Back in the middle of January, we welcomed a new addition at our house:
Hello! I'm Mochi!
With both of us at home during the days now, the timing seemed right. Jeff’s been pushing for dog #2 for awhile and I finally gave in. (Sound familiar?) The whole thing happened faster than we expected, but it has worked out wonderfully.
Mochi (pronounced mo-che, as in ‘Can I have some mo’ cheese, please?’) is an affectionate, people loving dog. I love smothering her in hugs and rubbing my face in her fur, and Keiko is glad to have another dog around to save her from the suffocating attention! We’re trying to teach Mochi about personal space and manners, and she’s slowly learning. 🙂 She’s about 1 year old (same age as Keiko was when we adopted her 3 years ago) and mostly border collie, also like her big sister. She’s 60 pounds — bigger than we expected from her Petfinder listing. The first few days with her, we kept saying to each other, “How did we end up with such a big dog?”
The two dogs get along really well. As we’re found of saying, they speak the same doggie language. Keiko is faster, quicker, and all around more agile, but Mochi is stronger, very athletic, and has more energy. They love to wrestle and chase each other around the yard and house.
They both sleep on our bed at night (sigh). We tried to keep Mochi off, but with Keiko up with us and Mochi’s people loving, it just didn’t work. As you can imagine, it’s a bit crowded sometimes. We need a bigger bed!
Friends have been offering guesses as to what other breeds are mixed in with the border collie. It’s obviously something different than Keiko’s border collie mix, though people have asked us if they are litter mates. Any guesses?
February was busy, especially Fridays, but March brings new beginnings and a restart to five-sense Fridays.
tasting: popcorn and tea for lunch (I need to go to the store!)
smelling: the lovely bouquet of pink, yellow, and white flowers (plus one red rose) on the dining room table, a physical remnant of a group of husbands (mine included) spoiling their wives last weekend
seeing: SUN! This February was particularly gray, or so it seemed. Today marks two days in a row of sunshine, blue skies, and 40+ degree temperatures. Also, tips of spring bulbs struggling out of the damp, cold earth.
hearing: Jeff’s muffled voice on a conference call one floor directly above my head, no doubt doing an excellent job at whatever it is he’s explaining/brainstorming/analyzing; two puppies busily chewing their respective bones;Â Five Hours of Classical Favorites
feeling: the warmth of the sun streaming in through the dining room windows across my [extra] pale winter skin; pensive, meditative, reflective … about two familial situations in particular
I turned 27 years old on the 11th of this month. Somehow that felt like it was going to be significant and worth writing about. Not just the events of the day, but the meaning of it. Frankly, I don’t feel any older or any different. And yet, something about the change from 26 to 27 feels larger, more adult-ish than the change from 25 to 26. Maybe it’s the change from being in my mid-20s to my late 20s. Is 27 the late 20s? Regardless, being in my 20s, I am still young. I know that. But it doesn’t stop the feeling of growing older. I think I have a glimpse now of what it is like to be 40 or 50 or 60 and still feel the same as when you were 24. The shell may age and change, and the person inside can change and mature, but the essence of the person is still the same. Particularly in our image-driven culture, it’s hard to look past the outer shell, but I hope that more and more I remember to think about the real person rather than just the trappings. To see the person that God sees.
The events of the day and the days leading up to it bear telling as well. This year, my birthday fell on a Monday, and as such, Jeff told me I could have a whole birthday weekend. He really spoiled me this year! He wrapped my gifts individually so I had one to open each day, Friday through Monday. On Saturday, we had brunch at IHOP (BOGO coupon!), went shopping for office bookshelves among other things at IKEA, and had dinner at Der Dutchman (where we also bought my birthday cake). On Sunday, we watched North by Northwest, which was one of my presents. Monday, my actual birthday, we went out to my two favorite places: Melt and Yagoot. So much food goodness in one day… in one weekend! I branched out at Melt and had something new: chicken gumbo and The Lingo (pesto, roasted red peppers and herbed goat cheese melted on focaccia and finished with fresh baby spinach). A new episode of Castle topped off a wonderful evening. I had wanted to watch my favorite movie, The Big Country, but it’s long and didn’t fit well into the weekend plans so we ended up watching it later on.
Many, many thanks go out to my wonderful husband for making me feel very special and loved on my birthday! And, as always, Facebook is wonderful for birthdays. Thanks to all who wished me a happy day!
five-sense friday (B&B weekend edition)
Jeff and I have just enjoyed a weekend away at our favorite bed & breakfast in Kentucky. Rather than do five-sense friday early before we left, I thought I’d do a B&B weekend edition instead.
seeing: rented movies, a small pile of books, board games, knitting needles, fresh landscapes out the window, horse farms, old stone fences, snow
tasting: Chinese food lovingly created in a tiny kitchen; Cadbury drinking chocolate and Tim Tams; delicious full breakfasts prepared and served by our pleasant innkeepers, Alder and Gillian; fantastic Italian food, including fried fresh mozzarella, a fresh crusty boule of bread with dipping oil and spices, chicken parmesan, penne fresco, and a chocolate souffle
hearing: Keiko happily chewing away on her Nylabone, pages turning, the slow click of my beginner needles
smelling: Becky’s Soap Shoppe Blackberry Soy Lotion and Massage Candle — a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law Karen
feeling: content, full, and cozy in The Cottage
seeing: A friend for the last time this year. She left today for a one year job contract in Saudi Arabia, and a large group of us sent her off in style last night with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Also, muddy paw prints. Lots and lots of muddy paw prints.
tasting: Leftovers from Thursday’s meal prepared for our small group: Pioneer Woman’s chicken spaghetti casserole and dark and soft restaurant dinner rolls and nutty for oats cookies (both from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook).
feeling: The softening fur of our newest canine family member. A few more baths with oatmeal doggie shampoo, and she should be quite silky.
smelling: The fragrant purple hyacinth in my bulb garden purchased from Trader Joe’s last Sunday.
hearing: The tick-tock tick-tock of my grandfather’s clock above my desk. He made it himself out of wood and wicker and I pulled it back out of storage this week.
smelling: paint fumes from the kitchen. a clean dog (the opposite was getting rather potent).
feeling: warmer! it’s back above freezing this week and into the mid-40’s!
tasting: birthday cake from der dutchman. 4 days later and we still have about half of it left. it’s a big cake.
seeing: a house project started years ago finally completed (new back door). wet sidewalks from melted snow. soft lamp light. new office furniture and more space for books.
hearing: the sounds of a silent house: the clock ticking above the mantle, my laptop fan kicking up.
