Good Years

After a good share of trouble in the past year, it was tempting to close out with a good riddance. But instead we wandered around the living and dining rooms before dinner on New Year's Eve lighting a candle for each person or event or moment of grace that made us grateful in the past year. Surprising how quickly we were aware that our lives are beautifully lighted by good. Mostly good people. Mostly the good people who might be reading this.

We weren't really big on pictures this holiday, but here's one of the jolly tree, beneath which you can see Mina hiding from the "puppy".

Hope yours was wonderful, and hope the new year brings good happenings, strength, generous energy.

Love,
Lynda & Tim

No dreamin'

Here's our white Christmas already. You'll notice there are no degrees in the air. Makes for nice pictures.

We're going to be staying close to home, close to the fireplace and the (indoor) tree.

More Christmas greetings soon, but in the meantime, hope you're having a joyful and not too frantic pre-Christmas week.

Love from both of us.

Pippa's 11

Pippa's first birthday with me was her 2nd, and we were just starting out together, newly moved to Detroit, and learning to get along. Her life's been a good one, and mine better because of her, but boy! does it seem like a short time!

You can't tell in the picture that her degenerative myelopathy is gradually paralyzing her rear-end. Fortunately, her rimadyl and glucosamine are easing the pain of arthritis and dysplasia, and she bounces around pretty well most days.

You can tell she loves her some snow, though.

And no, you can't have that tennis ball.

Caught her

Five days short of his 6-month birthday, Feivel is as tall as Pippa and outweighs her by 5 pounds. (That's Feivel on the left.)

We're relieved that he's as good and as fun as he is big--although Pippa's not so sure. She is getting a bit irritated at his "I'm bigger than you are" challenges (paw on neck, grabbing toys and taunting her with them). She keeps him in his place with a sharp bark and nip in the neck.

Here, everybody's friends over supper.

Fun with Sandi and Monte

Sandi and Monte came in from Sacramento to spend Labor Day weekend with us, and what a great time we had. The weather was great, and we got around town for a lot of good fun: the Minnesota History Center, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden,St. Anthony Falls, and the State Fair.

We went to the fair mainly to be part of the big grandstand audience for the Friday evening recording of a Prairie Home Companion. You can barely see Sandi and Monte in one picture, where they were sitting WAY up in their grandstand seats.
Tim and I were further down in the wheelchair section, but as you can see from the other picture, still a heck of a way from Garrison Keillor way down there on stage. Still, with the help of big screens, it was easy to see and hear, and a wonderful way to experience the radio show. The Dirty Dozen jazz band from New Orleans moved us to tears with their tribute to the flooded city, and Garrison was just as goofy and funny as ever.

Catching up with Pippa

Next week he'll be 5 months

Without moving, Feivel catches up to Pippa in size, and he's trying to model her calmness and maturity, too. If only she remembered that maturity and calm more often herself. :^)

Feivel Grows and Grows

Hi. Truth is, we haven't done much besides work and puppy training for a couple months now. Feivel's doing his job: growing to about 40 pounds already, and as you can see, he's more than half Pippa's size already. They love playing together. Pippa's on a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication to help her arthritis, and that and Feivel have made a new gal out of her. Feivel passed Puppy Socialization and knows his commands in English and German.

Oh, and we got a new fence. Good idea, hm?

Tim's healthy. Lynda's healthy. We're both happy.


Pippa waits for ball, Feivel (17 weeks) waits for Pippa.


Feivel and Pippa waiting for the ball.


Feivel (15 weeks) and Mina: "Move, please move."


Feivel at 14 weeks


Welcome to my violets. (Feivel, 12 weeks)

K-9

Where we've been, you wonder? Catching up with life.

And there's nothing more full of life in springtime than new life, right? That must be what led us to go out and add this new puppy to our menagerie.

Meet Feivel. It means "God assists" in Hebrew, or (if you believe the French) "full of life." It also means "courageous immigrant mouse" if you've ever seen "An American Tale."

We think it means cutest puppy you've ever seen. Even Pippa has grown from tolerating him to playing with him after 3 days. Mina shows signs of curiosity, but not warmth. Feivel's so fresh to the world, he doesn't know what Mina is, and found her no more interesting than the pine bark under the plants. (Actually, he paid more attention to the pine bark.)

In three days, Feivel has learned how to navigate stairs and respond to many English/German commands. We're trying the German to get him ready for following his distinguished forebears and taking some kind of obedience title. On both sides, his family's full of schutzhund titles (schutzhund is the triathlon of dog obedience). He's from Jerland Kennnels in Wisconsin, and his parents are Jango and Jutta.

Here he is:

Feivel at 10 weeks.


Tim, Lyn, and Feivel at Jerland Farm, Sat. 5/29.


He won't be a lapdog for long.


Pippa's 10-1/2, and we fear she has degenerative myelopathy.

Since Sunday, it's been gosh-darn, blue-sky, 70-degree Spring here. And we're having fun outside with the DAWGS.
-Lynda