Jen, Lachlan, and Declan's Blog (23)

Me: Lachlan, ummmmm, what are you doing?



Lachlan: Napping, duh.



Me: You do know that you're surrounded by more-comfortable places to nap, right?



Lachlan: M'comfortable. Shut up.



Me: You're stuck, aren't you?



Lachlan: Well ... yeah, a bit.



Me: Would you like a hand getting down?



Lachlan: If you…

(Warning: Severe sappiness ahead!)

Happy Birthday, my sweet, evil, Monkey-Boy Kangaroo-B^tt Decky-Ducky-Doggie.



I remember like it was yesterday bringing you home, a ragged bundle of fear covered with every possible bodily effluent all tangled up in dirt and burrs, dropping you in the tub and soaping you up while you peered up at me with those big expressive eyes asking, "Is it okay? Is it okay?" Toweling you off and seeing your beautiful red curls for the first time while…

This was grooming weekend for the boys. Declan got a bath and blow-dry and his important bits trimmed (or shaved, as appropriate), his ears flushed and his nails trimmed. Dec loooooves being groomed. When it's Lach's turn I have to peel Dec off the table because he wants a turn NOW! If I'm just doing ears and feet they both get on the table together. Just as well I have a big, sturdy table.

Lachlan ... poof, he's a Saluki? *grin* Lach's coat is so bloody thick it's almost impossible…

... is not like the others!

No, I didn't get another puppy, I swear!

So here's the story - I have a neighbor, lovely woman, who has a husband and an indeterminate number of children (I think there are three boys, but wouldn't swear to it). This neighbor is a fairly recent immigrant from India, where dogs aren't generally pets, and is terrified of…

Declan, as many of you know, hasn't been with me for very long. He's four months old and has had absolutely no socialization. He's afraid of everything new and different because he has no frame of reference for anything at all, so my job is to help him learn and grow and experience life so that he can meet new experiences with interest and curiosity instead of fear. His saving grace is that he's an extremely good-natured and naturally social little fella, so if I do my job he'll be…

And what a week it's been! I'm exhausted. And by the time my contractor gets done today I'll be broke too. Well, not really but I will be wincing when I write that check!



In retrospect Lachlan was so easy I was terribly spoiled. He's the kind of dog that even as a pup, when presented with something new, would sit back and think about it before doing anything. Declan, on the other hand, just lands on it. I'm calling him my Little Furry Wrecking Ball and the two of them collectively…

Oh man, I'm exhausted here ... but in a good way! Declan's settling in quickly and Lachlan's over-the-moon happy to have a brother. Pixel's still pretty annoyed by the whole situation, but he'll come around over the next few days. He's curious about this new addition but extremely wary.

I'll admit it - I'm flabbergasted by this pair. My gast is thoroughly flabbered. Saturday morning Lachlan gave the dog bells at the back door a good yank, more slowly and deliberately than he normally…

Woo-hoo, my first router! Cool! Should be able to learn how to use it, shouldn't I? Oh well, it makes the guys at work nervous just knowing I have one and that's half the fun!



Dang, gotta assemble the table before I can router something. Is router a verb? Hmmm ... to router ... routered ... oh never mind, I wanna play with it!



Right. Attach the sides to the back. Uh-huh. Which bit you reckon's the back, boys? I love the way instructions always say things like "using 2…

I'm seriously considering bringing home a little brother or sister for Lachlan and Pixel. Raise your hand if you didn't see this one coming. Anyone? Anyone? Yeah, didn't think this would come as a shock to anyone, LOL!   There's a litter ready to go in a few weeks with the parents being Lachlan's father and Lachlan's mother's full sister, so I know the genetic makeup of both and am comfortable with it ... but this is a huge decision and I'm waffling a little bit. Part of me thinks that it's…

Whew doggie, that wasn't quite the weekend any of us had in mind! Just sitting here winding down a bit, reflecting and smiling while Pixel The Cat suns himself on the window-shelf beside me and Lachlan naps on the carpet behind me. I think they're both worn out and ready for dear old mum to go back to work!



This weekend really started on Friday morning while I was in the shower, minding my own business and contemplating the coming morning while I rinsed off. Suddenly a huge crash…

Well, THAT was an insane week ... that culminated in one really rough day ... and that day ended with a reminder that nothing's ever really that bad when I have these two boys to come home to!



A former co-worker passed away on Tuesday. I'm feeling an interesting combination of surprise, because she wasn't much older than I am ... sadness that she's gone ... and not sure what, because we were never all that close and haven't kept in touch since she left the project five years ago.…

Lachlan has the most amazingly plush hair on his legs and face, which is lovely to look at but a bit of a pain to keep up with - especially that face! I'm not as good as I should be at keeping his beard washed and he hates having it brushed out. He's also one of those pups with a constantly wet beard, which I can't imagine is all that great for the skin. His coat is so soft and thick it just wicks up any moisture within a 10-block radius.



I finally decided to trim his beard down…

Lachlan's "brother", Pixel, shocked me earlier this week with a behavior so out of character for my sweet lunatic that it made me question everything I thought I knew about this little honorary doodle!





Pixel acquired me last December, the Monday before Christmas, on the same day that my old Fern kitty of 16 years passed away. I knew that morning when I woke that…

I think it was my very first blog post when I mentioned I wanted to add a "dog tub" to the house 'cause I really don't fancy bending over my own tub for half an hour each time I wanna wash His Majesty the Fluff. My old back can't take that. Anyway, it's finally done ... and we're both (yes, both, he looooves baths and had to show it off to his Auntie Cindi by trying to jump up into it) delighted with it! Thought I'd share in case anyone is curious or looking for ideas.

This…