Sedgewick

Last Friday, I went to our local shelter after seeing an ad for their pet of the week. I'd been thinking about another dog for quite a while, and our vet said it was a good idea if we could handle it. The pet of the week was adorable and sweet, but quite a bit larger than I was ready for. A brief visit to the small dog section, however, led me to this guy, a six-month-old terrier mix. He came home with us for the weekend and wiggled his way into our hearts. What amazes me is how quickly he became attached to me, following me all over the house, eager to be held and cuddled. A good part of my motivation for bringing him home was to provide more play and companionship for my sweet first dog, Shiloh. And play they do! They also curl up to nap together, sometimes in the same crate. Yesterday was very hard because Sedgewick had many 'accidents' (which is why he's mainly confined to the kitchen until he's better trained and a bit older), but I'm reminding myself of what a sweet dog he is and how it will definitely all be worth it once he is trained. It's already been fun seeing how his personality differs from Shiloh's. I'm finding that I really like having dogs - they're entertaining, good alarm systems, and happy, cheerful little fellows. Even if they can be a lot of work at times! Happy Love Thursday, everyone!

Sweet Shiloh

They're sharing pet photos and stories over at Shutter Sisters today, and of course I just can't resist that! My sweet pup turned 2 on December 9; these photos were taken a week before Christmas, when he was enjoying the autumn leaves and sunshine out in the backyard. He continues to entertain us and win the hearts of visitors. He's extremely social and will go from person to person when we have gatherings, trying to figure out who will let him lick their feet or even sit on their lap while he tries to nibble their ears. He was in heaven this last week with houseguests, following them around constantly, prefering to cuddle with them over me, and trying to sneak up the stairs to their room. He sleeps a lot more than he did a year ago and we've even given in and let him sleep with us sometimes. He sits by the door waiting for me when I leave, watching out the window, and greets me with great enthusiasm when I come home. His silly antics and puppy love have wiggled their way deep into our hearts. We love you, Shiloh!

With us for a year

Ten months old

Coming Home

A Year of Shiloh

A year ago today, we brought our goofy dog Shiloh home with us. He was eight months old. We met quite a few more of our neighbors taking him out on evening walks and have had a good source of entertainment in the evenings when he races around the house or when he meets his puppy friends for playdates. It was a rough adjustment for my husband, who did not grow up with pets, but he has now become quite fond of the dog and will even pick him up to cuddle and tells me how cute the dog is. I started out saying that Shiloh would not be allowed on the furniture and would not sleep in our bed – and of course, neither of those are now true (although he does usually sleep in his crate.) He adores children and it has been so cute to watch our little nephew, only two, playing with Shiloh. He hasn’t had any accidents in ages, even when visiting new houses, although we are still working on the chewing issues – shoes, pillows, and books are favorites. I love how Shiloh is always happy to see me, full of enthusiasm, affection, and playfulness. I miss him when I’m gone. If you would’ve told me a year ago that I’d be this attached to a dog, I wouldn’t have believed you. But now I believe.

Related posts (with cute photos):

Ten Months Old

Meet Shiloh

Pascha Morning

I’m always thankful for Orthodox Holy Week and Pascha (aka Easter; Pascha is the Greek translation of the Hebrew pesach; both mean Passover, which is so appropriate). Amazingly, we have passed through them already, after our journey through Lent. I am thankful for the quietness of Holy Week and the opportunity to focus particularly on the foundation of our faith; I am thankful for the exuberant joy of Pascha as we celebrate the Feast of Feasts, the Resurrection of our Lord, the harrowing of Hell. Pascha is the only night of the year where I’ll stay up until 4 a.m., celebrating the Liturgy and then a potluck with our church family. It is a joyous time.

Early Pascha morning, I found myself chasing off death in the form of the neighbor’s black cat, who’d ventured into our yard to try to rob the mockingbird nest. I was awoken by the cat screeching as the parent birds showed their anger, so I quickly dressed and ran outside in the dark to chase the cat off. With a flashlight, I spent the next 45 minutes looking for the baby birds. I am happy to report that I found them, darling little fledglings who were not quite ready to fly but close to it. I held one in my hand after I caught him; he gazed at me with his dark eyes with solemnity, his beak and legs much larger than I’d expected. In fact, his little feet wrapped tightly around my fingers. It was quite touching. I put him back in the nest, which was built in our lovely jasmine vines right near the bedroom windows. The other one escaped me and ran into the thick nandina bushes. They peeped their pitiful distress calls and cried all morning, and eventually their parents started feeding them again. I even called a wildlife refuge center in case we needed to take them in. I humbled myself the next day by walking into a dog salon and asking for a bag of dog hair to spread along my fence line to keep the cats out. They seemed to think it would work. My own dog endured many hits in his rear end from the adult birds; it was actually very funny to see his surprise and shock each time; of course he was not injured. I am so happy to report that the baby birds are now up in the trees, not adept fliers but at least gaining competence. So far, the story has a happy ending.

Garden Update

My appearances here are becoming less and less! This isn’t intentional, just a side effect, I suppose, of having lots to do. We’ve been putting quite a bit of time into the garden, and I’ve also been hidden away working on a personal essay for a writing workshop I’m in.

Little by little, we’ve been doing a lot in the garden. Last weekend I planted quite a few herbs and some new flowers in my main bed, which has the advantage of its soil already being amended and improved. Trying to garden with a young dog at my heels was quite entertaining! He would grab small pots and run off with them, bite flowers off of plants, and eat the herbs. He was being silly, and he knew it.

We’ve also been working on putting in a new flower garden in the big empty spot where we lost a nice tree in Hurricane Ike last September. After I tried to plant a few things there, I realized the soil desperately needed to be amended before much more went in the ground. So my lucky husband has been digging in countless bags of peat moss and potting soil the past two days! Bless his heart. I laid twenty bags of mulch while he was working on that, and suspect that I will be hard-pressed to move tomorrow as a result.

The best part is that I did put new plants into the amended bed, digging them in this afternoon. I’m quite excited about this and hope that everything thrives and does well! If it does, I will share pictures. We still have work to do, but I think the worst of it is over.

What home and garden projects have you been working on?

A Week of Delights

I had a delightful visit with my sister and little nephew. Some of our highlights:

Smiles at how well my nephew (almost two) and my young dog played together and hung out. They were well matched, although the dog did gnaw up my nephew’s little shoes when we left them in the kitchen. Fetch, tug of war, even bedtime kisses for each other.

Cooking coconut Indian chicken, trying a great new Greek chicken recipe, making cream of asparagus soup from the Moosewood Cookbook, and other food. Delicious Valentine’s Day cookies made by my sister.

Taking a crash course in Elmo’s World.

Smiling at seeing my nephew’s reactions to the animals on his first trip to a zoo.

A wonderfully lazy day walking to the park, playing at the playground, and relaxing in the backyard drinking vanilla jasmine tea and eating sonpapdi, a sweet and flaky Indian dessert.

Attending my first Weight Watchers meeting. I am still trying to get my head around learning to eat in a healthier manner. My sister has done so well that I’m inspired.

Finally getting a chance to shoot photos of the elusive turtles at the pond (above.)

Chatting and hanging out with my sister! My husband kindly babysat so we could go shopping and to a movie, in addition to our time at home.

Witnessing my nephew’s cute little personality, hearing his cute little voice, seeing him learn new words, and teaching him funny things to say. (“I’m sooo cute!”) Seeing what a great job my sister and BIL are doing with their son.

I felt so blessed to have them come down, as well as refreshed and inspired.

How was your week?

Rest

My life is pretty simple compared to that of many people, but nevertheless it’s been busy lately. I’m looking forward to a quiet week and hoping to catch up on some craft projects, gardening, and essays that need work. Perhaps I’ll even do some baking this week – these photos are from September. One of my simplest pleasures lately is resting on the sofa under an old quilt with my dog curled up next to me. There is something quite endearing about cuddly pups.

What are your simple pleasures lately? And what do you have planned for the holiday week?

Ten Months Old

It’s been a crazy two months, beginning with excitement and a touch of nerves when we brought him home for the first time. We struggled a bit with potty training and accidents, tried various foods to find out which worked the best with his sensitive stomach, and even had to make a late night emergency call to his grandma for help! We learned that some toys interest him and others are useless. We watched with curiosity and a small bit of apprehension during his first play dates, and relaxed when he was able to make friends. We cheered when he was friendly toward the doctor and his assistants, and breathed a sigh of relief when we realized he settles down well for long naps. He sleeps all night quietly and contentedly in his cozy bed. We’re still working on manners around people (he loves people so much that he just can't contain himself), although we’re proud that his cuteness makes him quite popular around the neighborhood. Shiloh, we’re so glad that you’re our puppy! We love you!