Stepping Stones

I think I've mentioned before how it makes me laugh that the girls use the stepping stones.

Even Wednesday afternoon, when the morning sprinkles had dried up, they still walked on the stones whenever they could. 

It isn't just a Darby thing; Bonnie does it, too.

Awwww

Random Wednesday

The fish Erika caught (and released) this past weekend:

A random leaping-Darby photo:

A drive by shot of a flowering tree; one of many, many that my sister and I saw in and around Detroit.  We just couldn't get over how pretty they were.

Every now and then Bonnie flings herself down on her side in front of Darby like this: Seems to me that she asking Darby to play;  that's usually what ends up happening, at any rate!

Yes?

I missed this mug

I missed this mug:

I've been away visiting relatives in Michigan since Friday and scheduled several posts so I could keep up with the "Daily" thing. It's coming up on a year since I started this blog and while I haven't remained true to "daily," I have tried.

No corgi sightings in the Detroit, Hamtramck, Dearborn, or Frankenmuth, Michigan areas. We did, however, see a surprising amount of roadkill on the way from Dearborn to Frankenmuth. Couldn't tell just what the critters were, although muskrat was the general belief.

It was fun to see my Aunt (the last of my 12 aunts and uncles; 90 years old, looks 75 and gets around incredibly well for someone who suffered a stroke a few years ago) and several of my cousins, go to Mass in the beautiful church where my parents were married and my sister and I were baptised, eat good Polish food and see the Michigan countryside in the spring.

And, it is good to be back home, too.

She caught it!

I don't throw the ball intending for her to try to catch it because, honestly, it scares me to watch her jump like this.   Sometimes, as in this photo, it looks like she is going to land flat on her back.  But, she manages to twist herself around and land on her feet--except twice, when she landed on her side with a thump.  I held my breath until she jumped to her feet, grabbed the ball which had popped out of her mouth when she landed, and ran back to me for more.

She is the most rambunctious player of all the dogs I've know--she throws herself into everything; runs as fast as she can, slides, careens around corners, rolls over to avoid things and sometimes nearly crashes into things.  I have no idea how to slow her down (in either her eating or playing!) but at least we can do our best to keep the ball low to the ground!

Look at those pretty, white teeth!

Let the gopher wars begin

Poor Glenn! He has waged a war against gophers since we moved into this house 13 years ago!
He can't use traps or poison because of the dogs. His only defense is vibrating gopher sticks buried along the back fence.  I don't think that defense is working.

Maybe the sticks need new batteries...

What's Darby looking at?

Bonnie!  Who after thinking about it for a minute, ran upstairs and tried to steal that marrow bone. 

Bonnie didn't succeed.  Darby grabbed the bone and made a quick get away down the other set of stairs!

Slow me--and them--down, Lord!

Slow me down, Lord. Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace. Give me, amidst the day's confusion, the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of singing streams that live in my memory.

 Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking "minute vacations"...slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me of the fable of the hare and the tortoise; that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than measuring its speed.  Teach me that I do not have to compete for food with the other dog in my house; there is enough for all. 

Let me look up at the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew slowly and well. Inspire me to send my own roots down deep into the soil of life's endearing values...that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.

Help me remember that gulping my food may give me bloat.  Teach me that my humans will, indeed, feed me again tomorrow, and the day after and the day after that. 

Slow me down, Lord.   
 
Prayer brought to you by Wilferd Arlan Peterson*   Skid Stop SLOW Feed Bowl available here.   And, I guess I am supposed to tell you that I was not paid to endorse this product.  

* OK.  So not ALL the lines of the prayer were brought to you by Wilferd. 

Brand new

Brand new and BRIGHT!

The three of us

Blue

White

Pink

Jeckle and Hyde

Ms. Jeckle:

Ms. Hyde:

P.S. I feel the need to make it clear that they are only playing--even though it doesn't look like that at all! No dogs were hurt in the publishing of this blog post!

Where Darby and Bonnie sleep

Darby and Bonnie sleep in the bedroom with Glenn and me, but not on our bed. If I had my way, they would be on the bed. But, if Glenn had his way they just might be in the garage, so I don't push the bed thing! (I am guilty of sneaking Bonnie in next to me early, early in the morning sometimes. Darby is too THRILLED to be on the bed so I can't sneak her in!)

Bonnie can be trusted not to wander in the middle of the night, so she sleeps on the cute little dog bed under the little desk I use as a nightstand. (You'll notice I'm using the top of Darby's crate as a second night stand! One can never have too many books next to one's bed!)

Here's Bonnie curled up ready to sleep. 

I don't yet trust Darby not to wander, so she still sleeps in her crate.  Her crate is covered with a quilt and during the winter, I put up a fabric bumper around the inside of the crate to stop drafts.  I took the bumper down a few days ago, but Mr. Greenbean is still there -- just as he has been ever since he and Darby left Leda to come live with us!

Update: As I re-read this it sounds to me like Darby is all nice and cozy in the winter with a quilt covering her crate and a bumper lining it and there is Bonnie, left out in the cold! Well, she is snugged in under the desk, but when it was cold, I added a blanket for her to burrow under. The sweatshirt you see was my foolhardy attempt to make a sleep sack for her--neither one of us got any sleep until she wiggled her way out of the "sleep" sack and burrowed under it!

Happy Birthday, dear Wendy!

Of course you remember Wendy -- the human that Darby's mama, Bryn, lives with.

Today is Wendy's birthday!

We're hoping her birthday is happy and that the coming year is full of good things!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WENDY!

Yipee!

Yipee!

 

The human who doesn't feed us, or pick up our poop, or let us out in the middle of the night, or take us to the vet, or brush our teeth, or argue with butchers about femur bones, is HOME! HOORAY!

He's home! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!

Hello! Hello! Hello!  Did we ever miss you since you left this morning! Welcome home!