You're not famous until you get a drink named after you...

H&M are plotting about putting up a fence, so Emily doesn't bark down the neighborhood. Which is a bit sad. Bummy loves looking out at dogs and kids going by.

[The grass really is greener...]

To make up for it, not that it'll do her any good, Mommy will name her new drinkie after Emily. Also, because this is Emily's blog:

[The Emily]

3 ice cubes
180 ml tonic
2 strawberries, quartered
a splash of Cointreau

Add cubes, tonic, Cointreau, and strawberries in glass, then crush strawberries with fork. Tastes fresh and sweet and fun, like a funfair, but with all classy ingredients. Just like our Bumily.

Rose Slips

After 4 months, the second rose bloomed. I don't want to malign Canon (it's more likely my defunct photo skills) but the pictures don't do this one justice:

Perfect!

Bumily's doing fine. She's static. More later. ~~

Energizer Puppy

First, the roses. It's been over 3 months since we planted the slips, and each cutting has two huge extra shoots and a bud each.

[any day now]

Bunily also discovered napping on Daddy:

But don't let the snoozing convince you otherwise. Emily's the Energizer Puppy. Today, after two walks of 1 hour each, morning and evening, and one mini walk of 20 minutes in between (cut short because she got gooey poo all over her bum), Emily came home for a game of Crazy Fetch:

[Jump!]

Rose Rustling

[The lower shoots are all new]

The slips (or cutting) are 10 weeks old now, and I transplanted them into larger pots for the fall. The new shoots are coming along nicely. (I didn't shake all the dirt off to see the roots while transplanting, but what did show was pretty stable)

[Needs to grow into the pot some more]

*

This is before I trimmed Emily's face on Saturday:[Hairy faces fit in everything]

Puppy cut, after:
[Mommy scalped me]

Of course, after she got a bath, and we realized the sheer critical extent of her matting, I ended up shaving half the fur off her left hind leg. H. really has to sit squirmy puppy down every evening and run a brush through her, no matter how bitey Emily is.

*

At the tail end of today's walk, H&M spotted some other dog's dried up poo, attracting 3 dozen flies in the corner of the parking lot. We go, "Oh Yuck, some people" and walk on, not realizing for 1 whole minute that the reason Emily's not following us, is that she's stopped and EATEN IT ALL UP.

OH YUCK.
When I washed her mouth and paws in the sink, her burp smelled like farts. heh.

Heat Wave Strikes Europe

or so I hear. Emily and I are chilling in our living room. She's been pretty barky lately, especially late at night when she doesn't want to go to bed and is wondering why Mommy and Daddy think 1-2 am is sleepy time.

[Seriously, inquiring puppy minds want to know]

Emily's recovering nicely from her sick-time. Still, her nose is a little pinkish, instead of full black, so I let her hang out on the patio.

[Emily Puppy, Spy Dog]

[Grass, you can't let your guard down on them for a second.]

On the gardening front, our rose 'experiments' are coming along nicely. It's been 5 weeks since we planted the cuttings. At 6-8 weeks, we'll move them to roomier pots.
[Snipped and potted, June 28, 2009]
[See? New shoots]

Emily's climbing on my lap -- No! -- on the coffee table -- No! -- on the sofa -- No! -- to get a sip of my mocha cappucino. No, puppy!

Emily Puppy has been busy

[Happy things first]
Emily the super busy puppy's been

... picking up slack for Mommy.

Mostly she's been barking. This is what she looks like when she does that:

[I call her Ol' UnderBite Em]

Mommy's always staring at the evil flat thingy -- with squiggly things on it. So Emily wanted to do it too. It didn't taste so good.

[Whatever. It couldn't have been that bad.]

H: [Emily pulled 6 keys off my computer and ate two. We now have replaced "I" and "9" with "Alt Gr" and some key with a weird picture on it. I'm running out of useless keys fast]

She also ran into our bedroom and ate my earplugs. I know because they were gone from the bedside table. Also, two nights later, I found them in her poo.

H. has gotten a lot better at stuffing the Kong. 'Cause Emily can't get her goodies out. Sometimes she barks at it:

[Then she just whines at the food to come out]

She also tore a hole in her new beddy, and is bent on spilling its innards around the house. But they're okay.

[Still a cutey. But kind of hairy.]

[I can see you right there, Daddy!]

Easter Carnage

Late Saturday Afternoon, Emily Puppy was found Wrapped Around a Tree.

[It's here! It's here! My Fur!]

Earlier that day, victim exhibited signs of unrest and made several cries for help:

[Quick, I'll flop over here, you draw a chalk line, Mommy]

Authorities suspect domestic issues. Victim and mother were witnessed engaged in several heated arguments over the past 2 weeks. Threats ensued.

("If you don't sit still when I'm putting on the leash, Mommy's going to shave your neck, Emily!)

[The Victim: In Happier Times]

The victim, Emily Puppy, was found 30% smaller at 6pm Saturday. Authorities soon discovered the cause: excess clipping by a non-professional. Puppy was found pursuing the shreds across the patio. Clear weather conditions preserved crime scene.

[Carnage]

Victim's Daddy was napping upstairs when incident occurred. He claims no knowledge of his wife's diabolical plans. Police are skeptical. ("A likely story!")

[Do I look fat with this haircut?]

Please support puppy rights. Write to your SPCA, Senator, MP, today.
Prevent the atrocities of home-grooming.

---
H&M are watching too much Mentalist.

Expectations

Some things to remember... by M.

From Good Owners, Great Dogs by B. Kilcommons, on raising puppies:

"He comes happily, sits sometimes and downs with guidance. It sounds like you're doing well."

"No pup is going to behave with the consistency or focus of an adult dog."

[Spying on the neighborhood kids]

----

Other things to remember... by H.

Dorko (aka Emily the Puppy) is still a girl, has always been a girl. Yup, April Fool's.

She also jumped on the sofa (common misdemeanor when we're out) and peed on it, late last night after H. had gone to bed and M. was still on his way home from a Ph.D. defense in Twente.

M. just goes, "Hehehe, she's just a puppy. I've been expecting this to happen," soaks the sofa cover in the tub without fuss, cleans up, takes Dorko/Emily out for a proper potty, and goes to bed. Case in point that H. is married to the nicest guy ever.

[Spying on the neighborhood kids, now with lamb chewie snacks]

Emily now has a covered bicycle basket, for trips to the park. Pedal faster, Mommy Chariot!

brief change of plans

Contrary to popular opinion, dog pee will not make your flowers grow better. Despite this, the heirloom daffodils survived 3 months of Emily stomping through her primo potty ground.

[Brave New Flowers]

[Shaggy Puppy Eats Flowers]

We'll have to brave the scissors and trim her face again. People in our neighborhood stop and call her "that cute white puppy," and she totally doesn't deserve beauty titles with such a lazy Mommy.
--

Looks like H&M won't be ordering a 회 platter on Saturday -- the new Korean restaurant says they're only doing dinners now.

Though, I wonder why there are TWO Korean restaurants in an out of the way dorpje like Nieuwe Vennep and not in an international student town like Leiden.

Open Letter to the White Wookie

[Eats Forests, Really Tall]

Dear Emily,

Mommy and Daddy are really thrilled you're not constipated any more. After a day of nothing in nothing out, the poo machine is back!

Mommy doesn't mind (so much) picking up your poo and washing your butt 4 times a day (and letting you out to pee another 6 times).

She doesn't mind scooping out the crusty upper layer of old stinky dirt in our little garden because you've peed there so often it's an open latrine.

But remember our little garden?
It's kind of little, and you've just about killed Mo the chrysanthemum, but it's still big enough to poo in for a little wookie like you.

So why'd you have to pick that impossible spot between the metal fence and the wood border to drop your poos in? Mommy's hand can't reach in there.
It was embarrassing the first time when Mommy went next door and asked our neighbor if Mommy could pick up your poo from the other side of the fence.

So the second time, Mommy decided poking it out with a plastic fork was better than the shame.

Next time, could you be a honey, and poo where Mommy can get to it? Thx.

secret liver-smeared kissies,

H&M

[My poos are frankincense and myrrh]

Sex and an Old Coat

Some of our friends (E. and E.) think Emily might be a boy, and are concerned. Mostly, what Mommy and Daddy got were some really interesting images from the internet (not of puppies), when typing in the search words: "puppy," "sex," and "genitalia."

It's not that easy--balls drop at 6 months (tee hee). This page tells you how to check. Nope, still can't tell. We'll ask the vet next week.

Mommy was going to devote this post to queries on Puppy Gender.

But then, she found Emily's old, new coat in her crate, and wheee! We had fun with clothes! (this just shows Mommy is a girl. Ha ha, Judith Butler!)

Daddy bought her the coat when she was 8 weeks (because it was COLD, and she had to go out to potty), and now at 13 weeks, she finally grew into it. But of course she hates it:

Too bad, puppy. Mommy's the boss, ok?

[Aaaak!]

We went outside to try it out.

TV: Oi. Boys Before Flowers (ep 11&12) landed H. in rant-land all morning, frothing from teh sTOopiD. Also because 잔디 reminds her of one of her dumber cousins.

What H. wants to happen (also with 10 episodes less than planned): 잔디&준표 are stupid. Again. Ergo, they die. Skip the Funeral Scene. Flowers grow over Boys. The End.

Mud Garden

As I said yesterday, Emily is getting to be quite a handful:[She's quite tall, too]

[Hi, granma!]
Of course, it was all my fault. We went out for potty, and afterwards, I let her play. Emzee looked for slugs in the garden plot:

And tried finger-painting:

Wish us luck! We're off to Puppy Class, today!
--

Aw... 김연아 fell during her triple loop in the 4 Continents. Still, she won. Like every other Korean person, H. adores 연아. So smart, so spunky. Though, I quite like Asada, too. Skating, yeah, but she's got really cute paint-smudge eyebrows that I'm trying next.

Finally, H.'s favorite sport (M. laughs and laughs) is getting some face time. After years of staying up till 4am watching Tara Lipinsky or Sarah Hughes or Irina Slutskaya skate on Sky TV (and wishing for years Michelle Kwan would win the Olympics for once), Vancouver 2010 should be a blast.

She Eats Trees

At least it's our long dead hydrangea.

In the Cement Garden

Typical Dutch weather, airy grey with sudden patches of sun. It makes for lovely picture exposure. Potty over and done with, Emily and I goofed around on the patio.

And she dug up our garden patch.After a month of pouring boiling water over her Potty, we don't have many weeds left.

So, obviously, she needs to eat our last pretty tree.

She's already chomped half the leaves off the miniature rose. A Rose for Emily, honk honk. No icky Faulkner connections, please. Though, I'm not betting on the Rose's chances' to last till Spring.

She also sits guard, Stone Puppy:Bath Day was 2 days ago, but M. has a workshop to organize, and we need four hands to get her in the sink. Emily is now in her 11th week, and 1.46 kg.Stay tuned for Tether Bunny! Coming soon!

Dirty Things

I caught Emily mid-poo today, and rushed her outside. She was pooing in the air as I clipped the leash on, and dropped a piece before we got out the door. Thankfully, she did the rest of the gooey sticky yuckier part outside. Small favors.

["This way I don't get into trouble."]

The saddest accident so far was when, in her excitement during play, she peed twice in her smelly big white blanket and, having already cut many holes out of it, we had to throw it away. Goodbye, Snow Garden.

H&M got 30 square bricks and laid them over 4 meters of disgusting garden gutter, so she won't go eating snails and worms and rotten leaves, and other yucky things when she goes out to potty. We're suckers for the puppy, we know.

[Before]

dried snails, slugs, worms, caterpillars, bird droppings, old rot, new rot, construction messes, three-year old cigarette butts, centipedes, spiders, gutter mud, stench.

[After]

Nine days of Puppy chaos/24 hours, and sneaking in a few pages a day, I finished, with great regret that it was over, Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate, in my wee 짬시간. It was utterly lovely, enjoyable fun.