Willa, Unleashed

She is a bundle of energy, but when she finally quiets down, so is oh-so quiet.

Murphy's Day!

Waiting

Remember the patience thing?

Poor Annie had to wait for stairs to be painted, for errands to be completed, for meals to be cooked....

Murphy's Day.

Stairway to Dog Beds

One of the projects this weekend was to paint the stairs...they get a lot of wear and tear.  So this time we opted for a bright and bold look!

Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep dogs off of stairs when they have been painted?  Must be what baby gates were invented for, right?

Murphy's Day.

Mollie McCall

Mollie was the queen of Sunset Hill (the neighborhood where we live when we are in Seattle...).  She lived a block away and deigned herself to become friends with Sage and Annie.  Even Willa managed an entree into Mollie's Court.

Mollie and Sage were once even in the newspaper as the dogs of Sunset Hill!  Celebrities!

She was a beautiful Chow, rescued by Mariam (our friend) from a horrific situation many years ago.  And quietly, patiently, Mariam got Mollie to realize she is a queen.

She died on Thursday.

We will miss you, very much, Mollie.

And for Mariam, our friend...our hearts break.  Loss like this is indescribable.  Mollie and Mariam were the greeting committee of Sunset Hill Park and are one of the reasons we can still manage to live in the city.  That's the thing about dogs, they get us out, we meet people, then we become friends, our dogs sniff and growl at each other, but we all realize that is what community is about.  And Mollie and Mariam were the foundation of our community.  We loved the Montana stories, the work stories, the jokes and joys of every day life.

Mollie knows Mariam gave her every thing she could.  In return, Mollie gave all of us that face.

We will miss you.

Murphy's Day.

Unusual Weekend in Seattle

It's becoming rare for us to spend a weekend in Seattle.  But we did this weekend.  Catching up on movies (Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild) and running errands (who knew you actually had to buy printer paper???).

The girls seemed to be ok with staying at home.  But of course they were...the errands included a run to Costco for dog food!

Murphy's Day.

Where Exactly Did the Ball Go?

So the girls did a fair amount of ball throw.  And at some point they went to the make-shift trough for water.  It was iced over and the tennis ball...well, it slid...

I love this picture of Annie Oakley and Willa trying to figure out where the ball went and how can they reach it.

Of course, I came to the rescue.  I have to be good for something, right?

Murphy's Day.

Giving Sage Her Room

Willa has been trying to engage Sage since she arrived.  And this weekend, Sage began to play with her.  But....Willa is learning that after some play, it's time to give Sage her distance.  She is nine, after all.

It's great to see Sage engage, though.  She has always been a playful dog, and Willa brings out the joy in her.

Murphy's Day.

Paint Colors and Labs

So we spent a bit of time painting the various paint samples on the exterior.  The girls were not amused, but thoroughly enjoyed romping in the lower field while we tried to decide between four different colors....

Remember that patience thing?

It's amazing to me, still, after all these years of being owned by a lab, how much mischief they can get into within a few minutes!

Murphy's Day.

Patience

Patience is not a word generally associated with labs.  In fact, it's never in the same sentence as labrador retriever.

But my girls have developed a tiny bit of, well, patience.

I love this photo.  I took this on Monday mid-day, as they became aware we were heading back to Seattle.  Cooler comes out, duffels get packed, house gets vacuumed.

So they wait until the truck loading (Sage in first as always).

I wonder what they think about this bi-coastal living.  I know they sure love the freedom to roam.  And Willa has a chance to practice her "guard duty," which is much needed since our neighborhood in Seattle is having a rash of home break-ins even while people are there (yikes!), so I encourage Willa to be as protective as she wants.

But they never seem relieved to get back to Seattle, even though it is familiar territory.

I am thinking....patience, Kim.  Maybe someday we'll stop the commuting...and end up in lab heaven!

Murphy's Day.

Off to Play

Long week.  We taught kids at a local elementary school what a forester does.  We had lunch with a close friend, we solved lots of problems, and we had a frustrating meeting with a City of Seattle agency that doesn't know it's head from....ah, never mind.

Time to play.

Hopefully I can walk!

I know the girls sure can.

Murphy's Day!

It's Gonna Take a Lotta' Love

Neil Young's song, "It's Gonna' Take a Lotta' Love" is the dog's theme song when they are crammed in the back of the truck.

But they are great and now I can not imagine it any other way.  3 dogs!

It's a lotta' love.

What could be better on Valentines Day?

We still miss Murphy, but we are oh-so grateful for all this lab love.

Murphy's Day.

Worlds Best Brewery

After all the Super Bowl ads (yes, the Clydesdales got to my heart), I thought I would throw in one for a great brewery in Leavenworth, Washington.

Icicle.

Dogs allowed.

Growlers are pretty darn cool.

Bootjack IPA is fantastic.

Dogs allowed.

Murphy's Day.

It's About the Knee

People who have read this blog for awhile remember Sage having to have ACL surgery.  It was traumatic for her and I am still sobering up (yes, Bill) from the night of worry!  Several days later, I tweaked my knee as I was trying to help Sage up the back stairs.  It took her just a few months to recover and me well over a half a year.

Well, I have been feeling fairly frisky on my knees recently, so of course, disaster should happen.  And last weekend I somehow tweaked my knee...and am hobbling around like I have a "peg-leg."

However, I am thinking about that South African runner....maybe I should just get rid of the knees and have springy new calves and feet????

Sage is doing well, needless to say.  And she looks at me hobbling around with a great deal of sympathy.

Gee, thanks, Sage.

Murphy's Day.

Jacob

This is my great grand-nephew Jacob.  He is a wonderful young man who is interested in all sorts of things, including whether his beloved San Francisco Giants can pull off another Worlds Series this year (I am, however, noticing his helmet is green not orange or black).  My nephew-in-law, Peter, who is photographer extraordinaire, took this picture.  Peter has a great ability to capture the children in this family; his photos bring their life up north to me in Seattle while they grow up, way too fast, in the Bay Area.

Jacob, I think, looks like he is ready for the Tour of California.  Pedal hard!

Family.  It's what it is all about, right?

Murphy's Day.

Updates

So, I finally got a new pair of glasses, updating my prescription.  Photogray...so I decided to test them on a wonderful hike with the girls.

I could still see them!  And that is all that matters.

Murphy's Day.

Annie Oakley!

The lyrics: "Anything you can do I can do better...."

Annie loves her sister, the pillow. Formerly known as Willa.

Murphy's Day.

Life is a Puzzle

Whoever thought it was relaxing to do a 1000 piece puzzle of bison in winter....

The girls just look at me as if I was nuts.  I am nuts.

Murphy's Day.

Gonna' Take a Lot of Love

The King Cab of the truck is not the girls favorite....it is cramped for three dogs.

But as the song says "it's gonna take a lot of love..." to see them through the ride!

Murphy's Day.

Getting Out of Town

Despite the Super Bowl, we decided to get out of town.

For some reason my left knee decided to give out...a semi-occurance these days.  Knee brace comes out, ice bags, and the girls will enjoy a lot of walks and no runs until it gets better.

Getting old sucks, to be honest.

Nonetheless, it was a nice weekend.  Lots of sun.  Tons of relaxing.

Murphy's Day.

Peace in Our Time

Juggling three dogs is interesting.  You learn a lot about international relations.  And I will say, we have finally achieved peace in our time.  All labs seem to be working and living well with each other.

Peace in our time!

Murphy's Day.