Sleepy and Dirty Dog

Spring has finally started and that means longer walks for Oscar. He has been running with Brian sometimes too, which really wears him out.

Tired boy...

Exhausted dog...

And finally, the dirty dog needed a spring bath today:

He did not care for it much, but put up with it long enough for me to rinse out the soap.

Here are a few more pics from Easter up north.

Grandpa George and Keenan:

Great-grandma Annie with Jared and Dylan:

Visitors

Henry and Oscar looking out the window.


Jared taking Ailee for a ride.

Oscar and Henry on the bed.

Jared and Ailee in her new sandbox. They were so dirty after playing in the wet sand.

Oscar and I stayed with Henry while his family was in London. We had fun, and on the weekend Grandma and Grandpa visited with Jared and Ailee. Those two played all day long!

Oscar wash

It has been a busy month here, but not too busy for a bath! Oscar got so dirty in the mud that he needed to be washed up. He is just so good about sitting in the sink, even though he doesn't like the whole washing business.

His favorite part about a bath is rolling around on the rug after I towel him off. What a silly boy.

Safe and Sound

Oscar and I are safe in Minneapolis. Thanks to everyone who called and emailed to check up on us.

Here are some pictures from our recent weekend up north. I had fun with the nephews and visiting with Bosco and his girls.

Lucas the boy scout:



Me with Emily and Dylan, trying to get him to close his eyes for a nap... it didn't work.

Jared and Oscar. Oscar really likes to herd Jared around, and Jared really likes to get Oscar to chase him around. They have fun together.

If I can figure out how to post a video, I will put on the short clip I took of Dylan swimming. He is amazing!

NYT Librarian article

I don't usually write about work stuff, but there was this great article about librarians in the New York Times.

And of course, the required Oscar picture. He loves to chew....

Tired out!

sneaking around the couch

tired after running around the park

Oscar and I went to the dog park again and he was getting chased around by a tiny Jack Russel terrier. It wanted to run around with him, and he was not interested at all, he wanted to play with the big dogs.

This weekend, he had a bit of excitement. We were on our morning walk, and as he squatted down, a squirrel came up and sat about 5 feet away from him. Well, when Oscar saw the squirrel, he hurried up (as best he can) and took off after it. He was tripping over himself trying to get this thing. He came close, but the squirrel got away. But, Oscar the clown got a huge laugh out of the older gentleman sitting on the park bench watching the whole time. He was so proud of himself for chasing that pesky squirrel away.

Bathtime and flowers

Such a sad face on Oscar. We went to the dog park with Henry and his family and Oscar decided to stick his face in the lake. So, when we returned home it was time for a bath. He fits perfectly in the kitchen sink! He is really a skinny dog under all that fur.

The flowers are peonies, my favorite.

Visitors!

Mandy and Andy will be home next week! Oscar doesn't really know it yet, but he will be very excited to see them. We have been busy with life, and now that it is nice outside, Oscar loves running around in the park nearby.

New Toys

Oscar and I both got new toys recently. I got my grandma's old record player, and a stack of old records from my parents house. I can't use it yet, it needs a new needle, but I am very excited to try it out.

Oscar got a little suffed animal to play with. It looks like a small Oscar! So cute.

We've been going for longer walks now that the snow is melted, but it has been raining, so he gets soaked. He doesn't seem to mind getting rained on, although he does not like me drying him off once we get inside.

Not much excitement here lately, we are excited that Mandy & Andy will be visiting next month, I'm sure Oscar and Mandy will have a lovefest with lots of licking and snuggling.

Up North and Snow!!!

Last weekend Oscar and I went to visit my family in Northern Minnesota. We had fun with the boys - they have lots of energy, and Oscar gets so excited around them. We played Twister - I haven't played that in such a long time - and those boys beat me every time. As you can see in the picture, Dylan even shared his beloved blanket, yellow, with Oscar to snuggle with, what a generous boy.

I went through mom & dad's old records last weekend too. I am anxiously awaiting the record player they will bring me when it is finally fixed. I got some good music that I'm excited to hear - Johnny Cash, Simon & Garfunkel, the Rolling Stones, I passed on the Captain and Tennile and the old Finnish sing-alongs from Sylvia, but it will be fun to have Grandma's old player here soon.

This weekend, we are in the midst of a major snowstorm, and as the pictures show that the snow is pretty deep for Oscar. He has to jump to get around in the snow. He loves it though, and he is now snoozing next to me, tired out from our walks today.

Lazy Days

I had the start of a cold this weekend, so Oscar and I just hung around at home. This is what he does all day, looking out the window, watching the squirrels next door and laying in the sunshine. He goes from laying on the couch next to me to laying by the window. Back and forth, all day long. It finally warmed up this weekend, and we were able to go for a longer walk today, which was very nice. Oscar ran around in the snow. He likes to hop around in the snow at the nearby park.

More destruction

Oscar found a receipt today while I was at work. This is the look I get when he knows he did something bad - he's so sad. Thankfully, it was not a big mess. That only happens when he gets a stray tissue.

In other news, Oscar has been a reluctant walker in this cold weather. He only wants to go for a short walk, maybe half a block or so. Even with his booties, he just gets cold. It is nice, however, that we can now walk in the light of day when I get home at night. I don't have to bring my flashlight along to find his poo.

Destruction & new booties

Oscar was a naughty dog today. He's been good for so long, but he just couldn't resist. He chewed my shoelaces again. It's been months since he's done any destructive chewing, but I awoke this morning to a wet chewed off lace. I think I just need to make sure there is always a bone around for chewing, so he leaves my shoes alone.

Photo 2 shows Oscar sporting his new booties from my mom. There were 4 in the package, but they would not stay on his front paws, and the snow doesn't bother them as much, so I just left on the back booties. With a 4 on he looks a like a little clown. Even with just 2 he looks silly, but they kept the snow out of his pads and we were able to go for a longer walk today.

The third photo I took one morning this week. This is what Oscar does in the morning while I am getting ready for work. Sometimes he doesn't even get off the couch when I leave, which is probably good because it means he doesn't bark in the morning. What a tired dog!

Day off!

I have today off because of Martin Luther King, Jr Day and it feels like I'm skipping out on work. It is so quiet from the snow last night - it's wonderful. Oscar and I went out for a walk this morning and he was hopping around in the snow, he loves it, but his feet got cold quickly and we didn't take a long walk.

I do need to venture out though and pick up a new web cam, mine is still not working right. It works for a few minutes and then cuts out. Frustrating, but my computer is a few years old and this is the first major problem I've had with it.

Martha & Ailee came over last night to help me recover my kitchen chairs. They look great! Oscar was actually pretty well behaved, and at least he left Ailee alone while she watched a movie.

This weekend I finally made it to Penzey's with Brenda & Mike. I love that store :) I restocked my kitchen.

I spent Saturday with the girls at Karin's. I was working on my recipe book of Sylvia's old recipes. I am now at the point where I am finishing up the formatting and I'll have to decide if I want to make it on full-size paper or half-size.

Thansgiving!

Oscar and I went to Eveleth for Thanksgiving this year. We had a good time with Martha's family there also. Oscar and Henry were fairly well behaved. They could not decide who was Alpha dog at Grandma's house, however and that meant both of them tried to be.

The cats, however, pretty much stayed away until Henry went home. They can only handle one dog at a time. Hobbes was a bit more brave this time, hanging around a hissing at the dogs, but never near enough for them to sniff him.

Oscar's new toy

Oscar has a new toy: Uglydog. He likes to chew and lick and sleep with his uglydog. Aren't they cute?

He still has his helper monkey, but he seems to be hiding these days.Oscar drags him out every so often, but he has a secret spot for him that I haven't found yet.

New Curtains!

Martha, Ailee and Dan came over this weekend to help me put up my curtains. It took a longer time than expected because I did not have the right size screws, but Dan brought some and I now have curtains. I am glad Martha & mom talked me into the rust decorative style to go along with the tan. Its nice to have a little more privacy.

Oscar was quite a troublemaker when they were over, however, and he spent most of the visit in the bathroom. He kind of freaked Ailee out, and was just too wound up and would not calm down. I think Ailee being tired and acting scared just got him going, which scared her more. We are going to have to work on his behavior more, because he is going to stay with them when I am in London, and he has to behave himself for it to work.

Bedtime

This is Oscar telling me it is time for bed. It is a little early for me, but he is already sound asleep. I guess its been a hectic day with a visit from my parents, lots to bark about today, which must be tiring.

Condo!

I closed on my condo today. What an exciting day. I am so happy that I have been able to actually find a place that suits me and that allows dogs. I think Oscar will love the park that is nearby.

Oscar & Helper Monkey

Here is the pic of Oscar & his helper monkey. He is dragging him all over the house. Surprisingly, he has not yet chewed off any limbs yet! He just gnaws on him and licks him obsessively.