gotten that much!

Well, at least I got SOMETHING! That black thing at the bottom is the photographer’s hat.

We had so much fun and spent almost 2 hours standing in one place a bit further along the trail, at a magical tree that was filled with all sorts of birds. Even the redheaded guy came back around. But that all will have to be saved for another post.

Hey lady! What about the rest of us?

I have lots of editing to do!


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I’m a homebody

Penny here.

Who’d of thought that I’d be writing to you a mere week after my last contribution to mom’s blog? Obviously mom’s life is pretty boring if she’s willing to hand over communication control to me!

But I’m a sheltie — I never ignore an opportunity to communicate! (Sheltie moms and dads know this is true!)

So anyway. We got a bunch of snow last night. Not as much as some of you, but maybe a little more than 4 inches. It’s soft, powdery snow and mom had this brilliant idea that I might want to play in it. Cause, as you know, I’m a sheltie and stuff.

Me on the road outside my house.

Yesterday mom had been up at the neighbor lady’s house drinking tea and talking about important stuff like me. The neighbor lives on a big lot, way back off the road and has a wonderful yard that backs up to woods. Mom thought it would be a fun place for me to play, far away from the road.

So when we woke up to all this snow mom got permission to take me up there to play. Unfortunately she didn’t clear it with me first.

So mom and I are trotting up the nice lady’s driveway and I figure we’re just out there for me to do my job, so I pee and mom says good girl, and I turn around to go home. Because that’s what I always do after I pee, I go home.

Me in the nice lady’s backyard under protest.

But mom says, no, no, baby girl we’re going to keep going up this driveway. Well! I hadn’t been up this driveway before and there was a big camper up there with a cover and there were cords swinging in the breeze and they were scary so I barked at them a lot and I turned around to go home!

And mom said, no, no, baby girl come on up this driveway and she drags me up there and around to the back of the house and I’m scared and I don’t understand and mom finally figures out I’m shaking so she picks me up and cuddles me and walks, carrying all 27 pounds of me, around the yard a bit until I settle down, and then she puts me down figuring I’ll run around sniffing some and I immediately poo.

And when I get done pooing I pull mom toward the driveway so I can go home! Cause that’s what you do after you poo, you go home! And mom is looking for a bag to collect the poo and realizing she forgot to bring one and all the time I’m pulling her back toward home.

Me heading home where I belong.

Mom decided to give in and we trotted all the way back down the driveway and back to my yard, where, once I was safe and sound on familiar ground I played with my leash and attacked her boots and chased snowballs just like normal.

And after I went inside mom walked all the way back up the nice lady’s driveway with a bag and collected my poo.

When she finally got home she was pretty cold and wet and discouraged so we took a nap on the sofa. I slept on top of her to make her feel warm and safe and loved in return for her carrying me around that scary yard.

Me keeping my mom safe and warm.

But before we have another adventure like that I’m going to have to have a serious discussion with mom. Yep, no more surprise adventures when we don’t even get in a car! How’s a girl supposed to know it’s an adventure anyway!

Seriously, mother?

Talk later, your adventure-less girl, Penny.

The nice lady’s house is way up there, far away from my house!


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Happy New Year!

Penny here.

As you can see it’s already January 4th and mom hasn’t posted since Christmas! When I decided to adopt my parents I didn’t realize that I’d have to do everything around here!

Anyway, I didn’t want you all to think we aren’t thinking about you, and reading your blogs and stuff, so I hopped on here to bring you up to date. (OK. I just hopped on here cause I like the attention. I really have no idea what’s going on!)

My dog mom, me, and my dog mom’s bff.

All I know is that mom and dad had some stuff to do and they asked my breeder if I could go live with her for a few days and she (of course, cause she loves me) said yes!

In fact she said she would be more than happy to have me visit because she has a new puppy named Sarah, who is my niece, and she thought we might like to play together. And maybe then Sarah would quit bugging her mom to play all day.

This is my niece Sarah. She’s 6 months old and she’s a pistol!

Well! I am nothing if not willing to play all day!

And so, my breeder tells my mom, we did. All day, every day, for three whole days. It was sooooooo fun! That little Sarah is in high gear all the time! Sometimes even I had to jump up on the sofa and tell her to settle down.

But mostly we played.

Me and my dog mom on the sofa avoiding the puppy and checking if anyone had treats for us.

And when mom finally came and took me back home I fell asleep on my sofa next to my dad right away. And I slept all night too.

Yep…I don’t know what’s going on around here, but I hope they send me to visit Sarah again soon! I have great expectations for lots of fun in 2025! I think Sarah and I will be good friends. Even if I have to tell her off once in awhile.

Zonked out at home with my dad.

I hope you have a wonderful 2025 too.

Meanwhile I’ll try to get mom to take her blog responsibilities more serious. She says she’s still struggling with all the new stuff but she’ll try. I have less than high hopes that she’ll figure it all out.

My breeder trimmed my ears too, don’t I look GOOD?!

Well, I guess I’ll talk to you all later, I gotta go supervise the birds at my feeders. I don’t know what they did when I wasn’t here,

Your Auntie – girl, Penny.


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Wishing you a Warm Holiday

Many of you will be celebrating Christmas or Hanukah today.

Penny and our family want to send you warm holiday wishes today and for the rest of the year.

And we’re linking this post to Karma’s blog, where she challenges us all to post images of warmth. We can’t think of a better way to express that concept than by sharing the holidays with all of you.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and thank you all so much for being part of our world. We’ll see you soon.


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Who called me a wimp?

Penny here. Of course.

Now normally I wouldn’t be allowed back on mom’s blog so soon after my birthday post. That was only 10 days ago and mom likes to remind me that this is her blog and not mine and if I want a blog of my own I’m going to have to hire my own slave labor.

To celebrate my 2nd birthday mom took me to a fenced in dog place at a state park so I could run. We have only been there a couple of times and both times mom and I had the place to ourselves. I love to run and jump and generally act like a crazy girl so I enjoy it there a lot, even by myself.

But on my birthday, after mom and I were there just a few minutes, another couple showed up with their little terrier. I’ve already forgotten her name but she should have been named Hurricane. (Her name might have been Mandy.)

Cause she was!

She was a few months younger than me and, I hate to say it, she was faster than me! And she never stopped chasing me!

And then, while we were running around, another couple came by with their baby beagle who’s name was Toast. He was only 5 months old and he loved to run too! For awhile the terrier chased him, but he must have been boring, because she went back to chasing me, and let me tell you, I got exhausted!

I started asking everybody, even complete strangers, to pick me up!

Mom said I was a wimp, but picked me up and we sat at the picnic table while the two youngsters ran around. Then that terrier went right up on the table and landed on mom’s head! Well, mom said that was enough and we left to go home so I could get a birthday nap.

Now I’m rethinking asking mom for a playmate for Christmas. I might be a lucky dog after all, even as an only!

Signing off for now,

Your lure dog, Penny


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Happy birthday to ME!

Hey, hey, hey, it’s your birthday girl Penny here!

Mom says in honor of my birthday I get to let you guys all know that I’m a very special girl, highly intelligent, an over achiever, and athletic to boot.

Oh, wait. Mom’s trying to get my attention.

Mom says that was not what I was supposed to tell you. I’m suppose to tell you it’s my birthday and I turned TWO today! And that she’s not giving me any cake or blowing up balloons or anything.

On the other hand she’s also not making me wear a silly birthday hat, so I guess it’s all good.

Right.

But somehow it doesn’t seem fair that there’s not a worldwide celebration of my birthday. Or at least a house-wide celebration. And you’d think there might be a present or two.

Well. Mom does promise me a walk in the woods at a park of my choice. And she says I get an extra snuggle with daddy, which is one of my all time favorite things to do.

I’m a happy girl, that’s for sure, and all I really need is my mom and my dad and their big bed and my supper bowl and an occasional treat.

Yep. That’s all I need.

Oh…and my ball to chase and mom’s shoe to chew on.

And my sofa to nap on.

Yep. That’s all I need.

So….happy birthday to ME, the happiest sheltie in the world!

Talk later, I’m going to go threaten mom’s ankles until she gets me a treat and then a walk…

…your birthday girl, Unstoppable Penny…now moving on to her terrible adventuresome twos!


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Too early?

As you know, my community band played our holiday concert this past Thursday, exactly one week before the US Thanksgiving.

A snowy evening, perfect for holiday music.

I don’t know if we should blame Thanksgiving for being late or the Christmas Spirit for being early.

Waiting for his big entrance.

But I suggest we don’t blame at all but instead just sit back and enjoy the wash of holidays as they swirl around us.

Decorating the hall before our guests arrive.

The concert was fun to play. The audience was appreciative, the children were impressed with Santa (well, who isn’t impressed with Santa?).

The music flowed, the applause filled the hall, and cookies awaited in the lobby after.

Santa conducted “Sleigh Ride”

You can’t ask for a better way to begin the holiday season.

Some cookies and conversation after the music.

And as I drove home, humming holiday music, as often happens, Sleigh Ride began playing on the radio.

Happy holidays, everybody. May we all find a little bit of time to enjoy the music.


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Is Christmas early? Or maybe Thanksgiving is late.

Our community band holiday concert is this Thursday. Yes, the day after tomorrow, and before Thanksgiving. It’s never happened like this before.

We’ve only had 4 weeks of rehearsals to prepare, but it’s Christmas music, much of it we’ve played before. It will be fine. In fact, it might just be the perfect way to kick the holiday season off!

So…if you’re in the area, and would enjoy some uplifting music to kick start your holiday season…come on over to the Clarkston High School this Thursday evening, 7:00 p.m. It’s free.

You can have your picture taken with the authentic Santa, and we’ll have cookies afterward too! I personally don’t think you can have a legitimate holiday season until you’ve heard “Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson live and in person.

And Santa himself will be directing “Sleigh Ride.” That alone should make you want to be there.

Happy Holidays, everybody! Christmas music, then Thanksgiving. It’s always good to mix things up. Keeps us on our toes!