Murphy is Irish. It means "sea warrior." Murphy's middle name is for Joe Montana, Marc's favorite quarterback of his favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers.
I recently visited friends in Vancouver, B.C and the West End Dog Show was going on. I wanted to bring Murphy over the border, but he still has a couple of shots to get, so didn't have the necessary paper work. He would've loved the dog show. Don't tell him I fell in love with Victor, my guide dog. B.C. Guide Dogs offered a demonstration where they blindfolded you and let Victor lead you around. It was so cool. It was a beautiful day in Vancouver - friends, dogs, a Farmer's Market.
I'm quite busy these days what with ripping around the yard; learning sit and down and chasing after some of my favorite toys, like the beaver tail and my hedge hog. I also love chasing my rope toy in circles around my Mom as she tries, quite unsuccessfully, to keep it away from me. So that I can concentrate on important things like this, my Mom decided to take over the blog for awhile. This is her first entry. WOOF!
If you haven't already checked it out, please read 1000 Awesome Things (1000awesomethings.com). It's a favorite blog of Murphy's and mine. The author writes about fun, often silly, memorable, AWESOME things, one of which recently was favorite t-shirts. Murphy has kindly agreed to model one of my favorite t's. From U2's Joshua Tree tour, the shirt is worn, soft, perfect polish rag material, despite the holes. A wave of sadness washed over me when I saw those holes. It was like a piece of my past had disintegrated. Yes, there are memories and ticket stubs - but there's something special about the concert t-shirt. It's a statement to the world that, "Yeah, I WAS there." Or, "I'm into this band. I'm cool." For whatever reason we fork over the now ridiculous sums of money to advertise our love for certain music, or music artists, the reasons are usually filled with love. Music has healed me during sad times; inspired me in tough times and brought happiness most all other times. My favorite memories of dating my husband were when we would just lay around listening to music with the lights out. Nothing comes close to the feeling. Is it strange that I've gone on Ebay searching for old concert t's I may have once had or wish to now have, so I can let the world know, "I'm a fan of ________ (fill in the blank)." No, I don't think so either. Music soothes the soul. Kind of like puppies. The lovefest never ends. AWESOME!
I had my first bath today. Barbara's hands were full, otherwise you'd be looking at a very unflattering photo of me. So, thankfully, you're stuck with the duck. My fur is very soft now, and I smell good. Really, I do.
There's nothing like tearing apart a newspaper. I miss the P.I., but the Times works just as well. You should try it. That being said, I support newspapers and all our friends who are journalists, but it IS a good way to get out any puppy energy you might have. Another one of my favorite things are shoes. On one of my recent condo excursions, I came upon Barbara's sandal and her beloved Ugg boots (they were cozy). Funny, I haven't been able to find them since. Our neighbor, Jen, who is a vet tech, came over and clipped my nails. I squirmed at first, but Jen brought treats and Barbara kept feeding me the treats while Jen worked. Jen was nice. I'd let her clip my nails any time.
My mom made me dance around the living room today to the Go Gos Greatest Hits. It reminds her of her days in L.A. It also helped her get things done around the house. Anything to make my mom happy, especially since I cried a lot last night.
Ilove the beach. I love digging. I love nipping at my pals' Guinness' and Caddie's heels. I love playing with my friends Lucy, Fiona and Emily. I loved Seaside, Oregon. I love my mom for taking me there. But I miss my dad. He's been in the Bay Area visiting his family. I get to go to the airport tonight and pick him up.
"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." -- Cardinal Mermillod
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -Unknown
“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.” - Isak Dinesen
"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace." -Milan Kundera
