Nature's Bounty!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!  This is an extra special Thanksgiving for us because we have been fortunate to have quite the backyard bounty.  In the North, we gather apples, but in the South, we collect... pecans! 

When I first noticed Jeff picking up these peculiar brown nuts from our deck, driveway, and yard, I thought... why?  Certainly they are just dried up nuggets that will lie around our house until I, inevitably, toss them out.  Little did I know, that we had been blessed with something akin to gold!  Yes, I am quite serious when I say this -- gold.  When you rip these little shells open, there is an actual pecan inside, just like you would pay a pretty penny for in the grocery store.  Since I am quite cheap (I can say this because I am speaking about myself!), I was overjoyed at our special little crop. 

The main trade off, however, is our ancient pecan tree overshadows our entire backyard, which stunts any sort of grass growth and produces an absolute ton of leaves.


Milt Dog likes to be in the thick of things when we work with the leaves outside.  Note his winter coat is growing in...

With a tree, like this, we stay awfully busy during the fall...

The branches are actually a highway for squirrels and a constant source of amusement for the Milt Dog.

  

Just a weekend's work...

 

Jeff likes to pick up the nuts, but once I found out what was inside, I run out in the morning and the evening, like it is a veritable Easter egg hunt.  The nuts like to hide, so you need to have a sharp eye and kick at the leaves.  I equate it to spelunking, of course, with Milton by my side.

 

Aha!

Eureka!

Milton likes to help too.  If we are rooting around looking for things on the ground, goodness knows his snout is right there in the midst of things!  Milt actually is not the best of help because he likes to nibble, gnaw, and eventually swallow our pecans, which wreak havoc on his little tummy.  The other evening, actually, Milt fell asleep on our bed, and he threw up in the middle of the night.  Did he get sick in our bed?  Why no, he leaned over the side and puked on the floor.  My mom deemed that considerate, and we agreed.  We prefer that Milt sticks to ball playing in the backyard rather than snacking.

Ball in mouth

What in the world do we plan to do with all these pecans?  I, and I am taking Jeff down this rabbit hole with me, plan to gift these little beauties away for Christmas in the form of pies and candy!  We actually kicked it off at Thanksgiving baking a pie for Jeff's parents and aunt and uncle.  I used Grandmother's authentic Southern recipe, so one can only imagine how tasty these must have been.  In case you are wondering, I haven't even tried a bite yet!

My handiwork

Jeff and I are certainly not done yet.  We have about four containers, very similar to this one, still waiting for us to crack.

I try to make the pecans look aesthetically pleasing on our counter...!

Here is our cracking device; it is called a "rocket."  Pretty cool, huh?

Well, if you are friends or family, expect to receive a homemade AND homegrown gift this year from Milt Dog and family.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone -- gobble until you wobble!

Snow Day in the South!

Yippppeee -- I'm staying warm and safe at home all day today!  Growing up in Upstate New York, a snow day meant freezing temperatures and at least a foot of snow.  Here in Texas, a snow day is usually called the day before due to extreme anxiety over the possibility of inclement weather.  It may seem ridiculous, but, regardless, I will partake in this silliness, even if it is not a Winter Wonderland outside...!

On that note, it has been incredibly cold here recently, with temperatures in the low 30s, which makes our morning runs and afternoon walks just a tad bit, let's say, uncomfortable.  This weather has us all shivering, so Jeff and I decided that Milt Dog could also use a little extra warmth.

Sitting pretty

Of course, we thought it would be cute if Milt wore a t-shirt from our joint alma mater.  We know it is short-sleeved, but Milt does have all that thick fur to keep him warm as well.  Although, I do not think he was too fond of his little outfit.

Attempting to see what's on his back

Toasty warm but uncomfortable

As much as we like seeing Milt Dog in a shirt, he was not quite as enthused to be the one wearing it.  I guess he thinks shirts are just "human stuff."  Well, Milt better get used to it because if this cold weather keeps up, he is going to be wearing sweaters pretty soon...

Enjoy your day and stay warm, everyone!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I am sitting here, in my fleece pajamas, typing this post very early on a Saturday morning.  Truth be told, I have missed blogging.  The opening months of school are always extraordinarily busy as I attempt to balance lesson planning and grading with my yoga, friends, and, of course, Jeff and Milt Dog!  Blogging makes me happy though, and after a monthlong hiatus and a bit of prompting from my biggest fan, Mom, I am back at it.  Let's see how it goes!

The very best news I have to share is Milton made the Doodle Kisses calendar for the second year in the row!  When I first heard the news, I was a bit disappointed because Milton qualified for the Lotsa Doodles calendar again, rather than the strictly Goldendoodles calendar.  This means that he received a quarter of a page, not a full spread.  I was really looking forward to seeing Milt Dog full-size but oh, well.

I cannot complain too much though; we did not put an awful lot of effort into the two photos that we submitted.  Last year, we had our good friend, Alicia, at Alicia Skinner Photography (She is absolutely marvelous if you live in the Dallas area!) take countless beauty shots, and this year we basically went rogue with two backyard shots, and goodness knows, we don't live in the majestic forests of British Columbia or beachside in Los Angeles.  We made do here in Dallas, Texas.

Here is our winning picture, which I am certain, many of you have seen before:

Mr. March!

Yes, Milton, just like last year, is Mr. March.  If you interested in purchasing a calendar (Don't if you are our parents!), please see the link below:

http://www.cafepress.com/doodlekisses.1029777336

I like to buy one for home and a second for school, so I can be surrounded by the doodle love.  Well, I suppose, one doodle in particular...!

Happy Monday!

Puppy Photo of the Week

Happy Columbus Day, everyone!  This holiday has always held a special spot in my heart because in years past my birthday often fell on this day.  This year though my birthday was actually on a Tuesday, October 8th, to be exact.  We were fortunate to celebrate with Jeff's parents with a big fat red velvet cake lovingly baked by Momeaux, of course.

Milt's a blur reaching for that cake...!

It's hard to believe that I am actually 28-years-old now.  This was actually the first birthday where I woke up thinking, Ugh, I am two years away from 30...  My, my how time does fly; I've got to enjoy every minute!

Wet and Rainy

On Saturday evening, Jeff and his parents, along with extended family, watched Notre Dame play Arizona in Dallas.  I, however, did not join but instead stayed home to watch the boys -- Milton and Dusty, Pop and Momeaux's nine-year-old bichon frise.  He and Milt are not exactly the best of friends, but Milt does show Dusty some amount of respect, usually, because Dusty is his uncle, after all...

Well, while babysitting, I decided that the boys could use a good long walk to release some energy before night set in.  They were both more than willing to join me, so we set off on Milt and my usual route of three miles.  On the walk, Milt and Dusty were acting like their usual selves, sniffing here and there, marking street signs, tugging on me etc.  Things were going splendidly well until we reached the turn around point, and a torrent of rain began to fall from the sky.  Actually, at first it was a light drizzle, but then it quickly picked up to a full-on downpour. 

As you can image, Milt Dog was in his glory -- tilting his head skyward to catch rain in his mouth, prancing about, and looking up at me in sheer delight.  Dusty, on the other hand, lost the majority of pep in his step, and his little tail went from full-mast to half-mast very quickly.  Basically, Milt thought I was the best momma ever to disregard our safety and take them for a walk in a massive shower complete with thunder and lightning.  Dusty, I'm certain, had a different sentiment equating me to a mean, old witch, and he was all prepared to tattle on me to Momeaux, his real mom, when she arrived home later that evening.  Our goldendoodle did not help the situation at all because with rain comes fiestiness, and he thought this was the opportune time to run across leashes trying to engage Uncle Dusty in some play.

Upon return from our walk, all three of us were a sopping wet mess.

Poor little Dusty

Once we were no longer in the rain, Milt's joie de vivre faded a little bit.

I was quite drenched too...

Once back in our warm, cozy home, I thought we would all cuddle up and relax for the remainder of the evening, but, sadly no, all thanks to our goldendoodle.  A big problem arose when Dusty Dog set up camp on Milt Dog's bed immediately upon return.  All day long, prior to his, Dusty had laid on Milton's bed, and not once did Milton bat an eye.  Tonight, quite possibly due to his wet condition, Milton had enough of Dusty's selfish tendencies!  Milt preceded to bark at Dusty from the doorway of the foyer, again and again and again.  He was relentless.  At first I thought that our boy simply wanted Dusty to get up and play, so I let it persist.  When Dusty did jump up to bark at Milt and shoo him away, much spirited chasing around our coffee table ensued and a bit of nipping and snarling as well.  Subsequently, Milton received a timeout in the bathroom with all the lights off.

A stand-off

After the first time-out, Milton went back at it, and I was forced, following another uprising from Dusty, to give Milton a second time out.  Returning from this one and still continuing to bark, I knew their was a real reason for Milt's anger.

Both boys keeping their distance.

I finally figured out that Milton was not soliciting Dusty in some rowdy, wet play, but rather, he truly wanted his bed back, in a bad way, because he is the rightful owner, especially when he is soaking cold.  Milton was being more than a little rude to his guest, but he did have a valid point.  How was I to rectify this nasty situation?  Well, Momma Dog hauled Milt's back door guard dog bed all the way up front to appease both parties.

Note how Milton is giving Dusty the cold shoulder.

Now they're in a face-off.

Despite my best intentions, both boys were still displeased as they later moved on to higher, dryer ground.
 

Much better

Comfy, cozy

Needless to say, Milton was quite happy to wave goodbye to Dusty on Sunday afternoon.  Those two might be related, but they really can only handle one another in very small doses united by a common love of Momeaux...!

Puppy Photo of the Week

Pop and Momeaux visited us this past weekend, but their visit prior to that (You can tell how far behind I am with my posting!), they arrived with an extra-special gift.

Milt, despite sitting on Momeaux's lap, is apparently sulking in this photo.

Every time I think of the South, I envision magnolia blossoms, fried chicken, and yes, porch swings.  Now, I can say we are the proud owners of one.  Pop knew I had been wanting a swing since we bought this house, so he crafted it as a grand surprise for us!  These two consistently use their many talents, whether it be sewing, electrical wiring, baking, or carpentry to enrich our lives.  We are quite spoiled!  Jeff and I have spent many a happy time swinging back and forth on this beautiful piece of craftsmanship.  Milt, however, is always a little apprehensive about playing fetch with us sitting on it because, inevitably, he gets bumped once or twice in mid-swing.  Regardless, this swing is the perfect addition to our sweet Southern home; we couldn't be happier!

A Dollop of Humor!

If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you probably have been wondering, Where the heck is Goldilocks?  Well, I'll tell you where.  She has been lesson planning, grading, and, quite frankly, getting much too much little sleep since school kicked back in for the year.  Quite sadly, there never seems to be a free moment to do anything anymore.  Poor Milt Dog has been missing his momma, but he has been back in daycare, which, you know, he loves!

Recently while I was at school, holed up in my room working during my lunch hour, I checked my Gmail on my phone to see if there was anything necessary to be addressed.  I saw that I had received a Facebook alert that two photos had been posted of Milton at daycare.  You cannot believe how much Jeff and I love receiving these little snapshots of our boy in his "other life" that we know hardly anything about.  As I rushed to click over there, I was excited to see these two shots, but I was dismayed to read the captions.

Milton wants to play.

 

Maybe Judd will play with Milt...??

To a dog mom looking at these photos, while reading these captions, it appears that my goldendoodle, essentially, has no one to play with on the playground.  He has his ball in hand, or in this case mouth, and not a dog wants to jump in and join his game.  This particular dog, Judd, clearly seems pestered and disinterested as he gives Milt Dog the cold shoulder and walks away.  Believe me, when I saw this, I wanted to hop in my car right then and there, zoom all the way downtown, and scoop up my little boy to carry him home and be his best pal.  I realize this is somewhat illogical, but my heart went out to my doodle.

I know dogs aren't kids and kids aren't dogs, but sometimes the similarities are simply overwhelming.

Happy Friday, everyone.  Enjoy the beautiful fall season, and by that, I mean go indulge in some candy corn, especially the big pumpkin kind...!