Before and After

Jet was getting very raggedy and in dire need of a grooming.  We didn't get it done through the winter because of the brutally cold temperatures.  We go for long walkies everyday and we were concerned that he would get too cold without a full coat.

Now that the temperatures have become more moderate, we decided it was time to get Jet Man cleaned up. Well, his fur was so matted on his belly that the grooming was dramatic.  It had to be.

Here he is before, with his daddy :)

And now, he doesn't even look like himself!  We weighed him before and after -- he lost 3 pounds of fur!! He's a mere shadow of his former self. The good news is that fur does indeed grow back.  Can't wait for him to look like a Giant Schnauzer again -- right now he looks like a cross between a Great Dane and a Doberman.

For those of you wondering just how much snow we have received this winter, here's a look at our partially shoveled roof.  Rick did this last week as a precautionary measure.

And all of that snow had to go somewhere.  It is now partially blocking the window in the studio area of our house.

Here's a look down my driveway.  Whenever I drive in, I feel like I'm entering a bobsled or luge track!

Work Table Transformation

What a difference a few days can make.  My last post prompted some great input from my artsy friends Patty and Brandi.  I'll be ready to photograph and list a whole bunch of those interchangeable pendants when I return from my annual trek to Tucson.

 -- I always say that I go to Tucson to buy gems, but this year, it seems equally important to go there for a break from our extremely cold (sub-zero) month of January --

Working on the above mentioned project spurred me into action.  Kind of love when that happens.  I've been working on a series of duet and trio necklaces.  The process of selecting pairs of gemstones and trios of gemstones is really the most fun part of this.  Here's a look at the completed dangles.  Now all they need chains, clasps and prices!

It's always good for me to use a bunch of gems right before I go to Tucson.  That way, I can convince myself that I actually need more.  Right.

I'll close with a great picture of Jet during our walk down to the inlet the other day.  He's the most handsome guy!  He doesn't seem to care that it is -15!!

The New Floor .... and a little bit of Jet

I LOVE MY NEW FLOOR!  Yes, I screamed that at the top of my lungs.  I feel like a grown-up now that my floors are not made of plywood any more.  We're no longer living in a house known for it's dorm-room-chic qualities.  Alright, we still have some funky things going on, but for the most part, the house is done.  Amen.  It's only been 14 1/2 years.

You probably think this is a nice hardwood floor.  You would be wrong.  It's linoleum.  Yup, linoleum.  The manufacturer uses a photograph of wood and somehow adheres it to some really heavy duty linoleum.  There's even real wood-like texture going on here.

A friend of Rick's, who has installed many hardwood floors over the years, made the comment: "Why would anyone get real wood?"

And here's Jet on his new bed, after his grooming yesterday.  I wuv him.

Jet has a Play Date!

Jet is now 11 months old and weighs in at about 82 pounds.  That's a lot of dog, isn't it?  He's finally big enough for a "fair" play date with Murphy.  Murphy is the gorgeous labradoodle that lives across the street.  He's about 120 pounds!

Last week, I snapped some photos of them playing together in Kathryn & Timer's Murphy's backyard.

Looks rougher than it is.

Rick with Jet and Timer looks on.

(Murphy's not really biting Jet -- it just looks that way)

After only 10 minutes, the two of them are panting like, well, like dogs.

Poor Blitzen had to stay in the house.  She doesn't play well with others.  And she's old.

Jet Learns to Swim

A few weeks ago, we went for a hike in Eagle River -- along the North Fork.  This is part of Chugach State Park, which has countless trails and facilities.  The hike is an easy one (thank goodness!) and it was new territory for Jet.  He was so excited when we reached the river.

At first, he simply waded in, but quickly got bored with that.  Against my advice, Rick let him off the leash and Jet made a mad leap into the water.  To the surprise of all of us, it was way deeper than it looked and Jet immediately sunk!  How was he to know what the water would be like?  I thought he was a goner, but he quickly surfaced and started paddling like crazy, making his way to the shore.  Once I regained my composure, I hugged and kissed the wet monster, so happy that he was still alive.

All he wanted to do was dive in again, but I forbade it.  Enough was enough and parts of the river were moving swiftly.  I was afraid he would carried away by the current.  It's been known to happen and I wasn't taking any more chances.

The Last Big Pile of Snow

There are still small patches of snow all over my neighborhood, but this mountain at the Birchwood Airport is still pretty huge.  We've been taking our walkies to the airport because the inlet is a very ugly combination of melting snow, ice and mud.

My men, at the top of Snow Mountain:

I will be out of town for a week attending a metalsmithing class at Volcano Arts in California.  See you when I return!

can you take some more Jet cuteness?

Our adorable puppy dominates almost every aspect of our lives.  Events are scheduled around Jet's needs, as it should be with such a young puppy.

Saturday, we went for a long walk to the inlet.  He was very well behaved (most of the time). 

With his dad ...

Inspecting his shadow ...

Looking cute for the camera ...

He was so well behaved that we did the same exact walk on Sunday with Rick's friend Jeff and his dog Kaylee.  Jet only tried to hump her once.  Or twice.  So embarrassing.  She was so not interested in this little whippersnapper!

Puppy Kindergarten

All three of us have been going to school.  Every Thursday night we go to Puppy Kindergarten.  Whether or not we graduate is still up in the air.  I never thought I'd be back in school at my age!

The best and most fun part of class is play time -- kind of like recess in people kindergarten.  Watching all the adorable (about 10 of them) puppies running into each other and jumping over each other is hilarious.  They're mostly still pretty klutzy, which adds to the cuteness.

Jet and a male Great Pyrenees sniffing each other as class starts.  Not a great view of either one of them, but cute anyway.  They tend to be the two puppies that play the roughest.  That's Zumi in the foreground.  She's a German Shepherd-Husky mix.

Here's Jet and his dad, after play time.  Two Australian Shepherds (litter mates) are in the foreground.  Jet attacked one of them earlier and it ran away whimpering.  If this class has a bully, it's Jet.  Not so proud of that, but he is at least 6 weeks older than most of the other pups.

The Great Pyrenees is so gorgeous, I decided he needed a picture all his own.  He's so fluffy!

The two Shelties are perfectly behaved.  They are older and belong to the class teacher.  She demos all the commands with both of them and they do whatever she says.  That's a testament to her abilities.  Let's hope it works out for us.

Dog Days

We have both -- well, all 3 of us really -- been so busy with Jet-based activities.  Walkies many times a day is a necessity when your bladder is still pretty small.  Training and practicing sit, down and stay multiple times a day.  Jet's attention span is still very short, so several abbreviated sessions are required.

Still, we made some time for a long, long walk down to the inlet for some play on a very long rope.  He needs to burn some of the puppy energy.

First, we must investigate underneath this specific tree.

On our way to the inlet, Jet investigates something in the woods.  I think it was just another tree.

Taking in all the open space at the inlet.

My lame attempt at a Jet Film.

He's A Handful!

I guess I really forgot how much work it is to train a new puppy.  Jet, our new little (not for long though) Giant Schnauzer is truly a handful.  He's testing his limits with us every step of the way.  It's tempting to go the easy route and simply give-in, but we know better.  Slowly but surely, we are making progress with him.  The most difficult thing has been teaching him to walk in a controlled manner on a loose leash.  This will probably take a few weeks.

With his favorite squeaky toy.

Taking a drink of water, with his toy nearby.

And basking in the sun without a care in the world.  Probably dreaming about his toy.  Yes, he is very relaxed and his legs are spread wide open.  No shame.

My Little Jet Engine

Right now, Jet, our brand new Giant Schnauzer puppy is like a Piper Cub.  The truth is that he will be a 747 Jumbo Jet before long.  I swear, I think he's grown in the 3 days we've had him!

I snapped this photo after we took those ear bandages off:

One ear is a little floppy, but we have a vet appointment soon and will find out the ins and outs of this silly ear business.  If I had my druthers, I never would have had his ears cropped and I understand this is against the law in England.  How civilized!