A Dog's Christmas

Christmas at the farm was overall, quite wonderful.  Lots of hands to hold, cuddle and feed us treats.  I was in heaven.  Here I am with Lyvia and Grace, isn't it special that we share the same name?

Cousin Milo remained as annoying as ever!  It seems all he has to do is coming running up to someone and he’s won them over.  I don’t know what these people of mine see in him -  I mean he’s squat, his tail drags on the ground because of his unimpressive height, and he never stops chewing at my leg or ear, wanting to me to run and play.  Why he looks like a flapping mop when he runs, and these humans of mine just gush over him.  Disgusting.  I, on the other hand, am a quiet, lap dog of the first order. Bailey seemed to enjoy the constant rousting and running with him, which is fine by me, and for that reason I expect I can tolerate having him visit us by times.  Cousin Rumba is my favourite, but don't tell anyone, Mom says it's not polite to show favouritism.  I couldn't find a nice picture of him in photos from  Aunt Liv's iphone, but trust me he is a fine looking gentleman.  If we weren't family I'd make him my boyfriend ;-)

One of Mom’s sisters, Debbie, gave Bailey and I these fun little red "blinky" things for when we go on our daily walks.  I’m told it keeps us safe by allowing cars to see us.  Very helpful.  Though I do look quite stylish in my coat, and it does keep me warmer, I still don’t care for it.  My sister Bailey, well, she fights Mom getting it on and then acts like one of those, “fainting goats" and keels over once it’s on.  Getting ready for our walks is quite an ordeal, and wouldn’t you know it, someone added to it by getting Bailey and I those stupid booties for our paws.  I can tell you right now we intend to put up a fight!

Overall it was truly a very special time, and I adore Mom's family; they are quite wonderful to us and seem to enjoy having us about.  We four cousins agree, our peoples are some of the best, and we are so happy to have a family now.

Hope everyone got to enjoy their family as much as we did ours this Christmas!

Gracie

Olivia and I bonded right away, don't we look cute :-)

Oh this is cousin Milo and his Mom, Doreen and Daddy, Paul.  He's one spoiled puppy if you ask me...

Home for Christmas

Well the girls and I are anticipating going home for Christmas.  It will be their first Christmas with the family, including cousins Milo and Rhumba.  I'm hoping that the four puppies don't completely overwhelm my poor Mom!

We do have a great time together as a family and I love being with my sister's their families and our Mom.  My sister, Brenda feels the same way :-)

Have a wonderful, fun filled Christmas everyone!

Christmas is Coming!

Where does the time go!  I cannot believe an entire month has slipped away from me, of course it didn't help that I was down sick with the H1N1 virus for a couple of weeks.  Still, time should slow down don't you thing?

I got the girls some coats to keep them warm on our walks, hopefully I'll have a picture or two to post soon, just got to get them from the camera phone to my blog.  At least my blog is decorated for Christmas :-)

Welcome Cousin Milo!

Well the girls have a new cousin, Milo.  My sister, Doreen and her husband Paul Emile got a new puppy this week.  He is a  Havanese/Dachund  mix referred to as Dacanese.  We can hardly wait to meet him.

October Passing

Oh man, I can hardly believe October will soon be over.  It seems my life is passing me by in a blur.  Did manage to get home for Turkey day with my Mom, I didn't get my turkey but had awesome home made pumpkin pie!

The days are shorter and colder, the girls and I are going to need some cold weather duds and soon.  Can't wait to see how they react to the snow, I believe winter jackets are in order all way round :-)

September Blitz

I am alive, but it has been one wildly busy month. There's lots to share, but no time to share it!

There has been work conferences, Joyce Myers conference and a wedding and in between lots and lots of work. Hope to be able to share some highlights and insights I've gained along the way. In the meantime you might want to check out this book by Joyce, I Dare You

I had to take Miss Bailey back to the vet today because she developed this large, nasty bump on the side of her face that required antibiotics. She was fine, but what a circus at the vet's office! First, Gracie peed on the floor, so they gave me paper towels to clean it up - you can imagine what it is like trying to hold two dogs and clean up pee at the same time. I no sooner got finished when Bailey got on the scale and peed on it! I told them I was going to take the dogs outside for a few minutes while we waited, and Gracie proceeded to poop in the middle of the parking lot. All I had with me was some kleenex to clean it up with. I'm sure they were glad to see the end of me!

There is going to be an ocean in heaven...oh, and little puppy dogs too. I decided to take the girls to the ocean again today - it went much better this time; Gracie didn't come unhooked from her leash, and I managed not to lock my keys in the trunk!

The weather was pure heaven. There was a delicious breeze coming in off the water that felt like silk running across your skin. The girls and I spent an hour walking up and down the beach looking for sea glass and seashells. Well, I was looking for those things, the girls were mostly smelling under every rock and chewing on dried out crab shells (yuck!) and of course, Gracie was rolling around in the seaweed (again, yuck!)

After meandering along the coastline, we eventually ended up at the campground in Hubbards for some fish & chips (there's going to be fish & chips in heaven too.) I decided to take the dogs with me when I got out of the car at the canteen, rather than go through listening to them bark and howl at me from the car, and try to climb out the window. They proceeded to charm everyone in the vicinity, and after the man behind the counter gave them treats, he called the girls from the kitchen to come out and see the dogs. There was an older gentleman there who was camping, and he came over and wanted to know all about them, and even offered to hold their leashes while I collected up my food. They were all quite amazed when they heard the story of how I got them. It amazes me, the world that opens up to you when you have these cute little dogs around.

My usual spot at the picnic area was taken, so I decided to go down to the beach to eat supper, and it was incredible. Do you ever have one of those days where you feel the breath of God on it? Where it seems He is going ahead of you and arranging things? Well, today was one of those days, and I felt Him so close that it couldn't have been any more real than if He was with me in person. I took the girls for a walk, and with every turn that we made there was an even better surprise waiting for us. The scenery just became more and more incredible. Every bit of it had the signature of God all over it. As I listened to the ocean waves, I could feel everything inside of me beginning to slow down; my heartbeat, my thoughts, even the blood pumping through my veins.

I could barely tear myself away to come home, I just wanted to stay all night. Hard to believe there is a hurricane on the way, but time enough to think about that tomorrow; there's a little bit of heaven to be enjoyed here today.

Quiet Walks

"Sitting by the quiet stream is one of the best medicines for our fast-paced, helter-skelter, microwave society."





There's just something about being outside isn't there? As much effort as it takes, I have been enjoying so much getting outside and walking the dogs - last night was so beautiful, the air was just like silk, and the moon was lighting our way as it shone from behind the clouds. And the other morning the sun had just come up and there was this beautiful dew over everything, and then I saw eight mourning doves.

You can certainly appreciate the beauty of the scenery around you when you look out a window, but you miss out on the smell of the flowers, the feel of the air on your skin, and the sound of the birds as they call to one another from the trees...it's kind've the same with God's presence; you can watch others as they enter in, and you can listen to the things that God has revealed to someone else, but when you actually take that step into His presence and hear His voice for yourself, there's nothing else that can compare, and you wonder why you didn't do it before.

I read this the other day:

"Sitting by the quiet stream is one of the best medicines for our fast-paced, helter-skelter, microwave society. Simplicity and solitude are lost arts in our culture, even among Christians, which is one reason why so many believers complain that God seems so distant and unreal to them. We need a renewed emphasis on this facet of our spiritual lives. It's time to rediscover the power of contemplation, return to the quiet stream, and let the Good Shepherd restore our souls."

Great Big Bone

Bailey and Gracie went to visit their friends Kaylee and Leia the other day, and Gracie fell in love with this big bone that they had. Dianne graciously allowed Gracie to bring it home with her because it was too big for Kaylee - not so with Miss Gracie; I went out for a few hours one day, and when I came home Gracie had jumped up on my bed with the bone and was chewing away, much to Bailey's distress because she can't jump on the bed! I have no idea how that little dog jumped up on my bed with that great big bone!

Bailey & Gracie's favorite spot when I am sitting at my desk....

Retraction

Okaaay...I guess I can't sell a puppy dog that is this cute...and besides I got myself a snazzy new pair of glasses!

FOR SALE:

Miniature Schnauzer named Gracie

Color: Gray

Doesn't bark, except at hummingbirds

Interests: Eating eyeglasses

(Enjoys the taste of credit cards too)

I'm just sitting here in the quiet at the last end of a Sunday evening trying to put words to what I've experienced this weekend. I had the opportunity to go and visit my friend Shiromi in her new home on Friday night. Shiromi and her family came here from Sri Lanka a little over a year ago, and I have had the pleasure of getting to know her since that time. I have watched as she and her family have struggled to adjust to the culture of this new home of theirs called Canada; I have heard the stories of all they gave up in order to come here; I have shared in the tears as they questioned their decision to move here. Was it really God's voice they heard? And I have prayed and believed with them for a miracle that would allow them to finally be able to have a home of their own, and be able to move on from the tiny apartment that they had reduced their life to over the last year. As she took us from room to room in their new home, telling us of the miraculous ways that so many of the things had been provided, I was overwhelmed at the kindness and faithfulness of God. I felt Him there with us; I felt privileged to be able to take part in something so special, so precious. He steals my words away sometimes, so that I cannot adequately express how I feel inside. That was one of those moments.

And then on Saturday night, one of the girls from our home group invited us over to her house for a BBQ. We decided when our group started at the first of the year, that we were going to choose one thing that we each were believing for in our lives, and agree together to pray every time that we got together, and any time in between when God brought it to our minds, and the answers that we have seen have been amazing. These women are very dear friends of mine, but I can feel the covenant between us, which is something so much more.

She had emailed us at the first of the week, and asked us to pray about a certain situation that had arisen, and we each agreed to do so. There is something that happens when God knits your soul together with someone else; their burdens become your burdens, their pain your pain, and their successes and happiness bring a joy to your heart that couldn't really be exceeded if it were your own. Well, as we each arrived at her house, we saw the miracle that she had been praying for taking place right in front of our eyes. We got to see it for ourselves, and it was incredible! I just kept saying "Thank you God, for letting me see that. Thank you for letting me be there."

We were praying one night in our group, and God spoke to us and said "My divine 'Yes' is upon your life, so ask Me again, ask me for your heart's desire because I am saying 'Yes'." I have seen it happen in our group, and in the lives of many others around me over the last while. God is up to something, and the thing that makes makes it even more incredible is that He lets us share our lives with one another. It's hard sometimes to take that next step to a deeper level called "covenant" with someone. It can be uncomfortable sometimes when you discover the imperfections that live below the surface in someone's life, which can so easily be covered on a Sunday morning in church. It takes genuine effort and time to "be there" for someone, when many times it would be so much easier to just not know. And the anguish that you feel when you share in someone else's soul pain can sometimes be overwhelming. But oh the feeling when you get to take part in the answer, in the breakthrough, in the healing, in the miracle...there are no words to describe it, and it makes you fall in love with God all over again, and realize that the cost of being in covenant is so small compared to what you gain because of it.

Bewildered!

So I'm in my kitchen last evening preparing supper, and little Gracie is doing her favorite thing (other than sleeping on my bed) which is sitting in front of the glass door looking outside, and all of a sudden she starts barking, so I go to see who is at my door. Now this is only about the third time I've actually heard Gracie bark, so I figure it must be someone pretty important, but when I look out, no one is there. So I go back to the stove, and she starts barking again; so I go back to the door and look out, but I can't see anybody, and then I notice what it is she is barking at...can you guess what it was...a hummingbird! The crazy dog was barking at a hummingbird that was feeding from my flowers! Cars go by, people come to the door, dogs bark, and she never makes a peep, but when she sees a hummingbird she goes crazy! Go figure....

Beach Bunnies

I introduced the girls to the ocean yesterday. It was one of those sheer perfection kind of days that we seem to get too little of around here, so I knew I couldn't let the opportunity go to waste. This is a picture of Bailey, riding shotgun as usual. Her other favorite position is laying on my lap when she gets tired and wants to take a nap. Just to assure you that I'm not a menace to society, I can still shift gears and use the brake; it gets a little tricky though when Gracie wants to lay on my lap as well. Usually I just give her a bone to chew on in the backseat when we start the trip, and she's good for the duration. She stops every once in a while to poke her head between the seats, have a look around, get a pat on the head, and then it 's back to work again.

Click on any of the photos for larger version

They weren't quite sure what to make of the water - Bailey was fascinated by the waves, but would only venture as far as getting her feet wet and that was enough for her. Gracie wouldn't have anything to do with the waves, but had a great time rolling around in the dried up seaweed on the beach. Yuck! I guess she loved the smell or something; or perhaps she needed to exfoliate? We had fun walking up and down the beach, and they enjoyed exploring every new smell they came across. Bailey even tried to collect a few seashells. I told them that they would have to write home to all their little doggie friends in Arkansas and tell them that they had seen the ocean!

Contemplating life. What do dogs really think about????

I went to my favorite fish & chip place in Hubbards for supper, and the dogs were barking so much when I got out of the car that the man at the takeout gave me some treats to give to them. I went to a little park to eat, and I tried to tie the girls' leashes to the picnic table; I couldn't lift the table to fasten their leashes to the table leg, but there was a cable on it, so I tied them to that. I was enjoying my supper and the beautiful scenery, when all of a sudden, the girls spotted this huge german shepherd dog and made a beeline straight for him. Well, it was the fence post story all over again - I watched them take off across the park, and their leashes were tied together alright, but just not tied to the table! I took off running after them, and thankfully he was a very friendly dog, and enjoyed having a couple little play toys to have fun with for a few minutes. At one point he was laying down and Bailey was making a big commotion over him, and he just took one big paw and put it on the top of her head and smooshed her head onto the ground. It was too funny! I managed to get them back to the table, and this time I hooked the leashes on my arm and proceeded to finish my fish & french fries, which were now getting cold. Next thing I know, I feel a yank on my arm because a group of retired couples had come over to look at "the cute little dogs." Bailey and Gracie were thrilled, and even posed for some pictures that one of the gentlemen wanted to take.

Wait a second...I thought I was the only dog on the beach!!!

We finally made our way home, and the girls wre knocked out cold for the rest of the evening. I think they were a little overdone from the excitement of their day! I'm pretty sure they enjoyed their outing - I know I did, and as a trainer once said "A tired dog is a good dog." Amen to that one.

Between You, Me And The Fence Post

Wendy invited the girls and I (well, I don't know if she really invited the girls, but I took them anyway!) to join she and Aiden for barqued hotdogs and hamburgers on Saturday night for supper, so I packed them up with all of their paraphanalia, including a a long cable that I use to tether them when they are outside. I decided to attach the cable around one of the boards on the brand new fence that Wendy's landlord built, and we fired up the BBQ.

Wendy's grandson Aiden was having fun playing with the girls, and at one point he ran by me with them in tow, and I thought to myself "Gee, that cable really stretches a long way," until I looked down and saw the board from the fence going by my feet being dragged behind Bailey! They pulled the board right off the fence! And then they had the nerve to crawl through the hole in the fence that they had created! For some reason it was harder to get them back through the hole than it was for them to go through it in the first place. Some law of physics or something I guess. I would have taken a picture of the runaway board, but I was too busy trying to catch the dogs!

Liquid Sunshine

I always take the girls for a nice long walk when I get home from work on a walking trail that is just down the road from where I live. They love to stretch their legs after being inside all day, and I love it because they take care of all their "business" while we are out!

Well, we didn't have much luck last night because we got about half way down the road and the heavens opened. The poor girls didn't know what to do - I don't think they'd ever seen rain before! (Maybe it doesn't rain in Arkansas where they are from???) They were jumping and hopping around, trying to get out of it, and Gracie was shivering so bad I finally picked her up and stuffed her inside my coat. We all looked like drowned rats when we got home! I dried them off with a towel, and wrapped them up in a big blanket and we were none the worse for wear! Welcome to the Maritimes!

Did I Do That...?

Someone got a little carried away...can you guess who the culprit is?????

Gracie The Moocher

So I finally sit down to have my supper after our adventure in the rain, when I hear a knock on the door - it's Nancy and little Mattie from upstairs coming down to visit the puppies (Mattie is so in love with these puppies that Pastor Mike doesn't stand a chance!) I was talking to the ladies and trying to keep Bailey from licking Mattie to death, when I noticed that Gracie wasn't there. I decided to go get her so that Mattie could see her, and it's a good thing I did because when I went in the living room she had just snatched the piece of chicken off of my plate on the coffee table and was about to chow down! I didn't have time to take a picture because I was too busy trying to rescue my chicken! (I nuked it for about a minute and half after that - that should be good enough to kill any germs right?) Don't let that innocent little face fool you; that Gracie's a real moocher! (Note to self: Do NOT leave your plate unattended on the coffee table!!!)

Dogs Everywhere!

This is my baby girl, or "Little Mouse" as I call her. She's as quiet as a mouse, and I haven't heard her bark once. But the little mouse can roar when she needs to - every night when we get into bed she snuggles right up beside me and gives me this earnest look as if to say "You're not going to give away my spot are you?" and if Bailey gets too close, or too rambunctious on the bed, Gracie will snap at her and put her
right in her place!

Bailey is Gracie's friend, whom my friend Dianne rescued at the same time. Bailey is staying with us for a while until Dianne is able to take her - Dianne has two little puppy dogs at home right now, and is very busy with their care. Dogs, dogs everywhere!

My sister Doreen and her husband Paul came to visit on my first weekend home with the puppies - they have a 13 year old Cockerpoo named "Rumba" who wasn't quite sure what to make of all these new puppy dogs around!
We had 3 adults and 3 dogs in my little one bedroom apartment. Good times!

Gracie with my brother-in-law Paul. He has managed to win the heart of yet another woman in the Graham family. What kind of power does this man have???

The girls are a couple of couch potatoes, and love to chill on the couch and watch TV all day long while mummy is away at work. House training has been a bit of an issue, but mummy has come home from work for the last three days with no messes to clean up, which makes her very happy!!! Now if we could just get that down to a science for the rest of the time....As you can see in the pic, I had to move the coffee table because Bailey likes to run around on top of it when I'm not looking!


They both LOVE sleeping in the big bed with me, and when it comes bed time, Bailey sits in the bathroom doorway and howls at me as if to say "Are you ever going to be finished in there?" I can't let them in the bedroom by themselves because Bailey likes to steal my shoes and pee on the carpet. Such an unruly houseguest, but so cute!!! When we get in bed they snuggle up one on each side of me - Bailey stretched out full length with her head in my neck, and Gracie curled up into a little ball. I feel like a hot dog (no pun intended) sandwiched in between them, but I've actually been having some of the best sleeps I've ever had since I've gotten them - not sure if it's from exhaustion or contentment!

I hope I haven't bored everyone with all the inane details about my new babies. I'm acting just like a new mom! Something that all you dog lovers (ahem, Wendy) will totally understand!

Meet Gracie!

Some would think me crazy, but I fulfilled a dream of mine recently... I got myself a dog! I adopted Gracie from a Canine Rescue organization over a week ago. She is God's special gift just for me. As soon as I laid eyes on her, my heart was lost forever. She is wonderfully gentle, and I fall in love with her a little more each day. A sweet little girl, and I can't tell you what a joy it is to have her in my life.