cape life.

Here we are, a full month after our last post. Where does the time go?! Claire and I took a little road trip from Nashville to Cape Cod last weekend and we'll be here for the next month. Whenever I'm here, I feel like I can just exhale. I can't think of any other way to put it, so... that's that.

Can I just say that it is a VERY long drive from Tennessee to Massachusetts? It was quite eventful, too, as the air conditioner in my car broke halfway through the extremely large state of Virginia. If it hadn't been a sunny 90*F day, I would have tried to ride it out until we got here, but because it was just so hot, I had to stop and get it repaired. Thankfully it was an easy fix and we were able to get back on the road after three hours or so -- and I have to give Firestone a huge shout-out (the one in Nowheresville, VA) for being so awesome and letting Claire hang out in the lobby. They even gave her treats and water while we waited. Talk about service!

We finally made it to Harrisburg PA where we stayed in a hotel for the night. Claire got her own queen-sized bed, which she was quite excited about, as you can see by the blur of her wagging tail in this picture:

 

We made it to the Cape the next day without any hiccups, and I cannot emphasize enough how glad we both were to get out of the car. I actually have no recollection of what we did that night because my mind was blank from driving for so long. The one thing that I did not anticipate was how rough the drive would be on my body. My fibromyalgia flared up like mad and after a full week, I'm finally feeling better. Note to self for the next time: break up the drive into three days, not two.

 

The next morning, Claire and I woke up early and took a long walk on the beach. It was her first time there, and y'all, I can't wait to post the video of her reaction. But that will have to wait until I get back to Nashville, so hang tight in the meantime. At first she was afraid of the waves, but by the end of our walk, she was running straight into them. She tried to drink the water like she does when I take her to the river in Nashville, but the salt from the ocean made her sneeze. Puppy sneezes are the cutest! But she didn't try to drink it again, which was a safe bet. And hey, this is a picture that I took of the sunrise that morning. Can you tell that it was the perfect day?

 

 

 

 

Later that day, one of my besties came to visit and it was AMAZING to see her. It had been a year since we'd seen each other, and I fully intend for us to visit a lot over the next month!! We went out to lunch to catch up and then spent the afternoon hanging out on the beach. Claire was so tired after her morning romp in the waves, so I didn't feel bad leaving her for a few hours. She needed the rest!

 

 

I know some of y'all are connected with us on our Facebook page, but for those of you who aren't, you need to know that part of my mother's preparation for our arrival included putting sheets all over the furniture to "protect" them from Claire's fur. Clearly, we never had dogs growing up. Anyway, Claire's new favorite lookout is the window behind the sheeted couch, which gives her a good view of one side of our neighborhood (and, more importantly, of the squirrels and rabbits), so she's been spending a lot of time here. Again, please note the happy tail.

 

 

Interestingly enough, my mom forgot to cover one chair in the house, which has become a great place for naps. Claire is smart enough to curl up here when my mom isn't home. I don't have the heart to tell her to get off, especially when she's as cute as she is. Who wants to disturb a comfortable dog, anyway? Not me. That's just mean!

 

 

 

Of course, I still have to work during the week (though I'm so thankful that I can work remotely!), but Claire and I have settled into a routine that seems to be working well. My "office" is in a room that I only go into while I'm working - I thought that would help Claire understand that I can't play when we're there. We get up in the morning and go for a long walk, eat breakfast, and do a little training, and then I get the work day started. Claire hangs out with me and naps until lunch, alternating between the floor, the couch, and this cozy little pallet that I've set up for her next to my desk.

 

 

 

I've got an hour break for lunch, so after grabbing some food, Claire and I spend some time playing frisbee, going running, and doing more training. After she's gotten out some energy, she's ready to lounge around while I finish up the second half of the work day. At night, we've been heading to the beach after most of the tourists have left, and we'll go for another long walk/run so I can unwind and Claire can get back outside for a bit. Then it's time for dinner and playtime (she likes to play tug with her stuffed animals, and four of them have already succombed to her destruction), and then we hang out with my mom and her boyfriend before calling it a night.

 

 

The other night we went for a walk at the Harbor instead of at the beach - mainly because I was feeling nostalgic for a place where my friends and I hung out a lot when we were in high school. There were a couple other dogs around and Claire did really well by not reacting to them. I was so proud of her! Anyway, while we were walking on the docks, Claire saw ducks for the first time EVER and was absolutely fascinated by them. She didn't cry or whine or bark, she just sat there transfixed. Birds in the water? Who would've thought!

 

So, now you know what we've been up to and where we've been lately! I'll be posting again next weekend, for sure. And of course I'll share more pictures too. Hope you all are well and have been enjoying your summer!

 

projects and painting and planning, oh my!

A title like that can only mean one thing: Mom was in town! She came for a visit this weekend and whipped our house into shape with nine million projects that were able to be completed in a mere 72 hours - and she still made sure that we had time to go out to eat with friends! I am jealous of her energy, especially since it takes me a solid five cups of coffee before I am even 25% as efficient as she is with her time! I don't know how she does it, but I'm hoping she'll share her secret with me someday!

The house projects were as follows:

-- hang up the kitchen curtains that have been sitting in storage for a year

-- hang up the guest room curtains that have been sitting in storage for two years

-- caulk and repair the corner of the cabinet that Claire destroyed from the act of busting out of her kennel when we first moved in... which took place back in 2010

-- caulk and repair the window frame in my bedroom that was damaged during the Break-In of 2011

-- buy new frames for pictures

-- hang up two pictures

-- touch up the paint on the walls in the kitchen

-- touch up the paint on the walls in the living room

-- touch up the paint on the walls in my bedroom

-- touch up the paint on the walls in the guest room [which turned into repainting the whole room because we bought the wrong paint color and didn't realize until it was too late]

-- clean out the shed so my friend can store her things there while she's out of the country

-- search for the Missing Suitcase [this was the one thing that was unsuccessful]

-- decorate the bathroom

Claire was a rockstar this weekend. I really wanted to be able to take her hiking with my mom and me, but as you can see from the aforementioned list [which is not comprehensive, by the way], there wasn't enough time! It was also really hot and humid this weekend, so it wasn't the best hiking weather anyway. So Claire hung out with us while we worked on these projects, and she was happy doing just that: hanging out with us [and getting some treats while doing so, like coconut milk ice cream and fresh strawberries]. The paint made her sneeze, though, so she laid by the bedroom door while we worked in the guest room. That didn't stop her from trying to help out by rubbing up against the freshly painted wall...

Oh, my dog? She's the one that's black and white with a gray butt.

Claire and Mumsies!

what we're looking forward to.

So. After doing a lot of thinking and planning and talking things through, I have decided that Claire and I are going to go home to Cape Cod for a few weeks this summer. Like... for a whole five of them. It'll take two days to drive there and two days to drive back, but Claire did great on the trip home in 2011, so I think she'll be great this time too. I'll be working remotely, so I won't have to use any vacation days or anything. And when I'm not working, I plan on taking Claire for lots of early morning and twilight runs at the beach, lunch time swimming breaks down at the pond by my house, weekend walks on the bike path in Woods Hole, and play dates for Claire with my brother's dog Lexie (and maybe Brianna and Asya if she's lucky!). And a whole lot of quality time with family. I think it's going to be really good rest for my soul, and it'll all just be so exciting for Claire. I'm really really looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I've been creating a wish list of things to buy before we head up north. I'm sure that there's a whole bunch of things that I haven't even thought of, so share your suggestions in the comments section if I need to add things! As for what I have so far...

This dog bed and bed cover by Boots&Barkley

which is perfect for lounging while I'm busy working.

This life jacket from Ruffwear

to keep Claire safe while treading salt water.

This 30-foot leash so Claire can roam in the yard
while I enjoy some quiet time in the mornings on the porch.

An extra set of elevated dog bowls by Popware;
they're so great that I think I need to keep a set back home too for future visits.

Any other ideas of things to buy for our trip home?

the mess of a monday morning.

Sorry about our unexpected hiatus from the blogging world - I've been sick for the past few weeks (so typical) and so Little One spent a bit more time at Bark-O-Lounge than usual. I'd like to think that I'm on the mend now, however, so we're getting back into our groove. And of course we had to come back with a bang...

I was running late for work this morning, so while I rushed around the kitchen throwing together breakfast and lunch, I let Claire into the backyard for a few minutes. I was keeping an eye on her out the kitchen window, and I saw her start digging by the shed. It's rained for the past million days, so I ran outside to tell her to stop playing in the mud and come inside so I could clean her up before I left for work. As I ran outside, however, I saw Claire wagging her tail like crazy and puppy-bow at something. I looked around the corner to see who/what she had befriended juuuust in time to see her get sprayed by a skunk. She yelped and then began rolling around in the mud - possibly to get the smell off? or to get it further embedded in her fur? I'm not sure what the purpose of that was, but she was a hot mess.

When I finally managed to wrangle her inside, I put her in the bathroom while I tried to find some tomato sauce. Does anyone even own plain boring tomato sauce? I mean, I had a variety of name-brand options. Four cheese, sweet basil marinara, vodka sauce, spicy red pepper, etc. I grabbed a jar of the sweet basil and dumped it all over her. For a girl who isn't a fan of the bath in general, why would she like getting scrubbed with tomato sauce? Before I knew it, she leapt into me, covering me with marinara, and then started running around the house. I ran after her and tried to grab her, but she thought we were playing a game of chase, so she took off just as I got close enough to catch her. Then she stopped in the dead center of the kitchen and shook sauce and mud all over the place. I managed to get ahold of her mid-shake and carried her back to the tub so I could finish giving her a bath.

At this point, I was ridiculously late for work but I was a disaster - as was my house. I managed to take a quick shower, change clothes, clean up the kitchen, throw all of the towels into the washing machine, and run out the door in less than 15 minutes. Claire was sulking on the couch when I left, likely for ruining her fun with a bath, but hey, at least she was clean and smelling like an Italian side dish.

   

a word from our igloo.

After a rainy weekend in the 60's, it has plummeted to an ice cold 25*F. If I had a Snuggie, I would defy all fashion sense and wear it everywhere. Instead, I am reduced to wearing multiple layers of clothing, which makes me look a little like the Michelin man. People keep looking at me like I'm crazy. And then they say things like, "But you're from the north! You should be used to it!" Well, clearly, I am not. Also, I come from a family whose medical background includes Reynaud's, which makes the cold weather all the more fun for people like us.

However, I, like most people, am on a strict budget. So while I'd like to turn the heat up to 90*F in my house and walk around in a bathing suit, I cannot do that. Last month, I kept the temp at a modest 67 during the day, and 70 at night. But after getting the bill, I turned it down to 65 during the day and 67 at night -- and I also slept in two layers of clothes while lying under a comforter, two blankets, and an electric blanket. One would think an electric bill would decrease after that, right? Well. It went up.

Someone suggested that I turn it down even more and see if that works. But I've got limits, people. I could always throw on an extra layer of clothing to the two laters I already sleep in, but I worry about Claire. You know that commercial for the ASPCA where the camera captures a lone dog sitting in the middle of the road in the pouring rain, shivering? Kills me every single time. Well that dog has Claire's face when I consider turning the heat down any lower. (Though she isn't a stray, and she wouldn't be sitting in the middle of the road, and it doesn't rain inside my house. So it's really not the same thing at all...)

You may be thinking, "She is just a dog! Dogs have fur! They can handle cold temps!" I hear you. But I also know that if my car is not warmed up in the morning before getting in it, Claire sits in the front seat and shivers violently until the heat comes on full blast. She also went from sleeping at the end of the bed to burrowing under the covers and tucking her nose under the pillow.

So, until it gets a little warmer in Nashville, I'll just have to reconfigure my budget or something in order to keep my heat at a balmy 65*F. Either that, or I'll have to order matching Snuggies for me and Claire.

our bucket list.

So, by now, most of you have probably heard about this sweet story of a boy who created a bucket "lick it" list for his terminally ill service dog. When I read it, of course it got me thinking about all of the things I'd like to do with Claire in her lifetime. I have my own bucket list that consists of 90+ things that I'd like to do in my life [getting a puppy was one of them], but I decided to put together a separate list for me and Claire. Here are some of the items, in no particular order of importance.

1. Fence in the backyard so that Claire has more room to run when we're not at the dog park.
2. Go on a vacation to the beach, just the two of us - spend our nights staying at a dog-friendly hotel and spend our days playing by the ocean.
3. Share a cone of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.
4. Walk a 5k together [I'd say that we'd run, but that would be a nightmare because she would think we were playing a game of chase, and I would die of either exhaustion or of embarrassment].
5. Have my friend and fellow photographer Erin do a photo shoot of me and Claire.
6. Let Claire lead a walk.
7. Have a birthday party in my backyard with a cake from See Spot Eat, and invite all of her friends. Send out real invitations, hand out party favors, and have decorations fit for a queen!
8. Go for a ride in a convertible. [I'll have to hold on to her so she doesn't jump out].
9. Take a picture of Claire in a field of sunflowers. Print it on a canvas to hang up in the house.
10. Get a tattoo of Claire's paw print.
11. Get 100 followers on Google Friend Connect, and reach 200 followers on our Facebook page. [This is obviously a personal goal, but I still felt that I needed to add it!]
12. Create another masterpiece and sell copies to raise money for the Nashville Humane Society.

What should I add to this list? What's on the bucket list for you and your dog?

  

oh, the (adorable) irony.

Claire's curious nature is so endearing to me, but I've got to keep an eye on her at all times. It doesn't take much for her curiosity to bloom into mischievousness, and it only takes a split second for her to find something to get into that she should be leaving alone. It's been so hot lately that we haven't been able to spend much time together outside, which has been making her a bit restless. Restlessness - in Claire - means trouble. I attempted to brave the heat for a mere five minutes last week so that I could take her for a little stroll around the yard [I was sweating within ten seconds of stepping outside, by the way]. She stopped by the porch and started sniffing around, which I didn't think much of, at first. But then she started nosing aside some dead grass... and I heard a squeak. When I saw something rustle in the grass, I instantly took Claire into the house so that I could take a closer look without her prey drive gearing up and getting out of control. When I moved aside the grass, I found these little munchkins:

Baby bunnies!!

I have to confess that my first thought was "What ARE you?!" Can you tell that I didn't grow up around animals?! I'm not proud to admit that at first I thought they were baby mice. Obviously, I quickly scratched that because of the lack of a long tail. Then I guessed that they might be baby moles. But then I remembered that Claire had scared off a rabbit from the same spot earlier this morning [that was the ah-ha! moment]. I've checked on Claire's bunnies over the past few days, and they're doing really well - they have finally opened their eyes and now they have more fur! We had a terrible rainstorm last night, however, and I stayed awake worrying that their burrow would collapse, and now I'm afraid to go check on them again because my heart would break if they didn't survive [maybe this is why my mom never allowed us to have any pets].

For those of you who have followed the blog for awhile and/or followed me on Twitter, I'm sure you've seen my posts/tweets about Claire's rabbit obsession. I completely realize that it's absurd to be so concerned about these little bunnies when they'll eventually grow up to torment Claire, in turn tormenting me when she freaks out at spotting them through the kitchen window. But they're just so cute and tiny right now! I can't help it! Ugh. I am such a girl.

   

the circle of life.

I. Am. Traumatized.

Remember this close call? Well... there was an incident yesterday.

Claire killed a bird. Right in front of my eyes. It was just so... terrible. I was sitting out on the deck reading, so I let Claire come out too so that she could do a little exploring in the backyard.

To be honest, Claire only spotted the little bird because she followed me. I looked up from my book and saw the poor thing was hopping along. It was having trouble flying, so I thought it must have been injured. I went over to try and pick it up with the intention of bringing it to the vet but, right as I stooped down to scoop it up, Claire came barreling out of the bushes and... then she pounced.

The bird was screaming.
I was screaming.
And Claire was batting her paws at it.
My last memory is of the little bird pinned to the ground.
I had to turn away.
And then...
Silence.

All that was running through my mind at that point was the bible verse about God knowing every sparrow that falls. And how He also knows that Claire killed one.

I'll be having nightmares about this tragic event for awhile. But Claire was quite proud of herself, as you can see...

Trouble.

  

  

the co-sleeping arrangement, as of late.

So. My dad bought me an amazing gift for Christmas. Amazing. I don't think he envisioned that I would have to share it with Claire, but what's mine is hers and what's hers is...hers. Hmm... lucky dog.

Anyway, Dad bought me a heated mattress cover. Did you know that they make these babies? Well they do. [Invest in one. You won't regret it]. I am now sleeping like a little burrito, with a heated mattress cover under me and a heated blanket over me. It's a great little cocoon.

Claire thinks so too.

The little miss starts out by curling up at the end of the bed on top of the blanket that my mom gave her from Pier 1. [Because basically, when we went home for Christmas, Claire claimed it as her own, and my sweet mama - as generous as she is - decided that Claire should keep it since she loves it so much]. Usually, Claire likes her space when she sleeps and only on occasion would she come and cuddle with me through the night. But now, around midnight every night, I find myself waking up to the sound of Claire jumping off my bed. When I am fully awake, I see that she is sitting next to my bed looking at me. [Which sounds sort of creepy, but... it's not]. And - like clockwork, every night - I climb out of bed and Claire jumps back into bed - into my spot - and gets all cozy in the cocoon. And there she sleeps until morning.

It's been cold in Nashville lately, apart from yesterday's 60*F-tornado-warning weather, so the heated mattress cover has been a blessing to keep us extra warm in this old house! And I certainly don't mind sharing the warmth with my girl.

...Though I could do without the midnight wake-up calls.
 
 

that's what i love about sundays.

The first day back from being out of town is always busy for me. Especially this time. There is major construction going on at my house that had to be put on hold while I went back home to be with my Gram, and to come back to a house that is a disaster area was a little bit stressful. This trip home was also extremely difficult emotionally, so I really just wanted to use today to catch up on sleep and snuggles with Claire. But of course, there are always other things to do first:

We started our day with a quick trip to the dog park, and Claire mostly just hung around me and my friends giving out kisses. I loved it, they loved it, she loved it. Win-win-win (please tell me that you are familiar with that reference). When we came back home, the cleaning commenced. While I was in the midst of it, I dropped a whole box of goldfish which exploded all over the floor. Not to worry, however - Claire came to the rescue and helped me clean it up: I went to get the broom and by the time I came back, it was all taken care of (apparently she really likes goldfish). I went grocery shopping and then made Claire some ground turkey mixed with peas, since she is boycotting her food unless it has something tasty mixed in with it. I also made myself a mediterranean frittata with feta cheese, which got Claire's stamp of approval; she's my taste tester since I've started cooking organic and gluten-free meals.

After all of that, we curled up and took a long nap, which I have to say is the most glorious and blessed part of Sunday afternoons. This is my favorite part of our weekend routine, when Claire and I can just be. Those of you who have dogs surely know what I mean; I will always make time for this!

  

today's trial run.

Well, Claire and I have been living in our new house for almost two weeks. She has adjusted pretty well to this new living arrangement, which is great, especially since it's the first time I've moved since she has come into my life.  However, in the past two weeks, Claire has managed to break out of her crate three and a half times. This is new for Claire. Normally she stays in the crate on the two or three days during a work week that she is not at Bark-O-Lounge (*) and when I get home, we go straight to the park for a few hours to run around. Claire has never had a problem being in the crate, though I'm sure it gets awfully boring for her. I try to make sure that she has one of her Nina Ottosson toys in there with her, but as great as they are, they do not ensure eight solid hours of entertainment. At first, I was bewildered by Claire's behavior... but then my roommate Lissa and I realized that we apparently have some guests in the house: mice. (UGH!!) Claire has probably been seeing them run by her crate, which prompts her to use all of her strength to squeeze all 50 lbs through the incredibly small space between the door and the frame of the crate. Either that, or she does some kind of magic trick following in Houdini's footsteps. In Claire's defense, all of the times Lissa and I have found her, she has been curled up on the couch or wagging her tail frantically as we come in the door. She has not yet (knock on wood) destroyed anything once she has gotten out of her crate. My fear is that Claire is going to hurt herself by pulling this stunt, and that I will be at work when this injury happens.


Given Claire's new skills at breaking free, Lissa and I - after much deliberation - decided to let Claire try and make it a whole day without being in the crate at all. The last time I tried this was when she was 9 months old and she chewed up my blinds, my couch, and two library books (one was entitled - and I kid you not - "The Well Adjusted Dog." The library manager laughed when I told her, though I was mortified.) I was experiencing so much anxiety about this that I didn't sleep much last night, and I prayed all throughout today. All I could imagine was walking in the door to see the house torn to shreds. However... I am happy to say that Claire did wonderfully during her trial run! My house is still in tact, our furniture is exactly the way we left it, and most importantly, Claire is in one piece as well! I was ecstatic! She's going to day care tomorrow and Wednesday, so let's pray that Trial Run #2 is great on Thursday, too!





(*) Note: Stacey, Sheila, and Rob are the BEST and there isn't anyone else I would trust to take care of my baby for 8-10 hours a day! Please check out their website, and then bring your dog there for day care - you will be extremely happy and so will your dog!)