Throwback Thursday ~ January 2, 2020

January 2, 2020 ~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 91 Comments

It felt strange to type 2020 for this post but I suspect it’ll get easier as we write our ‘best-seller’ this year. The past reflection through images as well as thoughts about last year brought this photo up and one of those that is aw-worthy in integrating Elsa into the family pack. Taken just a couple months after she was adopted and after several trips to the vet before we managed to get control of her seizures, it’s apparent she loved her brother almost as much as she loved stuffed toys. Knowing that her first few years were devoid of love and toys, I’ve always been touched by this scene.

Sam & Elsa

My heart is full of gratitude when I see Sam acquiesce the dog bed in the studio to his recovering sister and comfortable enough to let her lay close to him. Seeing scenes like this sets the stage for focusing on the more ‘pawsitive’ moments that will happen this year.

We hope you safely survived any New Year’s celebrations and the many of the college football bowls (is it me or are there far too many?). How ’bout that Rose Bowl game? Congrats to the Oregon Ducks on the comeback win.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Throwback Thursday ~ October 10, 2019

October 10, 2019 ~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 46 Comments

As I look out the window and see the first snowfall of the season, I am reminded about another place with snow. The Alps. Makes you want to yodel, doesn’t it? Germany Nebelhorn, Obersdorf

A few years ago I traveled to the Nebelhorn, a major winter sports area near Obersdorf in the Allgäu Alps in southern Germany. The village of Oberstdorf has hosted Nordic skiing World Championships in both 1987 and 2005 and is expected to host World Championships in 2021. At 2204 metres (7,297 ft.) the Nebelhorn is small compared to peaks in the Rocky Mountains, but still an impressive mountain with an even more impressive view of the surrounding Bavarian Alps.

Thanks for going back in time with me as I sip a nice hot cup of chai and nostalgically watch the snow falling on a cold autumn morning. Maybe I should start consider working on my Christmas list today. Tschüss!

Snow

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Throwback Thursday~Yeah…we’ve been away a while

January 11, 2018January 11, 2018 ~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 51 Comments

Hi-ya, ‘member us? It’s me, Sam. You know, Chief Knucklehead and Standard Poodle Extraordinaire from the Ranch. Lately it’s been a rough time here. We lost a couple of beloved pups in our extended family (R.I.P. Aria, aka Big Dawg and cutie pie Wriggly-we hope you’re running free and enjoying life at the Rainbow Bridge-we hope to have a better memorial post once we can locate a couple of photos) and Mom’s been out of town for too long handling a family emergency with her mom that we hope, (fingers crossed) has been resolved. Can I get a woof, woof?! Mom came back Tuesday evening and boy am I and my goofy Ninja sister thrilled. I haven’t stopped wagging my tail and won’t let her out of my sight for a second, which has made her trips to the water torture room kind of interesting.

We hope to be back full-time blogging after mom ~~decompresses~~ catches her breath like we used to, so we hope you’ll be patient with all of us. And I know she is ever so grateful for those of you who have reached out and asked what’s up with us. We appreciate your kindness, concern and fur-iendship. In the meantime, look what I dug up out of the ~~archive~~ backyard. My predecessors, McKenzie, Eliot and Crosby. I know, I hear your ‘awww’s through the screen and admit they were pretty adorable. I think McKenzie looks like he could have been the Ninja’s older brother. Eliot always looked like a giant stuffed toy and Crosby was mom’s first dog when she moved to Denver who also had the dreaded Epi-Monster visit him way too many times. I think mom might have been able to treat his condition better now days than she did back in those olden days. She’s learned a lot with Elsa which seems to make a difference since the monster hasn’t visited her for a number of months. We hope you’re all doing well, staying warm, safe and cozy. So what have we miss?

L to R McKenzie, Eliot and Crosby (circa 1997)

Live, love, bark! ❤︎

#TBT ~ June 22, 2017

June 22, 2017June 21, 2017 ~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 34 Comments

It’s Throwback Thursday time. Sam here. Mom was going through some photos the other day for another project she was working on and came across this photo and turned to me and shook her head. She actually had the nerve to say out loud, “remember that day you were supposed to be watching ~~the Ninja~~ Elsa when she ~~vandalized~~ munched that brand new skein of yarn?!” Wait…what? Do I look like a freaking babysitter? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Woman, how’s about you just not being so wrapped up in crafting next time. Besides, I kept looking at you-can I help it if you didn’t pay attention to my silent eye daggers? Do I look like Lassie barking my fool head off about Timmy falling down the well? You need to get with it and ‘hear’ me better.

The week is rushing toward our best friend, Friday. Hope everyone is either staying cool or dry from the rain that skipped us. Whichever…hope all is well in your world.

Live, love, bark! ❤︎

Those Were the Days…

March 2, 2017March 1, 2017 ~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 49 Comments

We have been extraordinarily busy with loads of hospital visits and some out-of-town travel visiting with family so we’re playing catch-up for the next few days trying to read blogs as well as post ourselves.

With apologies for another light-on-content post and because we haven’t had much of the white stuff here for a while, I thought I’d share this ‘throw back’ pic of Sam from February of 2012. We had just had a nice dumping of the white stuff and back then Sam was an ‘only child’ and helped out by snoopervising the shoveling efforts (note the paw prints on the right side of the walkway during the inspection tour). As I recall, it was quite cold in addition to somewhat deep. Sam seems to be channeling a “hey Mom, I think you may have missed a spot” look.

We’re still hopeful we’ll eventually get some snow before winter is over so maybe Sam will get another opportunity to survey a white landscape and chaperone removal efforts. Fingers and paws crossed. No word as to whether the Ninja will be a helper or a hinderance with snow removal efforts. My sense with the few sparse storms we have received so far seems to indicate she’s more into bouncing about snow than ~~snoopervision~~ shoveling.

Snoopervising snow removal, Feb. 4, 2012

Live, love, bark! <3

#TBT

February 18, 2016 ~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 7 Comments

It’s Throw back Thursday and while this lovely pooch is NOT Sam, he easily could have been. A photo from the past sent by my friend at Not Afraid of Color who ~~is likewise owned by~~ also has a Standard Poodle, sweet Cole. Thanks for sending a delicious smile and recollection of a terrific talent, LeeAnna. Hope this image makes your day as much as it did mine.