MaggieMoose: Monterey Tails & Flippers

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be."

Ken Venturi

  My trip to Monterey and Carmel to check out the 'dog friendly' community brought back a slew of memories. It was twofold. I had memories of childhood family fun spent in this community and I was fast forwarded to the present day thinking of Maggie. When I watched the harbor seals I thought how much their behavior reminded me of Maggie. The seals were very playful. How they seemed to love their naps in the sun. These descriptions were most definitely MaggieMoose character traits. 

I could envision Maggie's snug body melted against the rail in relaxation mode. Knowing Maggie she wouldn't be in the dog pile. She'd be up on the rail in her own little world away from the madding crowd. It reminded me of all of life's euphemisms my dad use to teach me back in my childhood's Carmel beach days. My dad always wanted to get the point across that we need to focus on ourselves first. Messages of be the best we can personally be, while always remaining kind to others. Coming full circle; Maggie already knows life's truths. She came to me fully loaded with all this good wisdom of living. She can be off on her own little world or fit in with the others. She's game either way. Just like the harbor seals of Monterey. Thanks for the memories dad. Thanks world for my gift of MaggieMoose.

CLICK YOUTUBE: Yes Maggie Seals Bark (and dogs too)

MaggieMoose-ish Christmas Past

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."

Laura Ingalls Wilder

MaggieMoose Christmas 2011

  Maggie is getting very excited with the new Moose gifts pouring in. She sniffs and sniffs and sniffs them all. We have stuffed moose toys, moose ornaments and more. So MaggieMoose-ish! It takes me back to Christmas past. Looking at Maggie's 2011 photo at Christmas time with her elk antler makes me reminisce. I remember about her human siblings' Christmas past. I still have a photo of the twin girls taken with Santa in a key fob. When my daughter Christy saw Santa at different places she would tell me "That's not the real Santa, the real Santa lives at Stanford Shopping Center". I had to agree with her, the real Santa did use to live there before his big Christmas eve night. I saw the proof, his beard was real when she tugged on it while sitting in his lap. It seems like yesterday our book shelves were filled with Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books....

As we reflect on those childhood memories Santa comes alive in our hearts. Maggie's friskiness during her first Christmas was great fun. I remember her being perplexed when the ornaments looked like her tennis balls. I could see the dilemma in her puppy mind playing out do I dare play with these? When she walked by the tree she was always doing a double-take looking at those Christmas ornaments. Hysterical. It's fun to become a child again at Christmas time. Maggie and I know where the real Santa lives.