January Walkie Day

Going for a walk is not a different daily adventure for me - it's routine and I love it! The days that it rains or is much too cold to walk are depressing days for me because I really, really love my walkie!
We walked this morning and mom forget her camera at home, so when we got back she grabbed the Kodak and we went for a second walk on our property. We have 5 acres and 2 ponds and there is always an adventure or a sniff or two that's new around here. It's about 35 degrees here right now and the sun is out and it's just lovely. You can almost feel spring in the aire - oh how I wish! (That's mom talking about spring, not me. I love winter)

I'm over by our small pond in this pic - sniffing for something tasty. Nope, it's all frozen!

The above photo is the large pond in our back yard. This pond is home to our mute swan Dauby and three Greylag geese - a mom, a dad and a child Greylag. The mom and dad had 4 goslings in 2005. When autumn arrived, 3 of them took off (like they're supposed to) but one stayed behind. I guess he didn't want to leave the cushy life here! He's actually the smart one - he gets fed every day - no hunting for food to stay alive here!!! We also have mallards that come daily for the free hand outs!

This next photo is Dauby and the menagerie of waterfowl up close. We have a device called a bubbler that sits on the bottom of the pond and keeps an area of water defrosted in the winter so that the birds have fresh water to drink and swim in. Depending on how cold the weather gets, their swimming area can either be larger or very small. They actually have a pretty good area for swimming so far this winter.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm off to see if maybe mom won't want to go for a third walk!!!

Until next time....................

Love ya lots,

Maggie

Maggie Meets TR

TR is mom's big bear cub. Dad bought him for her about 25 years ago. He normally sits in a red wagon in our dining room with other bear stuffies but today TR decided to venture out of his wagon and plant himself on MY BED!!!!!



So TR not only stole my bed but now he's out to get my ringer! Oh yea, well, we'll just see about that!

I was able to retrieve my ringer and show him who was boss and the next thing I knew he took off and was racing towards my water dish and my food dish! Off I went to teach him whose dishes he was messin' with!

I did get to eat my meal in peace - thank goodness! At least he knew not to mess with me at this most important time and I did happen to glance over at one point and saw that he had ahold of my toothbrush bone and my ball. I call this bone my toothbrush bone because every day after I finish my main meal I always chew on this bone for 5 minutes. It cleans my teeth! So me and TR need to have a talk about someone not helping themselves to MY stuff!

This hard headed bear needs to learn that this ball and this bone are MINE!!!

About 15 minutes later TR got bored and went back to his wagon! Good! I guess I showed him who was boss!

So the moral of the story is - don't mess with Maggie, Mr. TR!!!!!

Gloomy Monday

The good news is that I did get to go for walkie this morning but now I'm stuck here inside while mom runs errands and dad is off on some excursion with his buddy Bob.

She said something about the bank being on her list of places to go. Why can't I go too? They pass out cookies and I'm a starvin' girlfren ya know! Not fair mom - not fair at all! And she mentioned the grocery store for fruit and milk. I can HOPE that she remembers me here all alone and brings home something special.

I'm trying really hard to amuse myself! I'm just so disappointed that I got left home alone - AGAIN!!! Today is just so BORING!!!!

Wait! I think I hear mom's car! Lemme check!

Yup, she's back and she did think of me. awwwwwwwwwwwww

Well, it could have been more exciting but a banana suits me just fine. Thanks mom! It was worth the short wait!

Until next time............
Love ya lots,
Maggie

Mail From Putter

A couple of weeks ago Sunshade's mom told me about another Airedale that lives in Connecticut that she has been corresponding with. She suggested that we write to each other and maybe we could get together for a play date. Well, we haven't actually met in person yet but we have been writing back and forth and getting to know each other. Today I got a Curious George card in the mail from Putter and pictures too!!!

Putter sent quite a few pics! So now I get to see my new friend that I'm exchanging emails with! Isn't she cute!

Mom said to me, Maggie - take a look at Putter's adorable wooly bear face and I ran to the window to see if she was out there!

She told me I was being silly - that she meant the picture, not Putter out in the yard for real! Putter's mom is working on a blog for her as we speak so before too much longer we'll all be able to read about Putter's daily adventures. I love getting emails from my new found friend. Maybe one day we can meet in person. Thank you Sunshade's mom for hooking us up!

Till next time.................

Love ya lots,

Maggie

Happy Birthday Gram!

Today is my grandma's 75th birthday. It's been awhile since I've seen her and my grandpa and I miss them LOTS!!! I wanted to share something very special with you. My gram is a very creative person and years ago she and my grampa built a dollhouse together. They put every roof shingle and every clapboard on this house themselves - even the copper flashing on the chimney! Gramp did all of the wiring - the house has light fixtures and sconces and lanterns on the front porch that really light up! This dollhouse reprensents YEARS of work! It's a masterpiece and it's in our family room and we enjoy it every single day. It used to be at my gram's house but gram and gramp moved recently and they packed it up and shipped it to my mom. My mom just loves having it here! She marvels every single day at all of the hard work and the detail and the love that went into this doll house.
This is the front of the house. Can you see the wicker furniture? The front door really opens!

Mom didn't have to add a thing to the house. Gram sent every single piece of furniture and even the pictures that were hanging on the walls - the curtains are all handmade too, but mom wanted to add one special piece to the house - she wanted to add me! Here I am in one on the bedrooms on the second floor. BTW, there are 8 rooms in this house plus a hallway downstairs and a small chapel upstairs. In real life I don't get to lay around on the beds - hey, I have enough of my own - but in the doll house, it's allowed


And here I am again in the nursery. Aren't the rooms lovely! They look like a real house, huh!

And here is the kitchen. This is mom's favorite room. Mom loves very early American and this room is just like stepping back in time. She's always saying that she wishes she could shrink herself and live here!
This is the back of the house. You can sorta peek into all the rooms. There is a library and a dining room and a sewing room upstairs and another bedroom and a music room. When people visit they ohhhhhh and ahhhhhhhh at all the details that gram paid such attention too. My gram is a perfectionist - I guess you can tell that, huh!

So this is for you gram and gramp. I just wanted to let all of my special furbutt buddies know how special you are! BTW, gram and gramp have had Irish Setters pretty much all of their lives!

Happy Birthday Gram!

I love you and grampa lots!!

Love,
Maggie and mom and dad too!

Destroy the Monkey Mission

My mission for today is to destroy one of my Christmas gifts - my long-armed monkey!

Mom noticed today that he had a small hole in his side. Yes, I did that! I was bored!

When mom notices these things she always warns me that I need to be nice or else into the fire he goes!!! She's not kidding - she really means it! I need to be extra careful while mom is around and watching. I have to make the hole bigger ONLY when she's NOT looking! hehehehe. I have to be productive about this destroy mission but I have to be oh so careful!

OOPS! I got caught and mom is now on a mission to get monkey away from me so he can be roasted for tonight's dinner! I'll save you monkey!

I won round one but mom never gives up without a fight! I think she may be part Airedale!

Wait! I hear Dad's buddy Ross coming in for a visit. I like Ross! He's nice! He always pays special attention to me and gives me nice pats and rubs. I need to greet him and tell him my story so that he takes my side and not mom's but if I run and greet Ross mom will steal monkey and she'll win!

My bed is right in front of the fireplace and it's warm and cozy and it feels so good because it's so cold outside and I'm beginning to get really sleepy but I need to stay alert and I need to stay focused. Monkey's life is at stake here! I can't hold on much longer. My eyes are getting droopy. I really need to put my head down and doze. Darn, I can' t let mom win!

I won! I won!!

Mom saw me sound asleep and she kept telling dad how sweet and angelic I looked and that she couldn't take monkey away - it just wouldn't be right! That's right! I am a sweet angel - boy, did I pull one over on you mom!

We'll continue the destroy monkey mission on another day! Right now I need my beauty rest.

Until next time.............
Love ya lots,
Maggie

Waiting for Sunday Company

These past two days have been so BORING!!!! It's been rainy and dreary out and life has been so DULL but today is Sunday and lots of times my hooman sister and her fiance come for macaroni dinner topped with dad's special tomato sauce. My dad makes the BEST tomato sauce! So it's Sunday, the football game is on and mom started the fire in the family room fireplace. The stage has been set!

Now all I need is for Melissa and Jim to show up for oonies!

I'm waiting for them to come through that door any minute now. But wait! Mom says they're not coming today! OH NO!!! But I want company - I'm so bored and they're so much fun!

You can't really mean this mom!!!

Well, she wasn't fibbing. They really aren't coming so mom and dad decided to have their dinner in front of the TV and watch the Bears/Seattle game. Time for Maggie to go to work! I need to stare dad's plate down in hopes that he'll feel really sorry for me and pass me one of those delicious looking penne's.

Dad's not being very generous today. I think he's concentrating on the game and doesn't even realize that I'm right there in his face! Shoot! Okay - so now it's mom's turn to get the begging act!

I'm very patiently waiting in my very un-lady-like position but who cares! If it works, it's worth it! Yup, it worked! Maggie scores an oonie! Mom took pity on me! Bless that mom!After dinner is over and the dishes are being stacked at the side of the sink to be washed and just before the last of the oonies are tossed into the garbage, mom treated me to a couple more oonies in my dish.

What a nice Sunday dinner after all - a nice warm fire and a GREAT football game - it's raining out and it's raw but I'm warm and cozy and well-fed and happy. I sure love my life!

Until next time.................
Love ya lots,
Maggie

My Airedale Coat

Mom has been very busy lately working on a new project for me - customizing my new denim coat! Now don't get me wrong - Butchy and Snicker's mom did an awesome job - actually mom says Linda did all the hard work and she gets to have all the fun! It's been a few days now and the project is finally complete and ready for me to show off.
I need to step back for a moment. We did have 20 degree temps here one morning and I did get to sport my new coat without the new decorations but no one was walking but me, mom and dad so I didn't really get to style and show it off :-(
Next time will be different!

Here's one side of it:

This picture was taken before we left the house. Do you see the resemblance? hehehe

And here's the other side:

I like this side better. This side took mom longer to applique. We didn't leave the driveway as it's 50 degrees here today! So off the coat will come and we'll save it for a cooler day. Sooner or later the temps have to get cold, right?! It's January!

Until next time................

Maggie

Do Dogs Go to Jail?

This news was on our TV this morning. I'm very worried because I've come to love a lot of little white dogs on blogger. What do you think will happen to the doggie?

Vernon police investigate armed home invasion
Posted Jan. 11, 20078:15 AM

(Vernon-WTNH) _ Police say Wednesday night around 10 PM, two armed men broke into a home on Talcottville Road.
The men were armed with a gun and a knife and attacked two people inside. The victims were not seriously hurt but the suspects did steal some items from their home.
Police say the suspects may be with a woman with a small white dog.


So does this mean the small white dog is an accomplish and will have to go to jail and eat bread and water along with the evil hoomans? The robbers will get what they have coming to them but what will become of the furchild who is innocent? Do you think the judge will spare the doggie?

A very worried,
Maggie

HouseKeeper of the Year

Today mom took the Christmas tree down and she's been doing a lot of heavy-duty cleaning to get stuff back to an order that we all can live with. I've been trying to do my part too but I sorta keep getting yelled at. Mom says I'm going the wrong way with helping out and that I'm making more of a mess. She's calling me Messy Maggie today and I just can't understand why! I'm trying to organize my toy basket. I wanted to put all the toys on the bottom that hardly ever get played with so that all of my favorite's can be right there on top so I can just grab and run.




After an hour had passed and I had played as well as organized, I decided to take a nap. Meanwhile, mom was upstairs with the evil Hoover and the two of them were making lots of noise together. It suddenly got quiet and I could hear mom and Hoov coming back downstairs. They rounded the corner and mom stopped dead in her tracks! Oh boy, I think I'm in trouble again! Mom asked me what I had been doing productive and I showed her my toy basket all neat as a pin but she didn't see that part. She was glaring at me in my nest!

What????????? I was only trying to catch a few winks. Now what??!! And by the way, can't a girl ever get any shut-eye without that blasted camera blinding her 25 times a day!!! Mom huffed off taking Hoover with her and the two of them started making more noise in the family room. Meanwhile, I hear the mailman coming down the street - I know, I know - the new year's resolution - be more kind and loving to him. Well I'm trying - but I do have to bark, bark, bark and let mom know that he's across the street and on his way here. Mom looks up from vacuuming - looks at me and then looks at the window. Uh oh! I think I'm in deep doodoo again!

Maggie, she says, I just cleaned that window yesterday! Look at all of that nose art on that glass! I think I'm in the doghouse!

When mom finally puts evil Hoover away I guess I'll have to go play suck up to get on her better side. Wish me luck and in the meantime this is what I think of house work.............

Here's hoping mom forgives me soon.

Until next time..........

Love ya lots,

Maggie

My Day of Beauty

Mom told me early this morning that today was grooming day. Not a problem. I liked to be groomed. It means shedding the fur and being much cooler! Mom has been grooming me herself for quite awhile. On my 4th visit to the "real" groomer's shop I decided that 4 times was enough! I gave mom that, OMG-you-can't-possibly-leave-me-here-again look - she did, but she told me afterwards she felt soooooooo guilty and couldn't wait to pick me up. I never told mom what I didn't like about the groomer's but she assured me that she'd do her homework and we'd buy clippers and blades and brushes and sissors and whatever else was necessary to make me a pretty girl. Mom got a video from Joanne Helm and watched it over and over and took lots of notes so she wouldn't make me looks like something I wasn't supposed to look like!

My grooming room is on the 2nd floor of our house. This room is considered an attic so please excuse the mess. Mom uses an old cedar chest as my table and as you can see in this first picture, that leash hanging over my back was my noose when I was younger. I don't need it anymore though. I know now that I don't get down off the trunk until mom puts my collar back on - then I know that I'm officially done!
After breakfast, mom headed upstair to move the trunk into place and to set up and turn on lights so that she could see me from all angles. After she was all set, she stood at the top of the staircase and told me to come on up!

I'm not fond of stairs and I need an invitation to come up. Mom was calling me and I was very hesitant so she ended up coming all the way down and telling me it was okay - hehehe - I just wanted an escort! I don't have to be told to jump up on the trunk. As I said before, I like to be groomed, so by the time mom climbed back up the stairs I was already sitting down and waiting for her.

This next pic is right before mom turns on the clippers. Bye bye fur! I'm going to be so much happier without this extra baggage, expecially on this above average temperature for a January day! Temps are supposed to be in the 60's today - near 70! This is most unusual!

I cautioned mom that no pics can be taken of me in an unflattering light and she agreed! Bless that mom! It takes her about an hour from the time we start the clippers till the time my collar gets put back on. Here I am patiently waiting for my collar so that I can go back downstairs and get my reward. I feel so much lighter!

We're back downstairs and here comes the treat I was promised. What was it you were saying about Doofus pic Baby and Joe?

Hey, it's worth it for cookie, right?! I do ANYTHING for cookies! So here I am resting after my exhausting grooming session.

I'm a much happier and much cooler girl!

Until next time..................

Love ya lots,

Maggie

My New Denim Coat

Christmas in not over for me yet! Today my new denim coat arrived in the mail. Mom saw Sunshade's and wanted me to have one just like it so she contacted Butchy and Snicker's mom and asked her if she would be so kind. Linda said yes, and that we would need to measure me about 5 different ways so that my new coat would fit me perfectly. I have to tell ya that mom has an incredible knack for asking me to stand still at the wrong times! Geez, a girl has been on her feet all day and she just wants to take a nice nap and along comes mom with this stupid tape measure. Mom told me it would be worth it so I stood like a good girl while she measured me thoroughly. Off the measurements went to Linda. Whew! The next day Linda wrote back that she thought a couple of the measurements might not be correct and that we might want to re-measure, so here we go again! Linda was right! I don't know what mom was thinking, but she was basically telling Linda that I was built like a tank! Can you imagine! So out comes the tape measure and we go through this preceedure all over again! Mom did finally get it right and Linda wrote back to tell us that she was all set and that my new coat would be shipped out on Friday. Well, because of this longgggggg holiday, I had to patiently wait (not one of my strong points)! Mom did point out that temperatures have been above normal and that I wouldn't be freezing to death and to please be patient - it would be worth the wait. So today the mailman delivered the package! YIPPEEEEEEEEEE!! Mom couldn't wait to put my new coat on me to see how it fit - a PERFECT fit! Linda did an wonderful job!

Isn't it pretty??!! I'm so excited! I can't wait for the weather to turn colder so that I can show it off to the other neighborhood dogs! Here I am asking BearBaby's opinion.

I think he's jealous. He's ignoring me!

So now I have my beautiful new coat and I must be patient and wait till the weather turns colder. I sure do love my new coat! Thank you so much Linda! I'm going to be warm and toasty this winter!

Maggie