The Cone is Off!

Torean survived his neutering. Here is the proof.

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The Big Snip is Coming!

Cue the dramatic music! Something Star War themed maybe? Anyways...yes, that is right, Torean's day is rapidly coming. On Tuesday he visits the vet to get his neutering and micro chipping done giving us a hopefully happier puppy when it is over. Torean seems oblivious to his upcoming fate, and not the least bit suspicious why he got some pre neutering apology toys today. Like always, all he cares about is what it is, can he eat it, can he destroy it, and how fast can he do it in that order? The simple life of a puppy is something to be marveled at, you know? We're all ready for Torean to be neutered but I can already name the people who are not going to be ok with not having him home with us for a day (yeah, you guessed it, me, Will and Mom). The cats will probably throw themselves a party, then go back to sulking when he comes home a new puppy. Ok, enough neutering jokes. This is a serious time in a young puppy's life, the day where he has the current center of his thoughts removed, and the furniture can be spared from his attentions. Granted that only happened once, but it was enough to scar the blankets, and the toys that had to be hid because of his tendency to 'love' them a bit too much can come back out to be dragged around the floor. Especially squeaky snake who definitely needed more therapy than the blankets.....Sorry, that was the last one, promise....Well......yeah, I am done. Hope everyone enjoys this quick blog. Have a great weekend.

Some more park play

Torean displaying his various expressions of joy at being able to play.

Torean at the Park photos

5 years seem too long.

This isn't a blog post about Torean, this time around, but to the sweetest woman I had ever known who has been gone from our lives for five years now. Way too long in my opinion. My Grandma. Grandma was truly one of the best people in my opinion, and losing her put a hole in our lives we are still feeling. We spent over three weeks in the hospital with her, waiting for the dementia and the massive heart attack to finally take her, and when she finally passed away, the numbness we had been feeling stayed.  Grandma was a sweet, gentle woman who loved her flowers, her gardening, and Bob Ross. Even though she would never say so, she was one hell of an oil painter, and it was something she enjoyed until the dementia began to rear it is ugly head. She was an exceptional cook, and she was a hell of a listener. Even if your problem was silly in her eyes, she would never tell you, she would sit and listen to you, and offer the best advice she could. I will never forget the things she taught me, and the memories I have of her I hold dear in my heart. Grandma gave me my love of gardening, of lilacs and of columbine, she taught me her gardening secrets, and when I grew pumpkins behind her house, nothing gave her a bigger thrill than watching them grow. Especially the Dill Atlantic Giant I grew that took me and my Mom and an old feed bag to get it into the car, and the pride I felt when I got to show it to her. So many things have happened in my life since then that I wish I could show to her, and feel the same pride I felt then. Grandma encouraged my sister and I to love being outside, she taught us about flowers, butterflies, how to peel and cut up apples, where to find the best black cap bushes to pick, and even when we came back with only a few black caps, she would put them in her tiny pie dishes and make us a pie to take home so we could show Mom. Those were wonderful times we spent with her, and I still hold those days close to me. Grandma was always waiting when my sister and I got off the bus after school, she always made sure we had treats, and our favorite pillow was in front of the TV so we could sit down and watch our favorite shows with her. We thought we had the world when she used to play games with us, and when she would let us water paint on the windows and admire what we had done. Normal things that were special to us because she did them with us. I could go on and on about the things she let us do, and the adventures we had with her, but this blog would go on and on if I did. I think I am thinking more about Grandma right now because of all the medical issues we have been going through with Mom, and I wish Grandma was here because she would have understand, and in a way it would have made things easier.  And a lot of things have happened in my life that I wish Grandma could have been a part of, like meeting the man I love with all of my heart, meeting  the man who stole my sisters heart, and she would have loved Torean to death. The things we could have done with her if dementia had not taken her away from us, the holidays we could have celebrated etc. I hope that before she died she knew how much she meant to us, and that she knows now how much we love and miss her. Love you Grandma, so much. <3 <3

Torean Loves the Park

                                                                         Peek a puppy!


Given the rash of good weather we have been having, Torean has been going for longer walks with us, and we have been taken him up to the overlook, which is basically like a giant playpen for him. We take Torean's baby gate with us, and put it across the ramp leading up to the overlook so that Torean can come off his leash and play to his hearts content. We throw some of his toys down and between those and the pine cones and needles around, he is puppy bliss playing until he is exhausted and ready to come home and nap. Below is the picture from his first play session when he realized just how fun playing with those evil pine needles can be. Torean did pretty good today being outside. He got to walk uptown to see what Grandma was up to, then he got to go to the overlook and play for over an hour pausing every now and then to soak up the sun and chew his pine cone prizes to a pulp before he was off again. Then he got to come home and spend some time in his kennel soaking up the sun, and playing with his newly freed from the frozen ground toys before he came inside. A good session of who can pet me the bestest, and now he is sound asleep after finding the right cool spot for his royalness. These are the best times with him.  Have a great week everyone!

                                             I got me a needle kill!!

                                         The Pine Cone that did not survive

                                       Getting my love on,