the latest on laila

we let laila go outside until about 9.30 pm this way she's not going too long without being able to pee and it gives her some run-around time if she has energy to burn. but if she gets to barking, we try to get her in, so we're not disturbing our neighbors. we've got an older couple on one side, and i'm sure they aren't up much past 9.30, so don't want to wake them up. and on the other side is a woman with 4 kids. she has one autistic child who is afraid of any and all animals, so his outside time is after dark when there aren't any birds or bees flying around. this has proved to be a bit of a challenge for us, since they have a tendency to stay up (and outside) til 1, 2, 3 in the morning. when your bedroom windows are right next to their back yard, sleeping becomes non-existent. however, i digress.

so the other night, we were outside and laila ran to the corner of the yard (she sees the rabbits running around our yard before she even leaves the house!), and started immediately barking. at first we thought she was just barking at something in the green area behind the house (deer, rabbit, cat) and quite possibly, that's what got her started, but once she started, she wouldn't stop, because her bark was echoing off of *something*. i thought it was another dog answering her call, but my music man pointed out to me that no, in fact, it was her echo. and she kept barking.

you probably had to be there, but it was HILARIOUS!

then yesterday, we were putting together our new bed, and we got the rails attached, but not bolted. laila decided that she was going to "help" so she stood in the middle of the headboard, footboard and rails with us. when we finished that part, both of us hopped out and walked away. then turned around and realized that she was "stuck" in the middle. she couldn't go under, and she wouldn't go over (for whatever reason). i even went and got one of her new favorite treats, and still, she couldn't get out. my music man had to physically lift her front legs over the rail so she would hop out. poor pup. stranded in the middle of an empty bed frame and no way to get out.

a tale

this is a story about a dog, a cat and a third four-legged creature. i'm not sure what to call it, but i'm sure you'll form your own opinion once you read this post and i'd love to hear that opinion.

a few weeks back, we had the back door open as we were making dinner because it was a beautiful evening and this way the animals can easily go out or in depending on their mood. we don't have a screen door on this door, but will someday. i put a new rug down in front of the sink admired it briefly and then left the room briefly. when i returned, my music man said to me, "i'm not sure i want to tell you what i just saw." now, i thought that the dog peed on my new rug which wouldn't be the end of the world except for the fact that she hasn't peed in the house for like a year. sorry, back to the story....

but tell me he did. evidently our precious laila was playing with something over by the OPEN door. when she lost her grip on it, it ran straight for the stove and dove under. all that was seen was a tail and some legs. eeek!! a mouse? well. ok. let me get back to the story. so we tip-toe around the stove for a few days, then sorta forget about it. then remember, you know how it goes. then one day, fina is sitting on that new rug (which she NEVER does) and is staring under the stove. hmmmm. then she gets up and starts smelling under the fridge. hmmmm. we're guessing she might have seen our visitor. ok. this is good. this is what a cat does. so i make a deal with her. if she catches the thing, kills it and DOESN'T leave it dead on our pillows, i will feed her wet food for a week. i think she understands.

again, we kinda forget about our visitor. and then 4.30 one morning we are awakened by a squeaking coming down the hallway. my music man jumps up on the bed, turns on the light. and sure enough, there's fina with the visitor in her mouth. ok, decision time, does he pick her up and put them both outside all the while taking the risk that fina will keep the thing in her mouth? no time to think because fina drops it. the visitor runs into the bathroom (the one without a toilet -- that's a story for another time) and fina runs after it. remember folks, it's 4.30 IN THE MORNING! my music man grabs the bucket and the plunger and tries to catch the thing. it runs out, into the bedroom, then into the closet. at this point, i say, lock the cat and the visitor in the closet, shove a towel under the door and let them have it out. we'll deal with it in the morning. but no, my hero goes in there after it. catches it and throws it outside. we're back in bed by 4.45.

phew that was a close one.

but now the question is, was it a mouse? was it a rat? was it a field mouse. this sucker was not one of those cute tiny mice you see at the pet store. this was a fat sucker. without a tail (we think fina may have gotten that in the scuffle). i guess we'll never know.

PS - camping photos

the camping trip that almost wasn't

we started out saturday morning -- a bit later than we had planned, but we knew we didn't want to rush and especially didn't want to forget anything. as we turned the corner from our house, "the pillows! we forgot the pillows!" the "camping trip forgetful troll" almost got us there. but NOW we KNOW we have EVERYTHING!

drinks - check
food - check
sleeping bags - check
dog - check
dog crate - check
TENT! - check
cooking stove - check

we were on our way! about an hour from home, we realized we didn't have a pot to cook in. whops! but easy enough. stopped at the HEB (in the town where my sister lives!) and got a pan. now we're all set! we decided to take the back roads, so even though the drive would be longer, it would be pretty and make us really realize we were getting outta town.

two hours later, "chairs?"
"damn, forgot those too."
"that's ok, we'll do our best to camp near a picnic table. we'll be fine"

we arrive, there's a fire ban in effect. no big deal. would have been nice to have a camp fire, but not necessary to the whole camping experience. but the seaweed is really bad on the beach. high tide's not for 24 more hours (we're on the gulf here folks), so we should be ok for the night. we decide to camp on the beach. we find a spot -- not far from the toilets and we grab the dog and run toward the water. only she doesn't want anything to do with this big, huge, moving water thing! (but have no fear, we get her over that fear and she evenually does love it.) we frolic, my music man swims, i walk with the dawg. we discover that using the cooler as a back rest doesn't work so well, and besides, it's so windy that the sand just hits you in the face. so we start to think about dinner.

"guess what? ... we forgot the fuel for the stove at home"
"left the cans on the kitchen table, right?"
"yep."

we had actually thought at this point about packing up and coming home. seriously. but we couldn't. i didn't want to be on the road for another 4 hours! so i volunteered to go get food. instead, i found an academy sports store, bought chairs and fuel for our stove with the thought that we could then also have breakfast without having to break camp. we cooked us some camping dinner. had our chairs. and sat down for a nice night. took the dog for another walk. she has an issue with pooping in unfamiliar places, so we weren't surprised, but we had to TRY to get her to poop. she didn't. came back to the camp site. sat down, my music man played some guitar. my mind started wandering... to breakfast... pancakes.... mmmm.... syrup? butter? nope. forgot those too.

at this point, i just started laughing. hysterically. couldn't stop. the icing on the cake. guess it's ihop for breakfast!

(i'll post some photos in the next couple of days -- the sunrise really was gorgeous)

a dog's life

recently, a friend asked me what laila does all day when we're at work, and so i thought i would share "a day in the life of laila" with all of you too...

she runs around the backyard. digs up my garden. chews up the wires from the sprinkler system that she has dug up (that's *really* awesome). she poops. she sleeps in her dog house or on my music man's chair (which is no longer his chair, it's now hers). she pulls her warm, fluffy bed out of her dog house and drags it all over the yard. she runs around the backyard (we need to make a film of this because it's HILARIOUS). she will grab one of her toys and run around with it in her mouth then throw it up in the air and try to catch it (another thing we need to film. so funny!) she eats stuff she shouldn't eat (bark, twigs, bugs, dirt). she stands at the gate and barks at people walking by. she waits at the gate for one of us to come home for lunch. she scratches her itches. she barks at any neighbor who dares to step into their backyard.

she got a new toy this weekend. and they were inseparable. until we saw her whipping it around the living room and we became very afraid for the tv, lamps, etc. so she now gets it only when she's good. but here's a photo of her chewin' on it.



ps the quality of this photo isn't great, sorry. the next one will be better!

a face only a mother could love

what did she get into now?


come on mom, stop taking pictures of me and let me inside. it's cold out here.

laila in photos

as promised, more frequent updates, and photos using my new lens.

much more natural lighting, wouldn't you agree?





i'm still getting used to using the light filter again, but you get the idea.

just an update

not much to report really, but wanted to share these photos. it'll give you a good idea of how big laila's getting. we had been watching a movie and when it was over, i stretched out on the couch. laila thought that would be a good time to come lie on top of me. she always goes a bit crazy when we lie down with her, probably because she's not used to us being nose-to-nose with her. it's really not comfortable for her to climb on top of you, and she's not very gentle but she does try to be sweet.




we're off to seattle for dave's cousin's wedding reception this weekend. taking monday off and half of friday off too. so we'll get to see a bit of the city and we're going to a basketball game the night we arrive. dave's mom & step-father, bruce, will also be there, so should be fun times.

enchanted rock

we took a field trip today out to enchanted rock. it's about an hour and 45 minutes outside of austin. it was 78 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, and warm even in the sun. needless to say, a perfect day. you can see photos here. laila was a *dream*! she was so well-behaved and loved every minute. there were a couple of times we needed to encourage her up or down, but other than that she was a breeze. and now, well, snoring on the couch. that's a happy pup!

our friend, megan, went with us with her 2-year-old daughter, myra. who was also a trooper. she did have her mom carry her, but she still did really well. was a good day all around.

wildlife continues to amaze

we went to crosbyton, tx for a quick overnight to see some of my music man's family. it was fun to meet his aunts and uncles and some cousins, etc. everyone was so nice. my favorite photo that i took is of a donkey. yes, a donkey. we went to a farm and they had donkeys. there were also chickens and cows (even a couple of bulls). we had been having so much rain and the day we were to be in crosbyton, they were calling for sunny skies and 79 degrees when we landed. we were in heaven. and sure enough. it was beautiful.

as a result, when we got home (it had been HOT in austin that day) my plants needed a touch of watering. i started watering, and then my watering can appeared to be backed up. i took of the "rain" spout and looked down the normal one. it seemed that there was a leaf in there, but then i looked again. nope. not a leaf. it was two beady eyes peering back at me -- yep. a toad. so i poked it with a stick a couple of times, moved a smidge, poked it some more. still nothing. filled with water the wrong way (water down the spout), still no movement. could it be dead? possible. but still i didn't quit. i banged the thing on the ground, a post, anything i could find. i filled it with water, emptied it. finally, after banging the spout a bit, i look inside and i see legs sticking out of the spout on the inside. YAY! but wait, there are another set of legs coming out of the spout too. and then BOTH of them start climbing back into the spout. WHAT?! there are TWO in there? how is this possible? and how the heck did they jump high enough to get into the watering can in the first place? so many questions.

my banging and water filling continue. and with some diligence, they both (?!) pop out of the spout into the main reservoir of the watering can. and i dump them out. and they weren't small suckers either. well, i'm glad i found them alive. could you imagine trying to get dead toads out of a metal watering can. i think it would have ended up in the trash.

that's all for me. oh and here's the latest cute photo of laila.

magic rabbits and an update

so we have some magic rabbits in our backyard. well, they're not always there, but when they are there, then we let laila out, they run away and it appears they can run through a chain-link fence. it's truly amazing. and each time we see it we think our eyes are deceiving us. but it's true, they run right through it.

i'm sure they are just so small they can fit through those holes, but can they really?

laila's growing bigger every day. here's a recent photo of her on the bed we bought her for the living room -- which she loves! she also seems to disappear into it. she's learning lots in her doggie class. we're working on 'stay' and 'heel'. and she got fixed last week, so this week has been a recovery time for her. You can also check out more photos of her here.

and if you haven't heard, we've been getting a lot of rain here in texas, today it's finally sunny, but we've had rain almost every day for over a month. here are some interesting facts about all the rain.