In spite of the gray clouds, we decided to have an adventure walk today to celebrate getting a bunch of housework down and to challenge the new toy - the fitbit. So we went down to Kirkland and parked at Juanita Bay park (which you can see behind Nixie’s head) and walked through Juanita Bay and then then over to Juanita Beach. This is a picture taken from the walkway that surrounds the swimming area at Juanita Beach.
Nix had a blast.
The fitbit said we walked almost two hours. It agreed with my watch. Good fitbit. Good Nixie. Good Brenda. Bad clouds.
I watch this movie every season, but somehow managed to miss it this year:>( Not to anyone elses dismay, I might add:>) So in the spirit of not losing sight of traditions, I did manage to see the summary version today! Featuring Cricket, Sasha, Nixie, Brenda and Katie. Splendid remake, if I do say so myself.
First they haul in this tree. It is big. And I don’t get to play with it! THEN a sheep appears. Almost as big as me. Follows me around and even tries to sit on me! Friends come and go and everyone brings treats - num! AND THEN there is all this commotion and celebration and pictures being taken and food being eaten and laughing and more laughing and even more laughing. AND THEN I FINALLY GET TO TAKE A NAP! Whew. It’s hard being a baby dog sometimes.
So the dogs rather liked Christmas. Partly because we went and took them to the park (here they are in the picture at Discovery Park in Seattle). In the picture, Nixie is bathing Toni’s face and admiring the new hat Toni got for Christmas.
The dogs also got to snuggle up with us first thing this morning (like at midnight through a few minutes past two in the morning) and watch the new Star Trek on DVD at the household teenager’s request. Nothing like being geek dogs. Although Nix had trouble keeping her eyes open.
The favored new toys are a large and already no-longer-white stuffed sheep, and some chew toys that look pretty alien.
Dogs are very simple beings. I suspect that what they liked best of all was that we were home all day Christmas Eve, and that when we went out today they got to come with us.
They made the day better for all. This morning the household teenager grumbled about having to get up and called all three dogs to drape themselves over her on the couch.
Anyway, we want to wish anyone silly enough to like reading about us and the dogs a merry whatever-you-celebrate and a happy day.
— Love, Brenda Toni KT Nix, Sasha, and the Crickster
It’s that time of year — to reflect. A friend sent me this video and it made me pause to think about all the beings in my life. The Nix with her heart of gold and growing brains (yes, indeed, she is coming into herself!). The border collies with their toddler intellects and drive to please. My daughter and her affinity for language and culture and science. Brenda the writer. Not a one of them who thinks about taking out the trash! But we each do our own things. And come together as family. Loved and beloved. And I truly love each and every one. I wish everyone a happy end of the year - whatever that means to you. The dogs have no time table - it’s all about this moment. With wind in the ears and snow flurries in the forecast and the angst of needing to stretch muscles and minds. We love you all!
So I’m on a roll now. Check out this website and read about what happened to these poor dogs. Now I am a strong believer in holistic medicine. I also get multiple opinions for anything serious. I don’t know that if my holistic vet suggested a botanical injection as a non-surgical way to remove very small benign tumors that I would have questioned it. I sure would now! Anyone who has dogs should read this story.
I saw this video some time ago - about a year ago, as a matter of fact. Susan Garret is a very good trainer and produced this just prior to the national agility banquet last year. I thought I would share because I like it - and it speaks to me:>) Enjoy. And thank you pupsters - you add much to my life (oh yeah - the peeps do too! but the pups get thanked alot less:>)
It turns out Nixie is quite an aggressive 5K dog. She looks a bit like Eeyore in that picture, but don’t be fooled. She was my training buddy when I was doing half marathon walks (and hopefully will be again) but this is the first event I’ve taken her to. Now, I have to start by explaining the Turkey Trot. Trot is NOT the right word. The first half a mile is, at best, a turkey shuffle. After that, you get to walk. If you behave and stay on the sidewalk the whole time like they want you to, you walk at the speed of whoever you get behind.
Luckily, there aren’t enough course proctors to make you behave. Nix pulled and pulled and pulled. She wanted to be in FRONT. Not that she was going to get there with me, but we did pass a hundred or so people. Even in the rain there were at least two or three hundred people walking - all ages, all abilities, and maybe thirty dogs. Really. Lots of dogs. Great dogs. I think there were six goldens.
As a side comment, they should have closed the street for the whole thing. It would have been far more fun, and then people could have stretched into their normal speeds and kids could have brought bikes and all kinds of things. It’s only an hour, and there is another parallel street, so shame on us (I work for the city, although not in events) for not closing the street down all the way.
Meantime, Toni was watching agility on the computer so we came home and watched the finals. Lovely well-trained dogs and people.
We usually avoid Green Lake like the plague. It’s a very beautiful park, but I’ve actually been there when there were so many people I couldn’t walk at my normal speed. But Nix had never been, and we decided that a cloudy October day might be a good bet. You see, Nix and I talk these things things over. I hem and haw about choices, and she thinks, “Mom - if I don’t get out of this car soon, I will pee in your backseat.”
And so we come to conclusions.
Green Lake Park was, actually, still crowded. But worth it. Even with a grey sky, the trees glowed with yellows and gold and red haloes and the ground under them looked like it had been carpeted with color. Nix swam with leaves and little kids rolled in leaves and photographers used tripods and a prayer to capture leaves.
We made it all the way around. I had been braced for my foot to hurt halfway, especially since I’d walked around town enough the day before to limp for hours. We made it around surprisingly fast, and with me walking fine.
Near the parking lot - just as we were finishing - we spotted a dog playing with bubbles. Yep - that’s what I said.
This was pretty cool. The woman on the right has a bubble machine that made big bubbles (Big bubbles!) easily and predictably. The dog was fascinated, and looked every bit like a three-year-old bubble chaser.
Now, no trip would be complete without a leap into the lake, espacially for the Nix. So here is her wet moment with leaves:
In spite of the gray clouds, we decided to have an adventure walk today to celebrate getting a bunch of housework down and to challenge the new toy - the fitbit. So we went down to Kirkland and parked at Juanita Bay park (which you can see behind Nixie’s head) and walked through Juanita Bay and then then over to Juanita Beach. This is a picture taken from the walkway that surrounds the swimming area at Juanita Beach.
So the dogs rather liked Christmas. Partly because we went and took them to the park (here they are in the picture at Discovery Park in Seattle). In the picture, Nixie is bathing Toni’s face and admiring the new hat Toni got for Christmas.
It turns out Nixie is quite an aggressive 5K dog. She looks a bit like Eeyore in that picture, but don’t be fooled. She was my training buddy when I was doing half marathon walks (and hopefully will be again) but this is the first event I’ve taken her to. Now, I have to start by explaining the Turkey Trot. Trot is NOT the right word. The first half a mile is, at best, a turkey shuffle. After that, you get to walk. If you behave and stay on the sidewalk the whole time like they want you to, you walk at the speed of whoever you get behind.
We usually avoid Green Lake like the plague. It’s a very beautiful park, but I’ve actually been there when there were so many people I couldn’t walk at my normal speed. But Nix had never been, and we decided that a cloudy October day might be a good bet. You see, Nix and I talk these things things over. I hem and haw about choices, and she thinks, “Mom - if I don’t get out of this car soon, I will pee in your backseat.” 
This was pretty cool. The woman on the right has a bubble machine that made big bubbles (Big bubbles!) easily and predictably. The dog was fascinated, and looked every bit like a three-year-old bubble chaser.