Yoga Schmoga

Tessa needs a few more inches and she could see under the deck as well....

Hi G-Fans!

I could write about so many things.  I could tell you about another spantabulous day of sunshine and blue skies.  I  could write about the evening bog walk where Riley barfed his whole supper up and then tried to take it back (the concierge did not allow that...).  I could write about the loose black dog that was the reason (ultimately) that Riley blew his cookies.  I could also tell you about Riley's "makeup" dinner of concierge-cooked rice cereal and eggs that he scarfed down without hesitation.

But I won't.

What I have to say is way more important than that.

What I want  to share is about yoga.

The concierge did yoga with Harry's concierge.

I had my eye on Harry's concierge.  And I could see them from two rooms away yucking it up with each other, naturally, and with Snagglepus (understandable), in addition, BERTIE was included in the soiree!!  BERTIE!  How did he get included and not me?  I don't care that his nickname is yoga boy.  I should NEVER be excluded from any activity - ever!  I stared Harry's concierge down the entire time and I did my most annoying I-can't-be-left-out-of-this-or-I-will-go-off-the-deep-end whine... to no avail.

I watched the entire time while Bertie was getting cooed over and rubbed up and talked to sweetly and that should have been ME!      

It is going to be a rocky night tonight....

Wish the concierge luck and one eye open.....

TTFN!

-G

Snagglepus looking like he is part sphinx...

Opening day for the pool

Waiting and waiting and waiting for the pool to open.....

Hi G-Fans!

Another spectacular spring day!

How fabulous!

We did a full bog walk prior to dinner tonight and we opened the pool up this afternoon.  I know, a little early, the standard opening date is Memorial day....  but who could wait another minute?  The sky was an uninterrupted blue, the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect for human or beast! I'll tell you, all that fresh air has made me pretty tired this evening!

Some of the things we helped do today are cleaning the deck table and chairs (we supervised the concierge so she did a thorough job), spreading horse manure on fruit trees, mowing the grass, setting up and filling the pool, organizing the concierge's car/office (basically her car is an office... it had gotten pretty out of control... it had the look of a blown land mine until we cleaned it up), assisted in replacing the decorative bumper feature on the car, lots of laundry and..... other stuff I can't even remember!

Oh - and to update you on the cleaning.  The concierge did manage to squeeze in some cleaning last night, but it was tempered a bit due to the time constraints.  So, I managed to reign her in a little on the cleaning thing, just not all the way... I guess that is what we call a compromise....

So, all in all a really great day despite last night's cleaning....

May you weather the unpleasant bumps in life with a minimum of fuss and stress!

TTFN!

-G

Finally!

Fabulous

Ahhhh, nothing like a drink from the hose.....

Ummmm, do I get a turn?

Some blankie sharing after some pool side romping.....

A slice of heaven

Hi G-Fans!

I know last night's blog entry left you wanting, I didn't want to beat the dead horse of "she fell asleep on the counter again" again....  But she did and that was all I could get out of her last night.  But, with today being a new day, and it being Saturday, and it being Saturday morning, a distraction of entering more on the blog is good.  The more I can persuade the concierge to write with me on this, the less time she will clean, which will be better for me, as we know.

I want to start by saying I am rather shocked at the lack of well wishing that has gone on for my birthday.  No big gala events, no trucks coming to the door loaded with surprise boxes, not so much of a grunt of Happy Birthday even....

Luckily I am a dog and every day is a pretty darn good day, so it really doesn't bother me as much as I let on.   I gave the cold butt to the concierge this morning...  I got on the couch with her, but wouldn't let her touch me and I wouldn't snuggle up to her...

 A girl has to have standards you know.

Anyway. with that being said, the concierge has asked to insert her two cents today, so as my gift to her, I have granted her permission.  She had better not paint any unflattering pictures or scenarios involving me, and I categorically deny anything she may assert that might implicate me in any wrong doing or unflattering actions.

With that said...

The keyboard is the concierge's...

Hi G-Fans...

I just have to share my piece of heaven this morning.

I had adequate rest and apologize for thwarting the creative impulses of Grace due to exhaustion.  She has, however, been quite indulgent of me and I appreciate that.

Back to this morning...

I got up to birds whistling and singing and bees abuzzing.  The sun is shining and there is a gentle, pleasant breeze.  I took my morning cup of tea with local honey and fresh squeezed lemon and sat on my deck in a perfect sun spot.  Oh, I also made rye toast with a full helping of butter melted in.  As I sat in the chair listening to the sounds of spring, eating delicious toast, sipping delightful tea, feeling no pressure to have to be anywhere, drive anywhere,, take care of anything in particular and feeling the sun warming my skin and the breeze gently wafting through my hair and tickling my skin, I though to myself (and to God), "This is what heaven is... at least as close as we can get from here."  God was pleased that I recognized his gift.

I have a neighbor, however, who occasionally punctuated my bliss with guttural rumbles from his throat and lungs from excessive cigarette smoking (is there really any other kind?).  But, it was a manageable noise to screen out as it wasn't constant.  But then, he decided that he needed to talk on the phone.  

Shattered.  

Apparently, the person who he was speaking with has a mutual acquaintance who my neighbor spoke with at the WalMart parking lot while riding his bicycle (he repeated this interaction three times to his phone companion).  And, apparently, since his Wednesday encounter with this person, 911 had to be called twice and DCF for should be involved...  When describing his interactions and activities the F-bomb was colorfully inserted.  Why does that word get used as an adjective so often?  How is it describing anything more fully?  Now, granted I have been know to use it on occasion, but..... there's a limit.  

DO we know how we impact one another with the choices we make?  

Do we shatter a person's peaceful enjoyment of nirvana simply by making a phone call?  

I guess the tricky part of living on this earth is holding all the differences and still being able to hold onto the slices of heaven that come our way.  

I will tell you that I spent a portion of my time trying to will a bubble of silence around my neighbor, which did occur once the phone call was over and he went inside.  So, I am happily listening, again, to distant dogs barking, birds singing their awesome spring-time songs, and toenails tapping against the aging wooden planks on my deck.  Even the cars driving by  are part of the background sounds.  I smell the blooming blossoms mixed with dirt and other earthy smells, and Grace has allowed me to rub her butt in forgiveness of my transgressions for her birthday.  

So,  Grace is right, each day is pretty darn good... Some days are truly more challenging than others, but if I have learned anything from the job I am currently doing, taking time to breathe, listen and share make it all worthwhile :)

Thanks Grace for letting me share and always reminding me to be here and now, and that there is always something good to catch and it is always good to forgive!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart,!!

(A day late...)

As she says...

TTFN!

The Concierge

Superstupendous!

Hi G-Fans!

WOW!

That is about it.

WOW!

What a superstupendous day!

It was just fabulous!

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the air was delightful AND a full bog walk for all.

Now we are all relaxed and daydreaming about the weekend.

I suspect there will be some dirt moving, some digging, some panting.....and planting.....and some lovely walks.

I plan to thwart the concierge in her sneaking plan to clean tomorrow in the morning.

I have hatched a plan for distraction which will hopefully keep her busy so she loses motivation for creating a clean environment.  What a tragic thought... I am hoping to avoid that.

I will keep you posted.

May you snort the elixir of life deeply.

I know I do!

TTFN!

-G

Thursday Morning Peeks....

The cherry blossoms covering up an intruder.  If it was Bertie he would have been "combing" his hair.  He likes to get the slick-back look.

Hi G-Fans!

An overcast damp biting morning gave way to a spectacular afternoon of sun and 66 degree weather with a cool breeze.  So beautiful!

A real spring day!

But even though our morning was a bit raw, I had the concierge take some photos so you can share in a few minutes of our morning regime.

I am happy to report that Bertie, Riley and I not only did a full bog walk today, but we escorted Raphael and Tessa on a short neighborhood walk.

It looks like everyone is droopy and wants to turn in, so I guess it is time for me to gnaw some wood!  (Saw wood)  (snore)

So may your snoring only wake those around you, may you sleep peacefully through it....!

TTFN!

-G

Riley and I investigating a particularly interesting smell.  We all had turns checking it out.

Raphael and Bertie planning their next move....

Does this make me look matronly?  I thought I had a pretty svelte contour until I got a peek at this picture.

Raphael taking a break from his very demanding job of being "large and in charge"

Tessa investigating new entranceways into the garden as the concierge has  made the other two "alternate" entrances  impassable.

Bertie and I doing seated meditation together.  He is getting really good at it.

Yaky Yam

Hi G-Fans!

Well, a funny day.  

It started out bleak and drizzly and turned into a lovely brisk sunny spring day.  When the clouds weren't obscuring the moon it was hours away from being full and throwing a lot of moonshine.  (No, not the kind humans talk about drinking....)

Some of us were walked to the bog in the light of the sun.

Some of us were walked by the light of the moon.

The bog walkers, for the most part, got the better deal.  It was longer.  There was more excitement (bald eagle, person, other interesting stuff).  It was longer (did I write that already?)

Those of us who ranked in second place (which is utterly appalling to me) walked in the second shift.

You know it wasn't the concierge's idea to do that.  She is way better trained than that at this point.  Especially with my birthday around the corner.  She wouldn't dis me like that so close to birthday time!

But, I have to say, the concierge was a bit of a terror when she finally dragged her butt home.  I don't care if she worked a solid 12 hour day.  What does that matter to me?  She has no right acting like the b---- that I am!  She, of course, doesn't see it.  But she blew a gasket with all three boys because they were being boy-like.... all stiff legs and raised hair.  Then she threw a nutty because Harry was staring her down while she was eating.  He really is quite brazen with that behavior.  And to compound her agitated state she threw Harry into our walk agenda.  (He was actually pretty good.  He only tried losing it when the Pea Pods truck had to be passed while the guy was pulling the goods together to be delivered.  The concierge was pretty much a no-go on that behavior.

So, all in all an interesting day.

Now it is snooze time and I need to have a cookie, or two....

Oh, on a sad note, we polished off the Yaky Yam treats at lunch today:(  We miss them already.

May your treats be exactly what makes you happy down to your toes.

TTFN!

-G

The thrill of spring

Cherry blossoms make the tree look like snow has come back.  Not that it couldn't have.... there was frost on the newly turned dirt in the garden and it was frosted yesterday morning.....

Hi G-Fans!

I think I mentioned that there was some yard work this weekend that we all assisted the concierge with.... did I happen to mention that there was lots and lots of horse manure involved with that?  So when I tell you we helped, it might be more accurate if I tell you that "we helped ourselves".  The only thing more delectable than horse poop is goose poop.  Tessa has continued to be helpful by sneaking into the garden with either Raphael or Bertie and sampling all areas that have been treated with the manure.  She is a little obsessed with all of it.  Even though the garden is surrounded by a fence, she has wiggled a hole big enough for us to easily go in and out of the garden without needing to jump or open the gate.  I have to let you know though, she has been getting into a bit of trouble with this behavior all week.  The concierge does not condone or appreciate her new appreciation for gardening.  Also, it is frowned upon that she is dragging her brothers down with her.
Although I would like to complain tonight that there was no walk on our agenda, I will relate that it has been raining lightly all day and it is rather bitter out.  So although I would enjoy a walk regardless, I understand the concierge being reluctant to go out so late.  (She got home the latest ever tonight and told me she had been to the bone cold all day.  Plus, she said she had some sort of thing she did today that involved invisible body pictures.... whatever that means....?)....
Anyhoo,
My birthday will soon be here and I am hoping for a spate of good weather in order to celebrate with an amazing walk and delectable smells.  My favorite.
I have to say I am a little sad for more than the lack of a walk.
The special treats Gabriella's concierge brought with her for the visit over the weekend are 95% gone and I am sorry they went so quickly.  Tonight we tried the Yacky Yak treats.  We learned to wait our turn (some of us are fine with that, some of us would rather act like uneducated duds and turn the process into a long training session.  But, I guess the long and the short of it, we finally all got several reinforcing treats from the Yacky Yak carton.
Now it is time to try and win the "loudest snore" award.
May you snore so you only wake up those around you, but not so loud that you wake yourself up!
TTFN!
G

Cherry blossoms are so excellent!  Harbingers of spring!

Gotta love those daffodils!

And daffodils and hyacinth!

And forsythia :)

And more daffodils!

And some more!

A little "We" time :)

Some spring color....

 Hi G-Fans!

My daffodil picture may be upside down, but I am not.

I am not a bat so therefore I don't need to hang upside down.  I do, however, need to snuggle without worrying about the paparazzi.  I guess that is a pipe dream.  The paparazzi is omnipresent and at the ready always.

You know, it's funny, I think of all kinds of things I want to write about when I have the concierge to transcribe.  Lately, however, I completely forget and want to get to shut eye sooner rather than later.

Oh, how could I forget?

My birthday is in a few more days.

I have hired some more help for a few days to process and handle all the gifts I am expecting.  And for them to send appropriate acknowledgements to the minions.

On another note...

I want to share that we dodged a bullet of ginormous proportions this weekend.  There was suppose to be a karaoke session and I think it might have been a scary screechfest, so we are grateful for the technical glitches.

Also, Gabriella's visit brings to light an upcoming change in the family structure.  Gabriella's concierge will be making an official union with another human in a few months.  So there is another family member to add to the roster.

Gabriella has thoroughly approved of him, but I am approving with reservation.  Gabriella needs to have a little more discernment.  Just sayin'.

I want to say that Tessa got dissed way too many times today.  I am taking a stand.  She was unfavorably compared to Gabriella and it hurt her feelings.  The concierge set the other human straight, but not without damage done.  Then Tessa had her "neck pinched and pulled" when we started our walk to the bog.  It wasn't pretty and the human responsible for that was reprimanded by the concierge as well.  Poor Tess.

And onto to our walk.  

We had all sorts of great sniffing and sighting.  We saw a hawk, several geese and goslings, and we heard and smelled some other birds in the bushes that might have been quail, or ?

Well, everyone wants to enjoy their cookies so I am getting peer pressure to wrap things up so we can do last outs and get our night time cookies.

So may you get kissed with affection when someone wants your attention:)

TTFN!

-G

Nothing like snuggling with your best bud.....!

What??  Can't a person snuggle up once in awhile?

Departures, walks and whatnot

Some of this year's forsythia blossoms.

Hi G-Fans!

Another stellar spring day.

Cool, snappy and sunny.

Color continues to break out everywhere we go.  Yellows, pinks, reds and purples.  It is delightful.

Gabriella left with her courtiers this morning so we never did a big family walk while she was visiting.  I guess it will wait until next time.  

What we did do was help with some yard work today.  We also helped some people take naps while making sure the concierge did not get one.  We like to keep her on alert and on her toes, just in case.

And tonight we did a bog walk without issue of any kind:)

It was a lovely evening.

We met some Canada geese (sort of), saw some random happy birds and smelled something thrilling, a deer perhaps?  We pulled the leashes like crazy in every direction... 

Good times, good times:)

I have included some pictures of my first girl and third boy taken this weekend for you to peruse.

May you suck in the sweetness of the molecules of spring with utter abandon.

TTFN!

-G

Gabriella chillin' on Raphael's favorite bed...

Harry relaxing after yesterday's bog walk with his sister.

Another relaxing position....

Gabriella and Harry behaving perfectly on their bog walk yesterday.

Well, then....

Hi G-Fans! 

Even on the weekend there seems to be a problem getting the concierge's attention.  

We have quite a bit going on with guests and bodies coming and going.

We had a bog walk. 

Gabriella and Harry went with the concierge before us.  I think you know how I feel about walking second.  It does not make me happy.  At all!

I didn't make too big a deal, but believe me, I am thinking about it.

I don't care that Harry's concierge is laid up and he hasn't gone in awhile .  That doesn't mean I can't go first with him.  Does it ?  I didn't think so.

Well, then, it needs to be corrected.  And it needs to not happen again.

Really.

OK.

Glad I got that off my chest.

I need to get my beauty rest now.

OK!

May you always be exactly where you need to be.

TTFN!

-G

OOooh, OOOhhh, what is going on in there without us?

I dunno, I can't see anything....

I definitely can't see anything from over here.....
wait a minute....

I know, we are being excluded!  What, are we second class citizens or something?  We are missing out on something!