Sunflower Studio

HI TOM!

Alma recently asked me about any recent pictures of Tom, our cat.  I caught him keeping an eye on the birdies at our feeder today by the back door and snapped some pics.  Of course, if I say one word to the cat - and maybe it's my "talk-to-Tom" voice - the dog comes running.  She wants to make sure that nothing happens to Tom that she doesn't get to experience too.  What a busy body!  Did I mention that Tom hates me?  (See how irritated he is with me in that bottom photo?!) He's good with the rest of the family - even Trixie!  I think it's that he's trying to show me that he's dominant here in our home.  Nope...I'm Top Cat in these parts!

TRIXIEEEEEEEE!

It's been a while since I shared a new picture of the doggie.  She's over a year old now.  I really can't believe that we've had her for a year and a month and half.  I seriously did not think we'd make it through that first year.  And she's still not perfect but she has such a sweet nature and she's rough and tumble - perfect for a little boy to wrestle with. 

She got a new bed for Christmas.  I thought she'd like her own plush place to lie around in.  However, she completely ignored it until I finally placed it on the corner of the couch that she favors.  She likes to keep watch on the neighborhood all day so she sits in the front window and barks to let me know that the mailman is coming...and UPS...and FEDEX...and the dry cleaning guy...and, oh yea, other dogs...um, people walking...squirrels collecting nuts...FREAKIN' LEAVES BLOWING!  Ahem, like I mentioned, she likes to bark...JUST A BIT!

LOOK WHO CAME TO VISIT...

Yesterday morning I was working on the computer and I had a visitor.  I should preface all of this by saying that this particular visitor could, NORMALLY, care LESS about ME.  But, I did come up here with a bowl of cereal and I think he can smell milk from a mile away.  He didn't follow me up and he arrived when the cereal was already finished but the bowl was sitting on my table.  Again...NICE NOSE!  He sat next to my chair and acted like he was going to jump to my lap and that NEVER happens.  And then he did!  And then he walked onto the computer table.  Do you think he was here to love me?  Uh, NO, he then headed for the bowl so he could lap up what was left of the milk.  I'm just gonna pretend that he was here to love me...although, now that I look at the picture, he does look a little worse for the wear.  It could be that he was avoiding the doggie.  She always wants to play with him...poor kitty.

PUPPY COUTURE?

It's been a while since I shared pix of the little doggie.  Let me tell you...it has been the worst season for puppy poopie training.  We've had more snow here in Maryland than I can remember in my whole life!  Last weekend we got a few inches.  Yesterday we got about six inches.  They're calling for 15 to 20 this weekend.  YIKES! {I'm hoping that's only a rumor.}  Maryland people don't know how to deal with snow.  It's terrible.  When we lived in Chicago we didn't have a snow day off in the four years we were there.

Anyway, the puppy LOVES the snow.  She doesn't really care to do her "business" in it as much as she wants to play.  She digs her whole face down in it...what the heck is she sniffing for?  And, I guess, since her fur is longer the snow attaches to it and really clumps up.  Today she got away from me when she realized her "boyfriend" (the Cocker next door) was outside.  They spent 15 minutes chasing each other in the snow.  These pix show you what she looked like after.  I swear she weighed 20 to 30 pounds with all of that snow attached.  {She weighs about 10 regularly.}  I ended up having to give her a bath to get all of the snow off...that's after she chased the cat around the house and dumped snow clods everywhere!

But she did look a little couture, oui?

TRIXIE'S FIRST SNOW

I thought I'd share a few pix of the little doggie in her first snow.  She loves it...OBVIOUSLY!  She doesn't mind at all.  This was early this morning so there's only a few inches.  We're expecting over a foot...for the East Coast, that's a lot!

WELL...I TRIED

I tried to get the little doggie to wear her Santa hat yesterday.  Uh...yea...that was gonna happen...NOT!  So here she is...

I didn't realized that I took 82 pictures of her until I went to upload them this morning.  And out of those 82, I may have gotten two that are "okay".  She's so wiggly and fast that it's hard to capture her.  And this is all in between her eating the Christmas tree, chasing the cat, eating, peeing, and pooping! I'll include a little collage of her being a rotten doggie and then a calmer shot.  Looks like she needs a haircut already...she's got hair in her eye!

I did take a photo of just the hat...maybe I can cut and paste in Photoshop so that it looks like she's wearing it...we'll see.

 

THE LITTLE BOY AND THE DOGGIE

So, I just mentioned our new family addition in my last post.  Thought I'd go ahead and share a photo.  Trixie is a cockapoo and she weighs 5-1/2 pounds for now.  She's been keeping me pretty busy!  If anyone has ANY good puppy training ideas, I would LOVE to hear them.

 

THE SOCK GRAVEYARD

One more Boston thing....

While I was away the man of the house was in charge of things.  I guess I should at least be thankful that the little boy and the cat got fed.  The cat did not, however, get water.  His bowls were bone dry when I got back.  He says, "uh...I didn't know I was supposed to fill them."  Alrighty then!  The house wasn't demolished so I can't complain about that either.  What I did come home to was...duh duh duuuuhhhh...THE SOCK GRAVEYARD!  For some reason, the little boy can only stand to have his socks on for the length of the school day.  As soon as he hits the door afterwards, THEY MUST COME OFF!  He peels them off and throws them on the laundry room floor.  Do you think he could make it to the clothes basket?  NOPE!  So here they are...poor dead socks....and, man, they're dirty too!!!

NAP TIME FOR THE KITTY

Yesterday, I found the kitty taking a nap in the guest room.  The duvet was kind of jumbled up at the foot of the bed and he had crawled into a hole.  I had to run for the camera!  He had one paw out and looked so comfortable and content.  Of course, the little boy had to get in on the photo shoot too since Tom IS his best friend.  He then stuck out both of his paws and had them crossed.  Isn't he living the life of Riley?!  YUP!  I really liked the larger photo with the light shining in his eyes.  He is a pretty kitty...if only he wanted to sit in my lap...darn teenager cat!

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE...

On Sunday I bought this gorgeous fern from a local nursery.  It's just huge!  I had a plant stand that had been waiting for the perfect plant and I added the fern to it and placed it next to the tub in the master bath.  Well who should saunter in seconds later?  The furry member of the family!  He has to check out anything new that comes into the house, of course!  Do you think that he thinks that I can't see him?