Mother's Day

My flower dog.
He no longer attacks and eats flowers in the house! Another sign of maturity!

Watching

Tonight, we left to go to a friend’s for dinner. I had to run back in the house for something and found Guinness in the kitchen watching out the kitchen windows! I assume that maybe he was watching for us to drive by? It reminded me that we had a dog that did that. It was Hershey! When we lived in Naperville, IL, as we backed out of the garage, we could see Hershey watching us leave from the dining room window!

New Level of Maturity

This evening, we BBQd on the deck and brought Guinness out with us without setting up the baby gate. He never thought about running away! Twice I had to go down to the driveway and he came with me unleashed. He didn’t run away but stayed with me and went back up on the deck. He was behaving just like Hershey! Ü

No Dog in Our Bed

Grant has decided that we would sleep a whole lot better without a dog in bed with us. That is true… yet it is nice to have his company. So I closed him in the den overnight for the past few nights. He seems to do just fine with no complaining, and our rest is improved.

New Friends

Holly is a 4 month old Golden Retriever. We have run into her a few times in the past couple of weeks and she has even come to doggie park to watch. Guinness fell in love immediately. Today her mommy let her off leash and she had a ball! She and Marley, a giant golden, were very cute together. Guinness is a bit too rambunctious with the puppy, but her mommy says they are fine, that Holly can take it.

After everyone had left and we were about to leave, a shelty walked by. Guinness was unusually calm meeting this new dog. They sniffed each other with no craziness, then he went to the master to have pets from her. He also did not try to jump in her, thank goodness since she was wearing whitish slacks. She said her dog does not like other dogs and that she was surprised that her shelty was tolerating Guinness. I told her that Guinness’s behavior was also highly unusual. Obviously, there was some dog communication going on that told Guinness to be slow and easy which made the shelty welcoming of the refrained attention.

Dog Relationships

It is interesting to note how dogs behave together. Every dog treats each dog differently. Guinness is always ecstatically eager to greet everyone in the morning. If we arrive first, he runs to each one as they arrive. If they are there first, he can’t reach them fast enough. Oddly, none of the regulars race to greet Guinness, at least, not with the same exuberance. Fortunately, his feelings are not hurt! Here is Guinness’s routine behavior with each dog:

Lucy, a chocolate lab – If she is playing fetch, he ignores her. But if she runs, he will chase and chase and sometimes lead the chase game.

Riley, a black lab – If we are first on the field, Guinness will race across the park to greet Riley when he appears. They sniff each other a bit. They occasionally will have a brief romp, but not much. Riley and Lucy both know that when I call, “Come!” to Guinness, that means treat time, and they come to me for treats.

Mattie, a border collie – Since she loves to chase cars, Mattie is always on leash, which, I think, causes her to bark at everyone and have a snappy attitude. You can hear her coming before she is in sight. If a dog gets close to her, she would gladly take a bite out of them, so they had better skedaddle quickly. Guinness loves to taunt her. He runs in circle segments just beyond the circumference of her extended leash, causing her to run at the end of her tether in partial circles trying to reach him. If you call that play, he is the only dog that plays with her.

Smartie, an Australian sheepdog – Smartie loves to run and to play fetch. Sometimes Guinness will run with her, but not often. He wants nothing to do with fetch. Smartie will sometimes be vocal in play or dominant in a chase – all normal, happy dog play, but Smartie’s mother thinks she is being bad and throws her ball to move her attention away from Guinness.

Marley, a golden retriever – Marley is a huge golden with a serene face that reminds me of Aslan in the Narnia stories. Marley has some health and allergy issues, plus bad hips. I have not witnessed this, but Marley has been vicious with some dogs, so he is on a leash most of the time. Guinness loves Marley, and Marley seems to enjoy Guinness. Their play consists of head wrestling – trying to roll the other one over. I try to keep Guinness from playing near Marley’s rear end, as I have seen Marley nip at a dog that tries to mount him, causing him hip pain. Riley also enjoys head wrestling with Marley. Perhaps it is Marley who tells the dogs that head wrestling is his favorite method of play.

Burton, a Portuguese water dog – Burton often arrives after the other dogs have left. When that happens, the two of them have a wonderful time running all over the ballfield. If any other dog is present, neither of them pays attention to the other. So if Burton arrives while the other dogs are there, he will play with them but not Guinness. Bumpers are thrown for Burton to retrieve. If Burton is playing that game, Guinness ignores him.

There are a few others who drop by occasionally. Guinness always is eager to meet a new dog or greet an old friend. There is a Wheaton terrier, Seamus, who does not like other dogs, that walks by sometimes. Guinness was slow in learning that this dog did not want to play. Guinness always ran to him hoping to play with this new friend, only to discover that he needed to back away from this beast. Lately, he is beginning to recognize this dog from a distance remembering that the dog does not like him, but he still runs, then walks the last few feet to say hello. At the most recent encounters, Seamus appears to be learning that Guinness is OK after all and is willing to sniff and be sniffed with no repercussions.

Goodbye

Kevin and Karin left this morning. Before going out the door, Kevin hugged and kissed Guinness. (Why didn’t we have a camera ready?) He said, “I love you, Guinness. I’m going to miss you,” and began to cry. On the way to the airport he asked his Mommy, “Can I have a dog?”

I called after they were home and asked Kevin if James (his large cat) was happy to see him. He said, “James is very small.” Compared to Guinness, that is true!

Belated Party

Today we did go to doggie park with loot bags for our friends. Marley arrived first. I gave Sue Marley’s bag of treats. Guinness would not leave her alone! He kept jumping on her to get a treat, so I told her, “Give them back to me and I will give them to you when you leave.” It was the only way she could have some peace! Next, Mattie and Riley came, and finally Smartie. Everyone received their loot bag as they left.

Tonight after dinner, Kevin wanted to watch Little Einsteins and play Legos while the adults talked. He wanted Guinness to come with him, so he dragged Guinness across the house by the collar! Unfortunately, we missed that shot.

They both look like happy boys! Guinness is smiling!

Guinness is Three Years Old!

Poor Guinness. He didn’t have much of a birthday celebration. We didn’t make it to doggie park, only the backyard with Lucy engrossed in fetch while Guinness wandered places he shouldn’t.

Last night he grabbed our dinner leftovers -- half a pizza, half a sandwich, chicken fingers and fries -- a LOT of food! So he didn't need any treats today. I wondered if I should even feed him.

Being Sunday, Grant reclined on the sofa for a snooze. Kevin nestled in the crook of Grampy’s legs. Guinness was lying on the floor beside them (you can see his rump and tail).
All was peaceful and calm until Guinness wanted some action. First he had to kiss his Daddy,

then he licked Kevin too.

Later, I had a chance to cuddle with my boy and Guinness wanting to be a part of it.

We found Kevin here asking to have his picture taken!

Playtime with Kevin and Lucy

Kevin was up very early this morning, so we went out to play with Lucy on the back hill. Kevin loved the two dogs but could not tell them apart. Then he discovered the boulders and spent his time running on the boulders while Guinness watched Lucy play fetch. After we came home, Kevin asked, “Are you sure this is Guinness?” Is this the right dog?”

Daddy's Birthday

Today there was no playtime, as we had to drive to Buffalo to pick up Karin, Steve, and Kevin. Guinness was very excited to see them – especially Kevin! Kevin was happy to see Guinness too, though a bit hesitant at first of this big, crazy dog.

Where's Molly?

Now that ECMW has a real office, Emmett doesn’t stop by the house very often. But he did today. As soon as Guinness saw him, he ran down to Emmett’s car circling it looking for Molly! He loves her even though she dominates him!

Where to Play?

Monday and Tuesday, we met Lucy on the back hill, but Lucy is into playing fetch big time. She has had enough of playing chase with Guinness. Now that spring is springing, she wants fetch. Guinness barks and jumps around her to get her to play and, when that fails, he starts wandering between townhomes and up on neighbor's decks. Then I grab him and we go home. Wednesday and Thursday, we went to doggie park. He was happy to be there, but, without Lucy, the biggest running instigator, he doesn’t do much running.

New Name

Ellen says that Guinness has a new name: Guinnessno! As we approached the backyard today, I had to reprimand him repeatedly, saying, “Guinness, No!” “Guinness, No!”

Funny thing… When I am with little Kevin, when he does something naughty, I inadvertently say, “Guinness, no!” After all, Kevin is a perfect child. He could not possibly do something wrong. So, if he does, it has to be Guinness’s fault, even if Guinness is not present!

Playing with Lucy

Tuesday through Thursday, Ellen wanted to play in the back rather than take a long walk, so the good buddies had a frolicking good time together for three mornings. Each day, after their initial happy running, Guinness disappeared into Lucy’s garage to retrieve her tug toy. It is so funny that he does that! He has developed some fairly clever ploys to keep it away from Lucy. Once in a while, Lucy will show dominance over Guinness by biting at his throat, and he immediately lies down exposing his tummy to surrender. We didn’t see what initiated it, but Thursday morning, Guinness was aggressively running after Lucy. Nothing malicious was happening, but I felt some human intervention was necessary.

The Return to Doggie Park

We were back at doggie park today and found it empty. Soon, Frank and barking Mattie were the first to appear. Guinness ran in circles around them expressing his excitement at seeing them again after two and a half weeks. Next Smartie arrived. Again, he ran in circles around Smartie. Later Brin stopped by briefly, and Guinness ran in circles again. As we were leaving, Burton came on the scene. They had a brief run together, but it was time for us to leave. A service man was going to be at our door in a few minutes. Everyone thought Guinness’s enthusiasm was very cute.

Let Me Run!

Grant had to make an exchange at a store today and took Guinness along in the car. As he removed the product to return, Guinness escaped and ran into the field next door refusing to heed his master’s call. He ran to the back of the lot where there are train tracks. Grant was not happy and very worried as Guinness paid no heed to him at all. Finally Guinness came to another customer. Grant had no treats, so thank heavens for a stranger who likes dogs!

I told Grant that I know exactly why he did that. The first week I was away, Guinness had to stay at the kennel where is had two playtimes and two walks each day. For the next week and a half, he was home with Grant and never walked beyond our property. Guinness was desperate for a run, so took off to give himself some exercise. Poor dog!

Sprained Ankle and Tumble

As I approached the kitchen from the center hallway, I tripped, twisting my ankle and falling into Greg who was hurrying in my direction hefting two heavy folding tables. My hands pushed his sweaty chest, righting myself, but making him lose his balance. He desperately tried to save himself, but, in slow motion, he toppled over sideways landing on the table in his right hand while the one in his left hand ended up on top. I laughed till tears ran down my face. Greg didn't know if I was laughing or crying. Then every time I thought of it during the day, I involuntarily went into hysterics. The thought of me pushing my son over is so remote that the reality is just too funny. Too bad we don't have a video to post on U-Tube!

Nothing to do with dogs, but I won again!

My family has always chided me for blabbering too much information to strangers. Sometimes there are embarrassing consequences; other times there are positive outcomes.

I bought Greg a cute car photo frame a few years ago. It has sat on a stand in his living room with no picture for a long time. So I searched Greg and Cathi’s photos and found one of their engagement pictures on wedding professional photo CD that is perfect for the frame. I took it to Wal-Mart, but it would not work in the customer-access machine, so the employee had to search the CD for the right photo and then do the cropping necessary to make their faces fit in the frame. It took quite a bit of time – at least half an hour. Fortunately, no other customers came along during that time. We chit-chatted at length; she knows the story why I am here in TX and about Greg and Cathi’s wedding last year. She told me her life story – a romance with her Wal-Mart supervisor that began three years ago with a wedding coming up this summer. When we finally had the photo as I wanted it, she said, “Just take it.” I insisted that I couldn’t do that! She had spent a long time working on my project! But she wouldn’t tell me what it cost and shooed me away.

.

Kids, Dogs, and Coffee

Today before leaving for our school run, I made sure the trash can was outside, the food was put away, but I left my “indoor” Crocs beside my suitcases. After urging and re-urging the kids to get themselves together and out the door on time, I dropped them at school, then drove over to Wal-Mart. I was feeling very tired and kind of dragged around the store picking up my few items including using the Kodak Picture Maker to reproduce the above nine year old darling shot of baby Duke lying ON Hershey under my kitchen desk in Naperville. Before leaving the parking lot, I pulled into Starbucks Drive Thru for a latte. The overly cheery associate began with a high pitched lilting, “How are you today?”
My deadpan reply was, “You don’t want to know.”
“That bad? Well, what can we start for you that will make your day better?” After ordering my drink, she spiritedly asked, “What else can I do for you today?”
You know me and my silliness. I said, “Can you make dinner for me tonight?” She coyly declined, but offered that, if I got a job at Starbucks, she could microwave something for me. A young woman was at the window, and, even before she spoke, I knew hers was not the voice I had been bantering with, so I asked who took my order. It was a middle-aged woman who looked just like her voice – not really a “normal” person (who am I to talk? ha!). I handed my money to them, and my person said, “There is no charge today.”
“That’s not fair! I have to pay.”
“Of course, that’s fair! We have the option of awarding drinks when we think it would help someone.”
Oh, my… They don’t understand my droll sense of humor. Well, I couldn’t fight a good thing, so I said, “Oh! It’s like the Year of a Million Dreams at Walt Disney World, and I won!” They concurred. So then I threw my hands in the air and yelled, “I won, I won!” That cracked them up.
Remember my Crocs? Well, I opened the door and immediately noticed little bits and pieces of something strewn on the living room carpet. My Jibbitz! They had pulled all of my Jibbetz out of two pairs of Crocs! Nothing was damaged; just some tooth scratches on the plastic.

These are Guinness's Nephew and Niece

It is a known fact that all food and kitchen trash must be put away when the dogs are left in the house alone. Duke and Daisy, Greg's loving boxers, are inveterate scroungers. The flooring displays the scars of the consequences of human forgetfulness and canine adventures.
When I returned to the house from taking the kids to school, I found the dogs in the living room tearing open a large bag of fruity colored cereal flakes. Fortunately, they were only beginning their feast, so a few swipes with the vacuum restored order.
The dogs have caused enough damage to the living room carpet and the kitchen vinyl flooring that it is time for replacements to more durable products – wood and ceramic tile. Mid-day, while waiting for a flooring man to arrive to measure the two rooms, I whipped up my favorite banana oatmeal chocolate chip muffins for the kids to have as an after school treat. Besides, I needed a bribe for Jeremy since I was hauling him off to Wal-Mart for a few groceries. I put two muffins in a container with a napkin, placed the remaining muffins in the microwave to be out of the dogs’ reach, and left for school. About three blocks from home, I noted that the muffins were not with me, so I turned around in a driveway and hurried home hoping the dogs had not found them yet. The muffins were intact on the counter, but the dogs had the trash can knocked over and were about to gorge on discarded goodies. I threw the trash outside, tossed treats to the dogs for not eating the muffins, grabbed the container, and sped back to school. As I pulled up in line at the curb, I saw flashing lights in my rearview mirror. I had no idea how long he had been following me.
I rolled down my window and innocently asked, “Was I speeding?”
“Yes, you were, Mam. 31 in a 20. May I see your license and insurance?”
“I am Grandma from Canada, here to help while my daughter-in-law is in the hospital.”
“Don't they have speed limits in Canada?”
“Yes, but they don't stop anyone; at least, not me. I have to tell you about my day.” I proceeded to relate my tale about the muffins as a bribe, the dogs, the return for the muffins, and the trash as I handed him my license and the insurance card. Thank heavens, Greg looked up insurance documents in the filing cabinet last night because he had discovered that he was paying twice for the same vehicle. Filed there, he found the new insurance cards for the car I was driving.
“That is a story I have never heard before. I’ll let you off this time for being funny. But you must slow down.”
“Thank you, sir. That is very kind of you.”
I related the events of my day when Greg called as he drove from work to the hospital. He asked which vehicle I had been driving, then registered alarm that the whole neighborhood had seen his car pulled over by a cop. He has owned this Acura for less than three months, yet he, Cathi, and now I have been stopped for speeding.
While replaying my shortcomings, I remembered that I had neglected to give Jeremy his allergy medication this morning as well as yesterday morning. I have failed the Motherhood Test.

Look What I Won

I had a Guinness with my dinner at TJ’s Bar & Grill last night and won a hat! Too bad it doesn’t fit on Guinness’s head.

Have you wondered why?

Why do dogs scratch their paws on the ground after pooping? I think I know! I think it is a manner of sanitation – paw washing! I have never seen a dog have this slip before, but twice within the past week, due to icy conditions, Guinness has stepped into his fresh poop. Scratching his paws cleansed them. Seems very logical to me.

BTW, the chocolate carpet stains cleaned up with my handy-dandy ServiceMaster carpet cleaning kit!

Chocolate Icing

Guinness was a bad boy today. I left a kitchen cupboard slightly open (maybe I was the bad girl?), and he took out a packet of chocolate icing. He spread chocolate powder all over the house as he ran from the kitchen through the dining room, down the front hallway back to the kitchen -- twice. The second time, he headed upstairs to stay away from me, leaving chocolate powder on the light beige carpet. By the time he went upstairs, saliva was mixing with it and we have chocolate stains on the carpet. My throat is sore/hoarse from yelling at him. He is in his crate now.

Potty Habits

Today, we returned to doggie park as Ellen and Lucy are on vacation. The first thing Guinness did when he jumped out of the car was to sniff around a tree, then he lifted his leg and went potty. You may think that is totally normal, but it is not! Guinness does not lift his leg! That was a first. I am not sure that I approve as that behavior can kill plants and squirt places where I may not want it squirted. It made me think about our dogs’ potty habits and how they formed:

Our first dog was Blackberry, a female Cockapoo. Several years later, Andy, a male boxer, joined the family. Apparently, Blackberry taught him to squat to go potty. He never lifted his leg. A few months after Andy died, Hershey came to live with us. He too copied 13 year old Blackberry. Now we have Guinness. We wanted Hershey to train Guinness to be as good a dog as he was, but he didn’t live long enough to conquer Guinness’s vices. One of the few things that Guinness learned from Hershey was to squat.

Guinness has another annoying habit: he still eats his own poo plus his friends’ fresh droppings (sometimes they don’t even get a chance to drop!). When Frank, the dog bone man, and Mattie arrived at the opposite side of the park, Guinness ran to greet them and claim his daily treat. He also did his constitutional duty far from me so that I was unable to rescue it into a bag before it disappeared. As the two humans and two dogs were walking behind the trees, I said, “I hope Guinness doesn’t see that pile of poop and eat it.” Immediately, Guinness turned, found the poop and was going to have a snack, but I beat him complaining, “Do I have to pick up after other dogs?” Ugh! His comprehension skills are greater than I imagined!

Last Day of Fun

Today is their last day to play before Lucy and Ellen take a vacation from the snow. Guinness got my mitten (a daily ritual), and they had great fun playing tug (another daily ritual).

Fun in the Snow

Our daily morning playtime in the backyard is working so well for Ellen and me as well as for the dogs! They just love it and so do we. Here they are being patient schoolboy and girl waiting for their almond treat.

The Pill

We have decided to upgrade our kitchen and baths with granite counter tops. Tomorrow, our new range is being delivered plus the carpenter is coming to unhook our current sinks and remove the current countertops so that the granite template man can come on Wednesday to measure for the granite. That means that today I have to remove everything from the countertops, from the cabinets beneath the sinks, and from the current range drawer. Where does all of it go? On the dining room table and in the two bathtubs! Guinness loves the potholders, and I left them too close to the edge of the dining room table.

Playmates Redux

Some chase shots. Can you see Guinness’s face taunting Lucy to steal the ball?

Playmates

For nearly two weeks, Lucy and Guinness have met in the backyard each morning, plus many afternoons, instead of trekking off to the ballfield through deep snow and ice, bitter winds, and frigid temps. They are so cute together – chasing, wrestling, playing tug, and the game of can-you-snitch-what-is-in-my-mouth is the funniest of all. The perpetrator uses canine wiles to keep the object. Lucy can maneuver better and run faster than Guinness, but Guinness has his own cunning when he has the opportunity of being the perpetrator. Once he ran into a snowbank, stopped, and backed up escaping with the toy still firmly clenched. They both pose in stances keeping their moms laughing. Their mugs mimic coy, playful, teasing mannerisms.

One morning, when they had no toys, Guinness ran into Lucy’s garage and returned with the tug toy!

Yesterday, Lucy’s mom set the ball on the backyard patio table. Lucy jumped up on the table to retrieve it! I tried to catch a photo of her up there, but didn’t get my camera out fast enough. Then we tried to replicate the scene, and Guinness jumped up too. While playing the jump-on-the-table game, I snapped a few shots. Guinness has the green collar.

The Boy Grows Up

Guinness still plays his Gingerbread Boy games, but he rarely ruins anything. He is just playing a game. He will lie with the object and caress it if we do not retrieve it from him. We decided to try leaving him loose in the house when we are away. We were at a friend’s house for dinner last night for five hours. Today, we were downtown for lunch and a play from 10 AM to 6 PM. He behaved perfectly with no problems, so he has won new freedom plus the honor of serving as our brutal security sentinel.

This is Lucy

Isn't she cute?

We are being pounded with snowstorm after snowstorm this winter with melts and major icing in between. They don’t plow my doggie park parking lot frequently and it is too dangerous for Ellen to take her long walks with Lucy in the morning, so we have agreed to meet in our backyard at 7 AM. Lucy is a runner and keeps Guinness chasing her. It is great exercise for both of them.

I must be constantly vigilant to keep Guinness from stealing my mitten. He manages to foil me daily. Today, Lucy wanted a part of the game and chased Guinness to get my mitten from him. Fortunately, Guinness was clever enough to keep the mitten to himself until I was able to retrieve it.

Strange Day at Doggie Park

Guinness and I arrived as a man we know was crossing the field with his unfriendly Wheaten Terrier. Guinness couldn’t wait to get out of the car. I told him that was an unfriendly dog, but he took off racing to meet the dog. Within 20 feet or so, he “remembered” and stopped in his tracks. The owner encouraged him, so he came for pets while the dog barked at him. We crossed the field together where we encountered Frank and mad-dog Mattie. Guinny did his business in the leaves a distance from us. By the time I got there, the leaves were camaflouge and Guinness managed to clean it up himself. Yuck!

After everyone had gathered, Guinness decided to chew sticks rather than play. Today was very cold, -17 F with no snow. My plan was to chase him to give him exercise plus remove the stick. I have a tradition of falling at least once every winter. Even the winter we lived in San Diego: while walking Hershey on the uneven sidewalk, I tripped and ripped my jeans. Again today, no ice; no snow, yet Uggs are not meant to be running shoes. I think they caused me to trip on the flat frosty field sending me skidding diagonally until I finally touched down. No one saw it happen. Too bad, because I think it would have been a comical sight. I’m not sure what happened to Guinness’s stick, but I never saw it again.

With me engaged in chatter, I missed Guinness following Frank out of the park. Once I realized it, Guinness ignored my calls. I didn’t feel like running again, besides my knee was beginning to feel “wet.” My thoughts were – if he gets run over, he gets run over, and I won’t have to deal with his nonsense. As Frank reached the street, Guinness decided to heed my command. I snapped on his leash intending to leave, but Burton came racing to play, so I released him. Once they stopped running, I picked up his leash and headed home to check out my leg and throw my outer clothes into the wash.

This has nothing to do with Guinness (or does it?)

My daughter Karin put a link on her blog today to a comical blog titled “Waking up on the wrong side,” written by a friend who is also adopting from Vietnam. She began by asking if you have ever had one of “those dreams…You know, one of those dreams that just ruins your whole day from the moment you wake up? One of those dreams that manages to evoke emotions which then carry over into your waking hours, and, even though you know it was just a dream, you can’t shake the feeling with which it left you.” Her dream/nightmare caused her to lose her Vietnamese adoption because she had blogged about elves (which she had not done in wakeful life). I also had a nightmare last week that resulted in losing the adoptions. It went on and on all night, carried on through the day, and I am still thinking about it a week later. Here it is –

Karin and Kevin vanished. Someone had an inkling that relatives who are not in contact with the family had kidnapped them. No one knew where they lived exactly, but someone suspected that they were near Ottawa in a rural area. Since there was no mother in the Faulkner home, the Vietnamese adoptions were lost. Out of loneliness and grief, Steve had to leave their house for his sanity and moved in with friends as a boarder.

After we had been mourning for eight long months, Grant and I decided to try to find these elusive relatives who might know of Karin and Kevin’s whereabouts. We drove through the countryside and eventually found a remote house which seemed deserted. The door was open. The house had a sense of being a commune. It was a decent home, yet, where a fireplace had been, there was a gaping hole in the wall.

Karin and Kevin were there. They were zombies. The joy had been sucked out of them. I wasn’t sure they even recognized us. Amazingly, Steve showed up minutes after we had arrived! Simultaneously, we had all decided to begin searching on our own. The expression on Steve’s face from receiving no reaction from his loved ones was heartbreaking. Eventually, they warmed up enough to show us the room where they spent most of their days – a closet with a table and two chairs. There were forced to study philosophy in this room day after day.

Eventually, their captors appeared. We did not have much conversation with them, and I was unsure how we were going to persuade Karin and Kevin to leave with us. That was the waking up point which I came to repeatedly throughout the night. Each time, there was Guinness snuggled up to me seemingly trying to offer comfort.

The Beat Goes On

Today was another jackpot: all eight dogs were there at one time! Guinness has now discovered that he can play the mitten game with all the humans at doggie park. He attempted to pull off Ellen’s, Susan’s, and Douglas’s gloves. He succeeded with Susan. She asked if he would ruin them. “No, he will just slime them.” With Cheerios in pocket, it was a quick retrieve.

Guinness followed Frank as he left to go home, hoping for one more treat from the Candyman. I had to run across the entire field as Guinness totally ignored my commands. Frank turned around to keep Guinness from running farther towards the street. I decided that I would tell him my seismic decision, as he loves to harass me about my nationality and political views. I have decided that all the Republican frontrunners are too liberal for me, so I am thinking of voting for Obama. AND I read last night that Rush is saying the same thing! If we have to have a liberal in office, Obama is my choice. Instead of badgering me for turning my back on conservatives, he harangued on why anyone would listen to what Rush has to say.

This afternoon, I went to the grocery store for several non-grocery items. While there, I thought, I decided to buy Grant more of his favorite cheese – extra old and not cheap. I placed my groceries on the floor of the front seat. Since the cheese and some bananas were the only appealing items, I thought they would be safe for five minutes while I ran into the drugstore. NOT! When I returned, Guinness was playing with a plastic wrap. I knew it had come from the cheese which was certainly gone.

Grant walked in the door tonight, poured a glass of wine, and asked if I had bought any more cheese for him. I looked at Guinness who was sitting politely on the kitchen floor looking back and forth from me on his right to Grant on his left with his right eyebrow raised while looking at me and the left one raised while looking at Grant. I think he understood the conversation.

Later, we were talking to Kevin on the phone. Grampy told him that Guinness had eaten his cheese. Kevin said, “But that isn’t on the blog.” Well, it is now.

Waggish Rapscallion

This morning, everyone showed up: Riley, Marley, Mattie, Brin, Smartie, Lucy, Burton, and Guinness, of course. Lucy and Burton are the running instigators. When they are present, Guinness runs with them as if they are in a horse race. Burton’s Dad is very strict and has Burton very well trained. Guinness had the insolence to grab his glove and run. He has never been cheeky enough to steal someone’s mitten other than mine! And of all people to choose to tease! He even tried a second time which earned him a deserved pop on the nose!

Happy Dog

Guinness was delighted to return to his playgroup this morning. It was cute to watch him. His joy was obvious in spite of the frigid temperatures hovering just above 0 F with the wind chill below that. Mattie is always on leash giving her a disagreeable temperament, so no one ever plays with her. If a dog comes too close, she may attempt to take a chunk out of them. She tried to take a nip out of Guinness today, so he taunted her mercilessly at the end of her leash. He would run back and forth just out of her reach making her chase him. That is the first that he (or anyone) has ever played a game with her.

Dog Walk

Today was in the 70’s, the only nice day of my stay. The kids and I took the dogs for a walk.

I wanted to get a closer look at the oil rig that has popped up within sight of their house. This is Texas!

The Texas Granddogs

I am in Texas with son’s family including his two boxers. Duke is now 10. He lived his first weeks as a Walsh in our house in Chicagoland. He loves me and always sleeps with me.

Daisy was rescued a couple of years ago. She says that any friend of Duke’s is a friend of hers, so she sleeps with me too (or on me).

Duke is an inveterate food scavenger. I had some snacks in the side pocket of my carry-on bag. When we were out of the house, he dragged it into the living room and ruined the pocket zipper to eat my snacks. Bad dog!

Just Being Helpful, Mom

Epiphany has come and gone. Today I started removing Christmas – always a sad thing to do. The stairways have been festooned with garland, ribbons, beads, and gold silk roses for about 6 weeks. Guinness has not tampered with any of it or any other Christmas decorations at all. Although, I did not line the stairs with stuffed animals this year. That would have been too much of a temptation. In fact, I think he has enjoyed the decorations. I had not even started to remove the stair decorations. Apparently, he wanted to help, so he started undoing the stairs by pulling a silk rose out of the garland! He definitely did not want me to take it from him. He put up a chase in spite of offered treats. Then he did what he rarely does – played the part of the flower dog that he used to be and pulled the leaves off the stem!

SOCK

This sock has become a permanent toy. He doesn’t harm it (as he does not harm most of the objects he steals). He just doesn’t want me to take it from him. If it is on the floor and I approach the sock, he races to protect his possession.

Just our Average Morning

This morning, he had a string of thefts within a short period of time beginning with arriving home from doggie park. First, he grabbed a shoe in the garage. Next, it was an Ugg in the coat closet. Christmas placemats were spread out in the laundry room to dry. He took one of those which now has to be rewashed. He wanted to read a letter on Grant’s desk. He took the clean Christmas tea towels I had left on the kitchen counter to carry upstairs.

The sock is now on the bedroom floor. Perhaps it is joining his stash of toys. I am waiting for an opportunity to take a picture of it.

Socks

I keep the bathroom waste can on top of the clothes hamper in Grant’s bathroom. Otherwise, he will pull out the dirty clothes and run around the house with them.

I threw away a stack of old socks in the laundry room. Guinness opened the lid and pulled out a few. That was a new trick. Apparently, he has never been attracted to anything in that waste can before. I am letting him keep one sock just to see what he does. Whenever I come near him, he grabs it and runs away. Eventually, he took it upstairs to lay on our bed with it. It was still there at bedtime.

Scalawag

Grant was up and gone before I was out of bed. Guinness awakened me at 6:47 to get me up for playtime. I waited 10 minutes before rolling out of bed. Getting into the car was a challenge again. He wanted to run around the car before jumping in but it was pulled up too closely at the front. I had to back the car up slightly to make room for him to make a loop of the car, then he jumped in.

Doggie park was a frigid 12 degrees! Mattie and Riley both arrived about 10 minutes after us. Venus and the moon were beautiful in the clear pre-dawn sky.

Guinness was particularly persistent upon grabbing my mittens off my hands this morning. After the game became weary and my hands were freezing, I walked around like I a robbery victim with my hands in the air. He made one more swipe for a mitten as he jumped in the car, then took off, mitten in mouth. As I drove home, he tugged on my neck scarf! Fortunately, he did not become aggressive in this pursuit and choke me. As I took off my layers of outer clothing, he repeatedly tried to grab my Uggs. I finally was getting the message that perhaps this boy had not had his breakfast. Grant was unavailable for verification, so I gave him a partial bowl of food. Later I learned that that was his second breakfast of the morning.

Gifts

Of course, Guinness was ecstatic to see us. He immediately found his fuzzy bone toy from Kevin on the floor inside the door. When Grant dropped him off a week ago, the kennel gave him a Christmas stocking stuffed with toys and treats. I don’t know why Grant didn’t leave it in his villa, but it came home and I set it beside the fireplace. He found it right away too and loved all his gifts!

Lonely House

Even though we arrived home today, we will be away from the house for long hours each day until the weekend, so we will pick up Guinness from his pet hotel on Saturday. It is a lonely house without him bouncing around. However, it is a bit of a relief to unpack our suitcases and NOT have his “help”!

Molly

Yep! He did it again today. One lap around the car, and he was ready to jump in.

We had to leave doggie park early today, because Molly, a little Bishon, came to play for the day. Immediately, they were good friends. Guinness was so happy to have a playmate and was so gentle! What a grownup, well-mannered boy he was. He made Mommy proud! I think he would love to have a little dog sibling! Should we get one?

Guinness readily submitted so that Molly could check him out thoroughly.
Molly had not shown interest in eating her breakfast for the first hour, so I put Guinness away with a Xmas treat and got out her food.
True to form, she placed her meal on the rug, piece by piece, before eating it.
After leaving a little puddle on the carpet, I thought that perhaps it was time for a potty break. Guinness immediately demonstrated what you were to do outside, but Molly was already done. I assumed that she would not want to go near the deep snow, but, she is so small that she walks on top of the snow – whether deep or a skiff. After coming inside, she got a little “bitchy,” so Guinness snuggled at my feet between the desk and the chair (not his usual spot).
She decided that his soft mat was comfy.
When she left it, he decided to move there. Molly let him know that it was now her mat, but he held his ground. Just look at her forlorn expression!
Their next activity was for Molly to get under his body or to try nipping his tail or hind flanks.
Guinness decided that his crate might be a safe place. Molly peeked in his door at him. I shut him in so that Molly could have a drink of her water and perhaps go inside her crate, if she wished. She did have some water but was not ready for a nap.
When I let Guinness out, he thoroughly licked her bowl, making sure it was clean. Then he stuck his head into her crate to see if he might like it. When he managed to pull her blankie out, it was time to close it up again.

Solution

Yesterday, I had to let him in the side door to get to doggie park. This morning, he started running to the front of the car when I wanted him to jump in. I called him back and told him to jump. Again, he ran to the front, then all the way around the car, then jumped in! That’s it! He has to run around in a circle before he can jump – at least, when he is frightened. That is a doggie rule in the book somewhere.

Scaredy Cat

Over the past 36 hours, we had a raging snowstorm leaving at least a foot of snow. Doggie park would be challenge this morning. The parking lot would not be plowed and it would be deep walking, but I could envision Guinness prancing and leaping through the snow having a high old time.

Earlier this fall, when it started being fairly dark when we left for doggie playtime, Guinness tried to jump into the back of the car before it was open. Ever since, if he cannot see well, he is frightened and will not jump in. Usually, when that happens, Grant’s car has already left, so that I can open a side door, and he will readily jump in. This morning was very dark, and Grant’s car was still in the garage. He absolutely refused to jump in. I tried twice to pick him up, but he fought me and got hurt both times. I gave up in disgust (since I had gone to all the effort of bundling up for the wintry day), and took him back inside.

Later in the morning, I was going out to run errands and planned to let him ride along. Even in broad daylight, he would not come near the back of the car. I refused to give in to his fears by letting him in the side door, so he had to stay home alone.

I'm not sure how we are going to conquer this...

What Next?

Cathi asked me this week if Guinness is slowing down with his Gingerbread Boy games. NOT! I know he would drive their household absolutely bonkers! Greg would not have any patience for these puppy games.

This morning was a little out of hand. Every day at doggie park, I have to fight to keep my mittens on as Guinness tries to pull them right off my hands and often does succeed. He sent me on a chase a couple of times this morning. As we walked in the door from the garage, he grabbed a sneaker off the garage shoe rack. As I put my boots away, he grabbed one of Grant’s toe rubbers. (BTW, due to the weather reports, Grant took two toe rubbers with him on his business trip this week. When he pulled them on, he had two right rubbers.) Then we went upstairs to change into workout clothes. He grabbed a shoe from my closet. The Christmas wrappings are out in our bedroom, so he found an interesting fabric gift bag to steal. Finally, he settled on the bed while I did yoga. This is how he looked yesterday while I worked out. So sweet.

Today, half way through my program, he decided that he wanted to do yoga too and laid on top of me while I was in a floor position. Ugh! He found himself shut in the bathroom until I finished.

While typing this, he “discovered” that there are containers of treats in the spa bathtub. It has been a safe hiding place for over a year. No more.

Morning at Doggie Park

Now that it is dark at 7 AM, Guinness and I are usually the first to arrive (by car).

Next comes Dennis with Riley. Then, before they can be seen, we can hear Frank's Mattie barking. Riley and Guinness prick up their ears, then race in the direction of barks for their morning treats. Mattie is “beastly,” and tries to nip the other dogs if she can get near, but Frank is the candyman. He throws dog biscuits, so they are attracted to Frank in spite of Mattie.

Once we were gathered, this was nature’s treat -- a glorious sunrise adorned with a sliver of an old moon plus brilliant Venus above that (not seen here).

Brin and Guinness hoping that Frank will throw another treat.

Both Goldens who are occasional club members, Marley and Brin, joined us this morning rounding out our motley crew.

Smartie has a smart mother who sleeps in on these dark mornings. They now arrive as everyone else is leaving, but Guinness stays to play.

Keiko and I were awed by an unusual pink pillar over the sun. Not sure what caused that, and the photo does not do it justice.

After they left, I focused my attention on taking more pictures of the pillar. I knew Guinness was at the fence, but, when I was finished, there was no Guinness. He did not respond to “Come!” calls. Then I tried to track him in the snow, but was unsuccessful. Finally, he came bounding to me before panic mode struck. He had gone around the end of the fence and behind the park building.

Persistence

Last night, Guinness was driving me crazy with his reverse retrieves.

• Grant left a large envelope at home to be picked up by someone today. Guinness took it off his desk which was totally unexpected. He rarely steals something of that size. It now is slightly wrinkled on one corner with teeth scratches – just a friendly touch.
• I had just scanned the instructions for my Christmas ice lantern, as water splashes are deteriorating the paper with each lantern I make. I placed it on the kitchen counter before taking it downstairs. Guinness helped me to decide to put it away immediately.
• A Tupperware bowl from the sink took a trip around the house.
• He found one of Grant’s shoes somewhere. Not sure where it came from.
• But he knew, and was running around with the mate to it.
• From the bar, he pulled off a pretty package from Grant’s sister of holiday wine bottle corks. I can’t blame him for wanting that.
• I tried setting out Christmas fingertip towels in the powder room for guests. That isn’t going to work. I have already decided that there will be no stuffed holiday animals lining the stairway this year.
• I left a pair of Crocs at the garage door. Foolish.

This morning, after an hour of running around with other dogs, and constant ploys to grab my mittens off my hands plus Marley’s mother’s mittens, he came home and scooched under the garage door as it was closing. He ran out of sight. I called for him to come before deciding which way to go. He reappeared, running out of the neighbor’s garage with a recyclable container in his mouth.

No sooner had we come in the house than I heard a crackling noise from the kitchen. I had bought some potpourri yesterday. I realized last night that I was not sure where I had placed it after bringing my purchases into the house. He found it still in its bag in the basket on the kitchen counter where I thought it would be unobtrusive to him. He must have smelled it out, and he really liked it. With treats in hand, it is pretty easy to regain his stolen object. Not this time. He had to be chased around the house a couple of times. Since he was playing hard to get, I grabbed my camera to record the moment. He easily relented.

Next, I heard him prancing around and knew he had found another treasure: my boot which had been drying in the bathroom. I had forgotten to close the door. Once I appeared, he jumped on my bed and readily relinquished it, then settled for a nap – finally.

Fun at Doggie Park

Marley, a large golden retriever, doesn’t come often, but when he does, Riley and Guinness LOVE him. They wrestle and wrestle and wrestle some more. Sometimes Marley stands trying to keep them from toppling him. Other times, he succumbs and just lies there allowing Riley and Guinness to wallow all over him.