Weekend Away

We miss our weekends away. Snow, romping...

Sigh.

Murphy's day.

Springtime Allergies

Sage gets skin allergies. I thought I had them cured with salmon oil on her food, but I think she just gets itchy skin when the pollen starts.

And for those of you in the frozen east coast, it's spring out here already and yes, Sage's skin is itching.

One of the places I think she gets the pollen "attached" to her skin is swimming in this pond we walk by every day on our late afternoon walks. So, I have been leashing her up, much to her dismay. She loves her evening dip.

Hopefully in a few weeks the pollen will be off the surface of the lake and she can resume...

It's very hard saying no to a lab.

Murphy's day.

Gotta' Wonder What Is She Thinking?

My father went to the hospital last night. But I wrote the below entry on Monday so here it is:

Annie's brain is whirring. And I can see her contemplating something. I often fall into the trap of wondering what she is thinking...when I run with her I try to stay one step ahead of her cat spotting or else I am like a water skier being towed behind a fast boat as she chases the cat. But most times I realize it's best not to try and understand her. Somethings are better left unknown.

Murphy's day.

One Year Later

I keep a daily journal. So yesterday I was looking at what I wrote a year ago. Annie. We were about one month into her tenure, here, and it was a little rough. She wasn't keeping her food down, I couldn't seem to find the right formula for her, and she wasn't picking up on the "let's go outside to pee" idea. It was a little tough.

Now? Well, she eats well, rings the bell on the back door when she needs or rather demands, to go out, and seems quite assimilated into the household, or rather, we have assimilated to her.

She's a lab, what can I say?

Murphy's day.

Sunshine!

Labs are a lot like cats. They follow the sun. And this weekend found Sage and Annie in the yard, rolling around. They were in lab heaven.

Sunshine!

Murphy's day.

Keeping Faith

Part of the "skill set" of being a dog mother is keeping faith. It's about watching out for them, worrying when they hit the cold water, fretting over every little issue: a limp, a torn paw pad, an extra scratch.

But they also keep faith with me, worrying when I am late getting home, licking a tiny wound, making sure they know it's time for me to head to bed.

Keeping faith is a two way street.

Murphy's day.

Friends

Nope, this isn't about the TV show. It's about growing old. A friend emailed me earlier this week about losing friends and "family." We are of the age when loss happens all the more frequently.

I hold onto every moment these days.

Murphy's day.

Sometimes in the Morning

Sometimes in the morning I come downstairs and think I "feel" Murphy. It's been over a year and there still isn't a day I do not think of her and miss her.

Annie is most like Murphy, even though Murphy "raised" Sage. This "hell-bent" exuberance that Annie has is exactly like Murphy. That glint in her eye, as if to say: "Mom, life is short, I have absolutely got to try this, at least once..." It's Murphy.

But the steady, stoic Sage...I enjoy that "solidness." I don't have to worry....

Life does go on. But Murphy, Murphy finds ways of reminding me she is still here.

Murphy's day.

Olympic Tragedy

Higher, faster, stronger....the death of the luger on Friday is a tragedy. The Olympics are about grace, strength, performance. But not a death.

Murphy's day.

Crazy Girl

One point this weekend I looked at Annie and realized she really is crazy. Her ears were totally kattywampus, her mouth had this odd expression, and she was leaping, big air-like, toward absolutely nothing.

Crazy girl.

Murphy's day.

Oh, Canada!

Tonight, the 2010 Olympics hold their opening ceremony. Vancouver is just up the road. I'm not going. However, I have been to an Olympic Game (in LA in 1984) and highly recommend going. It's one of those great experiences.

While all those fantastic athletes will be spinning, sliding, leaping, skiing, I'll be working with Annie to make sure she continues to get "big air." We're aiming for one of those snowboarding half-pipe things...

Murphy's day.

I Hold My Breath

Sometimes with Sage I hold my breath. The success rate for ACL surgery is somewhere around 50%. In other words, either the knee blows out again, or the other knee does. It's been about a year and a half. She is running, leaping, and seems happy. I have radically cut back on the Rimadyl.

I hold my breath.

Murphy's day.

Sage at Six

It really is hard for me to think that Sage is six. She still has a lot of lab puppy in her, but six. Phew.

She is going through a new phase right now. A little fussy about her food, rejecting what used to be her favorite chew treat (which I have two more bags from Costco sitting in my pantry, thank goodness Annie isn't picky!), and growling just a tish more at anyone who gets near my car. I think the winter doldrums have settled in. Not enough snow to be excited, not warm enough to stay outside...do dogs get bored?

Murphy's day.

Contemplating Valentines

Both the girls are thinking about Valentines Day. Sage, more than Annie, has lots of boyfriends. She has jilted many a heart. But her true love, Pele, has been absent from her romping for awhile (note to self: call Liz). They walked and romped with each other almost every night for several years. Then Liz's car broke down.

Annie, well, she is the tomboy. She can run faster, leap farther, do better tricks than any boy dog, so they sort of abandon her early in the "dating" process. Doesn't seem to bother her all that much. She has Sage to annoy, after all.

Murphy's day.

Really, It's Spring Here!

To my friends and colleagues in the mid-Atlantic region...despite this picture it really is spring here in the Northwest. But Sage and Annie are oh-so envious of your snow. Send some our way! Sage is dying to make snow labs!

Murphy's day.

There are Moments

There are so many moments I want to pick up a phone and call Mom. Just to tell her something the dogs did, or a story about something I've seen. I used to joke with her. I would tell her I was sending the dogs "back." Both of them came from the east coast, and arrived in Seattle via air (Sage in first class, of course, Annie in cargo). And my mother would say: well, send them here first. It was almost a ritual with us. Then we would laugh. I would ask what she would do with them once they go there and she would say, with a hint of mischievousness in her voice: oh, I don't know...

And that game would continue until she would admit she would just love them...

There are moments, many many moments, I miss.

Murphy's day.

Annie and Coyotes

When the coyotes sing, Annie gets a little nervous. She usually snuggles even closer to me. She may be wild, but not THAT wild.

Murphy's day.

Serious Girl

As I type this Sage is having a dream...she is barking in her sleep, hind legs moving. She is such a serious girl, furrowed brow, worried about her pack. Her dream barks seem serious...

She's my yin and crazy Annie, my yang.

Murphy's day.

I Feel Good!

That has got to be what Sage is singing: I feel good, I knew that I would now...

Murphy's day

Mother GPS

I was thinking this weekend about my Mom. About how she always knew where I was. I called her from the middle of the Mojave Desert, no-where eastern Idaho, a pay phone at Polebridge, Montana (I challenge you to find that place), and from 57th and 3rd in New York City. My mother always knew where I was. And for me, that was comforting. Someone worried about me.

It's what I do for the dogs, too. Even when they run amok, I know where the are.

I think knowing where people or dogs that you love are in this world is important. Finding each other in place and space gives meaning to each others' lives.

I miss my mother.

Murphy's day.