Champions

Saturday we could be found at the Wienner and Wannabe Dash in Alma, Ar. It was an event to benefit a local charity that helps dogs of all kinds. They started off with a costume parade where the dogs in costumes were judged. I know there were over twenty dogs and the costumes were great.
First place went to our own Harley.
Then the races started. Seven dogs in each heat and four dachshund heats followed by a wannabe race for the other dogs. Dixie ran in the first heat and came in second so she qualified for the final race. Then went second heat. Oscar was in the third heat. Honestly, I just entered Oscar so he'd get some extra exercise.  He's a little chubby and doesn't run very often. A train came by just before his race and he couldn't get to me fast enough. He qualified for the final race too. I am so proud of him. Up next was Loki, he had never run in a race with so many dogs and especially not in front of a crowd. First place for Loki.  All three of our runners were in the final race. Dixie came in third. No train to help Oscar this time. Personally, I don't think Loki had enough time to recover from his prior race. All in all an exciting day.

#me too

Have you seen someone use the status #me too? It's a movement to bring awareness about all the women that have been victims of sexual assault or harassment.  You might have lost track as to how many times you saw it posted.  I know I lost count the too, but in the back of my mind I kept a running tally. For every one of my friends that used that status, I know three that didn't.  Maybe they just wanted to forget. Maybe it's  too painful to remember. Maybe like me, they just didn't want to talk about it or acknowledge that it happened. It didn't just happen. Unfortunately,  it's not something in the past. It's every where. Those women are your sisters, your daughters, your wife, your friends and maybe even your mother. It happens to women of every shape, age, and color. Let that sink in. Your grandma might not be safe.
It needs to stop. It should no longer be socially acceptable.  People need to be punished for this kind of behavior.  Your daughter will thank you.

And then there were three

I thought long and hard about adding another dog to our family. In fact, I had even told the lady that had the pups if there was any violence, we couldn't take him. Oscar and Dixie sniffed him from one end to the other and he was on the way to Arkansas with us.
That's been almost three weeks ago and now it's hard to imagine life without Harley. He's mastered the dog steps. He can climb in to our rather tall bed all by himself. Once there, he snuggles with me or Oscar. Dixie doesn't cuddle with Harley at all, but to be honest she won't snuggle with Oscar either. But she will play with him. They chase each other and try to rip off ears, sweaters, and legs. There's lots of barking and running. Oscar gets into the action too.
All in all, potty training is going as well as it can with an eight week old pup-it would be better if he could go down steps too, but he's started to howl when he needs down and I haven't had to wash my sheets every single night so progress is being made.
I wish I could say he hasn't destroyed anything. I wish. So far, we've lost a phone charger and one power cord(scary I know), but no shoes or underwear.
So far he's really happy doing whatever Oscar and Dixie are doing. He takes naps. Helps feed the chickens. He runs down the steps with them and has mastered the steps back up into the kitchen where he gets a treat for "going" outside.
Dwight has become his buddy. They love sharing Nacho Cheese Doritos and watching Chuck Norris.

Hayes Falls

Down  beautiful road 113 in Colorado, you'll see a sign for Hays Falls. It's a short easy hike to the Falls and very pretty. It's just a little ways past the ovens.

Down a dirt road in Colorado

Our plans traveling Colorado changed a little bit due to some unexpected snow and very cold temperatures. Sorry, I consider nineteen degrees a little too cold to go hiking. So we went off the beaten path and found some really pretty scenery.

All of these were taken off of "Keebler Pass".

Oscar and Dixie's Big Adventure Day 7

Today we traveled to New Mexico. We also did a little traveling down Route 66 known as the Mother Road. We went through part of Texas and made a little stop in Oklahoma. Mom and Dad picked up a little twerp named Harley. We may consider being friends if he ever stops biting our butts with his little sharp teeth.

Oscar and Dixie's big adventure day six-Ouray

Today we made it Ouray, Colorado. It's a small town down in a valley. We're staying at the River's Edge Motel and we got to go to a dog park. Oscar made lots of friends and Dixie did not hurt or growl at anyone. You can still see snow on the mountain tops.

Oscar and Dixie's big adventure day five

Today Dad drove us through forests of even bigger aspen trees. We went forty six miles down a dirt road! We saw cows just standing in the road-they would move if we barked at them, but who leaves cows in the road?  We eventually made it to Gunnison where we visited the Black Canyon. Did you know that if you bark in the bottom of a canyon your bark will echo for several minutes? Blame it all on the chipmunk.