Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Kiss me, I'm Irish adorable!

Happy Birthday, Hartley!

My little man turned two years old a couple of days ago.

Not only did Grandma (who he adores with a burning passion) come over, she brought presents.  His favourite was a duck.

He got lots of nibbles from Grandma's lunch plate.  He also went on a walk, during which he chased grasshoppers and tried to eat toad jerky.*  This made for a blissful day - tiring, but blissful.

*Toad jerky = dried up toads that got squished on our road.  I think it's disgusting, but he is always trying to eat them up.  He can often be seen with a pair of legs dangling from his mouth. I know, eww.  Any body else have a toad jerky lover in their family?  Or is there another tasty treat that your dog, cat or other critter loves to snag, regardless of your distaste?

Home, Sweet Home

We survived the move (although it was pretty touch and go at times) and I'm here to prove it.  The boxes are all mostly unpacked, the house is organized and the decorating has commenced.

And just to prove that we are now new home owners, within a brand new community, I will regale you with pictures of our first trip to the mail box:

Here we are starting the adventure.  The air is thick with excitement. Hartley is straining with anticipation!

So much anticipation, in fact, that it excited the pee out of him.  Must stop for bathroom break...

Fully relieved and more committed than ever, the odyssey continues...

Finally, we reach our destination.  Hartley is obviously overwhelmed by the immensity of the moment.

Let's take a look-see inside...

And what is my fabulous postal bounty, you may ask?  Stinkin' bills! 

A well earned rest after a job well done...

I Want to Believe

Scotland has the Loch Ness Monster, the Pacific Northwest (USA) has Big Foot and Mexico has El Chupacabra.  But, there's a new mythical monster and it's located in SW Ontario.

The Abominable Snow Vizsla

Can you spot him? This is an elusive creature, capable of blending into its surroundings seamlessly.   So, look very closely. 

Witnesses are rarely taken seriously.  It seems most observers are lucky to take blurry, dark or half-formed pictures.  Nothing that will allow for serious scientific investigation.

More often than not, the Abominable Snow Vizsla leaves only tracks, as if taunting us.

 A lucky few claim to have seen it seen sprinting through the tree cover.

Or shrouded in a swirl of snow. 

This truly is is a mystery for the ages.  We may never know if this legendary creature actually exists or if it is just the product of fevered imagination. 

Hartley vs Guinness

I have a riddle for you.  

What do you get when mix a 4-pack of beer and very rambunctious pup with very strong teeth?

.

.

.

.

.

 

Don't worry.  No vizslas were harmed during the making of this riddle.

Straight from the Hartley

Here's hoping you have a doggone good holiday season!  May your days be joyful, your nights be restful and your bowl always full of kibble.

Happy Holidays!! 

The Holiday Post in Which I'm Rude

~~~Caution!~~~

If you are not amused by immature sexual humour, bypass the beginning and head on down to the "Safe Zone" toward the bottom of this post.



Alright, now that all the old fuddy-duddies are gone, the rest of you pervs can proceed...

In the past, I have confessed that one facet of my sense of humour is that of a hormonal twelve year old boy.  Using the words "shaft", "probe" or "package" in my presence is guaranteed to have me devolve into fits of giggles.  I have tried to develop a more sophisticated funny bone (snarf!, I wrote "bone"), but alas, I am still mired down by juvenile inappropriateness. 

So, bearing that in mind, you won't be surprised that the following decorative lights at a local park had me snickering.

C'mon, I cannot be the only one that sees distinctly non-Christmasy things here.

Okay, maybe I am.

Anyhoo, on another (very related) note, Hartley is recovering from surgery today.  Yesterday, he got the "Big Snip" and now he is now two balls short of a load.  Poor little man.

 

*********************SAFE ZONE*********************

Lastly, for all the readers that aren't fans of blatant innuendo, here are some more holiday light pictures.  There's not a rude one in the bunch.  (Okay, maybe the last one is a bit boobalicious, but you'd have to be a real prude to be offended by it.  So, if you are a real prude, avert your eyes, go no further and ignore this whole post.).  Enjoy! 

 

Can you tell I live in an area surrounded by water.  Maritime Christmas, anyone? 

"Fall"ing in Love

I have had a few inquiries about Hartley lately, so I thought I'd post an update.  

To say that I am madly in love with this pup doesn't quite convey exactly how I feel about him.  Everyday, he amazes, amuses and astounds me.  Last weekend we went for a walk at a local park.  The fall colours this year are wonderful, so I couldn't resist taking a few (hundred) pictures.  I have a few to share with you all:

Hartley looking bigger than life!

Hartley found a new friend at one of the local homes that borders on the park grounds.

 

Hartley and me, cruising along the trail.  Be sure to notice how I intentionally matched the colour of my sweatpants (and hair!) to that of the changing leaves.

 

Stopping for a treat and posing for a glamour shot.

The Detroit skyline from the top of a hill in the park.  Hello my American friends!

Hartley, doing what he loves - sniffing the air and chasing a stick.

 

Winding path down to the pond.

  

The oak leaves look like lace against the lovely blue sky. 

The perfect finish to a perfect day!

Happy Birthday, Hartley!

Today is Hartley's 1st birthday!!!

There was cake...

 and presents...

 Oh, and a lot of hat wrestling.

What a spazz.

Lacquer Lundi

Hmm, it seems that polishing one's nails on a somewhat regular basis and having a new puppy in the house are two mutually exclusive things.  A certain Mr. Hartley Dog is not a big fan of the drying time required for a manicure.  He believes that all waking hours should be filled with walks, belly rubs and games of fetch and chase the puppy.  And I tend to agree, so the nail polish selection is quite limited this week (but, they're both very pretty purples, so check 'em out).


On to the pretties:


Zoya - Adina
- purchased at spaboutique.ca for $9.00 CDN

Adina, from Zoya's Spring 2010 Reverie collection, is a medium dusty purple base with awesome teal (and sometimes gold at the right angles) shimmer.  It is such a pretty duochrome - the finish reminds me of the inside of an oyster shell.  This polish really needs to be experienced in person - it is such a pretty and interesting colour - it is one of my favourites from this year's offerings.

Adina applied wonderfully and covered completely in two coats.  It wore well with only minor tip wear after two days.  This polish is very unique in my collection - I don't have anything else like it. 


New York Color - Irresistible Indigo
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $1.36 CDN

Irresistible Indigo is an older offering from New York Color, but you may still be able to find it in drug stores that don't clear out stock well or at a local dollar store.  If you can find it, it's worth it.  Irresistible Indigo is a gorgeous medium purple, with a very subtle silver microshimmer.  For some reason, it makes me crave grape pop.

Irresistible Indigo applied fairly well, although it is prone to bald spots.  I was able to get adequate coverage with two coats, but I did have to go back and even out some streakiness on a few nails.  It wore well, with tip wear after two days.  All in all, a decent polish at an extremely affordable price.

A New Man in my Life

There's a new member of the HZC family that I want to introduce to you:

This is Hartley.  He is an 11 month old Vizsla and he is responsible for the return of joy into our home. 

Since he has taken up residence with us, he has been doing all the things a sweet puppy should do.

Like rolling in the grass:

Getting up close and personal with bugs:

Trying to balance on the windowsill (okay, maybe that's something puppies shouldn't do - oy!):

Eating spaghetti:

 Cruising around at the dog park:

And napping in the warm afternoon sun:

Each day with him is an experience.