Portraits of Elsa at Twelve Weeks

Good morning,

Here are two portraits of our Millstone Elsa Astrid Evensen at twelve weeks.

What a beautiful baby and she is so smart, too!

:),
Lois

Wendy in the Chair Again - Then and Now

Good morning,

We have chairs stacked at the side of the patio,

but that didn't stop Wendy. 























The above image is a flashback of Wendy when she was a puppy in 2014.   She took over Daddy's chair very early in her career of chair occupation.  Yes, that image above is Wendy, but she sure looks like Elsa today!

So cute!

 Lois

Buttercups

Good morning,

When the buttercups begin to bloom, we know Spring has arrived. 

Beautiful!

:),
Lois

Elsa and Wendy Play Time

 Good morning,

Here's a clip of Wendy and Elsa playing in our entrance hall.  Elsa is fearless and Wendy is extremely patient with the little tornado.

Click to see the video.

Wendy suddenly disappears from camera view while playing keep-away.  She has gone to the living room and up on the couch. 

So sweet.

Lois

I want to go!

Good morning,

We use kennels in our cars to transport the pups.  It's safer for them and for us.

I was packing up the car so we could take Elsa over to Catherine at her office while My Honey and I went to an appointment.  I had the back of the car open and went to get Elsa.  When I got back, I found Wendy had climbed into the baby kennel and was ready to go.

This kennel is about half the size of Wendy's kennel, but she was determined to fit so she could go.

I convinced her to get out of the kennel and the car.  So cute. 

Wendy gets to go plenty of times, this just wasn't her turn.

;),
Lois

Daffodils in Bloom

Good morning,

Isn't Spring wonderful!

We have several different types of daffodils here so the blooming season stretches over a few weeks instead of one quick shot of yellow, then gone.

So pretty!

Happy Spring!

Lois

Elsa and Alex

Good morning,

Our grandson, Alex, was so excited to meet our Baby Elsa. 

Elsa was pretty happy to see all of these new computer things to play with, too!  Those puppy teeth sure are sharp!

Elsa loved checking out Alex's computer, mouse, and books, too, but Alex was quick to put a toy in Elsa's mouth instead.

Now for some flashbacks!
The image above was taken five years ago.  That's Alex and Wendy on the patio when Wendy was a baby.

And, this last image is from ten years ago.  Alex is holding Erik the first day he came home to us.

"Happiness is a warm puppy dog."   - Charlie Brown


Precious!

:),
Lois

Outside Play and Wendy's Escape

Good morning,

It can be hard to be a big sister.  You have to watch over your little sibling and sometimes you just need a rest from playing tag and chasing sticks all the time.

Wendy does a great job of watching over Baby Elsa, but sometimes just needs to get away for a few minutes.  She has always been our "chair dog" and climbs into the chair herself to get some quiet time. 

Elsa:  Wendy!  Come down and play with me!

Wendy:  I'll just rest and watch from here for awhile.  Give me a few minutes and I'll be back.

 Elsa:  Oh, please, please, please come down and play with me now!

 Elsa:  Don't look the other way! Come down and play with me!

Wendy:  Let me catch my breath!  I've been running around with you for the past half hour!  I'm nearly 5 years old!  I have to rest once in awhile.

Wendy is very gentle with Elsa, even more gentle than Elsa is sometimes with Wendy.  Those baby teeth are like little needles and Wendy has certainly felt them while they have been playing.  When Wendy gets enough, she will gently warn Elsa then move out of her reach.

Of course, we monitor all of the interaction to be sure no one is hurt both outside and inside the house.

We humans and our other dogs always go outside with Elsa to be sure she is safe.  Although we don't see them often, we have coyotes and hawks in our neighborhood who might see Elsa as snack size. 


Lois

Work in Process - Afghan Blanket

Good morning,

I have two needlework projects going right now, a knit sweater and a crochet afghan blanket.  I have finished the back of the sweater and about half of the front.  In the image is current afghan blanket in colors of the sea.   I switch back and forth between knit and crochet to give my fingers a rest from the same repetitive movements.

With a new puppy consuming so much of my time, I'm not getting as many needlework projects finished as usual.  As soon as puppy Elsa grows up a bit more I'll get back to full production in my needlework studio again.  Elsa is so worth the time.  She will grow into a beautiful, wonderful dog.  ;)

What is your current project?

Lois

Wendy and Elsa Play Time

Good morning,

It has been two weeks already since Baby Elsa has come home to us.  She will be three months old on April 5. 

Our Wendy, age 5, and Elsa have developed quite a friendship already.

At the top left of this image is Penny, our 14 year old lady.  She observes all of this play, but steers clear of all of these youngster shinanigans.  We make a point to give plenty of attention to all of the pups, young and old.

Wendy and Elsa:  Me and Mini Me.  ;)

 So very sweet.

:),
Lois

Cincinnati's Music Hall and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

Good morning,

Kjell and I are enjoying being home in Cincinnati full time now.  We are able to have Cincinnati Pops Orchestra tickets again and not miss most of the concerts because we are at sea as it used to be before retirement.  I took this image as we were arriving for a concert earlier this month.

Our Cincinnati Music Hall is an historic building and just gorgeous inside and out. 

Cincinnati is a lovely place to live.  We are a center for the arts, medicine, and education.   We also appreciate having four equally-spaced seasons each year.  We've visited some lovely places in the world, but there's no place like home.

All the best,
Lois

Fishballs and Shrimp

Good morning,

This is another dinner that Kjell prepared.  It's Norwegian fish balls and shrimp in a white sauce served over crushed boiled potatoes.  I had never heard of fish balls before I met Kjell, but now I'm a fan. 

Fish balls?  Think of meatballs, only using white fish to make them instead of beef or pork. 

Yum!

Lois

Sleeping Baby

Good morning,

Sweet Baby Elsa plays hard and sleeps very well.  In the image above she had fallen asleep in my arms and was very comfortable there for more than two hours. 

What a little angel.

:),
Lois

Doggie Slumber Party

Good morning,

Our four pups had two friends over for a slumber party last weekend and they sure did have fun!

Our baby Elsa was in the middle of everything during romp time.

The two Border Collies, Tillie and Teddy, are guests who are here often.  Their Mommy is a good friend of ours.  She was out of town so the pups spent the weekend with us. 

These are all very good pups!  Here they are sitting patiently waiting for a cookie.  They get their cookies when their name is called in order of seniority.  There is no fighting and jumping.  They know they will get their turn.

Baby Elsa, center in this picture, learned very quickly how to fit in with the big dogs and wait her turn.

They are all so good!  That is so sweet!

 Lois

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Good morning,

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We don't have shamrocks growing in our garden, but these pretty snowdrops are always blooming on St. Patrick's Day and are a welcome sign of spring here.

So, for all who are wearing the green and drinking green beer today, Happy St. Patrick's Day!

All the best,
Lois

Stopping to Smell the Daffodils

Good morning,

While walking Penny in the front garden she was most interested in the daffodils emerging from the soil.

It won't be long until we have beautiful yellow blooms again!

:),
Lois

Sweater Weather

Good morning,

Here's Wendy modeling a sweater that I just got for her.  I thought I'd see how she likes wearing it before knitting one for her myself.

I'm not so sure she is very pleased about being so stylish. 

She's pretty cute, though!

Lois

Dessert for Dinner?

Good morning,

Here's a break from the puppy pictures for a moment. 

We thought it was pretty funny that we managed to construe this to be a dinner meal:

Me:  How about breakfast for dinner?

He:  Sure.  Sounds good.

Me:  I think I want pancakes.

He:  You know I like them thin.

Me:  Yep.  We call those crepes on this side of the pond.  I guess I need to fill them with something.  I think peach filling.

He:  Sounds good.

Me:  Gotta have some whippy cream, too.

He:  Oh, yes, of course.

Me:  I guess I'll add some bacon to make it look like a meal.

He:  Perfect.

Yum!

Lois

Puppy Elsa vs. Beeper Toy

Good morning,

Our breeder, Alicia, had beeper toys (actually made for human children) for Elsa and her siblings.  They had so much fun with them that we bought a set for Elsa when we brought her home. 

Click here to see the video:

Puppy Elsa vs. Beeper Toy

So cute!

Elsa learns very, very fast.  Her potty training is going well and we're trained, too, to take her out often!  In the image Elsa is in a her play area in the living room.  She's where she can be safe when we can't have eyes on her every minute (I have to cook dinner sometimes) and she can see us and what is going on with the big dogs.   She also has her own kennel for quiet time. 

Lois

Elsa's Nap Time

Good morning,

We let sleeping dogs lie here.  Very wise concept.

:),
Lois

New Gardener

Good morning,

We've hired a new gardener to help with the half-barrel herb garden.

Elsa got right to work sniffing out the condition of the garden.

Hmm.  Lots of nice aromas here even though nothing is growing yet this year.

 "I think I'll just remove these old things from last year." 

I'm sure Elsa will be very helpful with many things around the garden!

Lois

Erik and Elsa

Good morning,

I love the size comparison here.  Erik is ten years and Elsa is nine weeks old.  Since his leg surgery, Erik has retired from his Agility career and is now Chief of Security here at our home. 

Erik takes his job very seriously and is Elsa's protector both inside and out.  We humans are going outside with Elsa, too, since she is so small.  We have hawks and coyotes here so aren't taking any chances.

Precious!

Lois

First Fish Snack

Good morning,

Miss Elsa is adjusting very well into our household. 

We feed raw here and frozen smelt are a part of the diet.  They are to our pups as Popsicles were to our children.  

After one taste Elsa was hooked and looking for more. 

More pictures of Elsa to come!

Lois