God of Frolic

They say the dog is the God of Frolic.

If you have ever been a parent of a canine, you already know this is true.  Dogs frolic.  They  play, dance, shimmy, romp and rollick.  They tease, joke and prank. They frolic.

Take Amore for instance…..

It started at a young age!

At a young age, Amore’s sense of frolic made its first appearance.  Amore was born to frolic. Her favorite antic was teasing Malcolm.  That dog was all about Malcolm.

Amore in the middle – the instigator!

If Malcolm was prepping to sit down on the couch, Amore would quickly jump into his spot.  Refusing to move, rolling over and playing dead.  If Malcolm moved to another spot, Amore would follow.  When  Malcolm finally made it to the couch, Amore was right besides him, playfully pawing his book or newspaper for attention.  Malcolm’s job was to scratch and rub her belly, not read.

He can have the couch if I’m on top

When Malcolm was ready for bed, Amore would jump up on the mattress to deny access.  She would move to where ever Malcolm stood, interfering with his efforts to pull back the covers.  She would romp back and forth, keeping Malcolm from crawling into bed, this silly grin on her face as she played her game.  Malcolm would dodge to the left, Amore would tag to her right.  A swift bluff around the foot of the bed only encouraged her.  Pillows were squashed, blankets were pawed into a big mess.  Her high jinks were entertaining for me – exasperating for Malcolm. It was a nightly routine until she crashed for the evening.

Playing is exhausting

Loading up in the SUV – another fun prank for Amore.  Tailgate down, Malcolm would call for the girls to jump up. Dolce, always the sweetheart, would leap right in and head for her fave spot in the car. Amore would come running flat-out and at the last second circumvent the back-end to run around the vehicle.  The chase was on.  Every time.  And Malcolm encouraged it, allowing extra time when leaving the house so Amore could have her joy. Her frolic.  Once in the car, passengers were warned they would be sharing.

Riding shotgun in the Berner bus!

Amore had no boundaries.  Your lap was her seat.  She didn’t step over you, but on you.  She didn’t run up to you, she ran you over.  Your space was hers.  It was never a dominance issue, she just liked to be on top, milking the love and hugs. Where ever you were, she was.

100 lbs. of dog

Maddening? Yes.  Tiresome? Absolutely.  But there was no denying the happiness in her eyes as she played us.  The sparkle of fun always shined bright in her eyes.  There was no disputing the joviality she showed or the entertainment she provided.  Amore was the epitome of frolic.

Amore was that type of dog that just loved life.  Why walk when you can run.  Why do a slow trot, if speeding through the day is more fun.  To Amore, it was all about the fun.  Days were just an euphoria of doggy shenanigans and canine frolic.  Just shy of being naughty, just on the left side of being spoiled, Amore always  ‘got-away’ with it.  She was that dog that lit up a room when she ran in to do her drive-by.  She had a presence you couldn’t deny.  She brought laughter to our hearts. There just wasn’t a serious bone in her, well, unless she was napping.

Hell bent for leather!

 

goofy girl!

It’s been enlightening to watch her sense of humor develop over the years.   At 9 1/2 years she still loved to tease and taunt Malcolm.  Throughout her years, she badgered him, poking her muzzle and then her paw to get a reaction. She knew which buttons to push, which mischievous ploy to pull on him. Then she would curl up along side of him, content to rest her head on his shoulder as Malcolm took a nap.

Last month, Amore unexpectedly passed away.  Our little girl, whose life had been so full of fun, so full of frolic, was gone.  Her excited bark silenced.  Her sparkle dimmed. Her silly grin is now a memory, her pranks are now stories told and retold at dinners.  Our hearts hurt. It’s been hard, especially for Malcolm, who had a very special bond with Amore. It’s amazing how tight those paws wrapped around our hearts – we just don’t want to let go.  From day one, Amore stole our hearts as she peaked over the whelping pen, ready to take on Malcolm.

We miss her. We miss the jingle of her dog tags as she ran through the house.  We miss the pitter-patter of her paws across our brick floors.  The rattle of her dog bowl as she licked it clean at chow time.  The swish-swhoosh of the dog door flap as she entered and exited the dog pen.  We miss her 5:00 a.m. breakfast call, her tail whacking the wall as she came up to the bed to wake us. I even miss the muddy floors she bestowed upon us after a summer rain. God, we miss her.  Our Amore.

After creating the snow angel comes the snow shake

When we bring pets into our lives, we do so knowing their life span most likely will be shorter than ours. Especially Berners. I consider these past couple of years with Amore and Dolce bonus years for Malcolm and I.  Overtime.  The 10th inning.  Everyday was a joyful gift.   Everyday we are thankful for her unconditional love and loyalty. Everyday with her was free baseball.

We buried her in our garden under a juniper bush and beneath the stately branches of a  pinon tree.  One of her favorite spots to lay when Malcolm was working outside.  Her shade in the summer where she could watch the birds. Her lookout point while waiting for her opportunity to cause mischief.

I have no doubt Amore is up in Doggy Heaven frolicking in a green field of clover, stealing treats, creating havoc, and grinning with amusement – happy.  She is our God of Frolic.  Her smile will live forever in our hearts.

puppy breath

a bouquet of puppy breath

When told we were expecting our little litter of puppies, a dear and close friend exclaimed, “aah, I so love puppy breath!  It’s so sweet”  I thought she was plum crazy.  No dog had pleasant breath let alone a puppy.  In the following weeks, several more friends made the same comment in varying degrees.  We heard everything from, “puppy breath is so precious!” to “I just love their little breath!”  to “their breath is adorable!”  Seriously?  What planet are these people from?  It’s a dog’s breath for criss-cross sake.   I would politely smile, but under my own breath,  I would mumble “good lawd” to Malcolm, who was trying in vain to keep a straight face.

It wasn’t until the puppies were old enough to be held and played with that I started to get an inkling of what my friends meant.  With their still pink little noses, at three-n-half weeks old,  our little ones were just starting on softened puppy chow.  They were old enough to be cuddled and held up close against our necks, while we absently rubbed their soft ears.  At five to six weeks, we were bringing our herd of yipping mutts outside to their  playpen to enjoy the fresh air and the still warm fall days.  Malcolm dragged a huge wooden rocking chair into the pen so we could sit and watch the eight little blighters sniff and explore their new world.  As they tired one by one, they would all end up at our feet, ready for a little puppy nap.  Inveritably, I would end up with two or three canine belly balls in my lap, falling fast asleep in my arms, their fat round tummies gently swaying with their soft breathing.  On warm sunny days, Malcolm and I would sit in the pen for hours, enjoying the melodious sounds emitting from the puppies.  Loving the feel of their silky fur, their soft little paws pressed against our arms, their muzzle tucked under our chins.  It was during these endearing moments, that I learned the true meaning of “puppy breath”.

Truth be told, there is something sweet about little puppy’s breath!  The scent is precious, with just a hint of baby puppy.  Taking a deep breath, I smell a little puppy’s trust, I inhale the wonder and  joys of a pint-sized creature filled with faith in their caretakers.  I breathe in the love of a new friend and the loyalty of an old one.  I catch a whiff of an adoring puppy, a devoted dog, a committed canine to its custodian.  Puppy breath is a precious bouquet of entrusting love.

HUSH PUPPIES

A quick and tasty appetizer or side dish, these little guys will disappear fast so make extras.

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tbsp. flour
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. beaten egg
• 1 1/2 tbsp. minced jalapeno
• 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
• frying oil

Mix together the first six ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk  the buttermilk, egg and jalapeño together.  Stir the dry ingredients and milk mixture together.

Add enough oil to a deep medium saucepan to at least 1 1/2 inches.  Using a deep fry thermometer, heat oil to 320F to 330F over medium heat. Working in batches, drop 4 to 5 balls of batter by the tablespoon into the oil.

Fry until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 4-5 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, lift the hush puppies from the oil and place on a paper towel.

Can be made 2-3 hours ahead, leave at room temperature.  Rewarm in a pre-heated oven of 375F until crisp (12-14 minutes).  Garnish with a little chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.

pool paw play

It’s Memorial Weekend! The kickoff to summer!

Picnics and BBQ‘s, flip-flops and short shorts, watermelon and lemonade.  One of the best parts of Memorial weekend is our local community pool opens for the summer.  8:00 a.m. on Saturday the race is on to be the first in the pool.  Moms have a free babysitter for youngsters over 12 and an energy burner for those under.  It’s the summer hangout for teenagers and an outdoor tanning booth for the housewives of Santa Fe.  Tri-athletes in training, adult swimmers exercising.  You see everything – from bare bottom babies splashing around in the kiddies pool to the pursuit of the perfect cannon ball tidal wave.  Sunburned cheeks to darkly tanned leather skin.  Old men in speedos, old ladies in bikinis.

Malcolm and I swim laps in the evenings when the kids have been called home for dinner.  75 feet of clear blue water, heated to just above chilly. It’s the perfect time to unwind from work and cool down from a hot day.  Most of the water brats have left, their forgotten pool toys and towels littered around the chairs and loungers to be found the next day.  Those remaining are the serious swimmers, jumping in the pool for laps, leaving in their wet suits, a towel wrap over their neck.

The dogs know when they see our swim bags and beach towels, they are staying put, guarding the fort back home, except for Dog day.  At the end of the summer and the chlorine has been diluted to a low enough level , its Paw Play at the Pool.  Dogs of all sizes, shapes and breeds converge at the pool for their own brand of fun.  And, it’s a wet time for all.  Excited dogs jumping in the deep end chasing tennis balls, even more incited dogs barking at waves of water splashing at their paws.  Once dry owners snapping pictures of their happy dogs. Total chaos.  Pure mayhem.  Wet dog everywhere. 

    

   

 

HOMEMADE GEORGIA PEACH ICE CREAM

A perfect summer treat!

• 2-3 lbs. fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 pint half & half cream
• 2 (14oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 3 tbsp. Kahlua (or more)
• 2 cups whole milk

• rock salt
• ice (per manufacturer’s instructions)

Puree chopped peaches with the sugar and cream in the blender or food processor.

In a gallon ice cream freezer container, mix together the peach mixture, sweetened condensed milk and Kahlua.  Pour in enough whole milk to fill the contain to the fill line.  Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze the ice cream.

“Yeah! babee!” Malcolm exclaims……. p.s.  Malcolm’s from Georgia!

all in a dog’s day

is it morning yet? jump on mom to wake her up, nope, she’s not up yet, go out to the pen to see if anything happened overnight ,jump on mom again to wake her up, yea! she’s crawling out of bed, time to eat breakfast, follow mom outside to retrieve the newspaper, time for an early morning nap, ok, mom’s left for work, let’s chew up the newspaper before Malcolm gets to read it, sigh, check to see if there is anything new in the dog bowl, rats! nothing! take another nap, roll over and stretch, emit a bad  dog fart, sigh, head bump Malcolm for a quick rub on the ears, take another nap, wake up barking at some noise, sigh, counter-surf for crumbs – sigh, let’s go bug Malcolm, bark some more at nothing, fanegale a treat out of Malcolm, check out the kitchen floor for a quick nibble – something new might have fallen from the counter, rats! nothing – sigh, tear through the house to the outdoor pen, something might be out there,  track dirt back in the house, beg for a doggie treat, sigh, bark some more to annoy Malcolm, plop down and sigh, when is mom coming home from work? sigh, fart, bark at a car driving by, do another drive-by in the kitchen – rats again! nada – go for a walk with Malcolm – yippee! – get home and take another nap, it’s dinner time, burp, fart, run through the house and slide on the rug – yippee! – mom is home – yippee! – let’s go give her a welcome attack, bark, bark, bark, bark, jump up on mom to give her a dog hug, beg for another dog snack cuz mom doesn’t know Malcolm already gave us one, take a nap, follow mom and Malcolm around the house from room to room, is it bedtime yet? put head back down, watch mom clean up in the kitchen, any crumbs? rats! nothing! now it’s time, jump on bed and curl up to mom, cuddle, roll over for a belly rub, cuddle, nudge amore over so dolce can get closer, get dog hair all over the down pillows, stretch, roll over for one last cuddle, ohhh siiiiggghh –

good night y’all!