Are we moving?

Dad is fixing up the house all over the place.  He is clearing out stuff from under the house, which I like because it gives Lou and me more room in our "man cave" where we spend most of our days sleeping only emerging to bark at a passing dog or the neighbor's cat down by the garden fence.  He fixed walls going up the stairs which was damaged moving furniture.  He is painting too, which I don't like since dog's noses are sensitive to strong smells like paint fumes.  Mom told Dad to get the house fixed up as if we are going to sell it.  Mom likes to have her house neat as a pin but Dad is messy in his office and the garage.  Normally Dad tries to keep things looking somewhat together.  Not like now, though.  Are we going to move out of our house?  Lou and I have only lived here.  We have visited other houses, like Allen and Jacalyn's house in the wine country, which used to be really great until they got Jesse and Jose, who try to take my shoe so I growl at them.  Lou likes to fence fight with their neighbor's dog, which Jacalyn worries will teach Jesse and Jose to do that too.  So we don't get to go there anymore.

Mom loves our house.  She always said this is her favorite house ever.  She and Dad work so hard keeping up the gardens with pretty flowers and bushes, which Lou and I have to dig up from time to time because we get bored with the old stuff and want new bushes and flowers.  The fruit trees, the bocce court, and especially the pool all make Mom so happy. We have really great neighbors too who watch out for us and invite Mom and Dad to parties, and even have a disaster preparedness organization that Dad helps out with. If Mom and Dad move us somewhere else, it won't be as good and it won't be the home we have always known and love so much.  I will bark at anyone who tries to take our house and make me move away.

Felt like Fall today

Northern California weather is unpredictable.  After weeks of mild and sometimes hot weather, today was blustery and cool.  It made me think about Fall when Mom and Dad spend more time in the living room in front of our fireplace.  Lou and I will grow our coats thick, soft and warm so that we pant even on cold days when we walk with Mom and Dad in the morning.  It gives me hope to look forward to the holidays when people will visit, Dad will cook big tasty meals, and Mom will glow with the love of her family and friends.  I am one lucky dog.

Cro Magnon Dog

Dad wanted to play on the stairs so I ducked my head and butted him hard straight on his forehead - I saw stars and he was angry.  Guess his idea of fun and mine, Mr. Cro Magnon Dog, are different!!  That will show him for having an argument with Mom when she is fighting cancer the jerk!

Love

Mom came home somewhat earlier than normal from work to enjoy the warm weather.  She sat on the back deck reading the Chronicle as if it was the best reading in the world.  Dad joined her to support her but he finds the paper to be boring.  Mom loves to read about movies and plays and celebrity gossip.  I have no idea what any of that is because us dogs only know what goes on at the fence and in the yard.  If people who make movies are interesting, Lou and me, we could care less.

The neighbor cat came up limp today as Dad looks after the critters next door.  He stressed about that until he found out the cat is a hypochondriac kitty who is old and pretty much a pain in the litter box.  Lou and me we hate it when Dad goes next door to feed the cat and the bunnies, only because we want him to be safe.  When Mom came home today BOTH of them went next door so Lou and I had do a whole lot of barking to keep them safe.  We wish they wouldn't do that!

Mom is really feeling normal again, although she and Dad talked about what she went through and how to prepare for the next round. She is so beautiful. I love her so much. I want her to be healthy, happy and safe.  She is already gorgeous and loving and so magnetic.  Please God, keep Mom happy for all the years of her life.

Friends with blood issues

Mom came home from work cheerful and full of energy.  It was still warm out so she and Dad sat in the garden and then on the back deck talking and drinking wine.  Mom was really happy and bubbly, just like the Mom that everyone loves so much (I love her no matter what).

Then while Dad was making dinner she called one of her long time friends Jacque who also is fighting a blood disorder.  Jacque is really cool because she loves dogs and is a really good mom with two dogs and two great kids.  Mom especially loves her daughter Annette who is like 14 and looks just like Mom and loves clothes just like Mom.  She is like Mom's minnie me.  Jacque is suffering from a blood disorder that gets a similar treatment that Mom gets, but has different symptoms.  Mom and Jacque have been friends for like 30 years, which, as a dog, is impossible for me to comprehend since I will never see 20.  They love each other like sisters.  They used to work together at some big house called Rohlm Corporation in the Silicon Valley.  Is it coincidence that they both have blood disorders about the same time?  Was there something that caused it from their work in the Silicon Valley?

Mom also connected with Sandee who's man partner is getting treated for cancer of the scrotum.  even thinking about that makes me shiver and bark.  Ugh.  Mark is going through chemo treatment and seems to be doing good so far.  I gave two extra barks tonight to let Mark know we re all hoping and praying he gets through this in good shape.

We are all pulling for Jacque to be okay because she is a wonderful person and Mom loves her alot, and for Mark because he is a good guy and like to come over to watch the Academy Awards every year with Mom and Dad.  Mom has so much on her shoulders, I wish I could do more to help.  Lou and I did extra barking tonight to make sure the cancer and germs and stuff can't get to Mom.  I love you so much Mom, I hope you know that I do all that I can to help you.  We love you so much!

Goodnight.

This is bliss

The weather continues to be warm.  Yesterday Dad harvested all of the lettuce from our garden and then cut the now bolting stalks.  He gives the stalks to our neighbors to feed their two bunnies (Salt and Zebra).  I don't care because dogs don't eat lettuce.  I wouldn't mind chasing those bunnies, though.  Dad plans on transplanting some lettuce seedling sets today that he started in his indoor garden about a month ago.  Apparently lettuce doesn't like to sprout in hot weather, so Dad does it this way.  I think it's boring.

When Mom got home from work she was tired but in good spirits.  She had worked much later than she planned which cut her time on the deck shorter than she would have liked.  She still enjoyed the mild air and light breeze.  Dad made a "refrigerator surprise" salad using some of the lettuce he had harvested.  It also had chicken, avocado, sweet corn, English peas, cherry tomatoes from our garden, and fresh mozzarella cheese from the Farmer's Market all tossed with a fresh-made vinaigrette dressing that  had honey, mustard and molasses blended with some extra virgin olive oil from Napa Valley.  Mom loved the salad and ate a huge plate of it.  That made Dad happy.  It seemed like old times for the family.  It was pure bliss.  No talk about Mom's cancer either.  I just wish the SF Giants were playing better :)

Dog days of summer

It almost feels normal at home, although Mom doesn't like to get up early enough to walk Lou and me.  I miss that.  Hopefully she will feel up to walking us tonight.  She says she doesn't feel like working out during the day so much because the medicine made her tired, so she likes walking with Dad and us boys after work.

The weather is warm, which makes Mom happy.  She loves sitting on the back deck in the warm air.  We live in a microclimate of Northern California where the weather is usually mild with cool evenings which is perfect for a dog with as much fur as I have.  Like me, Mom grew up here so this is heaven to her.  Dad is from Upstate New York where they have hot summers and cold winters.  He likes it here much better.

If this is the new normal, then let the dog days continue.