Category Archives: pets

The Big Fat Birthday Post

Written on February 14, 2012 by in kidlife, pets

Speaking of big and fat, I’ve been doing very well on my diet.  I wasn’t even tempted to partake in Tristan’s birthday breakfast donuts.  But then the most unexpected thing happened–his little eyes welled up with tears in empathy for me.  It made me wish donuts were something I really wanted because I had to eat one then.

Half of one, really.

It was a sacrifice, but what else could I do?

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By the end of this post you are going to be convinced of two things if you aren’t already:

Flash pictures are awful,

and

I never make my boys comb their hair.

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This was Tristan’s favorite present until he opened the big one.

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“I bet it’s a scooter. I just know it is!”

(I’m going to let the pictures do the talking from here on out.)

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He never thought he’d get his biggest wish: an iPod Touch.

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 There was only one thing left to do then–  decorate the cake.

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He really wanted Red Hot Marshmallow Squirters from Max and Ruby’s birthday story, but this would have to do.

I’m just glad he didn’t go for the caterpillar icing.

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 Notice how Tonka is keen on cake decorating.

You get your schnoz into everything, don’t you Tonka. You’d like this cake for a chew toy, wouldn’t you?

Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing of all…

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Birthday spankin’s

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Touch that cake and you’ll be next, my dear.

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Out Cold

Written on February 8, 2012 by in pets

Hello, is anybody there?

Is that you, master?

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I see you, Daisy. I’m just letting you sit out in the cold because I’m gratifying my desire to capture this moment on film, first.

I’m thoughtful and caring that way.

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I also thought this might be the perfect opportunity to ask you a question:

Are YOU the one who ate the cookie dough?

Hmmmmmmmm?

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And don’t look for help to come from some other quarter.

This is just you and me, now.

You, and me.

(Maybe I can trip her up.)

Daisy, are you hungry? Would you like some….

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Chocolate chips?

Ah-ha!

I knew it!

Those are the eyes of a soul who has partaken of the dough.

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Home Improvement

Written on January 25, 2012 by in pets

Knock, knock.

Why, Merri!  It looks like Extreme Home Makeover has been here.

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Old House…

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New House.

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You look quite satisfied.

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Even Daisy is impressed.

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Poor Daisy, nobody thought to give her her very own house with curtains and a comfy bed.

But she probably doesn’t care that we love the cats more than her.

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Did you hear that?

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She’s Lucky it was George

Written on January 24, 2012 by in pets, photography, the tonka files

Let’s add up your list, shall we, Tonka?

Wii Remote

Camera

iPod

Shoes

Makeup

Soap

Deodorant

Stuffed Animals

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It’s like throwing money down the drain, ripping it up, chewing on it, and spitting it out.

So I guess we can add money to the list of things Tonka has destroyed.

She’s lucky it was a George and not a Jackson.

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Love is blind.

Love is expensive.

Love endures dollar breath.

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Anybody Want a Wabbit?

Written on January 20, 2012 by in pets

Guess what I just found out?

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Those furry little creatures my daughter takes care of?

The ones we have six of?

I’m allergic.

It’s a good thing they aren’t in the house.  They used to have a dedicated pet room in the basement, but not any more!

We moved them to the garage.

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Poor little pampered pets.  Wherever shall you roam?

We thought about letting them roam free in the backyard as chew toys for Tonka–

I jest, I jest!

You would not believe how hard it is to give away bunnies. I’ve tried Kijiji and Craigslist. And you can’t just do a Born Free on them.  That is frowned upon because they, well, they die in the wild.

I tried the big city pound that accepts rabbits and gives them new homes, but I don’t live in their service area. Which is ironic, considering I’ve patronized them to get animals. I just can’t use this pound to re-home my animals.

It’s a quandary.

A quandary I greet every time I start up the van.

So far, we are peacefully co-existing but something’s gotta give.

Put the word out, if you live near Montreal. You can have the pick of the pack, which is this guy right here.

Scooter Junior– loved, but not enough to endure inflamed lungs. Now, there’s a great selling point!

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The Battle Ax- A Multitasking Tool

Written on January 10, 2012 by in kidlife, pets

Weapons were big at our house this Christmas. There have been battles, wars and duals, and all manner of death by Nerf.

But the most popular game has been…

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Whack-an-arrow.

Kind of a hybrid baseball game.

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All you need is a pitcher.

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And a hitter.

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Three strikes and you’re out, or whenever all the arrows have rolled under the couch and it’s your turn to fetch them.

It’s just a lot easier to say, “Yourrrrrrrrrrr OUT!”

Considering Tonka’s affinity for chewing random toys, there’s an added incentive to gather arrows promptly.

 The Nerf Buster.

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The Tonka Reunion

Written on November 21, 2011 by in pets

Many of you have asked for the whole story on Tonka– the dog we had to give away because she’s a little Houdini.  The last stunt she pulled was jumping our fence into our impenetrable hedge wearing her harness while chained to a stake.  She wriggled out of the harness, struggled through the 4 foot thick hedge, and went gallivanting about in the neighbor’s yard.

For the sake of the neighbor’s privacy we thought it was best to re-home her.  But after much trial and tribulation, we decided we hadn’t tried everything to keep her from escaping.  This weekend we dog-proofed the yard, again, in order to give Tonka one last shot.

We went to pick her up yesterday from the foster home:

This is what the ride home looked like.  I couldn’t get any pictures from the actual reunion because she was so happy to see us that she just ran and ran and ran and ran.

Our friends kept her for two weeks and she had the time of her life.  She met a doggy friend named Copper who matched her energy stride for stride.  She had a pond, and acres to run around in.

But, she didn’t have us.

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Home again.

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Her first momma.

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Daisy was also happy to have her home, we think.

I have conflicting emotions about bringing her home. I know she needs a huge yard to burn energy. We’ve been wanting to move because our boys need a huge yard to burn energy!  It just isn’t the right time to move yet.

It’s a quandary.

Don’t you hate quandaries?

In the end we couldn’t say goodbye forever.

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So, our baby is back.

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With a little help, we hope we can keep it that way.

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Lessons Learned

Written on November 18, 2011 by in kidlife, pets

It’s been a long two weeks since I’ve last posted. It was not unfruitful, though.  I learned some lessons along the way…

Lesson One: Giving away a beloved dog is not as easy as it sounds.

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Lesson Two: Blogging tends to fall by the wayside when your energy is diverted to drying tears.

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Lesson Three:  You can trust God to lead your husband to make a wise decision when it’s too heavy a burden for you to bear alone.

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Lesson Number Four:  If your dog can jump a 5 foot fence, you should get a new fence.

An electric one.  This may allow you to keep your silly dog after all.

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Which may lead to a happy birthday and a happy ending for a 16 year old girl.

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More to come on that front.

But first, the most important life lesson of all:

Never, ever, ever, under any circumstances…

Leave Cheetos and a stapler alone together when two little boys are the sole custodians.

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Life goes on, oh yes indeed…

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The Dog Gave Me Away

Written on November 2, 2011 by in kids, pets

There she is, walking the dog in this fantastic light.  I wonder if I can catch her without being seen?

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She’s looking to see what Tonka is pulling toward.  Shoot.

My cover is blown.

Stupid dog.

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Yes, it’s your mother, sneaking around trying to shoot you unawares.

It’s my job to embarrass my teenagers.

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Although, your dog does a pretty good  job of that for me.

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Hey, I sat down and figured out all the mistakes I made preparing Thanksgiving dinner.
Read and learn, people, read and learn:

Top Ten Thanksgiving Tips

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Charlotte’s Web

Written on September 27, 2011 by in kidlife, pets, photography

At the same time that we found this…

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We found this.

We named her Charlotte.  We thought it only fitting.

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She’s stationed by our front door, so we’ve seen a huge reduction in insects.

Not really, but the theory is there.

We just hear more screams from people approaching our domicile.

It’s better than having a watch dog.

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Much better.

Did I tell you about the roses?

Charlotte is also by the roses, which bloom just before everything is about to die from the first frost.

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Summer’s last gasp.  I hope these buds make it.

It’s a gamble. (Gamble, as opposed to gambol.  Did you know there was a difference between those two words?)

I shot these roses during the golden hour, just before the sun was setting.

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As evening approached, Tristan went to spend the night at a friend’s house.

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Goodbye, my son!

He took my soul with him.

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And now my life is meaningless and without color.

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And my heart is weeping.

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But we still had a candlelight dinner to celebrate.

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It was a toast to the first of many cool autumn nights.

Someone else actually had the camera this time.  It was Daddy, represented by the empty chair.

I wasn’t taking the pictures because there was flank steak present.

Marinated flank steak is like a tractor beam, it pulls you in.  If you want a photo of me, just give me some flank steak to chew on and I’ll hand over my camera, the whole kit and caboodle.

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Who’s the little piggy now?

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Today is Todd’s dad’s birthday. If it weren’t for him, there’d be no Todd. There’d be no us!  There’d be no Kiki, Greyson, Tristan or Sawyer!

Jeepers, but we’re blessed.

You can meet the man responsible, here.

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