Ouch! That smarts! 01.21.2011

Enjoying life in the snow with my dewclaws.

Ouch!

It smarts!

Just don't touch it!

A creative display of my dewclaw.

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

Pompeo Batoni, Thetis Confiding the Education of Achilles to the Centaur Chiron, circa 1760

Achillis at Lycomedis' Court, Panel of an Attic sarcophagus, circa 240 A.D.

Back to me...

I could actually walk faster, or run, if I were unleashed.

Will anyone notice I am missing a dewclaw?

I wonder what the Dewclaw Fairy will bring me?

The other morning I was excitedly running around the yard enjoying the snow and cold air as my human, K, sat in the car warming it up. Yes, you understood correctly: K was in the car, I was not. K - in car; me - not in car. I am working on fixing that. Anyway, during my exhilarated state I slipped on something and just like that my dewclaw was gone! Ouch! I did not make a sound, though, so K was unaware I was injured until she saw some blood where I had been sitting. Then she saw more blood at my next sitting spot. It was actually very little blood, but the bright red on such wonderfully white fluffy snow made it appear more ominous than it was. Later K found my dewclaw and I tried to get it back on but that did not work. K also tried to wrap my wound but that did not work either. The pain has not been bad. I was able to take a short walk up the road the day after my injury, but yesterday and today I took my full walk and did just fine, although I limp a bit, every once in a while. I heard once that after a human loses a tooth a Tooth Fairy comes by and rewards the human in exchange for the tooth. I wonder if there is a Dewclaw Fairy? If a Fairy will give money for a human tooth, I am sure there must be a Fairy that will give meaty bones or bunnies for a dewclaw. I'm just sayin'...

SNOW!!! 1.11.11

Bliss!

I have patiently waited and waited and waited. I have crossed my paws and wished upon the many stars I see at night. Then it finally happened. Yesterday I awoke to SNOW! Let the fun begin!

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

Andrea Mantegna, Parnassus, circa 1497

Anton Raphael Mengs, Perseus and Andromeda, circa 1777

Back to me...

Today in the sunshine. Sun and Snow! It tastes good!

Pure joy!

Can life get any better than this? Why yes, actually, it can! Now that my prayers for snow have been answered I can move on to the next item on my list for a perfect life: my very own bunny farm! Disclaimer: No bunnies were harmed in the writing of this post, or in the grumblings in my tummy when I think of yummy bunnies. I'm just sayin'...

Happy New Year ! 1.1.11

*snooze

Wha...? I'm awake. What's up?

That? I don't know where that came from. It's not mine.

*pppbbbbbttt. Yeah, right. There is no way I drank that!

Can I please go now?

Jacques-Louis David, The Oath of the Horatii, circa 1784

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Apollo and Daphne, marble, circa 1622-1625

I want to wish all - humans and animals - a very glorious and wonderful New Year of 2011! May love, happiness, health, peace, joy, harmony, and beauty find their way into every aspect of life on Earth.

The start of a New Year is a good time to initiate new ideas, so you will be seeing changes to my blog. Time to mix it up a bit! One of my changes will be to incorporate depictions of man-made beauty into my blog. My human, K, and I want 2011 to be known as the year that beauty, goodness, kindness, and harmony made a comeback. K and I will do our part to encourage beauty to flourish on Earth by using beautiful words, thinking beautiful thoughts, doing beautiful deeds, and creating and sharing beautiful images. It is truly breathtaking to see what Man is capable of when inspired to be the absolute best, when striving to reach perfection, and when taping into the infinite source of creativity that imagination brings. Of course, it is a given that beauty reached its pinnacle when I was born. I am the archetype of beauty that all inspire to reach! I am just waiting for a wealthy art patron to commission a marble statue of me. I'm just sayin'...

Merry Christmas!

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Adoration of the Shepherds, circa 1482-1485

Michelangelo, Madonna and Child, marble, circa 1501-1505

Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (Parmigianino), Madonna and Child with Saints, circa 1527-1529

Antonio Allegri da Correggio, Holy Family, circa 1518-1519

Edward Burne-Jones, The Adoration of the Magi, tapestry, circa 1894

Me and a reindeer friend who is an eighth cousin twice removed of one of Santa's reindeer (but I can’t remember which one), circa 2009

Porgy and Santa Claus, circa 2009

I hope all of my animal and human friends are blessed with their wishes fulfilled on Christmas. And may Love and Peace reign in our World between all humans and animals.

Did my animal friends have a lot to say last night? My human, K, was out at Midnight to hear the animals speak, the one time of the year that animals are given a human voice - at Midnight on Christmas Eve. However, it was surprisingly quiet, so she did not hear anything. I thought for sure the bulls across the street would express their gripes about Silvius and I walking by them every day, so perhaps they don't mind us and enjoy our daily company after all! I had a few things I wanted to say, but right at Midnight I was given my Christmas steak, and having manners I could not talk with my mouth full. There is always next year. Until then, she will just have to learn to translate my woofs. And yes, most of my woofs can be translated as, "treats, please!" I'm just sayin'...

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I know it is a tough and difficult time for many animals and humans now all over the World, and it makes me very sad. My Thanksgiving wish is that goodness, love, happiness, kindness, and peace will reign throughout the World and make it a better place for all. Let every human and animal have joy in their hearts and smiles on their faces, and delicious food to fill their tummies!

I am a very fortunate pup in that I have many things in my life to be thankful for, such as: I am thankful that I have a nice place to live, although I can't wait to move to where I have a fenced yard instead of this mean ol' chain; I am thankful that I have food and treats to eat every day (O.K., maybe I don't get treats every day but I would certainly give thanks every day if I did!); I am thankful for the long walks I take every evening with Silvius and my human, K; I am thankful that my parrot, Porgy, watches out for me (and don't worry, Porgy, we won't eat you!); I am thankful that I have made many tremendous friends - animal and human - through blogging; and I am very thankful for my amazing Pack - K, Silvius, and Porgy, whom I love very much!

What am I not thankful for? The fact that K is a vegetarian. I never get any leftover meat or poultry because of her bizarre eating requirements. How can a dog owner not eat meat?! That doesn't make sense! So, any leftover turkey, duck, ham, meat, bones, etc. that you have should be sent to me pronto! Help feed meat to a vittles-neglected dog of a vegetarian owner. I'm just sayin'...

The Look of Love

You woke me up...why?

That is not the look of love on my face. That is the look of bother after being woken up from an awesome nap. And for a picture, no less!

Now that is the look of love! Happy awake dogs make great photos! And happy dogs with a tummy full of meaty bones, romping around a snowy mountain, make even better photos. So, when do we leave? I'm just sayin'...

Veterans Day

But fame is theirs - and future days On pillar'd brass shall tell their praise; Shall tell - when cold neglect is dead - "These for their country fought and bled." ~Philip Freneau (1752-1832)

To all the Veterans - past and present, human and animal - thank you for your sacrifice and courage. I honor you, and I salute you.

Please don't forget the Disabled American Veterans. Also, please check out the various organization that help military pets, such as Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pets, Foster Military Pets, and Military Working Dog Foundation.

Lord, bid war's trumpet cease; Fold the whole earth in peace. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes (1841-1935)

I couldn't have woofed it better myself, Mr. O.W. Holmes! "...the whole earth in peace" is what all on Earth should be striving to achieve. Live a life of kindness and goodness. Be gentle, considerate, and caring. Love. And smile, because it's contagious. And you don't need a vaccine! I'm just sayin'...