Window of Weather

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"On cable TV they have a weather channel - 24 hours of weather. We had something like that where I grew up. We called it a window."

Dan Spencer 

Maggie's twig & sunshine

  Rain, rain, rain came down, down, down.... This song is from Winnie the Pooh's Blustery Day. This morning I thought the song was about my neighborhood. I looked outside the window and rain, rain, rain with blustery wind was everywhere. No, I didn't need to turn on the TV's weather channel for today's forecast! Outside was wet as ever. It spoiled my desire to walk in the sunshine with Maggie like we did yesterday. It meant getting the beach towels out to dry Miss Maggie off after our walk. Maggie won't have time to leisurely pick up twigs in the sunshine. The wet ground for her spells "t-r-a-c-k-i-n-g". She'll be sniffing the wet ground thinking she's gone "tracking" somebody's scent again. Pooh's blustery day of pools of water are everywhere. Maybe we'll see Piglet's note in a bottle stating HELP or Pooh in a honey pot go floating by? Yes, the window tells all for our blustery day ahead. Rain, rain, rain came down, down, down... but, with Maggie any day is fun rain or shine!

PLAY: Winnie the Pooh's Rain song from his blustery day

Wake Up And Experience The Ridiculous!

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning."

Albert Camus

Maggie & 3 tennis balls

  This morning I read another dog blogger's post (No Ruff Days) which showed a photo of cute dog with 3 tennis balls in its mouth. The funny thing is this morning Maggie had lost 3 tennis balls under the couch. Being a true grit tennis ball lover this was a major dilemma for Maggie! I retrieved all 3 of the balls for her. She looked at me with that 'Now what do I do?' look. I wondered if Maggie would be able to put 3 tennis balls in her mouth? I gave her one tennis ball and she put it in her mouth. The other 2 balls she batted away. I guess one ball was enough for her. I wasn't done with this silly experiment. We might be onto greatness here! I physically lifted her upper lip to see if it was possible for 3 balls to fit. The answer was a big fat NO. It's OK, Maggie's a petite 45lb-er who doesn't need to show off by putting 3 balls in her mouth. But, what delicious, glorious, and ridiculous fun it was trying out our experiment! Maggie's a good sport so, she tolerated my zaniness. By the way, I found a photo of a dog online that fit 4 tennis balls in its mouth. For Maggie, she'll stick with having fun with just one!

Maggie with 1 tennis ball

Blossoms of Gratitude

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

Marcel Proust

Flowers at Stanford

  I was talking to a friend yesterday about gratitude. During Oprah Winfrey's interview with Lady Gaga on her OWN channel  a couple weeks back I heard how Oprah had mentioned keeping a gratitude journal. Oprah had said to list 5 things daily one is grateful for. Lady Gaga kept such a journal which they shared about on the TV show. I thought to myself that's easy to do. I will start with my dog Maggie for the first item. She's an overflowing cup of sugar everyday, second is for my family, third is for the sun after the rain, fourth is for the beautiful flowers in springtime, and the fifth is for the gift of some pumpkin pie in the month of March from a dear friend! My soul blossoms everyday from life's gardeners in my life! I'm grateful.

Maggie in the merry month of March 2012

Singing In The Rain

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow."

Gilbert K. Chesterton

 orange blossoms

  The forecast for today's California dew was showers likely in the morning and showers likely in the afternoon.  Showers! I thought bah humbug as I needed to walk Maggie. Another complaint inside of me started to surface. Criminy, I have to walk in the big rain-showers! Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for us to both getting soaked. Whiny moments.

The lazy voice on one side of me was screaming "Don't do it, think of all the work drying Maggie off!" 

The battle of the voices continued with the angelic voice whispering "Maggie needs her walk, come on, it will be fun!"

My final thought was, OK, I'll do it. 

I put on my rain boots, got Maggie's leash on her, and we headed out into the rain.  The rain was lightly sprinkling. We ran into our friendly gardener cleaning up after last night's stormy weather, and we both had a great time in the fresh air getting some exercise. What a great walk we had! I felt like Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain! Perhaps, a little drier, but still very happy Maggie and I walked in the rain together with smiles on our faces.

Maggie and my rain boots ready to dry off

PLAY: SINGING IN THE RAIN

ps. only complaint-sideways photo of Maggie (blog's preference not mine)

Licking Your Face Lovin'....

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."

Ben Williams

Maggie & her toys around my chair

  Maggie loves to hang around me with her toys while I type things up on my laptop, check my email, or visit YouTube. One by one Maggie pulls her toys from her toy bin. Little by little the floor area starts looking like a pre-school with toddler goodies left everywhere. Her tennis ball always shows up. She drops it by my feet on the floor. I throw it down the hallway for its retrieval over and over again. Maggie is just so lovable that I end up on the floor with her and the toys. My reward among the toys is getting wet doggy licks all over my face. My dog Maggie's puppy love fills my life with no psychiatrist needed. 

  

  

My Dog Appreciation Day

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, `My God, you're RIGHT! I NEVER would've thought of that!'"
Dave Barry 

Morning time Maggie

  Waking up to my velvet fur ball Maggie is the BEST! Troubles melt, joy abounds, and fun happens. Maggie is always ready to listen, chase balls, or garble talk to me with a toy stuffed in her mouth. Maggie hugs me by lunging her whole body into mine. I then wrap my arms around her 45lb velvety frame. I find myself garble talking back while I'm hugging and loving on her! Kisses are freely given from her sweet face. The touch of her velvet fur is the very best. Her coat feels like mink in my hands. My dog is the best medicine for me to realign my spirit and appreciate life. She really does look at me with the look that says....  `My God, you're RIGHT! I NEVER would've thought of that!' Thanks Maggie!

PLAY: Husky Dog Talking: I Love You

Snatch, Seize, Enjoy

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no delay, no procrastination; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." 

Lord Chesterfield 

three dogs

  On St. Patrick's Day Maggie had her grooming appointment. When I went to pick her up  I stood at the counter waiting. I saw three dogs in the back with the dryers blowing on them. They weren't lined up nicely like in this photo, but I think they sensed I thought they were all special. One by one all three of them decided to line up nicely and pose for me. Snap! I got my shot of the three dogs I'll call Snatch, Seize, and Enjoy! It was a perfect moment in time. I was ready. 

Maggie after her grooming

Tricky Leprechaun Antics...

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"May you have:
A world of wishes at your command.
God and his angels close to hand.
Friends and family their love impart,
and Irish blessings in your heart!"

Anon

photo credit

Maggie and I have been zapped into the netherlands with computer problems thanks to a tricky Leprechaun....

We will return as soon as we catch him....

Yes, you can kiss us, we're Irish. Well Maggie; honorary Irish.

 "Maggie Erin" which translates to Pearl of Ireland





'Ohana Julie

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

'Ohana means family - no one gets left behind, and no one is ever forgotten. 

Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, Lilo & Stitch

Julie Tanzania

Welcome home Julie!

PLAY: Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

Pretty In Pink

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

Guys ask me, don't I get burned out? How can you get burned out doing something you love? I ask you, have you ever got tired of kissing a pretty girl? 

Tommy Lasorda

Maggie

PLAY: Oh, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison

Sizzling....

Flower Power

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

California Poppy

Maggie

PLAY: I Am Beautiful

Moonlight Gratitude

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

Gratitude is the music of the heart, when its chords are swept by the breeze of kindness. 

Author Unknown

Image By *L*u*z*A*

  Last night before darkness I went out. The full moon rising shone so bright it just popped. My simple iPhone camera couldn't capture its magnificence as dusk fell. Nonetheless, I was still grateful for the full moon's presence in the sky. Later in the night after I arrived home the full moon was highly visible against the blanket of darkness. Outside together, Maggie and I looked up for our farewell to the night. The moon reminded me of the beautiful classical piece; Claire de Lune by Debussy. Maggie wagged her tail at me happy I was home again. I too was grateful for my four pawed friend's kindness in seeing her joy in seeing me. Both our hearts heard grateful melodies of nature's beautiful chords being played. A special moment together in moonlight's time; Maggie & me. 

PLAY:  Claire de Lune-Debussy-London Philharmonic

ESS: Extra Special Spaniel

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"Spaniels by Nature are very loving, surpassing all other Creatures, for in Heat and Cold, Wet and Dry, Day and Night, they will not forsake their Master."

Richard Blome

Maggie's 1st birthday 1/22/12

  In my opinion, ESS stands for Extra Special Spaniel, but for those of us lucky enough to own this breed, it really stands for English Springer Spaniel. The American Kennel Club (AKC) describes the temperament of the English Springer Spaniel as having an "eager to please" quality. They go on to describe this breed as "...cheerful and affectionate, Springers love their families...". I can testify they are all that, and much more. Years ago, I fell in love with this breed for their loyalty, easy going nature, and fun factor. It doesn't matter if  they're male or female dogs, because they've the same endearing qualities. 

 "Springer" & me

Their human like eyes glimpse into your soul as you look back into their soul. My belief is both souls intertwine and that is why they never forsake their masters; two souls become one. ESS' also feel this for others of the same breed. I saw this in action when Maggie ran into Jack, another English Springer Spaniel. Maggie's eagerness to run up to Jack was unbelievable. We've come across a lot of dogs in our walks, but I've never seen her enthusiasm for another dog like the day she met Jack. They're kindred spirits with humans and their own kind, never forsaking each other. Like I said; Extra Special Spaniel!

Maggie & Jack

Sidenote:  Jack, if you're reading this Maggie wants to play! 

Would ya drop a line and set up a some ESS time for fun?

PLAY: It Had To Be You  sung by Harry Connick Jr.

All Of Me

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"All of me, why not take all of me?
Can't you see, I'm no good without you..."

Seymour Simons & Gerald Marks

Maggie

  Oh my dog Maggie, sometimes that dang tennis ball love of hers drives me crazy. Take yesterday. Maggie was outside playing and rubbing that tennis ball of hers in the dirt. She continued romping around and then came indoors. I saw the dirt covered ball in her mouth. My thought was to switch the ball with a cleaner version. I threw a clean ball for her so she'd go get it. Maggie gave me a look like "Are you crazy? I already have a ball." She didn't budge. The dirty ball was still in her mouth. Ok, I'm thinking a ball in the mouth is worth two on the ground. You're right Maggie, I give. Full circle; I take all of Maggie, which includes a dirty tennis ball indoors, because I'm no good without her!

PLAY: All of Me sung by Frank Sinatra

Red Robin's Bobbin'

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

When the red, red robin comes
Bob, bob bobbin' along, along,
There'll be no more sobbin' when
He starts throbbin' his old, sweet song.
Wake up, wake up, you sleepy head;
Get up, get up, get out of bed.

Harry Woods

photo credit

  Wake up! Get up! Maggie and I were up and out of the house early this morning for our walk. Cool air was all around us with the sun slowly rising for peaks of light. As we rounded the walk up hearing different birds singing in the trees we looked up and there was a Red Robin high up in the tree. It reminded me of the positive and happy jingle "....when the red robin comes bob bob bobbin' along.... wake up wake up you sleepy head....We smiled as we went inside happy for this beautiful, almost spring day! 

PLAY: When The Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along

Maggie

Maggie Moose Puppy Love

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

Love me and the world is mine.

David Reed

Maggie 7 weeks old

PLAY: Send Me Someone To Love

Maggie's Play Day

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities."

Stuart Brown, MD

Maggie, tennis ball & sunshine

PLAY: Luv Letter

Wet Ground Mysteries

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity."

Eleanor Roosevelt 

Maggie sniffing the wet ground

  Yesterday the wet ground from the rain peaked Maggie's curiosity. Any water on the ground sets her nose off. As a mother, I couldn't resist Maggie's pleasure in sniffing. I relaxed the leash and let her go ahead. Her head automatically went down. She sniffed and sniffed and sniffed with Sherlockian tenacity. I credit this sniffing to her gift of curiosity, but with an added enhancement. This enhanced gift was reinforced through her early "human scent tracking" training as a puppy. The first element used in Maggie's training was water. Simply put; a water trail was laid down with sprayed water in different line configurations. As the water trail was placed the person who laid the trail walked on the water line to leave their human scent. Maggie then "tracked" the trail with her nose to the ground with a long leash line behind her and me on the end. Eventually, I gave up her tracking training to concentrate on her dog obedience skills. Perhaps the fairy godmother's endowment of the gift of curiosity continues onward? Any water on the ground gets Maggie excited, and the game's afoot.

Sunshine Shadows

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine."

Thomas Jefferson

photo credit

  Maggie and I love hearts in all forms. Hearts remind us of friendships, love, a sigh or two, hugs, and the blessings of sunshiny hope. We're thankful for the sunshine shadows. It reminds Maggie and I as we move forward towards the light, we leave the shadows of our growth behind. For us, our friendship is like the precious sunshine cloud in the sky; it shines in its shadow. A hug disguised as a heart. We're grateful for the sunlight & shadows of our friendship. We feel the bountiful rays of sunshiny warmth greater than the coolness of the shade from life's shadows.  

Maggie and Me with our shadows