Alpha Dog

Nick has been gone this week for training, so it's the boys and me (Gage and Olive) to fend for ourselves. As much as I can't wait for Nick to get home just to see him, I think I am more excited for him to get home so I can get some sleep...I know what you are thinking, I need someone beside me to sleep, but that's not the issue. Apparently, Nick is the alpha of the pack and when he is gone, Gage has to step up and take charge. So all night, he paces the house. He checks the front room, looks out the windows, comes in to the bedroom to makes sure I am still safe. And unfortunately for me, I am a very light sleeper. So the click, click, click of his claws on our hard wood floors have me tossing and turning, and saying sternly at wee hours of the morning, "GAGE, GET ON YOUR BED!!" The rankings in our house are now clear, I thought I might be just under Nick, but apparently I am lower than the dog, probably the cat too, since he is practically sitting on my head and meowing in my face at 5am to let him out. After I get up in the morning, Gage can finally catch some Zs (see photo below). In fact I practically have to drag him off his bed for a potty break before I leave for work, then as soon as he comes back in, he drags himself back to the bedroom for some peace and quiet. It's hard being a watch dog. And yes, he really does sleep like that, sometimes it means he wants a belly rub, but most often he is fast asleep.

Slumdog Millionaire

If you only get out to see one movie this winter, make it "Slumdog Millionaire." I talked Nick into taking me and we both loved it. It's hard to explain the plot and what your reaction to it will be, so just take my advice, it's worth the $9.50 or what ever you pay for a cinema where you are. ENJOY!

Happy Day after Inaguration Day

This time I am not complaining

As I mentioned in an earlier post I do like the snow. Here are a few reasons why:

I am not sure that you caught the drift

I know I talked about how much the snow has gotten on my nerves lately. Well, last night was no exception. As our movie ended last night at 9:30pm we heard a loud 'pop' coming from our attic. Nick grabbed a flashlight and a ladder and headed up there. He thought our roof might be bowing in, and we were afraid that it might collapse. So we decided that we would sleep at the neighbors house (with Gage, Olive, and Scruffy aka Toby). But as we were getting ready we decided that even if we were safe we didn't want our roof to collapse, so we decided to take off the 3 feet of snow....might I remind you it was 10pm when we decided. So we got our climbing gear on and all our snow gear and headed out (see below). We have a very steep roof, so Nick could not stand up there without falling. I stood at the bottom belaying him while he shoveled. Now, I know you must be thinking 'geez, Nick sure got the short end of the stick.' He definitely worked extremely hard, but it was below zero last night and standing still in the snow in below zero weather was miserable. When he had a good footing on the roof, I was doing anything to keep warm. This included, jumping jacks, standing lunges, walking lunges, jumping lunges, swinging my feet high in the air just to get the blood to my toes, and finally singing out loud. I don't know if the singing helped with the cold, but it sure helped with the boredom. Needless to say Nick's arms almost fell off from shoveling and my arms and legs almost fell off because I was becoming a popsicle. So 3am we finished and I might say it is the longest anyone has stayed up in awhile, even Gage. So we all slept in today and then took another nap together later. It was all worth it, because now I can sleep knowing my roof won't fall on my face.

I am not sure if you can tell, but I actually am smiling in there.....

Good News

The little dude's people called me about their dog. His name is "scruffy." He slept on our bed with the cat last night. It was a full house. He was no problem except for the fact that he kept marking all over the house, causing me to scrub my floors and cabinets and dining room table legs today. But good news is good news. His people missed him!

Just a normal Friday night

Well we were off to a normal Friday night, me on my way to Kim's Terriyaki to get us some dinner, Nick shoveling snow, and a couch and movie waiting for us. But on my way to Kim's (I know we go there so often, we can use just the first name), a tiny little furry creature ran across the busy road only just getting missed by a huge SUV. So of coarse I jumped out of my car and he ran right over to me. No collar, no chip, but very sweet. So I drove around the neighborhood looking for anyone to ask if they knew who the little guy belonged to. Because of the 58 feet of snow, I never actually saw any houses or people......so I was just looking for movement when I finally saw a man shoveling his way out of his garage. He told me he did not know who he belonged to but to go knock on the door a few houses down. So I did....no luck, everyone is hibernating. So a hour later I head home. As I drove up our driveway I see my curious family salivating, waiting for dinner, only to find this little scruffball. Nick hungrily asked "what is that" and "where's the food." As I told him my story, he was still hungry...so we introduced him to Gage and Olive and went to get food. He has not made a peep and is not scarred at all, but he did mark my dining room table leg.

So here we are tonight with this furry little creature who Nick named "Toby." I will probably take him to Spokanimal tomorrow and see if they can find his home. Just a normal Friday night.....