Suspicious Sightings

Hmmm....knowing that Lyle claims to be severely allergic to cats, does anyone notice anything odd about these photos?

Winter Playtime

Bev is staying with us for Christmas and Sly is happy to have a playmate.

No Fair!

Sly: But, but, that's MY tennis ball.

Truvy: No, that USE TO BE your tennis ball. The claws indicate it's mine now.

The weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Training at the Hardware Store

We had to run by the hardware store last night, so took time out to do some training with Sly.

They were remodeling their kitchen area so we borrowed their ladder to practice "up" and "under."

A half-empty shelf provided a triple challenge for an "under," being slick, noisy, and a tight space.

Thanks to Judy for taking photos and for creating other training challenges we didn't capture in pictures.

Virtual Hunting

I've never seen the cats pay much attention to the TV before, but after helping with the festivities of decorating the tree, I caught Truvy watching for about ten minutes.

An elephant? A bit ambitious maybe.

Baby elephant. Only marginally better.

A bird. Well, that's more likely, but that's a vary large and strange bird. 

Best stick to your canned food, Truv.

Decorated, Finally

The Christmas tree finally made it out of the bucket of water in the back room and into its place in the living room.

The most honest ornament.

Mantle decorated, too.

Truvy actually pulled the little antlers out of the ornament box so I assumed she wanted to wear them.

Her expression would suggest otherwise.

And off they came.

Snow in the City

Lyle was in the city today, hopefully Christmas shopping for me, and sent this photo he took of one the rainbow pylons that welcomes you to the Lakeview neighborhood. I think the combination of snow, light and natural berries in the tree against the contemporary sculpture backdrop is pretty neat.

Dog Blanket

The trainers, huddled in the CCI play yard, said it was cold enough to require a "dog blanket." There are at least a couple of Goldens in the crowd. Perhaps one is Lilly? 

Sly's first day of errands

Sly has only recently "gone public" and today was the first day I attempted to do errands mixed with training in a variety of places. We did his bi-weekly weight check at the vet's. I love how he walks straight to the scale and sits down on it without having to be directed. Then off to Menards we went. He had never been anywhere that busy and with so many distractions and novel things. He started off a bit bewildered but I was impressed by how quickly he began to understand what I expected of him. We had a nice practice session going up and down the open-backed stairs to the second floor. We repeated it many times until he could maintain a pace identical to mine, regardless of my speed (not something natural for dogs to do). Apparently we were intriguing as I caught a number of people pausing to watch and a few who made nice comments. We ran into Dee and Shirley from the dog club and they were perfect for practicing having people pet him while he remained composed.

Next stop was Petsmart. In addition to working around all the treats and animals, he practiced going in and out of kennels and doghouses, and going to a bed on the floor on command.

We stopped by Country Market for a few dinner items. They are always so nice in there and ask how the dogs are doing. I didn't intend to buy a Christmas tree today, but theirs are always the best and they had a little one that I really liked so we grabbed it. I don't know when it'll actually make it into the living room, but at least it's here. It's currently drinking from a bucket of water in my office, where the temperature is cooler.

After stopping by Janes and replacing her car battery, we headed off to Starbucks so I could do some computer work for the shop. Sly must have been mentally exhausted because he fell asleep pretty quickly. It was chilly by the windows and he curled up in a ball, wedging his face agains the metal window trim. It sure didn't look comfortable, but he stayed in the same position for over an hour so it must not have been too bad.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Sly had his first real public access outing, a visit to Starbucks.

He'll have many more practices in that location.

He conked out on the ride home. Apparently avoiding the temptation of crumbs on the floor was exhausting.

I'm not sure if this is really the best way to protect an iPad or oneself.

Dad's pretty handy with the bungee cords.

The cats were sequestered in the basement to keep them out of the turkey.

Truvy seemed a bit out of it when I went down and disturbed them.

Glad our guests were comfy.

First Christmas decoration up (weeks before any others will make it up). 

I hope the chickens are enjoying.

Thanks Mom!

Suspicious photo of someone who claims to be deathly allergic to cats.

Mom, Dad, Jane, Lyle and I went out to The Farm. Got a nice photo with Dad.

Then we all went to The Morning Star for a nice lunch before the parents had to hit the road.

Location:The Farm

Shopping Means Giving

If you are shopping on-line, access your favorite retailer though the CCI shop link below and a portion of the sale will be donated back to CCI.

Happy 15th Birthday Formby!

Wow, how time flies!

Zzzzzzzz sure to follow

Don't know how I ended up without any pics to go with such a long but productive weekend. I worked Saturday then helped Judy finish the new kitchen cabinets at her house. That lasted until past 1 am, but it was actually kind of fun and it felt good to know that phase is done and she is closer to getting a functional kitchen back. By the time I got back from Jacksonville and wound down, I didn't fall asleep until 4am. Not one able to sleep long after the sun rises, I was back up at 8 and got the day going. Worked on a project at Jane's, then off to dog club with Jane and Sydney for holiday pictures. We also met up with several other people for training and play sessions for all the dogs.
Jane has a nibble on the island house, so keeping our fingers crossed, we went over the offer paperwork this afternoon.
At sunset, Judy and I took two of the dogs for a long walk, which led us past Katie's memorial tree at the park. I stop by every now and then, but today seemed a bit more special since i had someone else there to share the moment with and I nearly lost a tear or two. It's been four years and five dogs since she's been gone, but it's nice to sometimes have old memories stirred up and be able to reminisce.
For the fist time in who-know-how long, I actually ate dinner at 6:30, rather than 10 or 11. The fire is going in the fireplace and I'm going to go enjoy it with some popcorn and hot tea. Something tells me I'll be lucky if I'm still awake in 20 minutes when Lyle calls.

mmm.....French Toast

Goodbye Rat

Sammy the rat passed away this week,  just about a year after he'd joined the crew here. Having come from a shelter, his age was unknown but he'd begun looking and acting like an old guy in recent weeks. As evidenced in the photo with Lilly, he was always a gentle creature with a calm demeanor.

Pie!

Jane and I went to Charlie Parker's Diner today, and despite filling up on a large lunch, we manage to stuff some pie down our gullets as well. What they called simply a chocolate pie was a delicious mess of oreo cookie crumb crust filled with some sort of creamy goo and topped with tons of cool whip.

Warmth!

After a late evening walk with Sly, the first of the season where I actually felt cold, I was so glad to have upgraded the fireplace last year.

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The Farm

After having a wonderful lunch (cheese and bacon quiche, broccoli salad, chicken dumpling soup, and apple walnut pie) at the Morning Star Cafe, Jane and I drove over to The Farm, a charming gift shop with outdoor gardens. I missed getting pics of the chickens but the rest of the landscape was very pretty, even as it goes dormant for the long winter ahead.