Newf Angel

Our Molly.....Here are photos (that I finally got out of the digital camera) that show a typical day in the life of our girl. Two of the things Molly typically did every day was to sit with Chris and check out whatever meal was happening. Notice that we had a bar table with stools because when we ate at the regular table; it was not pretty if Molly and Chris were at the same meal. (Molly was fine if Chris wasn't home....no begging). The photo with Molly in her New Year's costume shows her hugging into Chris...she totally loved Chris's rubs and would lean into him in a wonderful Newfie hug. We called Chris's hands 'healing hands' and I truly believe that his loving touches helped ease the discomfort and pain Molly was feeling.

Molly came to us as a puppy (at approximately 12 weeks old) and about 30 pounds. My first Newf, Anka, had passed in September and about 2 weeks later my mom passed. It was an unbelievably painful time. My two godchildren, Beth and Jill, were really encouraging (as only kids can be) us to add another dog to our family. Finally, I called the person that raised Anka for her first three years to see if there were any puppies or older dogs in Anka's line. She said there was one puppy in a kennel in NJ that was from the same line as Anka's dad (one of those famous Newfie stud dogs) and she could get her the next day and we could pick her up late the next night. It took us about three minutes to make the decision and we knew that someone special was about to come into our lives. Suddenly I realized that the next day was my mom's birthday. ...and I felt that she was giving us a wonderful present.

The next night, Chris and I were told to meet our new addition around 9pm. I purposely did not tell Beth or Jill this news because I finally wanted to be able to really surprise them. Chris and I drove to Robin's kennel and as we walked into the building there was a cute little newf in the pen playing with a big ball. Chris said, "I think this is our new baby". I abruptly said, "there are alot of newfs here" (not wanting to get my hopes up). Robin greeted us and sure enough that little ball player was our new addition. Chris and I decided that we would meet our girl before naming her. On the way home, Chris rode in the back seat and held our girl and it was then that we knew this special girl was Molly!!

When we got home, I was so excited to finally be able to surprise the kids. Chris stayed with Molly in the kitchen and I went to the other side of the house (we live in a duplex with our friends living on the other side) and looked at the kids and said, "Who made the big mess in my kitchen? You better come and help me clean this up?" Both Beth and Jill looked at me like I was crazy (they did that alot). When we got my side of the house and they looked into the kitchen and saw the beautiful black ball of fur, both of them were beside themselves with excitement. I told them not to freak out the puppy so it was even funnier watching them trying to "contain themselves" in front of Molly.

The bond between Molly and Beth and Jill was so wonderful. Our group attendance at Puppy Kindergarten and Obedience Classes was a record....1 dog and 4 people. There are so many wonderful memories of these classes that I may need to do separate blogs on some of these escapades.

The girls have grown up and Molly travelled to Rainbow Bridge last November, ten years after blessing our lives with her presence. I truly believe that Molly was sent to us as an angel. I often called her my Newf Angel.

The Golden Boys

How do you spell RELIEF (from depression, anxiety or just the world when it's crazy)? D O G !! The beautiful boy in the top photo is Jameson, my grand dog. This is my first and oldest grand dog and he is such a wonderful boy. He has a gentle spirit which you can actually feel as he nuzzles into you for a hug. Jameson is my godchild's (Beth's ) dog and their bond is just incredible to see. From the first day that Jameson came home with Beth, they have been in sync with each other. It is a hoot to watch Beth and Jameson communicate with thier eyes ....it really is another language. When Jameson comes over and Beth runs out for an errand (usually to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee), Jameson quietly waits near the door that she exited from. During this time he is very social and loves pets and cuddles but he is multi-tasking because he always has a watchful eye for when Beth will be back. Beth has done such a wonderful job in training Jameson and caring for her boy. I love it when she calls from Vermont with a Jameson care question....all my years of worrying have paid off!! Jameson got attacked by another dog last week and when Beth called and told me about it, I was ready to jump in the car and check out our boy....but Beth handled that crisis well. One of the positive outcomes of that whole situation was that Beth said that I really didn't do a bad job when I shaved Molly (Molly will be the topic of tomorrow's post...get out the tissue!!). Jameson loves the water, balls (trying to be like Ricky the stud dog) and DD coffee. Actually Beth likes all of the above also...hmmmm...interesting. One of the funniest things to watch Jameson do is to quietly and gently crawl up onto the couch when he thinks no one is looking. I would say it is like a cat but I have a feeling he would not speak to me for a long time...it would take alot of peanut butter cookies to repair that damage. I think when Beth gets settled in her next career adventure, she will need to get Jameson his own couch (since she seems to hog his bed). We are so lucky to have a grand dog like Jameson.

The gorgeous boy in the second photo is Newton, as in the Fig. Newton and Jameson have been friends forever. Well, maybe not close friends initially, because Newton is the older (and he thinks wiser) Golden. Newton looks so relaxed laying with Beth in the grass. Come to think of it, Beth looks pretty relaxed there too. Newton is also a wonderful boy. He came to visit us this summer when Beth was home for a bit and we just feel in love with him. If you can call a dog polite...then that would one way to describe this big boy.

I think these two Goldens are really Newfs in disguise!!!

The Hole In One

Today was a wonderful day. The morning started on the golf course. We learned that this course will probably close this year to make way for condos..unfortunately. My two friends and I met at the course that we played more frequently a couple of years ago. We were just learning the game and really struggled through this course, which is mainly par 3 and par 4's, a snap for the seasoned golfer. We would fret over the water balls and the longest hole seemed like an eternity.
One beautiful summer day two years ago, on the sixth hole, we hit off the tee. Janet and I had taken our turns and Sue was up at the tee. We are not serious golfers and when someone was up at the tee the other two people tended to talk quietly . For us, golf was also a social sport. Most of the time we apologized for not keeping track of our co members ball. However, on this hole, by some miracle of the golf gods, Janet and I had our eyes glued to the ball as Sue drove her ball right up the fairway onto the green and into the hole!!! A hole in one!!! We were totally amazed and Sue looked in shock!! At any minute I expected the skies to open and confetti and balloons to reign down upon this miraculous golfer. Once we finished our "hole in one" jig, which we made up on the spot, Sue needed to tell Bob, her husband. Luckily, I had my cell phone in my bag and even luckier, the cell phone worked that day! It was a moment of pure celebration and it felt wonderful to be a part of it.
Today we returned to Hole 6 at Firefly prepared.....we all brought a camera to have a memory of that wonderful moment two years ago. As we played the first few holes, Sue was not happy with her performance and I said, "Don't worry, your whole game will turn around at hole 6". The cameras came out and we took pictures of Sue on the tee and then she took her shot......and sure enough, it sailed right up onto the green. Although it wasn't a hole in one, it certainly was a great shot. Up at the pin, we got a few shots of Sue and each of us to bring us back to that special day.
This brings us to now. My plan was to learn how to upload photos to this lovely blog and today was definitely my day to try it. Unfortunately technical difficulties are in my way. Apparently the USB cord that came with the camera does not fit into the camera so it looks like a trip to the store and then I'll try again!! .....this is sounding like golf!!

Edited to add: As you can see, I finally figured out how to post a picture!!

The Checklist

This is a day to get things handled. I've got alot of birthday, anniversary, special occassion presents to get and I am feeling stumped with ideas for these gifts. Its not easy to always have a good idea for a present. I love it when I think of just the right thing for a special person and giving that gift is just so much fun. But for now, I am stuck. I need an Anniversary gift for my sister and brother-in-law, a birthday gift for Chris and one for Karisa and I am stuck on all counts. Part of this dilemma is that I need to buy within a very small budget and I am really not liking that! When I think of some of the gifts I have given over the years, this year seems like a dud. I also know that I need to change my thinking around this or it will be more upsetting than it needs to be. I need to focus on the interests of those people and then find something special within my price range. The "within my price range" is the new learning to me. I do have a thought for Karisa....my sister told me that she wants to learn to knit..so I could give her a gift certificate to the yarn shop near the mall and start her with lessons...That may be fun. I think Chris would really enjoy the idea of extra cash that is not for something of a necessity...so fun buying. I am not narrowed down to one gift to keep thinking about..Pat and Kevin's Anniversary Present...ok..That's not so bad.
Later this morning, my friend, Anne and I are going shopping and I should have another item checked off my to-do list! I really like to plan ahead with gift ideas but there are times when pulling through at the last minute feels great.
My next goal will be getting some photos on this blog.....yet another item on the check list! Checklists only feel good when you are checking things off.