Mom says she posted one of my baby pictures yesterday. She says it was from my very first day home, when I was a tiny little thing. Yesterday was my gotcha day, I’ve lived here three whole years now!
I needed a nap once I came home, it was all so overwhelming.
I sure remember that first winter. There was so much snow! Of course I was a lot shorter than. My Auntie Beth and my folks made a snowman for me.
I thought snow was meant to be played in, not posed in. Sheesh.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to sit next to it. And I didn’t know about getting treats for posing yet. But eventually I sat…for an instant…so mom could get a picture.
What is this ‘sit’ of which you speak?
This year there’s a lot of snow too, and guess what? Mom made a snowman for me yesterday! She said we had to act fast, though, cause it was so warm the snowman’s nose and eyes kept falling out while I was posing!
Whatever, mom. The treats better be good, this snow is cold!
Now days I know all about the treat system so I had no problem sitting in the snow for a little while, knowing there was something good coming my way as soon as mom was done.
Last chance, mom, this snow=boy is a melting!
I’m a lot bigger now…but mom made this snowman bigger too. That’s ok, the sun has already shrunk that ole snowman down to size!
I think it’s been about a thousand weeks in dog years since you’ve seen anything written by me! Mom keeps saying the world is bigger than me. But seriously. Does anyone believe that?
Hanging out with my dad
Anyway I thought I’d bring you up to date on what I’ve been doing. Which is pretty much always the same. Beg for supper beginning at 3:00 p.m. (sooner if I think my parents aren’t wearing watches).
Just checking on the time, dad.
Continue to beg until Mom gives in at 3:50.
Isn’t it time yet, mom?
Ask to go out. Eat snow instead of doing my job. Ask to go in.
Over there looks interesting.
Ask to go out to inspect my yard. Or bark at the neighbors. Whichever comes first.
Initiating my early morning alarm in case anyone isn’t up yet.
Sometimes I ask to go out very early in the morning. Sometimes mom is glad because she would have missed the sunrise.
I told you mom!
Mostly she is not glad. Did I mention barking?
Mom calls this her artsy image, titled “Dog in Snow.”
She also has been taking me to school. She seems to need the stimulation and mind expanding exercise. I go along to supervise.
I got extra treats to sit on this little stool that matched my leash.
We took a short little class where I got lots of treats. I liked the treats part.
I can do this, mom, if you just stay out of the way.
We are back to doing Rally classes now that the holidays are over. Mom forgot to go the first week. She turned into a slacker without a schedule while we were out of school.
Don’t forget the sit at the end, mom!
While we were there mom noticed the pretty photo opportunity, left from the last trial the week before. I wasn’t entered because mom says we are not ready.
It’s a winter wonderland! Just like our backyard!
I don’t know, mom, when are we going to be ready? I ask to go down to my basement every day and sometimes we do, just to practice our obedience. And get treats.
This one is easy, mom, just don’t turn too close to the cone. Leave room for me!
Mom says sometimes she thinks we’re ready and then I do something silly and she rethinks. There’s another trial in March. She thinks maybe she should try again.
I think I’ve got it mom. You just have to trust me.
But…will I be willing to work without treats in the ring? Mom’s been working on that…but she says I’m not reliable yet. Geeze mom, I’m only 3. Have you ever met a reliable 3 year old anything?
I get extra points for cuteness.
Other than school we’ve been playing in the snow. It snows all the time. The snow banks are bigger than me! Even the snow in my back yard is up to my shoulders.
Gonna need a wider trail.
I told mom I wasn’t going to run around and chase snowballs when the snow was that deep. Other dogs’ parents dig them a trail in the backyard to run around on. I suggested that to my mom. She looked at me and then we went inside.
Come on, mom!
I guess that’s not happening.
So let’s see…school….snow….supper. Yep, those are the three most important things going on in my life right now. The 3 S’s.
And naps. Sleep, starting with S of course, is important!
I hope you are all enjoying your winter. Mom says we could do with some sunshine so I reminded her of this day when the sun came out. She had forgotten. Sometimes the sun comes out here.
I remember there was this one day when the sun came out…
Hey! That’s another important S!
Talk later,
Your snow-girl, supper-hog and super all around ray of sunshine, Penny.
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!
A couple weeks ago we got some real snow, the first of any significance this season. It came to us blowing from the northeast, unusual for around here, and it was wet, sticky snow.
The pond across the street.
It stuck to all the tree trunks and branches, outlining everything. From a distance most of the woods around here looked like birch trees.
Heading out to see what there was to see.
I wanted to get out to get some pictures. It was so pretty for so long. But the weather was also miserable for a long time, the roads covered in slippery snow, the wind blowing, the temps in single digits.
The roof of our township offices.
I don’t want to even talk about the wind chill temperatures.
The woods across the marsh, trees painted in snow plaster.
Still, I’d look out the back windows and it was sooooo beautiful.
Up and down hills on the way to the park.
So one afternoon, with the sun peeking out from behind the typical Michigan winter clouds, and temperatures above zero, I ventured out.
Faux plaster.
I went to a park in the next township west of here. I didn’t walk very far, but I enjoyed being out there, and I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.
I should have brought my skies.
Those of you that live in warmer climates….this is what you’re missing!
Red, white and blue on a pretty winter day.
Now…stop laughing, and no fair sending me pictures of blue skies and golden beaches!
Hey Peeps, Penny here. You don’t mind being called Peeps, do you, cause I think of you all as my people! Yep, every single one of you. Mom says you can never have too many Peeps, and since I’m just a baby still, I’m taking her word for it.
Speaking of baby, mom took a bunch of pictures of me a thousand weeks ago when we had lots of snow, and she’s hardly shared any of them! Mom says she doesn’t have time to sort pictures cause she’s running around making sure I’m happy.
Personally I think she needs to hone her time management skills, in fact, as I recall my sister Katie told me this very same thing. Mom gets tied up with too many things and stresses out. Katie and I both suggest she just focus on the puppy all the time. I think mom’s stress level would lower right away if she did that.
What do you guys think?
Any-hoo, I’ve been bugging her (my most important job as new puppy in this household) to post my baby snow pictures before the daffodils bloom. I understand once the yellow flowers start showing up I’ll have to do a lot of modeling, and it would be embarrassing to still be working through snow pictures. Bad for my modeling career, you know, to be so far behind.
So far I’m still sleeping through the night and I’m mostly house trained. I can sit when asked but I’m not going to stay. No siree, there’s no stopping this girl when I get moving, and I’m mostly moving all the time.
Mom puts me in a timeout if I get overly excited or if I’m cranky. It’s not so bad, I have a big cushy bed in there, and some of my toys and a water bowl, so I don’t really mind going into my timeout pen. My Auntie calls it my rest stop. I do mostly fall asleep in there, so it’s a good place for me.
And when I wake up mom or daddy take me outside right away. I love my yard, but there’s a lot of presents from the resident deer out there that are apparently off limits. I don’t know why, I think they smell fabulous! Sometimes mom and daddy are no fun.
So this is my life right now. No parks quite yet, no walks with friends (I don’t even know if I have any friends!), no visits to the store, no adventures unless you call a sedate walk down the driveway and back an adventure.
WAIT! I DID have an adventure!
Mom promised me one last Friday and I was sort of excited. Not a lot excited because, never having had an adventure, I wasn’t even sure what an adventure was, but kind of excited. We ended up at the VET! And they stuck me twice!! I’m gonna check with Katie, but I’m pretty sure this is not what she was talking about when she told me about all the fun she had going on adventures.
Well, Peeps, I’ll sign off for now. Time to get a little shuteye in my rest stop. If you can, please poke mom for me (I do plenty of that but a girl can’t be poking constantly, it’s not lady-like) and see if you can prod her into taking me on a real adventure soon.
It’s been a long, long time since we lived with a puppy. Some thing had to be relearned immediately. Some things are lifestyle changes that we can grow into even as she grows.
When you have a new puppy you have to look in all directions before you move your feet. She could be anywhere and most of the time she’s behind your feet, between your feet, next to your feet or chewing your feet.
When you have a new puppy you must never ignore sounds no matter how faint. She’s almost always doing something and sounds are your first hint of it all going wrong.
Tearing sounds, gnawing sounds, throw up sounds, peeing sounds, the sounds of toenails racing in places she shouldn’t be, clanging sounds of food bowls being overturned, the sounds of shoes being dropped in other rooms…the possibilities are endless.
When you have a new puppy you must give up cleaning, unless it’s cleaning up poo or pee. There’s no time to do anything but follow your adorable little puppy around, ensuring there’s less poo and pee to clean.
When you have a new puppy you give up your luxurious long morning snoozes. Little puppies have little bladders and need to go OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW! It’s OK, because being an older new puppy parent you probably need to GO RIGHT NOW too. Hopefully not outside though.
And speaking of snoozes, when you have a new puppy you learn to nap when she naps. Which, if you’re perfectly honest, is quite often. And you’re probably sleepy (see early morning observations above) so take that nap!
When you have a new puppy your vocabulary is reduced to “Awwwww” and “NO!”
When you have a new puppy you must remember she’s not the dog you had before and will probably react differently to things like opening the oven door or blowing your nose or using tinfoil. Or she might react exactly the same, crazy way.
When you have a new puppy you have to learn to manage the leash with a twirling, dancing whirlwind on the other end.
When you have a new puppy you spend more time down on the floor than you have in years, playing ball, tossing chicken toys, tickling tummies, and laughing.
When you have a new puppy you need to stop wearing earrings because little squirming puppy kisses turn to chewing on hair, noses, chins and ears. And earrings are irresistible.
When you have a new puppy that has fallen into a happy, exhausted puddle of puppy nap right in the middle of the living room floor, you tiptoe around her and settle in a nearby chair to watch her sleep.
Because she’s so cute. And because everyone knows to let a sleeping dog lie.
Happy 3 month birthday, little Penny. Welcome home sweetheart.
Once upon a time I lived in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where snow arrives early and stays late. You learn how to enjoy it or it will beat you down.
Your choice.
“You think it’s gonna snow all day?”
Of course I was younger then.
I learned how to use a U-per Scooper to clear my parking place, and how to snowshoe and cross country ski. It was all self defense, of course, but I learned to love most of it. Maybe not the U-per Scooper so much.
The back yard looks more exotic with snow.
I’ve lived in lower Michigan for 37 years now, my bones have become more brittle and I’m more careful when choosing my adventures. Lucky for me we don’t usually get snow in the amounts I remember from up north.
Even luckier for me I’m retired.
“One picture one treat, lady. I heard that was the rule around here.”
Yesterday, during our all day gentle snow I didn’t have to be anywhere. Husband cleared the driveway multiple times.
Abstract art.
My only responsibilities involved keeping the birdfeeders full. In return I got to watch dozens of beautiful birds all vying for a spot to grab a snack.
The feeder looked Victorian with it’s cap of snow.
At one point I counted 8 male cardinals in my shrubs, on the deck railing, and on the feeders at the same time. There were lots of females as well, they’re just harder to see. I couldn’t count all the blue jays, titmice, goldfinches, chickadees, starlings, nuthatches, ravens and woodpeckers.
“I guess I’ll share my favorite tree with the others. This time.”
Today looks like more of the same, in the bird world anyway. It’s stopped snowing, but it’s still wildly beautiful.
I even took a walk down the road, wearing grippers on my boots, for a little look see.
Didn’t have to go far to see I liked the yellow against the white.
Yep…beautiful down there too.
I wish you all could experience it from a lazy-boy chair inside a nice warm house with big windows and a lot of birds to entertain you.
Hey lady! There’s snow on my suet!”
Winters in Michigan. Be careful, or they’ll get the upper hand.
And then the sun showed up for a moment or two.
But if you can learn to enjoy them…well…then you win.
I’d like to thank all of you who spend time reading my blog, looking at the photos and so often commenting. 2022 has been a challenging year for some of us, and it’s nice to put thoughts out into the blogosphere, as a way of therapy or just to record events.
Thank you for understanding that sometimes I write for all of us, and sometimes I write for me alone. Either way I feel your support and I appreciate it so much.
Have a peaceful or chaotic holiday, whichever you prefer and then let’s all work on making the new year extra special. I’ll be around soon, you can count on more birds, more snow, more parks, more night skies, more walks, more musings, and more adventures. I can hardly wait.
Change Is Hard 