Got Mud?

We sure do! What an exciting sign of the times! Spring must be right around the corner right? It was 48 degrees here today and the pups and I enjoyed as we took our "walk" on the bike trail for the lunch hour. I say "walk" but as most people with Bassets know if they are on a lead it is more like a "snuffle" (sniffing + shuffling walk= snuffle!). As you can see from the photo we arrived at the 1/2 mile marker in 30 minutes. Hey the pups were occupied, you know they had to check out every pmail post, clump of grass, low branch or other smelly things.

This isn't a great picture but this is a tree growing beside the bike trail that had huge blocks of ice still around it. The river and ice flow had gotten up that high.


So when I arrived home I did the unthinkable. (pssst...please don't tell them!) I. snuck. out. without. the. pups. Yep to go for a w-a-l-k. By myself. I know, I know I feel guilty enough....

However here are some of my excuses, ahem, I mean reasons...you might remember that I had some goals in mind for this year. One of them being weight loss. Well, I can't loose weight if my heart rate doesn't go above a snuffle! And let me tell you. My legs and feet are sending me messages of just how out of shape I am, that a glance at my rearview in the mirror couldn't!!! I did walk 2+ miles, got a shower, and started some laundary all in under an hour.

Now that the weather has given the appearance of letting up I have no excuses. I have to get moving.

When the light lasts longer and the snow has melted away, I have a couple of places to take the pups too that they can have a good run and I can walk as fast as I want because they will catch up to me and still sniff to their hearts content.

I think the pups may have caught on. I saw them eyeballing the mud on my shoes... and now Honey Dew is pouting...

Oh well all will be forgiven when they get their treat and their snuggle!

Happy Dogs on Thursday!

A change in the weather...

Today the sun is SHINING! The temperature got up to 40 degrees. It was wonderful! On my lunch break while at work, I decided no way was I staying indoors on a day like today. So I took a chair from the break room and parked it out on the little cement slab that is just out the back door toward Frenchcreek. I took my travel knitting with me and spent 45 minutes enjoying the sunshine on my head, birds singing, the sound of the creek flowing and knitted. It was very peaceful and relaxing. I even took my coat OFF!

I didn't take the pups with me today as it was originally supposed to rain and they would have more fun at home with my oldest son who had the day off work. But I did think of them. I called home and had Kerry leave them out on the front porch (which is gated) so they could watch the birds and enjoy some sun and fresh air since it was warmer.

Hopefully tomorrow it will be nice and I will take them to the bike trail for a walk at lunch time. More of the snow should be melted if it keeps this up.

Anyway the sunshine did me good because usually I am dragging after work and really don't even feel like cooking (I do, just don't feel like it!). However this evening I did and this is what I made...

Banana Bread, Stew and Biscuit's

...nope not diet food, just good home cookin'!

Sweet Indulgence...

Dreaming of warm balmy breezes this morning...

...which led to a trip to the bike trail for a walk with the pups, a stop at the closing sale of one of my favorite places Kindred Spirits (you will be greatly missed) and then to the grocery store to get essentials, and this my friend was an essential indulgence...

P.S. Attn: Mother Nature, there is 26 days till spring!

Valentine's Day Weekend & Dogs On Thursday Post

My hubby and I had a great Valentine's Day Weekend.

I got up Saturday morning and cleaned for awhile. (No seriously this was a good thing! Everyone gave me s p a c e to get this done!)

Hubby took me to a Chinese Restaurant for dinner so I wouldn't have to cook on Valentine's Day.

Then on Sunday, we got up early, I fixed him breakfast and we headed out for the day. We went to an archery shoot, where I met up with our friend Alberta and he met up with the rest of his crew from Rainbow Archers. And we went off to a flea market. For about 3 and a half hours. Then back to the shoot.

My hubby said did you find anything? And I said, "Yes I found a couple outfits for the kids." The hilarious thing is he knew I was talking about these kids:

Sampson says "Awww do I have to? All the other dogs will laugh at me!"

"I am dark enough maybe with this camo, I can blend into the background and none of my friends will notice..."

"I'm pretty, I like mine it matches my nose!"

Dew showing her "tude"!

Aren't they cute?!! I just love the legs on Sampsons!

After that we went to dinner with the gang. Came home and took the pups to the bike trail for a long walk. Went and visited my -n-laws. Made our typical date night run to Wally World. And then came home.

Whew, squeezing that all into one day was fun, but I am glad that we don't run like that all the time!

Dogs On Thursday Post

For my post today I wanted to pass on this announcement and fun event. I am thinking of going and was wondering if any others in the area would like to go along.

TOP O’THE MORNIN’
We will be marching in the Pittsburgh St Patrick’s day parade on March 14, 2009.The parade steps out sharply at 10:00 am and we will need to be in line at the arena no later than 9:30 am that morning. More details to follow as they become available.We would love to have as many people as possible with their hounds marching behind our Droopy Basset Hound Rescue banner. Join us for “the wearin’ of the green” for this event. Put your dog in costume or not but join us for a morning of fun that is sure to draw attention to our cause of helping find homes for homeless Bassets.
If you can join us please email me at snoozinhounds@earthlink.net to let me know the names of the people who will be marching and the names of the hounds joining in the fun.
See you in March!!!

Sounds like a great time doesn't it!

Ouch!

Ouch! I got to visit lots of ovur pups tunite. I had a gwate time till that big guy got intu the act...at weast this time he left my bum alone cause ech time he came neaw it I moved and faced him! hah!

But then my mum twicked me big time. She got my tweat and when I went to take it, he pinched me thwee times on my neck! But I didn't cry.

Mum says I was a good big boy and now I gots all my big boy shots. I didn't weally want them. He could have kept them.

Anyways, the big guy says I am vewwy healthy and now I way 58 whole pounds!

Oh got to go. (Mum wescwicts my internet time!)

wuv,

sampson.

A fun moment

Me and my pals!

Very Disappointing...

How about we had the day all planned. We were going to go to the park to see the ice sculptures in the nice warm weather (48 degrees-do you believe it? :-).

We arrive at the park, the bassets are happily greeting everyone they meet, and all the children are taking a turn petting them. Everyone is having a good time.

On my way into the center of the park, enjoying the ice sculptures, a well meaning couple come up to me and whispered...

"Do you know that you can't have dogs in the park?"

Me: what, why is that?

Them: "We're not sure, but a friend of ours got in trouble for having theirs here and they have signs posted at the corners."

Me: Hmmmm, I have been bringing Dew down here for the last five years for the fire and ice event as well as Garden Mart in the summer, and the Farmers Market on Saturdays. I have never had any problems.

Them: "Well we just wanted you to know because if one certain Franklin Cop sees you, you will be in trouble. We like dogs ourselves and would rather see them here then some people that come but just to let you know."

Well I thanked them and looked for the quickest way out of the park. You can only go on the paths because of all the snow, the bassets wouldn't have made it very far very fast. So on the path of least congestion (LOL) we start on our way out. Only to run into three very nasty persons who let me and everyone else around know in no uncertain terms that "NO DOGS WERE ALLOWED IN THE PARK, and what's the matter can't I read."

Well actually one would have to SEE the sign before READING it. And I admit I wasn't looking for a sign, we were busy greeting people and gawking at the ice sculptures.

So I took my friends back to the car and apologized, poor Honey Dew was pouting, and when she pouts it is like dragging a tank to get her back to the car and she wasn't going to get in either. She weighs almost 60 pounds. Of dead weight when she wants or doesn't want something. This particular something was getting into the car! Luckily I had treats in my pocket with which I bribed them. I did get them into the car, then went back to the park to take a couple of quick shots. And sure enough this is what I saw...

and then this...

Mind you that this is the same park that hosts a "petting zoo" and "pet costume contest" in each summer. I guess you can have the pups on the sidewalks surrounding the park just not inside the park. And I was not the only one...

Here are a few shots of the ice sculptures...

The people of Franklin love dogs. We are always out and about with them. They bring them to "Light Up Night" Memorial Day, July 4th parades, the Fireworks Display in River Front Park and the Thursday Night Band. The dogs are even in some of the parades. We take them through McDonalds and to the local "Dairy Queen" or Tasty Freeze for a doggy cone! The banks even give out doggy biscuits through the teller windows! I am sure the city has their reasons for this rule (although I haven't ever encountered bad tempered dogs, or heard of people getting bit in town, or seen anyone who did not clean up after their dog should they have an accident).

But to tell you the truth, I didn't stay long. For me it just kind of took the enjoyment of the event right out of it.

Anyone care to comment?

Collections-Dogs on Thursday's Post

As most of you may be able to tell from previous posts :P, I may just a little bit Basset Hound crazy...

A few of my relatives and friends have picked up on this and now I have a little bit of a collection going. Would you like to see? Ok, you twisted my arm....just remember you asked for it!

Luckily this type of Bassets just require a little bit of dusting from time to time.

Honey Dew says "Our mum wuvs us!"

Really too many choices...

What a great evening! I came home to find that my DH made spaghetti for us for dinner! Which freed up time so that I could do my yoga stretches that have been helping my lower back and legs. Now I am doing this....

Catching up on some of my favorite blogs when I should be working on this...

Aren't the colors pretty? Just love this sock yarn by Trekking of Germany, so squishy! Out of all the socks I have made, (I've only kept one pair that was my first pair completed and that was three years ago!)I have given them away so this pair is mine, all mine! Or I could be doing some more on this. I have seven other knitting waiting in the wings for their turn...and they keep calling my name. I like to take the socks with me to work on when I go somewhere, the others I do here. I am at the point now that this one is on the way to finishing and I can start the mate on the go.

In any case it is nice to be able to choose and have a little down time to enjoy it!

For all our blogging buddies...

This is from our friends Charlie and Me! Stop by and visit them it you get a chance! I promise it will be an uplifting experience. And as they have done, I am passing it on to all my blogging buddies to please copy and pass on to keep the friendship link going!

Have a great day!

Sunday Sunset

The pups and I took a walk today, it was in the 40's! Can you believe it! We can't get used to it though as we are supposed to have more frigid weather this week. So we took advantage of it while we could.

this is the sunset we were blessed with...

Now the "boys" are anxiously awaiting the game to start...

as you can see they are wearing their "colors" to cheer on their team! (This next part is published under duress!)

As for me and Honey Dew....we are just watching for the commercials...we will be sure to let you know our favorites!