The Sheep and The Goats

cartoon sketch of a goat and a sheep.

At the latest lecture at church, the topic of the sorting of the sheep and goats came up. One woman volunteered that she had grown up on a farm and watched these animals. She described how sheep were dumb and needed to be told everything to do. Goats on the other hoof, are stubborn and opinionated and won’t do anything that they don’t want to do.

Wait a minute, you have just described terriers! They are strong willed and stubborn and opinionated and they are certain they are the smartest ones in the room. The won’t do anything unless they see a benefit to themselves. It does make you wonder sometimes why we have them.

And yet….I love these little guys more than anything. When I found out Geordie was sick, I cried for weeks. What fun will life be without that stubborn little soul to argue with?

And so I wonder, if I can love a little “goat”, can’t God?

Ouch. Picture of woman's leg where puppy has nipped her.

Nose Bite - Copy - Copy (800x697)

Some of the many stubborn, opinionated expressions made by my boys.

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If you would like to read more about what the boys have been up to, you can with Poopiter.

You can find out what life was like before Toby the Usurper came along with A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy .

Both books are available from Amazon. Hurry and order before the taxes get screwed up!

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Is your Mom often chilly? If so, this lovely Red Rose Cross-Stitched Afghan can keep her warm despite the air conditioning. Beautiful pink/red roses alternate with burgundy bows on the surface blocks of this fringed blanket. (Shipping is free!)

Theology of the Body with Father Man-Bun

Recently my Mom wanted to attend some lectures held by the parish, but she didn’t want to go alone. I agreed to go with her to keep her company.

One particularly…odd? bizarre? frustrating?…lecture series was on The Theology of the Body – a collection of talks given by the late Pope John Paul II. I could probably fill a month’s worth of posts about all of the “Huh?” moments I had, but this particular item stood out to several people who were there.

In the talks, Fr. Man-Bun told everyone that animals have no inner lives. That they don’t think. That they can’t understand symbols or representations. I couldn’t help but think, “Has this man never met an animal before?” Shortly before this talk, I happened to read an article about what has been termed “Dog Sudoku” which resembles video games for dogs. (Click here to read more about Dog Sudoku.) Pups love these things!

I’ve watched my boys lost in thought or studying photos. I’ve seen pups rat on a sibling who gets in trouble. I’ve seen dogs move chairs around in order to climb up on to reach something the want. I’ve even known dogs who loved to hide and then jump out and scare whoever was walking past. In these I see planning and thinking and even tool use.

And what about crows?!? Have you ever seen a documentary about how intelligent they are? Researchers have identified a vocabulary of nearly 300 words in crow. The birds can plan 5 steps ahead in solving a problem. They can pass information to at least two generations of offspring. Just because someone hasn’t thought to look for inner lives in other species doesn’t mean they don’t have them.

Sorry, Father Man-Bun. I simply cannot agree.

Yes? Can we help you?

Seriously, is there any doubt about what these two are thinking?

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To read more about the inner lives of my pups, pick up a copy of Poopiter.

Poopiter and its prequel A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy are both available from Amazon. (Order now before anyone messes with Amazon’s convenience!)

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Imagine presenting a Mothers’ Day gift to your Mom in this lovely pastel, floral gift presentation bag. The bag can be reused for other occasions or can be used to give a gift to a friend. Think of all the wrapping paper and paper bags that will be saved from landfills if we used durable gift presentation bags!

For this or other gift ideas, please visit my shop Needful Things of Salem.

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Watch Your Step

I keep hoping a deer will fall in the hole and never want to come back to the garden!

It’s tough to get a decent picture of a hole: they are not particularly photogenic. I hope this picture does justice to the huge hole that Toby dug this afternoon.

More than Geordie, Toby really enjoys being a dog. He loves digging holes and playing in mud. He likes chasing birds and catching tennis balls. Geordie has always been fussy about his demeanor and appearance. I’ve often said that if life were the TV show Frasier, Geordie would be Frasier and Toby would be Eddie.

Until recently, Toby has been able to get away with being the goofy puppy. Geordie was more practiced at everything and always led. Toby could afford to slack off and be the little clown. Once he realized that the humans knew that Geordie had a problem, though, he immediately stepped up to be such a wonderful, helpful boy. He pays attention to my moods now. He is much more patient with things like being groomed. I hug him often and tell him how much I appreciate all his help, but I don’t want him to stop being my goofy little puppy yet. As life gets back to normal, I want him to keep misbehaving.

I think today was a good start.

Cairn terrier pup looks between railing.

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Come visit with Bitey and Toby in Poopiter to see what adventures they have been up to recently!

Available at Amazon. (Hurry and order now before taxes go up!)

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Mothers’ Day will be coming up soon. Giving your Mom a beautiful handmade gift such as this handmade cross stitched calico and hearts acrylic coaster set will make her day complete.

For more gift ideas, visit my shop at: Needful Things of Salem.

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A Late Easter Post

Snowy night scene.

Robin's egg sitting on porch step.

What a difference from last year to this year! Last Easter brought a tiny robin’s egg to our step. This year brought 6″ of snow.

I happen to love these early morning, above freezing snows, so I wasn’t disappointed to wake up to a frosted wonderland. It is so magical to be outside in the cold, damp, fresh-smelling air. I am fortunate that my pups love this kind of weather as well. (Sorry. My battery died before I could get a better picture of the snow.)

On this morning, Toby was so excited to see the snow that he practically burst through the front door to get to it. I put him on his 50′ leash and just let him run and run as much and as fast as he wanted. Scratch that. There is no such thing as enough time in the snow to Toby. Geordie wasn’t quite as thrilled as his brother, but I was happy that he got to see another snow.

It is still hard on me knowing that this will be my little boy’s last birthday and his last snowfall. It is the natural course of events, but it is still hard. I have been trying to give him everything he could possibly want, but instead of making a happy pup, I have created a tyrant. Geordie was always strong willed, but now that he realizes that I won’t push him, he is taking advantage. Will I stop? Of course not. An obnoxious pup is a small price to pay for allowing myself to feel that I’ve done everything I can for him.

I am nowhere near finished telling stories of the times we have spent together. You can catch up on what we’ve been doing with out latest book Poopiter.

If you are facing the dilemma of still needing a blanket because of the cold weather yet wanting to celebrate Spring, try adding this Butterfly Quilt to you home. It is a patchwork beauty featuring dozens of hand-appliqued butterflies. The entire quilt is quilted by hand and is sure to bring a smile to anyone sleeping under it!

This, and many more things of beauty, are available at my store Needful Things of Salem.

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A Happy Barkday

A smiling, happy Cairn terrier wearing a party hat.

Friday was my little man’s barkday, and what a happy pup he was!

My mom had the idea to take the boys to the store to pick out presents for them to celebrate Geordie’s birthday. The trip would be part of the present.

Geordie tells his story:

While we were good in the car, that all went out the window when we got to the store. TSC is an agricultural business that sells supplies for all sorts of animals from bunnies to dogs to horses and cows. At this time of year they also sell chicks and ducklings to farmers. We could smell all of that as soon as we got to the parking lot. Woo hoo did we pull! Mom made us pee before we went in, and Toby did a poo. Then we FLEW into the store dragging our humans behind us. First thing we did was meet a puppy black lab girl. Then we found the huge pallet of 100 lb bags of dog food. Then…then….I pooped all over the floor. Well, I was just so excited! We continued to do our best impressions of sled dogs as we tried to break all of the glass lawn decorations foolishly placed out where we could get to them. (We failed). When we got to the checkout, the cashier gave us biscuits, so I guess we weren’t too naughty.

Mommy says: I am hoping that the ears the boys got as their presents keep them quiet so I can maybe get some work done and grab something to eat. That will be MY part of the gift this year!

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To read more of Bitey and Toby’s adventures, pick up a copy of Poopiter.

Available at Amazon.

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Bitey Dog Cairn Terrier Lunch Bag

You can celebrate any day with this adorable insulated Bitey Dog Cairn Terrier Lunch Bag dressed just as the real Bitey is. This lunch bag and many other beautiful things are available at my store, Needful Things of Salem.

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The Flower Garden

A single yellow daffodil flower.

So far, this is the bounty of our flower garden. I was fortunate to snap this picture before 6″ of snow fell on the poor little flower and bent his stem. Although the flower is intact, now it looks like he is kissing the dirt.

The flowers may not be enjoying the cold, but the puppies are going nuts for it. Oh yes, and they peed on the flower.

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To learn more about what the puppies have been up to, pick up a copy of Poopiter!

Available at Amazon….the company which is either a boon to the country or the devil himself.

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A Spot on the X Ray

Cairn terrier sits surrounded by Christmas toys.

I am still so upset that I don’t know how to process the information yet. Real Life Bitey went to the vet today, and they found a spot on his lung. If it weren’t for an occasional cough, I would say he was in great health. He is very active and playful and everything a pup should be.

The vet had to send the X ray out to be read, so it will be several days before there is news about the spot. It could be pneumonia (they gave him antibiotics just in case) or it could be something worse.

If you have a spare prayer for us today, we would really appreciate it.

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