Snuggling

We generally keep the house relatively chilly to help save energy (and money). We keep ourselves and the pooches covered up, but Bo and Bella have started to snuggle closer and closer than I have ever seen them snuggle before. I don't know if it is the chill in the air or the compromise of sharing preferred beds, but I think it is just too dang cute.

Now even though there are 2 beds, they still shared this one back to back. Awwwwww!

With this new bed, they will literally race to get to this bed first and the loser will pout and watch the other until they get up for whatever reason to steal the spot. But this evening Bo wasn't in the mood to sit sit by as Bella enjoyed the whole bed, so he sucked it up and they shared the bed... peacefully!

Gah! Winter!

It's cold, it's snowy and reluctant to venture out much. So whats to do in Wisconsin when you are a retired greyhound (and an owner that comes from the south and still doesn't get winter sports)? Sleep, relax and find comfort in a warm balnket and a warm partner. Think Spring, think Spring!!!

We found this wonderful bed at Sams and we should have gotten several more. It fits Bo! My leggy 90# dog has a bed that fits all of him. Since then I haven't seen it since, sigh.

On a particularly chilly night we put this warming blanket over Seeya and he was in heaven.

Bella Bean and her papa taking an afternoon snooze together.

New Hound Mobile!

So, we got ourselves a hound friendly car! A Hyundai Santa Fe. We knew we were going to eventually need a vehicle that could carry ourselves, the 2 pooches with room for another person if needed. I love it. The hatch has enough space for the two to lay down without bickering and I don't have them drooling on my shoulder as they try to peek through my window.

After having the car for a couple of weeks we decided to break it in and take the dogs for a walk in an area they haven't been before... for a good 1st experience. Getting them in was a little challenging. Bo isn't that nimble and he doesn't like to jump up into it, but he does when he isn't given much of a choice.

It was COLD, but not windy so it was a very nice day to be out and about, and they are all for any new areas that provide new smells and pee opportunities.

Bo: Hey, this is nice, is this ours?

Bella: Hey I got my own window... was that a squirrel?

Bella: Moooom, Bo is hogging the backseat!

OK we have to be getting close now...

Bella: And we don't live in Arizona because.....??? Brrrrrrrr!

Christmas 2007

Christmas was a great time this year. Bo and Bella were involved with a Secret Hound Santa exchange this year again and I had a great time shopping for their exchanged pups and we all had a good time snooting through the Santa boxes when they came in from their S. Santa. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas filled with love of family and friends !

Wasn't Santa supposed to come last night???

Lounging through a quiet Christmas morning.

Chewey (mom's pup) taking a much needed nap after a few laps in the backyard with Bo and Bella.

Bo coming down after a day's festivities

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Christmas Tree is up!

Twas the weeks before Christmas and all through the house,

2 greyhounds were snoozing, dreaming of treats for their mouths.

The Christmas season is upon us and we are so excited. We participate in a local greyhound secret hound Santa exchange and we've sent ours out for their hounds, and they are excitedly awaiting their secred Santa's boxes.

We've had to have the "talk" with them about which stuffies were for them and which stuffies were for decoration, they either weren't listening or they didn't care, so the decorative stuffies had to be placed well out of reach.

Fortunately Christmas plans this year are small and rather quiet, so we all should enjoy a peaceful reflective day...

Bo "reflecting"

Hey? Was that reindeer we hear??? Oh, no even better! Papa coming out of the "treat room"!!

How can you NOT love that sweet face

Both Bo and Bella sleep with gusto. There is no such thing as a quick snooze or cat nap. They take their sleeping seriously and I have a picture to prove it.

I was working on the computer, doing a couple of projects and downloading pictures when I look behind me and see a face of utter sleeping bliss. Mind you, I had only been on the computer for no more than 10 minutes by this time. I snagged the camera and made sure to shre the blissful sleeping face of my sleeping beatuy Bean. (I'm going to have to watch my shoes, I'm sure she's want to get back at me for posting this picture. :))

They got jammies!!!!

Bo Seeya hates being cold, we learned early last winter that Bo needs something on when he goes to bed, otherwise he is waking us up all night whining with shivers. They have tummy warmers, but this year I went with jammies too. Bella Bean doesn't like to be covered up too much, so I got her a light fabric with only the front legs. Bo went with a thermal fabric to keep the toasty in without the all of the static electricity that fleece can bring. They weren't too big on modeling, but they had little choice in the matter, I had to share the total cuteness of my babies in their jammies!!

Bella Bean looks so sweet in pink butterflies, even with her snarky stink eye in the second picture:

Here is the See curled up and comfortable in his manly blue & black pawed pjs.

Bo Seeya keeps pulling his back legs out of the jammies. I have been rolling them up to keep them on, but he still manages on snaking them out. Here he is, pj legs flapping at his side, doing his happy dance with his favorite hedgie in tow:

Bye!

Stolen moments

Bo and Bella have always gotten along really well. As can be expected in the beginning there was a minor scuffle, but since the 1st week together, they're pretty much inseparable. Although they aren't the biggest snugglers, I see them "appreciate" the other's presence by looking for the other one or snacking side by side without any snarkiness.

Then I caught them in a moment of... "appreciation". It was later in the evening and bed time was getting close. We were going through nighttime rituals when I saw them stealing a "kiss". Fortunately I usually have a camera near and I caught the moment.

Here we have them, in the cover of the dark room, stealing their kiss:

Oh, poop! We've been caught!

As soon as the lights came on the moment ended... and as if in denial, Bella turns her head demurely as if to say that the kiss was a stolen one...

She knows the softest place in the house

The other day as I was passing by the bedroom I noticed that the bed wasn't made. Weird, I knew I made it that morning. I had just seen the dogs in the other room not a few minutes ago and Jon was studying... What the heck?

So I walk over and I see my little girl had snuck away when I wasn't looking, climbed into our bed, re-arranged the covers to her liking and settled in for a warm nap.

As I stood above her she was sneaking little glances at me, pretending that she was still sleeping...

When I called out her name she looked up "totally surprised", whaaa? Whats going on mama?

And I had to include the bed head picture:

Poor little girl has her cold issues. She gets chilly, but hates having something on top of her, like a blanket or her tummy warmer, so she finds a warm spot and curls into the smallest ball of Bean that she can to warm up. As long as her little tush isn't on the pillow, we'll let her enjoy her naps.

Smart Girl!

Bella Bean is one smart cookie... but usually best demonstrated when it can be used to her advantage. When there is a yummy in hand, I don't have to ask "down" more than once. In the car though, she conveniently "forgets" what that "down" word means. On walks she "forgets" that she isn't allowed to sniff everywhere (designated sniff posts are along the walk only, don't want to anger neighbors), but she remembers clearly where the best squirrel paths are and will gently remind me that she must go down that path with a tug and a soulful glance.

Little furries seem to stick out in her head more often than not. Along our walks there are a couple of places where kitties had been spotted at one time or another. It may have only been once, but she never forgets to peek in that direction... just in case.

Thankfully we don't have to visit the vets office too often, maybe 3 times in the last year, but she knows where she saw that office kitty that one time. Mr. Kitty wasn't in the office last time we were there (he had long retired to another room) but Bella wasn't convinced and spent almost the entire wait for an empty office with her snoot behind the desk:

Mama, I swear it was here somewhere:

Maybe if I look hard enough, it'll appear:

I say a little too smart for her own good. :)

Hard day's work

A couple of weekends ago we had a few people around helping us to "clean out" some areas of the house that were badly in need of being cleaned out. Such as the flooded basement... carpet and drywall needed to go, and the pooper's room (they weren't taking care of the carpet the way we asked them to, bad poopers). So during the time we were ripping carpet out and doing general cleaning, the dogs were confiscated outside, we didn't want them to get hurt with nails or dust or whatnot.

They weren't too put out by being locked outside. It was a warmish day so they found their fluffy beds and napped for us.

Their room is very different now. No more wall to wall carpet, so they can make whatever mess they want and clean up will be much easier.

By the looks of them, you would have thought they were recovering for all of the strenuous work!

Tired poops!

What? Is it time to go in now?

Bella's New Bed

Ms. Bella Bean has a tush of higher tastes. The softest piece of furniture in the room is hers. The couch, the bed, Bo's bed... doesn't matter, her little behind needs the cushiest of cushions. We've been slowly replacing dog beds (all that scratching and plopping down flattens those suckers after a while) and Bo has been reaping most of the benefit because the beds are on the floor, and why would Bean lay on the floor when there is a perfectly good couch to push humans off of?But then Jon came home with this magnificent bed. Bella decided that this one is hers and hers alone. She even chose it over the people's fluffy couch! Without further ado... my princess and her new throne:

Is this bed for me??

Are you sure?

Ok, I'm getting comfy then. (notice Bo having to settle for the bare carpet)

Mmm, this is good, comfy softness.

OK mom! Enough pictures, let me sleep!

This has to be my favorite picture ever! Bella Bean really isn't much of a snuggler, but every once in a while she has little choice. She is just so dang cute we have to give her a big hug and cuddle. Saturday was a busy day around the house with lots of people and both Bo and Bella were on their best behavior. They said their hello's, they were happy to see everyone but pretty much stayed out of everyone's way and napped and accepted love when it was given. Jon saw Bean snuggled up on the couch and had to sneak attack a hug. I love the look on their faces. Jon, happily loving on his little Bean, Bella Bean looking at me and those eyes saying, "Mama, help me!"

Ghostly Halloween fun

This Halloween Jon and I dressed up as ghosts. We went to a costume party and everything. Now while I am sure we were quite frightening, I think Bella Bean took the scary ghost and improved on our idea.

Here is Jon and I at our friend's house looking ghostly:

And here is Bella Bean who not only donned the white sheet, but she added the scary alien eyes to it:

Happy late halloween!

Whacha doing mama?

This last weekend it was gorgeous! Not too chilly, not too windy... a great time to start winterizing the home. So I was out in the front of the house raking leaves and getting the front of the house together when I looked up and saw 2 faces looking at me from the other side of the window. The front yard does not have a fence so they couldn't accompany me while I worked, but they kept a close eye on me the whole time. Either to make sure I was getting the work done right or just to make sure I wasn't going for a walk without them (that would be unforgivable in their eyes).

As soon as I grabbed the camera (I always have it on me... just in case) they pretended that they weren't really interested in me or anything I was doing, but just... looking out for the squirrels. :D