Public Service Announcement

This is perchance the most important PSA in the history of PSAs. Listen up! If you've been living under a rock for the past ten years you are excused from my ridicule. However, I don't believe any of you have been living under rocks so if you are not aware of my favorite day of the year, then you shall be ridiculed to the fullest extent possible.

Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday. Who gives a rat tail? It's also the most glorious, joyful, and cute afternoon that ever shall be. Mark your calendar, set your DVR and load your VCR with a fresh tape.

THE PUPPY BOWL STARTS AT 3PM!!!!!!!!

Animal Planet baby. Tiny cuddly furry puppies playing "football" on a mini field with stuffed toys and cameras inside their water bowls. EEEEE! Not only is this the best hour of television ever, but it gets better with this 11th annual version. There is a 12 week old cocker spaniel in the starting lineup. Here's a sneak peek at this adorable doggy and her friend the Husky mix, just two of over 50 pups who made the cut.

Did you know they are all available for adoption? Simon, did you know that? Simon, did you know you can adopt these dogs? That you could, or say, we could, adopt these very dogs? The same ones so happily frolicking can be adopted! Simon, were you aware of that?

Check out the Puppy Bowl website for full pre-game coverage. DO IT.

Bark Box Happened

Bark Box arrived last week and before I opened it, Merwin definitely knew it was for him. His snout was all over that cardboard like it was full of hyper squirrels covered in peanut butter. No such luck but it was stuffed with yummy and fun goodies. He received:

- A stuffed toy...abominable snowman type guy. I think they are in love. I caught them canoodling today. He also ripped a hole in its back so perhaps "it's complicated."

- A plastic squeaky stick. This could be better for a larger dog with bigger chompers. I'm not superwoman, but I had trouble making it squeak with my hands so I doubt he could on his own.

- A "deer stick." What in tarnation? Who knows, but he gobbled it right up and a few hours later vomited it right up. Gonna pass on these.

- Salmon jerky treats. Clearly revolting to me but he seems to love them.

- Turkey and pumpkin "off-leash stix." We haven't tried them yet but I am sure he will devour them since they meet his minimum requirement of being food.

All in all, the Bark Box experience was a good one. I looked into monthly subscriptions, which start at $19/month, and it doesn't seem worth it for Merwin with his stomach issues. When we find treats that don't make him upchuck, we tend to stick with those. That said, it was pretty great to see him so excited as I unsealed the box and dug in. Maybe I'll start giving him empty cardboard boxes spritzed with peanut butter perfume. 

Snow Day Bonus Post

I can't resist....

Baby It's Cold Outside...and Snowy...YAY!

I'm obsessed with snow storms. A whiff of the white stuff in the forecast and I pounce on weather.com, noaa.gov and twitter to stalk my weather folks. Generally and especially lately, "storms" get majorly blown out of proportion with preposterous accumulation predictions and hype that drives everyone to furiously attack the supermarkets. While they missed the mark on the forecast for #blizzardof2015 in The Big Apple (they shut down the subway but got 6 inches in Central Park), they hit the nail on the head here on the Seacoast. From the window this morning it didn't look so bad. Sure some drifts around the parked cars, blowing snow and not a soul in sight, but it wasn't until we set foot outside that we knew how crazy it was. Negative wind chills, snow every which way and tons of it piled up everywhere. It's still snowing and I love the excuse to lazily hunker down inside, Simon loves the excuse to cook up a big feast, and Merwin loves the excuse to snooze. We're surviving!

Holiday Photo Recap - Round Two

Well this is embarrassingly overdue. Nearly a month overdue as a matter of fact. But the winter wonderland outside today is making me nostalgic for the holidays (even though this year's Christmas was green) so I figured I'd give it a go. After our trip back to Portsmouth, we worked a few days then packed up for a trip north to ring in the new year (and the new age...ew). Friends and family joined us on the 31st and we enjoyed four days of fires, games, food, relaxation, and hearty laughs (never, I repeat never, agree to play the Chapstick game with Anthony). This gathering has become an end of year tradition and I'm so grateful for a special place to celebrate but more importantly, for those who made me feel so loved on my birthday!

Bark Box Bark Box Bark Box!!!

I'm interrupting the overdue Holiday Photo Recap series for an important announcement. I'm sure you all remember the trials and tribulations of my experience with StitchFix. If not, feel free to peruse the horrors of ugly plaid grandma couch sweaters by clicking on the StitchFix label under "Merwin Loves It." I'm not so sure Merwin was into StitchFix but I'm hoping he is into BarkBox! Early on in my obsession with this new fangled notion of subscription boxes, BarkBox caught my eye because I am obsessed with any mechanism that enables pup spoiling. At the time, I opted instead to join StitchFix. A kind fellow doggy lover recently hooked me up with a gift subscription to try the service for a month, so how can I not?! The first box arrives January 15. I can't wait!!!

Holiday Photo Recap - Round 1

We drove to Syracuse. It took 9 hours. It is supposed to take 5 and a half hours. This was not a highlight.

We got spoiled with gifts. Merwin received a donkey. There's a lot of resemblance. This was a highlight.

We took selfies on a walk. The walk was a highlight. According to Pete, the selfie was not.

We spent a lot of time outside in the unseasonably warm and snow-free December. We played badminton. It's really nice there. This was definitely a highlight capped off by a smooth-sailing 5 and a half hour trip back to Portsmouth. Really wonderful time on this leg of our holiday tour!

A Poem For A Transition

That back to reality early January stretch is upon us with holiday celebrations long gone and "the grind" here to stay. It always happens and it's always a bit of a shock after two weeks of minimal working, maximum wine and an overall leisurely pace to the days. Not only does this poem capture that exact feeling of a vacation ending but it also nicely describes leaving a lake behind, two familiar emotions right now.

Wilderness
Kirsten Dierking

The first few days

we have slow mornings out on the lake,

long afternoons to walk in the woods,

evenings of leisurely innings of baseball

unwinding over the radio.

But time moves faster as the days

of the week accumulate behind us.

Friday passes in a flash of ease,

only now and again it seems the waves

washing on shore have reached an ending.

At dinner I say, tomorrow morning

it's back to real life, you sweep your hand

through the last of the day and say

there's nothing unreal about this.

But the scent of pine is faint on my skin,

as if I had been a wilderness once,

as we merge into traffic, as the lake

falls farther away behind us.