Happy Christmas - Santa brought SNOW!! (and treats!) (and toys!) (and turkey!) (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

Today is CHRISTMAS!

So many wonderful things happened! I don't even know where to start!!!

Stockings! Treats! Chew sticks! New toys!

(What do you mean when you say the chew sticks were to keep us out of the way? But we're never in the way! We're very helpful!)

Cobi needs help opening her presents.

But not ME! I do it all on my own! (I even tried to help the people open their presents!!)

And another one! I wonder what's in this one?!? (TREATS!!)

And now there is TURKEY in the oven!

But the best part of all is that I got all day with my people!

And the second best part is that we also got to play in the snow!!

I hope all Dogs had a warm place with people who love them. And treats. And turkey!

Merry Christmas, friends!

Goodbye Jack The Cat

A few days ago our people said goodbye to our Cat Named Jack.

Jack was kind-of Old. He was fourteen or maybe just turning fifteen. He was older than me! And I must admit that I am getting Old too. This is our third Cat I have helped to say good-bye to.

Jack the Cat was already in our house when our people brought me home as a little puppy. Even recently, Jack and I played together like this: He would sit on a chair and I would stick my nose into his belly. Then he would whap my head with his paws. But he never used his claws! I would dance away, and then I would come back and we would do it again.

Jack the Cat was very chatty and very friendly. He loved all people, and he loved all Dogs except for Ojo. He was also very naughty and liked to eat things that should not be eaten.

Jack had a Bad Thing in his throat. Up to Wednesday morning of last week he was zooming around the house chasing kitty treats. But the Bad Thing took over. He could not meow. He could not swallow. And by Friday afternoon he could not drink and he was hiding under the lamp behind the couch and did not want to come out.

The people took Jack somewhere very safe and he became an angel.

Here is a picture of Jack the Kitten when both he and our littlest person were very little indeed.

Good bye, Jack the Cat. Our people miss you very much.

Winter sunshine

I sit

Upon the rock

With moss and grass and happy dirt

My fur

Warmed by winter sunshine.

I listen

To winter birds

In branches bare in crooked trees

My fur

Warmed by winter sunshine.

Ojo sits

Watches, listens

Her fur warmed also by winter sunshine.

I sit.

Beautiful pose

Waiting for cheese

My fur 

Warmed by winter sunshine.

Lights

These things appeared in our house. They are full of lights. And smells from long, long ago.

These are more signs that Santa will be coming. I am working extra hard to be Good.

Wait, does this mean I can no longer sneak on the people's Bed for a winter nap?

Ojo is also trying very hard to be Good. She is either very, very Good, or very, very Bad. For Ojo there is no in between.

Me, I'm just kind of Good most of the time.

Are lights appearing in your house too?

Our stockings! (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

Something very exciting happened! Our stockings came out!

This means that Santa is coming! He is coming in exactly one month! He will fill our stockings with treats and toys! And look how much bigger my stocking is than Cobi's! I will get MORE treats and MORE toys!

But this is also very worrisome. I have not been entirely Good recently.

You see, I chased the Neighbor Cat. I keep sneaking onto the people's bed for a warm winter nap. I barked at the tree the other night, for ever and ever. And I rolled in something stinky.

Does this mean Santa will not come for me? I am worried about this.

Cobi is very wise. (She is much, much older than me, you know. Even though I'm the one with the white face now. Cobi is still the Old Dog around here!) And she has had her stocking for many, many years. And she tells me that Santa always fills it.

I hope this is true. Sometimes I am very Good! But sometimes I am also very Bad. I hope Santa remembers how Good I am too!

Do I not look Very Good today?

Our forest

Leaves under paws
Smell of rotting wood
Wet soil
And wood smoke

Sniff closer -
A squirrel ran here
A deer, last night
Two Dogs, and their people

Speckles of sunshine on our fur
Wind in trees
Crow song
And a frog
Why do we hear a frog?

Belly down
Cool and soothing
Moist ground under fur

Our person holds up cheese
Says, look over here, please

We lie still
We eat cheese
We stand again
Walk continues

In our forest.

Happy fall days! (We are not lost!) (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

We are not lost! Our person, who helps us make the keyboard go, has been very busy. And in a different country. Two different countries. And has damaged her foot.

But we are good! And we are here! And our Fall has been great so far!

Tomorrow the rains start. But up to today we have had fog and sunshine! And more fog, and more sunshine! It has been glorious!

(Cobi, your butt is in my running-in-fall-sunshine picture!)

Here is my Fall Portrait!

I am going very silver. My person calls me Silver Toes these days. That is okay. She can call me anything as long as she's not calling me late for dinner!

Here is Cobi's Fall Portrait!

So as you can see we are very well!

We hope you all are well too! And that Fall has been good to all of you! Big wags to you all!