Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.


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Randomness

I am between laptops, the old one is being migrated over to the latest version of wonderfulness. (That was sarcastic, you know I hate change.) It’s a slow process, mostly because of pictures. So while I don’t have full access to stuff stored there, and now other places, I have been trying to wean myself away from the camera.

It’s not easy.

Cedar waxwings

My husband says I had over 250,000 images stored on the laptop. No wonder it was just chugging along. I know that I don’t need all of those and I had started the process of weeding. But I got bogged down, and that was before I was knew and became intimidated by the sheer number.

Lake Michigan

Anyway.

I will find some images to add to this post, pulled from an external hard drive, of which I think I now have 4. How about I randomly just pull some pretty pictures and stick them here and there in this post and see how it turns out?

Katie

I’ve been wondering, but not seriously, if I could pick just my favorite images and put them in a file folder and let the rest go. Of course this wondering was way before I knew there were 250,000 to choose from.

I wonder how big the favorites file would become?

Magnolia in Florida

And would the favorites have classifications? You know, like Katie, and night skies, and barns and Penny, and Alabama, and camping, and family and my Great Lakes?

Wait. That’s kind of what I have now.

Chippewa Nature Preserve

Maybe I should just find another hobby to obsess over. But I haven’t learned all I want to learn with photography yet.

It’s the same with watercolor painting. I like to paint, but what do you DO with all the stuff you produce?

Ingham County barn

I need to learn to be ruthless and throw stuff away.

We remodeled the basement, and in that process moved everything that was piled down there out to the garage, into the guest rooms, the dining room, the living room. What once were slightly disorganized piles of stuff hidden away are now slightly disorganized piles of stuff all over the house.

Milky Way and the Harrisville lighthouse

The remodel is essentially done and it’s time to move this stuff back. But would it make more sense to put most of it at the curb? Perhaps without even looking at it? Because if I look, well, that’s how I ended up with 250,000 images stored on my laptop and me with decision paralysis.

Norway

Stay tuned. Or not. We can always figure it out tomorrow. Or next year. I think I’ll go look through some old image files.

Pretty Penny


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The jig is up

Hi everybody, Penny here.

Well.

I ask you….do I LOOK like I have a temper?

Mom and daddy say that it’s time that I stop all my temper tantrums at home and the barking and lunging at doggies at school, and the chasing cars and joggers and bicycles thing. Also my very loud and insistent objections to things like the shower being turned on, or the refrigerator door being closed without me getting anything.

You know, stuff like that.

It’s a new day, mom!

So they had a lady come over to the house to meet me. She’s very nice and has the best treats! After initially barking at her and then jumping on her I decided to show her my very best behavior and I sat. I sat a lot and stared expectantly at her.

Do you have the GOOD treats?

And every time I looked at her while something noisy was happening in the house she gave me a teeny tiny barely there treat. I thought this was the best game ever!

So now mom and daddy are trying to anticipate my outbursts and get my attention before I go off on them. I seem to be getting more attention and more treats lately. We’re only a few days in but I like it!

All this training is wearing me out. I think mom and dad are tired too.

Then yesterday mom took me out to a park and we practiced heeling and downing and sitting and coming and stuff. Lots of treats there too.

Coming in for the cheese, mom!

I may have hit the jackpot!

And then…last night, just when I was settling into my after supper nap which leads to my after supper sleep, mom woke me up and put me in the car and we went to a little historic town nearby where we met up with the same nice lady and another family with their dog, and we walked around town!

This is kinda weird. I’m usually asleep by now!

Well! I’m not real happy about being near noisy cars and I was a little bit hyper but the nice lady and my mom would just make a sound that reminded me to look at them and then I got a treat!

Mom brought cheese!

We walked around and around and around this little town and I was mostly good. Sometimes I couldn’t help it and I’d forget to look at mom and start barking and twirling over something, and a couple times she had to hug me to calm me down, but overall I am beginning to learn that mom’s got my back and I don’t have to protect her from anything.

Thanks, mom (and nice lady) for always looking out for me. And for the cheese.

Maybe.

I bet mom and I will be having more of these adventures. I can’t decide if I like them better than my park adventures, but if there’s cheese…well…I’m in! Right after I take a nap.

So…after we get the car washed what are we doing next?


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Neglected!

Penny here. You have probably noticed a definite lack of posts from my mom. She’s neglecting this blog, yes she is, but that’s not all she’s neglecting!

Did you know that February 11th was my Gotcha Day? No you did not. Did my Gotcha Day get celebrated? No it did not.

Mom tried to make it better by telling me that they celebrate me every day, but I’m not buying it. Strike one for mom.

Then I hear very late in the day that yesterday was National Love Your Pet Day or something like that! And did I get presents and cake and streamers and stuff? No I did not.

Strike two, mom!

And NOW I see on Facebook that TODAY is National Dog Biscuit Day!

Well! Enough is enough and I am going to file a complaint about being neglected unless I get a whole bunch of treats, and they better be the good kind too, not just part of my daily allotment of kibble.

Otherwise it’s gonna be Strike three, mom!

I ask you, how much should a Sheltie girl take before she pulls rank on the mom and dad? Now’s the time to organize! Now’s the time to protest! Now’s the time to take control!

Who’s with me?

PS: All these pictures were taken this week when mom took me to some parks to play in the snow and up to my breeder’s house to play with my dog mom and my niece Sarah. (so maybe mom doesn’t totally neglect me….maybe.)


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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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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!