While my guitar
Gently weeps

Just a note to say that I’m really digging the guitar, or really just playing an instrument again.  It’s nice to rediscover that 1) I could play for hours if my fingers had the stamina 2) that I totally lose myself when I’m creating music (no matter how ragged it is).  Great way (dare I say even better than that glass of wine?) to take the edge off a rough day.

Added bonus: Bailey’s “humming” has progressed to a full “singing” now with quite a range from high to low and a few “barking” raps thrown in for good measure.  Enough to make me weep - although the guitar weeps too since he usually licks it midway through his performance.  We’re trying to get a video update, but he seems to get more shy around Kyle.  It’s a mama-puppy thing I guess, and really best experienced in person.

It took Manju getting a guitar for us to discover the crooner in our canine.

Watch the video here

We had a very special visit from my mom’s eldest sister a couple of weekends ago. She lives in India and has an amazing life story that I’m just learning about. It turns out that I somewhat have the family nose, and that I look nothing like my grandmother on my mom’s side. She’s about 4′11″ and takes over any room with her energy and sense of humor (a very modern sense of humor I might add). I couldn’t wait for Kyle to meet her - and she couldn’t wait to meet both Kyle and Bailey (she’s a dog lover to boot!). Bailey sensed how special she was immediately, and spent his evening right by her side receiving incessant belly rub and visions of all the rice and yogurt he would get in India. Even she believed that he was half-Indian!

He’s my goofy doofy dog
Mango scented

With this picture, I’m finally willing to publicly admit this. Bailey has a theme song. But if you were home sick with a nasty cold, and 80 pounds of yellow dogginess jumped onto your chair-and-a-half uninvited to ask “Mama - are you ok?” - wouldn’t you sing his praises too??? I was laughing so hard, I cried.

Here are some low quality videos I took of Bailey digging for critters at the dog park.

Video 1

Video 2

They should play in Quicktime.

It’s been 12 hours and 37 days
Since the skunk gave Bailey a spray(s)

These pictures officially inducted Bailey into Mudpuppy’s new “wall of infamy.” And yes - he still smells. As does the car. As do the sweaters and jeans that happened to be in the hamper when the “affected” clothing was tossed in. And no - I don’t think he’s learned his lesson (the dog that is).

And just in case you’re suffering from Superbowl withdrawal, perhaps the upcoming 1st world sudoku championships can offer solace? Visit the Team USA World Puzzle Federation if you think you’ve got the gift. Deadline to enter was yesterday, so I suspect you’ll need to be very gifted, indeed.