Now Norma Knits

Terrier Mondy/Tuesdy - Nice Walk [Never Happened] Edition

Dear Readers,

Alpha and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all the emails of concern over the past little while. We are here, and we are well and happy -- let's just get that out of the way right off the bat.

We've been busy, but that is kind of just a lame excuse. There have been times in our lives together when we have been much more busy, but we have still managed to put a blog post up every single day. And now, the raw, unvarnished truth is that we just have gotten out of the habit. We are both going to try to improve in the near future, but we've been saying that for weeks now, so take that as you will.

Today, Alpha drove home from Burlington and she was all excited and happy when she got home. She said, "It's really nice outside, and it's still daylight! Let's go to the [sports] complex for a Nice Walk!" "Nice Walk" means a really good serious long walk where she gets a lot of nice air-breathing exercise and I get a lot, too. It also means that I get to stop a lot of times and do the thing that little boy dogs like to do best. I think you know what I mean by that. And then I come home and I cuddle up on her down pillow and have a nice, deep nap while she gets back to work. It's the best.thing.ever. I feel so sorry for dogs and people who don't get to have Nice Walks. 

So I waited patiently while she quickly changed her clothes and her shoes, and we went outside.

 

 

But the sun had gone down faster than she could change her clothes. It had beat us, and it was already too dark to go for a Nice Walk.

I don't know if I ever told you, but I've never really been a huge fan of the dark. Well, it's been ESPECIALLY true since that episode with the skunk last fall. So I took one look out there, and I said, "Um, Alpha. Can I take a raincheck, please?"  

Now that I'm all tucked up inside the house, I kind of wish I hadn't said that. It's nice in here and all, but I really do miss my Nice Walks. I'll be glad when winter is over, won't you? 

Love,

 

Mr. Jefferies

Terrier Tuesday -- Problem-Solver Edition

Dear Readers,

Yesterday Alpha gave me a marrow bone, but she took it from the freezer. Which... you know... meant it was FREEEEEEEEEZING for my mouth and my teeth. I tried to ask her to warm it up a bit for me, but she just ignored me, saying she had to get to work. (Offshore medical schools don't observe American holidays, ya know.)

So I thought and I thought, "How am I going to make this thing warm enough that I can chew on it without hurting my teeth?"

Then I remembered:  My heated bed!

 

 

I brought it there and left it for a while, until it was nice and room-temperature. And then, when it was all nice and ready, I chewed it and chewed it, and ate all the delicious organically raised beef marrow out of it.

Alpha says she is starting to get afraid of me coz I'm too smart. But why, exactly, is that news? What did she think?!

Love and beefy kisses,

Mr. Jefferies

 

Terrier Tuesday -- HAPPY NEW YEAR! Edition

Hello Dear Readers,

I totally feel like I should be witty or wise -- or both -- in my first post of the year.

 

But ever since she got back from Jamaica, I just can't seem to get my nose out of Alpha's elbow.

Happy New Year to you all!

May your 2012 be as good as this feels.

Love,

Mr. Jefferies

 

 

Terrier Tuesday -- Post-Holiday Edition

Dear Readers,

We are all just a little bit tired this morning. The last week or so was a whirlwind, I'll tell you. I was just going through the family Christmas photo album to get ready for writing this post, and I started to think that maybe I'm losing my mind! I'm only three years old -- surely that is too young to start losing my memory, isn't it? Maybe I just had too much rum punch.

But none of this looks familiar. It's like a dream. It's almost like I wasn't THERE!

Here, take a peek: 

 

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Oh, waaaaaait a minute.

I know what's wrong with these pictures.

I wasn't there.

Bogus.

Love,

 

Mr. Jefferies

P.S. Hope you all had lovely holidays!

 

 

 

 

 

Terrier Tuesday -- Better Late Than Never Edition

Dear Readers,

I know Tuesday is almost over, but as you can probably imagine by my late missive, things have been busy around here. I've got some big terrier news to relate, but first off, I am told by She Who Owns This Blogspace that I must show you how she's doing on the sweater she's been working on, and tell you a little bit about it.

She says to tell you this is a pattern from a Classic Elite booklet called Noble Fibers (the pattern is called "Lush Shaped Cardigan"), and she's knitting it in sportweight Peace Fleece in some grey color -- "Father's Grey" maybe? Leftover yarn from David's sweater from last year.

Anyway, she was going gangbusters on this thing until she got a bit confuzzled by the neck cast-off directions. She thought she'd just put it down for the evening and re-read the directions after a good night's sleep and carry on from there. But then she ended up spending the next couple of days lying in bed on a heating pad and taking lots of drugs because her hips hurt so wicked bad from running and then going to yoga which, to her surprise, exacerbated the hip pain.

She said a lot of bad words for a lot of days in a row, I'll just tell you that. Cranky doesn't even BEGIN to describe it.

She finally got in to see her Wonder Therapist (not Cindy, but Cindy has hired someone else with the same training), and now she's doing pretty fine -- or at least much better than before. So, she says, hopefully she will get back to the sweater, but it turns out she is quite a bit more busy with work than she thought she would be for December. It's all good. More work for her means more toys and treats for me, plus it makes her happy.

She is pinching me right now and saying, "Tell them about the buttons!" The copper buttons from England arrived, and they are very pretty, interesting, and unique, even to a little Yorkshire pudding like me. You can't really tell from this picture how awesome they are, but hey, I'm doing the best I can.

But can we PUHLEEEEEZE talk about me now?!

As you know, I've been having quite a bit of up-close-and-personal time with wildlife of late, and this week was no exception. A couple of days ago, I just ran like a bat out of hell off the deck, like I do, to scare away any wildlife that has the gall to be in our backyard. Usually everything just scatters faster than even I can catch up to it. But I've been working out, dontchaknow, and this time I caught right up to a squirrel! I'm not kidding! I had him right in my grasp! The stupid dummy, he's supposed to RUN! I told him so. I was like, "What.the.heck.are.you.doing? You're supposed to just run up the tree or something!" 

To be honest, I was a little bit stunned, and truth be told, I kinda didn't like the feeling of his furry little neck in my mouth anyway. Actually......... I just didn't know what to do.

But I will deny that in a court of law.

So I barked and I barked, and I told that frickin' squirrel, "Get your fluffy-ass tail UP that tree, and don't you come back DOWN!"  And the squirrel was pretty stunned himself, and he eventually pulled himself together and ambled up the tree, where he heaved his breath and looked at me and he probably thought, "Oh my god, there IS a god."  

I taught him a thing or two, I'll just tell ya. Next time I might not be so forgiving, I'm just saying. 

I'm licking my lips just thinking about it.

So that was my week. How was yours?!

Love,

 

Mr. Jefferies

 

Terrier Tuesday -- Tenacity Edition

Dear Readers,

I guess Alpha has finally forgiven me for That Skunk Incident. Either that, or it's true what they say about Love Conquers All, because last night she brought me home a new toy.

And I LOVVVVVVVVVVVE my new toy more than all my other toys combined. Well, for now -- that is to say, this exact moment in time -- anyway.

This is my favorite way to play with all my toys. I drop it on the first step. And I stare at it intently and I wait for it to move. 

I wait.

And I wait.

And I wait. Sometimes for an hour or more. 

And once in a while I will bark to try to get it to move.

And if it still won't move, I will stare at it some more. Every once in a while, I will let out a little squeak, and Alpha or David will come and throw the toy.

And I will run and get it.

And then....

I start all over again.

Alpha says we terriers are a rather tenacious lot. I have no idea what she means by that. She says, "Don't worry. It's not a bad word." 

I guess I have no choice but to believe her.

Doggedly yours,

 

Mr. Jefferies 

 

 

 

Terrier Tuesday -- Hiking With Chloe Edition

Dear Readers,

I bet you thought I forgot to blog this week, huh? Who, me? Never! I just got caught up with a few things, such as Alpha made me have ANOTHER bath last night, which means that she had to hold me until I dried because I was so dat burned COLD and shivering. And then this morning we had to go visit our veterinarian and I had to have some shots and stuff. 

The vet said I'm the most muscular Yorkie she has ever seen, perfectly proportioned, she says, and very healthy, and WHAT BIG TEETH I HAVE for a Yorkie! That might explain my adorable underbite.

She also said that I was the best-behaved Yorkie she had ever seen. I'm not letting it go to my head, because maybe she says that to all the dogs she sees. Or maybe I am indeed perfect. I'll let you decide.  

So one reason I'm so muscular and in such good shape, as you know, is because Alpha and I do a lot of exercise together. The other day we took another hike up the hill in the back of our house, and this time we took our friends Chloe and Jessica. Chloe is a Yorkie too!  

Jessica is a human. She is a lovely human. She spoils me when she babysits me, and takes me where she works, which is just like SO COOL and they love dogs there. 

Anyway, we had a great time and Alpha even remembered to bring the camera!

If I don't bark at you before then, be sure to have a Happy Thanksgiving, okay?

 

Love,

 

Mr. Jefferies

 

Terrier Tuesday -- It STINKS Edition

Dear Readers,

If you ever see a cat that looks like this:

...do not -- I repeat DO NOT -- chase it. If you do you will learn that these special cats have a secret fucking weapon up their ass and you will be very very sorry and you will cry and yelp and be very smelly and you will throw up all over the rugs and your eyes will hurt and your nose will hurt and there is just nothing nothing nothing that will make it go away and Alpha will be very very mad at you and you will have to have too many baths and she will still be scowling at you every single day and you might never ever ever live it down. And she will be throwing things out the door and washing everything fortythreemillion times and saying a lot of very bad words and ....

I'm really worried, readers. Alpha is truly losing her shit and is about ready to fall off the edge I do believe. She starts to twitch and shriek wildly every time she sees anything that is remotely black white and furry. She is spending huge amounts of money on products that might send the FBI knocking at our door. Things like vast quantities of Fabreeze peroxide baking soda dishwashing liquid and laundry detergent.

She says she is going to either die of the smell or have to be admitted to the crazy person's hospital because she can't stop smelling the STINK and she's going to shave all our hair off and wash all of her skin off and burn all her clothes and the carpets and the beds. 

I don't know what to do to make her feel happy again. Do you?

Woefully yours,

 

Mr. Jefferies

 

 

Terrier Tuesday -- Baxter the Therapy Dog Edition

Dear Readers,

This is a fairly old video, but Alpha just discovered it this weekend. If you can watch this and not shed a few tears, well, you're a better man (and perhaps a bit cold-hearted) than we are. 

Love,

Mr. Jefferies

 

Can You Spot The Very Happy Yorkie?

How about now?

Yesterday was the epitome of the perfect autumn day, perfect for a hike up Aldis Hill, behind our house. 

Well!

Mr. Jefferies thought he had died and gone to Heaven. Did he ever LOVE this walk, especially when I took the leash off. You could SEE the smile on his face. 

I spent years hiking these trails almost every day, and I used to take Vincent up there. I've only taken Jeffies up once or twice, and the conditions were sketchy for a little Yorkie -- snowy once and terribly wet and muddy another time -- both times cold. But yesterday was just perfect for both of us. I wish all days could be like that one.