hum drum.....

Now that we have begun a blog, I have eagerly waited all week for our dog to pull through and give me something worthy of writing a post about. I have in some bizarre way been disappointed that she has not done anything outragious or even interesting to share. Or maybe the truth is that Matt and I are just getting used to her and no longer NOTICE when she gives us reason to consider bartering her on Craig's List (so far we have only joked about this option; however I believe that we could greatly disappoint some dog lovers by even mentioning that we discussed the idea, even in jest.)

She still goes into convulsions when we come home, which I do think is the best thing about dogs, that they never seem to lose that joy of greeting you at the door, like they thought you would never come home. She still tries to eat cicadas on our walks, although I have noticed that there do not seem to be as many dead ones on the ground these days, which some may attribute to a migration of the insect population or something scientific, and which I with a mixture of disgust, amazement and slight pride attribute to our dog's contribution to peace and quiet in the neighborhood. She still, sadly, gets scared easily by sprinklers, laundry hampers, and toddlers on scooters (we do not know much about her previous ownership except that she was pretty skinny when she was rescued).

And the only other noteworthy Tiki-related item of the week is that I have become "one of those people" and announced to Matt yesterday my intentions to get our dog a Christmas stocking. Not only do I start thinking about Christmas in September, and start listening to Christmas music as soon as it comes on the radio after Halloween, but I will now be joining numerous other pet lovers in the belief that I need to fill a stocking with treats for our dog for Christmas morning. It will probably even have her name on it.

Not your run of the mill gravy

I didn't think I would be using this when Kathleen showed it to me tonight. But...this warrants a post. So tomorrow (5am actually) I will be getting up for our annual Kearney trip. For this trip Ian and I are in charge of breakfast. I love biscuits and grazy, love it. Probably could eat for every meal for a week and still eat more. Well, I'm sure you see where this is going. Apparently, Tiki and I have something in common for our love for gravy. I've been cooking up a storm tonight, getting ready for the Kearney trip as well as a party with Kathleen's coworkers on Sunday. I'm all done, except in my getting ready, I realized that I left my most delicious gravy on the stairs while I grabbed some salt and pepper. Not sure why I put it there, probably trying to multitask one too many things. So of course puppy decides, "I should knock this dang thing over so I can get to what's inside"...and she succeeds. Fortunately, I was able to grab it before too much spilled out. Was I angry with her, yes. Was it her fault, definitely not. Just doing what dogs do best, find food, then figure out how to eat. Did I let her eat it, well not all of it, but it was just too good to go to waste. Sorry Kearney boyz, we may be a bit short, luckily I make everything in absurd quantities. Totsch.
ps - thanks to mildred anderson for the best B&G recipe ever!

Adventures with Tiki

I have debated for awhile now whether or not new ownership of a dog merited a blog. As Matt and I have shared stories about our new little friend, I have felt slightly suspicious that perhaps our dog's quirks have not been fully appreciated by others. This weekend, when our dog leaped across our coffee table AND the candle that was lit on it, to land squarely between our good friends Crystal and Natalie on the couch, the comment was made that she is indeed a "spaz." That being said, I have felt the freedom and right to share with you the stories and lessons this canine has brought to our lives - this canine who loves to lick, shed, eat wood chips and can now "roll over" thanks to the efforts of Matt Totsch.

Matt and I believe that in her own way perhaps Tiki is preparing us for future parenthood. She certainly has upped the level of communication for us; we also have enjoyed the fact that sometimes her antics have actually been a blessing in disguise - like when we have to go over to apologize to the neighbors for her running into their garage to harass their dog. It creates an opportunity to get to know people better that we might not have ordinarily had.

We did not know what we were getting into when we adopted her..... I often say that some days I like her, others I don't - we believe that if she does not get herself run over by running down the middle of Roe like she did when her leash broke, we will grow to love her with time. I asked Matt last night if he thought that she was the first of many Totsch dogs, or the first and only, and all we could decide is that we will have to see....