Merrylog

Yes, I know everyone thinks of them as weeds and pulls out chemicals every year to get rid of the things. But honestly? Dandelions are one of my favourite flowers. They decorate the world for a week or two each spring, turning everything sunny yellow and cheerful. Then they turn to gorgeous big puffballs of seed, equally lovely and totally different and ensuring an even more vibrant show the following year. Plus, the greens are wicked yum. I’m thinking of saving a big bunch of seed this year and making a concentrated planting in my backyard so that next year we can have some delish salads in the springtime.

The princess pug, on the other hand, just likes sniffing around them. :)

Bathed in the soft evening light, the blind little pug seeks her owner… in a head tilt her dad and I have come to name as “looking for God” – or “begging the ceiling”, particularly when there’s food around. :)

You don’t get too many shots these days of the pug grinning from ear to ear – she’s a slower puggie these days. :) But take the puglet to Grandma and Grandpa’s and what do you get? Why, you get the same adorable pug you used to see all the time… five years ago: Happy, excited, always following people around, wanting to play ball, begging treats at every opportunity (okay, she still does that one. ha!). Honestly, I was so thrilled to see her so thrilled that it made me indescribably happy. How cute is she like this?

How the pug loves her fetch. Even now, nearly 10 years after she first learned how to fetch and play, she gets excited when the ball comes out. The big difference – other than the blindness of course – is her stamina is much less. After 10 or 15 minutes of play (at most), she loses interest and goes to lay down. But while the play is on, she’s as cute, excited and youthful as she was in the first couple of years. And I love the expressions she makes! :)

The princess got to spend this weekend visiting her Grandma and Grandpa – arguably, one of the things the pug loves most in the world. She was very happy, very excited, in ways she doesn’t get as often these days. It scares the heck out of me to realize she’ll be ten years old this June 6. How is that possible? And when will they invent the pill that allows pugs to live till 30? I feel like we’ve had so little time together so far.

Pugs just always look worried. It made for a confusing first few months with Merry after I brought her home; I was never sure if she was upset or if she was just, you know, a pug. Time and paying attention eventually taught me how to recognize true concern on her face vs. her essential pugginess. :)

Extra bonus: Lookit that underbite! Just want to smoosh it between my hands! Yes, she’s a cutie.

If yer Irish (or just Irish for a day, like the pug), we wish you a happy St. Patrick’s Day. The pug will even get a taste of the Irish treats gracing our table tonight – colcannon and pork chops. However, the chocolate Guiness cupcakes with Baileys cream cheese frosting will be strictly off limits. ;)

Poor pug. Both her Dad and I have been hit with one heck of a wicked cold. It has laid both of us out flat for nearly a week – I don’t think we’ve ever had such an unproductive slothy weekend before. Literally all we did was sleep, eat, and couch. As a result, the pug got lots of cuddle time but very little play time and very short walks. I was finally able to drag myself off the couch yesterday for long enough to do a brief photo shoot in the office – where, above, Merry shared with me her thoughts on the situation.

Oh, the princess was a cuddly one this weekend. :) It was like having a furry leg warmer – wonderful, really. Since her retirement, the princess has become cuddlier. My guess is because she needs more reassurance now that she doesn’t have “a day job” – i.e. all that daily attention. Poor pug. Yes, there are days I still feel guilty for going to my own day job and leaving her behind! (Does that make me crazy?)

The princess in full attack mode ready to pounce on the ball. Too funny. One of the reasons we love her, really.  She’s been so cuddly and excited to play since we brought her home from her visit with Grandma and Grandpa – and yes, that’s partly my guilt talking. There has been a lot of play, like this session above – and she’s slept up in bed with us, stapled to Hubby’s leg, at least twice this week. :)