Brownie loved her new soccer ball

This little girl loves balls. Nothing thrills her more than a ball. We were in the store a few weeks ago and I wanted to get a new one for her and I didn't want to spend too much because all her balls end up being torn apart. I don't have a problem with that as toys are meant to be played with and enjoyed (and boy, does she!). We ended up with this soccer ball. When we came home with it, Pooker got down on her level and told her he had something for her. She was so excited to see what he pulled out of the sack and when she saw it was a new ball, she put her paw out to pat it. He opened the package for her and she was off and playing with her new ball. Pooker opened the door so she could take it outside (because we were coming out to sit and relax) and she growled at him. She didn't want him taking the ball away from her (he was trying to get it from her to take outside). I told Pooker that she'd bring it outside whenever she was ready. A few minutes later, she trots outside with it. When she wasn't playing with it and rolling it around, she was sitting in the shade panting with one paw on the top of the ball. It was pretty cute. She was so happy to have it. She ended up chewing it up, probably within three hours, but oh, how glorious those three hours were!

Brownie loves rock hunting, too! 6-10-10

This little girl is all in for rock hunting. She loves going where we go and if someone will throw a rock for her, she'll fetch it and play with it. I liked the first picture because to me it looked like "little dog, big world" and the second picture with her tongue hanging clear out of her mouth is like "rock hunting is hard work"! Just a disclaimer that no dogs were harmed in rock hunting: I carry a bucket of water for her (and sometimes my sister or my nephew carried the bucket for me for her) and she was able to drink plenty to help her stay as cool as we could be during the hot summer late afternoon rock hunt.

My little riding companion

No one loves car rides more than this little girl! When she hears "Let's go", she runs to the door. She knows we are going somewhere and she is always up for it. Sometimes we say "Let's go" and don't mean that she gets to go and that leaves a very disappointed looking doggie sitting at the door with a tilt to her head and an expression as if to say "Why don't I get to go, too?".

Brownie admiring the view

You can see why Brownie and I love to walk (as opposed to jog, bike, etc.). We like to stop and admire the view (as well as look at various other things of interest).

Brownie playing in the river

When we are on our walk and we go close to the river, if the river is really coming up and lapping at the shore then Brownie wants to run along the edge and playfully "bite" at it. She will run back and forth, back and forth for as long as I'll let her (usually around 30 minutes). She loves it. Her eyes shine and she grins really big. I like watching her have fun. We don't do this much as if the water is calm, there is nothing for her to "bite" at. So we take advantage of it when we can. Nothing like a sweet wet dog with a huge smile on her face.

Tiptoeing through the Tulips

And here are the flowers at home during the day so you can actually see some of the brilliant colors!! I love the rich purple of this one and how the middle of it seems to be glowing.

What more can I say about the Indian Paintbrush flower? It is so brilliant and to see a field blanketed in these is quite stunning.

Here's Brownie tiptoeing through the tulips (not literally), but I'm not sure she is all that interested in the beauty of the flowers, more like has a cat passed through here recently?

I liked how it looked like she was walking into the light here in this picture, surrounded by the gorgeous glowing purple wild flowers. (Mom has informed me that some of these wildflowers (like the purple ones) are actually weeds, but I still think the flowers are beautiful. As I'm neither a farmer nor a gardener and it's not my lawn, I can see the beauty in a weed with beautiful flowers on it.)

Brownie resting at Nana and Papa's

This cutie pie loves being at her Nana and Papa's!!! She gets to run around without a leash on and sniff whatever and wherever she wants. We'll go on walks throughout the day (as she hangs close to the house, often with her nose to the glass of the front door and her eyes begging someone to come out and play). When I'm busy inside helping fix lunch or visiting and she gets too hot, she'll come around here to the back patio and sit in the shade. The kitchen is right inside the sliding glass door on the patio and she feels like she is still close to us and she can relax while still keeping an eye on everything.

Brownie's photoshoot with the sunflowers

I think Brownie looks so gorgeous when she is posing with flowers, especially yellow flowers as the contrast between her coat and the flowers makes for a stunning picture. I couldn't really get a great shot of her (one that would be worthy of framing), but I thought these turned out cute.

A little snooze

Here's my cutie resting a little bit on the couch. She doesn't often lay with her feet in the air, but something about this couch invites you to sink on down in it and wallow around a bit. It's a very comforting couch.

Brownie and I love to sit outside!

We really love to sit outside, especially when it is nice. We managed to sit out there yesterday afternoon before it turned cold in the evening (went into the 20's at night after being in the 60's during the day). I plopped down and she plopped down right beside me. We both sat there and just enjoyed the warmth and looked around. I'd reach over and pet her every once in a while. Right there, in that moment, all was right in our world.

John Deere bone

Here's Brownie chewing on her John Deere bone that her Nana gave her for Christmas. She has a basket of toys and chooses which toy she's going to play with. This John Deere bone is definitely a favorite! As of today, it still has its squeaker and most of its stuffing.

Brownie's hiding place

This is where my Brownie dog hides when she is scared. She never really used to be scared much (only during storms with thunder and lightening), but last winter we had a terrible ice storm that was so bad it knocked out power to over 250,000 homes. Well, you can imagine the trees that had to break to cause that many power outages (not to mention substantial damage to houses and vehicles). I could hear some breaking nearby, but she could hear them a lot farther than I could and to hear that horrible snapping sound constantly for more than three days was really more than either of us could handle. Plus, we were stuck inside for at least a week and we both had a little cabin fever.

To top it off, our power will sometimes flicker which will turn off the tv and vcr and computer, etc. When those things go off, they make a small noise which sounds a lot like the noises we heard during the storm. She will go hide in the bathroom for a while until she feels like everything is okay then she'll come out. I think it is interesting that she automatically hides in the one room in our house that is the "safest" (no windows, center of the house) without anyone telling her, "Now Brownie, the bathroom is the safest room in the house."

She's a smart one, that one. Of course, I don't want her to be scared of those things (it is amazing how powerful the mind is), so I'm praying over her and believing that she is healed and whole. And yes, prayer does work over little doggies!

Making her mark on our world

Here she is making her mark on our world. She's already left her little footprints on my heart.

Contemplating the vastness of nature. She really loves to be outside as do I. Like mother, like dog-ter.

Brownie likes eating pears!

About a month and a half ago, our neighbor gave us a bag of pears that he had picked off the pear tree in his back yard. I was outside, so Pooker brought the bag to me to show me. Brownie crowded around our legs because she wanted to see what was in the bag. Pooker put it down lower so she could see in it and she got really excited. She thought it was a bag filled with balls for her! He had given us so many I thought it couldn't hurt to let her have one of them, so we gave her the whole pear. She carried it around and played with it a while, rolling around with it and tossing it a little bit. She was picking it up to move it and her teeth bit into it. She kind of stopped and tilted her head like "What was that?" She sat down and took it between her two front paws and tried biting into it again. She must have liked it because she started taking bites out of it and eating it (except every once in a while, she'd spit some of the skin out). She ate all but a small piece of that pear and she really enjoyed it. For the next several days, whenever I'd eat a pear she would want some of it. I'd cut her off a slice and hand it to her and keep giving her slices until she stopped asking for more. I figured if she wants to eat fruit, I'll let her eat as much of it as she wants!

Brownie at Sonic

Going through the drive-thru at Sonic.

Brownie and I cuddling

My sweet Brownie dog is a cuddler. I asked Pooker to go get the camera and geta picture of us because I don't have too many pictures of her and I snuggling.

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as regularly as I had been. I promise I'll get back to regular posting soon. I've been really focusing on making crafts for this show (of which, I'll take pictures of them today and post them when I can so you can see what I've been making). I haven't spoken with Grandma yet this week, but I know that Grandad went to rehab over the weekend and they were evaluating him then to come up with a plan to get him back up and on his feet. I'll let you know how rehab is going as soon as I find out.

Looking out the window

When it isn't so hot, Pooker will turn the air-conditioner off and open the windows. Brownie's bed (one of many) is right here in front of it and she loves to sit on it and watch what all is going on outside.

Farm Girl

Here's my sweet girl, relaxing in the shade of some posts because it was a little sticky before it rained and she was hot. I love her big smile and with her eyes mostly closed, she looks so content.

Then, with her eyes open and her mouth in a slightly smaller smile, you can tell she is just enjoying life on the farm.

Overlooking the river

On our walk, the majority of the paths take us above the river. When we can get near the edge and look out over the river, we do. And she's just as interested as I am in seeing all there is to see.

Baby Girl

Brownie's cousin, Sherri, gave her this cute little "Baby Girl" charm for her collar. She knows how much this little brown girl means to me!