Late this afternoon, I was thinking about taking a photo for my daily photo journal. I was considering posting a photo of the trees behind our house casting shadows in the waning sun. (and gorgeous! blue skies!)  I thought of taking a photo of one of the kids, but they hate being featured.  What to do…what to do….

Earlier in the afternoon, I had been going through countless photos I still have not classifed.  I was specifically looking for pictures of our Wee Angus.  I had tried to do this just before Christmas, but the tears wouldn’t stop and my heart just wrenched inside.  Perhaps because all the pressure of Christmas and New Year’s is off,  I can now look at the photos and not fall completely apart.  There are still some that cause tears to sting my eyes, but I am doing better.

So…

As I was walking to the front door,  I spotted Angus’ little red parka.  Yes, I had always thought I would never, ever, dress a dog!  I had joined a Scottie Dog forum and some of the photos people had taken of their Scotties dressed in various attire were hysterical!  And so, one day as I was looking around Wal Mart,  I happened to walk down an aisle of clearance items. 

There, in the midst of a conglomeration of all types of odds and ends was a too cute to pass up red parka.  And, it just happened to be the size my Angus would need.  Totally losing all sense of propriety, I picked up the little red parka, took it to the cashier, and paid my five dollars!

Angus was a ham. That pup would gladly wear or do just about anything for a treat!  Thus, when I set my little boy down on my ancient wooden with metal runners sled, a floral arrangement next to him, (to snap a photo to share with my Scottie Dog friends for a Christmas card), he was so happy to conform!  The following is *not* the photo chosen for said card, rather a reminder from the wee one of the promise of a cookie for work performed by him!

So, my photo for my “Blip” today is of that little red parka hanging on a wooden peg.  I know that eventually I will take it down, but for now, there is something reassuring about seeing that little red parka….

Here is a photo of a professional photo of Angus, taken when he was just ten months old.  We had attended a Scottie Dog Picnic in September and the photographer had been hired to photograph the Scotties!

We spent the day today running around..a lot!  We had to drop Michelle off at school.  Oh, but *before* dropping her off,  we had to rush to WalMart so the kids could buy a bunch of the special Halloween candy on sale for half price.  This was important. To them, anyway!

After Michelle was off to school, it was time to rush over to Mark’s mom’s house.  She had a doctor’s appointment.  After getting her squared away at the doctor’s,  we went on over to Home Depot.  We were checking out some pricing on lumber and when I saw all the pretty Christmas baubles,  I was like a piece of metal to magnet.  I will never understand the draw for me,  but I just love all the colors of Christmas.  Oh, not *just* the reds and greens, but all the others as well.  And speaking of red and green,  I cannot even begin to believe all the variations of these two colors.  Just awesome!

After picking my mother-in-law up when she was done, we took a leisurely drive on over to Sam’s Club.  We were there for quite awhile.  I really like their big packages of chicken and roasts.  The prices are so great and with all the Crockpot meals I have been making, it is so nice to be able to pull out pre-packaged chicken breasts and thighs.  (I place one breast or thigh into a small baggie, then place the small baggies into a large marked bag…so simple!)  Mark’s mom even bought a large package of meat to make up several meals.

When we got done shopping, we were off to Mark’s mom’s house.  She is such a stitch!  She bought a wireless doorbell at WalMart she wanted to show me.  It was pretty cool. The button goes outside, as is typical, and there is a wireless receiver you plug into an electrical outlet.  It makes a very nice “ding-dong”. 

After seeing the cool wireless setup, she went and got out another box.  This was way way cool!  She loves watching QVC and sometimes buys things from them.  Well, she bought an awesome wireless doorbell that plays different songs.  It has Christmas selections as well as titles for other holidays.  The most impressive had to have been the Hallelujah Chorus.

Although today was fairly warm compared to the past several days,  I got chilled.  We were working outside at Mark’s mom’s and it was shady and cool.  I went and sat down in the car with Murphy.  Mark opened the tailgate and Ben put one of the seats down so Murphy could see what was happening.  The little bugger sat in the back of the car and watched every little thing!  He was so cute sitting there, tilting his head back and forth! 

One notable difference with Murphy being the single pup is he is no longer such a wild man when it comes to food.  When Angus was around,  if you offered Murphy a treat, you would have to place it in your palm and hold it up to him.  If you tried to have him take it from your fingers….OUCH….Murphy would clamp down on your fingers like a ravenous wild animal! Today, my mother-in-law (bravely) placed a treat in her lips and told Murphy to take it.  We used to do this with Angus and he would ever-so-gently remove it.  Not Murphy….he was out to do some lip-piercing!  Today, however, Murphy gently eased the treat from her lips!

As we were getting ready to leave today, my mother-in-law confided that Murphy reminds her a lot of Angus. That was awesome, as this woman absolutely adored little Angus!  When we used to go to her house, Angus would see her and his ears would lie flat on his head….his lips would curl back, exposing his teeth and his rearend seemed to come undone, as though totally disengaged from his body!  He would hop up and down until she came over to him and talked to him.  Oh, how we missed that today…..but Murphy was different….totally warming up to her.  It was so cute as he followed her into the garage to get a “cookie”.

We were a few minutes late picking Michelle up from school.  She and Ben were so excited, as a nationally known band was going to be doing an accoustic set at a local business in Rochester this evening.  It started at six, and the best part was, it was free!  Tomorrow, they are doing another venue, and it is expensive to get in. 

Michelle got into the car and asked us to crank the heat up.  She asked Mark to go to McDonald’s to get her a sandwich as she felt like she was starving.  After she ate, we went over to WalMart.  She stayed in the car with Murphy and when we came back out, she said she wanted to go home.  She then told us her throat was so sore, she just wanted to go home and go to bed.  Poor Michelle.  I feel so bad for her….

As soon as we got home, everyone acted pretty tired;  even Murphy flopped down and fell asleep!

Only one photo.  I took this one yesterday.  You see, we moved into this house just a little more than nineteen years ago. In all those years,  we have never, ever, had one child come trick or treating!!  The first few years we were here,  I always bought big bags of candy, expecting someone to stop by.   But, it never happened.

Sooo……there is always a first, right? 

There were four “kids” that came by just before dusk last night.  Aren’t they just dear?

The fourth little one was photo shy!

And so, this November first,  I am so thankful for all my friends and family! Where would be be without all the loved ones in our lives?

Angus always wanted to be the “top dog” and he ruled with an iron paw. If Angus was sitting on a chair or the couch, you had better believe Murphy would be on the floor.  Even in the truck,  Angus would suspend himself on the back of the front seats….his left front and rear paws hanging on the back side, right paws over the front side!  Murphy was either on the seat or the floor!  When I used to say that Angus was the King, I meant it!

So, back to Murphy.  On the day that Angus passed away,  we had gone to Country Max in Henrietta.  As we walked around the store,  we spotted a “gutted toy” (one that had no stuffing) that had a velcro tab in which a plastic water bottle could be inserted.  Murphy loves the crunching sound these bottles make when he chews on them, so this was the toy for him!

A few days ago, I was washing dishes in the kitchen early in the morning. (about 6 am)  I was working away when I nearly jumped out of my skin!  WHAT was that noise?  I hurried to the living room to see little Murphy scooting about, dropping the fox on the ground, then nearly throwing the toy into the air as he picked it back up!  Crunch!  Hearing a plastic water bottle make that sound when the house is entirely quiet is somewhat alarming!

Yesterday morning,  I watched as Murphy hopped onto the recliner in the living room and “buried” his fox under a blanket that was sitting on the chair.  I love watching him do this as every time he pushes his nose across the blanket, he makes a squeaky noise!

This evening, Murphy went a bit crackers,  racing all over the living room, fox dangling from his mouth.  The little fellow played and played,  then sprung (much like Tigger with springs!) up onto the couch where he placed Mr. Fox on top of my coat.  After Mr. Fox was placed “just so”,  Murphy rested his head on his little treasure!

Murphy will never replace Angus….each pup comes with an individual and distinct personality….but having him sure takes some of the bite away from losing Angus!

We had such a great visit.  Mom, Dad, and Randy all shared little things they remembered about Angus and were encouraging and upbeat.  It really was good to get away from home, too.  We got to drive our new Subaru Outback for its maiden voyage, other than the trip home from the Subaru dealer a week ago last Wednesday.  Yes, we waited to drive it for a long time!

When we got to the home of my parents, Randy was anxious to show me a most amazing gift my Aunt Barbara had left for me!

This is one of two Scotties.  They are made of a heavy glass and although it looks yellow/green, they are actually clear glass. They are so pretty in their detail and I cannot think of a more awesome gift!  I’m not sure if Aunt Barbara is reading, but if you are, a million thank-you’s!!!!  A more wonderful gift could not be given, especially since losing Angus.

Ben and Mark and I worked on splitting and stacking firewood into the woodshed today.  We figure there must be close to eight cords of wood loaded in there already.  Ben has been working so hard on the firewood supply and I appreciate that!  I was having problems cutting with the chainsaw…I kept getting back pain.  The stacking  doesn’t seem to bother me at all.

Here is one more photo taken from the front porch late this afternoon…

Many of our leaves have fallen, but there is still a vibrant yellow/gold in our front yard!

One of the first orders if the day was digging a grave for our little lad.  The kids were out by about 9:30, digging in the nearly impossible to dig soil on the back hill behind the house.  Michelle had said she wanted to bury Angus in a place near where he used to keep watch over the squirrels.  When I told Mark, he said he had the same thought, verbatim.  So, a resting spot was chosen and the enormous final act of love for Angus was begun.

Ben worked through huge tree roots that looked more like firewood than roots.  Then came a layer of wet, heavy topsoil.  Finally, the clay layer, then loose, dry soil that was filled with tons of small rocks.  It took both kids working together about two and a half hours to finally get down below three feet.  The kids measured and remeasured.  Finally, Angus was placed in the grave and it was covered.  Closure.  Now, if only the piercing pain of memories would stop.

As soon as Angus was buried,  I wanted to just leave the house for a bit.  Ben, Mark, Murphy, and I went out in the truck for a ride to Canandaigua.  Michelle wanted to stay home so we thought she might as well.  We went to the bank,  I looked a little in Big Lots, then we picked up some hamburgers at Tom Wahl’s.

We came back home and the kids and Mark watched a couple of movies.  Shortly after we had left home, the rain began to fall and we were thankful that it held off until the awful task of burying our Angus was complete. 

Michelle and I have been looking through the many, many photos of Angus.  There are so very many memories of the sweet little lad and although I know they will later make us smile, for now, our hearts are breaking.

We talked about the wonderful attributes Angus possessed and the lessons we learned from our boy.  The greatest of these was his unwavering love.  Even when we scolded Angus (although there weren’t too many times this was necessary) he always forgave us immediately and wagged his tail as though telling us everything was okay. We agreed this kind of unconditional love is amazing and something the world needs more of. 

Angus was such an intelligent little fellow and we always laughed at how understanding he was.  Even when he didn’t understand, he responded in great love. 

I thank God for giving us this little Scottie for a season.  Why he had to leave so soon and so abruptly is beyond comprehension.  I thank God we loved our little Angus as best we could and that he knew he was loved.  Mark commented that although the pain was great, he would have endured it a million times just to have had such a great little companion.

We will surely miss Angus….

WEE ANGUS OF BRISTOLWOOD   12/11/02 – 10/20/11

The vet who consulted with us said they did a sonogram on him and discovered he had an undetected tumor on his spleen.  It apparently began bleeding and unfortunately, this is when these tumors are normally detected and it is too late.

We feel as though we have Scottie-shaped holes in our hearts and the sadness is so deep.  But even in the midst of this, I am so grateful our boy didn’t have to suffer.  He and Murphy were even playing together this morning.  It is so hard to believe he is gone.  I will try to put together some photos of our boy sometime this week as a tribute.

Good bye our Wee Angus of Bristolwood.  We have loved you so…..

We went out late yesterday afternoon….a drive to Sauder’s (the Mennonite store in Seneca Falls) was in order to purchase some freshly-picked apples.  When we got there, Mark was a tad disappointed that the selection was a bit meager.  We did decide to try several varieties.  I even picked up six 20 ounce apples to try for a pie.  In looking at them, I think six might be too many for a pie…those apples are ginormous!

Mark has been trying to resurrect one of our computers for Ben.  Mark’s (ancient) Dell laptop seems to have finally given up the ghost and although Ben would like another laptop,  Mark is on a NOMORELAPTOPS binge.  My three year old Dell EXP recently decided to become a bit cantankerous and is now sitting and waiting for Dr. Mark to diagnose.  Yesterday, Mark was looking for a keyboard with a PS2 (I think that is right, anyway?) adapter so he could boot up the computer…..we looked in a couple different stores to no avail.  The adapter is passe…gone….argh.

Ben asked to stop at a thrift store as we were passing by. Mark pulled in and as we waited, Angus, as always, perched on Mark’s lap to look out the window.  Angus is such a funny little Scottie….always keen, alert, and wanting to see everything that is happening!

Even to the point of watching passing vehicles!

I have a terrible time sitting still in the truck.  I started looking about to see if there was anything “picture-worthy”.  At the end of the parking lot was a stack of huge crates.  I am thinking they look like those used for shipping apples, although the one with writing that says “crisp and spicy” kind of threw me off.  Cannot think of an apple filling that description!

Yes, although that golden “honey” sun was illuminating the crates, I favored this photo in black and white.

We began our westward drive home in debilitating, blinding sun.  I cannot even imagine how Mark was able to see!  It was terrible; a band of bikers (about six bikes) pulled over to the side of the road and hopped off.  Mark wondered if perhaps the sun had become too strong for them.  We made it the fifteen miles from Geneva to Canandaigua where Mark stopped at McDonald’s as per Michelle’s request.

After going through the drive-thru,  I asked Mark to stop so I could grab a photo. I walked around the store, trying a couple different angles before settling on this one.

I really liked this photo, using it in my daily journal as well.  Michelle favored it in black and white, saying it was “more dramatic”….hmmm, what do you think?

Last Sunday, we had planned to take a little trip as Michelle begins college soon.  Tomorrow soon!  Yes, tomorrow is Labor Day and the United States of America rests and pays tribute to its laborers.  However, Rochester Institute of Technology begins their fall classes on Labor Day!  One of life’s mysteries, I guess….

But I digress.

Michelle went with her boyfriend, Jacob, to his church picnic last Sunday at the county park located just a couple of miles from our house.  She came home early at four,  and off we went on our little adventure. 

We drove to Allegany State Park where we stayed until Friday. Although we had planned to relax, we were busy every day! It was very nice, though! The weird thing in all this is that I really didn’t take many photos.  This was our little niche in the world from Sunday night until Friday noon.

I always end up chuckling about us spending time at campgrounds because of the fact that we live in the woods.  Most of the folks I have met at campgrounds are city dwellers who are so appreciative of the fact that they can escape to the sanity of a less stressed and hurried lifestyle, only if it is for a couple of days sometimes!

On Monday, we explored the park a bit.  Ben remembered how we visited Thunder Rocks this past winter on the snowmobiles and he wanted to return to see them now.  I am not sure we have rock formations like this around our area, so I forget how massive they are until we visit them again! (Hoping you don’t mind seeing our kids over and over!)

Fly Tweetie, fly!

After our stop at Thunder Rocks,  we passed by Science Lake.  Not sure how the lake came to have that name, but it sure is pretty. There were a couple of young men fishing there….the lake has trout in it. Please forgive so many photos…I could not choose which to show.  As you can see, this was a day of perfection, weatherwise!  It could not have been a nicer day!

Science lake is a manmade lake, thus it has a spillway to keep it from getting unruly!  That was quite a drop!

After visiting Science Lake, we were on to see the bear caves.  Yes!  There are many black bears living in the park, although I saw n’ary a one. Drat!  I would love to have some bear photos.  There is an area where campers take their trash that is filled with several dumpsters.  The area is surrounded by electric fencing to discourage said bears from pillaging!

I remember as a child seeing bears at a dump area of the park.  People would drive there in cars and throw food from their windows to feed the bears!  Yeah, hard to believe. 

That little hike to the bear caves was pretty strenuous for this “picture-taker”!  I was getting tired! We had to take out Little Bear (Angus) along for the walk, as Mark refers to him as a bear cub!  He enjoyed the cruise through the woods, too.

On Tuesday, we went to visit with my family.  It was another beautiful day and we really enjoyed the time spent together until dusk when the mosquitoes came out for their bloodlust fest!  These days were so much fun, but passed by much too rapidly….

Front: Mom, Dad, Mark, me and Fritzie   Rear:Randy, Ben, Michelle

Our Scottie parties are not as elaborate as they once were, but we do try to celebrate!  After all, life without celebrations gets pretty hum-drum! It is fun getting the pups all excited and watching them.  They are sometimes just like little kids! Okay, so maybe not,  but they definitely have individual personalities.

Angus (above) was so cute.  Mark and I printed the little birthday hats from the internet, using card stock.  I stapled cut rubber bands for the stretchy part to hold the hats on.  Now, let me tell you….Scotties do NOT like to wear party hats.  When I first put Angus’s hat on his head, he rubbed it against the chair and popped it off.  I told him NO ice cream and cookies if he did it again! I put his little hat back on and told him, “stay!”  The little fellow took everything to heart and patiently sat there for about five minutes while I got Murphy’s hat on his head!

Since it was Murphy’s birthday, he got to sit in the booster seat.

Each Scottie got a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream and a doggie “cookie” on top.  The boys both sat by the table, waiting for me to deliver their goodies! At one point, the two boys went nose to nose…..

Angus: Mon, wee brother, are ye aware you’ve got a stick in your beard?

Murphy: Mummy will take it out before she starts taking photos, donchaknow?

As soon as I set the bowls on the table, I told them they could dig in! Of course, the birthday boy didn’t need any convincing from me!

Angus is a much more “dainty” eater….not inhaling his goodies!

While Murphy really gets into this yummy fun!

Angus enjoyed his goodies, right down to the last bite.  Both boys licked all the ice cream out of the bowls first. Angus wasn’t able to grab the cookie with his teeth, whereas nothing misses Murphy’s teeth!

And, once Murphy finished his bowl, he leaned over and checked out Angus’s bowl as well!

What fun it is having a little party with the Scotties!  Happy Birthday, Murphy!  And wishing you many, many more!