Mardi Gras...

When we lived in Memphis we frequently drove to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi to enjoy small town Mardi Gras parades with family. Our daughter has very happy memories of catching throws from the floats, and even riding on a float one year with her pseudo grandfather.

Here in Maine very few people know anything about Mardi Gras, but we wear beads every Fat Tuesday. This year the pugs did, too. And rather than "Let the good times roll," they went with, "Let the good toungues roll!"

Thanksgiving...

One of the things I love about Thanksgiving is listening. I like to listen to the ebb and flow of conversation as people meet and greet and laugh. When the walls of this old house are filled to bursting with folks chattering and eating, it makes a certain sound that is just... joyous.
I also like to listen to the silence that happens for just a few moments when everyone begins to eat. The rooms take on an expectant hush as turkey and mashed potatoes are tasted.
And there is the dessert table! Pies, cakes, ice cream... sweet! This year my sister Deb, niece Elyse and daughter Rachel helped cook the food, (of course guests brought contributions as well.)We had a lively discussion about which of the younger generation will take on the holiday baton when I become too decrepit to cook the meal. It is a nice thought that the day means enough to them that they want to carry it on at some point.

We had 20 people here (from 3 states!) and served buffet style. We cooked twenty pounds of potatoes, because last year we ran out of them! A travesty!

Brother in law John and sweet husband Chris carved the turkeys. Yes, plural. Chris smokes one and I roast one. Dueling birds. I have to say those free range turkeys we bought (see post from a day or two ago) were simply amazing.

Just before company arrived I took a little break, and put my feet up. A mimosa tasted good after cooking, cleaning and getting ready for the feast. The dogs were happy to help hold me down while I rested a bit.

Now the guests are gone, and we are left with a refrigerator full of succulent leftovers and happy memories of a lovely holiday. A little bit of laughter, a lot of food, and bunches of love. SO much to be thankful for.

Bucket 'o dogs...

This morning dawned gray and wet. A perfect day for the porch sofa, a laptop and an overdue writing assignment. 5 out of 6 dogs have joined me on the sofa. I took this photo leaning back as far as I could, the dogs are arranged from my tummy to my toes, starting with Flirt the toy poodle, then Poppy pug smooshed on the right, Blossom the new adoptee and her rolls of fat come next, then Smooch pug on my ankles and Lilly the antique boxer on my feet. Dazzle poodle is on the floor next to the couch. My husband says, of scenes like this, "It looks like someone just walked up and threw a whole bucket of dogs on you."

The house is quiet, all I hear is the sound of the wind in the lilacs, the rain pattering on the sills and the soft breathing sounds of contented dogs.

The dogs had a party in the snow while I was filling bird feeders.

Why do people own dogs..?

I have 4 dogs. They are really a lot of trouble. Smooch, seen above, has been messing about with some all purpose flour. My dogs are prone to toilet drinking, trash dumping, counter surfing and unbridled shedding.. There is even the occasional potty-on-the-floor indiscretion. Any sane person would want to know; why do people have dogs? Because really, life would be so much simpler without them.

The reason is this: when we come home after a day at work or running errands, there is a wild, exuberant greeting at the door. No human is EVER that glad to see us. And when I am home and puttering, a dog will follow me from room to room, as if I am the reason for it all. Then, on the sofa in front of the fire, there are dogs tucked in behind my knees, and over my legs, all warm and snoring softly. And when someone comes up our driveway, there is a cacophony of sound, warning, warning us of something afoot. Then there are the special, just for pet owners, glimpses of unbridled joy that we are privy to. Every. Single. Day. Joy in the waking, the running, the eating, the loving. Pure, simple, amazing joy. The kind of joy we as humans knew once, long ago, when we were small.

Owning pets is like a memory. A reminder of simpler times, when we noticed the joy in the sunrise and the sleeping and the happiness and the greeting of those we love.

That. THAT is why I own dogs. It's the constant reminding.

The snuggles are a bonus.

Friends...

Lilly the boxer has a dog bed that is just about the right size for her. And some friends. When I light a fire in the wood stove, I pull the bed up close to the heat. Lilly is old and she really enjoys the warmth. The pugs do, too. Sometimes the Standard poodle wedges in there, also, her curls spilling out around the margins of the bed.

There is something so comforting about snuggling up by the stove. And even the dogs agree, it is better with friends to share the joy.

Creature of Comfort...

I once read that if you put a Pug into an empty room, you can come back and find it happily asleep on a sock it had found.


This is Poppy. 8 years ago she was abandoned at a shelter in Memphis, and by a strange turn of events too long to detail now, I ended up being her foster mom. I had NO intention of keeping her. I prefer dogs that are beautiful. Pug's are many things, but NOT pretty. One day, after a week of having her under my roof, I looked down at her little face and said, "OH! You are SO beautiful." I knew I was sunk. But I digress....

This box held some produce from the local farm stand... including a dozen ears of fresh corn. We shucked the corn out on the picnic table, and somehow the box ended up abandoned on the back lawn.

The next night, Poppy eschewed all the soft grass that surrounded her, and cozied up in this box.
A sock, a box, a pillow or preferably a warm lap... Pug's will find the softest, driest, snuggest place in any spot and put themselves there. It's a gift.

Hello. My name is Daryl and I am a Pug a holic.