pet

Chatting with Charlie

/ Jodi / 48 Comments

charlie 3 months

Hi Friends –

Mom finally took a break from blabbering about Winsor and Newton Prussian Blue to allow me to get a word in edge wise!  Shheeesh!

How have you all been?
Well…. enough about you…

Can you believe I have been in my new home three months now?

I am really settling in and feeling comfortable.

Comfortable enough to reach up onto the kitchen counter when something yummy smelling is within reach….

Comfortable enough to snag Dad’s soft and fluffy slipper and take out in the yard to play with and pull all the stuffing out of…

Comfortable enough to find my voice and “Rooooofff” when Mom isn’t quick enough to get her shoes on when she mentions we are going for a walk, and I have already waited an antagonizing 15-20 seconds…

Comfortable enough to grumble at Dad when he tries to roll over when I am snuggled up by his feet prohibiting him from moving in the middle of the night because I am cold and Mom and Dad’s bed is so much warmer than mine….

Comfortable enough for Mom to let me off my leash when I see my neighbor, Jim, so I can run to him and jump up and kiss him right on the lips because I am so happy to see him….

Comfortable enough to “drop it” when Mom tells me to – even though I want to play tug with my favorite toy…

Comfortable enough to wait patiently in the yard while Mom and Dad leave in their car and truck, watching the leaves blow until they come home again….

It’s a good life…

A dog’s life…

My life.

Woofs and Wags,
Charlie

Charlie’s Ribfest

/ Jodi / 63 Comments

charlie 102015

I was in big trouble the other day this past week, friends!
But I have to tell you —- It was SO WORTH it!
And besides… Mom isn’t really that tough.  She tries to be mad and mean and tell me when I am bad…
but when I give her the sad, sorry look – guess what?
She believes it! (Can YOU tell how sorry I am from the look in my face above here?)

So Mom had some ribs thawing on the counter early in the morning getting ready to be dry rubbed and roasted all day in the oven for dinner.

While they were on the counter, she was in her office on one of those conference calls she does for work.

Now – I never let her see me do this, but – –  if I really need to, I can reach up onto the kitchen counter — especially when something smells as good as RIBS! So – while she was distracted, I swooped up and snagged about a pound of the three pounds she had thawing and swiftly sped out the doggy door.

ribs

Here is what some of the ones looked like that I couldn’t grab in time.
O M G Friends!  They were TOO DIE FOR!  Even in their semi-frozen state.

Mom caught me when I was down to about two ribs and she tried chasing me around the yard for them, but I wasn’t giving in on this one, and we ran circles around the yard while I continued gripping and gnawing at my final ribs.

When I was done, I finally came to her, licking my lips, and looking at her like:
“Did you call me?”

Here I am!”  (teeheehee)

I had my own Charlie’s RibFest!

And yep – I got in trouble,
but yep – it was also worth it!
Just sayin’….

Do you ever have tough decisions to make like that? You know you shouldn’t… You know you are going to get in trouble… but you know it’ll be ok in the end.

And this is how I spent most of the afternoon.

charlie after ribs

It’s a dog’s life – (happy sigh)…

Anybody having ribs tonight at their house?  I’m available!

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

Charlie is an adopted dog with brown eyes and a white-tipped tail who brings joy and laughter to his family and friends.  Charlie is a gifted writer, raving food critic, cat, chipmunk, and donut lover, and exceptionally photogenic model.  Some of his best friends are Mike the UPS Man, Cliff the Mailman, and ANYONE who delivers pizza to the house.   If you would like to read more guest posts by Charlie, simply type “Charlie” into the Search box at the top right hand corner of this link: thecreativelifeinbetween.com.   If you would enjoy a companion like Charlie, please consider pet adoption.

Thursday Chuckle with Charlie: I’m a Morning Dog

/ Jodi / 67 Comments

Charlie morning dog

Hi Friends!
It’s your buddy Charlie checking in.
Mom needed a break, so she said I could write another post.
Lucky you guys – right?!

Let’s talk about Mornings.

I’m a Morning Dog.

It’s the greatest time of the day! Don’t you agree?

Here are the TOP 10 things I LOVE to do in the morning:

  1. Leap into bed with Mom and Dad as soon as I see just one of their eyes begin to flutter open.  When I notice that from my bed across the room, I bounce into their bed with them and jump back and forth between them and off and on the bed and lick their faces to tell them, “It’s Morning, It’s Morning!  It’s another wonderful day!  Let’s get up and play!”  My mom thinks it’s great to wake up laughing every morning…
  2. Eat breakfast.  Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day – closely followed by dinner (which is my only other meal of the day – unless I can snag some snacks).
  3. Go for a walk –  preferably before Mom has time to even think about a cup of coffee!
  4. Dig holes in the flower garden – especially after it rains for two days solid keeping me cooped up in the house – and only when my Mom is preoccupied with work to notice.  (Otherwise I get  – “NO! Charlie!”)  I hate that word No…
  5. Zoomies.  After digging holes for a while, it is a BLAST to come flying through my doggy door, before Mom can catch me and ZOOM around every room of the  house – circling the furniture until I can hardly breathe any more.  Do you ever get the “zoomies?”  Sometimes I just have to run like the wind, and then I feel so much better.  You should try it when you have lots of stress or pent up energy.  It’s a great feeling.    And besides – what’s a little mud on the carpet matter?   It just dries and turns to dirt,  and then Mom can easily clean it up with the vacuum….. Right?!  It gives her something to do…
  6. Pull all the stuffing out of my stuffed toys.  Isn’t that fun?!  Yesterday morning I polished off my Dog Equis  (It’s the doggy, stuffed version of a Dos Equis).  It was delish!
  7. Chew bones.  I could gnaw on bones all day long, but I especially love them in the morning!  I also like to throw them around and drop them on the hardwood floor.  When my Mom is on one of those things she calls a “conference call,” she sometimes gives me dirty looks or tells me to “shush!”  I pretend like I don’t know what she means, because then she will put some peanut butter in my bone, which she apparently thinks is a good quiet activity.  BONUS for me!!!
  8. Play tug.  Was there ever a greater game invented?  I bring a rope toy to my Mom, which I hang on to, but I pretend I want to give it to her.  When she reaches down to take it, I pull back.  If she lets go, I put it in front of her face again.  It’s so fun to tease her with this and show her how tough I can be hanging on when she tries to pull it.  Sometimes we growl at each other, but only in a fun-loving tug-of-war competition kind of way.    GRRRR!!!!
  9. Play fetch.  Sometimes Mom says I have to “drop it” when we are playing tug.  (Sigh!)  Okay lady – if it makes you happy… I will give it to you.  You can then throw it so I can run across the room to bring it back, and then…. hopefully…. you will let me play tug with it the next time….
  10. Ear scratches and tummy rubs.  My mom works on her computer A LOT!  I know she thoroughly enjoys when I give her the opportunity to take a break by resting my chin on her knee so she can scratch my ears and tell me what a good boy I am.  If she is too busy to notice this tactic (which I do strictly for her benefit as I recognize she is working much too hard!), I will resort to laying down at her feet and rolling over on my back to allow her to rub my belly.  I know it makes her feel much better…..

Afternoons are for napping.  Right?

Because then, you can get rested up enough to start the whole “morning” routine all over again when the rest of the family arrives home at the end of the day!

How do you like to spend your mornings?

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

Thursday Chuckle with Charlie

/ Jodi / 33 Comments

charlie puppy photography

Hi Friends!

In case any of you are wondering….
I am settling in pretty nicely at my new home.

No more rope…
No more leash…

The doggy door is O P E N….
and I am FREE!
(well – at least within the confines of those dreadful red flags!)

Life is good…
with my new family at lifeinbetween!

Charming Chuckles,
Charlie

Guest Blogger Charlie: My New Home

/ Jodi / 66 Comments

It’s been so nice of many of you to ask how I have been doing at my new home, so Mom said I could write a guest post for our LifeInBetween friends.

charlie 1

It’s been 10 days since my new Mom and Dad drove me two VERY Loooooooong Hours in the truck to Mars from  my temporary home at the dog shelter in Ohio.  As my mom already shared, I threw up three times.  Seems I get a bit car sick, and I was EXTREMELY nervous too.

I was pretty shy at first.  There were so many new things to discover, and I wasn’t sure I trusted these people, but my Mom works from home most of the time, so she has been able to be with me A LOT, and I am really growing fond of her.

charlie 2

Dad has to leave most of the time during the day to go to his job, but when he comes home, boy is it fun to have both of them here!

There is A LOT to learn here.  My mom said it is for my best interest and safety to learn all of these rules, and it will make me a better dog, so I am trying very hard to make her happy.  Sometimes, however, I just can’t help myself…

charlie 5

I went to the doctor yesterday for my first check-up.  I really didn’t want to get in Mom’s car, but she turned the air conditioning on full blast in my face, laid a big blanket down on the seat (in case I threw up again – and to catch the unfortunate drool that I just couldn’t help).  Thankfully it was a short drive, and I didn’t throw up!  YAY!

Once there, however, I was a nervous wreck again!  I did NOT want to go in.  So many new smells, new people, things I just didn’t understand – nor did I want to!  But once again, Mom convinced me it was for my best interest, so in we went.

The doctor and his helpers were really nice.  They were patient with me.  They told my mom I was very handsome and very healthy, and that I am about a year old.  Dr. I liked my teeth and my coat and my ears.  He told her I need a lot of TLC because I am nervous.  I weigh 40.8 pounds.  Seems I lost a few pounds during this transition time, but I look pretty svelte if I do say so myself!

charlie 6

One of the ways my mom says she is trying to “help” me is with this stupid red “bizzer” collar I have to wear, and these horrifying orange flags around the edges of the yard.  We walk around and around and around the yard, but we don’t dare go near those flags.  Mom tells me we are in “Charlie’s yard.”  (yeah yeah – whatever!  I get it lady – you’ve said it a couple gazillion times).

charlie red flags

At first, though, I have to admit I really wanted to check out beyond “Charlie’s yard” a couple times.  Well – let me tell you, it is not something you want to do!  If there is one thing you take away from this post – I implore you – look out for orange flags everyone!

If I don’t have my “bizzer collar” on, it is exciting, because that means we are going for a walk BEYOND Charlie’s yard – YIPPEE!  Unfortunately, there are more rules to that, however, like we have to stop and stay off the street when these things called “cars” come zooming by, and I am not allowed to eat all the interesting things I find on the ground that mom says you really don’t want to hear about.  She says it is “YUCKY!”  I say it is “YUMMY!”  Sometimes she wins.  Sometimes I win.

My mom wants me to eventually be able to go out in the yard without a leash, but so far, I really can’t be trusted (as I have proven two times already).  So one of her “training techniques” is that she leaves a leash on me with a long rope attached, but she doesn’t hold onto it.  This way, if I do start to run or head out beyond the orange flags (NOT!), she can catch the long rope.  She knows I can run much faster than her (wink!), and I like to run!

charlie 3

Last night, we played in the yard and on the deck.  It was so nice out, and I played with some of my favorite toys.

I also like to relax on the chaise lounges when I get tired or to just chew on a bone or ball for a while.

charlie 4

I’m settling in nicely, and I hope to have lots of stories and adventures to share in future posts if Mom allows me.

After all, I’m one of the things she likes about “life in between.” 🙂

Cheers & Puppy Kisses,

Charlie

Mellow Yellow & Puppy Love

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

yellow flower watercolor card

Here’s a little yellow flower watercolor I recently did with no particular flower in mind – just goofing around really.  Feeling kind of “mellow” when I did it (which I’ve come to think is a good way to feel when water color painting). I think I like how it turned out.

I am using it as a thank you card for a very sweet lady (Hubby’s boss’s wife), who sent home the loveliest gift basket yesterday to welcome our new little guy, Charlie, who you may recall briefly “meeting” in yesterday’s post.

As those of you that know me or have been following for a while know, we lost our dear sweet Mikey almost three months ago…  Not a day has gone by that I haven’t missed him or thought about him.  Mikey was such a special little guy, and our hearts and our house has had a big empty hole in it since he left us.

Hubby has been following posts from petfinder, and animal friends, and all the local shelters for the past month or so in pursuit of a new furry friend to rescue and fill the void in our home.

This past weekend, he showed me a picture of a little guy, who we have come to name Charlie (or Chuck for short), who we drove close to two hours to meet, and who we feel in love with almost instantly.

Charlie got his name from the fact that his nervous tummy had him “up-chucking” three times on the ride home from the animal shelter to Mars.   He is a bit of a nervous Norman – quite likely he was not treated well by his previous owner.

Word is he was dropped off at the shelter with his buddy – another dog – about three weeks ago.  His best bud was adopted a couple days before him, and Charlie (Kota as he was named by the shelter) was deeply depressed.   When we signed the papers and got ready to head home, one of the volunteers told us we rescued him just in time as he was getting so sad.

We have no idea what his history is or what “breed” he is.  The best guess from the “experts” at the shelter is that he is approximately a year old (they determine this by looking at his teeth), and that he is part beagle and part Australian Sheep Dog…  We are guessing he has some retriever or lab in him – probably that and about 52 other varieties!

Charlie is growing more and more content and settled, and he is stealing our hearts quickly.

His first night, he slept in between hubby and me in bed.  Second night, he found his place on the couch in our room and slept peacefully all night.

He loves to chew on some old bones we had in a bucket from Mikey and is an avid fetch and retriever of a knotted rope Mikey didn’t want anything to do with.

I have been spending my hours scratching ears, rubbing tummy, walking the perimeter of our yard (and quickly accumulating steps on my FitBit!), and enjoying lots of doggie kisses in between everything else.

Our first BIG success came when Charlie “rang the bell” that we have hanging on the front door to let us know he “needed” to go outside on his third day at home.  What a fast learner!  I’m such a proud Momma!  🙂

How fortunate I am to be able to work from home and allow our little guy to acclimate to his new surroundings with the comfort of knowing I am here for him and he is safe and at home.

Here is Charlie “posing” in his Camo Bandana that came in his awesome gift basket.  He is 45 pounds of exuberance, nervousness, intelligence, and love.

Charlie in Camo

I guess that’s why they call it “puppy love!”

Cheers & Hugs & Puppy Kisses from Mars,
Jodi

Remembering Spooky

/ Jodi / 22 Comments

black cat watercolor card

Our dear daughter-in-law lost a special beloved furry buddy this weekend.

My heart breaks for her as this is her first experience losing a pet.

I thought of her all day yesterday and wanted to do something special, so I decided to try to draw and watercolor a photo she posted in memory of Spooky and make it into a card last night.

This is my first try at doing a cat, and he sure doesn’t look exactly like sweet Spooky.  But hopefully it is close enough to give Colleen a little remembrance and show her how much I love her and ache for her loss.

Hugs & Sweet Memories,

Jodi

His Love Will Live in our Hearts Forever

/ Jodi / 80 Comments

first mate

In my job as a Director of  Corporate Communications for Hospice and Home Health, I know all the right things to write… to say… to do… when explaining the journey at end of life and the experience of loss and grieving.

But when it is your own grief, it is quite different.

Yesterday, which was a day that filled my heart to overflowing with all of your kind words and comments and love on my One-Year Blogiversary, we also experienced a great deal of grief.  We lost our best friend, our furry son, our first mate, our floor cleaner-upper, our company greeter, our deer chaser, our lap warmer, our walk companion, our dinner moocher, our tomato caper culprit, my first watercolor portrait inspiration, my sweet guest blogger….

Mikey – you have forever changed our lives.  Your spirit will live within us always.

You taught us unconditional love and exuberance over the little things.  You brought us humor and warmth and showed us the joy in a simple walk or a brief ride.

Your eyes had been telling me for a little while now, but I didn’t want to admit that though your heart and mind were strong, your body was ravaged by that ugly “C” word and causing you more pain than you deserved to endure.

From the moment your eyes locked with your Dad’s at the animal shelter that rescued you from being destroyed well before your job on this earth was done, to the day your eyes pleaded for relief, you were loved and you gave more than you received.

We are a better family, and I am a better person for having you in my life.

As your big brother Jake said, you are now in the ground giving back again.  Your beautiful cells and spirit will nourish the grounds you tromped and protected and frolicked in and create the beauty that was you.

Dad said you can now chase all the chippies and deer and squirrels you want without pain.

And brother Nick finally admits you ARE a GOOD boy… the BEST boy… the BEST Dog we were privileged to have as part of our family.  (You always knew he was just teasing you, and you simply loved him back!)

We are so sad, and we miss you so much, but we are happy for your relief.  

Thank you, my sweetness, for all that you gave us.

Rest in Peace, Sweet Mikey…

Or run like the wild wind.

Your love will live in our hearts forever.

Love,

One Lucky Momma