Nap Attack and Why I've Been on the DL

Recently, I was attacked by the nap monster. Really, I should get an exterminator in here, 'cause it happens just about every day ;)
When I awoke, I was greeted by this image, above. Arwen loves taking naps. If you say, "Want to go lie down?" Or, "Want to have a nap?" No matter where she is, she'll stop whatever she's doing (even if she is already napping in the living room), and run to the bedroom. If she feels she isn't being followed, she will stop at the bedroom door and look back, just to make sure you're not lying to her, and actually are going to follow her to bed. Then she'll jump up (usually into my hubby's space), lay down (usually with her head on my hubby's pillow), let out a huge sigh and fall straight asleep. Scratches are optional, but greatly appreciated. By the time I wake up, she's graduated from curled-up sleep positions to full-on stretched out as far as she can positions, with the occasional on-the-back position, as evidenced above.
Just thought I'd share that with you :)
As for why I've been quiet lately... well, I've been switching medications for my thyroid and adrenal issues, as well as going off of some other meds, as I've been having some interesting-in-a-scary-way medical issues. I won't bore you with the details here, but it is stressing my body, which is in turn stressing my mind and making me less than productive as my mind and body struggle to come to some middle of the ground agreement on how the whole shebang should get along and work together (why can't we all just be friends and get along???).
So that's my story. I'm sorry I've been on the DL for a while, I'm going to try and at least post some photos of Arwen in between posting the artist features every Friday, so that, even if the photo-only posts don't have much content, at least there will be cute-funny photos for you to look at and start your day with :)
Have a great Thursday, see you tomorrow for another fabulous artist feature!

Arwednesdays with Arwen: Loving Animals

Hello, it's me again, Arwen the Wonder dog. I wanted to get serious for a moment, if I may today...
I am loved.
I am very loved.
How do I know? Well, my mommy tells me at least 10 times every day.
I get my beautiful fur brushed every day, with lots of petting and mommy telling me how pretty I am. When that is done, I get my pearly white teeth brushed.
I have lots of toys, from tennis balls to squeaky stuffies, Nylabones and Kongs to keep me occupied, stimulated and happy.
I get to go for walks almost every day (unless it is very cold, icy or very wet), and I get to play in my yard every day, chasing birdies and squirrels and barking at imaginary beasts. When I come back inside, there is always fresh water, healthy food, and sometimes even treats if I've been good (or just looked really cute).
But, mommy tells me not all animals are loved.
Mommy tells me that there are many animals all over the world that are not fed properly, are not cared for, brushed, walked or even talked to nicely. Many animals are beaten, starved, left alone tied outside, or even forced to fight other dogs until one of them dies.

But, mommy tells me that there are great people who rescue these sad animals so that they have a chance at a happy life. One place is called Harmony Fund (animalrescuechase.com), and they are having what is called the World's Biggest Baby Shower for Animals (http://animalrescuechase.com/baby-shower/), where people can donate money online to help them rescue lots of animals and make them happy like me. Take the little guy in the photo above. He lives in Puerto Rico. One day, his owners got in a fight in their apartment. To get him out of the way, one of the owners shoved him in a hole in the wall in the back of a closet, where he fell to the bottom of the building and was left for two weeks in a wall, and was ignored by the residents who heard his cries for help. Finally a nice lady heard what was happening and rescued him, moments from dying and covered in sores. Now he is healthy and living the good life, thanks to these amazing people working with Harmony Fund.
Mommy thinks this is very good, and I do too. If you are able, please try to donate to them to give all sorts of animals (doggies, horses, cats, monkeys and more) the chance to have a happy life. At the very least, please try to spread the word about all the great things that they do so that others can help them too.
Please help these animals have a chance to have a happy home.
A chance to be loved.

and Arwen the Wonder Dog

Arwednesdays with Arwen: My Napping Spots

Hello and welcome to your favorite part of the week, Wednesdays, with me! Arwen the Wonder Dog :)
Today is all about how to nap. I am an expert in these matters, so I will show you how I do it and where.
First, the most important thing is to make your humans spoil you - it is nothing more than you deserve! If you make sad eyes at them while curling up on the hard floor, eventually they will give in and give you more cushy surroundings.
The first photo shows my new bed, from my grand-monna and grand daddoo. They got me a comforter for Christmas so that I can lie down anywhere I want and be comfortable. Mommy folds it up and keeps it in her office so that I can spend time with her. Here it is under one of her worktables. It is right by the heating vent, so on cold nights, it is sooo luxurious to stretch out, groan and sigh. And of course, it is great to nap here too!

 Here I am curled up on my couch. Even my humans call it my couch now. I lie here every chance I get, it is so long, I can stretch out my legs (and often do!) while I sleep and still have enough room for pillows. Sometimes I use the pillows - that is a great way to get the humans to see how cute you are, and give you your way more often when it comes to sleeping on furniture.

 Here I am at the other end of my couch, napping on the top part of the couch. This is a necessity as I am also a fierce guard dog and have to be able to look out the windows at all time to watch my territory. Though the curtains are closed, I know where the openings are and will often sneak my head through them as I nap to make sure nothing is going on out there that I don't want to happen.

Finally, here I am on the bed. I like sleeping on daddy's side, as mommy sometimes takes a nap on her side. I like to rest my head on daddy's pillow and snore. It makes them laugh. At night I snuggle with mommy on her side, and she often complains that I take up more room than she does...well, it is only my right after all! But she does happily acknowledge that I keep her feet toasty warm, so she thinks it is a good trade-off :)

That's all for now, I'll see you next week for some more fun with me!

Happy Family Day and President's Day!

My second attempt at polymer clay: a cat and wooly sheep :)

Well, happy Family Day to those of us in Canada who celebrate it, and Happy President's Day to all of my American friends :)
This week I've got some new bracelets to show you on Tuesday, Arwen is finally going to show you her napping spots (technical difficulties last week, sorry) on Wednesday, I've got a few treasuries that I've been featured in to share with you on Thursday, and this Friday's Feature post is fantastic woodworking duo Element Arts and Crafts. Trust me, you won't want to miss that one! Saturday is the world of Squee again as I scour the internet for the cutest, funniest things to make you smile during your weekend.

The kitty from the side. One front paw slightly raised, as if to say hello,  and the tail curling up :)

Yesterday I played with polymer clay again. It wasn't quite so scary, and I managed to make 2 more cute (at least I think they're cute!) sculptures. I made a kitty, seen above, with a quizzical air to its head, and one paw just starting to raise off the ground, as if it sees something interesting and might possibly want to bless it with its attentions. I think I'll give this one to my mom, and then make another one for me :)

A curly black sheep. I seriously need to make another one!

 I also made a sheep. I love sheep! Seriously, I think they are the cutest darned things. A friend of mine up the road has a farm, and they raise sheep and poultry and honestly, the sheep are so funny, it's hard not to laugh at them (I try not to, as people tend to think I'm nuts when laughing at sheep placidly eating grass). This black sheep took a while, as I made the body first, and then made lots of little polymer clay swirls to represent his wool, which I then stuck on. It turned out pretty well (if I do say so myself), and I think I'll give it to my aforementioned friend. Then I'll make another one for myself :-D
I've also started painting some of the wooden jewelry boxes I purchased for displaying jewelry at shows and the farmers' market this year...oh, I didn't mention that earlier?? Well, you'll just have to keep stopping by to see them when they're done... ;-)
Until next time,

Monday Mix: Random Acts of Kindness Week

My First Polymer Clay Sculptures - Not Perfect, but I'm Happy :)

 Good Monday morning on this, the first day of Random Acts of Kindness Week! I've got a great week in store for you all, so I hope you've buckled your seat belts. With this week being Random Acts of Kindness Week, I will aim to do one random nice thing each day. Today: Maybe we can send our special someone a couple of nice, short emails along the lines of:

You are awesome! 

I love waking up next to you :) 

You look great today!

Keeping them short and sweet makes sure they aren't bogged down reading lengthy emails when they should be working, but allows them to take 2 minutes to stop and smile :)

Before I get to this week's events, I'd like to share a milestone: yesterday, the Facebook page for Little Studio Jewellery by Meghann Lynch, reached 100 followers! The followers on that page have been given a little treat, so, if you want in on a pretty sweet deal, visit & LIKE the Facebook page and start saving. It's a limited time offer, so hurry on over and get yours today. The link is down and to the right on this blog --->

Tuesdays I like to unveil new pieces of jewelry, or show you pieces that I've rephotographed or redesigned. Tomorrow will be a grand unveiling of a totally new necklace inspired by Cleopatra's later life. Make sure you check back tomorrow for that! It is rich and luxurious, perfect for work or a night out.

Because, Really, Everyone Loves Seeing a Wiener Dog From the Side

This Wednesday, Arwen the Wonder Dog wants to show you her napping spots. She's been getting me to take her photo in her most favorite places, so get ready for some cuteness there :)

Thursdays are Treasury days, and though I haven't made that one yet, be prepared for a collection of beautiful handmade items from my fellow Etsy sellers. Any ideas on a theme? Let me know in the comments below and I'll do what I can...

This Friday will feature another great artist, Badgereels. You must stop by on Friday to see her work, it is really pretty (or manly, depending on the item) and functional, guaranteed to add a little whimsy to your workday :)

Finally, regarding the photos on the blog today: I've finally started playing with the polymer clay I bought almost 5 years ago. Amazingly, it's still very soft, so that was a relief (at $5 a small brick, I would have been seriously miffed to find it all dried)! While I'm sure I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head, I really loved making little sculptures throughout my childhood (though, thankfully, none have survived), and thought that this would be a bit of fun on my Sunday afternoons, when I try very hard not to do any business or work of any sort. The last few weeks I've white knuckled it. While normally reading or video games would help, it has been really hard to get away from the laptop, and so I knew I needed a stronger, totally absorbing distraction. Enter polymer clay, or "smooshing" as the experts call it (I am NOT an expert, but I like the sound of that word, so I might have to purloin it).

Inspired by My Own Playful Puppy, This Was My Second Ever Polymer Clay Sculpture

I have to say, I had an absolute blast! No pressure to make things to sell, no pressure to be perfect the first time (well, okay, I did have a bit of self imposed pressure, to be honest), and no pressure to be on a deadline. I spent a marvelous 2 hours conditioning, playing, pinching, sculpting and baking my first 3 little sculptures. I learned quite a bit; 1. blue clay under your nails is very hard to get out if it dries even the tiniest bit, and looks like you have cyanide poisoning; 2. I need armature to make the dogs' legs sturdier; 3. my cheapo, $20 toaster oven bought especially for baking clay is bang-on temperature wise (thank you, Black-&-Decker!), 4. I don't need to worry that polymer clay will spontaneously self-combust (I watched the oven like a hawk, biting my nails and occasionally throwing looks at the fire extinguisher "just in case"); 5. I LOVE POLYMER CLAY! I've already started adding polymer clay how-to books to my Amazon wish list (now 661 items strong - gotta love Amazon!), and woke up at 3AM this morning thinking of other things to make next week. I strongly recommend trying polymer clay "smooshing" if you haven't already. It is tons of fun!

Keep checking the blog this week to discover everything that's going on, and check back next Monday to see what else I was able to make with my new polymer clay hobby :)

Saturday Squee - I'm a fool for Puppies

Ada the Labrador Retriever, Found on Dailypuppy.com

I love puppies. I freely admit that when I see one, I go from quiet, reserved me, into full-blown squeaking, cooing, baby-talking messiness. And I'm okay with it. Love is a beautiful thing. Puppy love? Well, let's just say I can't get enough of them...
Those watery eyes, so innocent and full of life.
Those giant paws and ears, too big for them now, but will be quickly grown into.
The little squawk that becomes the bellowing bark.
The fuzz that turns into sleek fur that gets into every little nook and cranny.
The puppy antics that are annoying, but so funny you have to walk away quickly so they don't see you laughing so hard you want to pee your pants (evidence: Arwen as a puppy deciding to "play" with the 11 foot logs that line my gardens. At all of 25 pounds she was determined to drag one around the yard, snarling the whole time, and even tried to get one up the back stairs. She saw me laughing at that one - I fell over after the log tripped me and was laughing so hard I couldn't stand up for a good 5 minutes).
The initial dependency on you that turns into deep, unequivocal love on both sides of the equation. As Audrey Hepburn once said, "Who thinks you're as fantastic as your dog?".
What is wonderful is that as they get older, the love gets even deeper. Arwen is now 8-1/2 and other than my close family members, I don't think I've ever loved anyone or anything as much as her. She is my best friend, my buddy, by crack-head. She's my grown up puppy and will always be super-cute to me :)

Arwednesdays with Arwen - Ice Storm Galore!

Though you can't really see it, there is about an inch of ice on this bush, making it collapse in the sunset.

We've been having ice storms galore this winter, which makes walking outside impossible (so mommy says). She says the ice on the roads makes it dangerous for cars to drive, let alone for people to walk.
She blames someone named "El Nino".
I'd like to have a talk with them.
Although the ice makes for pretty pictures (again, so mommy says), I'm not getting in my mandatory walks and I'm very annoyed with this El Nino dude.
If you see him, tell him to get in touch with me, I might have to show him my mean face!

Arwednesdays with Arwen - A Winter Walk

Hey it's me again! Arwen the Wonder dog to show you a neat little thing that happens to our roads in the winter.
Notice the grooves? The pretty little lines that make you want to follow them and sniff all the way to the end, wherever that may be?
They are there, according to mommy, for traction. See, I have nails and paws that spread out like snowshoes in snow and ice, and they keep me pretty stable, but cars need extra help on these dirt roads. In winter they get very, very icy, which is good for me, 'cause it keeps mommy walking fast so she can't stop or turn around and make me go back inside, but bad for the cars since they don't have nails to dig in, just big tires.
The town brings out these big machines that I like to bark at, that mommy calls graders, and they scrape the road and put grooves in them to provide traction for the cars.
Pretty nifty, eh?

Here's another shot - mommy thought it was very pretty to see the roads and snow and grooves, but I just want to get back to walking, so I'll see you next week!
and Arwen the Wonder Dog

Saturday Squee - National Hugging Day

Courtesy of http://icanhascheezburger.com

Because, really, there isn't anything cuter than cats hugging, unless it is on National Hugging Day :)

I am sorry that I didn't get to post this week's Tuesday's Treasures, Arwednesdays with Arwen or Thursday's Treasuries. Arwen jumped off my bed on Monday and really hurt her shoulder. We *think* she pulled a muscle or something in her shoulder or leg, but she was limping really, really badly and for a few days it was all I could do to keep her still (she might be 8-1/2 years old, but the Border collie in her makes her act more like a 3 year old). She could put her weight on it, and would run up and down the back stairs if she saw a squirrel, which was the only reason I didn't rush her into the emergency vet that very second I saw her limping. 

Anyway, I slept on the living room couch with her for a couple of nights to keep her from jumping up and down on the furniture, which meant I didn't really sleep for about 3 days. Plus, when she did jump up onto the bed or a couch, I had to lift all 53 pounds of her off of it so that she wouldn't jump down on her own and hurt herself even more. This ended up being the reason I hardly got into my workshop for most of this week, let alone spending undivided time with my laptop.

Fortunately, she is better now, she only limps occasionally, and even then, it is so minor as to be almost invisible unless you are really staring at her. I am hoping to get back to our daily morning walks, and even the weather seems like it will try to cooperate, as it is only supposed to be -14 Celsius tomorrow.

Only.

Yippee.

So after all of this, we are now, as they say, back to our regularly scheduled programming, and I will continue with the regular blog posts from now on. 

Barring, of course, any other major dog injuries, personal illnesses, or acts of supreme deity.

I have my fingers crossed for smooth sailing :)

Arwendnesdays With Arwen the Wonder Dog

Welcome back to our Arwendnesday's With Arwen the Wonder Dog posts, where every Wednesday is devoted to my hyper, wonderful, ridiculous dog, Arwen. 

So there we were: on a walk during a very overcast morning last week, when I noticed this beautiful, snow covered field and decided to take some photos with my little camera.

Then the battery died.

Do over!

The weekend rolled around and we were on another walk on an even more overcast morning when it started to rain. Pour really. And snow. At the same time.

Lovely.

However, in my quest to not be completely boring to you, my wonderful readers, I decided to keep on going and try to take my winter field shot anyway.

That and Arwen was full-steam ahead and the roads were a little icy, meaning that to turn around would probably end up with me falling and breaking a bone on said icy road.

So there we were: Arwen and I reached the aforementioned field and I brought out my (now charged) little camera and proceeded to try and photograph the field, which in the above photo is not really looking like anything special, though I assure you it is beautiful in person.

I heard a "Yip!"

And I looked down...

And there was Arwen, prancing in the snow, thoroughly soaked (and loving it, I might add), and wanting me to stop taking photographs, and throw her some snowballs already!

Catching snowballs is her favorite winter pastime (well, that and eating her, uh, poo when it is frozen, but she's a dog after all, and I digress - with a shudder), and she will catch snowballs until she is panting so hard she has to sit or lie down in the snow in between each toss, or your digits feel like they will never thaw in this lifetime, whichever comes first (my fingers usually give in before she does, much to her disgust).

Notice the preemptive tongue sticking out here, as in between frantic barks that make it sound like I'm torturing her, she sticks her tongue out and tries to catch the snowballs with her tongue, snapping her jaws shut around it with an audible snap (I would think this might hurt, but she doesn't seem to care), and eating the whole snowball with a very self-satisfied smile. She smiles, I've seen her do it.
She's odd, but I love her so very, very much.
...As long as she doesn't kiss me until after I've brushed her teeth about a million times.

and Arwen the Wonder Dog

New Toy!

 Oh let me show you my new toy! Brenna got this for me for our anniversary in September as our old digital point-and-shoot will only take about 3 photos now before you have to change the batteries (which are not rechargeable and that makes me mad!). He got this one for a really great price and I have to say I am totally smitten with it :)

 Many of the photos posted on the blog recently have been taken with the new camera, it is so tiny and easy to carry with me everywhere, I take it on walks with Arwen, and even just when I go to the end of the driveway to get mail. This little guy was waiting near my front step when I came back from getting the mail a few weeks ago. The viewfinder on the back of the camera is huge, which makes for very easy picture taking (no more squinting and then having to use extra eye cream on that eye to remove all of the extra wrinkles afterwards - score!).

Here's another shot I took on the last weekend of the farmers' market in June. I love how crisp the colors are - it makes everything really pop!
Anyway, enough bragging, just had to show you all the great little camera :)
Soon I'll be showing you some new pieces of jewelry (don't think I've stopped that, I'm just catching up on some major photo-taking!). Stay tuned for new pieces!

The Dog Is Alright

 Arwen is feeling better. After 5 days of antibiotics, ground beef and rice, chicken and rice, lots of hugs and TLC, she has a happy belly once more. We even went on a walk this morning. Even though it was quite cool and damp, I figured it would be fine.
Then it started to pour.
And pour.
And pour.
And we were only halfway done our walk, which in the country means that we walk until I'm tired, usually about 20 minutes at a slow jogging pace, then we turn around and walk back, again at a (slightly slower) jogging pace. We do about 3 miles or so in 30-40 minutes. I know, I'm slow.
But back to the rain.
Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, if, say, we were in the city, with nice paved sidewalks that don't really get that dirty.
We, however, as stated previously, live in the country.
On dirt roads. With lots of loose dirt and gravel.

I'd show you the "before" photos, of Arwen absolutely filthy, and the left side of my pants (the side where Arwen walks) just disgustingly muddy (I swear she kicks up dirt on me on purpose), but I don't want to frighten young children. Suffice it to say, we were DIRTY! A bath was immediately in order, despite the Time-Of-Use power thingy saying we were at peak power and running the shower would cost a small fortune.
Arwen hates baths.
At first.
When she gets the soap off of her, and is having her post-soap massage in the shower she starts to like it.
When she gets out of the shower, then she really likes it.
Because she gets to hide under a towel.
I really don't understand why she loves this so much, but if I hold a towel out, she will walk under it, wag her tail and wait for me to lay it across her. Then, when the towel is on her, she stands there and - there is no other way to describe it - she wiggles. Yes, you read that correctly, she wiggles under the towel, almost like she is trying to dry herself off. It is the cutest, funniest thing ever.
Then she gets a treat, gets a cuddle, all while being told that she is the most gorgeous dog ever, and then, when she is mostly dry, she cuddles up on a blanket on the couch, and gets wrapped in a quilt to keep warm.
I love my dog.
(can you tell?)

Sick Day

I had planned a post on my new little camera. I had planned to post a few things that I've been up to lately, as a lame excuse for why I haven't been blogging consistently over the past few months.
Then 2:30AM Wednesday came.
Arwen started whining and panting to go outside. I thought that something was outside that she wanted to chase, so I got all of my winter gear on (we were in the middle of our first winter ice storm, joy) and slowly let her outside, holding on to her cable (she has a 40 foot cable to run around the yard, without - hopefully- catching any of the wildlife that come around) to slow her chase to whatever she thought was out there.
There wasn't anything out there.
Arwen was sick. Very sick.

After making half-hour trips outside, to, uh, relieve herself, I knew that she wasn't going to get well on her own, but she was so bouncy and happy and hungry, it was hard to tell what was the matter. I made rice and she happily gobbled half a cup of it, while continuing to go outside. By 9 AM, however, she had brought the rice back up and was still having frequent outside trips, so we took her to the vet. She must have eaten something, but we can't figure out what it is. She is constantly monitored during outside trips, walks, inside time, that I don't know what could have made her sick (I make my own cleaners with vinegar for Pete's sake!).
Anyway, the vet says she has colitis, so she is on some Pepcid AC for her stomach, and an antibiotic to calm her wayward intestines. Poor little dog. She had to get a *ahem* full exam, which I must say she was very good about (I sure wouldn't have been, if a doctor had to stick anything in my...well, you get the idea). She had a slight temperature and raised heart rate from stress, but other than that, the vet said that Arwen looks amazing for her age (8-1/2), the vet even thought she was only 5 or 6! Frequent tooth-brushing helps, I think :)
Good news though, I *think* we may be making less trips outside. After going almost hourly, by midnight last night she seemed pooped out (pun intended), and hasn't had to "go" since. YAY! She's still happy, and bouncy. Her temperature has come down, and she slept for a few hours straight, which meant that I slept for a few hours straight, which is always a good thing.
God willing she's on the mend.
But wow, what an interesting 24 hours that was. And I have a huge pile of dog-do to clean up in the now melting snow.
Joy.
Looking at her sleeping peacefully now though, I don't mind.
But, I might have a little nap before I go out to clean it all up....just for a minute or two

A Walk With Arwen

Hello! It's me, Arwen the Wonder Dog, here to take you with me on one of my walks. Mommy has nicely agreed to be my puparazzi and photograph me and my neighborhood to show you some of the things I see. I'm not sure about this pose though...I was in a rush to go for a walk and mommy didn't get a good shot of my adorable ears...

Mommy, hurry up! No one wants to see photos of maple leaves in our driveway, they want to see me! She doesn't always listen though...

*sigh* ok mommy, here's the deal, you can take photos of the "pretty sun in the trees" but now you will have to take photos of only me for the rest of the walk!

Here is the organic vegetable garden up the road from us. I don't know if I like this shot either...Does this angle make my snout look big? Anyway, the garden is good for more than just yummy foods, the owner has a little dog named Bailey and we do obedience together a few times a month. I still don't know how to play, but it is nice to be around other dogs (even if she is tiny!)

 Oooh! Here's the next stretch of road, mommy! What's around the corner? Hurry up, I want to see!! Mommy says she loves our country roads. She loves the old cedar and stone fences, and she says she loves how they always wind just enough to block your view of what is coming up, making you want to walk around the next corner, and then the next, and the next, just to see what is around it, even if we've already walked there before.

 Here's another cool part; we get to cross a little bridge and I can (sort of) see over the concrete ledge. I have to stick my nose in between the metal barriers, but we saw a heron here, though mommy was too slow to get a photo of it. I ruffed a bit at it, but it didn't hear me or it would have come and said hello to my beautiful self :)

Here we are after our walk, in the yard where I can smell all of the racoons, porcupines, skunks, birdies and various other wildlife in our yard. We had a bear here a while back, and I still don't like the smell of it, it makes me put my tail between my legs and run into the house!
Still, our walks ARE fun, and i hope you enjoyed this one too!
Until next time,

and Arwen the Wonder Dog

The Many Moods of Arwen

 Today we will explore the many moods of Arwen the Wonder Dog. She is my ever-changing, ever-shedding, ever-barking, wonderful, loving dog. My buddy, my bestest furry friend. Above, she is sleepy. She does sleepy well. Her head sloooowly starts to droop, her eyes close, then open, then close slowly, then open slowly, until they just seem too heavy to open and then finally stay closed, though the exhausted sigh is optional.

 Here she is watchful, guarding her dino. An old photo to be sure, she has managed to tear all the stuffing out of it and it is now in the middle of her toy box, half inside out. She likes her toys this way. We recently bought her a "stuffed" wolf toy, that had no stuffing to begin with. She carries it everywhere. She loves to play "keep-away" with her toys, wagging her tail furiously while trying to walk surreptitiously away from us, like we won't notice a 53 pound dog with a 2 foot long floppy wolf in her mouth, wagging her tail (and sometimes her butt, when she is really trying to blend into the background), and walking around any corner and stopping to see if we follower her. If we do, she play growls or talks around whatever is in her mouth, giving a pretty hilarious sound from a pretty hilarious dog.

Her cute "Please feed me whatever it is you're eating 'cause it looks really, really tasty" pose, tongue licking optional. Carrots, cheese and yogurt are her favorites, though not necessarily in that order. She also loves her natural treats. And chicken. And oatmeal. And potatoes. You get the picture. The funny thing is, we don't really feed her "human food" at all, just the occasional, "Oops, it fell on the floor....Arwen have!" sort of thing. Except for carrots. But she still tries. And with a face like this, who can really deny her? She looks so cute and fuzzy. Only the thought of doggy dental work or weight reduction diets keep us from giving in. It's hard though :)

 Here is her cute, watchful, "Give me that squeaky toy" look. She wants to play! She is quite good at playing, particularly the "death shake" where she shakes the heck out of whatever is in her mouth. Usually reserved for very hyper playtime, and usually accompanied by bouncing up the hallway and back again, barking optional. Her bounce is hilarious. She doesn't really run, unless she's trying to chase something far away. She bounces. Think Tigger, but in a black and white, lab/border collie/husky mix dog.

Sitting pretty. My wonderful, cute, loving, friendly, happy dog. She really is always happy (except during thunderstorms, but that is ok). Even when she's not doing something like eating or sleeping or chasing toys, she is just happy to hang out and be one of the humans (don't tell her she's not, she won't believe you), with a special barking ability.

...

Can you tell I love my dog? I think she knows it too ;-)

Until next time,