Always a friend ... always waiting ...

Farley pickle ... watching as I get into the car.

Happy Birthday!!!! -- Farley's 1st!

March 7 was Farley's very 1st Birthday! Jake was very good about persuading Farley to go to Dairy Queen to celebrate, where, by mere coincidence, they both had a vanilla cone. Needless to say, it was a hit. No ice cream headaches and they simply cannot wait until next year .... or at least until they get to celebrate someone else's birthday!

Another snow storm .... another ice headache ....

Another winter storm is set to hit tomorrow, 90% chance, and will likely stretch into Tuesday: rain, snow, sleet, and ice. This comes on the heels of one of the best days we've experienced in a long time as it was almost 40 degrees and sunny!

The dogs loved it, too! In fact, Farley and Jake went and played with my mom's dogs (Scruffy, Regis, and Laddie). And by played, I mean, ate their food. At the end of the day, Farley kept frolicking in the snow and decided to eat a little bit a little too fast, giving him what looked like an ice cream headache. Don't worry, it didn't last long, and for those of you that are going to ask, no it wasn't yellow snow!

Dog Days of Winter ....

Forty Degrees today and time for a brisk walk, or rather run. Jake and Farley are enjoying their time outdoors! When it was all said and done, we found an angel laying on the ground.

Cabin Fever ....

So it's only been a few days since I was out in the New Mexico forest cutting trees, but this weather has been suffocating! Wind chills fell as low as 20 below zero (Fahrenheit for my international watchers), and the snow drifts in the yard were easily three feet high. Today, the weather was a balmy 20 degrees. This meant that at least the dogs could go outside for at least more than a minute. Also, it meant that I could actually spend a couple minutes photographing outdoors.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw this huge bird sitting on top of one of the branches; I'm thinking that Farley and Jake looked like a tasty meal after the brief cold spell. This bird was fast. It hovered just over the field at about 40 MPH (paced it later in the day with the car). I think it's called a red-tipped hawk, but I'm not certain (feel free to correct me if you know). Also, as I headed into the office, I noticed this other bird of prey watching the cars go by on the side of the road. Amazingly, it's an immature bald eagle. I found this to be pretty amazing because I haven't seen an eagle this far away from the river (about three miles). It makes sense, though, because a good portion of the river is jammed with ice and there are very few open spots left to fish.

Finally, since it was such a nice day. we all took a quick road trip to the Palisades Park near Savanna. Jake and Farley got to get out and stretch their legs. Farley, a little more than Jake.

The last image you see here, courtesy of Rochelle, is what my week was like after work. Jet lag finally set in, and Farley, my little furnace, made it difficult not to fall asleep.

Happy Holidays!!!

May God bless us all, each and everyone!

Festivus Photo Time!

Tonight was definitely a challenge. Jake and Farley were not cooperating for their holiday photo session ... just a preface of what's to come, attached you see the image of Farley as he was "startled" by, well, who really knows what!

Preparing for Winter ...

Jake has been attempting to prepare Farley for this year's first winter storm. As you can see, it requires a great deal of resting while the anticipations builds.

Sharing isn't always the easiest thing to do ...

They say a picture says a thousand words ... well, Jake still doesn't like to share, and Farley is attempting to force the issue.

Slowly ... friendships build

Time has set in, and Jake has come to realize that Farley doesn't seem to be going anywhere, soon. The two of them are getting along, for the most part, and are best when outside, but there are definitely some jealousy issues. Farley is getting BIG -- and he still doesn't realize how gargantuan his legs really have become.

In case you noticed, Jake is much more slender than he has been in years. This is due primarily to his new diet, Lambaderm (available at some Wal-Marts and, of course, other retailers). The change in his look, demeanor, and physical activities make it seem like he's a pup, again. He actually plays ball! The biggest reason we changed Jake's diet is because the prescription diet we had him on, Science Diet - CD, didn't seem to be working. Jake had developed, for the second time, numerous urinary stones, had fatty tumors, and had gained so much weight. The first ingredient in Lambaderm is lamb -- the first ingredient in Science Diet, as well as many other dog foods is corn meal and filler. Dogs are carnivores. Hmm ... only makes sense doesn't it.

He's learning ...

Farley now understands "no." Most importantly, though, he's taken lessons from Jake on how to ignore that command and be stubborn.

It's good to be home ...

It definitely is great to spend the night in your own bed. After almost a week and two different hotels, I made it home. The conferences were informational and I was glad that I attended them. Now, to spend some quality time with the family ...

Memorial Day 2007 - Road Trip ...

Happy Memorial Day!

This year we took a road trip to Champaign to visit the in-laws. Although Jake loves car rides, we decided to drop Jake off with my dad because most people believe he's not a big socializer (I think he's just misunderstood). Farley, however, went along for the journey. As you can see in the second image, Farley and Jake are still working out their differences; ironically, though, Jake looks happier than Farley (I think he thought we were taking Farley back to wherever he came from). After the long ride, Farley slept even more and enjoyed the afternoon playing. As for mingling with the family, everyone is doing well and the food was good. Jake was a little disappointed when we arrived to pick him up and we told him Farley was non-returnable.

Coping Skills ...

They are both learning to live with one another. Farely is going through his biting phase; Jake, well, Jake just doesn't like to share (don't know where he gets that from). Farley still doesn't comprehend why Jake barks so loudly and makes a fuss when people get near the house. Farley is definitely laid back ("Thank you, God" says Rochelle). Walks are becoming easier, and with two dogs, the grass is greener!