Ah, the outdoors!

Someone really loves this stuff

But she may be in the minority at this point!

Me and my shadow

Winter!

Willow in the winter

Earlier this month Willow waited to hear  my wishes on which way to go, the lower pond path or the upper.  That was a wonderful snowy morning, but today is woefully without snow as we wend our way to Christmas.  We are witnessing fog and rain and temperatures quite above normal.  So the lyrics of the Wassail Song are very appropriate to our winter weather:

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
And God bless you, and send you
A Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.

Whoops, I got ahead of myself.  Let Good King Wenceslas and me wish you a very Merry Christmas, first with Robert Shaw Chorale

and then wigging out with Mannheim Steamroller.  Happy Holidays to all!

Many more holiday wishes await you at ABC Wednesday!

Keeping warm

Two golden-haired ones huddle by the fireplace flames to drive away the cold and forget about the lake-effect snow flurries that hang over the day.

She never even moved!

What I didn't capture was the next moment when Willow was on the ground just behind Abbey Rose in the "let's play" posture.  Abbey finally looked at her, but still sat there unmoved by Willow's whimpering entreaties.  Both Kali and Ruby would have given Willow a merry chase.  Abbey is now 10 years old and less inclined to frolic than she once was.

Notice that green grass!  It goes with yesterday's willow tree as hopeful signs of spring.  Stayed tuned for more such signs.

How we feel about a sunny day

Willow and I took a long walk on this sunny day, and as I started to flag she was still roaring to go.  Still no real green in those old grasses, but soon we hope.  Again this morning the temperature is below 20,  but it will be sunny again today!

Update on yesterday's crocus: somebody ate it last night! 

Goodness, gracious great Golden dog!

 

Here is the true gem of this blog for G-day, Willow, aka Lady GG (for great girl or good girl or goofy girl) and also Gold Feather with whom we have been bonded for just over a year now.  We are grateful to the Great Lakes Golden Retriever Rescue group and the patron saints of Goldens in St. Joseph County, Lynda and Tom Molter, for granting us the gift of her company.

Now grant me leave to give in to the temptation for doggerel (no offense, Willow) with which I have been greeting you during Round 8 of Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday!

First, gather glittering words to build
the books of Ginsberg and Graham Greene,
also Germaine Greer, the so-glib guild.

They grant us visions of glamorous gams,
a gaffer in galoshes and the gentle geranium
midst gruff goats and gamboling lambs. 

Gravy and gulumki help grow our girth,
Garbage and gardens galvanize the earth.

What guarantees this grim verse mirth?
Gadzooks!  how much is a gag order worth!

And in case you are not already grumbling, here is Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire from my goofy teenage years when we gathered at the 5 & 10 to greet the latest rock and rollers who are now old geezers! 

Jerry Lee Lewis - Great balls of fire
Uploaded by rocky91. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

A fan of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Here's Willow watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last night.  She would leave her post when a commercial came on (just like her human friends), unless the commercial had dogs in it.  She took the elimination of the Golden Retriever in stride, but took to her couch when those yippy little terriers came on!

We are celebrating the 1st anniversary of her adopting us today.

Whoopeee!

Yes, yes, yes, the sun is shining!  Whoopeee!  Let the sun shine in!

V for Vitality

A vision of vitality for V-day on ABC Wednesday.  Here are Willow (on the left) and her friend, Paca, (who lives in Milwaukee) having a very vivacious romp up the path through the meadow on Thanksgiving.  May your tongue hang out today because you are having so much fun!

For more explorations of V-day, please visit the gang at ABC Wednesday.

Jumping for joy

To join J-day on ABC Wednesday this week,  I am giving into temptation and one more time sharing Willow with you.  Last week, on the shores of Lake Superior, she would stroll into the lake for a drink -- as long as there were no waves --  rush out of the water for a chaser of rolling in the sand, and then run crazy circles around the beach -- sort of like dancing on the table when you have had a few too many.  What a joy to see her have such a good time! 

A very good friend on seeing these photos wrote, "what is it with these goldens and rolling in sand after swimming?  and then magically getting relatively clean afterwards?"  He made me think and I wondered outloud,  "if only we could shake off the sands, oh, of anger and sorrow and hate, as they do.  Do we need to be hairier?  Was that our big evolutionary mistake?!"




For less jabberwocky, maybe, join the jovial crowd at ABC Wednesday!

Objects may be larger than they appear

Any that's what the blurry bit in the upper right corner of the rear view mirror says.

a doggy bridge in Three Rivers

You may recall my lament last week about lack of bridges in Fabius, so for this week's Sunday Bridges we wandered out of the township into downtown Three Rivers.  This pedestrian bridge crosses  the Rocky River, which has left the township half a mile back and is headed now for its junction with the St. Joseph River. The St. Joe then heads south for South Bend, Indiana, and then north again to empty itself into Lake Michigan at the twin cities of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.  And it is the St. Joe that names this county in Michigan and South Bend's county as well. 

We were in town to participate in the Animal Rescue Fund's Doggy Wash.  ARF is a dedicated group of animal lovers who work to ensure the spaying of cats and dogs in the county.  Willow took part in this annual event for the first time and then got to wander the river's edge and cross the bridge.  Behind the bridge are the building backs of Three Rivers' one-block downtown district. 

With a cup of coffee in hand, explore more bridges at Louis la Vache's Sunday Bridges.

A dog and the daylillies

Dang it!  I've done it again, daring to bring you more displays of the Willow, with this dose disguised as a duo of D's:  dog and daylillies.  Both make me delirious and neither are deleterious.  All this doggeral duly designed to delight the denizens of ABC Wednesday!

Where is that treat?

When it is W on ABC Wednesday what else can I do but bring new Willow photos to you.......  Our rescued Golden Retriever is simply wonderful.  Why would no one come to get her from the Holland, Michigan, pound last January?  All I can say is "lucky us!"  She rarely woofs but is whacky about food.  She seldom wanders and always wags her tail.  Even Caliste the cat walks by her without running.  What a welcome addition to our corner of the world!

Many thanks to volunteers of the Great Lakes Golden Retriever Rescue group and especially to Willow's foster parents, the Molters, super volunteers for our local Animal Rescue Fund!

When one is never enough: more photos from WillowWorld.

Often regal

Wondering why this
door is a wee small

Most often on the run

Click on
any photo
to enlarge it.









More wallowing in W can be found on ABC Wednesday!