A Puppy's Christmas in Washington (with apologies to Dylan Thomas)

"One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all the sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before I go to sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and nights when I was twelve or twelve days and nights when I was six...."

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Sage, Annie, Willa and I are going to spend a week trying to find snow, playing with our new toys, and enjoying some time off.  We'll be back after the New Year.

All the best,

The Girls.

Murphy's Day.

Looking for Santa

Sage carries on Murphy's tradition of getting excited about her stocking.  We're getting close...and she's looking for Santa.  In typical lab fashion, she is fully prepared to walk to the North Pole to find him (why catch the Polar Express when you can walk with Sage?).

Murphy's Day.

Will It Ever Snow?

It's been the driest December in a long long time.  I'm certainly not complaining...but the girls mentioned they would like a little bit of snow for Christmas.

Murphy's Day.

Growing Up

My mother used to tell me stories about how she would cry at milestones as I grew up: walking to school the first day of kindergarten, the day I switched from pencil to cartridge pen (yeah, that sure ages me), when I entered junior high...you get the drift.  She admitted to me that she always wanted me to stay little.

This is a picture of Annie when she was about 5 1/2 months old.  She seems so little.  But the great thing about labs is that they stay young in spirit and energy for years and years.  While they don't stay "small," (which by the way, there is no such thing as a small lab...), they stay young.

It's something to think about.  I am not sure my mom ever saw me dance in the grocery store aisle to "shopping" music, or heard me sing my country-western songs in the shower, or heard my screams of delight when I caught a gorgeous west slope cutthroat.  But she did know I was young...it was our gift to each other because I also watched her youthful delight in life, especially when she was around the "girls."

It's that lab symbiotic relationship with people they know love them.  Labs make us young.

Murphy's Day.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today was my father's birthday.  He was an amazing man.  Years ago he made this book case for me.  It's nice to be able to look at these and other things he did, every day, and think of him.

Happy Birthday Dad.  I miss you.

Murphy's Day.

Duck Blind?

Somehow I can't see either of these two willing to sit for hours in a cold duck blind...oh well, maybe I can train them to take out the garbage?????

Murphy's Day.

What is it About Snow?

What is it about snow that brings out the goof-ball in just about everyone, but particularly Annie?  I suspect if she lived in the Arctic she would still do something like this every single day.

And that is a good thing.

Murphy's Day.

Wake Me When It's Dinner

As I said, Sage is slowing down...just a bit.  She is keyed into several things: meals, walks, a few runs, chews, and play time.  Play time means anything around chase or football.  She also continues to thoroughly enjoy finding her place in the center of things and just observing, making sure we're all following "Sage's Guide to Well Behaved Humans and Other Dogs Not Mentioned By Name."

She is my Sage Bean.  And I adore her.

Murphy's Day.

"Let's Raid the Closet"

Several weeks ago there was a 15% coupon for a number of stores at a local shopping mall near the University of Washington.  The fantastic news was one of my favorite pet stores, Mud Bay, was participating.  So off I went, coupon in hand, shopping for the mischievous elves in the house.

Hiding things around labs is a problem.  Their noses may not be Beagle or Basset quality, but they are pretty darn good.  I have a closet in my study that usually works, but recently I have been noticing all three girls have been circling near the closet entrance.  There is no doubt that Willa is trying to convince Annie to investigate what "Santa-Mommie" might be hiding....

Time to remind them about the naughty and nice equation oh-so helpful to mothers during this time of year!

Murphy's Day.

After Such a Rough Time....

As I began to write out my Christmas cards I became reflective.  Just what happened this year and what can I expect to happen during 2012.  The past few years have been, as they say, a "rough patch," with the deaths of Murphy, my parents, and several good friends.  This last year, while there was loss, was a bit calmer, allowing me time to catch my breath and begin thinking about the next phases of my life.  Where do I want to be?  What do I want to be doing?  How can I realize dreams?

This past weekend we stayed home, getting a few things done including the "dreaded" Costco run, leaf raking, and general household duties.  I also went to a neighborhood where my parents lived the last few years of their lives (and I haven't been back in about a year) only to find their favorite breakfast place totally changed!  Sigh.  The world moves on and on.

The girls seemed to enjoy a slower weekend, despite runs and walks, it was slow for us.  And in watching them I realized how lucky we are.  Three years ago Christmas Day my friend Mary Tydings called with news about a litter of yellow labs and a little over a week later Annie Oakley came into our lives.  And this year I met a neighbor and now good friend who told me about her nephew's gorgeous yellow Sydney and at the end of September came Willa.  While three active labs is certainly a handful (and let me tell you how many people want to tell us that as we walk: "my, you certainly have your hands full!") at this point I couldn't imagine our lives any other way.  Willa burst onto the scene and hasn't stopped working her way into our daily lives.  As I exercise I keep reminding myself that I have to stay somewhat limber as I age just to keep up with Annie and Willa (Sage is finally beginning to slow down a tish).

So after such a rough few years, where our lives were consumed with doctors, cooking breakfasts, lunches, dinners, cleaning two houses, running errands, grocery shopping for two households, vets, trying to run my consulting business....it's been a little quieter this year.  I have time to enjoy the two "nuts" in the picture as they wrestle and cavort around the house.

Murphy's Day.

Let's Get It Started

She is Mighty Mite, hurling herself into any activity her two older sisters are doing..."Let's get it started..." is probably the song going through her brain.

Scary.

Murphy's Day.

Essence of Annie

Annie is one of the quirkiest dogs I have known.  She is an amazing athlete, even more agile than Murphy, yet she is timid around many other dogs and seeks out lots of comfort from me.  She loves to be close, even putting her head on my lap when I am in the bathroom (more detail than you wanted?????), yet often will totally ignore me when I want her to come.  She is close to Sage, eager to play with Willa, but given the chance, will be stretched out on my bed, snoring.

I totally love her quirks.  There have been times I have wanted to skin her alive (like when I really need her to come) but I have learned to adapt, and have found a "stern voice at high volume" works with her.  She is like a troubled teen who wants attention and even getting told "sit down, and I mean it," seems like an admission of love to her.  Hopefully some of those quirks are not from the nurture, although I feel guilty that she had to spend so much of her puppyhood in the car as I raced between my home and my parent's, doing caregiving.  I do remember great walks at dusk through the Arboretum, laughing as Annie found a stick and ran around Sage, but perhaps her quirks are a result of all that time in the car and sensing my stress....

And then, her essence is kindness.  She also learned that a head on my lap, a greeting with tail wagging, lowered my stress enormously.

Annie Oakley.  Riding the range....

Murphy's Day.

My Bed

Despite Willa's on-going desire to adversely possess Sage's LL Bean bed, Sage is quite successful at maintaining her boundaries!  Sage loves this bed, in the middle of hardwood floors (she is not a fan of hardwood, too slick), also in the middle of lots of activity which she can monitor and participate if she wants.  Plus, it's next to a heat vent, an important location in cold eastern Washington.

Annie stays away from Sage's bed.  And we'll see how Willa and Sage arrange their bed sharing over the next few weeks.   But I suspect it's going to take more than Sage circling around the bed while Willa is on it, to get Willa to move....I have a funny feeling I will be refereeing a few snarls!

Murphy's Day.

Ode to Joy

If I could figure out how to put music to the blog, Ode to Joy would be this song.  Annie got into a little bit of snow in eastern Washington.  It was slick, and I mean slick (I can show you the bruise on my butt), but the girls thoroughly enjoyed the brief trip.

Ode to Joy!

Murphy's Day!

"I'm a Big Dog, Really, I Am"

There are some universal behaviors in labs.  Food driven, that is for certain.  But one that is also a guaranteed behavior is "the rush" to prove they are big dogs.  "If you can do it, so can I."  Willa still sleeps in a crate, and when I am not at home, she also is in a crate unless I'm only gone for a few minutes. But she has taken to the idea of a dog bed, especially if it is Sage's.

Willa has a problematic relationship with Sage at this point.  Sage accepts her, tolerates her, but also lets Willa know, on a daily basis, who is the top dog in the family.  A snarl, a growl, a nudge.  Willa follows Annie like "a puppy," but she really is intrigued with Sage and wants to be just like her (in fact, I think she will be more like Sage than Annie, she doesn't, at this point, seem as "hunt" driven as Annie).  On Sunday, when we came back from a walk, she scampered into the house, beating Sage to her dog bed, camping out as Sage circled trying to figure out how cranky she should be over this "black dot" on her bed.

Guess who won that battle?

Sage de-camped to my bed.

Murphy's Day.

Advent Calendars

While I was caregiving for my parents I found I didn't have time to actually shop for "the big" Christmas present.  So I pulled out a gorgeous Advent Calendar my mother gave me many years ago, marked off the calendar, and every few days each of us got a small treat.

Today begins the Advent, and in our minds, winter.  So a little door will open and a treat...of course, I have yet to tell Willa about the only other Christmas tradition I keep, stockings!

Murphy's Day.

Holiday Dress-Up

Normally, the girls wear collars from Orvis.  The collars are nylon, extremely durable, and have their names and my cell phone number embroidered on them.  Plus, they are adjustable, so I can get one collar and it essentially lasts much of their lives....but for holidays, they have special collars.  This is a tradition started by my mother who gave me a holiday collar with jingle bells, for Riley, my wheaten terrier. From there, I have gone through an assortment of holiday collars until I found these wonderful collars from Sun Valley.

And so, on Thanksgiving, all three girls got on their holiday best, and romped in the snow.

We had a marvelous time: good food, great friends, the dogs played and played, nice walks.  As if on cue, it snowed on Thanksgiving, so we taught Willa about snowballs.  It was a nice day...

Murphy's Day.

Sage's Dog House

For those who haven't see it, this is Sage's dog house in eastern Washington (or more technically, North Central Washington).

The girls love it over there, and there is not much better than waking up to snow falling, Aspen and Ponderosa pine swaying in the wind...sunrise over Burch Mountain.  For this, Sage doesn't mind the command: "Sage, in your dog house!"

Murphy's Day.