Running With Scissors

Happy 24th Birthday Casey!

Thought you were going to sneak by without a photo tribute, didn't you?

Have fun tonight (but not too much fun!) and a wonderful year. We are so proud of you.

 

Puppy Playdate

Stella had her first "playdate" recently with her new pals Tux and Duke. Although she looks like she's running for her life, she had a fabulous time dashing around like a maniac and working on her (ahem) social skills. It was almost like the good old days when the moms would visit and the kids would play until they were exhausted (hopefully!).

Meanwhile, Ozzie stayed home and hung out.

Pupdate

Miss Stella has settled right in here and is very busy keeping us all on our toes. She weighs a whopping nine pounds (up from six when we got her) so she seems to like the chow. She enjoys her puppy training classes, although I'm afraid she's like that annoying kid we've all had in our class -- you know the one that's always raising her hand and shouting "Pick me! Pick me!" The teacher says to sit, lay down, or come and Stella does it -- whether its her turn or not. She does not enjoy taking turns. I'm pretty sure she thinks the other dogs are there just to be her audience.

Stella loves Ozzie the cat, perhaps a little too much. She is constantly gnawing on him, pulling his tail, or laying on him. Oz is a saint. I would have given Stella a good scratch long ago. We've designated that red striped chair the Stella-free zone, so that the poor cat can get some peace. Stella would rather sleep on that pillow than her kennel during the day, so Ozzie decided to try out the kennel. Unfortunately for Oz, Stella decided to join him. Very cozy.

Happy Valentines Day!

Introducing Stella!

Our newest family member is a 6-pound ball of fun named Stella. She's a Decker Terrier, an unusual breed I stumbled upon last year when I was researching rat terriers. Very similar to rat terriers, and often called giant rat terriers, Deckers are supposed to be a larger, sturdier, calmer version of the standard rat terrier. We'll see.

She's 10 weeks old and is adjusting well to her crate, but still a little unclear on the whole potty training thing. She loves Ozzie the cat, who seems to return her affections, for now. The jury's still out on my Dad's dog, Figgy.

 

 

Bad Kitty

I thought it was a little quiet, so I went on an Ozzie hunt.

He was busy.

Apparently there is a downside to those open-ended toilet paper holders I was so happy with.

Gratuitous Cat Photos

I can't help myself, I'm completely smitten.

This used to be my "Completed Knitting" suitcase. Ozzie has decided it makes a swell cat bed. I keep it on my desk, and when I sit at the computer he hops right in. Which is much better than draping himself across my keyboard or sitting on my mouse. My desk is a 6-foot pine table, so there's plenty of room for both of us.

I guess I will make him a little quilt to go in his suitcase, instead of the old pillow sham he has in there now. Darn, another quilt to add to the list.

 

Meet Ozzie!

Since my nest is officially empty -- Casey is all settled in Philadelphia now -- I thought I needed a little fuzzy somebody to keep me company. Enter Ozzie -- my adorable three-month old kitten.  I went through a local rescue organization (OC Small Paws) who did everything but have me give blood to make sure I would be a good cat parent. I had to give two references that were called and grilled interviewed about my pet ownership history. Luckily I passed the test and brought the little guy home Saturday. He's very social and follows me around most of the day. Of course, I'm totally smitten and I can't believe I waited this long to get another cat. I will try to keep the cute kitty photos to a minimum!

Philadelphia Or Bust

Remember when I said Casey was going to Marquette? Scratch that. At the eleventh hour Villanova Law School offered him a scholarship that was just too good to ignore, so he is Philly bound.

He left this morning for the cross-country jaunt with his girl friend Amy and best pal Kevin. The car is packed to the roof with heaven-knows-what. There may be a map in there somewhere. Hopefully they will make it to Pennsylvania before school starts in August. Next stop Las Vegas.

Trash The Dress

I have been intrigued by those cool and edgy "trash the dress" photos I've seen all over the web for the last few years. The basic concept is that you take a beautiful dress (usually a wedding dress) and photograph it in places a beautiful dress doesn't belong (beach, pool, field, etc.) Unfortunately I am neither cool nor edgy -- but luckily I know people who are -- enter my niece Katie.

Katie was in town from Arizona this weekend, so I grabbed her and this goofy dress I had found at an estate sale and we hit the beach.

  

Katie is such a good sport. We had her out jumping waves -- my sister Sue kept yelling "Go deeper!" It was pretty funny.  But I love the photos -- I wish I was a better photographer. Hopefully I can work on them in photoshop.

By the way, once the dress dried off it looked almost as good as new! It's available for photoshoots.

 

P.S. -- Thanks everyone for your kind words about our sweet Chance. I really appreciate it.

RIP Chance

Today my sweet dog Chance passed away. It was sudden and we are all so sad.

He had been under the weather and not his usual bouncy, enthusiastic self the last couple of weeks, but still eating and drinking and going on walks. Last night, he just took a turn for the worse, lethargic and weak. This morning I took him to the vet and he crashed while they were doing bloodwork. He passed away before they could even finish the tests.

He was a wonderful companion and I already miss him very much.

Rest in peace Chancy, we love you.