Simply the best image ever.

No finer use of form, color and technology has ever been accomplished. 

Nor will it ever be surpassed. 

Ten minutes.

Throughout November-December I dabbled in a morning routine that included some quiet meditation, stretching, yoga, and in general a more regimented process. The results are in: the days where I kept this practice were glorious, with notable differences in mood, focus and productivity. This dabbling took me through different types of weather, times of the month and all the other things one might ascribe to the cause.

Focus on the flame.

This past week I left it behind. And boy... do I notice a difference. The holiday caloric bacchanalia has left me de-energized, demotivated, stiff, grumpy... you name it. Simply taking a deep breath was met with constriction and fight from the muscles in my abdomen.

Back on plan this morning. Which is going to include a small window for writing. The point is 1) have a limit 2) write without obsession of the details.

Meditating with dogs in the house resulted in a change in my intended practice (10-15 minutes of utter silence and solitude as I focused on breath was the intent). Instead of fighting it, I've worked it in. The dogs all approach me with questions in their eyes -- Why am I on the floor in the living room? Why am I staring at a candle sitting atop my drum set in front of me? Instead of shooing them away, I draw them in, cup their questioning little faces, transmit all the love I feel for them, and plant a kiss on their forehead. It never fails that both Shadow and Marissa will primly then sit down beside me, facing forward, and stare at the candle for a minute. They then look at me as if to say, "What are we waiting for?" After a few moments they will then meander away. Winston, instead, just loafs out beside me, content to bask in the moments.

What would we do without dogs? I don't want to find out.

Doggies lost and found.

Arriving home last night, a friendly, medium sized black retriever mix ran right up to the guys as they excited the vehicle. As soon as I heard Scot report, "No collar..." what has become a familiar plan was put into action.

I ran into the house to put our dogs outside into the back yard. Opening the front door to call the dog in, he RUSHED across our front yard and into the door. What a friendly boy! He looked to have a disruption in the fur where a collar usually would be... that coupled with his friendly nature and overall good shape had us hopeful that he was a well cared for and loved dog who'd just wiggled out of his home.

We took him to the emergency vet clinic just down the street to see if they could ID a chip. None was found. So he stayed the night in a portion of our garage. That night I'd already posted an ad on Craigslist, and also submitted a Found Dog entry on the Marion County Dog Control site. Our Saturday would begin with trying to locate his owner.

Around 7ish Saturday morning, I'm lying in bed awake but... not quite awake. Our window is open a bit, and I hear a car moving slowly down the street with someone yelling a name out the window.

OMG! Someone's looking for a dog! Jumping out of bed and throwing on some clothes, I run outside, run a bit down the sidewalk and jump up and down waving my arms, trying to get the driver's attention although he's a few blocks away. As I dash inside, Kris comes outside and starts running down the street. After finding shoes and keys, I rush outside to find Kris walking back (keep in mind he's in his bathrobe) and he's able to tell me the car is one block over going the other way.

Tearing out, I locate the car two streets away heading toward me. Waving them over, I ask if they've lost a dog to which the driver replies, kind of incredulously, "Yes!" After I made him describe him (black lab/retriever mix, goofy) I said, "We have him! Found him last night!"

Many times we've come upon a dog who is clearly not where they are supposed to be. We drop everything to help, because that's what I pray someone would do if one of our furkids somehow got out on their own and were in danger. We've driven them back home thanks to tags with addresses, used rabies tags to track down owners, taken dogs to the shelter to be reunited with their owners, kept them overnight (or longer) as we tried to locate owners.

Last night we drove the neighborhood at 9pm thinking we might see someone out walking with a flashlight looking for the dog we'd found last night. It was a task well worth it if we could save someone a night of hellish worry -- I cannot imagine if Winston were nowhere to be found; I'd go positively crazy.

The guy is a neighbor, not very far, and we had met before at a neighborhood picnic over a year ago. He comes inside and we chat and he then heads out to the car with Oreo, as we learned the dog was named.

And what does he do? He walks out the door with Oreo, without a collar and without a leash, refusing the ones I had offered. Seriously? Oreo is a wonderful dog, but not well trained so he runs around -- including out into the road -- and the owner is yelling and gritting his teeth as repeatedly spits commands that Oreo clearly doesn't understand, and without a leash cannot be corrected for. Finally Oreo jumps into the back of the vehicle and off they go.

Here's hoping that Oreo received a warm welcome from a household that missed him, instead of a reprimand for something for which he was not responsible.

A big thumbs up to Platinum Spa Auto Detail in Keizer.

While we're on the subject of cars...

My Christmas present to myself was a full detail on my car. I had called half a dozen detailers in the Salem area for quotes for an in/out detail on the VW New Beetle. A wide range of prices for effectively the same service, all the way up to $300.

*gulp*

My goal was to correct, once and for all, my own lacking maintenance, and instill better habits with a fresh start. We have two dogs, and with a black interior, it's just a nightmare. One too many trips to the dog park where we'd forgotten a towel and... I admit, I almost couldn't LOOK into the back of the car it was so bad.

Let's be honest... in this market, the labor doing this work is going to be paid about $10/tops. So even if it takes them all day, that's $80 in labor. (And my hairmobile was so bad... it just might take them that long.) I have a hard time translating that into a $300 price, even considering overhead, etc. But when Platinum Spa Auto Detail in Keizer quited me $145... it almost seemed too good to be true.

But it was not. I called 12/23, planning to have it done before the end of the year. But with that price I asked when they could get me in and he said, "Tomorrow!" So on Christmas eve, a friend picked me up in the morning after I dropped it off and we picked it up late that afternoon. Approaching for the pickup, I almost couldn't believe that it was my car; it had a shine on it unlike I'd seen since we drove it off the dealer lot. They even fixed my messed up windshield wiper! And the dog hair -- which was thick as a mat in the back -- was simply GONE. How, I don't know, because when I spend two hours vacuuming the shit out of it, a great deal of dog hair still sticks into the carpet fibers and WILL. NOT. COME. OUT.

There are some new rules in the house as they pertain to dog transportation: ONLY with the seat down and ONLY with the doggie liner spread out over the back hatch area.

Really. I mean it. This time.

Commited members to the Church of Dog.

As fall turns to winter, we've had what feels like a very mild time so far. Many days with beautiful rays of sun (even if they are filtering through puffy clouds) and warmer temps... there's some rain, don't get me wrong. This morning was chilly (under 40) and foggy. We got up fairly early and started the day by going to the Church of Dog, otherwise known as Minto Brown. Marissa is mellowing and her frequent socializing with dog friends at our house is making her a much more comfortable and outgoing player at the park. Winston was on a mission, as usual, and glided right under the hands that reached out to pet him, intent on working the trail before him. We sat in the car afterward for a bit with our coffee, watching and laughing at all the joyful dogs.

I can't think of anything better. 

Winston spied the dog beds stacked up while the covers were being washed; he climbed right up there and it seemed to make the perfect bed. So when the cover was done, we stuffed both of them into one, for his spoiled enjoyment. What a brat.

Dressin' up dogs.

Dressing dogs in costumes is a crime to which I do admit guilt. Further, I'd do it again. Haven't done so lately, however, so I had to get my thrills elsewhere. The Daily Corgi has a wonderful contest going on right now. My favorite--I'm still laughing--was Momo dressed as nigiri.

Go and enjoy the Corgis, and vote! 

Just what is snousting?

Snousting is a general term used for frolicking doggie play. It originated, I believe, from Kristi Armes back in the day. I heard it once and it stuck. Having used it recently to the mystification of some, I captured a prime example of some low key snousting the other night. Bad video is due to use of an iPhone in low light.

Dogs need rugs.

Summertime urged us to clean, straighten, divest and lighten. The living room seemed better without the rug, coffee table and a few other things. Clean, open space seemed just the thing. As fall fades into winter, however, that aesthetic left me feeling a bit cold. With the fireplace in frequent use, I didn't want a table or anything else that would block heat, but a rug would have been nice.

The dogs never seem to mind changes. But Winston was having trouble getting up on the couch from the slick floor, so we decided to add an area rug in front of the couch again. The results have been very, very entertaining.

From the moment we unfurled the large rug (a cheapie from Freddies) the dogs have luxuriated on it. Winston immediately stopped, flopped and rolled from one side to the other, snorting and snuffling and rolling in delight. Upon finishing, the most lively and extended snousting session commenced, and we laughed so hard at the antics going on right at our feet we thought we'd sprain something.

And each night since, it's been the same routine.

Poor guys, I had no idea they missed the rug so much.

Canine reminiscing.

bijou library3
Originally uploaded by lavachickie

I'm creating a large photo collage of The Dogs of Four for an open wallspace in my studio. Thousands of pup photos in iPhoto later, I've laughed and I've cried. I miss Bijou and Darwin so much, that will never change. And our family will never be the same, I know that. But there is space in our lives for one more. There is time, love and resources. So we are open to the possibility of adding a Corgi to our household. We have been looking at and talking to rescue groups, checking shelters, and eve scoping out breeders.

This is just one of MANY photos of Bijou that show her in her favorite position; on her back and half falling off whatever it is she's lying on. Actually, it's amuzing that so many of our photos of the dogs are them lying in the most crazy things, or on the most crazy things.



Marissa, Winston, Darwin and Bijou. This photo is, oddly, in age order from smallest to large, left to right.

Marion County Dog Control Shelter

Aside from sending in $$$ in exchange for jewelery for our furkids, I'd thankfully not had any contact with the Marion County Dog Control Shelter. It sounded icky... Dog Control. That's the dog catcher, man! Remember the Ren and Stimpy cartoon that talked about The Big Sleep!?

Recently Scot and I found ourselves making the absolutely crazy choice to spend our Saturday, after the Salem Saturday Market, doing a little animal shelter hopping. Tempting fate, it is!

Having never gone to the Marion County Dog Control Shelter, I pulled up in trepidation. My mind was thinking of some of the not-so-nice facilities I've seen in my time.

Walking through the door I was... shocked. It's... cute. It's... warm. It's... welcoming. It looks like a spiffy veterinarian's office. Neat as a pin, clean, well maintained and with very nice accommodations for the dogs. The volunteers were super nice and helpful, and all in all I really couldn't find a single thing I'd suggest differently. Wow!

They handle all the stray dogs; this means if you find a dog, this is where you take them. Willamette Valley Humane Society will direct you there if you try to stop off there first.

This is also the first place you should check if you've lost your dog. You can even search their found dogs online! There are listings with photos of those dogs at the shelter, and also a listing of dogs that have been found by individual citizens who are housing them until an owner is found.

All dogs that make their way into the shelter spend time as strays awaiting claim. After that time is up, after evaluation they may make their way into the adoptable list, again something you can search online. But nothing beats going to the shelter and shaking a paw or petting a head. Even if you just want a dog fix, these guys will enjoy the attention.

PS - Penny is still available for adoption. She's so wonderful, please adopt her!

Penny needs a home!

This past weekend we spent some time doing a shelter-crawl. We met an adorable older dog at the Marion County Dog Shelter. She is so sweet, and so deserving of a loving home in which she can live out the rest of her days. She's well behaved, social, smart... so sweet.


The hard truth is that as an older dog, her chances of adoption are lower. Please, please, if you are looking to add a dog to your home, consider Penny. She's awesome.

See the web site for more information.

A Salem, OR weekend.

The weekend play-by-play: Saturday started with a run out to the Independence Farmer's Market to pick up some bread from The Bread Board. The usual six booths there had grown to almost double, with a bountiful array of peppers, tomatoes, honey, tomatillos, and melons. Samples of melons were being extended at every turn, and Scot scored a gigantic cantaloupe with a flavor that made him swoon.

Even the smell of those makes me gag, so I abstained.

On to the Salem Saturday Market, at which we devoured a fantastic meat/cheese and veggie quesedilla at one of the vendors. We topped it off with some marvelous spring rolls (how DO they get them so crisp?!).

The spirit moved us to visit the shelter. Off to Willamette Valley Humane Society we went, where we spent forever in the rabbit room speaking with volunteers and playing with buns. After a quick trip through the kennels (they never seem to have many dogs... is this a good thing?) we headed out to the Monroe County Dog Control -- I'll write more about that surprise later -- and to make a long story short we almost adopted (another) dog.

But we didn't.

Not yet, anyway.

Today Scot threw together the most fantastic lightweight summer chili, and we went to see District 9. Thoroughly disturbing.

Now THIS is how you move dogs into forever homes.

This local news spot in BC for dogs available from the ASPCA is gut-bustingly hilarious. Man, I love dogs.

A sweet smelling dog.

Winston amongst the herbs that just won't die
Originally uploaded by lavachickie

After his favorite hobbies of lounging in the sun, rolling in the over ripe cherries and lying in a dirt hole in any one of many corners, Winston's personal aroma is often fragrant, but not necessarily in a good way. This morning, however, a sweet scent of a mixed bag of notes followed him, and it piqued my interest. Ushering them outside, I wandered and let them do their thing until Marissa showed me the source: the old herb bed by the side gate where they like to watch for us to come home. Last year we planted a variety of herbs, but the shade from the cherry tree made it less than successful. So it's ironic that now when we try to change it over to something else, it's only the herbs that are growing. The orange mint and lemon balm just won't stop, and the remaining rosemary we left in there are all doing very well.

And it's between them that Winston likes to lay.

Better than some of the alternatives.

And again there were four. But just for a little while.

Four dogs again roam our home. It feels good in some ways, although of course the real void left can never be filled. We are hosting Blazer and Bill while their humans frolick at the Oregon Country Fair. Both are wonderful, fun loving and personable. They get along well with our dogs, but Bill and Marissa have a special puppy-like playful relationship, and are a joy to watch as they buck and fly all around the back yard in pursuit of one another.

Blazer reminds me a bit of an old friend, Akasha. It's all an odd pull of nostalgia, but at the same time sort of brings the past into the present and makes things feel more fluid, continuous and whole.

Instantly stop leash tugging: switch to the Easy Walk!

Marissa is so high energy and full of a lust for life that walking with her is like tying a string to a schizophrenic pterodactyl and then hanging on for the ride. She tugs this way, then that way, then... argh! We heard from other dog owners that their use of the Easy Walk harness turned tuggers into well behaved walk companions instantly. We've tried everything with her; her zest for catching that sniff that lies just beyond her current reach simply dwarfs her annoyance at being choked by her collar. (The image to the right is not Marissa; it's a stock product photo for the product.)

I previously noted that while in the Seattle area, we stumbled across Mud Bay in Bellevue. They had the harnesses, and although we didn't have Marissa with us for a fitting, we were confident on her size and shape, and picked up one of these in a medium size, blue color.

She doesn't mind wearing it at all, and Scot hooked her up for a two mile jog at Willamette Mission this morning. He reported the same phenomenon: this puller was instantly tamed, and she responds now to the slightest of tweaks on the leash. Yes, instantly.

Wow. I wish we'd known about these years ago as Bijou likewise was a puller. If you're having trouble with a puller... give one of these a try. I bet you won't be sorry!

Nothin' like a good howl!

Passing fire engines make Marissa toss her head back and belt out a thin, high pitched wail of a howl. We played on this by starting to howl together; it took her a bit to catch on, but some months ago Scot and I would howl, and when we hit the right contrasting pitches, she'd join in. (This was, of course, after torturing her one night in bed as I downloaded siren sounds on the iPhone and tried them out on her.) Now she's used to the game, and she joins right in.

Winston has never been one to debase himself so, however. Until tonight, anyway. Sitting on the couch with Winston on my lap and Marissa taking the cushion between us, Scot started up, I joined and Marissa was going to town, tossing her head back with us. Then, Winston starts chattering, then talking, and then... a real, honest to goodness head-thrown-back-and-doggie-lips-pulled-into-an-O howl! He looked like he might have surprised himself, even.

Our neighbors think we're nuts, I'm sure.

It was quite an evening; when I came home late from work, my mate greeted me with a fresh frozen margarita w/ salt. I took a moment to unwind in the back yard, sun streaming down on the freshly manicured lawn, the blossoms of the cherry tree floating through the air, and happy dogs bounding about. I was gripped by one of those "it doesn't get better than this" feelings.

Counting my blesings.

An open letter to the neighbor.

Your dog's yapping is not the worst thing in the world. It's her excitement and joy at being alive, and an expression of her self-held bad assed-ness as she alerts you to all the really important things in life, such as that bird in the yard, or the fact that the dogs which have lived next door for almost 3.5 years now are yet again in their yard.

It's not a bother. Really.

What is less than desirable, however, is your screaming and yelling at her, sometimes through clenched teeth. Usually, this happens after she's been barking for ten minutes, which, if you must know, is not an effective training method.

Dog yapping = happy sound. Angry woman screaming like a banshee = pain in my ass.

So please: stop it.

That is all.

Need some inspiration? Meet a dog named Faith.

Jilly sent me a link with a tearjerker and some photos about a dog named Faith. Born with deformed front legs (later removed), this little puppy learned to do something that, for all practical purposes, many would say she couldn't do. The still photos don't do the story justice. You must check out the segment that was on Oprah last year.

I hate to get all sappy, but seeing this happy dog is an inspiration, and a reminder that just because things aren't easy doesn't mean we should give up. That rings true on so many levels, whether it's our own personal struggles, or your choice to keep working with or on someone or something.

Just remember the dog that seemed to have been born without something so very necessary, but then learned to walk on two legs and went on to live a joy filled life--and bring so much joy to others!

Headline: Dog upchucks faux shrimp.

Once at Vegetarian House we picked up vegetarian shrimp, mostly due to the novelty. (They sell a selection of frozen products in addition to table service.) They are even painted to look like shrimp. While we aren't vegetarian, we enjoy tofu and a lot of other things, but for their own merits, not for the ability to replace a meat based option. (Aside from the fake chicken at Marco Polo, they've always failed to come even close.)

Last night we made a white wine/garlic/butter sauce with mushrooms and these little faux crustaceans. Neither of us could handle it. The problem was that the texture was so shrimp-like, while the flavor was just... odd.

As is often the answer on our household, "Give it to Marissa." She's the tall, skinny redhead above, and her boundless energy and endless patrolling of the back yard burns up more calories than she'll eat in dog food, so we do "augment" her diet with people food.

They didn't agree with her. What was odd was that they came up, over 12 hours later, with no signs of having been digested.

Ewwwwww.

Ingredients include Japanese konjak flour, soybean and wheat protein. She doesn't seem otherwise affected.

No more culinary adventures for Marissa.