Queen of the Hill

Death and taxes may be the only certainties in life, but there sure is a lot of fun to be had while we're still living, don't you agree? We just never know how much time we have, or what the future has in store for us. I'm trying to keep a healthy perspective about things, and hoping to do a better job of taking advantage of the opportunities for me to live a full life.

Adulting is hard; no one will argue that, but it is not without its perks. Today was pretty awesome in that regard. 

As a retired teacher who learned to ski at 47, but had to stop about five years later, I still love snow. I like watching it, walking in it, and playing in it. I've had to adapt the way I play since my knees can't afford another tumble while alpine skiing, but as my family can tell you, no one enjoys a good sledding run more than I!

As you may have heard, Winter Storm Mateo dropped a buttload of snow over the midwest this last weekend. I enjoyed a long walk through deep snow with my friend Katie, and I got some fun pictures of the dogs playing in the backyard. Chuck and I spent some time together shoveling the driveway and in front of the mailbox, and we took a few minutes to go sledding at the park near our house, but that's a story for another day.

Today the skies are blue, and the sun is bright. It is what my snowboarding kids in Utah call a blue bird day. Since today is a weekday, it is also a school day, which means children are at school, not making long lines at the sledding hills at the parks. 

When I arrived, the only other people there were just leaving. What luck! Today I was Queen of the Hill. I was probably giddier than I should have been, but that meant I could sled anywhere I wanted; even down the area that is roped off for the kids to have a safe path to walk back up the hill. 

My pan sled and I had so much fun. We bumped down the moguls of the main hill. We flew down the gentler slope that was much less of a jarring ride, and we spun around as we sped down the walking path. 

Then I noticed a pile of broken sleds around the garbage can, and among the wreckage of old sleds was a perfectly good one called a Zippy, and I determined that since it had been abandoned, I would give it a try. 

It's hard not to laugh when I'm sledding. I feel kind of silly because laughter is usually a shared thing with a friend or loved one, but giggles just bubble up when I am outdoors, playing in the snow, even when I'm alone. Today was a very good day. In looking at the clock, I see I don't have much time before school lets out, and the sledding hill will be teeming with youngsters. I've had my fun, but have I had my fill? 

Hmmm...there's still time for me play Queen of the Hill. I might need to head back out in just a bit!

Happy GOTCHA Day, Puppies!

“Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.” -Dean Koontz

Chuck and I had owned dogs in the past, before we knew each other. So many  of our good memories involved our former canines, and we always knew we would eventually get a dog, but we just couldn't figure out when, and we didn't exactly agree on what kind. 

We finally realized there would never be a perfect time to have a dog. The logistics of caring for a dog comes with a host of problems. What if we wanted to go on vacation? What if we would be gone from home all day? What about medical care?

Dogs are messy and inconvenient; that's for sure. And as far as coming to consensus on whether we should adopt a puppy or an older dog, and what breed we wanted, we deliberated long and hard. 

Aren't you glad I agreed to adopt a puppy, Hunny?

Chuck wanted a puppy; I wanted to adopt a dog. I wanted a big dog; the bigger, the better, and if it was already housebroken and knew some basic commands? BONUS. Chuck only wanted a lab, a smallish one. Sigh. I had raised labs most of my adult life. They are such energetic puppies, and their puppy stage lasts for years. How would we ever agree?

Vincent van Gogh said, "If you don't have a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life." That's how I felt. Something was wrong; something was definitely missing.

You may have thought we bit off more than we could chew when we decided to get a dog. You may have thought we were crazy to adopt two. You all know now that we went with Chuck's idea of getting a puppy, and you also know the only way we would be happy is if we each chose our own. We became A TWO PUPPY HOME. 

My Bristol, my sweet velvet hippo, was a big, roly-poly puppy with lots of wrinkles and ginormous paws. I was counting on his growing into those feet, and he didn't let me down. 

Chuck's labradorable Sami was the puppy Chuck has wanted forever. She is the first dog he chose for himself, and he loves that little girl so very much.

Were we crazy? Do we regret adopting two fur babies? All I know is this. Every single day with these beautiful creatures feels like a blessing.

Our human children are all grown up, and living lives of their own. Coming home to an empty house was kind of sad for me, and now, I have two happy dogs to love and nurture. Adding Bristol and Sami to our family made our house feel like a home.

There are moments when having two puppies at the same time was challenging. Remember when I thought I had to WAKE them up every couple of hours through the night so they could go potty? Yeah, that was a dumb idea. Remember when we had boxes and furniture blockading areas of our house trying to protect certain rooms from destruction? The house looked horrible, but hey, it worked while they were little. Now they have full run of the place, unless we have to go somewhere, and then they stay in their crates.

When I'm sweeping up all of the dust bunnies that are loaded with dog hair, or when I'm wiping up all of the mud tracked in on a rainy day, I may grumble a bit. I miss some of my favorite pairs of shoes that Bristol used as teething toys. The tan love seat is missing part of its upholstered skirt. A newel post and a table leg or two have been gnawed by the naughty gnashers. 

But you know what? In the big scheme of things, none of that matters to me. I would adopt those two galoots all over again, even knowing what I know now. 

Sami plays rough with other dogs, but she is so gentle with humans. If you will pet her, you will have her complete devotion, and she won't leave your side. Sami is a growler and a barker. When we pet Sami, she growls, and we liken it to the purr of a cat. She is completely relaxed, and growls with every stroke of our hands. When it comes to barking, Sami likes to let us know if someone rings the doorbell, or if the neighbors are taking their trash cans to the curb, or if the dogs behind us are playing in their yard, or if Bristol has invaded her personal space.  

Sami is our alpha dog, and she reminds Bristol of that constantly. Every toy in the house is hers, and Bristol has resigned himself to that fact. Sami feels like she has to display dominance with other dogs. She has been crazy-hard to walk. Everything distracts her, and she wants to chase everything that moves. Sami sheds like crazy; my vacuum cleaner can attest to that. 

Bristol was a special needs puppy for a long time. He came to us with an ear infection, a bladder infection, and ringworm. He is an easy dog to handle because he has had lots of medicine and medical treatment. (Unless we're talking about having his nails done. He is still the biggest baby about that.) Bristol still chews things we wish he would not. The day he swallowed a sewing needle was my worst day as a puppy mama. That required an ER visit, anesthesia, and a very big vet bill. Everything came out all right in the end, though, thank goodness. 

Bristol is a vocal dog too, but he is less of a barker, and more of a whiner. He even cries in his sleep sometimes. Bristol is saddest when Sami leaves the house without him. His mournful howl sounds like Chewbacca. 

Bristol and Sami are siblings, and just like siblings, they fight over toys, and there is definitely some rivalry going on, but they also have great fun playing together, and they seem to like being with each other.

Is it even worth it to have a dog, non-dog owners may wonder? I have to agree with our friend Lynne who has a beautiful husky named Sierra. Lynne said, "I would rather have muddy paw prints on our carpet, than have a house without a dog."

Our house was pretty boring without the pups. What did I even do all day before they came into our lives? Now I never do anything alone; not even go to the bathroom. I have constant companionship, and the devotion of two caring canines. 

Happy Gotcha Day, puppies! You changed our lives, for good.

Happy Valentine's Day from Bristol and Sami! If you enjoyed their GOTCHA story, you might want to check out some special Valentines from our fur babies HERE.

Valentine Wishes and Puppy Dog Kisses

"Remind me; how do we celebrate Valentine's Day?" my husband asked a few days ago. I think I saw him wince. Poor guy. He swears Valentine's Day is another opportunity for the male to fail. Silly man. You'd think after three years, he'd know better. 

You know those quizzes that have no research behind them, and are solely entertainment purposes, but somehow they suck us in to see how we score? I saw one recently to determine if someone were high maintenance. The bullet points concerned makeup, high heels, jewelry, waxing, shaving, acrylic nails; basically all of those things upon which fashion magazines encourage us to base our self-esteem. I scored a zero. A big, fat ZERO, Chuck. High maintenance, I'm not.

So I reminded my husband we've never made a big fuss over Valentine's Day, but last year we celebrated the middle of February by adopting two of the cutest puppies on the face of the earth.

"Do do you want to continue that Valentine's Day tradition? Shall we adopt a puppy this year, too?"

He managed to laugh, and I know he was relieved I was only teasing, but seriously, we've just never made oneupmanship part of our holidays. We have no compunction to make the next Valentine's Day better than the last. 

To me, it's the little things that make me want to be Chuck's Valentine forever. I may not get flowers or a heart-shaped box of chocolates on February 14, but he shows me he loves me in so many other ways.

Chuck is the only man who has even cared enough to ask me what kind of flowers I like. Why do most men assume all women like roses? I love Gerber daisies, orange ones, and less than a week after I met Chuck online, I received a bouquet of orange Gerber daisies from him.

Chuck knows exactly where that knot is in my shoulders, and notices immediately when the arthritis in my wrists needs a massage. He makes me laugh every day, and he is the easiest person in the world to cook for. Whenever I'd rather not be bothered with meal prep, he's quick to offer to pick up takeout for us, and he's just as happy with some oatmeal for the easiest dinner ever. 

Valentine's Day is a low-key affair around here. I've made some puppy memes and Valentine's Day cards on Canva to satisfy my creative needs. (Ta-da!) We'll go out to eat sometime this week, but not on the fourteenth. The rest of y'all can stand in line waiting for a table; we're happy to avoid the crowds. 

How will I show my undying affection for my sweetheart this week? I'm not heartless, ya know, I did buy some heart-shaped pasta. 

You're welcome, Hunny. From one low-maintenance human to another: I love you. And just knowing you love me makes me happy.

However you celebrate February 14, whether it's Valentine's Day, Galentine's Day, Palentine's Day, or just a regular old Wednesday, I hope you do something you love with someone you love. Even if that someone has fur and four legs. 

Winter Storm Mateo 2018

Winter Storm Mateo is dumping some snow here in Chicagoland. I couldn't be happier. Well, until I get my sled out anyway. Our labradorable Sami is just as excited as I am, but I don't think Chuck and the Velvet Hippo share our enthusiasm. This is going to be a great weekend for winter walks, snowmen, and sledding; I just know it! 

These sentiments are probably more mine than Bristol's.

Last night, Chuck read the forecast, and looked up from his phone. "You can stop praying for snow now, you know," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He knows me. I just can't help it; I love snow so much.

This morning, I woke up at 2:00, and the snowfall was well underway. When I started my second pot of coffee, I decided I would bake cinnamon rolls for our neighbors. Am I so thoughtful, or what? Well, Chuck and I like cinnamon rolls, too, so my good deed wasn't exactly altruistic. We just think we should share the love, and the calories.

By the time the rolls were frosted, we had several inches of snow, and no one had had time to plow driveways, or shovel sidewalks. I just slipped my bare feet into my galoshes, and ran the plates of goodies from house to house in our cul de sac. The snow was above my ankles, and fell inside my shoes. That may not have been my smartest move today. It's now close to noon, and my feet are just beginning to warm up. 

The puppies, who really, really aren't puppies any more, but they're my fur babies, and that's what I still call them; anyway, Bristol and Sami have different reactions to the snow. Initially, I think they are both energized by the snowfall and the cold. They both romp and play, at first.

It never takes long for Bristol to have his fill, but Sami could stay outside all morning, playfully scampering across the yard, and tossing her head in the air before digging her snout deep in the snowdrifts. Sami looks at me as if to say, "Isn't this great? Don't you love being out here?" Yes, Sami, yes, I do.

All it takes is one look at Bristol's miserable expression, and I realize he just wants to be back inside where he belongs, on the couch, under a blanket. I just promise Sami we'll go back out soon. And we will.

Our winter storm warning is still in effect this afternoon. Storm Mateo promises to be a big one that will impact us all weekend. Bring. It. On. 

Sami and I are ready.