Woof, Woof, WOOF!!!

Halloween. I loooove it. All the neighborhood kids come to the door. I alert Alice they are coming up the walk. They wear funny clothes, sometimes with flashy lights on them. Alice gives them candy. If it were me handing out the treats it would be liver, chicken, beef or hmmmmmm - my latest favorite - grilled salmon skin. Over at Sta. Rita, Karen hung up the fuzzy spiders and posted the feathered ravens by the front door. She carved a pumpkin, too. I bet now it has a candle in it and looks quite spooky. Alice always takes me on a walk after the kids are all home. Flickering pumpkin faces in the dark night.
Happy Halloween eveyone!!!

Winter Coming in NorCal

It's getting chilly. Paws cold on cold pavement. Even the cactuses have to cover up over at the Cactus Garden nearby. Some are losely wrapped. Some tightly covered. But not me. No, not ever. No coats or boots for me. No respectable Tibbie ever wears a coat. We are from snowy Tibet, you know.

Ernie Update

Here's how Ernie looks today. First formal portrait with his human family. He's had an interesting week. Learning how to live with people in a house all the time instead of in a cage with furry Mother and siblings. Lots and lots of rules. Toughest lesson is to learn how to be alone for 15 minutes...20....without crying. I was just NEVER alone before!!, says Ernie.

My first night with my first forever person I remember well. She put me in the kitchen in the flexible wire wall surround. Newspapers to pee on. Blankets to snuggle in. I wouldn't have it for one second. Cried and cried. Got a new place by her bed. Cried and cried. She finally realized I wanted to be NEXT TO YOU!!! In the bed! No more night-in-kitchen-alone for me.

I also had fun as a young puppy chewing up two wooden chairs' lower rungs and the corner of one upholstered chair. My first forever person thought that was fine since the chairs were hers and mine to do with what we wanted. Other people thought otherwise.

Alice sometimes threatens me with learning to walk at heel. "Power walking" she calls it. We shall see... Something tells me Ernie will walk at heel before I do.

Karen, the Red Sox and Me

Another baseball game earlier last night... I rather like them. They are usually pretty quiet and slow. A group of people sits around. Lots of pats for me. Lots of to and fro-ing to the kitchen. Lots and lots of attention for me. The people get excited when someone they like hits a ball a long way. The people also liked watching over and over and over again one runner sliding into home plate while the catcher... well.... no one is really sure where the ball was when the player's hand touched the base.....

Karen is a big Red Sox fan. Has a special baseball shirt and all. She got Roger to do the wave. She and Roger can talk baseball rules. Alice is hopeless in that department.

Lots of Red Sox fans amoung my human family and friends. Funny, none are that keen on the local team, the Giants. Roger is still mad they left New York. He is even madder the Dodgers left Brooklyn. But, not so mad that he threw away the ball his own Dad caught at a Dodgers game long ago. Pika's person, a pitcher, has it now. It's ball signed with special ESP.

Ernie's Life Story

I've been thinking about Ernie today. Found out some of his life story. He was born on August 2nd in Merced, California to a Welsh Corgi mother. The people are uncertain about who Dad is. Maybe a dachshund they think. Mother knows but isn't telling. That's a whole separate story!
No person wanted him in Merced. Imagine that! He traveled all the way to Santa Cruz to find a human family. I think he looks a lot like me. We can do the same sit-pose, I see. I had no long hair on my tail and ears when I was his age. I see he likes long hair.... And when I was very young I had a lot more black hair on my face, back and tail. Things change when one grows up. But, I'll bet Ernie will keep his white blaze on his face. Very distinguished.

Ernie's New Human Family

Ernie of Santa Cruz has a new home this weekend. Here he is with his new human laps and arms. It's awfully scary leaving Mother and siblings for the first time - forever and always most likely. But! That is what we dogs are meant to do. Ready to dash out into the world for adventures and a family to love and protect.
His favorite things in his first 24 hours with his new family are to lick faces and curl up in little balls ... and go to sleep right next to his people. He'll be meeting soon his big human family such as the very nice lady who worked with Alice at the airport this weekend. Ernie: watch out! She does not like ham or meat. So no good meaty handouts from her!!!
Meanwhile, I'll be thinking about Ernie and hoping to meet him as soon as he is big enough to get his shots and meet the Greater Dogdom World. It's a fun life, Ernie, and you really lucked out finding such a great family.

Slick and a Good Sun Spot

Here is Slick Sunday afternoon. Watching for the aircrews to come back from their sorties. Soaking up the Sun. Ready for sniffing what the people will have for lunch. Does life get any better?

Slick and Holly

Alice left me from before first light to hours after the Sun set. She came back with a whiff of BBD Slick on her foot and hands.

One tries to be calm. Easy to forget Slick, the Big Black Dog, when Alice hugs me close. She said I would not have been happy where she had to be all day Saturday. Lots of airplane noises. No time for walks. (Imagine no time for walks....!!) And not a good place to heat up my meals.

Then, when all seemed back to normal, what does she do but walk me by Holly's House. Holly. That Corgi who always rushes to greet Alice before touching noses with me. Honestly, do you call that decent dog manners? Still.... Holly has a different outlook on life than I do. She is afterfall, the best chicken rounder-upper I've ever met. Talented one, she is. And always cheerful and excited about life every minute of every day.

Meawhile, I hear Pika's person is back with all her most important people. But, doggie ESP tells me she wishes she was getting more walks from a certain someone who wishes she could be on his shoulder all day Sunday. She could snuffle and snort at all sorts of things all day long and make everyone smile and laugh.

October in California

Ah yes. October. Indian Summer. The sky takes a while to decide if it will give cold or warmth. I cherish the days the decision is Sun and warmth. 'Tother day was a fabulous time to soak up the Sun on the spa cover at Sta. Rita. Hmmmm... Smooth, a bit cushy and warm. Just right as Goldilocks would say.
But why did Alice interrupt my important snoozy soak with that camera? She needs to get a grip. Have a soak, too. You, too, whoever is reading this. Soak while the Sun shines folks!!

Oh Look! The Dalai Lama!!

Lots of photos of the Dalai Lama on the news today. Reminds Alice and me of a funny day in Carmel, California this past July. There she was walking to the car right outside an art shop. Alice saw an oil portrait of the Dalai Lama and shouted outloud, "Oh look! The Dalai Lama!!" to her sister and me who were in the car. Sister rolled her eyes. We had been sitting in the car for a while waiting for Alice. It seems everyone who walked past said the same thing in the same happy surprised tone of voice.
As a genuine Tibetan myself (by way of New Mexico), it always gladdens my heart when anyone pays attention to my homeland.
And I know for sure His Holiness himself would laugh out loud at that scene in Carmel. He has a great sense of humor. Just as he showed today when he patted a reporter's cheek when the reporter asked - let's face it - a rather silly question.

Rocket Dogs

Last week before the March for Burma in San Francisco, Alice picked up this flyer for Rocket Dog Rescue's fundraiser at a glass studio. Is this cool or what? Photo shoots, silent auction and lots of wet kisses I bet. And, isn't the woodblock art wonderful? So full of life. Makes me think a motorcycle side-car trip would be fun.

Winter's Coming

The cold weather is coming. I can feel it it my bones. Time to cherish the sun. Curl up in warm places. Snuggle. Eat a lot. Walk faster. Shuffle through the falling leaves. Hmmmmmm..... central heating......yeeeeeessssss.

San Francisco March for Burma

Alice walked from the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco to the UN Plaza by the SF Civic Center today with several hundred others. She'd never "marched" for anything before, but she said Burma needs help now. Right now. People need to do things like marches to keep it in the news. Tommorrow at noon in cities all over the world, people will gather to help Burma.
Down the long hill on Geary Street, then to O'Farrell and Hyde Street. The marchers filled a whole city block 3-5 people across in one lane of traffic. Alice was sorry every time they blocked car traffic, but at least the marchers moved along pretty quickly. Not longer than a long stop light.
Many of the marchers were not from Asian families. News reports said they were mostly all Burmese, Tibetan... but many around Alice were not. She guessed maybe 15-20% were not of Asian heritage. Funny how the press gets things wrong so often...
At the end of the march there were some speakers. First up was a lady who works for Congressman Tom Lantos. She read a speech he made recently in Congress. Then she quietly walked to the back of the crowd and sat down just a few feet away from Alice. Talk about "standing" with the marchers!
Two Japanese Buddhist priests started off the prayers. Then a Korean priest. Two Burmese monks - one of whom got out of Burma more than a decade ago. He asked as so many have this week, "Where are the monks?..... Next we will be asking where are the ordinary people?"
It just made one think of Crystal Nacht in old Germany. Heart rending.
About this time, someone started passing around a multi-page press statement from Congresswoman Pelosi. (Too late, babe! thought Alice. Outa be sitting next to the lady from Lantos' office already... or have a rep as he did. Still, better late than never.)
Then two Zen monks spoke. One from Berkeley. Other from San Francisco. One chanted three times in English the most important Buddhist credo. He asked everyone to pray for peace and kindliness to the whole world... even to the Burmese military junta who've ordered unarmed monks shot and beaten.
Senator Feinstein's office sent a statement which was read out.... but by then the prayers were over. The sun was going down, people were starting to light candles and Alice needed to come home to me. She walked down the aisle at UN Plaza of the plinths carved with the year each country joined the UN. She thought about how the UN was formally created at meetings in San Francisco so many years ago.
So many times the UN seems irrelevant. Alice hopes this is not one of those times.

Some Laughs and Many Big Wows

Freestyle heelwork to music? Alice loved watching this video. I know I could do that.... but at what cost to my independence? Hmmmm. That dog seemed to be constantly wagging the tail. Hmmmmmm....... And, it seems some actually make their living dancing with dogs. Hmmmm.

Seriously. I think I would prefer getting a massage to classical violin music than dancing with Alice to caberet music. But, you never know....

Time to Reach out Your Hand

The news from Burma is getting grimmer. It's time to extend your hand to those who have been marchng for free elections there, to those who have been rounded up, thrown into prison - or worse. It is so easy to extend a hand - or paw - of support. This Friday, there will be a big march and prayer session in San Francisco. Similar ones around the USA on Saturday. At least wear red on Friday to support those monks who lead the marches in Burma last week and who can't this week.