Category Archives: Iko

May 5, 2012 · 9:35 am

Sometimes Puppies Suck

Ok, maybe that won’t be the most popular post title for search. Or then again, maybe it will.

Bottom line, sometimes puppies DO suck. Like when you get up with them at 6AM, let them out, feed them and that is STILL not enough. They whine like a little baby when you go back to bed because it is – ahem… friggin SATURDAY! – and then when you ignore them they figure out how to ‘f’ you real bad.

That’s right, for those who know me, the prescription sunglasses that I have owned for at least 8 years are no longer. And yes, that IS a Gucci logo on there. Again, if you know me I do not do the designer thing, but I always loved these glasses and made an exception.

I could have been the first woman in the history of the eyeglass store in Great Neck, NY who ever asked to have the logo popped off the frames. The guy looked at me like I was from another planet.

I guess in Great Neck, I am.

 

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April 30, 2012 · 9:50 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – Two Alarm Dinner

I am a good cook. No really this is not a joke. I am really a good cook. And I enjoy it. But my kitchen is, well I guess you would say, a little challenged.

I have the fabulous Chambers Stove that you see in the picture above. I adore it from a design point of view. It is actually the reason I bought my house. I loved the charm of it. But the one problem is that if you use the broiler it heats up the griddle on the top surface and seeing that there is no fan above it the kitchen gets hot enough to set off the smoke alarm.

Ok, to set off 2 smoke alarms. One in the kitchen, one in the entry hall.

No biggie, right?

Unless you have a dog that has a strange neurological response to the sound of the alarm.

Which I don’t anymore. Iko is cool with it. But Mel? OMG, she would shake like her body was plugged into a socket. We used to have to take her outside and walk her around to calm her down.

So today when I used the broiler and set the chain of alarms off, my first reaction was to run and hug the dog. Who looked at me like, ‘Hey, what the hell is up with you and shouldn’t you get the broom and hit that thing to shut that incessant noise off?”

That Melly ghost just hung in the room for a second and made me realize how I will never stop missing that old girl.

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April 23, 2012 · 5:36 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – Pink Snow

Every morning — before the insanity of the day — I walk. I started this about 8 years ago when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure (way too young) and realized if I did not get my arse moving I was going to find myself in trouble. What started as a practice for my physical health wound up being the key to my mental well being as well.

I walk in all weather. I have snow, rain and sweltering heat gear and there are few excuses for no walk. Being a dog person, my canines have been my personal trainers, never taking no for an answer. Mel, rest her crazy little soul, walked up until her very last day. Now Miss Iko the semi-psycho puppy would never except any reason to miss the walk.

Each time of year has its wonders. I love to walk in fog (I know… weirdo) and there is something incredibly challenging about walking in extreme temps, both hot and cold.

But there is absolutely nothing more magical than the pink snow of Spring. I can not stop taking pictures of this because it will never cease to dazzle me. The top pic is my favorite but here are a few more that I have taken over the last few days.

Enjoy. And don’t forget to stop and notice these things. They were created for you to enjoy, remember to be grateful.

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March 29, 2012 · 8:49 pm

Kissed by the Vet

I know, not the most flattering angle, but this was a picture that had to be taken. Iko had a vet visit today… conjunctivitis this time. Seriously, what did she share a towel with her bunk or something? Jeez.

Anyway, the famous Dr. Anne of saving Mel’s life when she diagnosed her with diabetes fame, could not resist the extreme cuteness of this animal. So, she warned me that she was wearing lipstick and then planted one right on her forehead. This looked somewhat more ridiculous than when she got into the food coloring and was sort of tie dyed for the week.

How can you not love a vet that kisses your dog?

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February 27, 2012 · 9:49 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – My Spot (one year later)

Last year on February 22nd, I wrote this post. If you are not inclined to go back and read it, the short version is that there is a spot in my house that is my perfect place. I am sure many of you have one just like it. The place you go to read, to rest, for comfort, to chill. YOUR spot. Sometimes it comes with a cup of tea and others it needs a glass of wine. And when things get really hectic, a vodka on the rocks goes perfectly.

Needless to say I have clocked many an hour there. What always made that spot one step more special was having my dog at my feet. For those who don’t know, I lost my dog Mel at 12.5 this past October. I was completely devastated and lost without her. Thinking I would never be able to do it all over again with a puppy at this stage of my life I soon proved myself wrong.

We were lucky enough for the stars to be aligned and not long after we lost her, Iko came into our lives.

And wouldn’t you know it, that puppy just KNEW where  she needed to hang.

She is freakishly Mel-like in this shot, but oh so welcome. I am sure the essence of Mel lured her there. This is not the only spot of Mel’s that she has taken as her own.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of my old girl. Somehow this makes it both much harder and infinitely easier.

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January 23, 2012 · 10:44 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – Dog Walkin’

Balance has been restored. After months of walking sans canine, I am happy to report that the puppy had her last shots on Saturday, making her walk-worthy. I am not sure I can express this feeling of getting on with my life. For so many months my daily living was turned upside down. Floods, office renovations and the loss of my first dog took their toll on me in ways I did not fully realize until today –when the last piece of my routine was restored.

It was pretty emotional to walk with this new pup. It was hard to think about how many times I walked that route with Mel. How much a part of my life, and the neighborhood, she was. Today, as I walked down the street a man got out of his car to greet Iko. A friend emailed to say she had seen me walking a puppy. One of Gary’s tennis friends told him he saw us walking and how happy he was for us to have a dog again.

Funny, you go through your day and never realize the impact you have on others. There was a Mel-sized hole, not just in our home, but in the neighborhood. Those are some pretty big paws for Iko to fill, but I think she will do her best to rise to the occasion.

Yes, I know this photo should be titled ‘Giant woman walks minuscule dog’. There is something about the angle of this shot that looks something like a B horror movie, but I sort of like it. Especially because Iko is anything but minuscule. Weighing in at 31 lbs at 4 months we are anticipating that the trainer was our best investment. Nothing worse than an 80lb dog dive bombing you from across the room or dragging you down the block.

As the mail carrier said to me when she met Iko the other day, “What a wonderful testament to how great a dog Mel was that you were able to get another so soon.”

To my old girl Mel, there will never be another you and we will miss you forever. But I am pretty sure that you would rather look down on me walking with a puppy than being alone. You were just that kind of dog.

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December 28, 2011 · 11:23 am

New Puppy Joy

Nothing like a daughter on twitter who has funny friends, that’s what I always say.

Yeh, the time has come for sweet little Iko to be put in her adorable puppy place. It’s one thing when she bites the ass of a family member, but the poor housekeeper… I don’t think so!

The shedevil is tons of fun and we are loving (almost) every minute of her, but the ass biting… not so much. As I said to her the other day, “No one bites MY ass without permission, kiddo.” TMI?

So, she learned to sit at 9 weeks, is closing in on giving paw and has been housebroken since we brought her home except for the occasional excited peeing for Jana’s boyfriend. But the nipping needs to be nipped, so let the games begin.

Seriously, though, how could you be mad at this face?

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December 20, 2011 · 12:30 am

Time to Cry Tuesday – Be Here Now

I might have written about this before, but you can never hear it too much. This time of year it is especially hard to stay in the moment. We are rushing from celebration to celebration, work is piling up, everyone is trying to pass things off to the next desk (tag you’re it) and we become generally hassled trying to ‘enjoy the season’.

Ridiculous.

In my real life I wear many hats. (actually, I rarely wear hats, I have a freakishly small head) One of my jobs is blog editor for a brand blog. It is one of the projects I am most proud of. I have 5 fabulous women writing for us each week on varied topics. Yesterday’s blog was written by Kim Ross, who also blogs at A Little Bit of the This and That. Kim is an amazing mom who has been able to strike a balance in her life and I feel honored to work with her. Today she wrote this post about enjoying the holidays. Go ahead and read it, I will wait.

Sweet right?

I had just finished reading her post when I came upstairs and found Jana with Iko on her lap. She said, “don’t you wish she could stay this little longer?” As she said that I could not help but remember feeling the same way about her when she was a baby. Seems like yesterday and 100 years ago at the same time.

I told her this,”Remember this feeling. Look at that puppy and never forget this moment of savoring her puppyhood. Look back on what this feels like with the puppy when you have a baby. Don’t rush its life away longing for all the things you can’t wait for it to do; smile, sit up, hold its bottle, crawl, walk. It all happens so fast and then all of the sudden you have a toddler and your baby is gone.”

The whole idea is to enjoy it all.

From my house to all of yours, I wish you a very happy holiday and the ability to sit back and savor the moments. Every one of them.

 

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December 18, 2011 · 6:43 pm

Dog High Chairs

I have written – with disgust–about kids on leashes and dogs in strollers. The former spawned a call from Dr. Phil to try to get me to come on the show and duke it out with the leash supporting moms of America.

I am always astonished at the lack of separation out there between parenting kids and owning pets. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my pets. Losing Mel was one of the hardest things in my life, and now having Iko and nurturing a young puppy is a whole new set of emotions. But I never once confused them for my kids. Or felt I was parenting them. Not to say putting my toddlers in a crate to discipline them wouldn’t have come in handy, but a dog is a dog. A kid is a kid. And the idea of taking the methods used in raising one and projecting it on the other is concerning.

Enter the clip-on dog high chair. I believe when my kids were little we used to call these Sassy Seats (stupid name!). Now, in my home, we spend an enormous amount of time getting our dogs NOT to eat at the table. No begging. No jumping. Certainly no taking the food off the table or the counters. That would be specifically because…

THEY ARE DOGS!

But it seems that the makers or buyers of this ridiculous item don’t agree with the theory that dogs belong on the floor when they eat. Again, because…

THEY ARE DOGS!

Note there are more than one of these on the market indicating there is demand or people are trying to create one. Crazy stuff. And if you ask me all these dogs look a little out of their minds and certainly over-indulged.

The last one is really scary. Is she eating flan with a straw and a paw candle with a side of bisc(uit)otti?

My favorite search result is the April Fools video from Ikea. I just love this guy:

So, show of hands. Are you comfortable with your dog at the table. (warning: those who say yes, we will not be eating together any time soon)

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November 28, 2011 · 10:19 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – The Joy of Puppies

Yeh, pretty corny post title. And yes, I have become that weird girl that posts pictures of puppies on her Facebook page. And I am damn proud of it.

For those who are not regular readers, I lost my best friend on earth almost 8 weeks ago. Mel, my Lab of almost 13 years, died suddenly and took me down. I literally cried for 3 weeks.

And then I stopped.

I realized, I am a dog person. As simple as that. I am not the type of person who can walk into their house and not have a four-legged heartbeat burst with joy at the site of me. Let’s face it, I am a canine-induced egomaniac. And I am not embarrassed to say that life without that unconditional love was simply too hard for me. This does not mean I am over the loss of Mel. Or that I could ever replace her. It is more a testament to what an amazing dog she was that I needed to have another right away.

So I would like to introduce you all to the next chapter in my dog-loving life:

Iko Iko Levinson.

For those who are music fans or hail from New Orleans, you will say things like, ‘Hey now’ or ‘cool’ or ‘which version, Dr. John or the Grateful Dead?‘ Or if you are a real music fan, ‘The Dixie Cups‘

If you are not a music fan, click this link to read about the song and it’s lore, and click the artists above to hear all the versions.

She has been home with us only a couple of days but we have already learned this one undeniable truth:

It is simply impossible to be sad in the presence of a puppy.

Period.

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