Time Marches Onward

LIAM AT HIS PERCH DURING MARCH 5 STORM

My mother Ruth said that a lot. It went like this "Carol, time marches onward" then the addendum, "tempus fugit." Imprinting in my brain a vague anxiety as well as a future affinity for Latin.

I checked out the first quote and found many have said something similar and that there is no definitive attribution.
The tempus fugit phrase was easier to find.

See the following link

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempus_fugit

Guess she liked delivering well timed announcements.

Timeline
January
Watching the Honeymooner marathon on New Year's Day.
Hunkering down awaiting the storm of the century on January 26.
February
Canceled and rescheduled over and over.

March 
Snuck in on a Sunday and somehow we are already in the middle of it!
Tempus Fugit.

Lots of expectations for this month. A lion represents its arrival and a lamb its end. Snow piled high. Streets narrowed by encroaching snow. A swing month. Something of everything.
Hiatused shows returning, number of awards shows diminishing. Liam watched all. But lost interest during the Oscars after he saw his namesake Liam Neeson.

LIAM TURNS AWAY 
after seeing his namesake Liam Neeson present an award, 
no longer interested

The other seasons slide into each other easily...fall into winter, spring into summer. Winter into spring...not as easy. And March has both...the juxtaposition is often jarring.
The archaic and annoying daylight savings time is implemented, stealing an hour from us.
Ten feet of snow on the ground in places. Sunlight glaring off the snow. What a jumble of images and events.

We will share our March jumble.in this week's LiamLicks.

March
Since the New Year we have been anticipating turning the page to March on our Pet Valu calendar. Our New Hyde Park Pet Valu is adjacent to our Starbucks so we see it on a daily basis. Pet Valu produces its own calendar and the monthly featured pets are winners of a contest that was held in August/September 2014. The 13 (cover included) pets who made it received the most votes. It feels like only yesterday that we brought home the calendar!

http://petvalu.com/about-pet-valu/

PET VALU CALENDAR COVER

March is the first month featuring a dog. And he is a customer at our New Hyde Park Pet Valu! 
January had a ferret, February a cat. March's portrait is of Ricky. See him third from the left.. 

I thought we had a chance of Liam making it onto the calendar. Fresh off our Animal League poster selection, I thought Liam had it in the bag. Not. I missed the cues as to what would appeal. A seasonal motif. The dog as the star. No accoutrements. Our photo entry follows.You can see it does not fit...too many pillows, too many gifts. The couch is bigger than Liam. Should have done some cropping and zooming in.

OUR ENTRY

Ricky is an outstanding choice. One brown eye, one blue. And wearing a jazzy green neck scarf with a St. Patrick's Day theme. Of course! Perfect for March. Liam is okay with his non-selection. After all his photo hangs on Pet Valu's wall all year long. Thank You!

RICKY

Treats will always distract from a disappointment and Liam is enjoying St. Patrick's yummies from his Aunt. He nibbles on small pieces each day. We are trying to make them last till next week. As I hand them down to him I have to suppress the urge to try one. The company says they are fine for humans.

                                                                   We have a big storm. Then melting. The temps rise and fall.

7 degrees is the new 20

30 degrees is the new 50
over 50 has people in shorts and coatless

          Inclement weather. 

Snowy and sunny. Cold. Warmer. March is a wild mix. We are inside and outside. Adjusting to each day. And the days feel as if they are flying by. The hour we lost last weekend propels us into the second week of March. Soaring temps. These will soon to be a memory as winter settles in again next week.

KEETS, KRISTIN AND KAYSAR 
viewing the storm from the safety of their cage

LIAM AND I SHELTERING IN PLACE
and below more photos from these two weeks

PASSING THE TIME WITH COUCH AND KONG

    


TIME 

MARCHES

ONWARD


TEMPUS 

FUGIT

   


 Woof, Woof

Chopped by Butter Boy

WAITING FOR KIBBLE, DREAMING OF BUTTER

We don't give Liam much human food. A little here and there. A plop of peanut butter and a few latte foam licks and turkey slices for training. Oh and Greek yogurt licks and some popcorn Friday's after Crabtree's. Therefore when he snagged part of Daddy Paul's buttered bagel and a lamb chop in the same day he scored a feast bigger than anything he has had in a long time.

Butter Boy
Liam loves butter. We know from his repeat upward leaps whenever butter is out on the kitchen counter. A few months ago he earned his sobriquet "butter boy" by sucking in a quarter pound of butter. He paw-swiped it off the counter. I heard the clatter of the fallen dish and spied the stick as it was sliding backward into his mouth. I reached for it but butter is impossible to grip. Land o Lakes, Liam's favorite. We now know to push it far back on the counter.

We affectionately call him Butter Boy when the butter is on the counter and in use.

Following photos illustrate the butter incident.

HMM I SMELL LAND O LAKES

GOT IT!

Buttered Bagel

On a recent Sunday Paul received two phone calls. The compelling ring of the land line still causes Paul to run to answer. We were expecting a call from a snow removal service. In this frigid snowy winter that is a call one wants to answer. Paul jumped and ran for it. Just as quickly Liam jumped at the bagel resting on the arm of the couch. I was in the room but do not possess the leaping ability of a beagle boy zeroed in on a buttered bagel. He got it. I ripped it from his mouth. This was a Starbucks bagel and they are cakey not chewy. It broke into pieces. And I got most of it back. I am sure this partial meal whetted Liam's appetite.
And there would be more.

WATCHING AND WAITING

The Lamb Chop

Late in the day Paul was doing the garbage chore. Tying up the hefty bag and putting it out. Another phone call. Quick one, Liam quick also. Bag left on floor. Liam's head in it, rummaging and sniffing and pushing its contents around

and emerging with a dryer sheet hanging from his mouth concealing what I suspected was a lamb chop. Or the remains. I ran after him. Paul joined in. To the back of the couch, then to the love seat, Paul at one end me at the other...we cornered him and dragged him out. I then put my hand in his mouth. Really. I did that. In an adult dog's mouth with greenie strengthened teeth. I used to do it when he was a puppy and he always relinquished the item. His teeth clamped on my hand. Grownup Liam does not surrender anything once it is  in his mouth. To save me Paul got turkey and peanut butter to distract Liam. It worked. After an interminable wait I was able to pull out my hand. The chop was ground to bits and swallowed. 

Photo reenactment of the lamb chop hide and seek by Liam's stunt double

BEHIND COUCH-CHOP HIDING PLACE

BEHIND LOVE SEAT

CHECKING FOR PARENTS

What a day.

Lessons 

Let the answering machine get the call.

Never take eyes off Liam when food is out

Do not put hand into dog's mouth.  My hand came dangerously close to being chopped.

Teach Liam the "drop it" command

Meanwhile Liam is off to dreamland; his toys watching over him. A wildly satisfying hunt will cause a dog to feel sleepy...and no longer interested in us. 

Woof, Woof

Liam Lost and Found

LIAM ON HIS PERCH

Liam at 7 years old does not like the snow. Puppy Liam was okay with it and seemed to have fun in it. Seemed to but did he really? I am now rethinking my memory of his snow sojourns. What I saw as carefree leaping and snow swimming might have been desperate attempts to keep the snow away from his body, and get his business done quickly.

ANY WAY OUT? I HAVE TO STEP IN THIS?

Liam pounds his side door poochie bells signaling a desire to be released to do his bathroom break. Startled to see snow, he practically dances to the back yard. Liam does not like the feel of the snow on his feet. To avoid sinking in he steps in previously established paw prints or human shoe impressions.

I HAVE TO FIND MY PRINTS

HERE ARE SOME MORE

 SNOUT SNIFF

His low slung body dips into the snow and crouching promises more frigid feelings. Visits outside have become opportunities for sniffing yellow patches and adding his own DNA.

How to escape? Is the snow less on the other side?
Liam has been fixated on the yard abutting ours.

THE BACK FENCE

And it has become more interesting over the years as the pieces of the fence have fallen off affording a view into our neighbors' lives.

THE KNOWN OPENING TIED UP

We don't know whose fence it is. It will have to be replaced. So far tying it back up with rope is the way we are fixing it. We did not notice that one plank had drifted back creating a triangular opening, small at the bottom and widening as it reached the top.

Liam noticed. He often sat in front of this aperture looking into their yard. A little dog used to lived there and possibly Liam was hoping for its return. Or maybe looking for a less snowy yard.

On a recent Sunday, I left him looking, returning to the house for my phone, intending to snap some shots. I was gone a few minutes at most. I reentered the backyard, the phone camera ready and aimed at Liam. Or where he had been. "Liam, Liam, LIAM!" Where are you? I looked, I called. I went around the far side of the house. No sign of him. The "lost" pet checklist flashed in front of me as well as the difficulties in finding a lost Liam.

Liam 

Micro chipped.

Has his name and address and phone number on his collar.

Has a Home Again tag.

Has a rabies ID number
Has a Town of North Hempstead ID number

That adds up to a lot of identifying jewelry around his neck.

And he is known in the 'hood. A celebrity. He owns a blog. He is a social media star.

Liam

A chaser of squirrels
birds and rabbits

Non discriminating about strangers. He will go to anyone.

Has a disregard for traffic

                                                           strong stubborn independent

Will not always come when called

I rushed back to the side door, yelled into Paul. "Is Liam back in?" No. Both of us are now out and searching. I am one of those pet parents who has shaken my head when I hear of a lost pet. Always thinking that the human must have been less than vigilant. Well, animals are wily. They can slink and jump and burrow and climb. They slip out of harnesses and leashes. It happens to every pet parent. and now it is happening to us. Paul runs to the front of the house and calls "Liam." A few shouts and he sees Liam on the corner trotting along as if he owns the boulevard. Upon hearing his name Liam turns up our block to meet Paul. And he is back with us. He does not seem afraid. Upon entering the yard he races around the perimeter several times.
A joyful release? Or an expression of anxiety?

Liam is the same. Not us. It takes a while for us to recover. We tie up the hanging plank.

The space is too small for Liam right now. but this is only buying a bit of time. We have to do something down the line to ensure that he stays safe.

 And the snows continue...
 Liam keeps looking and exploring.

WHERE IS TANGO? MAYBE SHE WILL HELP ME ESCAPE

IN THE SUMMER THERE WAS A HOLE HERE

Liam wants out of this snow playpen. He believes the grass is greener on the other side.

Liam, it is not.
But he is trying to get out. Click to see

Please don't scare your parents again.

Stay home, soak up the sun. Get your Vitamin D.

Curl up on the couch.

Forecast
Cold with Snow.
Parents with Worry.

Woof, Woof

Barking, More or Less

In the New Year, folks make resolutions. They want to do better. I noticed in some advice columns resolution has been replaced with intention. I like this. To resolve is to commit. With force. Hard, cold...Consider Intend to. Means will try, aim at...soft, warm.

Official Definitions

Resolution
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolution
Intention
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intention

Our New Year's intentions may involve our interactions with and care of our pets. In the pet world there are slogans. One seen often is "Bark less, wag more" and the feline inclusive "Bark less, purr more."
Not sure who created these so I cannot give proper attribution.
A philosophy. A mantra. A resolution? An intention? Reverse anthropomorphism.

Liam has not been successful at the bark part, but has maintained the wag part. I see myself as a wagger who internalizes her bark to the point of self destruction. However, when drinking wine with hubby on  Saturday nights I may chat a bit more and at a greater rate of speed. I will go from wagging to woofing and sometimes to growling. A civilized proper growl. Not whining, it is  wining...

DADDY PAUL AND LIAM

This happened on a recent Saturday night. I had been commenting and announcing and opining.  Liam was listening, sort of. He and Paul on the other end of the couch. Paul's side. Hours went by without a reply to my ongoing commentary. From either of them. See above photo. Notice the distance they are from me. I would be just off to the right...out of range.

RHETORICAL LISTENING

I turned to Paul and said in a wine infused tone that I would like a reply, every now and then. His response was the same as it always has been "I thought your were speaking rhetorically" I must always speak as if giving a speech if Paul believes an answer is not expected. I did not reply.  He gathered Liam closer. Of course, he expected no answer and did not want a reply. He and Liam continued their bromance. I gathered up my mobiles, the papers, my books and my wine and stormed off to the woman cave. I heard the channel being changed and the football game on. I was not missed.

The next day on our Sunday trip to Starbucks I begin my morning chatter. Every time I say something Paul says yeah or really or okay or I see. On the 5 minute trip he must have used these words every 30 seconds. Paul is answering my rhetorical questions.
Do I really talk incessantly? Am I a non-stop barker?

Rhetorical questions...

How in the world can the boys stand it? 

My New Year's intention is to bark less. Purr more. Wag more. I have begun. Every time I feel a remark emerging I say "Shut up Carol" in my head...I am attempting to reduce my talk to normal levels. This would probably happen if I reduced my Saturday wine intake but I have no intention of doing that.
If I feel bloviation coming on I will find others to bark to. Like passersby.

Woof Woof

Sunspotting

AH, A SUN SPOT

Is it warmer in a sun spot? Not really. Inside the house the temp is pretty much the same in the sun spots as it is out of them. Why the compulsion for our dogs to find the sun and bask in it? The illusion of warmth? Or is it the fascination with light? I figured someone else must have wondered about our dogs seeking the sun. In our tech age an answer to a question is only a browser search away. I begin typing "why do our dogs like th..." and pages of links to articles pop up on just about every topic to do with dogs... "why do dogs like the sun" is the sixth search item in popularity being bested by why do dogs like the car, the beach, their paws, and other private body parts. I find a blogger post from January 2014. It seems fitting that on the year anniversary of this post I find an answer...here is the link. http://blog.petsolutions.com/dog-pet-care-corner/2014/1/30/why-do-dogs-lay-in-the-sun.html
A cleverly captioned photo...a priceless visual. Thank You!
And another article
http://hairyandmerry.com/2014/04/13/why-do-dogs-like-to-sunbathe-its-more-science-than-you-think/
I read these and a few other explanations of the dog seeking sun phenomenon. I'll tell you what appears to be happening with our dogs and the sun. 

FACE AND FEET IN SUN SOAK

NOSE DOSE ONLY

Dogs seek out the sunny spots for a  scientific health benefit. Liam may not know what he is getting from the sun rays yet he instinctively knows he requires it.

He also has the memory of how good he feels after his sunbathing. Makes sense to go back for more.


By sitting, lying, standing in the path of the sun's rays, Liam is getting the Vitamin D he needs. The sun reacts with the oil on his skin, converting it to Vitamin D. It would sit on his fur if he did not work at getting it in his body. LiamLicking will get that done. Ingesting the Vitamin D laced oil. Pretty efficient. More satisfying than popping a pill...
Why is Vitamin D important? Bones.


Liam's has his point of view and wants me to include it.  Okay Liam, bark it out

Liam
Our humans observe us and decide we have it easy. They watch us seek out a sunbeam. They smile as we stretch out to absorb the light. My Mom sees it as an ongoing hedonistic activity. Wait! not so easy...Just because I cannot resist the compulsion to sunbathe does not mean it is mindless and instinct driven. I don't want to be an addict of sunspots. I'd rather be playing with my toys, heating up in front of my hot air vents or watching Top Chef. To absorb my sun doses I have to stay still, then lick methodically and thoroughly and then swallow. Over and over. To speed up the process and make it less boring I have added several techniques.

1-I position myself in the sunspot, stick out my tongue to catch the sun, then swallow. This proactive approach cuts out the intermediate licking phase.
2-I look for the biggest and brightest area of sun, Quicker baking.
3-I play with my Kong bone. Diversionary fun.
4-I listen to music. Meditative.

I view the sun sessions as medically necessary life enhancers. Not spa visits. Not mini vacations. Not beauty treatments.
Work.

See the following photos for visual illustrations.

WHAT IF I SWALLOW SOME RAYS?

There. Got some. Have to shut my mouth and keep them in.


  Finding large sunlit areas I will get my Vitamin D faster.

I incorporate play time to distract myself while soaking. I play a song in my head to keep my mood light while the sun completes its job.

I play with my Kong bone.
And then I rest.
And begin again.

 

FILL IT UP, MOM

RESTING

SUN SEEKER

It never ends
Woof, Woof