An odd attraction.....

My daughter loves feet. She loves feet so much that when I saw a cookie cutter that was a foot shape, I knew she would love it and I couldn't resist buying it for her.

A foot shaped cookie wouldn't do much for me....but hey, to each his own, I guess.

My niece also loves feet. She wants to be a Podiatrist when she gets older.

She often sneaks beneath the table when there are a group of us gathered and will select a foot to massage.

When the lucky recipient melts into the soothing massage, passing the point of no return, the masseuse hands over a bill.

Never more than a dollar or two.

That kid is going to work herself rich one day.

So I guess maybe the love of feet is a perspective, an acquired taste like fine wine or sushi.....?

The hungry owl......

There were so many perks to getting a small breed dog...fitting them into the kitchen sink for a weekly bath and small poop were the most enticing.

I had no intention of  falling head over heels in love with my pint sized pooch, but it happened.

And while I don't claim her on my income tax return, for all intents and purposes, she truly is a child of mine.

As much as I hate to admit this our red-haired step dog Ruby also has also been claimed or proclaimed, family.

I don't remember exactly when I first heard about owls kidnapping small dogs in our little town, but I do remember the terror I felt just hearing it.

Daddio assured me that our little dog, being of the big boned small breed variety would probably be safe from a kidnapping...

Only probably safe?

"Too heavy....I'm sure. Yes she's too heavy" he said " to be carried away".

I watched a video story on AOL the other day about a little Pomeranian pooch being abducted. The woman who rescued the dog described the kidnapper as having a wingspan that nearly covered the road, curb to curb.

Well that settled that...my precious pup, in spite of her large girth, could find herself remade into an owl pellet!

I had a heart to heart with the small girls and explained the seriousness of the situation.

They both looked worried, it showed on their faces.

We agreed there was safety in numbers..and they used Daddio's shoes as a decoy.

Ruby refused to go out unprotected, a rope with a big knot seemed to put her at ease.

Jersey was on guard too, staying close to the deck.

 Owls are nocturnal so she was particularly jumpy at night...

Ruby, not wanting to be caught off guard is practicing her bite, and showing off her own impressive claws.

Jersey, much more timid, practices her blood curdling scream.

She gave herself a migraine and turned in early.

PS...I hope you got a giggle out of this silliness....xoxoxoo

Love heightens (only some of) the senses.....

As mothers we see our children as the most beautiful, the most talented, and the most wonderful.


I think God made it that way so that we become the mothers that he designed us to be.

You’ve heard the expression “a face only a mother could love.”

This phenomenon becomes acutely clear when you are introduced by a very proud mother to her newborn child.

She pulls back the receiving blanket and reveals a cherub that looks just like Uncle Fester.

“WOW” you quickly say…"now that’s a baby”.

You hope your startled look didn’t give away your true feelings.

The same holds true with our four legged children.

We are blinded by our love.

We suffer from anosmia.

“That dog smells like crap” the kids tell me.

“I don’t smell a thing” I say, nuzzling my pooch’s mane.

My sister, is a very good aunt, who loves my kids. She even once told our mother that my newborn oldest son had heart shaped nostrils. (He truly does, but Grandma thought Auntie was so blinded by love she was seeing things in hearts.)

She also loves my dogs. She scoops them up and lets them lick her hand. She always comments on their nice personalities and their round brown eyes….

I have some super cute Halloween pictures of my beautiful pups that I want to show her.....

“Now that’s a couple of dogs” she is certain to say.

This is one way to walk a (lazy) dog who has really short legs..........