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| Kol's Notes Winner of Chet the Dog Giveaway! |
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Snow Globe Drive
Sometimes I get lucky and get to travel with my people. Mom had to teach a clinic this past weekend and since it was going to be indoors and at a dog-friendly hotel, she decided to take me along! I knew I was going to get to go this time as soon as she started packing, because she gathered up all my favorite things and put them right by the suitcase!
Montana is a BIG state and that means it takes awhile to get anywhere when traveling by car. There's also a lot of NOTHING in between! More about that later...
One thing I know for certain is that I sure like fancy hotels!
Of course, Mom remembered to pack my food (and portable dish) and it was a good thing! I was hungry and wanting to eat first thing upon our arrival.
Then I got to cuddle right next to mom with my bear blankie and sleep in that great big comfortable bed!
Livin' the life!
The next morning I had to wait patiently (and behave) while she talked and talked and talked about (some really boring) stuff. I was just under the table at her feet, switching off between laying in my pet carrier or ON my bed, growling softly ONLY once when a GREAT big dog walked by the conference room door. (no worries, we did break for lunch and I got some walking time in, but I never did see that dog again!)
When the clinic was FINALLY over, we loaded up all the papers, computer, printer, projector, screen and all MY stuff into the car and headed back home way ACROSS the state. It was already dark and as soon as we got on the road, it happened...
...the snow began to fall. Slowly at first.... Now try to picture desolate Montana and miles and miles of endless road...
Over the (mountain) pass and into the dark we went.
....and then it started to really come down ! Right at us.! ...this BECAME what we have now deemed the Snow Globe Drive.
Eery. Quiet. Dizzying . Tunnelling at you flakes...as if you were IN a Snow Globe. Mesmerizing. Almost Magical....
When Mom started talking to me about it, I HAD to look. I climbed up to get a look out the front window and WHOA! It almost made me nauseous....back down I went....all I could really do from then on was JUST listen.
A dog can learn a lot about PEOPLE on a long winter's Snow Globe Drive. They tend to open up and share more about WHO they really are when they are vulnerable (and afraid) ...especially if YOU are the only otherone dog in the car!
Guess what? People talk more when they're nervous. They question themselves more. They WORRY. They sing silly songs. They tell stories about their childhood..all their regrets...all their dreams...all of a sudden, THEIR world becomes your world...and we come to know them a whole lot better!
It was clear my REAL purpose was to CALM the storm NOW occurring in that globe across the huge state of Montana in the very dark of night.
We DOGS have such important jobs!
I knew I couldn't rest. I had to LISTEN. Calm her fears. Give her courage to keep going. Let her SING...allow myself to get lost in the stories she was telling of so very long ago.
It JUST seemed to help her pass the time....and made me appreciate her human "ness" even more!
We never passed a single other vehicle, but thankfully followed behind several plows sanding the roads, each pulling over to let us by. (Apparently, other people don't have Scrappy Dogs to guide them through Snow Globe drives so they JUST stay home...)
And then...as quickly as the flakes started to fall, they (just) disappeared....like poof. Gone.
Mom and I were thrilled when we finally saw the lights of town and arrived safely at home, the snow all settled now in the bottom of earth's globe.
Montana is a BIG state and that means it takes awhile to get anywhere when traveling by car. There's also a lot of NOTHING in between! More about that later...
One thing I know for certain is that I sure like fancy hotels!
Of course, Mom remembered to pack my food (and portable dish) and it was a good thing! I was hungry and wanting to eat first thing upon our arrival.
Then I got to cuddle right next to mom with my bear blankie and sleep in that great big comfortable bed!
Livin' the life!
The next morning I had to wait patiently (and behave) while she talked and talked and talked about (some really boring) stuff. I was just under the table at her feet, switching off between laying in my pet carrier or ON my bed, growling softly ONLY once when a GREAT big dog walked by the conference room door. (no worries, we did break for lunch and I got some walking time in, but I never did see that dog again!)
When the clinic was FINALLY over, we loaded up all the papers, computer, printer, projector, screen and all MY stuff into the car and headed back home way ACROSS the state. It was already dark and as soon as we got on the road, it happened...
...the snow began to fall. Slowly at first.... Now try to picture desolate Montana and miles and miles of endless road...
Over the (mountain) pass and into the dark we went.
....and then it started to really come down ! Right at us.! ...this BECAME what we have now deemed the Snow Globe Drive.
Eery. Quiet. Dizzying . Tunnelling at you flakes...as if you were IN a Snow Globe. Mesmerizing. Almost Magical....
When Mom started talking to me about it, I HAD to look. I climbed up to get a look out the front window and WHOA! It almost made me nauseous....back down I went....all I could really do from then on was JUST listen.
A dog can learn a lot about PEOPLE on a long winter's Snow Globe Drive. They tend to open up and share more about WHO they really are when they are vulnerable (and afraid) ...especially if YOU are the only other
Guess what? People talk more when they're nervous. They question themselves more. They WORRY. They sing silly songs. They tell stories about their childhood..all their regrets...all their dreams...all of a sudden, THEIR world becomes your world...and we come to know them a whole lot better!
It was clear my REAL purpose was to CALM the storm NOW occurring in that globe across the huge state of Montana in the very dark of night.
We DOGS have such important jobs!
I knew I couldn't rest. I had to LISTEN. Calm her fears. Give her courage to keep going. Let her SING...allow myself to get lost in the stories she was telling of so very long ago.
It JUST seemed to help her pass the time....and made me appreciate her human "ness" even more!
We never passed a single other vehicle, but thankfully followed behind several plows sanding the roads, each pulling over to let us by. (Apparently, other people don't have Scrappy Dogs to guide them through Snow Globe drives so they JUST stay home...)
And then...as quickly as the flakes started to fall, they (just) disappeared....like poof. Gone.
Mom and I were thrilled when we finally saw the lights of town and arrived safely at home, the snow all settled now in the bottom of earth's globe.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Nose to Nose
First off...I couldn't resist. Second...I think she liked the way I smelled. (well, I DID just have a bath!)
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
What am I talking about?
My Nose. Another Nose. Up close andtoo personal. Mama's heart leaping out of her chest.
Still lost? Ok...from the beginning. With the time change, dusk NOW comes earlier. This was precisely WHY Mom should have put her glasses on! DUSK! Working all afternoon (hogging the computer again) Mom FINALLY decides it's SCRAPPY time...(only after I scratch at her feet and give her THE Look!) She falls for it (hook, line and sinker) "Do you wanna go for a walk?" Yippee! *jumping around, major body and tail wags, cute little yip*
Mom makes her way to the entry closet and then she pulls out the dreaded sweater. I am not all that thrilled to have to wear it, but if that's what it takes to get us out there on a walk, I will wear the silly dreaded sweater. Fine. Okay. Let's get this part over with.
One leg in...then the other....(here I am not looking all that eager to be wearing the silly dreaded sweater....)
Out the door, we go AT LAST...
Truth be told (and lucky for me), it's only about 50 (Scrappy) steps to the field. I am off leash...having fun.. Feeling free. It's ALMOST dark, but not quite. Just about there though...and then I spot them.. not too far away in the field and I am compelled to BARK. They run...well, all but ONE...she lingers behind...curious I think about ME, the Scrappy one in the silly sweater.
Mom is a NOT pleased. I trot closer. (It's partly her fault for NOT seeing them) Calmly, but deliberately, she tells me..."Scrappy, NO!"
However... I simply cannot resist...soooooo, I inch a little closer...and there we are.... NOSE to NOSE...this beautiful yearling Doe and I! (Mom is now a basketcase (of fret )....with good reason!) The "moment" doesn't last all that long...that beautiful deer and I (just briefly) HAD to touch noses and catch a little whiff of one another! ...I am quite certain it had to be fragrance of THE baby powder shampoo that attracted her! ...because she just caught her quick whiff and ran off, but only went about 15 yards and then stopped and watched the scene...the lecture from Mom!....YES. I know how lucky I am that I was not kicked, stomped on, killed or hurt. Yes, I am (a little) sorry! I glance over at the Doe and she is still watching me. "Let's go, Scrappy! That's enough excitement for today!" (Mom is secretly blaming herself for forgetting the glasses and giving me too much freedom!)
We (thankfully) continue on around the usual loop and as we near the driveway, the moon shines big and bright in the sky above.
Mostly dark now...In the door we go...
The sweet scent of that doe still in my nose, mom's shoes come off. She reaches down...one leg out, then the other....I wiggle a bit and finally pull my head out of the dreaded sweater.
Dinner follows. A few games of fetch after that. I am eager to go upstairs and go to sleep....so I can DREAM about being out in that field nose to nose...Oh the WONDER!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
What am I talking about?
My Nose. Another Nose. Up close and
Still lost? Ok...from the beginning. With the time change, dusk NOW comes earlier. This was precisely WHY Mom should have put her glasses on! DUSK! Working all afternoon (hogging the computer again) Mom FINALLY decides it's SCRAPPY time...(only after I scratch at her feet and give her THE Look!) She falls for it (hook, line and sinker) "Do you wanna go for a walk?" Yippee! *jumping around, major body and tail wags, cute little yip*
Mom makes her way to the entry closet and then she pulls out the dreaded sweater. I am not all that thrilled to have to wear it, but if that's what it takes to get us out there on a walk, I will wear the silly dreaded sweater. Fine. Okay. Let's get this part over with.
One leg in...then the other....(here I am not looking all that eager to be wearing the silly dreaded sweater....)
Out the door, we go AT LAST...
Truth be told (and lucky for me), it's only about 50 (Scrappy) steps to the field. I am off leash...having fun.. Feeling free. It's ALMOST dark, but not quite. Just about there though...and then I spot them.. not too far away in the field and I am compelled to BARK. They run...well, all but ONE...she lingers behind...curious I think about ME, the Scrappy one in the silly sweater.
Mom is a NOT pleased. I trot closer. (It's partly her fault for NOT seeing them) Calmly, but deliberately, she tells me..."Scrappy, NO!"
However... I simply cannot resist...soooooo, I inch a little closer...and there we are.... NOSE to NOSE...this beautiful yearling Doe and I! (Mom is now a basketcase (of fret )....with good reason!) The "moment" doesn't last all that long...that beautiful deer and I (just briefly) HAD to touch noses and catch a little whiff of one another! ...I am quite certain it had to be fragrance of THE baby powder shampoo that attracted her! ...because she just caught her quick whiff and ran off, but only went about 15 yards and then stopped and watched the scene...the lecture from Mom!....YES. I know how lucky I am that I was not kicked, stomped on, killed or hurt. Yes, I am (a little) sorry! I glance over at the Doe and she is still watching me. "Let's go, Scrappy! That's enough excitement for today!" (Mom is secretly blaming herself for forgetting the glasses and giving me too much freedom!)
We (thankfully) continue on around the usual loop and as we near the driveway, the moon shines big and bright in the sky above.
Mostly dark now...In the door we go...
The sweet scent of that doe still in my nose, mom's shoes come off. She reaches down...one leg out, then the other....I wiggle a bit and finally pull my head out of the dreaded sweater.
Dinner follows. A few games of fetch after that. I am eager to go upstairs and go to sleep....so I can DREAM about being out in that field nose to nose...Oh the WONDER!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
If Only Dogs Could Ski
Here's the prelude.
The sign in the kitchen says
Yes, snow DOES happen ! Unfortunately (for me) the first snowflakes started falling here late last night...and the people at my house are all thrilled and HAPPY about that...EXCEPT me, the Scrapster! To make matters worse, there are reminders (placed strategically) all over the house...one in the living room
and another in the dining room
So that brings me to the DILEMMA! ...if ONLY Dogs could ski! This is my biggest wish...and here's (the Scrappy Truth) WHY. They all GET to go skiing and I don't! It's pretty much the ONE thing they do where I get left at home ALL day and they don't even consider taking me along. They take me everywhere else...on BIG adventures...fishing, camping, hiking...I've actually even been taken to movies, graduations, even church...but never skiing.
Maybe it's because they don't know that dogs CAN ski...
I did some research and mentioned this to my new (rescued) Minnesota twitter friend Little Boy Bo before I started this post and he was actually quite encouraging. He sent me this FUN photo which gave me great HOPE...
and then IT dawned on me. All I really need is the right equipment. So now I am on a mission to find some tiny boots and skis, some long johns, a helmet (concussions are very dangerous) and goggles (I know those are available because I've seen dogs wearing them on motorcycles) - I think they are called DOGGLES ... (I could probably use those for riding with DAD on the mountain bike ANYWAY!) Oh...and I will need a good winter (down) coat. (wow....the site even says it's for skiing!) ...
BUT it's the skis and boots that I'm having trouble locating....and then... I found THIS picture from a long time ago
SCORE! A dog that really could ski! He was Schmaltz, the skiing dachshund...whose PEOPLE had developed "four specifically designed boots and two skis" ! (What amazing People!)
So NOW my HOPE is changing to POSSIBILITY!
Where to start? Anyone OUT there have any ideas? Can you help come up with a plan to get some ONE to design ME some of these special boots and skis? I still have time...the first flakes are just fallin' ...the mountain's not open yet, but soon the chairlifts will be up and running and the PEOPLE will GO skiing (without me!)
I just know I can shuss with the best of them....Lindsey Vonn, Bode Miller, Julia Mancuso, Ted Ligety! I could even be named to the next Olympic Alpine Team...if I only had THOSE specifically designed skis and boots!
For now though, I will just practice signing autographs....
The sign in the kitchen says
Yes, snow DOES happen ! Unfortunately (for me) the first snowflakes started falling here late last night...and the people at my house are all thrilled and HAPPY about that...EXCEPT me, the Scrapster! To make matters worse, there are reminders (placed strategically) all over the house...one in the living room
and another in the dining room
So that brings me to the DILEMMA! ...if ONLY Dogs could ski! This is my biggest wish...and here's (the Scrappy Truth) WHY. They all GET to go skiing and I don't! It's pretty much the ONE thing they do where I get left at home ALL day and they don't even consider taking me along. They take me everywhere else...on BIG adventures...fishing, camping, hiking...I've actually even been taken to movies, graduations, even church...but never skiing.
Maybe it's because they don't know that dogs CAN ski...
I did some research and mentioned this to my new (rescued) Minnesota twitter friend Little Boy Bo before I started this post and he was actually quite encouraging. He sent me this FUN photo which gave me great HOPE...
 |
| image source photobucket |
and then IT dawned on me. All I really need is the right equipment. So now I am on a mission to find some tiny boots and skis, some long johns, a helmet (concussions are very dangerous) and goggles (I know those are available because I've seen dogs wearing them on motorcycles) - I think they are called DOGGLES ... (I could probably use those for riding with DAD on the mountain bike ANYWAY!) Oh...and I will need a good winter (down) coat. (wow....the site even says it's for skiing!) ...
BUT it's the skis and boots that I'm having trouble locating....and then... I found THIS picture from a long time ago
 |
Source Oregonian image 1979 article 1981 http://www.dachshund.org/lookatthepast.html |
So NOW my HOPE is changing to POSSIBILITY!
Where to start? Anyone OUT there have any ideas? Can you help come up with a plan to get some ONE to design ME some of these special boots and skis? I still have time...the first flakes are just fallin' ...the mountain's not open yet, but soon the chairlifts will be up and running and the PEOPLE will GO skiing (without me!)
I just know I can shuss with the best of them....Lindsey Vonn, Bode Miller, Julia Mancuso, Ted Ligety! I could even be named to the next Olympic Alpine Team...if I only had THOSE specifically designed skis and boots!
For now though, I will just practice signing autographs....
Scrappy
(the Downhill’n Dog)
Thanks to Blog Hop Hosts Two Little Cavaliers, Life With Dogs, and Confessions of the Plume!
(the Downhill’n Dog)
Thanks to Blog Hop Hosts Two Little Cavaliers, Life With Dogs, and Confessions of the Plume!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Never JUST Another Day
It is never just another day. It always amazes me that SOME out there in the big ole' world think that it is! No matter what is happening, good or bad, the world just keeps on turning. Here is what is going through (my little Yorkie mind) on this not just another day. While my DOG life is sailing along smoothly, others' lives (dogs and people's) are raging through catestrophic storms! In just the past twenty-four hours, these challenges have come up in my (tiny) little part of the world.
A Golden fur friend has been losing weight like crazy and not feeling well. Long story, short...a biopsy has now confirmed Lymphoma. Now some tough decisions depending on what stage he's in. It is not just another day for Rocky or his people.
Word came yesterday that a fifteen year old young man who had collapsed a week ago during a cross country meet has since lost his battle. It is not just another day for that boy's family, friends, or the people who worked so hard to save him. (on that first day and all the days in the ICU after)
A two week old baby, whose parents attend my family's church and whose grandparents operate a local hardware store, passed away suddenly the other night during dinner without reason while in a baby carrier. It will NEVER be just another day to that young couple, sibling, or grandparents. Those lives have been forever changed.
An old high school friend of my Mama's started chemo today after finding out a few weeks back she had a tumor - aggressive, the Dr. called it. She had surgery first and is just now starting on the chemo. It is not just a normal day at their house. Her children must be so very afraid!
Another friend of Mama's is at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN with her husband at her side getting some sort of radical procedure to treat the cancer that had unknowingly spread to her bones after years of being cancer free and feeling great. Their insurance company so far has not agreed to pay for her treatment, but they went to get the treatment anyway. She is only in her early 50's and it is certainly not just another day for those dear friends.
It is NEVER just another day. All around us, some where, some one, some friend or some family is hurting...struggling...fighting...crying....praying....hoping...
Some one. You might recognize them. They might be your relative, friend, or neighbor. You might EVEN be the ONE.
We may never know WHY (not here on earth anyway), but it helps alittle to know in THIS life we are not alone. We have each other to run to (and depend on) to guide us through those difficult and challenging days. And we have FAITH (because we all arrived here somehow) - an assurance that tomorrow is a new day, that the sun will surely rise and that joy, love and goodness will overcome ALL the challenges we have to endure TODAY...
Our faith is what moves us onward to HOPE.
This I know FOR sure after the past 24 hours...it isn't always about ME.
There you have it...the Truth according to Scrappy.
A Golden fur friend has been losing weight like crazy and not feeling well. Long story, short...a biopsy has now confirmed Lymphoma. Now some tough decisions depending on what stage he's in. It is not just another day for Rocky or his people.
Word came yesterday that a fifteen year old young man who had collapsed a week ago during a cross country meet has since lost his battle. It is not just another day for that boy's family, friends, or the people who worked so hard to save him. (on that first day and all the days in the ICU after)
A two week old baby, whose parents attend my family's church and whose grandparents operate a local hardware store, passed away suddenly the other night during dinner without reason while in a baby carrier. It will NEVER be just another day to that young couple, sibling, or grandparents. Those lives have been forever changed.
An old high school friend of my Mama's started chemo today after finding out a few weeks back she had a tumor - aggressive, the Dr. called it. She had surgery first and is just now starting on the chemo. It is not just a normal day at their house. Her children must be so very afraid!
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image source http://www.all4myspace.com/layouts-2.0/Breast-Cancer-Awareness-20-myspace-layouts-2.0 |
Another friend of Mama's is at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN with her husband at her side getting some sort of radical procedure to treat the cancer that had unknowingly spread to her bones after years of being cancer free and feeling great. Their insurance company so far has not agreed to pay for her treatment, but they went to get the treatment anyway. She is only in her early 50's and it is certainly not just another day for those dear friends.
It is NEVER just another day. All around us, some where, some one, some friend or some family is hurting...struggling...fighting...crying....praying....hoping...
Some one. You might recognize them. They might be your relative, friend, or neighbor. You might EVEN be the ONE.
We may never know WHY (not here on earth anyway), but it helps alittle to know in THIS life we are not alone. We have each other to run to (and depend on) to guide us through those difficult and challenging days. And we have FAITH (because we all arrived here somehow) - an assurance that tomorrow is a new day, that the sun will surely rise and that joy, love and goodness will overcome ALL the challenges we have to endure TODAY...
Our faith is what moves us onward to HOPE.
This I know FOR sure after the past 24 hours...it isn't always about ME.
There you have it...the Truth according to Scrappy.
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image source http://www.byrdbaggett.com/free/wallpapers/faith.php |
Wordless Wednesday- Can't Decide! Toy or Bone?
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| just give up & nap |
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