Monday Morning Cuteness

I checked out a new shop the other day that is full of surplus infant stuff from Carters. I picked up a couple of shirts to remake for Mya and a chew toy for Logan. Here's Mya, all decked out in one of her new shirts that says "I'm a Little Cutie", along with one of her new bows in her hair. A friend of mine made Mya about a dozen ribbon bow barrettes for her hair. Mya is not too enamored with them, but I think they're cute!

And here's Logan with his new toy --- a stuffed bunny with teething rubber for paws. He loves it!

Sunday Mornings

When we first got Zeke, 4 years ago, we started scrambling an egg for him on Sunday mornings. Then we adopted Mya a year ago, and she joined in on the Sunday morning ritual. Today we introduced Logan to the taste of scrambled eggs since this was his first Sunday morning with us. I think he is hoping for a forever home where they will continue with this tradition!

Ribbons

I got an email from a rescue friend in IL. A puppy miller in her area was releasing some of her older dogs, and since they were Yorkies, she wanted to know if I was interested. I said yes, and eventually the miller released two female Yorkies that were approximately 7 years old and 5 pounds each. Both of them had numerous health problems and required extensive vetting, but through it all they remained happy and appreciative of their new life, and they are both in great foster homes. Yesterday I got to spend some time holding and photographing Ribbons, one of the two Yorkies. I absolutely love her!

Sketch of a Monarch

I started this sketch of a Monarch on the coneflowers, but then I got busy with other projects, and now I've lost interest in it. I think I like it half finished......LOL.

Logan, The Sweetheart

Logan, our little foster Yorkie, is settling in quite nicely. He follows me around the house, always wanting some attention, and he tries so hard to please. He's quickly learning the house rules and a few new commands. I can't believe someone surrendered him to a kill shelter. He is such a sweetheart!

Wordless Wednesday

A New Foster

You knew we would get another foster, didn't you? This is Logan, a 4 year old male Yorkshire terrier. He is housebroken, crate trained, and a total sweetheart!

Logan LOVES to be outside in the yard or going for walks on the leash. I think he would stay outside all day if I'd let him!

He also loves all kinds of rawhides and chew toys. Today he discovered Dingo bones, and I think those are his favorite so far.

This afternoon, Logan and I went to visit Keaton at his house, and the two dogs had a great time playing for a couple of hours. I thought they were so cute together!

Wordless Wednesday

A Return to Sketching

A good friend of mine has been sketching dogs from the photos that I've taken, and she has inspired me to get my drawing pencils out. I had forgotten how portable this can be, taking just a sketchbook, a set of pencils, and a good eraser with me --- no paints or collage supplies! The sketch above is one of my friend's foster dogs. He's been adopted now, but he was such a cutie!

James Arthur Vineyard

Last week we took a few days off and stayed in a bed and breakfast with the dogs and did a bit of relaxing. This is a vineyard that was nearby, so we stopped one morning to look around. I had been here before, but I had never walked around the grounds, so it was fun to see all the acres and acres of grapes growing in the sun.

Grape vines growing as far as we could see, field after field, acre after acre.

Lots of grape leaves, but we didn't see any actual grapes. I guess it is not the right season yet.

This was a waterfall that was in a garden area on the property. They have several areas where you can sit and enjoy the sprawling views.

I chuckled when I saw this sign. I guess the lovers have a tendency to wander off the trails.........

Mercedes is Home!

Mercedes was adopted today, and she has a wonderful forever home. Here is her adoption photo. They all fell totally in love with her, and I am sure that she will be loved and spoiled!

Morning Mercedes Fix

It looks like Mercedes is going to be adopted tomorrow! I am excited for her, because I think it is a great home where she will be treasured. I'm also a little sad, because we have really enjoyed this little ball of fluff.

I still don't know what the optimum time is for fostering a dog. If you have them too long, it is harder to let them go. If you don't have them long enough, you feel like there is so much more you could have taught them and given them before you send them off.

And then a little one like Mercedes comes along, and you fall in love instantly. Both Jim and I agree that she would be a very easy one to keep. She is going to be a heartbreaker for us!

Wordless Wednesday

Mercedes Gallery

More photos of our adorable new foster puppy. Mercedes is so much fun to watch, as she explores the yard and discovers the joys of grass and birds and the neighbors' dogs. I hope she finds a great forever home soon, so that they get to experience her puppy curiosity and exuberance!

Available for adoption from Helping Hand 4 Animals.

Newest Rescues

Meet Bentley and Mercedes, two little silky terrier puppies that came from a puppy mill auction. I picked them up yesterday from Missouri, and after a long trip, they are safely in rescue now. We are fostering Mercedes, and Bentley's foster family came to get him last night. They are both such sweethearts!

Mercedes is an adorable little female, weighing just over 3 pounds. She is a total lap dog and wants nothing more than to be held all day. She follows me everywhere, hoping that I will pick her up!

Mercedes

Bentley is a handsome little male silky terrier, weighing almost 5 pounds. He is very outgoing and loves to play --- with people, with toys, with other dogs. He is Mr. Social!

Where Has The Week Gone?

I have no idea why, but this last week has flown by. I know it was a busy one, and perhaps that is the answer. On Saturday I went to a dog show, and I fell in love with watching the agility dogs. I didn't know any of the dogs or trainers, but I found myself applauding each and every one of them as they completed the course. Now I am on a quest to learn more about this sport, so that I will have a better understanding of the judging at the next event.

I also spent some time this past weekend photographing this little cutie. He is a puppy that I fostered last year, and sadly, his owner returned him to the rescue, because she is too busy for him now. First I was angry with her for tossing him aside when he no longer fit into her life, and then I was upset for little TJ, that he would have yet another new environment. Eventually I calmed down and realized that she obviously wasn't the right home for him, and I vowed to myself to do what I could to find him the perfect home this time. Happily, he has a couple of great families interested in him already!

Wordless Wednesday

Double Birthday Fun!

Zeke's and Mya's birthdays are today, so Mom and I headed out to one of the local dog bakeries to find some birthday goodies. We settled on these carob pupcakes and got one for each dog. Here they are, in their birthday collars, patiently waiting to sample their birthday treats.

Next, there was a little sniffing to see if they smell as good as they look.

The pupcakes passed the smell taste, so onward to the taste test. Both dogs absolutely loved these treats, so I think we have a winner for birthday treats from now on!

Zeke's #2 Toy

Before we got Zeke, we did a ton of research on silky terriers, trying to make sure that the breed would be a good addition to our family. One of the things we read was that they would play fetch until they were ready to drop from exhaustion. That has certainly proven to be true with Zeke. No matter how tired or hot he is, he will always have energy for a game of fetch. And many times, he will take the tennis ball in his mouth and actually sling it at us to get our attention!

Unexpected Treasures

This is a section of a photograph that I took. I was focused on a little wren singing in the tree, but when I opened the photo in Photoshop, I loved this section of it. The splotchy leaves against the blurred background create a wonderful abstract composition, and I can't wait to use this in a collage --- or two or three.

This is Keaton, our last foster puppy, enjoying his new backyard. His forever mom just got her backyard fenced, so this is the first time that Keaton has been off leash in his new home. And Keaton, being Keaton, is rolling in the grass and having a great time. I love this photograph that she sent to me, because it is so "Keaton", and he is so full of pure pleasure!

Both of these photos are unexpected treasures in my day, and I appreciate both of them!

Zeke's Favorite Toy

This is Zeke with his #1 toy --- a pair of socks. He has loved them since the day we got him as a puppy. He doesn't chew holes in them. For him, it is all about sneaking a pair off the dresser or out of a stack of clean laundry. Once he has it firmly in his mouth, he races down the hall to the living room, and just waits for us to follow him. Then he prances around with his prize in his mouth. I don't know why we have a huge basket of dog toys, when all we really need is a basket of socks!

Wordless Wednesday

Last Challenge Collage

Here's the fourth & final collage in this challenge. I used the large letter element from the previous collage, and as you can see in the photo below, the background element from this collage is included in the very first collage. So, the series of four collages really do make a complete circle of elements.

Click to see this image larger, so you can follow the progression of the challenge. This was a fun endeavor, and I'm thinking about tackling it on a larger scale for a longer period of time.

Happy Fourth of July!

Zeke and Mya are showing their patriotic spirit with some Americana bandanas from Katie Wyatt. Katie makes these bandanas in all different fabrics and donates them to rescues, so that the pups can look good when they head to their forever homes. It's a very generous and thoughtful project, and I'm sure all the rescues join me in thanking her for the donations!

Challenge Collage #3

Here's the third collage in this "round robin" challenge to myself. This collage includes the red fencing grid from the prior collage.

And this photo is just to show you what the lazy days of summer are like at our house. This is Zeke's favorite place to nap, on the back of the couch. I think the leather provides a cool bed, plus he is out of Mya's "play zone" ...... LOL.

Challenge Collage #2

Here is the second morning collage in this week's challenge to myself. As you can see, I used the black & cream lettering from the first collage as an element in this collage.