Opie's Trail

I cannot believe how time is flying by.  I check tripawds almost every evening and make a few comments and before I know it, it is time to go to bed.  My mom and I have been going on a walk at lunchtime every day, and Pop has been walking me every morning before he goes to work.  I can’t believe how strong I am.

I am having just one cosmetic problem….Uhm, have any of you tripawds ever not grown your hair back?  I mean, most of my hair is growing back, but there is one circular spot right behind where my shoulder used to be, that is still bald!  My mom thinks that my hair is not growing back there because I have a lipoma right underneath and my skin is cool to the touch because of that little fat ball.  She thinks that I am not getting good blood flow to my skin because of that lump and so my hair will not grow.  I’m just wondering if anyone else has a bald spot.

I have a new nickname!  Chalupa!  Mom picked up some fast dinner to bring home to my pop and I may have snarfed one of them up, when she wasn’t looking.  Wellllllllllllll, I can only be “Best Boy Ever” for reasonable periods of time in reasonable situations.  A bag of fast food under my nose in the back seat of the car? well, just call me Chalupa.

This weekend was a little boring.  Mom and Pop went to Ice Art last night.  I had to stay home.  Hurrummpfff.  NO DOGS ALLOWED.  WTH?  They don’t want yellow snow spots taking away from the ambiance of their fancy schmansy ice carvings.  Sheeesh!…No Dogs.  When is this world going to progress beyond this species discrimination?

Anyway, have a good week, tripawds.  I’ll leave you with some photos from the World Ice Art Championships.  My mom said that while she was taking pictures, she thought of Peyton/Dillon/Rhys’ mom and Nova’s mom because they are such pawsome photographers; she wished that they could take the photos.

World Ice Art Championships 2010

Shark after a seal

Hornet & Mom

Grizzly wants salmon

Saber tooth cat after pterodactyl

Lion Fish

Cabin

Mom in cabin

Abstract

Angel fish & Pop

The cell

Scorpion stinging spider

Blue ring octopus

Abstract womb

Lion on Water Buffalo

Snake & Croc

Pop & Jelly FishIce slides in the kid park

Pop in big Carhartt

Bwwwaaahahahahahahahah!

Hello tripawd buddies!  Sheesh, my mom has been on the computer all day.  I finally got my chance.  She’s watching the Limpics.  I’ve been waiting to see some tripawds on the limpics, but there haven’t been any.  In fact, I really haven’t seen anyone limping, so I don’t know why they call it that.  People are crazy.

Comet!  I’m not anything like Brad Pitt! I am more the Harrison Ford, Sean Connery type.  And believe me, that bath was no spa treatment.  I do smell good though (thanks for noticing, Dillon).  Yes, Nova, my feet still smell like corn chips after a bath, except they smell like clean corn chips instead of dusty ones.

I can’t believe how warm it is here for February.  The winter’s worth of snow slid off the one side of the roof two days ago.  I hate when that happens.  It scares the living bajeezers out of me.  It is a big rumbling sound and the roof is sheet metal, so the noise is incredible.  It’s not as bad as when the earthquakes happen, though.  We haven’t had one for awhile which isn’t good, cause that usually means the next one will be that much worse.  I’ll bet Wolfie knows about earthquakes, right Wolf?

My pop flew to California really late on Friday night.  He went there to drive my Gram (Bobbie) to North Carolina.  She lived in Lytle Creek, California for many years and decided to move to Charlotte, N.C.  My uncles are moving with her.  Their names are Vinny and Toby.  Well their given names are really Vincent and Tobias….Bwawwaahahahahahah. Here’s a photo of them from last summer when they lived with us.

Uncle Vincent & Uncle Tobias

We got along pretty well last summer.  Toby and I decided we would just pretend the other one didn’t exist, but Vinny would try and be my boss when he thought no one was looking.  I’d walk past the guy and he would curl his lip so only I could see it.  They’re both pretty nice fellas, though.  Can you believe Vinny’s big ears and rather large feet?  and how about Toby’s blue tongue.  WTH’s with that?  My mom says it is blue because he is part chow.  What does dinner have to do with a blue tongue?  Unless he eats a lot of blueberries.  People are crazy.

Anyway, my pop will be home in a week after he gets Gram Bobbie settled in.  I miss pop when he is gone, but I am glad mom is here.  We have been going on long walks ,on snowy trails, in sunny weather.  My longest walking loop is 2.25 miles.  You should see my gargantuan hip and shoulder muscles.  Still, I can’t wait until summer so I can go schwimmming!  Yeah. Yeah. I know.  I shouldn’t wish my life away.  Summer is still four months away.

Comet, I haven’t heard any new plans from you concerning The Manhatten Project otherwise known as Operation Anti-Monkeybutt.  What has the scoundrel been up to?  What’s the plan?  Have you been able to get him into alot of trouble?  Looks like Holly is on board, unless you totally insulted her when you confronted her with your fear that she may be a double agent.

Well, goodnight tripawd community.  I’ll talk with you again real soon.

My mom gave me my first tripawd bath this Saturday.  I am soooo soft now and I smell good.  I was really tired afterward so I took a nap.

My mom and pop are happy because the other day I humped my teddy bear.  I used to hump my bear every night, but after I became a tripawd, I didn’t anymore, but the other night I did!  Mom and Pop cheered…we are such a dysfunctional family.

Here is a photo of me and Ted

Me and Buddy Ted

Last week I went on my longest tripawd walk to date.  My mom took me on the full loop of the boreal forest trail.  I am so strong again.  Tripawds rule!

PS.  Have you seen this video of the tripawd black bear?  It is really cool!

Dang it.  I missed the February 5th deadline for the funniest photo in the forum.  Oh well, I would probably have been disqualified anyway because my funny photo was taken when I was still a pup and had four paws.  My mom & pop laugh and laugh every time they see this picture…I’m not sure why and that’s not our phone number either…People are crazy.

Anyway, I’m feeling a little neglected lately.  Mom and Pop went to a movie tonight and left me home alone.  WTH?  This past Saturday, they left me at home to watch the start of the Yukon Quest sled dog race…Why do they have to go look at other dogs?  I’m so much better looking, than those scrawny, crazed, yapping sled dogs.  It’s just a little insulting.  But just cause Maggie’s mom follows the Iditarod and the Quest, mom thought she would go watch the start and maybe get a picture or two.  Well, it wasn’t too cold on Saturday (about 14 degrees F), but it was cold enough to sap the juice out of the camera battery pretty quickly.  Pop did manage to get a video of Lance Mackey starting out, though you can’t see his face.  I never uploaded a video before, so this may not work.

P2060003

Oh sure.  They’re home now and are telling me to go to bed.  What happened to the pawrents that were giving me everything I wanted just two months ago.   Sheeesh, a guy starts feeling strong and healthy again and the gravy train just dries up.  Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Hooray!  My mom says that I don’t have to do any more chemo treatments.  I feel like I am getting stronger everyday.

I can still chew a bone-a-roni

I get to go on two walks a day now!  My pop gets up early in the morning and takes me for a walk down the road.  It is very dark still in the morning, so my dad wears a light on his head.  He looks absolutely ridiculous.  Why don’t humans just use their night vision?  Everybody up here wears a light on their head.  Humans must have horrible eye sight…I have no clue how they made it to the top of the food chain with all their disabilities.After work, my mom takes me for a walk down on the Tanana River.  It was c-c-c-cold tonight.  I lost a bootie yesterday; one of my plaid ones, but luckily I didn’t toss the hippie tie-dye one-it’s my favorite.

I don’t get to go to work with mom anymore, because my treatments are over and she says I will have to be like a regular dog and stay home until it is warm enough for me to be in the car.  I can’t wait for summer and SCHWIMMING!

MMMmmmmmmmmmmnumnumnumnum.

Well, I am going to go finish off that bone-a-roni.  Kind of a boring post tonight, but I can’t be Mark Twain all the time.  BWWWAAAaaahahahahahahahahSnort.

PS;  Dillon, I have been practicing trying to get 5 tennis balls in my mouth to teach that Texas dog a lesson.  No success yet.  How ’bout you?

I have been recalcitrant on my postings because I have no photos to post.  Armed with this realization, I have decided to post anyway.  I have been doing much thinking lately and I wonder…why am I here?  Why now?  Why not ten or a hundred years ago?  Why not ten or a hundred years in the future?  Why are any of us here now as opposed to sometime past or sometime future?

I am a dog, therefore, I do not often think in terms of past or future.  We canines live in the moment.  Why do humans worry about past transgressions or future unknowns?  We cannot change the past and arguably have little influence over future events.  Yet I watch my pawrents struggle with issues beyond their control.  Why does mom worry about whether my cancer will return?  Why does Pop express concern each time I trip or gag…was that a cough?…Did Opie just falter?… Why can’t they just recognize that NOW is what is important.  Let’s bark and wag our tails and wrestle and recognize that NOW is where we live.  Forgive yourselves yesterday, don’t think about tomorrow…nothing we do can stop what it will bring, so celebrate life, now.  Rejoice in dogs, today. ..We don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  We can only be sure that it will be different than today.

So pawrents…listen to your tripawds and quadpawds.   Mimic them; they have the answer:  bark, wag, lean, lick, wear your heart on your sleeve, risk rejection, reap reward…live on the cusp of now and the moment soon to be now.  Fight the good fight.  Laugh in cancer’s face, kick cancer’s butt.  With each life lost we move closer to the cure.  We all are purposeful and have purpose; it is not necessary to know or understand or question.  What is, is.  Come on pawrents, smile and romp and hop and live…Now.

PS.  my mom spilled her wine and I licked it up.  mmmmm wine, it makes me smart!  : 0 )  Read this quick, because when I awake tomorrow, I will most likely punch one button and send the whole rant into oblivion and therefore, did it never exist?….dang, it’s hard to believe I am a retriever…don’t I sound more like a collie or a Bouvier DeFlandres?  BwwahahahahahahSnort!   Nighty night!

I haven’t posted for awhile because my mom is visiting her dad, my pappy, for his birthday.  He lives in Pennsylvania.  I have never been outside of Alaska.  My mom always tells me that I wouldn’t like the long plane ride.  Anyway, it has been awhile since my Pappy came to visit me, but he says he may come up this summer.

Today is his 90th birthday.  So I made my Pop turn the computer on for me so I could say, “Happy Birthday, Pappy!”  Here is a picture that my mom emailed to me.  All of my Pappy’s two-legged kids, grandkids, and great grandkids gave him a surprise b-day party.  My mom said he was sooooo surprised.  None of his canine grandkids got to go to the party.  I don’t think that is very fair, but restaurants have some silly rules.

My Pappy with one of his presents

Doesn’t my Pap look like Santa?

Well, I will write more when my mom gets home.

I’m late on posting my Christmas pictures, but here they are anyway!

I love to open presents!

Mmmmmmm bully stick

Mmmmmnumnumnumnum...another bone. Santa is good.

Not funny, Pop.

After breakfast, we went for a walk on the river.  It was pretty cold, but it was really nice to get out in the sun.  I was running around and picked up a stick and mom chased me.  Then I saw this stick in the snow, but mom said I couldn’t take it.  It was a burbot setline.  Burbot are really tasty fish…mmmmmmm.

Me on the Tanana River Christmas Day

Here’s a picture of me in my younger days when my pawrents and I were checking our burbot setlines….I don’t like floppy fish.  I always refuse to look at them.

Wiggly Fish, yuk. Fried fish mmmmmmmm.

We were walking on the river at high noon.  See how low the sun is?  I can’t wait for summer when the water isn’t stiff and I can swim again.

Me and 3 other goldens that happened to be on the river too.

Me and my Pop

I stole my mom's mitten!

This next one is blurry, but my mom liked it so I figured I better post it.

Kisses for Pop

Most winter days the moon doesn't bother to go down

Well, that was my Christmas.  I was pretty tuckered out when it was all said and done.  I hope all you tripawd buddies have a terrific, healthy New Year!

zzzzzz...squirrel...zzzz...bone-a-roni..zzz...tennis ball....zzzzz..Katie...zzzz

Thanks to everyone who smelled their dog’s feet.  Now, try licking them…they actually taste like corn chips……Bwaahahahahahahah…no..don’t do it, I’m just kidding.  Seriously, though, I always wondered if I was the only one and now I know I am not!  Just like there are lots of tripawds out there, there are lots of Frito Feet too!  And yes CairaSue, my mom thinks my feet smell like dusty corn chips.  Jake’s mom:  my mom says that her last golden retriever, Griz, had popcorn feet like Wolfie.

My mom read a book, Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, and the author also made comment that her dog’s feet smelled like corn chips.  She was soooo excited to know that someone else had noticed it besides her.  Anyway, I am glad to know I am not alone as a Frito Feet and a Tripawd.  You are all terrific.

Dillon, I can’t wait to see a picture of you with all those chuck-it balls in your mouth!

PS.  My Leonardo DaGrinchy toes are still growing!

My DaGrinchy Toes 2010

Hey everybody!  I have decided not to count days anymore because who cares?  All that matters is that we have fun while we are here.

I don’t have a lot of time to post today, but I have a burning question…Do your feet smell like corn chips?  I am totally serious.  All you pawrents:  sniff the feet of your canine kids, especially after they have been curled up for a while.  Do they smell like corn chips?  Let me know because my feet smell like corn chips and my mom says that my head smells like fried pork chops.   I have no way of knowing what my head smells like, but I agree with my mom and pop that my feet smell like corn chips…more specifically Fritos…hence my nickname, Frito Feet.  Let me know what your feet smell like, and this is not just a tripawd thing…I want to hear from Wolfie and Dillon too!