Household help

Miro enjoys helping around the house. He sorts laundry, whether it's clean or dirty, though he prefers dirty.

Inhale!

He likes to select seasonings for whatever I'm cooking for dinner.

And, of course, cleaning up after dinner is the best part.



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What season is this?

Indoors it looks like this season:

While outdoors, the hydrangea is doing this:

The bulbs are way behind other yards. Last week I saw daffodils in the city just about ready to bloom. The heat island effect (heat trapped by all those cars and buildings) of a city gets the flowers growing faster.

Happy birthday to Miró

Miró is two years old today. He was one of a litter of twelve I dubbed the Dirty Dozen. Almost ten weeks after his birthday I went to Ohio to fetch him home on my birthday. What could be a better gift to oneself? At the time he weighted about 12 lbs. He barely fit into the carrier I'd brought--one more day and he would have been too big to fly in the airplane cabin. As it was, he spent most of the flight sleeping on my lap. He was merely resting up for nonstop movement from that time on, interrupted by occasional naps.

He's from the Airecraft kennel. During the flight I wondered what kennel name to give him. Six months before, both my previous Airedales had died within a few weeks of each other. (Keeper and The So-Perfect Darwin.) Four months before, calm and sweet-tempered Alanis had come to live with me. With the addition of Miró, I would have the right number of Airedales again. The name fell into place: Airecraft Carries Me Home.

Now Miro is a tall, lean 56.8 lbs. He sits nicely.

For a little while.

Tonight we're going to a doggie get-together for some canine freestyle training. The treats are ready to go. The dog is always ready to go.

Food as entertainment

Wild parrots like to descend on a tree full of ripe fruit, take one bite from a piece and hop to the next piece of fruit, like those cartoons you see of ladies taking one bite from each chocolate in a large box, never eating a whole candy but ruining the box for everyone else. At home, there's nothing Peaches and Pita like more than to take one bite out of a chunk of apple and fling the rest to the floor.

But super-brain here (moi) can outsmart them by impaling an apple on a hanging rod and spicing it up with dabs of peanut butter inserted in holes carved out with the tip of a vegetable peeler. Work for your food, birdies!

Hang the apple in the cage and here's the result. Yes, half the apple fell to the bottom of the cage but the birds had a good, messy time.

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Who won the decoupage box?

This was supposed to be quick and simple: take and upload the photos, announce the winner, stagger back to bed to feel sorry for myself because I have a bad cold. Then the computer decided to act up and there went another half-hour soothing its feelings, promising it chocolate and a nice dusting if only it would get unstuck. Finally it did.

Box with names.



I put the entries in the box and shook it up. Miro wanted to help but this is not exactly high-quality hardwood, so I kept his very big teeth away.

The winners are Trixie, Lily and Sammy-Joe who are already having a fun time today. Since the dogs pictured on the box are mostly LittleDogs and so are Trixie and Lily, I think the box is going to the right place. Also, they're far enough away that they can't come stomping over here if they're disappointed when they see it.

Now to make one with big dogs on it.

Favorite places



The place from which to view all comers.

Can you see Alanis hiding between the tree and the fence?

Sleeping on somebody else's bed.

Minding her own business on her own bed.

Until somebody else comes along.

Don't forget about the little treat-box give-away below.

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Since there were no plows or harnesses to mend during the cold, dark, short, ugly (ok, I don't like winter) days, I got out the scissors and paint and did a couple of decoupage projects. Now I have extra boxes. What to do? Give one away, of course.

inside

 The box is about four inches at the widest parts and three inches high, just right for storing your dog's collar charms or those tiny treats you keep by the door.

 

Side and back photos.

I used magazine bits and stickers. Tragically, I didn't find any Airedales but there are lots of other cute dogs.

If you'd like to enter to win the box, post a comment and sign on as a follower if you haven't already. I'll write down all the names and let Miro pull one out of a hat---no, scratch that; he'd eat the hat. I'll jumble the names and pull one at random next week and send this tchotchke off to the lucky winner after I contact you and get your address.

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First installation of 2011

Miro's first installation of 2011 hints at a cubist influence, perhaps due to the Picasso exhibit at Seattle Art Museum.

Or he is practicing shark bites.