One Of My Favorite Things

It is fermented and filtered and comes into my home
in this beautiful BLEU container!
And it is the tasty liquid that The Luke did so love!

Soon thereafter and with regularity,
it appears in this stainless steel bowl...And there's nobody better than The Luke
to explain to you how Special
this Miracle Favorite Thing is....

I just love hiking in a stream of it.

And like most all other things, it compliments my floofy tail!

I've always dreamed of having a fun container of it in my backyard...
and how I would share it with my friends and cousins.

It's the lower layer of my most decadent evenings home alone...

And as relaxing as it can be for me,
it can also be used for quick corrections
on others who shall remain nameless Reufus.

When it flows at Mister T's Day Spa,
I do so enjoy it!

And licking it off my nose is... tasty.

Silly Reufus likes to drink it as it pours off of me...

But he especially loves it when Mister T
(aka My Very Favorite Uncle Tom,
proprietor of this world reknown Day Spa!)
gives him a shot of it straight out of the hose!

And yeah, Little Reuf looks pretty darn cute wearing it.

Back in the old days...
when it was allowed more than a few hours a week,
it flowed freely out of one of these in the front forty.

And even MORE freely and regularly
out of one of these in the back forty!

And since it's become such a rare commodity, so very scarce...

the back forty is mostly... dirt.

But today...
Something remarkable happened.

One of my favorite things
fell out of the sky!!!

At the time...
My The Mom was celebrating her birthday with
Aunt Davalyn and Aunt Becca...
in a restaurant with wide and tall windows.
And as this Favorite Thing began to fall...

A hundred patrons APPLAUDED with JOY!

Yes. It's been THAT long...

And in other favorite news...
We maybe just might see more of the falling... tomorrow!
Paws Crossed!!!

Happy Thursday With The Reufus Training and also... Quiet Celebration!

My, how time flies. It's already Thursday again, and this past week has been chock full of extreme triple digit temperatures and also busy-ness.

Of course, you know that I much prefer laid back, quiet kinda Bleusy times with the cool air blowing gently through my furs... so I'm really not so happy that my time has been hi-jacked by incessant training and volunteerism.

Don't get me wrong. Both are important and valid and noble. I just miss indulgent The Bleu Time (and so does my the Mom!)! 

Thursday nights are what they are. Reuf runs off with the Mom. And I make the very most of the evening... from start to finish... self indulgence and guilty pleasures!

I love starting the evening out with a bubble bath and a glass of wine. It's nice to unwind from a week of Reufus. And tonight, with just a hint of abandon... I decided to let my ears dip in the bubble pond!

And meanwhile, a couple of miles from here... My shadow, my thorn, my brother is greeting his trainers and fellow classmates with enthusiasm.

He and the Mom had a difficult week of training. I don't know if you would call it a plateau... or if Reuf is maxed out or maybe even mad at the Mom for some reason, but it wasn't a great week.

As training weeks go, the time investment in this one has been thoughtful but maxed. The Mom holds herself totally responsible for failures, and she thinks this training week has pretty much been one.

I don't know her personally, but I can't say enough good things about Reuf's trainer, Tracie! She seems to understand, love and appreciate the bad boy... and she's able to explain him to the Mom. Tonight, for example... Thoughtful words are exchanged. And the Mom is re-energized. Hope is restored. And frustration, for the time being, has subsided.

Tonight's Beyond Basic Class included:

1. Walk with loose leash and intermittent sits.
2. Sit/ Stay with distance.
3. Settle or Down/Stay with distance.
4. Spin and Reverse. Our Little Reufus is a pro at this command!!!
5. Wave.... Ain't happening. Thank you, Tracie, for your counseling!
6. Roll Over. Great job, Reuf!!! He did great!
7. A-Frame. Reverse from last week, and from the right side (tonight's class required the dog to work from the right side of the trainer... Obedience always requires work from the left. Agility from both sides.) Reufus was PERFECT on each attempt!
8. A-Frame / Call Away. This exercise teaches the dog to listen and to be called away from what he expects.
9. Tunnel. Reufus did well racing through a hard walled barrell.
10. Over. Reuf learned to jump over low boards/hurdles. And tonight... from the right side.
11. Jump. Reuf learned to jump through a hoop!

Reufus and the Mom arrived in a state of frustration and anxiety. As class ended, they walked over, gathered the long lead and started their way out of the arena...

When they passed the box top, Reuf hopped on top and sat. The Mom paused for a great while and then released him. He hopped off, wagging his tail!

And now, we are all here. We are all home. The Reufus is settled in his crate. And it's BED TIME for all of us! No need for stress. No need for anxiety. It's truly... all good.

Night Night from Me! Woo Hoo!!! 

Reufus Jackson Wright... Pass or Fail???

As many of you know... Little Reufus has been faithfully attending and Basic Obedience classes and also taking up a lot of my the Mom's time working very hard outside of class. Until last week, there was a giant question in our collective minds if he might be repeating Basic...

[The photos that follow are not very good, but they capture a little of last night's Class 6!]

Before class starts, it is important that the Mom captures the Reuf attention. That accomplished, she turned the back of her shoe to show off the part Reufus has eaten.

This was not embarassing for Reufus. Setting the Wimberley sofa aside, he considers this some of his best work.

As The Trainer takes charge of the class, the Mom is to issue the settle command. Here is Reuf doing it very nicely...

They also did some loose leash walking, reverses...

And sits. The Mom says he is particularly good with his sits. I would agree if she acknowledged that there is a consonant missing. Just saying.

Little Reuf's success is largely due to Tracie, The Patient, Dedicated, Inspiring Trainer. And the Mom is always proud when she uses Reuf as an example... good or bad!

Here is a nice settle... though Reuf is borderline doing the A.D.D. thing that The Trainer is keenly aware of!

She calls him back to attention, and he looks to her [adoringly] for direction!

The Tracie taught him how to walk across the board. And he loved it! He did it several more times, quickly and with joy.

A little later, he maneuvered a long obstacle course... And he really loved it!!! It consisted of:


Hoop: Sniff and Sit.


Ladder: Step between rungs.


Upright Board 1: Sit. Stay. The Mom crosses over the board. Stay. The Mom crosses back. Release. Both cross over the board.


Upright Board 2: Sit. Stay. The Mom crosses over the board. Release and Recall.


Boardwalk.


Elevated Pad. Sit. [The Mom is reminded to praise!]

In and Out. Weave.

Spin and Twist.

Then Pose... Course complete!!!

A huge part of the whole experience is learning to look to the Mom for direction and approval. Truly, this is the key to success.

Who knew there would be a written exam... Reuf even took a lesson in how to let the Mom take an exam. [To call it an exam is a slight exaggeration, it was more like a comment card... but for the Mom, trying to do this with the Reuf nearby... it was a test!]

The suspense was about to kill the Mom, so she was quite relieved when Reuf's name was called first, and indeed... He graduated!!!

Reufus Jackson Wright... PASS!!!

You know how proud the Mom is if she is willing to allow me to share this photo!

She balked, but I reminded her that noone would believe the little IMP and also HELLION had actually passed if we didn't offer photographic proof! You will note that it took quite a bit of "convincing" on the part of Tracie, the Miracle Worker / Trainer... for Little Reuf to face the camera!

It was a proud moment for all of us. Yeah, yeah, yeah...


In the meantime, I was having my nails done... trimmed not painted... and having my slippers cleaned up. This has been a true spa week for me, as I have been pampered in some way every single night!

Word on the street is that I'm doing something very special on Friday!!! Stay Tuned!!

P.S. We will, hopefully, have better photos to share soon!

Happy Every Day Is Mother's Day!

Well, it is when she is the Mom to a Sweet Boy!
And though this post is a couple of days late...
the sentiment is as fresh!

And so I join my little brother, Reufus Jackson Wright...

I hear you now...

:::Wait a minute! Your little brother, WHEU???:::

Meet my 10 month old little brother, Reufus Jackson Wright!

50% Sweet / 50% Mischief

50% Golden / 50% Monkey

More on RJW in a later post,

because this one is about celebrating the Mom!

And so as Reufus and I put our noggins together, we decided there would be no better way to celebrate and also pamper our the Mom than to treat her to a Spa Day! And so I called the best spa in town and booked the special day! And so what follows is...

Our Mother's Day Celebration 2011
at Mister T's Day Spa!!!

I enjoyed my bath, the cool water on such a hot day and mostly the loving attention I got from Mister T!

Meanwhile, the Reufus J was busy... drinking the bath water (above), being amazingly friendly and respectful of Stanley (the cat) and just being the Reufus.

My the Mom thinks I am just ADORABLE.
Happy Mother's Day, The Mom!!!

Lather.

Rinse.

I love my Uncle Tom, errrrrrr... I mean, Mister T.


He's got the magic hands, including that yellow one on the end of the hose.
His bath expertise goes unchallenged,
but he also gives good commentary, is a great conversationalist,
a good listener and a confidant...


And what happens at Mister T's...
Stays at Mister T's.


But... Does the Reufus look like a boy who can keep a secret???

Cousin Dakota is a handsome boy, and he love his the Mom, too! Here he is, hoping the water has run out patiently waiting his turn for the Spa Treatment.

Cousin Cane (with his head under the chair) and the Buddy also color themselves invisible eagerly wait their turn for the sudsy experience!

And a glorious highlight to this beautiful day is 
spending time with my gorgeous girlfriend, Miss Porter!

We were all enjoying our day and salon experience,
when the next client was called...

"Reufus... Reufus Jackson... REUFUS!!!!!!"

Little Toot did jump up on the Salon Bench on his own,

but it took a Mister T foot on a leash to keep him there.

Little Toot...

The chin rubs are one of the best parts...

I think he liked watching his reflection in the window...
that, or he was a bit indignant.

Yeah, he's cute.

He's a little bit lover and snuggler...

And he tried to play "the sweet, innocent card".

It might have worked... but he plays it too often!

And my very very VERY most favoritest part of the day...
[Porter, Spa and pine cones a distant second]

Is spending time with my the Aunt Madison!!!

She's like a the Mom to me, and I am her Number Six (Retired).
Happy Mother's Day, Aunt Madison!!!

For some the Moms, a day at The Spa would be gift enough... but Reufus and I wanted to do something extra sweet and special. And we needed Uncle Tom's help (a car ride and who am I kidding... some cash!) to present her with this special gift!

"Happy Mother's Day to The Mom! Love, B and R"
See's Candy! The Mom's Favorite!!!

Now, I've tried to share this with all the happiness I can muster.
It is a difficult post, as it is the first since life will never be the same.

And truly.
Life. Will. Never.
Be the Same.

My the Mom woke up on Mother's Day
just as she does every other day,
reaching out for and missing...

Her The Luke.

I miss him, too.
So very much.

The Mom and I are reaching out.
I can't explain why it's so hard, so painful... without Our The Luke.
It just is.

We are making baby steps... puppy steps.
And Reufus Jackson is lending his help.

With love from