Why is she always on the bottom?!?!

 

Brita and Teddy

       

Brita and Kobie

Brita and Ari

Brita and Jake

            

It got up to 30 degrees today…

…..and the sun was out!!  So armed with a camera and a snow shovel (which conveniently served as a tripod) Jake, Brita and I walked around the yard.  We didn’t go far because I was trying to stay between them and the sun since it was picture day!!  Young Jake really likes to play and poor Brita really had her paws full. 

 

   

Jake on the left…..Brita on the right…. and the encounter below!

 

 

Click on the slideshow and you’ll go to the smugmug album.

 

 

 

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So much for leftovers…

 

Leave it to Kobie…

or I should say DON’T leave it FOR Kobie!

Olivia trying to rest..

 

So first it was Brita who has always kept her face clean and now is no exception.   So there is Olivia sleeping, Brita sniffing, Brita licking, Olivia sits up, Brita licks some more and Olivia back down for a snooze with her duckie.

 

                        

Next is Jake…  an hour later… Olivia snoozing, Jake gently sniffing, Olivia waking up, Jake backing off and Olivia snoozing again!

 

                         

 

By default she is the head of the pack… a reluctant leader but they all give her respect!

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From inside…

 

A way to NOT have to go outside to feed the birds is to hang feeders from your window AND then they come right up to it to eat!

        

 

 

I think this little woodpecker is the one that would follow me around outside last summer.

       

TAIL Shots and more!

 

Some things may not change!!   Maybe I'll take a “Jake tail shot” each year!!

2010                                                   2011

 

More fun for Brita and Jake!

     

 

    

Another day!!  Jake posing and Brita nowhere around!

       

 

 

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There it was….

…sticking straight up from the frozen ground…  the arm (or leg) of a small stuffie that “some dog” (who shall remain unnamed but you can read more about it here.. “Why do they hide stuff?” ) most likely buried.  Last week was warmer and then it froze so this little red arm was anchored in the ground.   Recognizing it as one of Olivia’s favorites I thought to myself: “how hard could it be to dig it out?” 

So first I got a scissors…  hacked and dug and hacked and dug…  no luck..

Then I got one of those things to loosen ground in the summer time…    no luck.. 

Each one brought me a little closer to freeing that special little stuffie for Olivia but not yet.   

 

 

 

 

And then I bent it… that last thing I used which is also to dig out stuff in the summer…  ok, so I was trying to leverage it by putting it under the stuffie and then standing on it but no amount of pressure was going to break up that ground/ice mixture surrounding it.  This last picture is a better shot of the bent tool…  That was it..  done..  I had spend 2o minutes on this and I was done…

Sorry, Olivia..  I guess you’ll just have to be satisfied with your other 15 stuffies that surround you on a daily basis!! 

Oh… and does it look remarkably like the red toy that is in this photo taking at Christmas??

 

 

 

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What would you do in an emergency?

I'm a dog person.  I worry about what would happen in the event of an emergency and my guess is that there are more people out there like me.  That's who this post is for.  Chances are that because you are reading this, you are a dog person.

Plain and simple - what would you do if any of the following happened in your area?

• Wildfire, flood, tornado, hurricane. winter storm or drought
• Landslide or mudflow, earthquake, tsunami or volcano eruption
• Hazard materials or radiation threat or a nuclear power plant incident (anyone besides me remember TMI)

What would you do with your pets?  What if the evacuation happened while you were at work and your pets were at home?

 

I came across a distance learning course by FEMA called Animals in Disasters: Awareness and Preparedness.  You can access it here:  https://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is10a.asp

 

Even if you don't have a pet right now, why not share this with your family and friends who do?  They may thank you for it.

 

PS - Posting this photo of Josephine a few days ago got me to thinking of this topic and then I read some information on a message board so that got me to checking things out. That’s when I came across the course and decided to share it. 

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Oh my gosh.. it’s 1-1-11

All those ones!  What's with that? Did you know that in 2011 we also have 1-11-11 and 11-1-11 - MORE ones! 

In numerology, there are three double digit numbers known as Master numbers that are said to possess more potential than others and 11 is the most intuitive of not just those numbers but all numbers.

A string of ones may symbolize a time of giving and humanitarian endeavors.  Native cultures around the world agree about the changing of the world in 2011 as we know it and that there is a great opportunity to make a difference and help the global community by working together.  The fact that the series of numbers comes together three times in one year may be shouting at us to pay attention.  Three is a number of completeness...  is this symbolism or an opportunity?

As we all are aware, as human beings we have free will so we can choose to better ourselves by:

• taking care of our health and mind,
• being tuned in to the needs and wants of others whether it's in our home, business or community and
• by shifting our energy more positively, whether it's locally or globally with acts of humanitarian kindness.

I have a friend that I've known for almost 20 years.  Now that her children are grown, for the last 2 years, she has gone to Ghana to help at an orphanage. Here is something she said when describing the photos she took:

"They are incredible children.  You will notice that nearly all are smiling.  They're so happy with so little. It's such a gift for me!!!"

So think about the numbers, your life and what you choose to do with it. Certainly we can't all do, or would we choose to do, what my friend did but we all have some way we can make a difference. 

The world is changing.  Are we going to change with it or are we not?  Free will.  It can be a curse or a blessing but it is a choice, and it's our choice.  1-1-11 can be the BEST year so far in our personal or business life.  It can be a year filled with opportunity and fulfillment.  It is a time to leave the past behind and embrace new endeavors and look forward to the future.

Happy New Year 2011

ps…  I started to notice series of numbers when I retired Ari on 7-7-7.  Ari had almost died 5 months before and I finally accepted the fact that his competition career was over.  I decided to do one last trial as closure and headed off to Bourbonnais, IL on 7-7-7.  Now when I went there it was July 7th and I didn’t put the numbers together but at some point after the fact. I realized the date and did a little investigating.  There is so much written about numbers but what I take away from 7-7-7 is “perfect completion”.  He was an amazing dog.  We had a blast that day competing in level 2 of PSA and it is a day I’ll never forget..  

           

 

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