All posts tagged: puppyhood

If: You Get a Dog

If you get yourself a dog, you’ll say to yourself, “He’s so cute and cuddly. I love having a dog.” When he piddles in the middle of the floor, you’ll think twice. But only for a second or two.  When you first teach him how to obey, you’ll be so pleased with his learner’s spirit. After you’ve run out of treats, you’ll wonder if he actually knows how to obey.  And when he goes out for exercise and business, you’ll ask him, “Why are you leading me? How do you already know how to get there?” You’ll show him how to follow over and over and hope he pipes down the sniffer.  At home he’ll be such a sweet snuggler, warming himself in the crook of your arm and nuzzling your nose. You’ll find yourself saying, “I love you no matter what, always and forever.” But then he’ll get board and chew your work boots and kill a chicken or two. You’ll ask yourself why you got the dog in the first place.  When a …

Dogs: Lick, Love & Learn

For those of you who know me well, BleuBird Mama loves her dogs! The funny thing is that I didn’t grow up with dogs, not even a house cat, and the little goldfish lived about two days. I had no experience with animals until I was in college. I liked other people’s pets, but I didn’t know how to interact with them well. I also didn’t understand the context of a species and their particular behaviors. I always knew- even when I was a kid- that I’d marry an animal lover. My husband told me he wouldn’t have married me if I didn’t love animals. He grew up with Labradors and outdoor cats in the mountainside of a pacific coastal town, so he was all outdoorsy and acclimated in ways this wimpy suburban girl was not.  When we got married we inherited Ian’s old black lab Luke Skywalker, also known as Pookie or Lucus Maximus and Pook-pook-pookie-the-pooper. He was a wonderful dog. Loyal as the day is long. Simple minded. Obedient. Affectionate. Quiet. Sweet. Of …

Loot: Savory Savings

Last night I went up to the next town over for an Essential Oils presentation at my Chiropractor’s office; even though I overslept my nap hour, I did make it in reasonable time and found the session to be very helpful. This presenter was focusing on the proper and most effective use of oils for emotional needs, which I found to be beneficial for me as I’d like to use a few types to calm myself and focus my mind during labor. More on that in another post … After that little shindig, I dropped by Target for a look-through of their crib linens and curtains. I had been intending to buy all the nursery linens from this company that I discovered via Etsy, however, I finally decided the collection of items would be way more expensive than necessary. They are things that we would certainly reuse with other babies, but I wasn’t sure that was the financial investment I should make at this time. Since we are renting our home, I felt it best …

Saturday: Tactical Man & Yoga Wife

we’ve been so lazy, which isn’t the usual for us. despite it being quiet around here, i’ve made the most of my time creatively and thoughtfully, which actually isn’t always the usual for me. ian had a long night running calls and came home to frenzied barking and bedhead wife. welcome home, would you like to help me out? no such luck. we ate our breakfast and attempted halting conversation above the howls of a blonde tasmanian devil. ian sighed and wished me goodnight while the sun shone brightly on our table spread. i did not let that get me down. THAT is especially noteworthy  considering my nonstop week at the office from 9am-8pm nearly every day. could have crashed and burned today, but i chose to stay positive and purposeful. i worked on a project i’d been meaning to pick up this season… i’m not going to reveal it just yet, so take a sneak peek for now… ian is in the process of completing more military training; he had been away for a …

Home: White Sanity

Heavy snowfall means I’m quarantined at home. I love being forced to stay home. This abode is a lovely little shelter where I can hide away to read my books, dance to my music, bake my favorite cookies, watch my shows, play with my dogs, be my creative self… – – – – – – – – – – The adventures of Luke and Molle in the snow are as follows… This afternoon was perfect powder for them to romp around in; they both set out in a cantor… but only one was doing the chasing… I was amazed how well she could plow through all that snow! She was undaunted and having a good ol’ time… These are my favorite pictures of Molle… whenever I called she came a’dashing!

To Do: Hug & Peel

Long high gray of the morning sky to bright white blue of the afternoon. Oddly enough, 4-6 inches of snow predicted for tomorrow. These strange mountain climates. Twas a hustled, bittersweet weekend with my husband. Friday night we crashed after an involved week; Saturday we sorted and cleaned and packed and danced and talked and laughed and prayed and crashed (again); Sunday we rose at the ungodly hour and my husband departed for his work trip. Here are a few snapshots and their explanations of all that ensued…

Puppyhood: Welcome Home Molle

Ian and I have been discussing getting another labrador for several months. Our older lab, Luke, is Ian’s dog who is now 13 years old, a wise old senior for a large dog. I had wanted to pick out a pup during the summer, but the timing just wasn’t right for our family. Luke is still in good health and excellent shape, so when I discovered that a friend from church had a new litter I probed Ian to find out if we could just check them out; I proposed that if we were going to get a pup now would be a good time for Luke. I told myself to not get my hopes up, but that is apparently very difficult for me to do… After much consideration, discussion, prayer, and seeing the litter twice…We ended up choosing a yellow female, the only one of her litter who was genuinely drawn to us. She had one other sister who was more anxious around us and Luke. This yellow female, in contrast, was sweet, affectionate, calm, …