Memories

Snowby II

 

Snowman shaped like a terrier.

Whee!  We got lucky and had more packing snow this week.  I couldn’t resist, and I built another Snowby (Snow + Toby).  Note the cinnamon swirl tummy and the heart on his chest.  It was actually a leaf that had been caught up in the snow – but how convenient!

When I was a kid, I didn’t get to build snowmen.  Now that I am old, I take great joy in them.  My boys like sharing in the activity but in more of a destructive role.  I have to keep Toby far, far away from my creations because he will tear up snow balls as fast as I can roll them.

Bitey sitting next to "surrendering" snowman.

“Aack!”

Puppy Geordie used to wait until I had the snowman assembled before he would destroy it.  I had to build snowmen with their arms in surrender posture so they were high enough that Geordie couldn’t reach them.

Toby attacks his snowmen by peeing on them.  I am pretty sure this Snowby is disgusted with us and is going to leave for the North Pole this weekend.

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Amish Shoes

I can't believe I bought these shoes! Sure they are comfortable, but the are so unattractive. They are positively Amish!

Toby says, "Don't be silly, Mommy. Amish ladies wouldn't be caught dead in those shoes.

Woman cries, "Waaahhhh!!!" Little puppy says, "Sheesh, there is simply no consoling some people!"

Yes, I really did buy the “Amish” shoes.  They are about as stylish as bowling shoes, but boy are they comfy!  My approach to fashion is to pretend it is the 90’s and that clunky unattractive shoes go with everything – including dresses.

Toby has an easy solution for any shoes he doesn’t like; he chews them up.  Sadly, that is his treatment for those that he does as well.

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I Think I Know the Answer

 

Purple Dog ToyPlush purple dog toy

Remember this guy?  He was one of Toby’s Christmas presents, and I was trying to determine what exactly he was.

Pfft the Magic Dragon an inside out dragon dog toy that Toby destroyed.Pfft the Magic Dragon inside out purple dragon dog toy.

 

I think I’ve figured it out….he’s Pfft the Magic Dragon!

Toby gave him an “everythingectomy” and sent him back to Honahlee.

(If you know what I’m talking about, you’re oooolddd!)

I don’t think a single one of Toby’s Christmas presents survived until the first of the year.  It seems that, as with Geordie, he works out his emotional frustrations with his stuffed animals.  There was a cute little stuffed hedgehog that Geordie had for years (and treated kindly), and Toby completely eviscerated it last week.  Come on, how much stress could there be in your life when you’re a puppy?!?

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And Now The Opposite

 

Thermometer showing seventy degree temperatures in early January.

From one extreme to the other!  You didn’t even need a coat to be comfortable outside.

Today made for a wonderful respite from the very cold and icy weather we have been having.  I did my best to make the boys go for a nice long walk because we are expecting below freezing temps and snow/rain tomorrow.   They were having none of that, however.  Poor Geordie has a sore paw, so he didn’t feel like walking, and Toby just wanted to be a socializing goofball.

It looks like we are going to be in the teens for the foreseeable future; that means no outdoor exercise for Mommy either.  Maybe I should just start shopping online for lazy pants right now….

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The Coldest I Can Remember

 

Thermometer readsd zero.

This is how we started our morning.  I thought it was cold the day Toby arrived at 11 degrees, but we were nearly 20 degrees colder today.  I was shocked to see that by 10:00 pm, it had climbed to 30 degrees.  At night!  We haven’t seen mercury at night in weeks!

There have been some changes in dog laws in this area to restrict the amount of time your dog can be outside in these kinds of temps.  That is a great thing, but Toby has yet to get the memo.  If it were up to him, he would live outside.  He LOVES snow and can’t get enough of it.  His favorite thing is for someone to kick snow up in the air so he can leap up and try to catch it.   If the snow is too packed, he will kindly dig to loosen it so you can create a spray for him.  I have indulged His Naughtiness enough that now I am gimpy from pulled muscles.

Thanks, Snow Monster, I needed another reason for people to make fun of me.

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The Snowby

 

Cairn terrier pup standing in snow.

This is The Usurper.  He has outgrown his green sweater, but he has a green flower attached to his collar so you can still recognize him.  It turns out this little puppy enjoys snow more than most anything in life….except maybe tennis balls.

A Snow Toby that looks more like Winnie the Poo than intended.

Toby and I played for hours out in the snow.  I tried to build a Snow Toby, but it came out looking more like Winnie the Poo or Mickey Mouse.  (My audience is divided on that one.)  It was a nearly impossible task because Toby tore up each snow ball as fast as I could roll it.

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Folks keep writing to tell me how much they enjoy it.  You can get a copy for yourself, a loved one or even to donate to your local library!

 

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What Am I?

Purple Dog Toy

Plush purple dog toy

“Santa” dropped off some gifts for me to wrap for the boys so as to lighten his load come Christmas eve.  One of the gifts was this cute-yet-mysterious plush animal toy.  The face seems familiar, but what is it supposed to be?  It looks a little like an unspotted giraffe.  Or it might be a sort of kangaroo?  I am not sure, but I thought someone out there might recognize him/her.

The animal is intended for Toby, but I have a feeling he is going to be more interested in the wrapping paper than the toy.  Why? He attacked the tube of paper while I was trying to wrap the gifts.  Just as little humans are more interested in the box than the toy, so are tiny canines.  Perhaps I should just give my boys paper and boxes and be done with all the shopping nonsense.

 

 

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*grumble, grumble* Sharing

 

Two Cairn terriers sun themselves near the door.

Can you believe that I have to share my spot with him?!?

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Don’t forget to pick up your copy of  A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy in time for the holidays!  Makes a great, heart-warming gift for any dog lover in your life as well.

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A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy will give a glimpse into life for Bitey B.T. (Before Toby) featuring the poems Toy of the Gods and Whispers.  Also, learn the origin of Geordie’s Thanksgiving angst!

 

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Thanksgiving Poem

Cairn terrier puppy tears up box of tissues.

We’re thankful for tissues

to tear and destroy.

We give thanks for each other

We pesky brown boys!

Two Cairn terrier pups ride in the car.

(You may recognize the tissue incident from the boys’ book.  So many of those stories are based on actual events!)

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Bitey shares many of his own stories to share from B.T. (Before Toby) in his book A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy.  Inside, learn the origin of Geordie’s Thanksgiving angst.

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Is It Thanksgiving Yet?

Cairn terrier puppy hold his food bowl.

Am I Snoopy?  I feel like Snoopy.

Like so many in the US, Toby is eager for Thanksgiving to arrive.  He is optimistic that if he jumps quickly, he will get the contents of the table first.

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Unfortunately my pups’ online lives have once again been overshadowed by my quest for a new home for my store.  There are many choices out there, but it is difficult to find an honest review of each to determine if they would fit the needs of my business.

Wix is an attractive site for those of us who want to spend time creating items to sell but who are not tech savvy.  There are extremely varying views about whether or not Wix shops are good for SEO, though.

Etsy works for many, but it is easy to get  lost in the crowd there.  I finally left several years ago because I had to spend so much time updating my shop to meet their constantly changing listing requirements.  (That and I wasn’t getting any sales.)

WordPress also offers an ecommerce package.  I have read that WP sites can have security issues, though, and that makes me reluctant to take the risk.

If I  had more  money, I would try Shopify.  It seems to get the best all-around reviews.  Sadly this change is coming on the heels of a not-stellar business year.  I am reluctant to invest that heavily on an new site when money is tight.

I have looked at even more sites, and it seems that the marketplace ones want to discourage individual branding.  The more independent sites get poor ranking with Google.  The choices are all so ugly and expensive.  There ought to be a better way to go about online marketing,

So, until I make a decision, I guess poor Bitey and Toby will have to hover by the keyboard, waiting for their turn at the computer.  Guys, I would love to turn it over to you.  If I could just figure out the lesser of the evils…

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Pick up a copy of  A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy for a virtual escape into Bitey’s world over the holidays.

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