Corkscrews

These photos have absolutely nothing to do with Darby, Bonnie or Pumpkin but the corkscrews and baby gourds on my gourd plant are just too cool not to share.

Pink--again

Hey, Glenn

Can I have her, huh? huh? Pretty please???

I'll make beef stroganoff for you....more often than once a year.

I'll make mashed potatoes for you....more often than just at Thanksgiving.

I'll make homemade lemonade for you....more often than, well, just as often as I do which is a lot.

I'll make a lemon meringue pie for you...more often than I ever have before which is never.

Come on, please? Can I have the Pumpkin-girl?

Love,

Melissa

Balls in the air

I left work today feeling that I am trying to keep too many balls in the air.

I'm worried that the outcome won't be as much fun as these balls in the air:

 

 I love this one of the moon over our house the night before Erika's and Christian's wedding last September.

P.S. Hey, Glenn. Can I have the Pumpkin-girl? Pretty please??

Dog Food

Have you ever wondered about how dog food came to be?  Grocery stores didn't always have whole aisles devoted to food for man's best friend.  Come to think of it, not too long ago there weren't any grocery stores like we know them now, and if we go back not a whole lot further in human history, there weren't any grocery stores at all! 

So, what did dogs eat back in those days?  Well, it appears that until about 1860, dogs ate table scraps, grain, rotten meat that humans couldn't consume and sometimes even the flat, hard-baked bread that people (in olde England, anyway) used in place of dinner plates!

Then, in 1860 a man named James Spratt, an electrician from Ohio, took pity on dogs and concocted a biscuit made of wheat, vegetables and beef blood.  Spratt's biscuits became popular, and the rest is history.  A history you can read about here here,  and here.

I don't have any photos of Darby and Bonnie eating dog food to help illustrate this history lesson.  But, I do have these photos of them chomping on each other:

Yes! Darby does have a nice grip on Bonnie's flabby cheek!

Yes!  Bonnie is sinking her teeth into Darby's neck!

Yum!


P.S.  I continue to put Pumpkin pressure on Glenn. "Little drops of water wear down big stones." ~ Russian Proverb

This is Darby's Daily, after all.

So, this is Darby's Daily, not Pumpkin's Progress, after all!

So, here is a fun photo of Darby.  I don't want her to feel left out.

Apologies to Bob Merrill

With apologies to Bob Merrill, here is my version of the lyrics.  (Be very thankful I didn't record me singing them!)

I want that Pumpkin-doggie in the log hole!
The one with the waggley tail
I want that doggie in the log hole!
I do hope that Glenn won't me fail!

Bonnie must take a trip to Virginia
And leave my poor Darby alone
If Darby has the Pumpkin-doggie, she won't be lonesome
And the Pumpkin-doggie will have a good home

I don't want a bunny or a(nother) kitty
I don't want a parrot that talks
I don't want a bowl of little fishies    
Darby and a goldfish can't go for a walk

I want that Pumpkin-doggie in the log hole!
The one with the waggley tail
I want that doggie in the log hole!
I do hope that Glenn won't me fail!

Melting

Well, there really won't be a whole series of "Say Yes to the Pumpkin" episodes because I'm just not clever enough to carry it off!

But, I will tell you that the frozen lump that is Glenn's heart seems to be melting just a little.

Even the coldest, most hard-hearted wretch would melt over this:

Look at that face!  Look at those feet!

I'm gonna go remind Glenn that if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy... 

The regularly scheduled show is interrupted

The scheduled broadcast of "Say Yes to the Pumpkin -- Mama Drama" is interrupted* by the visit of my niece and her family.  They drove over from Phoenix on Wednesday and will be driving home on Sunday. 

Last year when my niece and her family were here, my seven year old nephew wasn't too sure about Darby, but he has really taken to both girls this year, and here is the photographic proof:

The girls just love Ethan; they follow him all around the backyard--whether not not he has a ball in his hand!  They sure are going to miss him and his little sister! 

* Don't worry, the begging assault on Glenn will pick up again on Sunday.

A New Series: Say Yes to the Pumpkin!

"Say Yes to the Pumpkin!" reveals the inner workings of the one middle aged woman, Melissa J., and her attempt to convince her husband to acquire a second Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppy named Coedwig's American Pie "Pumpkin."  Part fashion show [not really,] and part family therapy, the series uncovers the hurdles Melissa faces to convince Glenn of the wisdom of again being a two dog family. 

Stayed tuned for these exciting shows coming soon to this blog: "Desperation in the Living Room,"  "Mamma Drama, where Melissa Reminds Glenn 'If Mamma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy,'" [that punctuation has me puzzled...] and "One is not enough!"*

* This is the real title of July 30th showing of "Say Yes to the Dress" [which I have never watched, but have heard about] depicting the travails of one bride determined to wear three different dresses at her "over-the-top" wedding.

All I want for our anniversary is

In the spirit of Mr. Jefferies over at Now Norma Knits, I bring you, Glenn, this song:

(To the tune of "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth)

All I want for our upcoming 28th anniversary is 
a Pumpkin Pie, 
a Pumpkin Pie,
a Pumpkin Pie.
If you would only say I could have a Pumpkin Pie,
Then YOU would have a very Happy Anniversari! Er... I mean, Anniversary! 


This is the kind of Pumpkin Pie I want: 
A Coedwig's American Pie!

Gimme a...

Gimme a P
Gimme a U
Gimme a M-P-K-I-N!
Gimme a

 

 I hope Glenn gives in soon; I'm running out of ideas!

Pumpkins

So, Glenn.  These pumpkins are pretty cool:

But, we want this one:

 You know how much I love pumpkins!

Dog days

We interrupt this "We want Pumpkin" blog assault on Glenn to satisfy my curiosity about the origin of the term "Dog Days."

I've been hearing and reading the term a lot lately because of the rotten hot weather we've had this past week in the San Diego area and that much of the rest of the US has been "enjoying" for a few weeks.  I had a vague idea that the term was in some way related to a constellation, but didn't know or couldn't remember anything beyond that. 

So, where did I go for information?  To Wikipedia, of course!

I LOVE the internet.

So, it turns out the term, like so many things, goes way back to the early Romans.  They believed that Sirius, also known as the "Dog Star", was somehow responsible for hot weather.  It is hard enough for we "modern, enlightened" people to understand our world.  How much more difficult it was for ancient people!  I think the myths they created for things they couldn't yet explain scientifically, are wonderful.  For example, I would NEVER in a million years have been creative enough to think the earth was formed on the back of a turtle!  But, I digress.   Following is the first "Dog Days" entry on Wikipedia,  for more you'll have to go here.

"Dog Days" (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere, they usually fall between early July and early September. In the southern hemisphere they are usually between January and early March. The actual dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, was somehow responsible for the hot weather.

And, here are some photos of my dog enjoying the relatively cool morning temperatures on this Dog Day.

Hey, Mr. Human!

 

Hey, Mr. Human, oh favorite human of mine (next to Mrs. Human, of course.)  I'm going to be awfully lonely when Bonnie leaves, can I have the Pumpkin-girl, please, please, PUHLEEESSSE?  I promise to try to stop licking your feet and legs when you step out of the shower.  Love, Darby

Convincing Glenn

So.  Glenn wasn't really ready for a puppy when Darby came to live with us; he wanted the freedom of no dogs at home for awhile and I wore him down.  (smile)  But, I resigned myself to having just one dog, even though I wasn't too happy about it.  I decided one dog and a marriage was better than two dogs and a divorce!

Then Bonnie came to live with us when Erika left to do her internship and Christian's work hours wouldn't allow him to keep her.  At this point, Darby has spent most of her life either with her litter mates or with Bonnie for company when she couldn't be with humans.

When Bonnie goes to Erika and Christian in their new home in Virginia this fall when the weather cools off enough to allow her to be shipped, can you imagine how lonely Darby will be?*

I think Darby needs one of these:**

Don't you think so, too?

Now, I just have to convince Glenn. 



* (I think Bonnie will be lonely, too, but she spent the first five years of her life as the only dog -- a position I think she just might be happy to resume!)

** This little tri-colored Cardi is named Pumpkin.  Her registered name is (tentatively) "Coedwig's American Pie" and Leda is reserving her for me for a bit while I work on wearing Glenn down again!

Speed

"There is more to life than increasing its speed."~ Mahatma Gandhi

Tell that to Bonnie in pursuit of a tennis ball! 

Cold, wet noses

I've read about a folk tale that explains why are dogs noses are cold and wet. 

It is said that when God flooded the earth, Noah and two of everything living at the time were floating around for a long time (except for the unicorns who were too busy playing to come when Noah called them.) During this time, the two dogs that Noah had chosen constantly patrolled the ark, checking up on the other animals, the people and generally just "policing the perimeter," I guess. On one of their trips around the ark, one of the dogs (probably the female!) noticed a small leak in the ark through which water was gushing and threatening to eventually sink the ark! 

While the second dog ran for Noah, the first dog--being resourceful like most females are--stuck her nose in the hole to plug it until help could arrive.  By the time Noah and the other menfolk arrived, the poor whole-plugging dog was in a terrible state--in pain and gasping for breath! But, through her selfless act, she had saved the world! 

It is said that God caused all dogs from then on to have cold, wet noses so all the world would forever know and be reminded of how one dog's great bravery saved the world!

These noses would make good plugs, wouldn't they?