Monthly Archives: August 2010

August 30, 2010

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Happy New Year?

The conversation at the breakfast table this morning was all about September being the official start of a New Year versus the traditional January. I was uncertain as to why September was substituted for January, when I got what can only be described as an educator’s optical reprimand. You see, before Gretchen was a dog walker, she was a teacher and after 24 years of teaching, the beginning of the school year has always marked a beginning of a new year and much like the January New Year’s, many of the same events occur — resolutions, taking stock of the previous year, and hoping that the upcoming year will be a bit better than the last.

Of course, only Ann (my other mother) is a teacher now, but Gretchen says she still feels the September-New-Year pull and has this incredible urge to go shopping for pencils and pens, lined paper and glue sticks. I did my best to walk those urges out of her today!

First up were Oshi and Perrito. While Oshi had some inkling of the school year just beginning, Perrito was oblivious until we stopped by the school and he saw all the people (teachers) milling about. “I wanna go to school!” he squealed.

Oshi just rolled his eyes and said, “I just wanna go home.”

Next up were Rosie and Tyson who earlier in the morning (on a walk with their Mom) spotted a cat across the street. When Gretchen took them out they were both eager to find the cat again, but she did what she could to discourage them. “So, what do you think about the new school year starting up?”

They both just looked at her stymied and then Tyson practiced some yoga.

Gemma, Saber, and I got to walk together and they both had lots to say about the school year. “I wanna go, I wanna go!” wiggled Saber.

“You’re too young,” chided Gemma.

“You’re both too young,” I mumbled so only Gretchen could hear me. Gemma was constantly bumping into Saber, trying to bite his jowls while we walked and Saber, who was trying to be a good boy, kept trying to get out of Gemma’s way. When we stopped for our photo shoot, I riled them both up by rolling around and while these photos look like we’re calm and under control, it was mayhem for the first five minutes (of which Gretchen only captured a millisecond of the chaos!).

After everyone went home, I got to play some fetch, but only for a short bit because Gretchen was off to work at the pool. Funny — school (with two o’s) and pool (with two o’s). Cool!

Oh, before I forget, I met a new dog this weekend. Her name is Eloise and she’s 16 years old! I guess that’s why she curled up on the chair and fell asleep!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Rubin

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August 27, 2010

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I Found It!

I was worried the yesterday that I’d missed September. Thursday felt more like October and less like the end of August then I’d ever known in my 3 and a half short years. It was worrisome. But today, all felt right with the world. August’s warmth returned, but with September humming all around its edges. I sighed with relief because if you didn’t know by my post yesterday, I really like September. I like October, too, but September has sort of a special place in my heart. I don’t really know why, but it does.

Our day was full, but not too full, which gave me time to really enjoy the final days of August and contemplate the fun I’ll have in September. Our walks started with Monty and as we strolled through the park, up on the hill, and through the gardens I felt content. That’s when it struck me that September feels like contentment — that all is right in the world because the seasons are shifting and Mother Nature is in control.

I like knowing she’s in charge because sometimes humans need to be reminded. Sometimes humans think they have complete control and they need some subtle (and not so subtle) nudges. September is a nice nudge, letting humans know that all those hot days are in the past, the earth is spinning, and seasons will bring rain and wind, snow (I hope so) and chilly temperatures and then spin back around to bring green and warmth, gentle showers and bluer skies.

But I digress. Monty and I enjoyed our walk and rested (after a nice brunch) while Gretchen walked Rosie and Tyson. The nice thing about cooler weather is that the tennis courts are open and boy, Tyson and Rosie were each pleased about that!

Gemma kind of reminds me of autumn (must be her amber coat) though I’m not sure she pays any attention to the weather. She walked with Oshi and Perrito and as you can see by the photos, Gemma is always scanning the horizon for activity (read trouble) while Perrito is focused on Gemma and Oshi is focused on home. For Oshi, the changing seasons means curling up under the covers for a longer time each morning.

Gemma came by to play a bit with me and Monty. I wasn’t into playing much, but boy Monty was! I let them chase me or at least try to find me to chase me and then Gemma and Monty romped while I watched and laughed.

After we took Gemma home, Monty and I got to play some fetch. We’d played on Wednesday, too, but the weather was a lot warmer then and it was hard to sustain the romp. Mostly we just hung out in the shade. Today we played hard, though mostly Gretchen took photos of us hanging out in the shade, which is equally as fun as chasing after the ball.

It’s great to be off leash!

We picked up Saber then and he helped me walk Monty back to our house. Monty’s slowing down a bit as he gets older so he needs to rest a bit more. So we walked the long way home and while Monty rested, Saber and I played in the pool and wrestled on the lawn.

I took Saber home after that and then Gretchen walked Monty home because she is working tonight at the pool. Me? I’m resting and keeping my nose in the air for the scent of sweet September.

Have a great weekend,

Rubin

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August 26, 2010

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Did I Miss September?

Yesterday it was 83 degrees. That was the high and boy, was I hot! Today, it was 63 degrees, barely. That’s 20 degrees difference. Did I miss something here? Usually, as the kids prepare to go back to school and August wanes, September follows with all those children in their new clothes and their new school supplies scurrying across the playground and heading into their new classrooms.

But today, there were ominous clouds in the sky, much much colder temperatures, and rain. Plus there weren’t any kids anywhere and that’s when I turned to Gretchen and asked, “Did I miss September?”

She smiled and said, “No buddy, we’ve just had a huge weather change.”

Huge? I should say so. One minute I can only think about swimming in the lake and the next I just want to curl up on my bed and have a blanket thrown over me. I’m glad, though, that I haven’t missed September because it’s one of the nicest months in Seattle. When I think of September I think of blue…you know that blue sky that burns your eyes it’s so blue? When I think of September I think of cool mornings and warm afternoons. When I think of September, I think of yellowing edges to leaves and the smell of something fruity — apples and grapes and something I can’t quite put my nose on. When I think of September…

Rubin stop! It’s still August. I don’t want to think about September for at least another week.

Oh sorry, Gretchen. I guess I got carried away.

I would say so.

Okay, so let me focus on this day of August…one of the last days until September…

Rubin…

Yeah, right. Today was less vigorous (and less hot!) than yesterday. We had 8 dogs yesterday to today’s 4 and that means it wasn’t as exhausting nor quite as fun.

Really? It was less fun today?

Well, I guess I like to be busy and it wasn’t as busy today.

But you went a nice long walk with Ollie, got bumped around by Gemma and Saber, and if that wasn’t enough, I took you out for a game of fetch.

Does it sound like I’m complaining?

A little bit. I just didn’t want the dogs you we saw today to feel like it wasn’t as fun as yesterday.

Maybe the word for it isn’t “fun” but rather “lively.” Yesterday was more lively than today.

Okay. I suppose that sounds better.

And it was nice to have a break from so many walks.

I have to agree. My feet are tired.

Mine, too.

So on with it?

Okay, on with it. First up was Ollie and as usual, he was thrilled to see us. We walked down by the lake, then up the big stairs…

…and then stopped at a sweet little waterfall where Ollie accidentally dipped his tail in!

Then I got to spend some silly time with Rosie.

It looks like you played cookie fetch again!

Yep, and as you can tell, she LOVED it!

The best part was that later, when you and I played fetch on the same field, I found the cookies she didn’t find!

I’m always surprised when she doesn’t find them…she’s always searching so hard for them!

Maybe she left them for me on purpose.

Maybe.


And then there’s Gemma and Saber.

Those two are a workout!

For both of us!

But you have to admit they’re kind of cute.

Kind of, but sometimes it’s easier if we walk one and then the other. Remember how many times those leashes got tangled?

True, but they enjoy each other so much that it’s hard to keep them separate.

Ain’t that the truth. It was nearly impossible to keep them separate today!

But you had fun, yes?

Yes, I had fun, but I really had fun playing fetch.

And I really had fun walking in the cooler weather.

When IS September coming?

Six more days, Rubin, just six more days.

Make sure I don’t miss it, okay? I love September!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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August 25, 2010

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Cobwebs

Gretchen did some complaining today, which is rare because she usually doesn’t complain. But this morning I heard some grumbling.

“Darn cobwebs!” she snarked. “Seems like everywhere I turn, I’m running into spider webs and cobwebs!”

She thinks she has it bad! She should try being a dog who walks through them all the time and I don’t even have any hands to wipe them from my face! Instead of joining in on her rant, I calmly tried to console her. “Yeah, I know. They seem exceptional abundant this year.”

“And persistent,” she added. “Seems like every morning I walk right into the same spider web at the gate. You’d think I’d learn!”

It’s true. The webs we’ve run into have been sturdy and plentiful and quickly repaired. I don’t mind them that much unless a spider drops out of them and onto my curls. That kind of creeps me out, but generally, the web itself, while irritating, doesn’t send me over the edge like it does Gretchen. Of course, those fine threads seem to really hang on her and hours after she’s walked through a web, she’s still pulling strands from her hair, off her glasses, and trying to fling them from her hands.

It doesn’t help that she can’t tell if it’s her gray hair stuck on the rim of her glasses or a spider’s web. I guess both are annoying. And I guess it doesn’t help that the sun was so bright today it glared out any evidence of cobwebs so we walked through a lot of them. And let me tell you, we did a lot of walking today!

First up was Monty. He was, as usual, happy to see us and particularly pleased that we came for a walk before it got really hot. “I just wilt in the heat!” he told me. I know how he feels.

Together we walked up to get Woobie and after our nice long walk up on the ridge and back down to our house, she hung out with us for awhile. Doubly nice was that the house was still cool and we didn’t have to hoof it out in the unusually warm weather.

Gretchen did though, and her she told me she sweated like a pig.

“I didn’t know pigs sweated?” I said.

“Oh yeah,” said Monty, “It’s amazing!”

“When have you seen a pig sweat?” asked Woobie.

“Uh…well…”

“I thought so,” Woobie smiled.

Meanwhile, Gretchen was out battling the heat and the cobwebs first on a walk with Oshi and Perrito…

…and then on a walk with Gemma and Zoe.

None of them seemed to notice the cobweb issue, though all of them noticed the climbing thermometer! It’s especially tough on Zoe with her black hair, though the two of didn’t seem to mind too much…

…especially when the squirrel raced up the tree right above Gretchen’s head!

Monty and I didn’t have to walk Woobie home either. Saber had the honors and he wasn’t pleased that the photo took place not in the cool shade, but right out in the hot open. Gretchen told him, “Sorry, Saber it’s just that I pass this cool ceramic mural all the time and I’ve always wanted to get a photo of some dogs here.”

“Yeah, but it’s hot!” moaned Saber.

“Just grin, Saber,” Woobie told him, “And we can be on our way.”

“Oh, okay! I can do that!”

Saber swung by our house to pick up Monty and me who were resting quite nicely in the cool breeze of the fan. “Come on, Monty,” I told him. “It’s our turn to walk Saber home.”

“Alrighty!” Monty sprung into action and got particularly happy when he realized that after Saber got dropped off, we’d get to play some fetch!

Not too much, though because it was hot hot hot out there so we’d fetch our balls and then just crash in the shade.

Usually that’s the end of our Wednesday’s activities, but today I got to go with Gretchen over to Paige’s house and pick her up for a visit and a walk! When I brought her home where Monty was waiting, boy was he every happy. He really likes Paige and followed her around until eventually, we all just rested in the shade of the backyard.

Monty went home after that (he was a little sad…he really likes her), but Gretchen said that three big dogs at the lake was just too much for her to handle after 10 miles of walking today!

So Monty went home, while Paige and I walked another 3 miles down to the lake and back with a brief stop to cool ourselves off in the water! No photos of that as Gretchen was in the lake with us and she didn’t want to get her camera wet!

But here we are resting on the bench above the lake and as you can see, I’m a bit wet while Paige looks very dry. She’s not, she just looks that way!

Paige came back to our house and we hung out. Well, actually Paige hung out and I did everything I could to engage her in a game of chase and wrestling. She wasn’t exactly sure what to do with me! Instead, she just hung out with Ann hoping that she would be saved from my craziness!

Eventually, we just rested in the shade and then Paige went back into the house and rested on the cool bamboo floors right where the office window blows in a really nice breeze. She’s one smart dog, that Paige!

On our way out the door to return Paige back to her Mom, Gretchen ran smack dab into another spider web. It was, in fact, the same spider web that set her off to complaining this morning. “Jeez,” she said a bit perturbed and then we both laughed. “Oh well, what can I do, Rubin?”

“Keep your mouth closed?” I winked at her. Even Paige laughed at that.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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August 24, 2010

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Are You Out There? Can You Hear Me?

I’ve learned a lot as a Dog Blogger. For one thing, I’ve learned that every day I can check my “stats” to find out how many people have visited our site. While at first the number was around 50 or so, recently the number has skyrocketed. I mean last Friday there 1,015 “hits” on our site and only 46 of them were what are called “uniques” meaning that 46 new people visited the website. In other words, 969 people have visited us before!

Whoa! How can that be? No one ever leaves us a comment on our comment page (well, rarely) and we only have 11 full-time clients. So as I was working today, I asked myself – Who on earth are these people?

I asked our clients today. “Hey Ollie, who do you think is looking at pictures of you and me play?”

“People are looking at me? Where? When? I don’t see them?”

“They’re not here,” I told him, “They’re on the website.”

“There are people on the website? I thought we were just there?” he said.

I tried, really, I tried to make him understand, but my buddy Ollie is all about being a good boy, posing for the photos, so he can earn a treat. He’s such a good dog , but he doesn’t know much about blogging.

So then I had Gretchen ask Rosie. Rosie response?

“Gee, I bet they’re people who like Boxers,” she said, “Or maybe they like flowers because whenever you take me walking, you take as many photos of flowers as you do of me.”

Gretchen’s response, “That’s because you’re as beautiful as a flower, Rosie!”

“And named for one, too!” she smiled.

I was hesitant to ask Gemma because sometimes Gemma never really hears me. She’s too busy scouting out who or what she can pester, but today, on our walk with Zoe, she said, “They’re Irish people who want to look at an Irish dog!”

“Wait just a minute,” Zoe interrupted. “I’m not Irish. I’m Bernese.”

“Where is Bernese?” Gemma snorted.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s close to Ireland,” said Zoe.

“Jeez, you guys,” I said, “Bernese dogs are originally from Switzerland. They a really old breed, sometimes known as “yellow cheeks” and I don’t think that’s why people are clicking on our site.”

“Could be, you never know,” said Zoe.

“But I think they’re Irish not Switzerlandish,” said Gemma.

“That’s Swiss,” I corrected her.

“Swiss? Do you have lisp or something?” she asked.

Oh my.

Sometimes my job is a lot harder than it looks!

As you can see, I wasn’t getting much help and while Saber is young and I didn’t have much hope that he’d know a lot about the internet, we were all out of clients for the day so I thought I’d give it a go.

“So Saber…” but before I even got the question out, he was off fetching a ball in the lake. Boy, that guy likes to swim, but even more, he likes to fetch the ball that I like to fetch, which means that he waits to jump on me as I swim in.

Hard to ask questions when you’re swimming, but on the way home, I asked. “Saber, do you know much about the internet?”

“Sure do, Rubin. What do you want to know?”

I told him about the “uniques” and if it really means that 969 people are revisiting our site. He said, “Well, it could be, but it might also be that people are searching for something like a dog photograph, of which you have many, or perhaps are searching for a certain thing, like a Saber, and they click on the website because those are all things you can find there — Sabers and dog pictures.”

“But are they always the same person?” I wondered?

“Could be, but more than likely they access the site via the same link like Facebook or one of the other websites where your site is mentioned,” he explained. “Still, that’s a lot of hits. You should be proud!”

Wow, what a wealth of information Saber was! Gretchen told me that’s because he’s young and the youth of today are far more technologically savvy then the older generation.

Does that mean I’m older? Wait a minute!

Regardless, if you are visiting the site and you like what you see, drop us a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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August 23, 2010

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The View From Here

There are days when the views around here just take my breath away. Today was one of those days. We had rain this weekend and while many moan and groan about rain, it does one thing very well– cleans the air.

Clean air means great views of the mountains, of the city, of the gardens and parks and all the great places where we live.

When this kind of weather rolls around (cool in the mornings, warm in the afternoons), a big smile races across my face. I just know that on our walks, the views will be spectacular. All of our dog walking clients noticed the views as well, so though we don’t have a ton of photos today, you’ll notice that everyone is paying attention to the view.

First up, Rosie and Tyson and while Tyson knew to look at the camera, Rosie kept trying to get him to look over his shoulder at the Cascades, the lake, and Mt. Rainier.

“Hey Tyson,” said Rosie, “If I look this way, all I see is grass!”

“Yeah, but Rosie,” said Tyson, “If we look at the camera, we always, and I mean ALWAYS, get a treat!”

“Good point!”

While it looks like Perrito is the only one looking at the view behind us, Gemma and I are actually scoping out the view over Gretchen’s shoulder. Okay, so it’s not a view of the mountains or of water or even of a garden. Nope, we were watching three dogs playing fetch in the field. Perrito, meanwhile, is checking out the view of the open field behind us — the open field he LOVES to run in — and Oshi, well, he’s doing what Oshi always does — he’s figuring out the shortest route back home!

By the time Saber and I went for a walk, the view of the city was pretty amazing. So amazing, we both had to check it out!

But then, with the promise of snacks, we posed both sitting…

and lying down…

And yes, we got some treats for being so well behaved.

Tomorrow’s weather promises much of the same. Hopefully we’ll actually get shots of all the beautiful things we’re viewing!

Until then,

Rubin

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August 20, 2010

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The Shorter My Ears, The Longer My Legs

I was sleeping soundly this morning when Gretchen reached over the bed to pet my belly. “Wow, Rubin,” she said, “Your legs look so long.”

I was still half asleep and replied, “That’s because my ears are short.”

She laughed. Then I laughed and for most of the morning, we couldn’t stop laughing.

What I meant to say was — with my ears shorter since my grooming, it makes my legs look longer. In other words, it’s all a matter of perspective and I really haven’t changed in height or leg length. Still, it was fun to laugh this morning and realize that life doesn’t have to be all serious. Not that it has been of late, but laughing first thing in the morning was a great way to start our Friday.

Another great way was to spend the first part of the day with Monty, my best friend in all the world (no offense to any of my other friends, it’s just that he was my first true friend and has been my steadfast buddy ever since!).

I think that’s how Rosie must feel about Tyson — they’re two siblings, but from what Gretchen tells me they’re really best friends. For instance, when I need to feel okay about the world, I turn to Monty. Rosie, Gretchen says, does the same with Tyson. It’s kind of cute, don’t you think?

Oshi and Perrito are buddies as well, but Gemma has kind of adopted them has her special buddies as well. Whenever she walks to their house to pick them up (they live next door to us), she gets really excited, races up the steps, and today, even made herself comfortable on the couch! No one seemed to mind, except Gretchen, so on the walk, they recreated the couch pose on a bulkhead!

The final dog of the day was Saber and Monty and I are both grooming him for buddy status. He’s more than ready for the job, don’t ya think?

Of course, he’s young still and there’s a lot to teach him, but luckily we get to spend a lot of time with Saber so we have lots and lots of teachable moments!

The day began with a laugh and ended with a big yawn. Yep, it’s Friday and I’m one tired pup. We sure hope you all have a great weekend!

Until then…sweet dreams,

Rubin

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August 19, 2010

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Close to home and far afield…

When we started this business a couple years ago, all of our clients were within walking distance of our home. It was really nice. We’d head out, walk a few blocks, pick up a dog and head out on a long walk around the neighborhood. Thankfully, our neighborhood is close to many parks and really close to the lake. In 15 minutes we can be there, have a lot of fun, and then head home, tired and wet.

But our business has grown and some of our clients have moved farther away and some of our new clients don’t live within walking distance, so now we get in the car, head to other neighborhoods, explore them with our clients, and then head home for some snacks and water. We like all of our walks and while we fondly remember those days when we walked from one client to the next, I must say, there are some great adventures to have out there in the world and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk in places I rarely get to go.

That’s how it was this morning when we fetched Woobie who lives the farthest north on our route and drove to pick up Ollie, who lives the farthest south on our route.

The three of us (plus Gretchen) walked through Ollie’s neighborhood and found lots of places to “perch” for our photos.

As you can see, it was rather windy…and gray and cloudy…but eventually it all cleared up…but not the first thing this morning. For our first walk it felt a bit like fall, but that didn’t stop us from having a nice long walk through some really nice neighborhoods.

Rosie (and her brother, Tyson) live close by, so Gretchen walked over to her house and off they went to play fetch in the park. Rosie loves to play treat fetch! But still those clouds and the wind hung around.

Woobie hung out at our house for part of the day and slept right by me most of the morning. I tried not to sleep, but as you can see…

Gemma lives really close to Rosie and really close to Saber. So on her way back from her time with Ms. Rose, Gretchen picked up Gemma then headed over to Saber’s house and off they went again to the lake. Saber was THRILLED…Gemma, not so much. Still Saber tried to engage her by lifting her up, showing her the ball, and my favorite, lying down in the water — an aquatic play bow!

While Gemma got wet and even longingly looked at the water from afar, Saber is a no-fear kind of dog and he frolicked and swam like only a Labrador can!

We took Woobie home then and I thought our day was over, but as the clouds started to part and the sun showed its yellow, I realized that we weren’t driving home after dropping off Woobie.

We were driving to Paige’s house! Yahoo! Paige lives the farthest west on our route and while we occasionally walk around her neighborhood, sometimes Gretchen takes us on adventures. Today was such a day. She said the mountains were calling to her so we all piled into the car, headed east, and landed in one of my favorite spots — Rattlesnake Lake!

But we weren’t just going there for a swim. Nope, we hiked to the ridge first and let me tell you, that was quite an experience. Gretchen had Paige on a flexi-leash — the kind that extends out really far — and I was on a bungee leash, the kind that snaps to Gretchen’s backpack. Only that combination didn’t work.

Paige, as I may have mentioned, is a huntress and being in the mountains really brought out her hunting instincts. About a quarter-mile into the hike, Gretchen’s shoulder was sore from Paige pulling so she decided to give Paige my leash and I got to go off-leash! (Don’t worry, I was amazingly good…so good, in fact, Gretchen said I made her proud!). Giving Paige my leash (that hooked to the waist belt of Gretchen’s backpack) was a stroke of genius because Paige literally pulled Gretchen up the mountain and they both got a workout.

Now, while I like exploring new places, I’m not very fond of high places and all the way up the mountain I kept thinking, “I’ve been here before and I think it’s very high up.” To steel myself, I walked right next to Paige (the most confident dog I know) and braced myself for the top. Only the scariest part wasn’t the height. Nope, it was the chipmunks!

No, I’m not scared of chipmunks, but remember how Paige is great at hunting? Well, when we got to the top chipmunks heard us coming and scurried hither and thither into every nook and crevice on the steep, rock ledge. Paige went crazy. “Oh my DOG!” she shouted from the mountaintop, “Did you see all those chippers, Rubin?”

I’m old enough now to admit that while I did see them, I was too busy smashing myself flat on the ground in fear of falling off the mountainside to really be interested in the chipmunks. Meanwhile, remember how Paige was using my leash? The one that ties onto Gretchen’s backpack? Paige lurched forward toward the edge of the mountain and Gretchen lurched to! She dug her heels into the rock as best she could and held on for fear of both of them flying over!

Wait, wait, wait Rubin! That’s not completely true!

Oh hi, Gretchen. I didn’t realize you were READING OVER MY SHOULDER!

Yes, I am and while I love a good story, don’t exaggerate too much. Paige did lurch but we weren’t that close to the edge and while I know she’d fly right over if she hadn’t been leashed up, I had things under control.

You did?

Yes, I did and while you were holding on for dear life, you missed the whole thing.

I wasn’t that bad, was I?

Well, remember when the nice guy took our photo and you kept trying to crawl underneath me?

Oh yeah…

And Paige kept trying to find the chipmunks?

Oh yeah…I guess I wasn’t really paying attention, though I did see you snap a photo of the nice man who took our photo and the friends he was with!

Well, they forgot their camera and I didn’t want them to miss the photo opportunity.

You rarely miss those!

Besides, we’re all safe and sound now with our feet off the mountain and you have to admit, you had a pretty good time!

I’ll admit it, but I’ll also admit that coming down the mountain was a lot more fun than going up!

What about the swimming?

Icing on an already magnificent cake!

Okay, you may continue with your daily blog…

Thanks though there’s not much left to tell! You’re right though, it was a grand day. We literally covered all four corners today and every inch of it was perfection! I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Until then,

Rubin

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August 18, 2010

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The Circle Game

I’ve been having a hard time keeping up these days. The summer is a busy time and if we aren’t working we’re off on errands, visiting friends, or entertaining friends at our house. It’s made it difficult to keep up with the writing part of my job since I’m either not here until late at night or I am here, but enjoying my friends.

I think all of this is about to change, that life is going to slow down a bit more because this morning, when I woke up, it was dark. You may be asking, what does a dark morning have to do with being less busy, and it’s good that you ask because it’s exactly the same question I asked myself. “Why do I have this sense that life is going to slow down soon?”

It took me awhile to figure out the connection, but after I did my morning stretches, went outside to take care of my morning business, and then curled up on my bed downstairs to wait for the start of the work day it hit me — Autumn is coming. In other words, the seasons are changing.

Summer is a wonderful time — it’s warmer (for the most part), it’s lighter for longer, and each day is filled with amazingly fun activities — hiking, swimming, vacationing, visiting, and on and on. But as much fun as it is, around this time of the year (mid-August) I start to get tired and I wonder how much longer I can keep up the pace of summer activities.

That’s when the light starts to change. The sun goes down earlier and comes up later. Clouds often cover the morning sky and there’s a chill in the air early in the mornings and late in the evenings. Many people I know don’t like the change of seasons. They are happy with sunshine and blue skies and hate to see the days shorten and the nights lengthen.

Not me. I love the cycle of the seasons and even though I’m sad to know that soon I won’t be swimming in the lake anymore or jumping into my friend Ben’s pool, I’m looking forward to the leaves changing colors, to the fall hikes in the mountains, and most of all, to the possibility of snow.

But mostly, I love the cycle of the seasons because it makes me realize that there’s something bigger than us, that we aren’t really in charge. We like to think we are (humans especially, but sometimes dogs, too), but really it’s mother nature and no matter how much we may mess with her, she does things that bring me comfort — diminishing light, chilly dew on the grass, the slant of morning sun, the scent of winter’s arrival.

Gretchen says she likes spring and autumn most of all the seasons because they are those in between times when life is transitioning between birth and death. She also likes the coming of autumn and winter because she loves to wear sweaters and frankly, it’s been way to hot to think about anything even resembling a sweater.

But lately, I’ve noticed she’s donned a sweatshirt in the mornings and sometimes in the evenings as well. She’s turned on lights in the morning as well and has slept better because the sun hasn’t knocked on her eyelids as early as before.

I like the coming of the fall as well if only because it means a little less activity around this place. My other mother, Ann, will soon return back to teaching and while I’ll miss hanging out with her, I look forward to the changing routine — rising earlier and Saturday naps to name a few changes.

After I woke up this morning and realized that autumn is around the corner, I paid closer attention to the leaves on the trees — some are turning yellow even now — the last of the summer flowers, and way the sun sits lower in the sky. As you can see from many of the photos, Monty and I hung out together a lot today and even though we didn’t hang with Gemma and Saber, I think they both noticed the seasonal changes as well.

Okay, maybe they didn’t, but they will soon enough. I mean, it’s hard not to notice the darker mornings and the chillier nights, but sometimes Gemma and Saber have one-track minds (each other) and are perhaps too young still to grasp the immensity of it all. It’s a circle game in many ways that what goes around comes back around again. For them, of course, the circle game is really a game of chase, but I know they’ll come to understand the bigger picture soon enough.

While some of you may dread what’s coming, I welcome it and encourage you all to embrace the coming changes.

After all, what would it be like around here if nothing changed?

That’s the question Monty and I were pondering today…we hope you get some time to ponder it as well.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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August 17, 2010

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Learning Opportunities

Gretchen made a minor mistake at work last night and stayed up half the night worrying about it. She’s like that. Little things carry a big weight with her and if worry were edible, she’d consume her body weight in the stuff. So you can imagine, I had to have a consoling conversation with her that went something like this:

ME: I don’t like to think of them as mistakes.

HER: Oh really, Rubin, what do you call them?

Learning opportunities.

(Smile) And what mistakes have you made lately that you’ve learned something from?

I can think of one from today as a matter of fact.

Do tell.

You know how I don’t like to always eat breakfast, right?

I would have to say you rarely like to eat breakfast unless we’ve been swimming or one of your friends is here to encourage you on.

Yes, those are both truths, but we’re not going to discuss what makes me eat, okay?

I was just sayin…

Okay, as I was saying, I don’t always eat my breakfast, which is a mistake because as the morning progresses, I get hungry, really hungry.

So hungry you sometimes eat grass and then throw up.

Let’s not go into gory details. The point is that you’re right, eating breakfast is better for me and when I don’t eat it, I feel kind of crummy later on.

I appreciate your admitting that…

Well, thank you…

…but I’d like to point out you still go without eating breakfast so I’m not sure how you’ve learned anything.

I’m in the process of learning. That’s the beauty of mistakes — you can make the same one more than once and the world still doesn’t fall apart.

Do you stop making the mistake once you’ve learned?

No always.

So I guess I’m missing your point.

You can’t be perfect all the time, in fact, you can’t be perfect most of the time, which means that mistakes are a part of our lives from now until we die.

What about really big mistakes?

I wouldn’t know. I’ve never made a really big mistake.

Oh you haven’t, have you?

You doubt me?

Let’s just say I have a different perspective.

Come on! I’m a dog. How many really big mistakes can I make? I mean, I didn’t cause the banks to fail or cause unemployment. Those are really big mistakes.

Do you think people learned their lessons?

I don’t know those people. I just know you and I know you are way too hard on yourself and that if you made a really, really big mistake like that, you’d learn from it after feeling really, really bad and contrite.

Contrite? Wow, your vocabulary is really expanding.

Thank you, but that’s beside the point.

So could you please review the point so I’m sure I really get it?

Humans. Sometimes I wonder how on earth you became our masters.

I wonder sometimes too, buddy because frankly I learn far more from you than I do from most humans.

(Blushing) Shucks, thanks.

So your point?

You’re going to make mistakes in your life, Gretchen — big and little. You have to forgive yourself just like you forgive me when I bark uncontrollably at our weird neighbor or hog the bed or don’t come when you call me. You have to be as gentle and as loving with yourself as you are with me. Last night’s mistake was minor and no one thought otherwise, especially your boss. She just wanted you to learn from your mistake that’s why she pointed it out.

(Silence)

Do you understand?

Yeah, I get it, but I was just thinking…

Oh no, that always gets us into trouble…

(Smile) Thanks, but I was thinking that you are one special little fellow.

(Wag, wag, wag, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle) We’re pretty lucky to have each other!

And we’re pretty lucky to have such a great job.

That’s “jobs” in your instance…

Yeah, I’m pretty lucky to have two great jobs where I’m allowed to make mistakes, learn from them, and be forgiven.

Today’s job was pretty sweet, don’t you think?

Hot, but sweet.

We shouldn’t complain because remember in February when it rains for days and days on end and all we can think about is warm sunny weather? Now we have the warm sunny weather and…

…all I can think about is cooler temperatures and snow!

Oh, that does sound good!

You have to admit, it felt warmer today than yesterday even though the thermostat said otherwise.

I do admit that. I think it was warmer because it was more humid and there wasn’t a breeze.

You’re probably right and I’m not working at the pool tonight, which is always a really cool place to be in weather like this!

Yeah, I’m kind of envious.

You’re just envious because you LOVE to swim!

I do indeed.

Did you enjoy swimming with Ollie today?

Yes, though he’s kind of funny about the water.

He did a great job swimming out to fetch the ball.

But then he swam overhand to bring it back and that was kind of funny.


Well, not all dogs can swim as well as you can.

Does Rosie like to swim?

No, she doesn’t like water too much though today we walked up to the Bradner Gardens and saw Laurie at her pea patch.

Did you say hi to her from me?

Yep, I did, but it was actually Rosie who said hello and then, because Laurie was watering her patch, we decided to hose down Rosie to cool her off for the walk back home.

Uh oh, how did that go?

Amazingly well! She stood there and let us get her wet and then she lifted her leg up so we’d spray down her belly!

It was hot enough that Rosie liked the water?

Yep, I guess it was.

Zoe LOVES the water like me, doesn’t she?

Yep and because it was so warm, Gemma and I walked her to the lake where they both took a dip!

And it looks like Gemma did a little rock climbing.

Yes, well, you know Gemma…always an adventurer though she struggled with how to get off the rock, as you can see.

And then there’s Saber.

Yep, he loves the water and has learned to really enjoy the kiddie pool.

Only he doesn’t fit in it so well, does he?

He makes it work.

And he loves to steal my ball.

He loves to steal what you want, Rubin because he adores you!

If he adores me so much, why does he taunt me?

Because despite his size, he’s still a puppy.

A big puppy!

(Laughter!)

Are you feeling better about last night, Gretchen?

Much better. Thanks for talking me through it and thanks for being such a great dog dog walker!

You bet. Hey, can I get a massage now?

Anything for you, Rubes!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin


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