pets

Being a Best Friend: A Charlie Dog Guest Post

/ Jodi / 69 Comments
charlie-and-jaeger

Charlie and his best friend Jaeger, February, 2017 – Mars, PA

Being a Best Friend:  A Charlie Dog Guest Post.

Here are some things I have learned about being a best friend.  I hope you find these helpful:

  • Always act like it has been a hundred trillion years since you’ve last seen each other (even if it’s only been a day)!  Run around like maniacs and chase each other and jump all over each other.  It shows how much you’ve missed them and love them.
  • Share your “stuff” (including your donuts and bones and balls) – even if it is difficult – and its even okay to play tug with them for a while, but always take turns giving in.
  • Share your food and drink – more will always be provided.
  • Invite them into your home – and visit their home too (even if you have to sneak!)
  • Love each other’s families – they are the ones who helped make them the way they are.
  • Tell each other secrets (use secret signals and languages if necessary), and make sure you keep them secrets.
  • Take walks together – its good exercise and company.

These are just a few things I have learned along the way since I met my new best friend about a year ago when he moved into my neighborhood.  Jaeger (that’s my best friend’s name) is a year younger than me even though he is bigger.  Isn’t he handsome?  I love Jaeger, and he loves me.  We are best friends.

Mom tells me that to have a best friend you have to be one, so I try really hard.

Everyone needs at least one best friend.  I’m glad I have Jaeger.

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, Jaeger the neighbor dog, 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.

Blue Ball: A Charlie Guest Post

/ Jodi / 57 Comments

Charlie blue ball

Woohoo!  It’s Ball Season!

Some of you love baseball.
My family cheers for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

We love football too – if it is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Right now – our Pittsburgh Penguins are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs,
and though they use a puck instead of a ball, it is still very exciting.

There is also basketball, softball, tennis, golf, volleyball, soccer, wiffle ball, ping pong, bowling, pool, and probably a million other ball games,

but my favorite ball game
(if you don’t count eating meatballs) 

is Blue Ball!

My mom brought out the bucket of blue balls the other day, and boy oh boy did we have fun!

It’s a simple game, but such a BLAST!

Here is how you play it.

Step 1:  Mom throws the ball in the grass.

Step 2:  I run and get it, and then I run back.

Step 3:  Now here is the FUN part….

Sometimes I bring the blue ball back to Mom,
but other times…..  I ZOOOOOOOM right by her and trick her!

Sometimes I bring it to her and drop it….  but (get ready for this!) right when she goes to pick it up,
I grab it first!

And then – (are you ready for this one?)
other times I bring it back – but don’t let go of it, and I make her beg for it.
Sometimes Mom pretends to cry – – –  like I can’t see a fake a mile away!

Other times I let her yank at it for a while and I ferociously (fake of course – but she doesn’t know!) GROWL!

Blue Ball is most fun when you play it by varying up the way you play Step 3 every time.

Isn’t that a great game?!

Hope you have some fun playing whatever kind of ball you like this weekend!

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: https://lifeinbetween.me/.   If you would enjoy a companion like Charlie, please consider pet adoption.

 

 

Happy National “Sorry Charlie” Day

/ Jodi / 70 Comments
Charlie Dog Impressionistic Watercolor Jodi McKinney

Charlie Dog Impressionistic Watercolor by Jodi McKinney

Happy National Sorry Charlie Day!

What???  You didn’t know?

Are you kidding me?

According to the National Day Calendar #CelebrateEveryDay, National Sorry Charlie Day is observed each year on April 6.  This day is designated to encourage us to think about the times we have been rejected.  Whether we’ve been rejected by a sweetheart or a college or a prospective employer or by the bank for a loan, we have all been rejected.  National Sorry Charlie Day also gives us an opportunity to reflect on how we survived the rejection and what we learned from it.

Sounds like a day to celebrate – eh?

This day also gives me an opportunity to celebrate some of the very special Charlies in my life.

First – there’s Charlie, our favorite guest blogger.  Charlie is my favorite furry son.

Second – my Grandpap’s name was Charlie, and he was the most awesome Grandpap ever.   (You can read a post I wrote a year and a half ago about him by clicking here.)

Third – is my son Nick, whose middle name is Charles (named after my Grandpap).  Formally Nicholas Charles, we sometimes call him “Nick Chuck.”  (You can see him as a “chuck”ling King of Spades with his Queen Liz and their court of friends last Halloween by clicking here.)

And last, but not least, is one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Charlie O at Doodlewash, who is celebrating his birthday month with a #Doodlewashaday challenge to celebrate daily National and International holidays.  Here is my #NationalSorryCharlieDay painting for you, Charlie.  If I ever get brave enough  good enough, I’ll give your charming Charlie portrait a try!

The other Charlie I think about when I hear “Sorry Charlie,” is the silly cartoon tuna fish, who just wasn’t good enough for Starkist.  “Sorry Charlie!  Only good-tasting tuna gets to be Staaaahhkist!”  (I know – way too much television in the 70’s as a kiddo!)

Seems it’s an all-around “Charlie” kind of day!  How are you celebrating?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Kitty has a Name! A Charlie Guest Post

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

Some of you may remember when I first introduced you to one of my new BFFs, Kitty.  Kitty lives a mile or so down the road, and we get to visit on my lunch time walks with Mom.

Well – guess what?  Kitty has a name, just like I do!  My name is Charlie.

Kitty’s name is “Sebastian,” and he is a boy – just like me too!

Aren’t I so lucky to have another boy to visit and play with?

One day on our walk, Kitty’s human teenage brother was outside, so we asked him about Kitty.  It’s so nice to know his name, and isn’t it such a nice one too?!

When we get close to Sebastian’s house, my mom calls out to him.

She says,  “Kitty, Kitty, Kitty! Here Sebastian.”

I wait patiently for Kitty to emerge from who knows where and what in his yard.

If you listen VERY carefully when you watch the little video above, you will here Sebastian say,

“Meow!  Here I am!  Hi Charlie.”

But you have to listen really, really closely.  Us dogs and cats have extra special emotional intelligent super-duper x-ray hearing, so you might miss it.

After we snuggle and sniff and whisper a few secrets, Kitty visits with my mom a bit for a few ear scratches and belly rubs.  I allow her, because I know how much I love them too.

Then we turn around and head back home.  Mom goes back to work, and I take an afternoon nap or play with my donut.

It’s such a good life I have … eh?

A dog’s life!

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

P.S.  If you would like a friend like me, be sure to consider adopting!  There are lots of dogs and cats that would love to be in your home and give you lots of love.

AdoptaPet.com (this is where my dad and mom found me!)

Animal Friends

For more guest posts by Charlie – just type “Charlie” in the Search bar on the right.  He chimes in quite a bit here!

Charlie: Brothers are the Best

/ Jodi / 58 Comments
charlie and nick

Nick & Charlie 1/31/16

When I moved into my new home six months ago, not only did I get a new mom and and dad, I also got two new brothers (and a sister-in-law and a really nice girlfriend).  My brother Nick lives here, and we have sure become buddies.

My brother Jake is married, so he doesn’t live here with us, but I really love when he comes to visit.  I will never forget my first day in my new home.  Jake came over to meet me right away that first day.  He couldn’t wait to meet me, and even though I was very shy back then, I will always remember and appreciate his warm, loving welcome.

Funny to think back those six months ago when I was so afraid and skeptical of people.  My how life has changed.  I now welcome visitors, have lots of friends, and even enjoy sitting with my brother sometimes in the evening while watching television.

Moms and Dads are great, but Brothers….  they sure are the best!

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

(apologies for blurry photo – taken in the dark with iPhone – couldn’t resist capturing!)

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

/ Jodi / 77 Comments

Charlie and Kitty

Hi Friends!  Charlie here.

I was really anxious to introduce you to one of my new BFFs, so Mom let me guest post again today.   Yippee!!!

“Kitty” is one of my friends I look forward to seeing on my walks with Mom.

We met about two weeks ago, and now we look forward to seeing each other almost every day.

charlie and Kitty 2

We live about a mile or so apart, but I know when I am getting close to Kitty’s house.  I start pulling Mom looking to the other side of the street where Kitty lives, and Kitty comes running out from the porch to the edge of the yard to see me.

Oh how fun it is to sniff and cuddle and visit my friend!

I’ve heard some people say silly things like “fighting like cats and dogs,” and I just don’t get it….

Who wants to fight when we can be friends?!

Cat/Dog… Black/White… Male/Female…Republican/Democrat… Christian/Jew… Rich/Poor… Young/Old… Tall/Short… Thick/Thin…

Why can’t we all just be friends?!

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

(For more blog posts from Charlie, go to https://lifeinbetween.me/ and enter “Charlie” into the SEARCH bar.)

OPTIMISTIC

 

Watercolor Week 7 – Mikey

/ Jodi / 69 Comments

watercolor mikey

For this week’s watercolor experiment, I decided to try to paint one of my favorite creatures on the planet – my furry son, Mikey.

Mikey head shot

I used this photo from Mikey’s recent guest post as my inspiration.

Gosh I love this little guy so much!

How did I ever become one of “those” people that oogle and google over their dog?!

I guess when I realized how much joy a pet can bring to your life.

If I leave the house for five minutes or five days, I get the same excited greeting – like I am the best thing that ever happened to him and he is so happy to see me.

Sadly, Mikey has cancer, and we are not sure how much longer he will be with us.  He is slowing down every single day.  And every day, I tell him how much I love him and what a good boy he is at least 10 more times than the day before.

Maybe he will surprise us and rally, but for now, we are enjoying every single day we are given to enjoy this precious creature that loves like none other.   And not only us – but every person that comes to our home – from the UPS man who bring him cookies to the mailman who is not allowed to give cookies, but always gives him at least two minutes of ear scratches and chin rubs, to every visitor that sits on our living room couch who is almost certain to have Mikey jump in their lap for at least a few minutes (to make them feel welcome of course!).

We “rescued” Mikey from the humane society about seven and a half years ago, where he was living after being saved from a “kill” shelter in another state.  He is a “mutt” in terms of dog definition – guesses are part beagle and part Jack Russell.  But I think what really happened is Mikey rescued us – not the other way around.  He has shown us pure unconditional love and joy and gratitude and gratefulness and goodness.

I wish I could have done his beautiful spirit better justice, but I don’t think I have it in me to redo.  I don’t have the ability to capture his beautiful spirit just yet.  But it is in my heart, and that is a gift I will cherish forever.

mikey watercolor

So here’s to Mikey – the best ever!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Doggone Dogwoods – A Guest Post with Mikey

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

Mikey head shot

Hi Friends –

It’s good to be back as a guest blogger for Mom today, because I have a doggone bone I’d like to pick with all of you.

Let’s talk about Dogwood Trees.

Yes – they are beautiful…

Especially this time of year when Mom makes us stop for ridiculous amounts of time while she takes pictures like this of their flowers.

dogwood blossom

But really….  DOGwood…  What about this tree even remotely resembles a DOG??!!

Let’s take a look at me….  I am a DOG…

Mikey in the grass

And a fine specimen I might add…  if I do say so myself…

As a dog, I have a tail that wags when I’m happy, a nose that is always slightly damp to sniff out important things, whiskers to add a little charm, fur to keep me warm and for my family and friends to pet.  I have four legs, pads on my feet so I can go for long walks WITHOUT shoes, two eyes to stare people down when they are eating something delicious (which is everything except for raw green beans), two floppy ears that perk up when visitors come to bring me cookies (like Mike the UPS man), one very hungry mouth (I must remind you again)…

Need I go on?  You get the deal – right?

I am a DOG.

dogwood blossoms
DOGwood trees have NONE of these important things?  So I asked Mom to Google it and try to explain this phenomenon to me.

With a couple clicks on that darn laptop that takes up the space that belongs to ME on her lap, she learned a few things I thought you might be interested in about dogwood trees from Askville and Wikipedia:

The word dogwood comes from the original term dagwood, whose slender stems of very hard wood were used for making ‘dags’ (daggers, skewers). The wood was also highly prized for making loom shuttles, arrows, tool handles, and other small items that required a very hard and strong wood, wine and fruit presses, and it was used to make the first styles of tennis rackets made out of the bark cut into thin strips.

The name Dog-Tree entered English vocabulary by 1548 and was further transformed to Dogwood by 1614. Once the name dogwood was affixed to the tree, it soon acquired a secondary name as the Hound’s Tree, while the fruits came to be known as dogberries or houndberries.

Another suggestion as to how the dogwood got its name is the distinct barking noise it makes when its limbs rub together in a gentle breeze.

It is also possible that the common name of dogwood may have come about because dogs were washed with a brew of its bark, hence dogwood.

Hmmmm.  Interesting?  I’m not sure…

Barking???  I’ll be listening for that.

And as far as washing in a brew of it’s bark….  NO THANK YOU!  I am NOT a fan of baths.  I think I smell quite good just the way I am.

Unfortunately Mom disagrees.

And she’s the boss….

Or at least the one who fills my breakfast and dinner bowl and drops food on the floor while cooking and takes me for walks, so we’ll let her think that…

Thanks for visiting with us today.

Wishing you a doggone great day!

Sincerely,
Mikey