Tag Archives: dogs

July 13, 2010 · 11:12 pm

The Morning Walk and the Garbage Sentry

Every morning I start my day with a walk. I take the dog, or she takes me, and we both make sure that the other gets a little exercise before getting down to the business of the day. I play little games with myself to stay entertained. Some days I set out to connect with at least 3 people on my walk since I work alone and feel the need for eye to eye contact. Ok, so that is a little weird.

But not as weird as today’s garbage find. This was not the first stuffed animal that got tossed today but it was surely the most majestic. This time of year in the suburbs it is not odd to find all sorts of things you would find in a cluttered kids room out in the trash. This phenomenon is what is known as the room purge. It is done when the kids leave for camp. While they are not present we dump all the crap they will never miss.

As I stopped to take this picture with my phone, the dog did a little business of her own. A car passed by while she was in mid-squat and then stopped at the corner and stayed there. I did not think much about it as I sent the picture to both twitter and facebook on my phone. Yeh, I know, no need to comment on the tech addiction.

As I neared the corner the woman rolled down the passenger window and shouted out at me, “Don’t you think you need to go and pick up after your dog?” Mind you, I have the little plastic bone with the doody bags on the leash, I ALWAYS pick up after my dog.

Me: “Um, lady, she only peed”

Lady: “Oh, never mind.” And she drove away.

How’s that for some human connection. Jeez!

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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March 9, 2010 · 9:09 pm

White Dogs with Orange Socks

I don’t know, I just couldn’t come up with anything clever as a title for this. Sometimes the obvious is so outrageous it just fits.

Seems like the theme this week is pets. So if you are not an animal lover check back on maybe Saturday.

I saw these little lambikin like doggies on the Esplanade in Battery Park City yesterday. If you have never been there, you should visit, it is a very cool place and it almost seems like it is a different city than NY. Full disclosure, Battery Park City Authority is a long-standing client but I genuinely love this place and have watched it grow over the past 25 years from a whole bunch of open lots into a thriving urban jewel.

Back to the white dogs in orange socks (this sounds rather Suessian, no?). I was with a friend/client and we stopped to talk to the owner of these little… scamps. I am pretty sure she suffered from a little OCD of sorts because when I asked to take their picture she was all upset about their ‘faces being dirty’. Apparently these tiny orange socks are not meant to protect their delicate itsy bitsy feeties, they are to keep them from getting soiled.

Oh my!

Do you think she was offended when I bent down to pet them and told her my dog takes bigger dumps than this? Yeh, probably was classic anti-social behavior, but it did get a laugh out of my friend.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone

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March 8, 2010 · 11:56 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – The Love of a Good Fish

I know I write about my dog a lot, but what you may not know is that along with dog sitting, we are also fish sitting. I know, seems a little ridiculous, but my in laws spend the season in Florida and they have this beta fish that they really love. So much so, that my father-in-law even considered taking it on the plane.

Correct me if I am wrong, Poppy, but I think the 4 oz liquid restriction was the only thing that stopped you. Imagine this scene, grandfather is taken to the back and questioned for trying to carry his pet fish over state lines.

We were the obvious candidates to watch the fish. My sister-in-law has cats so she was out. And my brother-in-law travels too much.

Now here is the thing. They are not just fond of this fish, they are really attached to it. When it first came here I was convinced I would kill it within a week (I have a bad fish history). And all I could think of was that my entire future with my husband’s family lay at risk over this one beta.

Fortunately, this fish is madly in love with me. No, I am not kidding. When I walk into the room it goes nuts. First time I thought I was imagining it. But after awhile it became apparent that I was having a very strong effect on this little swimmer. And I am not going to lie, I take some comfort in knowing that fish is into me.

Goes to show, there is nothing like the love of a good fish. (but please don’t tell the dog)

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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March 7, 2010 · 5:39 pm

Bad Carma and the Three Dog Night

No, not a typo!

“When the mechanical-technological things in our life break down , it is not a personal attack on us. It is just the nature of the mechanical-material world.”

This hangs over my desk. I don’t know who said it but it sounds kind of Eckhart Tolle-ish to me. Nonetheless, it helps me cope.

Carma, you ask? Yeh, well first Gary’s car decided to overheat on the way home Friday night. He got towed. For those who remember the last AAA debacle you will be happy to hear he called them without hesitation this time.

And then the tow truck broke down in front of our house (poor guy got dragged into our bad carma – I know, too corny to say twice, sorry).

Gary had a hose replaced on Saturday. Well not Gary, the car, you will be happy to know his hose is fine. (you see, things could be much worse).

And then the car overheated again. (fixed, um, think not).

Then the oil pressure somethingorother light in Danny’s car went on.

Ok, that would be two cars down, going to the shop first thing Monday morning.

Now on to the dogs. When things suck you can always count on your dog to make them not suck. How? By simply being the dog. Fortunately, tonight we find ourselves triply lucky in the canine department. Not only do we have Mel to keep us from feeling sucky, we also have Ginger and Barkley, our two fave dog sitting companions. Look at those 3 old dogs and tell me your life would not be sheer bliss if you could hang with them.

Oh and one of the dogs came with another teenage boy so we have plenty of food in the house if you want to come over and visit our crazy home.

Hey, I wonder if I can find a dog sled for Gary to get to work tomorrow. Damn, too bad that snow melted. (Dr. Jimmy, that snow comment was for you, babe)

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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February 2, 2010 · 11:31 pm

Vote for Mel

I am always checking out the latest cause-related campaigns because they tie together my passion for marketing, promotion, social media, design and a worthy cause. One of the best things about the social web is the way those involved have embraced social good and incorporated it into some really fantastic promotions. One only needs to take a peek at what Pepsi has up its sleeve instead of the gazillion dollar Super Bowl ads this year.

Today I received an email from Zazzle promoting a photo contest with a fundraising component supporting Spay Day 2010.

Who better to enter this contest than our dear sweet Mel – the ultimate good sport. I entered the photo below because although there have been many featured on this blog in the past, this is my all time fave. She is a great model.

Below is a preview of a page where you can vote for my girl and make a donation to a local organization, The Animal Lovers League in Glen Cove. Here is a link to the page as well. If you feel so inclined, make a donation to a worthy cause. She has 30 votes already!

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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January 26, 2010 · 7:06 pm

A little dog food never hurt anyone

I am convinced that my dog and I are genetically linked. I think I wrote about this once before but I can’t find the post and quite honestly it has been a long day.

Mel and I both suffer from hypothyroidism. Not all that uncommon in women ‘of a certain age‘, this basically means that we have underactive thyroids that do not produce a certain hormone and can cause us to feel sluggish. There are other more miserable things that it can cause but luckily neither one of us gone that far.

As a result of this disorder, I find myself in the odd circumstance to be taking the same medication as my pup. There on the windowsill in the kitchen sit two (almost identical) bottles of pills. One sleepy morning this week I took a pill from my bottle and buried it neatly in a chunk of the wet dog food that I mix in with Mel’s kibble. As I was inserting the pill I noticed it was yellow and not lavender, indicating this was my pill not hers.

Now don’t get me wrong here but at the price I pay for meds these days I was not about to throw away a perfectly good pill just because it had a slight slime of dog food on it. Like any self-respecting dog owner would, I wiped it off and put it back in the bottle.

So if any of you notice me scratching myself behind my ear with my foot or barking uncontrollably this week you will understand why.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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January 3, 2010 · 9:10 pm

A Striking Family Resemblance

Ever since my daughter has been home from school we have noticed that the dog is beginning to look quite a bit like her. What do you think?

Oh, Jana is the one with the glasses.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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December 20, 2009 · 8:19 pm

Never too old to rock n roll but way too old to shovel

My mother in law called this morning, “Don’t you dare shovel”, she said.

Then my mom called, “Please don’t shovel”, she said.

Me? Oh I am a big shot. I LOVE shoveling. The cold crisp air, the dogs running around, the neighbors being all neighborly. Yeh, one big happy group out there shoveling away, throwing balls for the dogs and snowballs with the kids. (note the heartbreakingly adorable picture of my dog)

Well hear me now world. THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I SHOVEL.

Dinner conversation:

Me: I am pretty sure I am having a heart attack.

Gary: Nah, I am pretty sure you pulled a muscle, that is what manual labor feels like.

Me: What do you know from manual labor? Tennis is NOT manual labor.

Danny: He uses the leaf blower.

Me: (after 20 years of refusing to agree to this) Ok, go buy a snowblower. And make sure it is a big-ass one and gas powered.

I suppose there are times in all our lives where we have to start to realize our limitations and adjust our behaviors. I can rock n roll with the best of them, but the snow shoveling, not so much. And hey, it’s not like giving up something that is all that pleasurable.

Now you will excuse me while I go crawl up to bed with my cardiologist on speed dial (just in case).

(kidding moms! seriously that was just for effect. i am fine, really)

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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December 16, 2009 · 6:18 pm

Let dogs out. Let dogs in. Let dogs out.

I posted this as my Facebook status yesterday and it would appear that many people share my schedule. We are lucky to be graced with the presence of a guest dog for 11 days. Dear Barkley is a bearded collie who is advanced in his years like Mel. These two have a pretty tight schedule planned most days. It involves torturing me to go in and out of the house… constantly.

And yes, I am a sucker for their needs. After all they are old.

The picture at the top of this post is a magnet that a friend gave me awhile back. He completely understands my plight. I also have another magnet that says “no outfit is complete without dog hair”. I often wonder why a woman who wears only black clothing would ever be possessed to by a white dog.

So, if you call tomorrow and can’t find me, I would most probably just be corralling these knuckleheads back into the house. Dont’ worry all of those who are unsettled by my leaving the basement, I will be here.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visitLeaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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September 7, 2009 · 7:55 pm

Time To Cry Tuesday – Penny

penny-nelson

Here is one for all you dog lovers out there.

Meet Penny. This past week she proved that poodles are no wussy dogs here on the peninsula. Her hairless sister has been featured here on Time To Cry Tuesday, and now it is her turn.

Take a look at that face. Ferocious? Perhaps not. She may actually look a little sleepy (or stoned – sorry El) in this picture. But in reality, Penny is the hero of the week in our sleepy little town.

Below is an email I received from her owner:

As you all know, I love my dog very much. With that said…

Yesterday, after being out for about two hours, I came home to find six police cars in front of my house. I walked over to one of the officers and asked what was wrong. He quietly took me over to my house and said there had been a break-in in several houses on my block and that he needed to walk with me through my house to see if this guy – who by the way was caught – had gotten in.

As we walked into my house I was greeted by my dog’s obnoxious barking and big smile. She was fine. As we walked through we realized that the burglar had not gotten in. Thank goodness.

But unfortunately he had gotten into the homes of seven of my neighbors. When I asked the police officer why he thought my house did not get hit, he said, you are holding her in you hands.

With that said, I love my dog even more than ever, all nine pounds of her! She got big treats last night and slept close to me becuase in my eyes she was a big time watch dog yesterday. And my hero.

So in honor of Penny, here is something to think about:

There was one of those heart-wrenching stories about a dog that dies and a kid’s perspective at the end of her email that I will not include in its entirety because of its length. I will, however, leave you with my favorite parts. Forgive my abbreviation (or thank me for it).

If a dog was a teacher you would learn things like:

Never pass up the opportunity for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you are not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Now go give your dog (or cat. or fish.) a hug and thank them for reminding you of all this.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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