Always Whirling Toward the Door

Leaves seem to gather close to the doors of ones home. And then, in our case,
are "helped" into the house when ones dog - who will remain nameless - shuffles inside.

Leaves out the back door

Just waiting to whirl inside

Stella ~helps~ with this

xo

(BOO!)

Why Yes, Mom, I've Taken up Smoking...

Gotta a problem with that?
(I see a psychiatrist in her future!)

~~~

xoabb
naughty dogs abound everywhere!
Please go watch Denver-dog! Such a good good laugh!
~
Photo taken 3/24/11
a wintery spring day

Stella Helps Sewing a Hammock...

"Exactly what part of my stitching is bad???"

Daughter Rem came over tonight to sew her hammock.
Stella decided Rem needed help.
Stella's idea of helping was to sit in the middle of said hammock-to-be.
I asked Rem if this was a good idea.
Rem said it really wasn't that good of an idea.
Stella indicated she really didn't care what Remy thought.

So Stella slept in the middle of the hammock for the entire evening.
And the hammock was sewn the following night.

The end.

~~~

xoabb

expect giggles!

P. S. We love our Stella!

Me & My Shadow

I decided to take an exerciserly walk around our block last weekend. I know, I know, unusual for me, and not something that's -yet- become a habit. (O Please! You all can stop your cackling now!)
Got half-way up our cul-de-sac and felt a ~presence~ behind me that, according to my well-tuned sixth sense, was staring me down. It was Stella. Who had raced right through her invisible electric fence. Without so much as a single yelp. Darn. Battery's dead.
Back home we went, with much coercing to get her back on the "right" side of said fence, though nothing was felt leaving. I decided, what the heck, if I'm going to take an exerciserly walk, then Stella would go with me. On a leash. Stella does not like leashes. My normally well-behaved dog is really not when on a leash. Plus, I think it depresses her. Just look at how she's hanging her head!

Not to worry! Stella and I had just turned the corner on the next street down from us when up drove cousin Jules! She rolled down the window and told us to get in as it was the day before Easter and we had no business walking when there was food shopping to do! (She also told me she'd called my house and cussed me out for still sleeping - but obviously I wasn't - hmph!) Must say Stella was absolutely thrilled to get into the car and go back home. Me, not so much. I was so enjoying my exerciserly walk! I wanted it to continue forever. Yup, and there's ice cubes growing on trees in Death Valley.

Stella has not followed me out of the yard since. That could be because I haven't gone on an exerciserly walk since. Just sayin'. That's because I changed the battery in her collar.

The End.

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

P. S. I see that we need new paving on our road! What a mess!

Trey-You Takes a Nap

As we all know, Stella-Dog bothers Trey-You incessantly, tho from what I've observed, for the most part, Trey-You seems to love it. Except when it comes to cat-nap-time. Trey-You is very serious about his cat-nap-time.

When the sun is shining into our sunroom, he always plants himself under a kitchen chair. He thinks his ~cat fortress~ will protect him from the affections of Stella. And surprisingly Stella doesn't ever bug him when he's there. She's such a good dog to know Trey-You's boundaries! Are you kidding?? I don't think she's figured out yet that with just a nudge of her nose Trey-You's fortress would be toppled and she could bug the crud out of him!

O if I could only take such a contented cat-nap!

~~~

xoabb

expect cat-naps!

Miss Stella's Play Date

Last Sunday our good friend Tony brought over his family's recently adopted 8 month old CeCe for an impromptu play date with our Stella. Needless to say, the two of them got along swimmingly! Don't they look like daughter and mama?

~~~
xoabb
expect anything!

Stella used to be so fast! What happened??? No exercise!!

CeCe, will you come over every day???

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Uh Oh...

Tho Stella-dog's Pink Baby Bear has been around and unscathed for three plus years, Sir Sock-a-Lot (above) has met an untimely demise in less than four months (this is baaaad!) at the mouth of ~you know who~.

~~~

xoabb

(should I be scared for Pink Baby Bear's safety???)

Stella-Dog! How COULD You???

I have no clue in the world where this hideous stuffed buzzard came from, but Stella is in love to the point that she's forsaken her adorable pink bear, Baby (read about Baby here)! I'm simply appalled! And just imagine how Baby must feel! A three-year relationship. Out the window! Never thought I'd have a cheatin' dog!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Stella-Dog the Great Protector...

On her way to protect our bird feeders.
From the birds.
I don't think she gets it.
At all.

But she does a very good job scaring those birds.
Much to my irritation.
(sigh)

~~~

xoabb
here birdie birdie!

Nap-time with Stella-Dog

Eldest Daughter gets in some snuggle time with Stella-Dog...

A dog's life just isn't that easy! (sigh)

~~~

xoabb

expect snuggly things!

Night Night...

My Stella has had her pink bear, ~Baby~, for about three years now and besides an occasional, always necessary cleaning (in the washing machine, certainly not by hand), Baby is in the same shape she was when Stella decided she couldn't possibly live without her! Can't imagine why Ms. Stella has never even attempted to tear Baby to shreds, as there have been many toy deaths over the years that can be directly attributed to, ahem, her, but this baby is safe and very well loved....by my dog....

And yes, as you can see, (Darn it! Wanted to keep that a secret!),
Stella is allowed to sleep on the couch...with (or without) her Baby.

Sleep Tight!

~~~

xoabb
expect anything!

Above photos taken by my son
(who thinks he's Stella's human, but he's not, I am),
from his cell phone.
Glad he finally captured this moment, tho!

Sunday Serenity is NOT Happening this Week

See the open screen door? More importantly, see the tear in the open screen door? That's thanks to our Stella-dog. She has made herself a handy-dandy little hole with which to open not one, but all 3 of our screen doors (really, someone must teach her to close the screen door after opening it, the mosquitos are killing us).

GB and I were at the dinner table last night and, for once, Stella was inside and the screen door was closed because I'd closed it once again. Imagine our utter surprise when Trey-you (that damn cat) sauntered up to the door....and jumped out! Yup, out of the very convenient hole Stella has made. Needless to say, we are not pleased. Not one little teeny tiny bit pleased. Matter of fact, GB swore. A lot. POOH!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Ohhh Nooo.....

Stella got this in a full-on face & body kind of way...

Not one of us were - or are - happy.

P. S. Mario had the good sense to stay indoors, thus escaped dastardly smells.

~~~

xoabb

expect...well I just don't know what!

Stella Has a Guest

Mario has been visiting Stella for the last week. Tho he weighs a mere 7 pounds compared to Stella's 78 pounds, he pretty much rules the roost. I am so embarrassed my baby lets that little thing boss her around! I thought I taught her better!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

The World According to Stella

WOOF!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

P. S. See those four pitiful looking baskets of what are supposed to be lush and gorgeous petunias? They were - lush and gorgeous that is - until I took my little side trip to Missouri. The two hanging baskets are both in spots that get no rain...and no one thought to look and see if possibly they were wilting. The two that are on the pedestals do get rain, but wouldn't you know, the week I was gone was the week we had the least rain, and no one thought to look at them. I keep on watering them hoping for a miraculous resurrection, but my hopes are being dashed upon the cruel rocks of despair. They were so beautiful once...(sigh).

Stella has thanked us profusely for taking those bushes out (remember "Give a guy a chainsaw"?). It gives her an ideal place to watch her world even under rainy conditions. We are always happy to oblige our Stella's every desire!

Always More Than First Meets the Eye...

Safe-looking

But what do I see among the lilies??

Stella sees and flushes the suspect out...

Thanks to Stella, my birds are once more safe

From big bad Trey-You.

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

My (Bizarre) World Tuesday...

Stella and I were in the kitchen when we heard and then saw a great flapping of wings, followed by a big splash of water. I knew it was a turkey - they always have a certain clumsy way of flying - but couldn't imagine the splashing sound as turkeys and water just don't come together on any regular kind of basis. Much to Stella's consternation, I blocked her from leaving the house as I snuck out on the deck to see what was going on. Lo and behold, there was a turkey knee deep (well, turkey knee deep at least) in the pond! (And who really was looking rather embarrassed about the entire land-in-the-pond thingy.) Can you imagine? After standing there for about five minutes, said turkey nonchalently wandered back onto the land he/she belonged on as if the entire water incident had never taken place. Ahhh...order restored!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

My World Tuesday!

Do join us!

Bird Life...Interrupted!

Stella is keeping our side of the pond free of it...

(sigh)

xoabb

expect anything!

My New Favorite Veggie Dish

As usual, we all gathered for Sunday Family Dinner last night. Brussels sprouts were on the menu. At least they were on my menu as everyone else in my immediate family cannot abide them (thank God there's a few in laws and nieces that have seen the brussels sprouts are delicious light so I wasn't eating them alone). Stew Leonard's, a grocery store experience in and of itself, has been having tastings of the above brussels sprouts recipe for the last few weeks and it is simply delicious! If you want the recipe, go here. I followed it for the most part, but it's one of those things that you really can do what you like to your taste. (Didn't use nearly as much olive oil as their recipe called for.)

Of course, Little Miss Magic was a SFD attendee and had a fabulous time pulling on Stella's tail playing with Miss Stella-Bella. I do think at this point, Miss Stella was pleading "Please make this baby go away!"

As always, a good time was had, wonderful food was eaten and memories were made. I'd say that makes for a very successful SFD!

~~~

xoabb

expect family connections!

Stella Really Was Quite Naughty

See that young man there? That's my son, Bly, with ~his~ dog, my Stella (tho yesterday, my dog? Not so much). Yesterday, he and his friends made a big batch of habanero wings. They ate some of them, then hurried downstairs to the satellite TV to see the end of one of the 1000's of basketball games on yesterday. They thought Stella was outside, so the wings were deemed to be safe and left on the kitchen table for a few minutes. About 20 of them. That was a mistake. A very big mistake. You guessed correctly. Sneaky Stella was upstairs, and when she heard the guys go downstairs, Miss Stealth Puppy came down to investigate, and my-o-my, she found the motherlode! Up on the kitchen table she got and down she ate every last one of those hotter than hot wings.
Do you know this is the very first time in Stella's life she has chosen not to throw up on one of the carpets in our house?? And believe me, this time it was waaay beyond a very good thing! Also for the very first time in my life, I found out about this calamity after the fact! And that's an even better thing. (The guys said the depths of grossness far surpassed anything they'd ever seen before.) After that debacle, Stella then spent a good many hours outside - and they made sure she really was outside that time. (By the way, today she's none the worse for wear.) The mother in me hopes lessons were learned by all parties involved - both human and dog!

~~~

xoabb
expect surprises!