2000:  Gay Pride #1
2001:  Get Rich Quick
2002:  Nothing's Too Good for Dear Ol' Dad
2003:  Time on My Hand(s)
2004:  H.R. Buff 'n' Stuff
2005:  Butterflies and Cool Breezes
2006:   Meeting Old Friends for the First Time

IN MY OPINION
"Urinetown "

Books Read in 2007

Updated 4/9:
"Paula Deen"

FUNNY THE VLOG

"Puppies at 1 Month"


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ONE MONTH ALREADY

12 June 2007

When you look at these puppies at 4 weeks of age, compared to when they arrived here 3 weeks ago, you realize (a) how fast they grow, and (b) how big they are going to be!  There are times when I think that they gain a pound while they are sleeping, especially Tipper.

Tipper is the puppy I've worried about because her growth seems to lag behind the others.  She doesn't appear sick, she's just as active as her sisters, but she is the first one to leave the food dish and she is the first one to tire and fall asleep.

But then suddenly I'll pick her up and she feels just as chunky and heavy as the others...and half a day later I'm worried about her weight again.  It would have been interesting to have had a scale for this puppy.

This is the time when they are really so cute.  They are active and learning to play, but their teeth aren't strong enough to do major damage, they are just learning how to tear things up, so upholstery is safe for another few days, and they are more interested in trying out their new skills, batting each other around, running, etc. to really concentrate on getting into trouble.

Plus they still have that cute puppy face.  I remember the change in Dakota's face in the month she was here, her nose gradually lengthening to give her more of a "dog" look than a "puppy" look by the time she left.

Mother Nature is very clever in softening the features of babies.  Even baby rhinos (I saw one at the Perth zoo) are "cute" because they are such soft, endearing versions of the adults.

Crystal

The puppies are now eating dry kibble, but I still give them kibble softened and mashed with formula and water in the morning — kind of a gruel for breakfast.  But I'm nearly out of formula, so that treat will end when the formula is exhausted.  They won't mind.

They know when they are getting gruel, though.  They follow me into the kitchen in the morning and then when they hear the
"Magic Bullet" machine grinding up the mix, they start to head toward the cage where I feed them.  I take the pan with the food in it and call "Here puppies!" and there is the galumph-galumph-galumph of those little paws as they all race for the cage and compete for who gets to get in first.

They play for half an hour or so after eating and then fall asleep under the playpen, or in the "Hobbit Hole," the little closet that is under the stairs.  Crystal got trapped in there yesterday and I had to clean everything out to find her, while she whimpered pathetically ... "get me out!"

I frequently let them sleep on the floor during the day but if I need to make sure they are all corralled, like if I'm going out or if I want them to all wake up at the same time (or at night), I move them to the playpen.  They are getting too big to use the playpen as a place to stay all day long, though.  It's fine for one puppy, but three growing puppies fill it up very quickly.

The plan had been that I was going to pack up the puppies and move them to Ned and Marta's house so we could all take care of their dog, BooBoo while they are at Marta's mother's wedding.  I would then commute back and forth from there to here to feed Lizzie and Sheila.  But when I was at Ned and Marta's house to learn the routine for BooBoo, we decided that BooBoo could probably adjust to a couple of days here and that would save me all the commuting.  (And I would still be able to watch The Sopranos finale here at home, since Ned and Marta don't get HBO!)

So BooBoo joined the family on Sunday and we're doing adjustment to puppies.  They think it's great to have someone who is nearer to them in size (she's a very old pug) and she thinks it's annoying to have these little pipsqueaks trying to get her to play.  BooBoo just wanted everyone to let her sleep.

Lizzie is starting to play with the puppies a bit more.  Sheila is starting to put up with them now, though if they get near her food she lets them know that is NOT permitted.

They are so funny because one loud growl from Sheila and the offending puppy begins yelping and yelping and whining and when I put her in my lap she cuddles but continues howling and telling me about how that big brute of a dog scared her.  These pups are definitely no pit bulls.  They are real wimps!

We'll have two more weeks with them.  By that time they will probably have started becoming destructive and taking a lot more time and I will be ready for a puppy break, but I'm sure enjoying them right now.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Ruby guards her food

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