Puppy Love

Yesterday, I was awakened by, "Get up. There are Yorkiepoos for sale in the paper!!!"

"What?"

"Yorkiepoos! Get up. We are going!!!"

The day before we dodged a bullet because we traveled to see standard poodle puppies,

and came home empty handed.

They were cute as all get out, but another Standard Poodle?

We congratulated ourselves for playing with the big babies for over an hour before deciding we should 

sleep on such a commitment before bringing a new member of our family home.

Thing was, we were waiting for a name. Before we get a dog, it has to have a name.

We never heard a name.

 Sunday morning arrived like a runaway freight train coming down wobbly tracks. 

When the command came, I immediately obeyed. I did not want to be run over by that train.

In my mind there is nothing cuter than a Yorkie baby. My partner plays dirty pool because

that fact was what was used to get my Sunday morning hiney out of bed.

Yorkiepoo, Yorkiepoo, rang in my head!!!

Inside of 15 minutes I went from being dead asleep to sitting in the car anticipating some puppy love

along with a promised Chai tea.

Ten minutes after getting the Chai, we were headed out to Palomino Valley, NV. to see the cuties.

My partner and I reassured ourselves the entire trip.

"I just want to look. If I get one it will be a boy. You can say no, and we will just leave," I was told.

Yeah, sure. Fat chance.

We found the place, about 35 miles from our home, called Model Farm.

It was quite an extensive operation. 

Dogs, horses, ducks and probably more than that which I couldn't see because I had tunnel vision.

We were immediately escorted into the house to view the puppies.
Three females and one male. All running amok.

I was afraid I would squish one, so I sat on the floor.

One little female, with precious Yorkie markings, (of course) came and plopped herself on my leg.

That was it. She wasn't moving, and neither did I.

Chaos was going on all around us, but there we sat, or in her case laid.

As my partner found the boy, and started sweet talking him, another couple came in to look at the puppies.

 "These two are gone. There are only two females left. Sorry."

I immediately wondered who had jumped into my body then informed the strangers we were taking two???

The other female puppy actually had cuter markings, but this little girl claimed me, 

and apparently I claimed her right back, in seconds flat.

There was no hemming and hawing around. No thinking. No name either. Just Sweet Little Girl.

I wasn't really sure my partner wanted the little boy. He was the only male and there was no choice

as far as personalities, or markings. 

"Mad Max. That's his name. Mad Max." So the boy had a name.

Each sweetheart weighs somewhere around a pound. We can't even weigh them because they are so small.

The mom was a creme colored poodle, daddy a Yorkie. Each dog weighs around five pounds,

so Max and Ruby should be no larger than their parents.

On the way home, Little Girl got named, Ruby. It's official, she really is mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRjviO8negQ 

We got the necessary things from the pet store.  I even made a doggie playpen out of cardboard boxes.

Even though they are tiny, this enclosure won't hold them for long. They love running on the patio,

and playing rough and tumble in the backyard. 

I forgot how much like two year old children puppies are at six weeks of age.

Granted, we have a lot of work ahead of us because the standard poodles do not know how BIG they are,

and the babies don't know how little they are, yet.

My female standard poodle wants to drag the wriggling little puff balls off to a nest somewhere,

and big boy Tito's inner puppy wants to play with the two of them when they are being frisky.

I am sure we all will get it together, and figure out where each one goes in the new pack,
including us humans, in the coming weeks.

Our household is a study in contrasts.

It has always been this way.

"No dad, I don't think I am building an ark, and I don't think I need therapy.

We are all gonna fit just fine, just you watch and see!"

Just you watch and see.

A Quiet Moment

Today, I remembered my gratitude for the first rose bud of the season

for it is now time to barber the faded flowers.

I went busily about my way, 

trimming and thanking each bloom that stayed.

Raining upon my feet came single petals

escaping withered blossoms,

then all scattered about.

Fallen as if dead soldiers.

I felt my thoughts go with each one,

traveling and rolling,
as they floated to the ground.

  

My eyes inhaled 

a fragile beauty 

from all that scattered around.

I paused,
a single breath,

and the reverie began.

My garden is no battlefield!

I challenged my musing.

Then came a sweetly mirrored reply,

Or is it?

It is me,

I suddenly saw.

I am the soldier

who lies wounded in the field,

withered, and decayed.

My soul is weary, 

and tired,

and ready to retreat today.

Mother Nature, gave me her sanctuary.

Then wrapped me in growing.

I gasped, and breathed deeply 

of the color of knowing.

 

Welcome mid month of July,

a place to rest.

A lazy, warm feeling

glowed deeply in my chest.

A Salmon Cake Kinda Day

It is getting to be that lazy time of summer. Things are starting to wind down a bit, and I am getting restless.

What's a girl to do?

Head straight for the Food Network channel.

That is exactly what I did a couple of days ago.

I surfed through some old recorded shows of Giada De Laurentis.

One particular episode was great. It was all about Greek food.

I snagged a couple of recipes from that show then I went to live tv.

Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals was on.

I got sucked into watching her, it isn't hard because she is so charismatic.

She was making Salmon Cakes with Agrodolce Relish and Arugula.

As a rule I am not too fond of salmon these days. I lived in Washington state for eight years,

and I ate lots of the red fish. Frankly, I got a bit burnt out on it.

But Rachel's infectious laughter, and ease in the kitchen seduced me into trying her recipe.

I wanted a new delicacy, and I thought this could be it. 

I was supposed to host another luncheon today, but my lunch date had to cancel due to illness. 

I decided I had hunted and gathered all the appropriate ingredients,

so I must trudge on, with or without my guest.

The recipe turned out to be delicious, and as easy as RR said it was. Check it out:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/salmon-and-sweet-potato-cakes-with-agrodolce-relish-and-arugula-recipe/index.html 

It definitely needs the relish, and it has a tad bit too much dill for my taste, but other than that, a delicious meal.

I followed up with a Giada delicacy, Orange-Scented Almond and Olive Oil Muffins.

This one was a big hit, and it should have been.

Who knew that Almond flour is $11.95 per pound? 

With that investment, I will not let that little bag go to waste.

I plan to make a lot more of these little cake like muffins.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orange-scented-almond-and-olive-oil-muffins-recipe/index.html

I did have to cook the muffins longer, so watch yours.

Fragrant and tasty as a light dessert on a summer evening.

If you get bored, try a new recipe. I guarantee it will get you out of a rut.

I think cooking is the new creative frontier for me.

Lord knows I like to take pictures of my creations,

just ask any family member.

They tend to groan when I yell, "Hey wait! I want to get a picture of that!"

My Picasa web albums are full of single pictures of meals I have made.

They say we eat with our eyes first,

I'll buy that.

Another Lazy Summer's Day

Today the grandkids and I took off to the park.

The kids road their bikes,

I walked with the 14 year old Yorkie.

We have lots of parks to choose from in our neighborhood.

We hadn't been to this one is quite a while,

but the kids chose this one today because they could ride their bikes to it.

At first they wanted me to go ahead of them because they forgot the way.

We turned the corner at the end of our block and started down the street

when Brenden suddenly remembered how to get to the park.

I was struck by how much they both have grown since we started visiting this particular park.

I used to have to pull Rachel in a wagon,

and help Brenden ride up and down the little hills between my house and the little park

(that's what we call this playground now). 

None of those things happened as we made our way. It was a smooth, quick trip. 

We even brought some bread to toss at a lucky duck or two.

Today, Brenden was even doing pull ups on this bar

all by himself.

We have devised several games while visiting the park.

One of them is timing B as he rides around the grassy area on the cement walkway.

His all time record is a minute and thirty,

give or take a few seconds.

Today, as he raced around on the sidewalk he apparently noticed something different.

"Hey grandma! There is a mystery we need to investigate!"

"A mystery?"

"Yes, there are some weird tracks on the cement over there. Come with me, please?"

Well, if there is a genuine mystery afoot, I am your man, or grandma as the case may be.

Both Rachel and I followed the boy as he led us to the mysterious spot of the sighting.

Sure enough, it was puzzling.

There were several human footprints, in black paint, leading out of the swampy area.

Then they stopped,

and became giant deer prints, still in black paint.

After about six sets of huge prints that look like prehistoric deer hoofs,

 the human foot print suddenly appeared again.

There were many theories posited.

"Maybe it was a horse."

After we discussed the logical explanation that the tracks actually looked like deer hoof prints

and not horse hoof prints at all,

we were, for a moment, stymied.

We noticed the direction where the prints were coming from

then heading to,

so we started searching our brains for other reasons the prints were there.

Suddenly, it all came clear to me.

"Well, I can tell right here is where the swamp creature walked out of the water.

See the nasty swampy water? That's why it is black.

Then, for some weird reason, the shape shifter wanted to become a gigantic deer.

Of course, it felt really weird for the creature to be walking on four hoofed feet 

instead of upright on only two feet.

Or maybe a dog came along and barked at him,

and being scared for his life,

decided to become the swamp creature that he was again 

in order to scare the barking dog away."

"Yeah, I think that is it," the kids chimed in together.

Eyes wide open.

"Well, another mystery solved. Are you ready to head on home now?"

"Sure, but let's keep an eye out for that swamp critter! Okay?"

"Swamp creatures only come out at night. That is why the footprints are black."

Brenden, the oldest replied, "I knew that."

 Of course he did, he knew it all along.

Biore

Sunday evenings are a great time to get beautified for the next week.

I came out of the bathroom,

thinking I could kill two birds with one stone

by writing my blog,

while simultaneously cleaning out my pores.

Simple, right?

We've all done things like this, haven't we?

Thinking we are safe in our own homes, with no one watching?

I had planned on writing about my obsession with creating bamboo art pictures.

I broke out of the thin 8"x3' canvas size today that I initially began making.

I went a bit wild, and created some BIG pieces.

Anyway, I was going to tell the tale of how that went,

when my partner saw me sit down to the laptop to write.

"What the heck is that on your face?"

"Oh, nothing dear. I am just cleaning out my pores."

"Where's the camera. I HAVE to get a picture of that."

"OMG no!!! I don't want a picture of me today. I don't think I even brushed my teeth this morning."

"Too bad. You deserve to be your own blog entry today."

Initially, I feigned ignorance when the sim card was missing from the camera,

but I decided to give in and dutifully pose instead.

GAWD it IS embarrassing,

but I think I will look much better without all those blackheads around my nose and chin.

Right?

I mean, I can't say how many times I have been trying to pay attention to a conversation I was having

with someone only to be so darned distracted by a dancing blackheads that all I could think of is

Get some Biore, will ya?

Thankfully, I was not discovered earlier today when I was plucking black chin hairs.

The camera couldn't capture that anyway,

could it???

This getting older is tough stuff.

I thought by now I would be less vain,

but as the years go by and things begin more and more to obey gravity

every attempt to keep looking the best I can seems to be more vital.

Maybe, just like in this picture, I should simply take off my glasses

and call it a day.

Baubles

.

I think I might be related to the crow family of birds.

I hear tell they like shiny objects,

and often bring them back to their nests.

I brought four shiny new baubles back to my nest today,

courtesy of local artists participating in the city wide,

month long event called 

ArtTown. 

I love to support the local artists.

A loving friend of mine knows this about me, 

and treated me to four gifts today.

It was a very hard decision which fused glass necklaces I like the best,

but after fifteen minutes of trying on,

hemming and hawing

and figuring out what I would actually wear them with,

the final decisions were made.

This one is my favorite.

I have a suspicion that when my mother or my sister see the bounty,

I might be down to just this one. 

I will guard it jealously.

 I may even be forced to issue a loud, hideous screech

to protect my stash.

Thank you Reno artists.

Girl's Hike

I love a nice summer's stroll, especially when there is the sound of running water.

Usually, this little brook is just that, a little brook ambling from Mt. Rose on its way to

well, I am not really sure where it is headed.

There are no lakes around, and the Truckee River is not a likely destination given the location.

Its name is White's Creek.

I was shocked to see it so full, and raging.

I really shouldn't be, but at this time of year it is usually about one third its current size.

This past winter, our beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains received something like 250%

of the normal snow fall.

There are still very large snow fields on both Mt. Rose and Slide mountain.

So, I guess I should have been prepared for the rushing, crashing water, but I wasn't.

Instead of hearing the soft rustling of the wind in the trees,

the dominant sound in our forest walk was the roar of the water as it raced its way downhill.

The good thing was this, no matter how many mountain bikers, dogs, or other distractions came my way

I could simply focus on the sight and sounds of the creek as my two friends and I walked alongside it.

The running water mesmerized me.

The rest of the world seemed to

fade into the background.

I felt like I could hitch a ride to wherever that water was going.

It was exhilarating.

Simple joy.

Art for Art's Sake

I like to experiment when I make art.

I have had no art classes, except one in my freshman year of high school.

Today, I got the bug to create.

I thought I would play with making yard art to hang on the fences

to keep my dogs from fence fighting with the neighbor's dog.

I made over ten pieces today,

using various painting techniques.

Some with brushes,

some with spray paint.

I gave myself permission to experiment.

It was a blast.

I love it when I get so engrossed with what I am creating

that time slips away.

One piece,

originally a mistake,

came out to be my best work of the day.

I never gave up on it.

After blending all the colors together

to create a monotone background,

I let it dry a bit, and worked on another piece.

When I came back to it, 

I suddenly knew what it wanted to be,

bamboo.

There is dimension to the piece that a picture cannot capture.

You'll have to trust me on that one.

The long, slender painting won a place of honor on the wall inside the house.

I decided to move some other pieces of art around.

A wood Picasso like figure of a woman that

I made fifteen years ago while I was learning how to play with a Dremmel

seemed to be a likely mate. 

She told me she liked bamboo too.

I love mistakes.

Official Retirement Party

I've been planning this party for more than a month now.

Before school let out,

I made Dori commit to a date for lunch with me on my patio.

It was a ruse.

I wanted to surprise her with a Happy Retirement Party.

All the "Shhhh ... it's a secret" emails worked.

She didn't even notice all the cars in front of my house,

or so she says.

Dori is the one on the right in orange, dark hair, glass raised.

It was a beautiful day to officially start a retirement.

I wrote her a silly poem,

and thought I might include it here,

but I don't think anyone will really get it.

You would have had to have been there,

working together for fifteen years. 

Dori, have a wonderful whatever comes next.

Gone Fishin'

The sign says it all.

I will honor my promise

to write every day,

but no internet

will get in my way.

I'll write old school style,

pen and ink 

all the while 

I 

while.

See ya'll

in a week!

Good Morning to Me

Every morning

as I sip my cup of chai tea, 

this is the view the welcomes me.

I quietly slip out onto the patio

to water my dears,

so they can grow, and reach their ultimate

each year.

As I am giving you your cool drink,

I humbly accept your majesty.

I bask in your every glory.

It is the perfect zen way,

to start a new day.

I praise each and every one of you,

I listen quietly

as your stories are told.

It makes me want to do the happy dance,

 with my heart wide open.

 I welcome the new day.

Each one of you have inspired me to be 

just as every one of you are 

single and free.

Each celebrating your deliciousness,

your uniqueness,

I see.

It is gratitude I feel,

I am grateful to be me.