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Showing posts with label Buckwheat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buckwheat. Show all posts
Please Pardon My Absence . . .
I'm back in this space. I can't explain why I've been gone so long. It's not been for lack of pictures--there are folders of edited (and unedited) photos on my hard drive . . . Let's just chalk it up to inertia. That, and sometimes it's just nice to curl up in a chair and do nothing at all.
Happy Adoption Day Mr. B!
On June 15th, 2012 Buckwheat came into our lives. In a way, he felt meant for us. He showed up on the SPCA website on a Monday, the very week we had set as the week we could start looking for a dog. I was instantly smitten--his bright eyes, his funny ears, his cowlicks, his stance. I checked the website every day that week (often several times a day) to make sure he was still there. I spontaneously called out his name around our condo; I sent C texts and Gchat messages composed of a single word: "Buckwheat!". By Friday, he was ours.
I thought I was prepared for the love I would feel for him. My family had two dogs growing up and I adored them both. The first, Coco Bear, was a lap dog with an adventurous streak (and a bit of a feisty side). He still makes appearances in my dreams. The second, Lucy, was a big stray that loved people and walks and fetch and swimming. She was a total sweetheart and practically our whole neighborhood fell in love with her. But my love for Buckwheat is on a whole different level. It was immediate and strong and deep; it's the kind of love you feel in your stomach; the kind of love that makes you giddy and causes you to smile spontaneously. I suppose it comes from being charged with his care and from the intimacy of sharing a home (and a life). But really, he just melts my heart. Every single day.
Over the last year, Buckwheat has acquired too many nicknames to count. He's Mr. B, BW, B Dubs, B Whizzle, Buck, Bucky, Buckaroni, Bug, Buggy, Bugaroo, Bugsy and Bugsy Malone--all riffs on Love Bug which is actually short for Love Bug Jr. (which is occasionally abbreviated to LBJ); he's our little nut ball, our fur child, our wild man; he's a smoochy pooch, a muskrat, a bundle and a puppy face . . . And that's just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Other people call him cute, SO cute, adorable, handsome, and good looking. They say he looks like Benji or a wookie or a teddy bear. He's even been called a rock star. He attracts people from all walks of life. He makes people smile. I see it as they walk by.
When Buckwheat walks down the street, he has a pep in his step. His walk has been called a prance. A man once stopped me and said, "That dogs so cool. He walks SO proud". It's true--his strut looks proud. There's a spirit, an ease and an enthusiasm when he walks--whenever he walks, wherever he goes. On my laziest days, Buckwheat gets me out of the house and reminds me that the world is exciting and that we should never stop being curious and that we should continue to be playful and that we should always be grateful .
He's a happy, plucky dog with a sweet, sweet heart. In the evenings he joins us on the couch and we rub his belly and he makes us laugh (and laugh, and laugh). Before bed, he sometime leads us on chases through the living room--he jumps up on furniture, crouches, spins wildly in the air, runs around the table and then does it all over again--these also tend to end in laughter. And Buckwheat has that doggy intuition. When I'm sad or worried or can't sleep--he'll curl up close and keep me company (I don't even have to say anything).
Our life is sillier, happier and sweeter with Buckwheat in it. There are more walks, more laughter, more lazy mornings, more adventures--our life is more complete. Before, there was A and C and we were married and in love and happy. Now we are ABC--we're a little family; we're a pack.
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In honor of Buckwheat's adoption day, we spoiled him rotten--I baked him doggy cupcakes and C grilled him his very own steak (half of which we saved for tomorrow). I won't apologize for it though--it was definitely a day worth celebrating. We love you Mr. B!
And now for a selection of Buckwheat photos:
He's so stinkin' cute. 365 days and counting.
ps: I've also written about Buckwheat here.
I thought I was prepared for the love I would feel for him. My family had two dogs growing up and I adored them both. The first, Coco Bear, was a lap dog with an adventurous streak (and a bit of a feisty side). He still makes appearances in my dreams. The second, Lucy, was a big stray that loved people and walks and fetch and swimming. She was a total sweetheart and practically our whole neighborhood fell in love with her. But my love for Buckwheat is on a whole different level. It was immediate and strong and deep; it's the kind of love you feel in your stomach; the kind of love that makes you giddy and causes you to smile spontaneously. I suppose it comes from being charged with his care and from the intimacy of sharing a home (and a life). But really, he just melts my heart. Every single day.
Over the last year, Buckwheat has acquired too many nicknames to count. He's Mr. B, BW, B Dubs, B Whizzle, Buck, Bucky, Buckaroni, Bug, Buggy, Bugaroo, Bugsy and Bugsy Malone--all riffs on Love Bug which is actually short for Love Bug Jr. (which is occasionally abbreviated to LBJ); he's our little nut ball, our fur child, our wild man; he's a smoochy pooch, a muskrat, a bundle and a puppy face . . . And that's just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Other people call him cute, SO cute, adorable, handsome, and good looking. They say he looks like Benji or a wookie or a teddy bear. He's even been called a rock star. He attracts people from all walks of life. He makes people smile. I see it as they walk by.
When Buckwheat walks down the street, he has a pep in his step. His walk has been called a prance. A man once stopped me and said, "That dogs so cool. He walks SO proud". It's true--his strut looks proud. There's a spirit, an ease and an enthusiasm when he walks--whenever he walks, wherever he goes. On my laziest days, Buckwheat gets me out of the house and reminds me that the world is exciting and that we should never stop being curious and that we should continue to be playful and that we should always be grateful .
He's a happy, plucky dog with a sweet, sweet heart. In the evenings he joins us on the couch and we rub his belly and he makes us laugh (and laugh, and laugh). Before bed, he sometime leads us on chases through the living room--he jumps up on furniture, crouches, spins wildly in the air, runs around the table and then does it all over again--these also tend to end in laughter. And Buckwheat has that doggy intuition. When I'm sad or worried or can't sleep--he'll curl up close and keep me company (I don't even have to say anything).
Our life is sillier, happier and sweeter with Buckwheat in it. There are more walks, more laughter, more lazy mornings, more adventures--our life is more complete. Before, there was A and C and we were married and in love and happy. Now we are ABC--we're a little family; we're a pack.
--------
In honor of Buckwheat's adoption day, we spoiled him rotten--I baked him doggy cupcakes and C grilled him his very own steak (half of which we saved for tomorrow). I won't apologize for it though--it was definitely a day worth celebrating. We love you Mr. B!
And now for a selection of Buckwheat photos:
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| Buckwheat on his first day with us |
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| Buckwheat on his first hike with us |
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| Buckwheat getting a bath |
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| Buckwheat on an evening stroll |
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| Buckwheat at the beach |
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| Buckwheat being a wild man at the park |
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| Buckwheat with the wind in his fur |
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| Buckwheat yawning |
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| Buckwheat at Arroyo Seco |
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| Buckwheat with his summer cut |
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| Buckwheat in need of a trim |
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| Buckwheat curled up on the floor |
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| Buckwheat curled up on orange chair |
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| Buckwheat curled up on the couch |
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| Buckwheat doin tricks |
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| Buckwheat gettin some love |
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| Buckwheat at Tahoe |
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| Buckwheat today, eating a celebratory puppy cupcake! |
ps: I've also written about Buckwheat here.
Adventures with Dog: Hiking in Almaden Quicksilver Park
The other weekend C and I took Buckwheat on a hike through Almaden Quicksilver Park. In Almaden Quicksilver Park there were bushy green trees, fields of waving
grass, vistas of little houses and patchwork hillsides, old mines and
dilapidated buildings and winding paths with wildflowers around almost every corner. There were also mountain bikers (one of which almost his
us while barrelling down a hill), a couple of horses, a handful of trail
runners and of course, other hikers. The park was so big though, that most of the
time it felt like we had it all to ourselves.
Halfway through the hike we stopped and had bagels and lox at a picnic table with a view and felt pretty happy about our choice for the day. Three quarters of the way through the hike, we asked ourselves why we chose to take a 7 and a half mile hike the day after a 10 mile run--our legs were tired and we were ready to be back at the parking lot. But Buckwheat was a happy camper the whole time--trotting from scent to scent, only slowing when he noticed me fall behind to take photos . . .
Halfway through the hike we stopped and had bagels and lox at a picnic table with a view and felt pretty happy about our choice for the day. Three quarters of the way through the hike, we asked ourselves why we chose to take a 7 and a half mile hike the day after a 10 mile run--our legs were tired and we were ready to be back at the parking lot. But Buckwheat was a happy camper the whole time--trotting from scent to scent, only slowing when he noticed me fall behind to take photos . . .
Those Spring Evenings
Now that the evenings are long again, we can do things like take Buckwheat to the doggie beach after work! The lengthening of the days also allows us to frolic through fields of wild flowers, dig our toes into the sand, meet new poochie friends with names like Ringo (formerly Gringo) and Hazel, sun our freckles and otherwise extend our adventures into later hours . . .
Some iPhone photos from a recent sunny weeknight evening, below:
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| Wildflowers as High as Your Eyes! |
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| I'm a Total Sucker for Wildflowers (photo by C) |
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| Best Buds . . . |
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| . . . Walking through Light House Field |
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| To the Water! |
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| Sun on our Faces |
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| Toes in the Sand |
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| Doggie Beach Views |
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| More Doggie Beach Views |
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| Good Evening for a Trip to the Beach |
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| Buckwheat Retreats from the Waves (He's Onto Our Tricks) |
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| These Two are the Best |
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| And Spring Evenings are Pretty Great. |
8 Months of Buckwheat
Eight months ago today, Buckwheat came into our lives. At the adoption center he was the only dog not kept in a pen or kennel. After scanning the room, I found him quietly curled up at the feet of a volunteer. We spent an hour or so with him--we walked him, sat with him, talked to him and peered into his eyes. It was clear he was a very sweet dog and after filling out a couple forms, he was ours to take home.
Buckwheat was sweet from the get-go but he is also many other things. He is proud, spunky, playful, loyal, adventurous, strong, fast, adaptable, patient and curious. With a few exceptions, he tends to be shy around new people but once you get to know him, he's a total love bug. He is a medium sized dog (although on the smaller side of medium) but he definitely thinks he is a lap dog--sit down on the floor and he'll burrow into your lap; sit down at a chair at a table and he'll join you there, too (if you let him)!
In the past eight months we've learned many of Buckwheat's interests, as well as some of his dislikes. His interests include playing chase, having his belly rubbed, going on long hikes, sleeping in comfortable beds, curling up in orange chairs, sticking his head out of car windows, taking elevators, riding (and running after) sleds, wearing sweaters (okay, he might just be a good sport about that one), hanging out at the dog park, going on camping trips, standing over gopher holes and taking in the world through his nose ... He also likes food. Like a lot. It might be his favorite thing in the world. He is a very adventurous eater (he'll eat anything he finds on the sidewalk!).
Buckwheat's dislikes include fast bicycles, large dogs he cannot sniff, vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, car rides over 20 hours, swimming, getting caught in the rain and just getting wet in general (baths? no thanks!). He is still unsure about cats (especially his "uncle" Max), yippy chihuahuas, toys and lettuce (I mean he'll eat it, if it's the only thing that happens to fall on the floor but give him a sandwich and he'll eat everything BUT the leaf of lettuce).
Not a day goes by that Buckwheat doesn't make us laugh. The last eight months with him have just been so much fun. Life before was good, but life with Buckwheat is a whole lot better!
Below are nine iPhone photos of Mr. Buckwheat (one from each month he's been in our life, June through February):
We love you, Buckwheat. You've made the last eight months so very good. Thank you for making us a little family of three.
Buckwheat was sweet from the get-go but he is also many other things. He is proud, spunky, playful, loyal, adventurous, strong, fast, adaptable, patient and curious. With a few exceptions, he tends to be shy around new people but once you get to know him, he's a total love bug. He is a medium sized dog (although on the smaller side of medium) but he definitely thinks he is a lap dog--sit down on the floor and he'll burrow into your lap; sit down at a chair at a table and he'll join you there, too (if you let him)!
In the past eight months we've learned many of Buckwheat's interests, as well as some of his dislikes. His interests include playing chase, having his belly rubbed, going on long hikes, sleeping in comfortable beds, curling up in orange chairs, sticking his head out of car windows, taking elevators, riding (and running after) sleds, wearing sweaters (okay, he might just be a good sport about that one), hanging out at the dog park, going on camping trips, standing over gopher holes and taking in the world through his nose ... He also likes food. Like a lot. It might be his favorite thing in the world. He is a very adventurous eater (he'll eat anything he finds on the sidewalk!).
Buckwheat's dislikes include fast bicycles, large dogs he cannot sniff, vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, car rides over 20 hours, swimming, getting caught in the rain and just getting wet in general (baths? no thanks!). He is still unsure about cats (especially his "uncle" Max), yippy chihuahuas, toys and lettuce (I mean he'll eat it, if it's the only thing that happens to fall on the floor but give him a sandwich and he'll eat everything BUT the leaf of lettuce).
Not a day goes by that Buckwheat doesn't make us laugh. The last eight months with him have just been so much fun. Life before was good, but life with Buckwheat is a whole lot better!
Below are nine iPhone photos of Mr. Buckwheat (one from each month he's been in our life, June through February):
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| Buckwheat on his adoption day (June 2012). |
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| Buckwheat asking for a belly rub (July 2012). |
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| Buckwheat on a hike in Mazama (August 2012). |
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| Buckwheat at the beach (September 2012). |
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| Buckwheat cuddling with C (October 2012). |
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| Buckwheat after a rainy walk (November 2012). |
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| Buckwheat running in snow country (December 2012). |
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| Buckwheat on a walk in Pogonip (January 2013). |
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| Buckwheat, bright eyed after a trip to the groomer (February 2013). |
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