sleeping – Page 18

Fur Coat

We normally let our dog Ellie out through the back door but when she was having trouble with the stairs we started letting her out the front, as the broad stairs were easier for her to navigate. I keep this old winter coat hanging by the back door for walking her in the colder weather, but when I came back in via the front I realized there was no room on that coat rack and set the coat on the floor while I got Ellie settled. I came back to find a small creature had climbed aboard and settled in for a nap.

Adjustments

Age has rendered Ellie mostly deaf so she can no longer hear me when I walk up to her. While she’s always slept on the kitchen tile or the hardwood floors, especially when it’s warm, she now often sleeps where I’ll have to step over her so she can more easily keep track of where I am in the house. The cats have adjusted by hopping over her when she inadvertently blocks them in a room.

At the dog park this morning the two other old black labs in the neighborhood were both there, one of their owners asked me if there was ever a time Ellie wasn’t smiling. I thought of all the solemn looks the pup has given me over the years when she’s been bored as I’ve photographed her, but I knew what she meant. That smile is contagious, I’ve seen it spread onto the faces of so many people who have met her. And countless times, to my own.

Five Years Gone

It was five years ago that we had to say goodbye to my beloved Scout. I’d say I hate this day more than any other but today was actually a pretty good day. Picture is from 2001, a few months after we adopted her.

A Window Into Boo

Has Anyone Seen Trixie? I Can’t Find Her Anywhere.

Little Squeaks loves the feel of our old cloth shopping bags and can’t resist sleeping on them, even when they lie in the forbidden lands.

Boo’s New Year’s Wish For You

“May you spend your days squished into a cardboard box.”

Christmas Eve 2007

A picture of Emma from 10 years ago on Christmas Eve, a couple of days after we adopted her, one of my all-time favorite Christmas presents. I thought of her as I was putting up her beloved tree a couple days ago, seeing the branches permanently bent down from her repeated climbs, hard to believe she’s been gone almost three years. Miss you Em.

My Morning View

Although I took this picture in the afternoon when Sam was sleeping on our bed, this is the view I have many mornings when I wake. It’s the view I have right now, albeit on my couch instead of the bed. If I was a cartoon character I’d have a Sam-shaped divot in my lap. A more snuggly creature you will never meet.

Moving in the Right Direction

I meant to post this yesterday in honor of the 10 year anniversary of the day we adopted Sam and Emma but I ran out of energy in the early evening. Sam is responding well to the new food with extra fiber, he hasn’t had diarrhea in about four days and his stools have improved as he’s transitioned to the new food. His appetite has been good but there is still room for improvement, and we’ll see how he does overall when he’s been on the new food over time. I had a dream a couple of weeks ago that consisted, in its entirety, of me scooping litter boxes and judging Sam’s poop, so I’m looking forward to when this twice daily activity becomes routine again and the little fellow is feeling better.

If he looks gaunt in this picture, he wasn’t, he’s just sunken down between my legs. He’s curled up on my lap at the moment with Trixie just coming in to snuggle up next to her hero.

The Lap Cat

Sam has always been a lap cat, here snuggled into my lap as we curled up on my love seat. I’ll let you guess where he is as I type this. We started him on antibiotics today to see if it will improve the digestive issues that have haunted him the past month, here’s hoping.