Halloween & Snow

Hallo, Mom!

Halloween was my second day in my new home. I'd slept pretty well during the night (thank you for sending my bed along with me - Lynn put a really soft blanket in it and I snuggled into the folds and slept very well.) Lynn is an early riser, and so I got up with her around 5:00 AM to see what she was doing. 

Oops! Maybe she wants some privacy in this room!

 Pepper has poked her head around the bathroom door and is peeking past the toilet paper holder.

5:00 AM is a good time to play, right? This picture is of me standing outside the bathroom door. I am holding my pink donut. (Sadly, Lynn took that donut away from me. She said I wasn't supposed to really eat it, but hey, it looks like a donut, is very chewy, and donuts are delicious, so why shouldn't I eat it?)

We went upstairs to her office and she put down an orange, yellow, and brown afghan next to her desk for me to lie on while she worked. I brought a tennis ball along, just in case she wanted to play.

She laughed because I went into my "legs akimbo" pose, as she calls it. I lie on my back with my legs splayed every which way and look up at her. It's an invitation for a belly rub, and Lynn and Craig both usually accept that invitation. My tennis ball is also on the afghan, all ready for Lynn to toss it for me.

Craig's office is across the door from Lynn's, and since their doorways face each other, they can see each other and chat while they work.

I now like to go back and forth between offices. Lynn took this photo of me in Craig's office later Halloween morning. I am getting a hug from Craig. He didn't know that she was looking, let alone taking our photo. (Mom, Lynn should join the paparazzi. Seriously! She wields that camera like no other!)

Craig has looked up and spied her taking our picture. You can see the nice fluffy blanket that he has put down for me. Believe it or not, it is his Green Bay Packers blanket - I must be special!

 In Lynn's office is a long craft table where she sews. I can go under it and snooze at her feet while she works. In this picture, I am not yet asleep; I am lying down but looking up at the camera. I had just peeked out the window and checked out the weather because we expected snow on Halloween.

We also had a "tail disaster" that morning. Lynn's office is also called "the horse room" because she collects horse figurines. (She has over 1,000!) The room is lined with shelves full of them. I accidentally got too close and wagged my tail, brushing into a shelf and knocking five horses onto the floor.

But as you can tell from this picture of the fallen model horses lying on the carpet, none broke or were damaged. And Lynn was really nice about it and not mad. In fact, she said that she thought that that might happen. Now she keeps an eye on me and if my backside gets too close to her shelves, she says, "Mind the tail!" And so I do. 

 The snow began falling around lunchtime. This photo is from their front door and shows a dusting of snow with a pretty tree with red leaves and then two pumpkins on either side of the archway. Inside the arched brick enclosure is a bench to sit on, and then there is a walkway to the front yard and driveway. To the right is Lynn's stepping stone garden. She makes a stepping stone for all her grandchildren with their handprints or foot prints. She made a horseshoe one for her horse, Abby, and another for her first black Lab, Zeus, with his paw prints! Lynn says that this summer we will make a stepping stone for me with my paw prints!

Anyway, we ended up with three inches of snow and that really curtailed our trick or treaters. Last year Lynn and Craig went through fourteen bags of candy and ran out, so this year they were prepared with nineteen. Despite handing out handfuls to each trick or treater, we only used five bags. (I offered to help dispose of the leftover candy, but Lynn said that that would not be healthy for me and that she would "take care of it." What do you think she means?)

The next day, Lisa dropped by to visit me again after she was done teaching, and she took me out to play in the snow!

 This is a picture of me standing on my hind legs sniffing the snowball that she holds in her hands.

 In this photo I am again on my hind legs only I am leaping to catch the snowball.

Did we have fun! And then, we went inside and continued to play

Lisa got down on her belly on the floor and we rolled a tennis ball around. In this photo I am staring intently at the ball in her hand with my nose almost touching it. It's another one of those "hilarious" photos, as Lynn calls them.

Here, I am lying legs akimbo with the ball in my mouth. Lisa is lying on the floor, laughing, and rubbing my belly. (I was hoping that she would!)

Same position as the last photo, but I have dropped the ball and have my head turned. Lisa is still rubbing my belly.

So, that's a summary of my second and third days in my new home. I have more stories to share with you and Dad, so be sure to check back again tomorrow.

Happy kisses from your Pepper!

A Day of Joy and Sadness

Hey, Mom!

Let's continue our story with a day that was both joyful as well as tinged with sadness - the day I went to my new home with Lynn and Craig.

Lynn took a photo of our house for me so that I would always remember a place that I called home that was full of people and kitties that I loved.

You had packed up all my things for me, and after Lynn and Craig put them in their car, we said our goodbyes.

Lynn, you, Craig, and Dad doing a group hug with ME in the center after we had a prayer together. I am smiling and certainly enjoying all that love and attention!

Lynn and Craig told me that they knew that this was a difficult day for you and Dad, and that they hope you know that they are very aware that their joy comes at the cost of your sadness. They truly appreciate your gift of ME.

Lynn took a selfie of herself in the front seat of the car with Craig and me in the back. I was invited up onto the seat, and am leaning on Craig. He is giving me what became the first of many really good neck scritches. They are smiling, but Lynn says that I look a little bewildered. I was, but those neck scritches and hugs helped me feel more secure.

The drive took them two hours, and then when we got to my new home, I went inside to discover a huge basket of toys - all for ME!

Me lying on the carpet in the living room, head up and big pink tongue hanging out in a huge grin. There is a red kong ball and a white ball by my side.

The white ball has become my favorite. It's squishy for chewing and bounces really high. I love it when Lynn and Craig throw it and I get to dash around chasing after it. The white ball is in my mouth and I am giving it a good chew.

Lynn leaning over from the couch and giving me a big hug. I am trying to smile, but my mouth is full with another toy - a big pink donut.

They put my bed from home in the living room. This photo is of me lying on it with the red kong ball between my feet. My head is up and I am smiling. My favorite window is right by me - every window in my new home is low enough that I can see out them. I love to look outside and check out the weather, who might be walking by, and everything else that goes on in our neighborhood.

Did you know that Craig is a master cook? Every day he makes scrambled eggs, and he shares a bit of them with me. I now know that the clatter of the frying pan means that I need to go supervise the chef at work. In this photo, I am lying on the floor with my favorite ball to hand, smiling and making sure that he remembers me as he cracks those eggs into the pan. Craig says I make him laugh when I do this, and he talks to me the entire time he cooks.

Craig also REALLY loves to play with me. He sits on the couch and I offer him a toy (in this case, the pink donut) and we wrestle back and forth to see who gets it. He must not be very strong because I always win.

Craig and Lynn have six kids, and two of them, Curt and Lisa, live across the river in Lafayette. Lisa dropped by to see me the very first day. Naturally I brought her the pink donut and then flopped into her lap. I felt like I was surrounded by the paparazzi, so many photos of me were taken that first day!

I also discovered that Lisa likes to play, just like her dad. She pulled a rope tug out of my toy basket and we had a great time trying to pull it away from each other.

In this photo she is sprawled on the ground because I was so strong, I pulled her over! She is laughing really hard and I still have the tug in my mouth. 

Lynn, Craig, and Lisa showed me more of the toys in the basket. This cheesy-scented nylabone is awesome! I am rolled over on my back, legs every which way, happily chewing on it.

What a day that was! I stretched out on the floor of the living room after Lisa left and took a snooze. I made sure that I was surrounded by thirteen of my new toys. So many to choose from!

Then I decided to get my pink donut and use it for a pillow. Lynn and Craig say this picture of me is really funny because my ear has flopped into the donut hole as I sleep.

I stayed close to Lynn and Craig that first day that we were a family. They kept reassuring me that I was a good girl and that they loved me. While things were different, they were also good, and I relaxed and started to settle in. Lynn told me that she hoped that I would be very happy with them, and my response was a lick that said, "I think we are off to a good start on that!"

Next letter? I become a snow bunny on Halloween!

Many wags,

Pepper

We Meet!

Dear Mom,

Lynn has finally sorted through the the hundred plus photos she took of us at our first meeting way back on October 26. These are the ones that she likes the most.

This is an excited Lynn in the car on the way over. She took a selfie of herself with a big smile on her face. She wanted to include it because she says it shows how happy she was to meet me.

Me, kong firmly in mouth, lying on the carpet in the basement. You are sitting next to me and reaching over to pet me. Despite the very full mouth, I am smiling.

Me greeting you and Dad. Dad is holding my front paws. I just noticed something - we are all wearing black! (Probably in my honor.) Dad has on a black plaid shirt, you a black tee, and me, my black fur! Too funny! This is Christmas card worthy, in my opinion.

Lynn calls poses like this "goofy" and says the goofy poses make her laugh. It is a close up of me, lying on my back, legs going every which way, with my nylabone hanging out the side of my mouth. I am lying on her feet and her hand is on my belly giving me a good belly rub. (Oooo! I love those!)

In this photo, I am now in her lap (nylabone still firmly in place), head up, and facing her.  She is smiling and hugging me. She is also wearing a bracelet similar to the one that Kathy made for you, only hers is orange and blue. (Kathy is quite talented at jewelry making!)

Lynn says that this photo is her other favorite of me. (Actually, I suspect that she has a lot of favorites, if you know what I mean.) I have crawled into Craig's lap and have wrapped my paws around his arm. He is giving my neck a good rub. I am smiling, but somehow I lost my nylabone when I transitioned between the two of them.

You and me! You are on the couch and I am halfway into your lap. There is a big smile on your face and I have turned my head toward the camera and am smiling, too.

The last one is of Dad and me. He is in his recliner and I am sitting on his right side. He is laughing and leaning sideways to pet me. I have a grin on my face, too.

Lynn says that she and Craig talked all the way home about me and how they hoped that they would be chosen to be my new family. They were a little nervous and hoped that they had made a good impression on you as to how well they would care for me. Personally, I am so glad that you chose them. Lynn and Craig are, too.

Love always,
Your Pepper

Let's Be Penpals!

Hello, Mom!

Lynn and I were talking and we thought that you might enjoy getting some letters from me. Since I am good at doing fun and silly things, and she is good at taking photos and writing, we decided to start a blog so that you knew how I was and what I was up to. (Good things; I promise!)

Lynn has suggested that we go way back to mid October when we all first met, and I think that's a good idea. (Goodness knows, she's taken enough pictures of me to fill a book. Add in Craig's photos and we'd need to start a second blog!) So give us a while to catch up and then we will start adding blog posts that are current. 

I have so much that I want Lynn to record - their first meeting with you, Dad, the kitties and ME, my new friends Lisa, Millie, and Molly, meeting Kathy and Nacho (I think I may be engaged to him but he hasn't yet produced a ring - stay tuned on that one), and so much more.

I was a little worried that you might not get my letters, so Lynn told me that she would also let you know when we have written something for you. You may wish to subscribe to notifications so you know when I have written you a letter. 

Well, I am going to sign off. It is time for breakfast and you know me and food. (Lynn uses the word "inhale" when I eat. I'm not sure what she means, but she smiles when she says it, so I wag my tail and keep eating.)

Below is Lynn's favorite picture of me. It's me lying on the floor of the living room, head up and smiling, with several toys all around me. She says it makes her smile when I smile.

I love you!
Pepper