| This is Athena. (She is a Whippet, in case you're wondering.) I took this portrait when she was about 10 months old, and I'd only had her for about 2 months. (As of this update, she's almost 10 years old.) I didn't have to do much obedience training with her, as she was always quick to learn and eager to please. For this pic, I asked her to jump up on a pillow, and she struck a pose all on her own. |
| Orpheus has been with me for 13 years now. He is a friendly, rambunctious, goofy and loving cat who gave me a reason to live when I needed it most. Now he sometimes has to give me a reason to let him live! (He can be really rotten, sometimes, but I still love him.) |
| Glamour Girl |
| Beautiful Boy |
| This was Orpheus and Athena's favorite chair. |
| Athena's favorite playmate was her cousin--my sister's Weimeraner, Beau. They loved to dress up for Halloween, too! (OK, we loved to dress them up...but they let us do it!) (Beau passed away in 2006.) |
| This was our Christmas card in 2003. I had a bunch of them left over, but I'll have to redo them if we use them now... |
| In December of 2004, our little family became a lot bigger. Much like the Brady Bunch, we became a blended family when my partner and I moved in together. |
| !!!UPDATE!!! !!!UPDATE!!! !!!UPDATE!!! |
| Our family has grown again! Although we missed Jenny a lot, it was Athena who seemed most affected. She seemed depressed without another canine-type companion, so we decided to find her a friend. It took several months, but we finally found Bailey, a rescued Whippet boy. He was with a vet in Ohio, and his story was very sad, having been kept in a crate most of his life and not given the love and care that every living being needs. So, on the day before Thanksgiving, Deb drove up to Ohio and got him! He was underweight and frightened, but he quickly adapted to his new loving home. Athena was not crazy about all the attention we gave him, but she settled down after a while. Bailey quickly became a couch-dweller with a number of "quirks" that we've learned to accommodate and palliate. He is incredible sweet and docile, but let a B-A-L-L or F-R-I-S-B-E-E (we have to spell in front of the dogs) come into his sight and he goes NUTS! He also took over most of Athena's otherwise neglected toys. He loves to play; in fact, he is obsessed with play! This can be a problem at times, but we've established rules and structure for games and play-time, and he has adapted well. Two months later (as of this writing), he is well-nourished, energetic and happy. |
| Spring 2006 - Bailey has adjusted to life in our home quite well. He loves to play--can't get enough of frisbee! |
| Bailey is also eager to help with chores. Here are some shots of him helping Deb with yard work! What a good dog!! |
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| Updated July 4, 2009 |
| ++++++++UPDATE+++++++++ |
| Bailey has fully settled into his easy life. He still has a few quirks, but he is incredibly loving and sweet. |
Our next-door neighbor gave Deb this hamster, named Bubbles, for Christmas
in 2007. Thanks, Carol, we were getting tired of all that extra space in the house!
in 2007. Thanks, Carol, we were getting tired of all that extra space in the house!
| Pixie came to us as a sort of rescue in September 2008. Long story short, she weaseled her way right into our hearts! Well, not *all* of our hearts. Athena and Fax have chosen to pretend Pixie doesn't exist, while Orpheus is downright hissy to her. Bailey, however, is very happy to have a little sister who absolutely adores him!! |
| ++++++The plan is to have NO MORE UPDATES for a long time...........++++++ |
