The Dog Days of Autumn

Nearly two weeks ago I took a little road trip

to pick up the newest member of our family.

This is our new baby, Percy.

He's a Toy Poodle and we simply adore him.

He looks all black in this picture but his coloring is actually called "phantom".

You can see his beautiful coloring better in

this photo of my two sleeping beauties ;-)

He loves to play with his toys...

BIG TIME

Sometimes I go through the house and pick them all up and put them in a pile because I'm stepping on them at every turn.It doesn't last long though. I sit back down to my knitting and within no time this is where we are again...

This is the hallway just outside the bathroom door and leading into my bedroom.

For some reason Percy loves the bathroom.

When he goes missing I oftentimes find him curled up asleep

on a towel in the bathroom floor or on the bathroom scale.

He loves the kids and they love him.

Parker is so excited to have a new puppy in the house.

On the day we brought him home he said,

"Grammy, Thank You for getting me a new puppy."

He tells everybody that Percy is HIS dog.

He decided it was time to start reading his favorite books to his new best friend.

 I think for Percy there might have been a bit of chewing involved

but Parker didn't seem to mind.

On the days I pick Gabby up from school Percy rides along.

He watches intently out the window for her from my lap.

By the time she reaches us there's a whole lot of wiggling going on!

As for our other two dogs, Phoebe, who turns 10 next month,

is delighted with her instant status of motherhood.

Heaven help us all if Percy so much as makes a squeak.

She has to sniff and lick him and ensure he is okay.

They play together and lay together.

Mack, my older boy, is taking his time deciding about Percy still, as is my sweet old kitty cat Mercedes, who is spending time hiding out in the basement and sneaking up for an occasional peak at the black fluffy thing that seems to have suddenly taken over the household.

I have faith in them though.

This isn't the first time I've worked to integrate animals with one another.

We'll get there. In the meantime I am making sure

that everyone gets plenty of attention.

{It's a full time job}.

All things considered, he's a very good boy and we are settling in quite nicely.

He is very smart, as poodles typically are.

By day 2 he was coming to me when I called him by name.

This is my second poodle in my lifetime.

We had a chocolate colored miniature poodle, named Cocoa,

when I was a young teenager that we all loved dearly.

Having one again makes me extremely happy.

Poodles are easy to train because

they thrive on routine and are therefore obedient.

I can already see this in Percy even though he is just coming up on 15 weeks old.

He was born on June 26. Just 4 days before my birthday. It was meant to be.

For the most part I am home and don't have to crate him.

However, I do take my granddaughter Gabby

to ballet each week while my daughter is working.

I am gone for about 3 hours and I need to know Percy is safe

and not chewing on things in the house

that could hurt him while he's still so young.

He had his first time in his crate this week and got right in with zero fuss.

He simply laid down, curled up and went to sleep.

{Phoebe was the frantic one upon our arrival home,

due to separation anxiety from her baby}.

I got to relax and enjoy my knitting and this fabulous

Signature Fall Latte at my favorite place.

While Gabby is in ballet I always sit and knit at

Thirty-Thirty Coffee Shop in Peoria's Junction City.

I love the drinks and the employees there.

I look forward to this respite from the daily madness every week.

It's how I do ballet.

There are times like today that I enjoy a nice misty Autumn day.

The leaves are turning scarlet on my dogwood, the squirrels scamper industriously around the house as they collect walnuts from the tree in my backyard,

I keep the tea kettle whistling, the dogs romp and nap at intervals

and my knitting grows and grows a stitch at a time. 

Yes, on days like today, I say let it rain.

Whatever your day and weekend brings to you, 

I hope and pray it's peaceful, happy and full 

of all the things and people you love best...

and maybe even a dog or two...

or three.

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures;

they give unconditional love.

For me, they are the role model for being alive."

Gilda Radner