Catching Up

Well, my Mom starts her next long-term sub job tomorrow, so my blogging will be even more infrequent than it has been lately.  I will be lucky to post once a week, but Mom promises me she will help me catch up on all your blogs this week sometime.  I figured I better squeeze in one post while I can.  Mom gets to teach Title I Math to kiddos who need extra help for the rest of the year.  In case you are wondering....yes, she taught Kindergarten last year, but due to budget cuts in the school district and the fact that it was only her 1st year teaching, she was a casualty of the RIF. (Reduction In Force)  She says it's ok though because if not for that she wouldn't have had the opportunity to spend 5 months with her wonderful 4th graders, and she would have never known that teaching upper elementary kids was SO much fun!  Anyway, onto me and what I have been up to before Mom calls it a night.



I have played with my neighbor Riley some more!  The funniest thing is that she likes to go underneath me and just stand!  Mom tells me that will not be happening for too long though as Riley will be taller than me, but I have a feeling she may still try it.


She REALLY likes to use her paws when we play.  She also immediately goes into a submissive position, and then tries to paw at me like a kitty would. :)  It's quite comical to see her roll herself on the ground or face plant and then turn over and start waving her paws in the air.



Mom and I have also been celebrating lots of birthdays. (Ummm, don't forget mine's coming up Mom!;)  This was from Julie's birthday.  She is my pal Ozzie's Mom.  All of these humans belong to one of my doggie friends, but this time there were NO dogs...can you believe it!  They actually went out without us...I am sure they missed us though!  They went out for pizza and then to a movie.  Happy Birthday to Julie!



The next birthday is Colleen's!  She's my pal Sierra's Mom.  Although her birthday is not until next weekend we celebrated today with a hike, a trip to this cool nursery, and lunch.  We even managed to get a somewhat decent group shot.  Happy Birthday Colleen!



This is my favorite picture though!! BOL!  Check out the expressions on the human's faces as they are afraid after the photoshoot we will head straight into the camera and knock it over!  Silly humans, we know to go around and we did...NO cameras were hurt today. ;)



As you already know, my Nanny & Grampi came over to watch the  basketball game this weekend, and we had lots of fun!  By the way, WVU made it to the final four...they beat Kentucky!! WOOHOO!  Anyway, I LOVE it when my Nanny & Grampi come over...ummm, Nanny, Grampi, if you read this, I do hope the unfortunate incident of me gobbling down your leftovers from the pasta restaurant doesn't keep you away for too long. :(  Sorry about that, but I must say it was mighty tasty. ;)

While Nanny & Grampi were here we hiked to this really neat waterfall too called Umtanum Falls.  It was very pretty!  Well, that's it for now...I will try to catch up on all your happenings very soon!

Love,

Nala

Victory is Sweet!

Well, WVU pulled it off!  Here I am proudly displaying my colors. ;)  Underneath I have my Husky collar on but Mom thought these colors looked best on me! BOL! (Dad if you are reading this, I tried to fight it, but Mom was too persistent so I deserve a treat for trying my best, right! I mean, I am truly a "Dawg" fan, ya know!;)

Mom and I at the beginning of the game.  We had a fun time watching the game but really I didn't care who won...my favorite part was getting the leftover pizza crusts! ;)

Well, Hello There!

Wow, it seems like an eternity since I blogged last, but things have been kind of busy around here.  I've been helping Mom garden, going on walks with friends, and visiting my Nanny and Grampi.  Speaking of my Nanny and Grampi, they are coming to MY house tonight for the West Virginia University vs. the University of Washington basketball game.  They figured they better "keep the peace" between Mom and Dad since Mom is from West Virginia and will be cheering for WVU and Dad is from Washington and graduated from UW and will be cheering for them.  Mom has already started decorating the house...it's full of blue and gold and purple and gold.  I will be wearing my Husky collar but Mom has another surprise for Dad...but I can't tell you yet what else I will be wearing in case Dad checks the blog....BOL!  Anyway, the pic above is a care package my pawrents sent to my Mom's Dad in West Virginia...some Northwest treats to enjoy during the game...hehehe!  Now, on to more dog related business.



This is KO...he is a foster pup my Mom's friend and my doggie friend are taking care of until he finds a good home.  We think the K.O. stands for knockout since he has two dark circles around his eyes. :)  Anyway, I got to go for a walk with them the other day and it was fun!



KO was so sweet, but couldn't quite keep up with us "big dogs" so I stayed behind with him.  I didn't mind, I generally like to take my sweet time and stop to sniff things anyway.  I had to stop a few times to make sure he was coming though and wait for the little guy to catch up.



I also spent some time playing with my pal Hank, who is helping to take care of KO.  He is a good boy for letting those foster pups come into his castle...I think I would be a bit jealous. :)



We all sat for some treats, well, KO is still learning.

He'll get it eventually...look, he's already almost there.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!  Ours will be much happier if Mom gets over her sickness...she has been sniffling and sneezing for the past couple of days.  Don't worry, I have been a most excellent nurse for her as you can see in the picture above.  Whenever she needs a nap, I am right there to curl up with her and keep her warm and snug. ;) 

Today, she decided that an early St. Patrick's Day dinner might make her feel better.  So, she found this Irish Soda Bread Scone recipe from the Smitten Kitchen blog.  If you haven't visited the Smitten Kitchen blog then you should definitely go check it out.  It's one of Mom's favorite places...she says there are some tasty recipes over there!  To go with the scones she made some potato leek soup...recipe courtesy of Alton Brown over at the Food Network. :)

Of course, I wouldn't know since Mom said NONE of the dishes were dog approved!  She said the raisins and the leeks meant these treats were off limits to me. :(   How rude...you mean, I have to just settle for a sniff?? 

However, when I thought Mom wasn't looking I did attempt a lick but missed.

That didn't stop me though.  I decided to linger a while and wait for Mom to turn her back for a second but that didn't happen either.  :(

So, I moved into my usual position at the entrance to the kitchen and carefully watched to see if any stray crumbs found their way to the floor.  Unfortunately, I was out of luck today...no crumbs came my way.  So, although the warm soup and bread made Mom feel a wee bit better make sure that if your humans cook up any yummy St. Patrick's Day food that it is doggie approved!  You'll be much happier than I was this evening. ;) What was my Mom thinking?

An Artist's View

Meet Miss Savannah!  She is the granddaughter of Ozzie's (my white Golden Retriever furiend) Mom.  So, I guess that would make Ozzie her uncle...hehehe!  Anyway, Mom and I LOVE it when she comes over because she is quite the character and she always makes us smile.  She is spunky, fashionable (you should see this girl's skirts and leggings), playful, artistic, and just plain sweet!  Today, I would like to focus on her most PAWesome artistic skills!

She sent this to me and Mom a few weeks ago.  Apparently, she likes to go off on her own and draw all kinds of things.  Her Mom helped her label the drawing, and then they sent it to Julie, her grandmother and Ozzie's Mom, to give to me. :)  Isn't it PAWtastic!  From the left,you will see Mom, Moi, Ozzie, and Julie, who is labeled as Grammy.  There are also two cherry trees, a bird, and possibly an ant hill in between Ozzie and Julie.  It immediately went up on our refrigerator as we were very honored that Miss Savannah drew this for us.  Quite the talent she is!  I must say that artistic genes run in her family as her grandmother is an AMAZING artist herself.  She makes these beautiful glass lamps and windows among other things.  She is also a wonderful photographer, and Mom has learned alot from her.  One day I will post some pics of her beautiful work for you all to see.

This weekend, Savannah and her little brother got to come over again.  On Saturday morning they joined us on our doggie playdate, and she gave Mom this first thing when she got out of the car.  Another amazing drawing!  It was very fun to notice the progression from the first one to the second one.  My favorite part though is my curly tail.  She said she did that because my tail is always curly like this, and she is right!  What an eye for detail!  Funny how kiddos notice my curly tail, and another thing they notice seems to be my gait.  Several kiddos have commented about how my back hips sway when I walk...kind of prissy like. :)  I am a princess, what can I say. BOL!  Anyway, THANKS Savannah, we love our pictures, and they are both proudly displayed on our refrigerator!  They are keepers for sure! :)

Tree Of Doom

I have a story to tell you...

Last Monday, Mom and I went for a walk in one of our usual spots, but this day was different.  It was the first REALLY windy day of the year, and believe me we get lots of windy days.  Probably not a good idea to go for a walk in this place on the first windy day, but we didn't even think about it.  As we were walking, we could see the trees swaying in the breeze, and we could hear them creaking, not uncommon.  We have always seen lots of fallen trees here but never have we actually seen one fall until that day.  As we were rounding the corner and had just ducked below another fallen tree, Mom saw the tree of doom start to fall.  Her heart started racing as she wasn't sure which way it would come down, and she yelled at me to run.  Luckily, I was behind her and very close.  Her yell startled me, but I regained my composure and immediately followed her lead. 

The crash was fairly loud, and Mom turned around to see the tree bounce back up after it hit the ground.  Scary!  We stood in shock for a moment, and then Mom said we had to get out of there, but the quickest way out was over the tree of doom that now lie in front of our path.  What to do?  Should we go all the way back or go over the evil tree that nearly killed us? ;)  We decided to go with the quickest route, so we ran and jumped over the fallen tree, but it did not let us go easily.  Right as we approached, a small branch came crashing down in front of us.  We ducked and felt like we were in a war zone, but kept running and ran all the way back to the car!  Well, almost all the way back. :)

Two days later, we came back for a walk with our friends, and Mom brought her camera to capture the tree of doom for you all to see which is the picture above.  It may not look big now that it's on the ground, but from way up high when it was falling it seemed mammoth to us.  So, while it was quite the experience, we now know NOT to go to this spot on the first windy day of the year!  Lesson learned! :)

Busy As A Bee

OMD, where to begin?  I was a very busy girl last week and this weekend.  First, Mom and I went on lots of short runs to try and get into better shape. ;)  Then, we went on a hike to Manastash Ridge.  It was kind of dull at first, but then my furiend Sierra showed up, and I got a bit more of a spring in my step. :)  Sorry Mom but I see you ALL the time and Sierra is REALLY fun to play with.  It was an epic adventure up a steep hillside but it felt good to get in a good workout.

Then, to my SURPRISE, I got to go and play with my long lost pal, Brix!  His sister, Anna, was there too but she doesn't really play with us...she acts as the supervisor. ;)  It was so great to see my buddy after such a LONG time...it had been months, literally!  We tired each other out pretty quickly.



Then, I got to meet my new neighbor dog.  Riley is a sweet girl, and she is a Great Dane like my pals Honey, Darwin, Sasha, Murphy, and the Danes Down Under, (which I haven't heard from in a while) so soon she will be bigger than me.  Every time I would get close to her while we were chasing she would immediately roll onto her back...she was quite graceful at the rolling maneuver actually.  I only rolled her into the fence a couple of times...hehehe...have to show her who's Top Dog around here, right! ;)  Don't worry, she was pawfectly fine...I mean, she did it to herself really!

Next up, My Uncle Joel came over!  I had missed him so much.  Although I saw him lots last month, it has been a while since he has been to my house so it was a grrreat treat!  We spent some quality time cuddling on the couch.



Can you guess what the adults played?  Sheesh, where are the earplugs when you need them? 

Mom and I went on a little hike with Dad.

I got a new collar from Ruffwear...it is so lightweight and it almost feels stretchy...very comfy!

And of course, the weekend wouldn't have been complete without a little sunbathing!  Ahhh, I love soaking up the rays!

Just Because

Have a super fun and relaxing weekend everyone! :)

NOT For The Squeamish!!

YUM....my first raw bone!  Thanks Remi!

Ridgeback Rompin' Part 2 & the Rest of my Weekend!

As many of you know from my last post, I got to play with my brother, Remi, again this weekend!  It's like a dream come true...two times in one month!  I can hardly believe my good fortune.  I must admit though that the boy wore me out!  I still consider myself a young and playful pup at almost 4 years old...I mean I tend to be more silly and playful than most but wowzers, a 7 month Ridgeback pup sure can make me take another look at my fitness level. ;)  As you can see, I am clearly looking more exhausted than my bro...his little ears and playful expression let you know that he can get up and go at any moment.  Me, I'm down for a bit longer.  I even got hot enough to dig in the cool dirt and stick my muzzle in.  I never do that unless I am really tired and hot.  Mom and I must start training immediately as I must keep up with the little bro! ;)

I know what you are thinking, how innocent and sweet little Remi looks over there as I am carefully keeping my eye on him, but I assure you he is in predatory mode.   He is silently and sneakily stalking his prey...ME!  He really does do this stealth stalking thing...it's quite cute and then he pounces just like a lion!

Don't worry, I may be in need of conditioning but I am still quick enough to take off and escape with him in hot pursuit.  For the most part, I can outrun him but I fear he is slowly catching up the older he gets.  Mom, we MUST train now!

Eventually, I LET him catch me as I am in need of a break.  Then, like a little shark, he attacks, but don't worry I do my own shark attack on him too.  It's all part of the fun! ;)

After all that playing, we share a drink and then say goodbye.

Now onto the reason I was over his way in the first place.  We were celebrating my Nanny & Grampi's 70th birthdays!  Aren't they so cute blowing out their candles!  Notice the picture in the bottom right corner...that is my Nanny and her two friends.  They found this painting a long time ago and thought it was funny and cute how they resembled these ladies, so they bought it and now they take turns with it in their homes.  They switch every birthday so now it is my Nanny's turn to bring it to her home.   Also, you will notice the yummy cakes, red velvet and ice cream cake, that my Auntie Alison made...she's a great cake maker, at least that's what Mom says.  I wouldn't know as they kept me away from the foodables. BOO!  On the top right is my cousin Cody with Grampi...such a cute boy and almost ready to be driving on his own!

Mom always makes the rolls for family get togethers but she had never made this many.  Luckily, they turned out great...she attributes that to the addition of sea salt and rosemary sprinkled on top.  She got this little tip from Pioneer Woman.

She also made some of the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls....they were pretty tasty too and VERY sweet!  One of these is plenty...no need to go back for seconds here.

And because I was such a good girl while the family celebrated, not only did I get to play with my bro, but I also got a booty rub from Mom.  Ahhh, I love booty rubs! :)