Have some spring on me!

I know it's snowing across the Midwest, so I thought I'd post some photos of the springiness going on in the South right now. OH, and just one of the puppy who has figured out how much fun it is to hang her head out the car window.

Peavine Falls

The rain stopped just long enough yesterday to give us a couple of hours outside, and since the dogs have had no exercise since it started raining last week, we drove down to Peavine Falls at Oak Mountain State Park. The falls were roaring from all the rain, and we all had so much fun splashing around, taking pictures, hiking, and just enjoying Alabama in the springtime.
This is the face Sipsey used to give us 24/7, now it only makes an appearance when we're on the hiking trail.
I really wanted to just throw Piper in the swimming hole, but Dirk wouldn't let me. She loves to splash around in the water, but she's only really paddled a couple of times. How pitiful is this face?! I'm waiting for the day when she enjoys spending time on the trail as much as Sipsey, but I'll never forget how mad at me Sipsey used to get when I would try to take her on long hikes before she turned 6 months old....she'd cry and squeal and whine and bark the whole time!
It's been awhile since Dirk shaved (obviously.) Mountain Man.
Here they are at the bottom of the falls. It's a short (but strenous) hike, and my thighs are hurting today from the effort. We were the only ones there, which was great, and we got to stop at Roly Poly on the way home. Saweeeeet!

Random Photo Blog

Not much to write about this past week. Gosh, I promise my life is not THAT boring, just nothing blogworthy really going on :-)
Things are blooming all over Birmingham, reminding me why I love this state in the springtime!
Mama asked me yesterday how Sipsey was doing.....I guess I spend a lot of time talking about how cute and sweet Piper is! Sipsey spends her days lounging on the furniture, reminding Piper that she is still, indeed, the queen. When we are not hiking, swimming, walking, or visiting her friends at the dog park, Sipsey has a huge chip on her shoulder, and we get annoyed looks at least eleventy billion times a day. So, if you're not going to pet Sipsey, just leave her alone!
It is so much fun witnessing the world through Piper's eyes! This photo was taken when she was afraid of some balloons attached to a mailbox for a little kid's birthday or something. At first she was scared, then she just plopped down and watched them sway and bob in the breeze. Ah, the simple things in life! It's like experiencing the world anew every time we step outside the door! She's a sweet little pup, and I've been taking her to visit Parker to get "kid socialization." At the dog park the other day she played with an 18-month-old and did not knock her over once :-) She is SO good at sitting on command, and will sit even when you do not tell her too (before she gets her food, before you put down the water dish, before you open the doggy door.) Good girl!
Oh, and I got a haircut. I've just been needing a change lately. I guess it's the whole spring thing....Dirk asked me to cut it. He has this thing for my neck....weird, right? And, as he says, I tell him how to cut his hair, so he should be allowed to tell me how to cut mine (?!) Hair advice is NOT a two-way street. So I told him I was just getting a trim, then I cut 5 inches and showed up at his office. I wish I'd had a camera to capture his expression then. So cute! Anyway, I've gotten a lot of compliments and even had some guys at work tell me I looked 22, which I suppose is a compliment? Or maybe they were just flirting. Ha!

bad booger, er, blogger

I've been bad. It's just, the weather has been so gorgeous! And I've actually been working! I'm helping my friend Jorge out, both catering and at his restaurant. Tips are good, and it's great to be interacting with people. Plus, I get a free meal and margarita and both the food and the 'ritas are delish.

I spent some time with my buddies, the Belts, this past weekend. I've been babysitting for the Belts for 5 years now, while Parker, the youngest, was still in the womb. It's been so fun being part of their lives, and they are the most energetic, snuggly, sweet children. Parker called me bright and early to remind me to bring Piper (he loves puppies) and my camera (he wanted to do a photo shoot.) So here are some of the results of that shoot. Chaise has gotten really into cheerleading and she can tumble with the best of them, which made for some pretty cool shots! Oh, and Parker has had snot coming out of his nose like this since he came home from the maternity ward, I swear!

Once a Year

Birmingham gets snow. And everyone FLIPS out! It sticks for a few hours, long enough for the children who see snow once a year to run outside, create "sleds" out of cardboard boxes, and build pitiful-looking snowmen. I had thought that I left the snow in Michigan, but I suppose it just had to follow me down south. And after driving in complete white-out conditions, in 18" of snow and 50mph wind gusts, driving yesterday was like a walk in the park.

The dogs LOVED playing in the snow. Piper would dig herself a hole and burrow into it. Digging, eating, even last night she came running into the house with a big ball of icy snow she'd managed to find somewhere, one last remnant of the 5 inches that blanketed everything yesterday morning.

Since I'm in a snowy mood, here's a link to photos taken during my visit to Michigan's Upper Peninsula last month:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libbadibbado/sets/72157613963044874/

Over the Course of Just TEN Weeks

A lot can change. We were fortunate enough to meet Piper when she was an itty bitty thing, and I've been photographing her since she was just three weeks old. Yesterday, as I was looking at her, I realized how much she's changed, and I went back through the photos and made this collage to illustrate the differences. I vowed that with this puppy, I'd get a photo of her every week sitting in pretty much the same pose, because I knew she'd grow unbelievably in the first six months of her life. It makes me a little sad, because we will not be getting another puppy for at least ten years (knock on wood!) and I actually shed a few tears when I finished stitching these together! The power of pictures!

Two Months with the Piper Pup

Well, it's official. We've been living with this puppy for two months now and she's grown on us considerably. We loved her from the get-go, but there were some trying times. And still are. She picked up some less-than-stellar habits while I was in Michigan, one of which being to wake up at six a.m. and cry until you feed her. Not fun. She can now jump up on the bed, into the car, onto the couch, you name it. I've never minded Sipsey sleeping on the bed, because she stays at the foot and rarely bothers us and keeps my feet nice and toasty. But Piper wants to sleep on the pillows with her body spooning your head. She's always been a very independent pup, disappearing through the doggy door to play outside for hours, I'd even occasionally find her napping in her crate, but lately she's been disappearing and I've been discovering her in the bed, which I make nice and neat every morning, which she pulls back the covers to create a little nest out of blankets, sheets, and pillows. I've been having to wash the sheets a lot more, needless to say.

Our activities are no longer limited to short hikes or walks, and I've had her out on the five-mile trail at Ruffner Mountain with me a few times and she's held her own (and then sleeps the rest of the day.) We've also been taking long (45 minute) walks, and she and Sipsey have gotten it down pat. Side-by-side down the sidewalk, always have to be touching. Sipsey has warmed up to Piper a lot over the past month, and lets her snuggle up to her, and Sips will even INITIATE some of their more rowdy wrestling sessions (which occur periodically through the course of the day and involve crazy animal noises that turn my living room into the National Geographic Channel.) They've become very protective of each other at the dog park, and Sipsey will not let anyone harm her little sister.

They are a joy every day, and my constant companions. Through these trying economic times, they help remind me that it is the simple pleasures that make life worth living and so enjoyable. The walks. The naps. I learn something new from them every day.

I'll try to get a video of Piper's tricks and post that in the next few days!