Katie | Change Is Hard

July 27, 2013
by dawnkinster 12 Comments

Park days

The weather has been wonderful this past week; cooler with high temperatures in the 80’s (21’s C) and less humidity. Katie and I took advantage of that one evening after work and went to her favorite park.

Just sitting with my Mama.

I took my book, thinking I could sit on the hillside and read, and she could explore while on her long line. For a little bit she sat with me. Then she went and stood at the end of her long line, facing the walking trail. She didn’t cry, she didn’t tug. She just stood there and waited. She made me feel bad. After all what is the point of going to the park if you aren’t going to go for a walk?

OK little one.

So we went for a long walk, all the way around. Then because it was beautiful out we took a side trail over to the library and meandered up the library driveway back to another entrance to the park. I figured we’d head back to the car and go home.

Mama…I always have to wait for her.

But as we approached the park entrance we saw a car we recognized enter the park and drive way over to the parking lot. We were quite a ways away but we picked up our pace. Still, by the time we got to the parking lot they were already unloaded and out of sight down the walking path.

So we hustled along and eventually caught up with Maddie, a miniature Australian Shepard and her folks. Katie and I met Maddie when we were all in an agility class together a few years ago. We learned then that we lived in the same town and went to the same park but we hardly ever run into them. It’s been a couple years since we saw them last.

So of course we had to go on the walk with them, all the way around the park again. Katie thought she was in heaven to get to do the walk again! Though she slowed down some near the end. After all she’d already had a long walk.

Maddie is just full of energy, and ran circles around Katie. At one point, though, Katie did a play bow with Maddie and sort of leaped into the play. For a moment. Then she remembered she is a princess and stopped. I think if they saw each other more often and were left to it they might actually play together.

Katie and Maddie

Aren’t they cute? We hope we run into them again this summer!

Evening with Katie

July 13, 2013
by dawnkinster 24 Comments

Guess what?

Katie here. Guess what, guess what, guess what!?!?! OK. Maybe you can guess cause my Mama posted it on Facebook. But I don’t know if all you doggies read Facebook.

I love camping!

My Mama and I got to go camping! I know, I know. It was just in the backyard and some of you don’t think that’s camping at all. But we have lots of wild animals around here that smell extra exotic when you’re in a tent. Trust me on this.

It was a beautiful night to be sleeping outside. With no rain in the forecast Mama didn’t even put the rain fly on the tent so we got to look at the stars and the fireflies as we dozed off. Well. She did. After a little sniffing I went right to sleep.

And I didn’t bark at one thing! Not one!! Even when a creepy bird flew by and made squawking noises, or the motorcycle guy roared up the road, or the people at the party across the street got loud or those two planes went overhead, or the train came through town! Mama said I was very good.

She kept trying to get a picture of me sleeping upside down. But every time she turned on the camera I woke up. I gave her my “don’t bug me now Mama, I was sleeping” glare and that pretty much settled her down for the night. Mamas sometimes need to know who is boss.

Stop it Mama!

Geesh.

She’s always saying that I get her up way too early. And you know what? Mama’s the one that got up at 5 this morning cause it was so light out and she said she had to ‘go.’ Whatever that means.

Now we’re getting ready to go to school. Best weekend ever!

MY window!

Wordless Wednesday

July 10, 2013 by dawnkinster 20 Comments

June 25, 2013
by dawnkinster 12 Comments

Piggy in the tunnel!

Katie here. Guess what? My Aunt B made up a new game for me! Just for me! Isn’t that cool? Listen up, this is how it works:

First you put your tunnel in your people’s living room, or some other big room, where there’s lots of room to run. If it can be in front of the TV even better so all your peeps have to focus on you! You You You! Remember, lesson #1. It’s all about YOU!

Do you see me?

So anyway….you’ve got your tunnel set up, right? And then your person takes one of your favorite stuffed toys, preferably a pig, and throws it into one end of your tunnel while shouting “PIGGY IN THE TUNNEL!” At that same moment you get all excited and dash into the other end, through the tunnel, scooping up your pig and emerging with it from the end of the tunnel near your person.

Here I come!

But of course you don’t just hand it off to your person. OF COURSE NOT! Pay attention all you doggies! Do NOT give it to the person sitting near your tunnel! Oh no! Run right past her! Take it to the person sitting on the sofa who is ignoring all this play. That way you engage them and remind them it’s ALL ABOUT YOU! YOU YOU YOU!

Got it? OK.

So then you get the person on the sofa to toss it to the person sitting by your tunnel. And then you know what happens? She throws it into your tunnel and yells “PIGGY IN THE TUNNEL!” and you run really really fast into the other end and race out with the piggy again!

Throw it again!

You can do this as many times as you want…cause your people will think you are so cute they will keep playing and laughing and tossing the pig. It’s really fun.

And you know what else? When you get bored remember that you are in charge! Remember it’s all about YOU YOU YOU! They throw the pig in the tunnel and holler and you race in there and through it and leave the pig there! They will laugh so hard, but they will also know you’re done with the game for awhile.

I’m laughing at my Aunt.

Of course once they all go back to their regular boring stuff you can always race through the tunnel on your own and grab that pig and drop it at their feet. Pretty much I’ve found that gets them right back into the game. Every time.

Because they know it’s all about you.

You can thank me later.

June 19, 2013
by dawnkinster 20 Comments

Almost Wordless Wednesday

You coming?

Follow me!

Just resting a moment.

More please?

June 14, 2013
by dawnkinster 14 Comments

Katie’s excellent day

Katie here. Guess what? My Aunt B came to visit me! First thing we did (after I sniffed her a bunch and approved her) was go out in the back yard to play! (Mama says you can click on the photos to see more details.)

This is my tunnel. But I’ll share.

They got my tunnel out! I haven’t seen it in two years! I got my Aunt to go through it first, just to prove she could. But after that it was all me!

This is my Aunt showing me how it’s done.

I remembered all about the tunnel. Mostly I remembered that if I ran through it when my Mama yelled “TUNNEL!” I got a treat. So I ran really fast.

Then you know what they got out? My CHUTE!! Heck I haven’t seen that in like forever! And I wasn’t scared at all. Nope, not me. I ran through it right away and then every time they said “CHUTE!” I ran through it again.

Here I come!

Then I got hot and ran through it and then ran over under a tree and laid down. I was done!

I love this game!

No more playing for me today! I need some serious ear scratching and tummy tickling and I know just the Aunt to do it too!

Aren’t I cute?

See you guys later….we’re going to school tomorrow and my Aunt is coming along to see how spectacular I am.

Smile!

But for now I just can’t stop grinning!

June 8, 2013
by dawnkinster 13 Comments

A visitor is coming!

My sister is coming to visit us!

She’s certainly visited since this was taken!

She hasn’t been here in many years. Katie was just a youngster during her last visit.

Katie and her Aunt long ago.

Katie is waiting impatiently.

I find my self doing something my mother used to do when she was preparing for a visit from us northerners. I always seemed to arrive just after the azaleas were in full bloom. Or after the dogwood or wisteria was finished for the season. She always told me how beautiful they were and I tried to imagine it.

Today as I was weeding I wondered if our Koosa dogwood would still be in bloom when she arrives.

Prettiest this tree has ever been.

Will the clematis still be as spectacular?

Pretty in purple

Maybe the poppies will be opening.

Getting ready to burst!

Hopefully the begonias will still be beautifully orange. She says orange reminds her of Mom who had an orange front door and when we were kids an orange kitchen sink. I hadn’t thought of that when I picked them out for our front entry. But I think of Mom frequently as I come and go now.

Remembrance orange

Katie says I should stop worrying about what will be blooming. She says whatever is blooming we’ll all have a great time together. Katie has all sorts of plans for things to do with her Aunt. She can’t wait.

I’m waiting…..

Me either.

Hey Mom

May 28, 2013
by dawnkinster 13 Comments

A lovely weekend

This is all mine!

Katie here….Three day weekends should be the norm because then I’d have my Mama around more and we could do more fun things. Like going to my park! Mama kept promising me all weekend that we’d go to the park. She said that a lot while she was weeding and hauling mulch and stuff. After awhile I didn’t believe her anymore.

So when Dad said “Hey Katie-girl (I was sleeping and he woke me up!)…do you want to go to the park!?” I knew something was up. He never asks me that. So I got all excited and missed the evil look my Mama gave my Dad, cause I guess she was busy with something and now she was going to have to stop doing it and take me right away because Dad got me all riled up. It worked too! I should probably pay Dad a commission or something.

Come on Mama, hurry up!

We had the park all to ourselves. I guess Mama had planned on taking me to a bigger park, but then she realized that those parks would be full of people doing Memorial Day stuff so we just went to my local park. I didn’t care, I was so excited to be there I didn’t even want any treats when Mama offered. I just wanted to sniff!

Every year Mama takes me to this park to take my picture with the pretty yellow flowers. I don’t know why, I always look the same. She says this year we were a little late. I don’t know what she’s talking about. I still look beautiful even though I am six and a half years old. Little late. Sheesh.

A Sheltie is never late.

We practiced some obedience along the way too. And of course Mama did that distracted recall thing. I’m really really good at that. I love running back to my Mama when she calls.

Coming Mama!

Toward the end of our walk the sky got dark and it started to sprinkle. I don’t care so much, but Mama said we had to get back. You see, we tried camping last night in the back yard for the first time this season and Mama said we needed to get back to the house so we could get all the camping stuff back inside. Whatever Mama. It’s not like we spent very long out in the tent last night. It was stinking cold! But I’m not worried, I know there’s going to be plenty of camping nights this summer.

Here’s me being ‘dramatic’ before the rain.

I had a great weekend. Too bad Mama has to go back to work today. On the other hand, I could use a nap!

What are we doing next weekend Mama?

May 26, 2013
by dawnkinster 11 Comments

Got to go for a walk!

Katie here. So the weather guy this morning says that the sun came up at 6:03. I figured I had waited long enough so I got my Mama up at 6:06. I didn’t want to rush her out of bed. But on the other hand, no sense wasting a day of this glorious three day weekend either!

So as my Mama was stumbling around the kitchen making her oatmeal (notice she did not make me anything!) she noticed there was steam rising from the pond across the street and the sun was up and it all looked sort of pretty. She stopped mumbling about bad dogs and hustled me outside. I noticed she had her camera and that always excites me because I know it’s gonna be another “beautiful Katie photo shoot!”

We got to walk down the road, and she never lets me do that! It was so much fun! We went down our road and around the corner to the neighbor’s pond. I love going there; I get to sniff where frogs and turtles and other dogs have been. It smells heavenly! You should try it some time.

But I didn’t get to smell too much this morning because my Mama stepped on my leash to keep me near her and was taking pictures. But not of me! Can you believe it? She was taking pictures of the pond!

Early morning.

And the moon.

Hello moon!

She doesn’t take long when she’s out in 37 degree weather, sunshine or no sunshine, so soon we were off on my real walk. I got to sniff a lot of great stuff and she didn’t hurry me at all. That’s why I love my Mama. After awhile though we were both pretty wet and cold. So we headed back to the house where I got my breakfast. Wow. I got to go on a walk and it’s not even 7 a.m. yet! This has been the best weekend ever!

I got a little damp.

Mama promises that on Monday we can have even more fun. She says she has to weed more gardens today though. Well. That’s fun for me because I get to be outside with her all day. Weeding is fun. Not as fun as the park but pretty close.

I’m going to take a little nap now. All this early adventure is exhausting.

shhhhh……

May 25, 2013
by dawnkinster 9 Comments

It’s Saturday morning…

When Katie and I went to bed last night I told here there was no doggie school or work this morning, so we could sleep in. No need to get me up by 6, she could relax her guard. So why was I not surprised at 6:11 this morning to wake up to this:

HI MAMA!

I guess eleven more minutes of sleep is better than nothing. She’s wound up like a clock though, spinning and barking and wanting wanting wanting.

We went outside to explore the garden. There were freeze warnings last night so I had covered up the plants that are trying to bloom on time this spring.

We put the plants to bed last night!

Yesterday evening before we covered everything up I took a picture of the tree peony just beginning to bloom. In case it didn’t survive the cold.

Summer begins!

It survived. I’m glad, it’s in bloom for such a short time I wanted to enjoy every bit of it.

On our evening walk around the yard I noticed how beautiful the light was making everything.

Last light on the redbud.

Even the giant oak tree in the neighbor’s yard was beautiful in the evening, bright green leaves against the pure aqua sky.

New leaves shine.

But this morning Katie and I will be concentrating not on sits and stays but on moving this:

Compost mulch smells stinky good Mama!

Good thing she got me up early.

I’m hungry!

Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: Katie