Lucy Loves Loft- Just As Much As Her Human!

Having a boxer puppy in the house, pretty much means that there is never a dull moment, and this morning was no exception. Lucy is very well behaved for a puppy, she rarely gets into things that she's not supposed to, but maybe that's because her human is so careful about leaving anything that might be tempting to a boxer baby lying around.

Loft was having a 40% off sale on Sunday, and I just couldn't resist it. (Who can resist 40% off?) Anyway, the bag from Loft has been in my car since Sunday, and in an effort to make my car look somewhat like I'm not living in it, I decided to clean some stuff out of there this morning before work. I completely forgot that I had set the bag on the steps until I let my boxer in the house and saw her make a mad dash for that wonderful, krinkly bag. BAD HUMAN!

The next 15 minutes was filled with (you guessed it) picture taking, and a boxer doing mad dashes around the living room, foyer, and office destroying that wonderful Loft bag! I couldn't stop laughing! Of course, she helped her human by removing each of the articles from the bag, and shredding the tissue paper into hundreds of tiny pieces which were a ton of fun for her human to clean up. (You want a funny picture, ya gotta pay the piper!)

Lucy seemed completely oblivious to the fact that not only was she doing something completely mischievous, but that her human was capturing the whole caper on camera for about the first 5 minutes. She was so busy flying around that it would have been impossible for her to notice that her human was on to her!

At first, I'm pretty sure that it was the challenge of getting the clothes out of the bag. Then the crinkles that the bag was making were so wonderful that she couldn't stop terrorizing the bag. And finally, when she started to get a little tired of the whole thing- that thick black rope handle was entirely too much to resist and she settled right down and started chewing.

All I know is that the simple shopping bag entertained both my boxer and I longer than most expensive dog toys do! And I couldn't be more thrilled that Lucy loves Loft as much as I do!

The Lucy provided entertainment never seems to stop, thankfully! On Monday, after all of the cleaning and laundry, I got the tractor out to cut the grass. I'm not entirely sure (because my mind reading skills when it comes to the boxer are somewhat off) whether Lucy loves the tractor or hates it, because every time it comes out of the shed, Lucy goes completely crazy. She chases it, and barks at the entire time it's running.

But, the fun didn't stop there, because we've had so much rain (and because unknown to Lucy's Human, the deck was on the lowest setting) the entire yard badly needed to be raked (if I didn't want to be cleaning grass from the house for the next 7 days). My little boxer went completely bananas when I got the rake out and tried to start cleaning up the grass. I had great challenges detaching her little mouth from the teeth of the rake, and when I finally did get her off of the rake and manage to make a sweep across the yard, Lucy just destroyed the pile.

After about 15 minutes of this, Lucy's Human gave up and called Lucy into the house, just in time to miss a huge downpour! The yard still hasn't been raked, but it doesn't need to be anymore; our two dogs have tracked all of the grass across the deck and right into the house. I'm so glad I spent my entire day off cleaning the house! It really made a difference- for the first 5 minutes!

Lucy Likes It: Kyjen I-Qube

This extremely durable, entertaining puppy toy, is made by a company called Kyjen. They make an entire line of interactive toys, as well as other toys that we have found to be pretty much tough puppy proof. They label their toys as "Plush Puppies" toys. We have several toys from this line, and have found the durability to be consistent across the board.

We purchased our I-Qube from Amazon.com. It was $10.68 and we got free shipping (we're Amazon Prime Members). These toys come in 2 different sizes, large and small. We got the large one. The cube has 3 plush balls, with little squeakers inside, and are great for chewing.

At first, Lucy wasn't sure what to do with the toy. But after I showed her a couple of times how to get the balls out, she absolutely fell in love with it. I had some doubts about teaching her to retrieve the balls from the toy, but it was pretty easy to teach her. All I had to do was remove the balls several times and then place them back inside the cube while Lucy was watching. Of course, when she finally figured out how to get the balls out, there was a treat and plenty of praise waiting for her. This is one of her most played with toys and it didn't take her long to figure out how this game works.

Lucy's Human loves that this toy is very durable, was inexpensive, and seems to challenge my pup. The squeakers also seem to maintain their sound no matter how much Lucy nibbles on them. We have purchased other toys that after time, the squeakers wear out and no longer work. Lucy loves that the balls squeak, are fun to chew on, and has a lot of fun tossing the cube in the air and catching it once she's gotten the balls out.

I have not attempted to wash this toy, so I can't attest to whether or not it will stand a whirl around the washing machine, but I'm betting that it would.

Lucy gives Kyjen I-Qube: 10 Wiggles

Lucy Likes It: Pro-Treat Beef Liver Treats

Consider this the first blog in a series that we are going to call "Lucy Likes It". Over the next several weeks, we'll share our favorite toys and treats, because if you're anything like us, the toy and treat aisles can be rather daunting, and there is nothing more frustrating than getting home with something and finding out that it's no fun for the dog, or that it just doesn't taste good. We'll even tell you where to buy them and get the best deal- because Lucy and I are nothing if we're not bargain shoppers!

Our very favorite training treat is Pro-Treat Beef Liver Treats. We buy the 14 ounce tubs of them from PetCare Rx. A 14 ounce tub is $27.00, however this online retailer usually has specials running, and if you link to their site via Ebates.com, you'll get an additional 12% cash back and you get Pet Points which can be used on future purchases. I usually get free shipping, too! A tub lasts Lucy for about 2 months. Lucy likes them so much that I keep a tub at home, and one at the store, and I always have a pocket full of these tasty treats.

Lucy's Human likes that these are 100% preservative free with no additives, and are made of pure freeze dried beef liver- nothing better than a treat that is actually nutritious for the dog. They are a great source of protein. Lucy likes them (I am going to assume here- because I've never tasted one) because they're good.

The only cons that I can find to these treats is that they don't smell very good, and some of them are rather large and need to be broken down. On the positive side, they don't spoil- the container is re-sealable, and they break easily.

Lucy gives Pro-Treat Beef Liver Treats: 10 Wiggles

Coming Tomorrow: Lucy's Favorite Interactive Toy! Stay tuned!

Lucy's Take... The Rest of My Lazy Monday

" Hey, Ma- I's found a lil bit o mud. Do ya think ya can help clean me up? I's really dirty. Will ya get da hose out?"

" Mom! Mom! My boxer buddy Job's out der takin a walk! Can we go to? Please, Mom!!"

" Guess we can't go! Sure hope Job's feelin better. Mom, Do you think he'll be able to play wit me anytime soon? I sure do miss him!"

" What time is it, Ma? Do ya tink Daddy'll be home anytime soon? How much longer do I has ta wait here? Do ya tink he'll be's happy to see me, Mom?"

" Woo hoo! Daddy's home n he's in da mood to wrestle wit me! Here I's come, Daddy! I'm gonna get ya!"

" Dis is probably gonna get me in trouble. I's not supposed to chew on da humans- but dey taste so darn good!"

" I's is guessin I'm not in too much trouble, cuz Daddy's huggin n squeezin me! Whew! Ya's looks like ya need a kiss, Dad..."

A Public Service Announcement: A Photo Says It All

Lucy's Take... Our Day At Home

Today is Mommy n I's day off. I'm not sure what's da matter wit my human, cuz she hasn't stopped movin all day. Shouldn't a day off be a day to play wit your boxer? But, my Mommy has been runnin da vacuum, scrubbin da floors, n throwin laundry in da washin machine. She even tore all da sheets off da bed. Crazy human! Da house can't possibly be any cleaner than what it already is.

Just thought I should let ya all know, Mommy decided last night dat she's gonna start reviewin my favorite toys. I tink she said we're gonna do one a day... Dat might take a while. We'll probably start dat tomorrow when we go back to da store. You might wanna check it out- my human buys some pretty cool toys. I'm pretty sure she must have been a dog at some point.

" Whatca got there, Mom? Is der peanut butter in dere? I tink I smell peanut butter. Ooh, boy. Dat smells really good. I'm sittin, gimma da peanut butter... I'll take care of dat for ya, Ma."

" Yep, dat's definitely peanut butter in there. She could have just given me da jar. Would've saved her some time. Boy is dis good."


" It's almost all gone, Ma. What are we gonna do now? You're not gonna run dat vacuum again are you? I'll help ya wash the kitchen floor if ya want or you can just give me more peanut butter. Maybe we should go outside n chase the ball around a lil bit."

" Just in case ya didn't notice, Ma, my peanut butter is all gone. What am I gonna do now? Whys is all my toys up der? You know Daddy don't allow me up der. Can I have dem? By da way, do ya hear dat rain out der? Guess we won't be goin outside anytime soon."

" Looks like my only option is to take a nap. Wanna join me big green spider? Maybe by da time we wake up, da rain will be gone and Ma will have put dat vacuum away."

Lucy's Take... One Adventure After Another!

My humans are wearing me out! Don't day know, I's just a baby? Last night when we got home, Mommy took me out in da yard to play with me some more. I didn't want to disappoint her, so I did da best I could. After a little while, I thinks she knew I was tired n hot, cause she took me up onto the deck and turned on da hose! I wasn't too tired to play in the water! I got pretty wet, then she let me in da house to dry off. She knows I don't like ta be wet.

" I'm just trying to dry out, Mom... put da camera away! Help me spider! I'd really like to sneak in a nap, doesn't look like that's gonna happen."

" I know dat der is cheese up there on dat counter. I can smell it! Come on Mom, gimme some cheese, please! How much cuter can I possibly manage to look?"

" Even though I was tired, and had a long day between enterainin Mommy in the morning, n bein at work all day, the humans still decided I should go on a quad ride with them. I had a good time! Anytin that involves my ears floppin in the wind is a good thing!"

" Daddy let Mommy drive da quad, n he rode on the back with me! I like Mommy's drivin I think. It's not nearly as hard to keep from movin around when she's drivin!"


" We're back at da store again today. This is me with my Mommy! She's been givin me lots of hugs n kisses today!"

Lucy's Take... I Had a Busy Mornin... Now I's tired!

Mommy & Daddy were up really early this mornin. It was so early dat I couldn't wake up right! Daddy left before Mommy even had her 1st cup of coffee, so I was left with the responsibility of takin care of Mommy. I couldn't let Mommy drink her coffee alone, so I sat right next to her on da deck, waitin for her to be done with da coffee so I could entertain her. It was so hard to sit still- but she had some of those treats in her pocket which helped...

" Mommy keeps setting stuff where I can't reach and tellin me to 'wait, Lucy'. So, I sit until I hear her say 'okay, Lucy'. Then she hands me da toy! It's so hard when I want the toy. But, I must be doin the right thing, cause she says 'Good Lucy'."

" I dunno why Mommy's down in the yard when I'm up here on the deck? Whatcha doin, Mom? Why are you taking my picture from down there? Do I look scary from down there?"

I'll help you get your coat off, Ma. It's not as cold as it was earlier. Hang on, I'm pullin as hard as I can... I'll get it, don't worry, Ma!"

" Ugh, oh! How did my ball get in there? Mommy did you put my ball in the hot tub?"

" I've gotta hurry. My balls gonna sink. Can you help me, Ma?"

" Mommy & I got the ball out, I wonder how long I have before the shepherd takes it away from me? Where is that darn dog anyway?

" Check this shot out! Good job, Mom! I look pretty darn cool- and I beat the shepherd to the ball! Look out Ceasar- there's a new top dog in town!"

" Do we really have to go to work today, Ma? We're having so much fun in the yard, can't we just stay here and play all day? Can we, Ma? Please.... I'll be really good- I'll even let you take as many pictures as ya want!"

" Are you coming, Ma? Hurry up, I'm waitin for ya. I'll give you a kiss if you put that darn camera down and get in da car."

Warning: Objects in mirror closer than they appear. Oh Goody!

" We went to that place where da pets go before work this mornin. This big green spider is what my mommy bought me. Whadda ya think? He makes funny noises. Everyone made a big fuss over me in dat place! I like it there!"

" We had such a busy morning, now I've gotta get some sleep! It's hard work entertainin my human! I'm gonna curl up with my new spider so he don't get lonely in his new home! Thanks, Mom!"


Oops, looks like I'm not gonna get any rest.. Maggie Mae told us about this blog hop thing and now we're doin dat...

This Will Make You Say "HUGH"!!

As I mentioned previously, my darling fiance owns a furniture business. We have 2 stores in Pittsburgh- one in the North and one in the South. (Or one for him and one for me!) Rob manages the South store, and Lucy and I run the North store.

These stores take up almost every single bit of our time, patience, and energy on a weekly basis. But, we're very fortunate to be weathering the storm with everything that has gone on with the economy. Thankfully, we have a large and very loyal customer base which can be attributed to the fact that we have one of the few remaining solid wood, made in the USA selections of furniture or maybe to the fact that we provide what we would consider to be excellent service to our customers.

Anyone who has ever worked in retail will be able to relate to the fact that there are some customers who are easy to please, and even when they do have an issue, you will go out of your way to help them because of the way that they handle the situation. And then there are customers that no matter how much you do for them, there is going to be no pleasing them and the way they go about handling the situation makes you want to slam down the phone and refuse to answer their calls.

I have been dealing with a particular customer since March- let's call her Mrs. Grinch. Sometimes as you are working with a customer that little man in your stomach just tells you "This customer is going to be a problem!". And as I was talking with her and her husband- that little man wouldn't stop screeching at me. (Sometimes he just gently warns me- that day, he was screaming!) The thing of it was, her husband was extremely nice... and she just glared at me the entire time they were here- so I'll call him Mr. Nice Guy!

Mrs. Grinch and her husband eventually purchased a glider rocker, an end table and 2 custom sofa mates. Out of the kindness of my heart, I allowed Mr. Nice Guy and Mrs. Grinch to take my fabric samples from the store for the glider. The next day Mr. Nice Guy brought the fabric samples back and informed me that none of them pleased his wife. (Oh boy- there's 35 choices... I knew I was in trouble!) He also told me that he had been married to Mrs. Grinch for 35 years, and that he drinks- HEAVILY! After having met his wife only 2 times, I needed a drink- I could certainly understand why he might need the whole bottle.

Mrs. Grinch decided that she was going to purchase her own fabric for the cushion on her glider. After about 6 phone calls (and several aspirins)- mostly where she questioned me about the amount of fabric that the manufacturer was requiring and why it was an additional charge when she was buying the fabric- the chair was ordered- and I was ready to go insane.

Well, let's just say in the 4 months that the products have been on order, there have been some issues. It took her 6 weeks to produce her "special" fabric which then had to be UPS'd to the manufacturer and from there sent out specially to be applied to the cushions- this takes time! Her 3 Amish pieces came in several weeks ago- but she found something wrong with every one of them. One of the sofa mates was 1/16th of an inch shorter than she had requested it, and she rejected it, "That simply won't do" she told me. (Are you for real?) And she yanked a magnifying glass out of her purse to show me a microscopic nick in the back leg of the end table- that wouldn't do either.

Against my better judgement, I reordered the 3 Amish pieces for her several weeks ago. (I probably should have just given her the money back and told her to go have relations with a duck!)

Yesterday Mrs. Grinch calls me on the phone and demands to know where her furniture is. It would seem that her oldest son is getting married next weekend, and that there is no possible way that the wedding can happen if she does not have this furniture. During the course of our 2nd (and thankfully final) phone call of the day she accused me of "ruining my sons wedding" and asked me how I sleep at night. HUGH?

I've been married before, had a real wedding and everything- and as I recall there was not a glider rocker, nor was there an end table and 2 sofa mates in attendance and everything went of without a hitch- no one even complained.

One would have to ask the question- is this woman insane? She is completely obsessed with 4 pieces of furniture and she's going to let it ruin her oldest son's wedding if she does not have them? I just don't understand... But this is definitely one for the memoirs...

Petsmart: NO! Petco: YES!

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, on Wednesday morning, Lucy and I went to Petsmart. That was probably our first strike. We are typically Petco shoppers, but I've been looking for a dog bed for Lucy and the selection at Petco leaves very much to be desired. The other part of our reasoning for going there was to purchase a Gentle Leader (gonna nip the pulling problem in the bud before Lucy's 50 pounds and I'm left looking like I'm water skiing behind her across the parking lot of the Oak Depot).

I love Petco for three main reasons:

1. They always have a great selection of toys, treats, and dog food. They never seem to be out of anything.

2. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and always seems to be able to recommend products that work and that Lucy will like.

3. The staff always seems to like dogs- especially my dog!

With that in mind- we probably should have just gone to Petco and skipped the whole Petsmart thing- but every once in a while, a little variety is good... or so I thought.

We left Petsmart with a Gentle Leader- I was happy because it was on sale, and Lucy was happy because we also left with a big bag of dried DUCK tenders which were also on sale (yes, I said Duck! Nothing but the best for my little boxer!).

As we were walking across the parking lot I marveled at the interactions we had with several different employees during our 15 minute visit to Petsmart. None of them seemed overly taken with my little boxer- a fact which I find absolutely apalling. Everyone is taken with Lucy. Come on people, what's the matter with you? Just look at that face. Lucy was completely interested in them- but there was no reciprocation. (Actually our best interaction was with the Fed Ex guy who also delivers to our building- he's a boxer owner too!)

I typically look very confused- and as I wandered through the aisles of Petsmart- I'm sure the look on my face was nothing short of the usual confusion, but no one even volunteered to help us find anything. BIG MISTAKE! They have no idea what they missed out on. I will, and typically do buy just about anything recommended to me by pet store employees to make my boxer happy, or keep her busy. But there was none of that going on.

And then the biggest disappointment of all came yesterday when I finally worked up the energy to try to outfit Lucy with the Gentle Leader. (I should add that I had a very forced conversation with an employee as we were checking out about being excited to get Lucy going with the Gentle Leader...) After about 10 minutes of struggling, I figured out that the only thing that Lucy was going to do with a Gentle Leader was chew on it. There was no way that strap was going around her short little beak.

The big question is- don't you think that the girl that I talked to, seeing the boxer that was wrapping it's leash around my legs making it nearly impossible to sign the charge slip, should have said to me "Mam- this lead won't work with a boxer."? Maybe it would have been a good idea to recommend something else. Well, she didn't... and I'm extremely disappointed... Lucy and her human will not be returning to Petsmart... except to return the Gentle Leader.

I'm sure the executives at Petco will be very happy to hear that Lucy and I will forever be loyal Petco shoppers- and Petco shoppers only. I'm sure that every bell in hell rang when we walked through the doors of Petsmart on Wednesday morning...

Incidentally, the selection of dog beds at Petsmart was no better than the selection at Petco. Note to the buyers at these 2 pet stores- filling your shelves with dog beds not fit for a common back yard squirrel is a waste of time. Your shoppers are people who pamper their pets- they want a bed that's so amazing that they are tempted to sleep in it themselves. Get with the program people!

Yippee Skippy- or In This Case Yippee Jiff-y

I awoke this morning to the sweet sound of snoring- boxer puppy snoring- and it was so close. It is the sound that only a boxer companion can understand and appreciate. My little boxer was right next to me- not even 10 inches away, head on the pillow right next to mine, and she was completely konked out. It was just the sweetest thing I could imagine!

Heaven is a soft little boxer head right next to your cheek- and I hug my little boxer darling close at least 25 times a day just to feel that soft puppy fur. I love you little Lucy! (And this picture of you, is definitely going in a frame, on a wall in our house somewhere!)

One of Lucy's most frustrating past times (for Lucy, not for me!) is playing in "her office" with things of a rolling nature. I have a space specially designated for Lucy right beside my office. It's the perfect play space except for the fact that it's closed in by bookcases that are open on the bottom. So, inevitably, anything that rolls is going to get "stuck" underneath those bookcases and out of Lucy's reach. She can get just enough of her body underneath the bookcase to see the ball- but not enough to retrieve the ball and eventually her human becomes aware of the nature of the problem and rushes to her rescue.

I've had my eye on what is sure to be a major situation behind the store. There is a large cement slab which is home to the electrical boxes for our building. Lucy loves this slab as it has a hole on one side of it where she can stick her head in and explore. The other day, I was outside taking out the trash, when a groundhog stuck his head out of Lucy's favorite hole. I'm pretty sure that Lucy should not be sticking her head in that hole any more, sorry Lucy! As a matter of fact, I think it's a good idea that we stay as far away from that Groundhog hole as we possibly can.

Lucy and I have been working on "Stay". I have found that the most effective way of teaching Lucy "Stay" is holding something of great interest to her, telling her to "Stay, Lucy", backing away from her, waiting a couple of seconds and rewarding her with the item of great interest. We're not there yet, but we're definitely making great progress! "Good Lucy!"

Lucy and I were playing with this soft, squeaky blue ball this morning when I noticed that there was blood all over her mouth and the ball. It only took me a couple of seconds to notice the tiny, white shark tooth lying on the floor just inches away from Lucy and I! I couldn't be more excited over the loss of this "shark tooth". Those teeth have been a great pain (literally) to my hands, feet and ankles. The Tooth Fairy will definitely be rewarding that tooth loss.

I cannot wait until this business of adult teeth is over with! Lucy seems to be very uncomfortable right now, and unfortunately for me, it would seem that the only (safe) thing that comforts her aching mouth, is her Human's hands... (Ceasar's tail also seems to be a great comfort- but as you can imagine- that is about as popular with Ceasar as Lucy's chewing on my hands is with me, maybe even less so!) Believe me when I say that I have tried everything else.

Lucy and I stick to pretty much the same routine every morning. Upon arrival at the store, we typically take a walk, greet anyone that's out and about, and then we come into the store. Lucy follows me into what I will call "Lucy's Office" and I fill an old, hollow soup bone with peanut butter to occupy Lucy while I run around turning on lights, air conditioning, dragging furniture outside and making coffee. It's probably un-necessary, but it gives her something to look forward to because it's routine.

Unfortunately, the peanut butter jar was very close to empty this morning, and my only hope for giving Lucy this very treasured treat was to give her the empty jar. I was confident that she would figure out exactly how to get the remaining morsels of peanut butter out of that jar, and she didn't disappoint. Where there is a will- there is a way! Actually, quite honestly this near empty peanut bar jar occupied her far longer than the usual marrow bone does.

Lucy managed to clean the jar 3/4 of the way down, and then her little tongue just couldn't reach anymore. I had to help her. I got a knife and scraped what was left of the remaining peanut butter out of the jar and put in in her marrow bone. I'm definitely going to have to buy more peanut butter!

(I think my little boxer could sell peanut butter, what do you think?

Yesterday morning, Lucy and I had time to kill before work and I was going to take her to the dog park, but when we got there, no other dogs were out. So, I decided to make the run to Petsmart. I've been wanting to get a Gentle Leader for Lucy as we seem to be having some pulling issues. We bought the Gentle Leader and managed to escape Petsmart without spending over $30.00 (that never happens). What I failed to take into consideration is that the Gentle Leader is designed to fit over the dogs nose, and Lucy doesn't really have a nose... at least not enough of a nose to outfit her with this lead... oops!

We're Such Busy Girls!

My little boxer has a new hobby. One that I will daresay has been brought on out of shear necessity. She has decided that when she is given a "special" treat, that she is going to hide it, or bury it. The other day, Rob told me that she was out digging up a milk bone from the garden. I suspect that Lucy has gotten has tired of having her treats stolen from her and has figured out that if she buries them, or hides them, that she'll eventually get back to them!

The other day, I gave Lucy a large chew bone and was surprised when she didn't immediately start chewing on it. She loves those darn things- "What's wrong, Lucy?" Instead of chewing it, she sat at the edge of the gate by my office with the chew bone at her feet and whimpered.

After about a 1/2 hour of this whimpering, myself at whits end not knowing what was going on, I decided to open the gate and let her roam the store to see what happened. I let her go by herself, vowing to check on her in a couple of minutes figuring she would go about whatever business she needed to take care of better, without her human standing over her. I could hear her tags on her collar jingling out there, so I knew she was moving around, but it sounded like she was back by the door to go outside. So, I went out to investigate. And there stood Lucy waiting to take her bone outside.

"Sorry Lucy, that's not a good idea. Let's go hide it in the store, okay?" (I've got to stop having entire conversations with this dog like she understands what I'm saying- or someone is going to have me committed!)

Lucy wandered around for 10 minutes, dropping the bone and pushing it under various pieces of furniture several times only to retrieve it seconds later. I wasn't sure what to make of this situation. And when she plopped the bone down on the far back side of a vanity stool, and then sat there staring at it and whimpering I was at even more of a loss. The bone is back in my office- and Lucy will not chew it. And I am still confused. I've tried to explain to her several times, that I have many more of those bones and that there is no other dog here to take her bones!

She won't eat the bone- won't even look at it, but every flower, clump of grass, or twig in sight is fair game.

There are massive bunches of what I believe to be sweet peas growing behind the store, and I've been picking them and placing them on my desk in the bat cave to brighten and cheer things up a little bit. (I call my office the bat cave because it's so dark in here- no windows- only 2 lamps- one of which refuses to work every other day- today is one of those days. My office was also at one point a bathroom, so you can only imagine!)

Lucy has other plans for these fragrant little flowers, and every time she gets near one, it's gone within seconds. Yesterday, she carried a huge clump of dried grass around the parking lot for 5 minutes, then marched right into the store with it and proceeded to shred it all over my office floor. "Time to get the vacuum out, Lucy!"

Last night when we got home, and again this morning, I re-inflated the big purple ball and tossed it out to Lucy in the yard. She gets so excited when she sees that ball rolling down the hill. What a great way to entertain a boxer and a human! She loves that ball- and I love watching her chase it around. She gets into so many tangles in the process of rolling it around. I've never seen 1 dog do so many full body flips in a 10 minute period. I just wish our yard didn't slope like it does because I end up chasing it the whole way down to the bottom and then walking back up the hill with a boxer jumping up and down trying to get it away from me! Such fun! The great news is, we're both exhausted by the time we're done playing!

As if one incident involving a diamond earring and my boxer wasn't enough- we had another one last night. I was sitting on the deck playing with Lucy when she jumped up and pawed my ear. I don't know how she does it- but she knocked the earring out, and I could see it between the slats in the decking.

I had no choice but to crawl underneath the deck- which is easier said than done. The deck is about 2 1/2 feet off the ground at the highest point, and as you can imagine with all of the rain we've had- very muddy! I had to crawl through a very thorny bush to get underneath there, and I'm squatting (in the mud) and trying to make my way over to the far side of the deck (yep it would have to be 20 feet over...) when my little boxer decides that I must be playing and jumps up on back putting her paws on my shoulder. Of course, I had a white tank top on, which is white no more! I got the earring back- no damage done- can't say the same for the tank top! (It's a good thing you're so darn adorable, Lucy!)

My only question is this: why do these incidents always involve slimy brown stuff? I guess it's a good thing that I'm a country girl, hugh?

Lucy has done so well at leaving my tropical plants that we put on the deck alone, that I decided to try my luck with some colorful flowers. So far so good, but I wonder if the fact that she likes to sit there and look at them means that trouble is on the horizon? I've caught her smelling the lillies- but that's all I've caught her doing. "Good Lucy!"