please?

From my desk, I look over my shoulder and this is what I see:

"I got up from my nap just to give you the thousand-yard stare. Your popcorn, I need it."

wackiness

Tried to catch Ginger sleeping with her tongue sticking out but instead got her mid-yawn. With gnomes in the background. Obviously.

P.S. Happy 5th Anniversary, honey! It sprinkled on our puppy walk this morning - reminded me of the "lovely" weather we had on our wedding day. Looking back, I think what they say is true - rain on your wedding day really is good luck. :)

snuggums!

a new discovery

Embarrassingly, it took the pupsters a whole year to finally figure out that she can see what's going on out front by doing this:

Her first target? A toddler on a trike. She went crazy growling at that poor little girl. I see many sofa guard-dog sessions in our future.

in yo face

greta garbo the dog

"I want to be left alone." That's what I feel Ginger's trying to convey to me this morning.

And a few minutes later:

I hope she's okay and just acting goofy. She only ever plows her way under the bed when we hide a treat under there.

chunky mcchunkerson

Took Ginger to the vet today to get her bordetella vaccine nose drops before she gets boarded in a few weeks. She tolerated the drops (and the butt thermometer) like a champ. Unfortunately, I still walked out of the vet's office a little upset. Ginger's gained a whole mess of weight since last autumn and we didn't even notice.

I weighed her once we got home because I just couldn't believe it. Sure enough, 26.5 lbs. That's up from 23 lbs last year! And it's the most she's ever weighed. (She's about 5 years old.)

In the back of my mind, I'm wondering if her thyroid is out of whack. My sister's boxer had been packing on the pounds and was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. But until we head back to the vet next month for her full check-up, I'll keep my paranoia at bay and get cracking on a diet and exercise plan:

• old diet: scant 1/2 cup dog food + green beans, twice a day
• new diet: 1/3 cup dog food + green beans, twice a day
• smaller treats, continue doling them out twice a day
• longer speedier morning walks
• same old evening walks (because it's just too hot)
• re-implement nightly play time - we've been major slackers

Swimsuit season is just about here, Ginger. Let's get movin'!

cubey time

When the weather starts to warm up, Todd and Ginger's post-dinner walk becomes a tad less pleasant. Last summer, we instituted a new evening ritual to combat the heat - cubey time. After their walk, I grab an ice cube (a cubey) from the freezer and plop it into a cup in the living room to help the doggie cool off. She tries her hardest to get the cubey out of the cup, and only half the times is she successful. And when she can't get it out, at least I'm not left with melting ice on the carpet.

The other night she couldn't even be bothered to make it all the way into the living room to snack on her ice.

rock climbing

Went back to Usery Mountain Park this morning to tackle another hiking trail. Our first trek there last month ended up being a bit much on the pup. This time we took on Wind Cave Trail - 3.2 miles total, out and back. I thought it'd be an easy stroll since I noticed lots of families on it last month. Turns out it's 820 feet of elevation change, all uphill to a wind-carved cave in the side of Pass Mountain.

Sections of the trail were steep and rocky, but surprisingly, Ginger only had to be picked up twice to make it up over some rocks. And EVERYONE on the trail commented on her short legs and how she's a trooper. But she held her own amongst all the other dogs (all much bigger than her) and didn't seem all that exhausted by the time we reached the car. Our little mountain goat.

It was a nice way to spend another warm sunny morning.

palo verde in bloom

glowing palo verde and cholla cacti

the saguaros are in bloom

Ginger gets a helping hand

bath time

Once upon a time I recorded Ginger drying off after a bath and it was awesome. Enjoy.

the stare-down

This is what I deal with every day starting around 4pm. "If I stare hard enough and look pathetic enough, surely she'll feed me early today!"

get out

Spring and its tolerable temps are quickly fleeting here in Phoenix. Pair that with a masochistic desire to tear up our yard and there's not much time left to get out and explore the desert.

Our last hike was over 3 weeks ago. We drove 40 minutes out to Usery Mountain Regional Park which is right on the edge of Phoenix's suburban mega-sprawl. We didn't quite make it all the way around the mountain (7 miles) and even still, the poor doggie was wiped out on our way back to the car. I think she really appreciated the cheese I shared with her during our post-hike gorging at In-n-Out. It made the hike completely worth it.

Ocotillo flowers.

Shade is hard to come by out here.

I love me a dead cactus.

Craaaaaazy arms.

I walked a bit further than our turn-around point to catch a glimpse of the Four Peaks.

Ginger scrambled up this steep hill in pursuit of a lizard. And then she couldn't get down.

See how exhausted she looks towards the end of the hike? I've never before seen her lay down to drink her water.

I bet he thought about stealing this saguaro for our yard.

wordless wednesday

afternoon shadows

Lounging by the pool - but not in it yet. Still a wee bit chilly.

a very content pup

A content corgi enjoying a sunny Spring day.

dedication

It just stopped raining and it's only 50 degrees out. (I swear it feels colder though - darn desert turning me into a wuss.) Todd's out there digging a hole for his precious blood orange tree that he called all over the city trying to locate. Since it rained half the day already, you'd think the ground would be nice and loosened up. It was...for about 3 inches down.

I'm definitely impressed by his planting gusto. This will be his 7th large hole dug. If only we had two shovels, I could help out... One more big plant to go and then lots of little guys. And then we sit back and watch everything grow!

blossom week: day 4

Our awesome ginormous Mediterranean Fan Palm spits out these funky flowers:

 
And Oleander blossoms - toxic to dogs but luckily Ginger has no interest in them. She sticks to munching on grass.

See?

arrr matey

tuckered out

the great outdoors

We live in a neighborhood full of tiny yards. Everyone has a brick wall surrounding their backyard for privacy - since the homes are so close together. Phoenix doesn't have squirrels, so the only wildlife we get are lame birds and tiny lizards (and roof rats, but we don't like to think about those). Because of all this, it seemed quite surprising to find a pair of ducks in our backyard this morning! They hung out in the grass snacking away and then took a dip in the pool.

Ginger was itching to "make friends" with the ducks. After they disappeared into the sideyard, I let Ginger out. She went to work sniffing around in the grass. I walked around the corner of the house to find the ducks sitting on the side patio. A few minutes later, Ginger comes blasting around the corner, I duck for cover (and possibly squeal) and the ducks take off. I don't think Ginger would have known what to do next if she had actually caught one of them!