Friday, December 01, 2006

Focusing on what I have, instead of what I don't


The cats are enjoying their new freedom. And the puppy finally has a permanent name.
Lulu.

"Please come down, kitty. I just want to chase you. I'm too much of a chicken to do anything else."


"Do I look stupid to you, dog?"


I put up the Christmas tree tonight. If it was entirely up to me, I would have wanted until later in the month, but the girls and Geoff enjoy it so much. I'm a bit of a curmudgeon when it comes to the holidays.

And what would a birding blog be without birds?
This chickadee would not turn around...just kept showing me his butt.



Ruth over at Body, Soul Spirit asked me for a house finch/purple finch ID. It was a house finch, and I got a half-way decent pic of one myself.

I had forgotten just how much puppies chew. Some new chewy toys were in order. This is a generic "Kong" that I stuffed with peanut butter. Yumm!


Nellie likes to chew, too. And she is very good at training Lulu on just who the boss is around here.



"MINE."

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh that Lulu is a cutie! What kind of breed mix do you think Lulu is?
I don't work this weekend and my kids are squealing to put the tree up. Probably Sunday, but I'd rather wait too.
Nice chickadee butt!

Anonymous said...

Susan, I posted your response to my finch i.d. on my blog. Thanks for your quick response. We are putting our decorations up tonight too...only one "child" left at home, but Christmas is still very special. Looks like a happy household at your place!

Mary said...

Susan, check back on my blog for my response to you, young lady. The puppy looks at home :) I'm going to decorate this weekend, too. It's tradition for me.

Susan Gets Native said...

Lynne:
It's hard to tell what kinds of dog are in Lulu. I see a tiny bit of Pit in her nose and legs, but she is lots of other kinds...she is basically just a hound. And get this: She is finally acting like a puppy. When she first came here, she wouldn't play, wouldn't let us pet her. Now she is more trusting, and lets us love on her. But picking her up makes her go stiff. What happened to her before I found her? I suspect that she was not treated gently.
House-breaking breakththrough today: She scratched at the back door (a first!) and then proceeded to go out and POOP OUTSIDE! The angels sang in my head.
Ruth:
Thanks for the comment. Keep them coming! The more, the merrier.
Mary:
Keep calling me "young lady". Flattery will get you everywhere.

NatureWoman said...

Lulu - what a little cutie she is. And Lorelei is beautiful next to the tree.
I'm sure the cats are glad to have the run of the house again!

Unknown said...

Good girl, Nellie! Puppies NEED to be told whose boss by a nice but firm older dog. Those that don't end up being canine terrorists, in my opinion! :)

Glad Lulu (love the name) is doing so well.

Christmas. Sigh. I really want to get Christmas going here but I have to finish my schoolwork in order to do it and that's my goal for the weekend. To be DONE! And, then we'll start having Christmas.

Anonymous said...

Susan:

At least you have pictures of the chickdee's butt. I spent 2 hours this morning trying to digiscope birds at my feeders. Mostly, I have photos of "The Place the Bird Used to Be." Sigh. By the time I get the bird in the frame, in focus, and in some kind of position where you can see field marks, it has flown. I don't have time to worry about composition, shadows, or what's in the background. This is easier with a camera and a long lens. And, I still can't get my computer to talk to my camera, so I can't email photos, which was the whole point of buying the digital camera in the first place. Big sigh. I hate technology.

~Kathi

MojoMan said...

I love your title. If we all did that, this would be a better world.

Susan Gets Native said...

Pam:
Two of them have come up, but the ones who were attacked by Boomer haven't dared yet. "run of the house"...yeah, and running up my Christmas tree!

Liza:
Nellie really is wonderful with Lulu. Nellie, I think, is the perfect dog. Except for the fact that she thinks she only weighs 5 pounds and likes to sit on laps. (She is 70 lbs.!)

Kathi:
Well, at least YOU have a scope. Keep at it...and we need to get your computer and camera to start talking, so YOU can start a blog!

Al:
Ain't it the truth? That is, I think, our biggest problem. Why can't we just be grateful for what we have?

Anonymous said...

AH, now that you have put up a new post, this one has moved down & I can see the dog pics. Lovely to see Nellie being a "big sister" dog and even better to see someone who recognizes this as dog-appropriate behavior. You have no idea how many people would look at that last photo and think Nellie was being aggressive and that Lulu had been "abused." The body language is just as you described it: The resident dog instructing the new pup on the rules.

Way to go! Not only do you teach people about birds, you teach about dogs, too. Why do I need a blog? You do great work.

~Kathi

Susan Gets Native said...

Kathi:
Oh, you smooth talker, you! Thanks.
I am NOT one of those folks who sees a dog as a small furry person. I have gone through enough person-dog relationships to know what to do.
And Nellie not only teaches Lulu what toy belongs to who, she is also showing her that YOU HAVE TO PEE OUTSIDE.
I can't wait until Lulu can be trusted to sleep outside of the laundry room, without leaving puddles and piles.