I've been quiet

and really have no good excuse.

Charlie, for all of his size is really a very good boy. We really need to take him to the vet's just so they can see the fruits of their labor after they pulled out all of the stops to save him when he was a baby.

Charlie met snow for the first time this weekend and wanted no part of it. He'd go out on the porch (there's an awning overhead, but that is as far as he would go. He ended up making a puddle in the kitchen overnight but we didn't discipline him for that. Anyone can make a puddle every once in awhile.

Saturday morning, again, Charlie didn't want to leave the porch but Kali didn't care. She went down the steps and through the snow as if it wasn't even there. Of course, there was hardly any snow to begin with, just enough to turn the yard white. Then Kali barked at something and since, in our house, there is always an alternate barking back up dog, Charlie took off forgetting the alien white stuff that coated the ground. He's part Lab for god's sake wit the webbed feet to go along with it. How bad can snow be?

Not bad at all give the way both Charlie and Kali killed all of the clumps of snow, showered down by Oldest Son's scraping of the car. They killed all of the snow that was threatening to... who knows what in the mind of dogs, take over the world? Steal their hidden bones? Rise up and carry us off. But now we are safe.

As I mentioned before, Charlie is a big boy. He reminds me of a lion. You see lions on those nature shows and when they aren't sleeping or chasing down something to kill they have this soft footed walk, slow and steady one foot then the other. He even seems to have a mane hugging his neck as well and still has those gorgeous Charlie eyes of his. I really need to take some pics of him. I even bought a new camera but photos intimidate me. Maybe I should just give the camera to Charlie and let him take his own self portrait.

Charlie is not as affectionate as Rocco and Ollie were and I miss that. Much of the time, he doesn't want me touching him at all but he still gives me kisses that clean my face and smear my glasses but I long to throw my arms around him and hold him close. I can do that with Kali but, I have to initiate it. How I long for something to throw itself into my arms to be cuddled and fussed over. Even my cats, Chloe and Bella are standoffish. Oh I can pet them but I can't even think of picking them up. You'd think I was killling them by the way they fight to get free.

All in all, I',m happy with the dogs. I do try to not compare them to the two I lost but it's damned hard. Christmas was especially hard. Last year we knew Rocco was dying but had no clue that Ollie would follow him. This year I wanted Rocco and Ollie so badly that I would find myself breaking down over the most ridiculous things. Harry Potter for instance, part one of the deathly hallow when Dobby dies and Luna tells Harry to close Dobby's eyes so that Dobby looks like he's sleeping. Ollie died with his eyes open, looking into Josh's face and there was no way I could get them to close afterward so Ollie was buried with his eyes wide open.

As I write this, I sit here crying like a baby. When I die, I want to cross that rainbow bridge. The heck with human heaven and its angels and clouds. I want to cross the bridge and toll in the grass with the dogs and cats and b=pigs and what all that I have loved and lost. Now THA's ,u odea of heaven.

I think I've been duped

We were told that Charlie was Black Lab and white Shepherd but someone forgot to mention that splash of Lion. Charlie looks as if he has a mane and he is HUGE!! Much bigger than Shepherd or Lab. Not just tall but long and muscular. I swear I could climb on h is back and ride him. And yet, with all of that bigness comes a baby's heart who is afraid of Michael swatting flies and who MUST KISS me on the mouth when I come home, or else. Gentle giant is the term that comes to mind. He is bigger than Kali, even his teeth are bigger than hers. Think Quaterback and the cheerleader and you have them perfectly. He adores Kali and she him and he grows smarter every day.

There is another love in Charlie's life and that is going to the store with Josh. Not that Charlie ever gets to go INTO the store, rather he is just going along for the ride. Josh used to take Rocco and I know it broke his heart once Rocco was gone, it's now been almost a year. The gas station guy, where Josh goes for his cigarettes had even asked after Rocco. ANYWAY. Now it's Josh and Charlie and gas station guy occasionally comes out to give Charlie a treat and someone is always willing to rub his head and tell him what a good boy he is.

Last night it was raining like a son of a gun and Josh decided to leave Charlie at home. Charlie had other ideas and hustled after him but Josh was too fast and closed the door before Charlie could get there. First Charlie tried to ram his way through the door then came out with the most woeful heartbreaking howl you would ever want to hear. I have never heard any animal cry like that. Josh heard it too and Charlie joined him on that ride, even tho he did get the seats muddy with his big old baseball mitt paws.

Guess that will teach us. Josh is not allowed to go to the store without Charlie. Seems simple enough.

Catching up again

I know that. lately it seems that all I do is talk about Kali when this is Charlie's blog. So let me tell you what Charlie has been up to.

First of all, he is growing. He's now bigger than Kali with the most ridiculously long legs. Moose legs I call them. Moose have long long legs which help to keep their bellies dry when wandering through wet places. Charlie's legs are long, but he doesn't care how wet he gets. I'm guessing it;s the black lab in him. He does have a lab's webbed feet, something I just noticed and an adorable feathering on the back of his legs that we refer to as his pantaloons.

I was missing Charlie the other day and couldn't figure out, at first, why that was so. He's right there in the yard so why was I lonely for him. Then it came to me. Once Kali came and the weather got cool enough for him, he's rarely in the house and when he is in the house, he's got Kali.

Well, the other day he comes to me in the craft room, catches my eye and whines. That usually means that he wants to go out, so I get up, climb over piles o'craft stuff and head toward the kitchen door. Only that wasn't what he wanted. I asked him to "show me" and what he did was to lead me to the big dog pillow in the living room and then put his paws on my shoulders to make me sit. And then he brought me a toy so we could play tug of war. YES! he wanted to play with his momma.

It's a game that I had invented for Rocco called EWWW I don't want this thing it's got dog spit all over it.

Charlie had one end of a long legged. long armed monkey toy I had gotten him and I pull and twist and try to get it away from him while he hangs on until HE decides it is spitty enough. It was an achy hand day so I tried holding on with both hands, till Charlie put a paw on one arm and forced it down as if to say, one hand only. Thinking that I was putting intent into his actions that wasn't there, I tried two hands again and again and got the same response from him. One hand only please, two is cheating.

I don't know how long we played that silly game but I was glad to know that Charlie is still m y baby.

I've asked for a camera for Christmas so I can take some pics of the dogs. The camera I have now is far too complicated to use and by the time I figure out flash or no flash or what kind of flash, picturing taking has become a chore. If I get the camera then there will be pics of the dogs.

Everyone should have a Charlie.

Delight

It's so wonderful to come home to two dogs who think that your homecoming is the high point of their year. yes, they get me muddy when it is wet and, yes, my face gets as soggy as their paws from all of the kisses but the JOY the sheer mind blowing JOY that MOMMY'S HOME!

And if I can be petty for a moment. I love the fact that the people across the street see it every day and I KNOW their dogs don't act that way. Ha!

Charlie is now almost the size of Kali and is still growing. he has the longest legs and the most beautiful eyes. He's my love, my baby boy and the chattiest dog I have ever met. Rocco and Ollie 'talked' to me with ears and eyes but Charlie has a whole range of sounds that I am slowly but surely learning.

Kali isn't as vocal but her expressions speak for her. Last night I opened a new box of Chees It crabby crackers. They do taste like steamed crabs with LOTS of seasoning. I do mean LOTS. As soon as the inner wrapper crackled, there was Kali licking her lips and looking anxious. Since I always share with the dogs, I warned her that she wouldn't like it. After assuring me that she would love it, I gave her one cracker. One sooner had her lips closed around it, she stopped still and gave me a look that said. "Oh crap, I hate it , I don't want it but what in the heck am I going to so now?" I relented.... after I laughed... held out my hand and said spit it out. She did and ran to the water bowl. I don't blame her, after half a dozen of those crackers I was ready for the water bowl myself.

Charlie watched all of this with one eye gave me a look saying "Girls! What ya gonna do?:" closed that eye and went back to sleep. No crabby crackers for him. I think he waited to see how Kali had reacted and I bet if she ate it, he would have been ready for his share.

Charlie LOVES outside. He would rather be outside than any other place in the world save in the car with Josh going to the store. He'll curl up on h is pillow on the porch and snooze and even if I ask him does he want to come in, he thanks me politely but stays outside. It doesn't matter if it is wet or cold, my boy is out in the yard or sitting on the porch under the awning. He so appreciates a big yard. It scares me to think what might have happened to him if we weren't chosen as his new family by his first father, Mr. Ali. Charlie probably would have been dead. It wasn't just the vet that made him well, it was me and Josh and even our old old cat Frankie (who has gone to her rest just recently). I kept getting the fluids and meds in him, Frankie kept him warm, Josh coddled and babied and coaxed him with scrambled eggs. Even if Charlie hadn't been ill, he never would have been happy in a townhouse with little kids and outing only on a leash. He roams the yard as if he were exploring new territory each and every morning, pouncing upon toys he left in the yard with a "There you are" yip and a race around the yard with the toy in his mouth. Kali is faster than Charlie but he's a bit more cunning and lets her run circle while he waits till she tires and he bounces.

I wish I had his energy.

Charlie and Kali both have helped to heal my heart. Thank you my furry babies. Mommy loves you.

Almost But Not Quite

Charlie bit my nose this morning. It wasn't done on purpose. I had just gotten up and the dogs go wild with excitement each morning when that happens. It's as if I have been away for years! Should I sleep later than normal, then someone is always whining and scratching at the door telling me it's time to get up. I'm assuming that it's one of the dogs scratching, otherwise it would be just too weird if it was the husband.

Anyhow there I was; half asleep with excited dogs dancing around me talking up a storm when the husband decided that then and only then is the time to give them their flea stuff (advantage). Now, since I'm surprised that the husband can dress himself, it was up to me to put the advantage on the dogs because I KNOW HOW TO DO IT. Ignoring the fact that the husband kinda did it last month.

Meanwhile the dogs are growing even more excited at the package, no doubt thinking it some new kind of treat. I can't get Charlie to stand still enough for me to do it so the husband helds by grabbing him around the neck and hugging charlie against his body. Since the medicine goes down the dog's back, no good. Do I have to tell you that Charlie wants none of this now and is thrashing around to get loose? Suddenly the husband lets go, Charlie spins around and wham, gets me in the nose. Blood is dripping, dog is yelling, Kali is launching herself at me. I catch Charlie with my knees advantage him, let him go, grab Kali, advantage her and done.

My nose is still dripping blood and when I check, Charlie's tooth hasn't gone all the way through. If it had I could then sport a swanky pierced nose if not for two facts: 1] Charlie caught me near the tip of my nose, not a usual pierced nose spot but more importantly and number 2 is, since I have no stud earrings and only dangles, I would then have to inset a dangle and have it swing and dangle from the end of my nose all day. There's a look for you.

BTW I've advantaged dogs before. I usually wait until they are asleep or working on a bone or something and have NEVER had such a battle doing it. I think next time I'll let the husband do it. If he can remember to read the directions on the package.

Could they be any happier?

Charlie and Kali love their life. This morning, I looked through the kitchen door window to see the both of them sitting side my side on their pillows, hip to hip, watching the world go by. They love being outside even when there is nothing going on. When the group starts gathering in front of the house across the street, the puppies leave their porch to say hello and drown in licks any face that ventures too near.

I've never had two puppies at the same time. Two dogs, yes, three dogs yes, but never two young ones together.

It;s not just Kali that loves the yard and to run around and around and around but Charlie's always taking himself out even when Kali doesn't want to go but Charlie can always keep himself occupied. I have never had a dog content to play on his own but that's Charlie. There are toys scattered all over the front yard, as if we had small children. I suppose we do have children only they are covered with fur.

I marvel at how much I loved each from the very first. There is nothing like a dog to make you feel loved.

It's true

Charlie is part black lab and Kali is part Australian Shepherd both breeds that do not mind getting wet or so it said when I googled their breeds. Apparently they were correct because, even tho it rained a good deal yesterday the puppies were out playing in it. They couldn't wait to go out again this morning and don't want to put up with all of this namby pamby let me dry you crap. In fact, pull out a towel to dry them and there is a good chance a new get the towel from the human game will erupt. They they start to dry and the hair on Charlie's ears look as if it was crimped. They don't care. there's a yard and a buddy and puppies just want to have fun.

Older son keeps a close eye on them when they were outside and when he couldn't see them yesterday he was concerned. He called to them but the didn't come running so he called again and two heads popped out from under the porch wondering what he wanted.

We had other dogs who loved being outside and instead of the fuss of getting them a dog house we pulled off some of the siding that surrounded the underside of the porch and they could go there for shelter. Of course when the weather was really bad we brought them in the house. The underneath hasn't been used in a decade or more until the puppies took over. I'm thinking it's more of a fort for them than anything, where they had hide and then spring out at you, scaring youhalf to death and giving them a chuckle.

It's fun with two puppies at the same time. I have to stop writing up these blogs at the office because all I want to do now is go home and kiss puppy noses. SMOOCH!