First, the gorgeous sunsets just do not get old. Neither do the hot air balloons floating by. Neither does 55 degree weather in January. (I am in denial that it will only be 35 on Wednesday.)
Second, we have some pretty great puppy dogs. I still call them puppies even though they are really old ladies. Velvet is 12 and Shadow is 10. They are both still very playful and mostly healthy (well, minus a tumor here and there) and seem to be quite happy. They still go up and down the stairs with no problem, leap into the back of my pathfinder in one bound, and fetch balls and catch frisbees. So, they're not ready for the nursing home yet. Lately though, we are definitely seeing signs of Velvet slowing down. It is really sad and hard to admit. For a while we thought she might be going deaf, but then we weren't sure because she could still hear you open a bag of chips from across the street. We thought she was just getting selective in what she responded to. But, in the last few months, it has become clear that she hears almost nothing. You can't even call "let's go outside" or "let's go on a walk" - both things she used to come running for. More often than not, we find ourselves tapping her on the shoulder and see her utterly startled that we are trying to get her attention. We are finding it hard to have her off-leash anymore because we can't keep her under voice command and she tends to wander off and we have to chase her down to tell her to come back.
Velvet was also spending most of the day upstairs where the doggie beds are in our bedroom. I started feeling really bad that she would finish what she was doing (eating, etc.) and then head upstairs for the rest of the day. So, Hattie and I picked up some nice dog cushions last week to keep downstairs for Shadow and Velvet. They are both SO happy. We are too. Now Velvet hangs out with us downstairs because she has a place to lie down. She's not really arthritic, but she seems to crave a soft spot. Now, she thinks her new bed is so comfy, she sometimes doesn't come upstairs at night to go to bed. Just glad we can make her happy and cozy.
Look what the Albuquerque wind blew in! The newly engaged Jessica and Nick literally breezed through town last week. They were driving 24 hours from Salt Lake to Houston and stopped for dinner in Albuquerque. We felt pretty lucky to get to spend 2.5 hours with them. We took them out for some nice New Mexican food and Grace and Hattie made them play a game of Sorry before they hit the road. I made them stop for a picture to prove that they were actually here. Love those funny kids.
Harriet. Playdates. Preschool. These are the things that keep me busy until Grace gets home for her packed evening schedule full of homework, practicing, and lessons. The preschool goes on at least one field trip a month. Friday we headed to the National Hispanic Cultural Center for a concert. I'm going to miss this little monkey when she is in kindergarten all day next year.
