thanksgiving

kim:  we hosted thanksgiving this year, which meant 12 people and 1 dog in a small space.  nobody went to the hospital with food poisoning, so i'm calling it a success.  peanut hung around the table a lot, hoping for some scraps.

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peanut:  nobody was a messy eater.  rats.  but i did get a piece of turkey with my dinn'r.  yum.

boring?

kim:  wow, peanut apparently hasn't had anything to blog about for a couple months.  things must be getting boring around here.

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peanut:  it's okay.  i get to ride in the car almost every morning for the coffee shop and errands.  and we go to the park almost every day.  and i really like napping.

road trip

kim:  peanut and i packed up and took a 10-day road trip.  we made it all the way to the pacific!  points of interest along the way were yellowstone national park (dogs can't do much at national parks, fyi), dog-friendly restaurants in oregon, the ocean, dog-friendly rest stops, grand teton, and much more.

more trip pics

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peanut:  that was the longest car ride ever!  i liked the rest areas the best.  we played ball if there weren't too many people around.

twins!

kim:  i played in a bonspiel in green bay last weekend.  we stayed with the sister of one of my teammates.  their dog, a very sweet 16-year old named makani, looked sooo much like peanut!  i hardly missed peanut at all, since it was like i had her with me.

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peanut:  she looks just like a coconut retriever!

dog wash

kim:  since peanut's coat sheds dirt so well, she probably doesn't get a bath nearly as often as she should.  but on a hot day, it's a good way to cool down.  i am not certain that peanut fully appreciates this - she doesn't seem to like it very much when i set up the dog wash, even on a hot day.

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peanut:  excuse me, i have to go shake.

lazy summer days

kim: it's been in the 90s for quite a few days, with another week predicted.  this summer could be a real cooker.  i like to consider warm weather an invitation to relax and read, or sometimes follow peanut's lead and just take a nap.

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peanut:  they call it the dog days of summer for a reason.  we know what to do with the heat!

plan b

kim:  peanut and i intended to go to the "high bridge" (the new dog park in town located under what's commonly called the high bridge), but when we got there, a sign indicated it was closed for construction today.  boo.  luckily, it's only a short distance from where peanut's friend ani lives, so we took the opportunity to visit and take a walk along the river.

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peanut:  i love visiting ani!  we can to go the high bridge another day.

high bridge dog park

kim:  yippee, there is a new dog park in saint paul!  it's called the high bridge dog park.  it can be accessed from shepard road by taking randolph ave se, and is nestled beneath the smith ave high bridge between shepard road and the mississippi river.

peanut got to enjoy the opening day festivities with her coconut retriever friends bella and maggie.

another special treat - i got to meet the new (human) addition to our friends' family - a real cutie named adelia mae.  she's got quite a grip, i think she'll be a rock climber.

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peanut:  the high bridge is only a mile and a half from home, so we could go there almost every day!

climbing gym

kim:  peanut likes to go to the climbing gym with me.  i tether her to a picnic bench while i go inside.  sometimes, there is another dog outside to socialize with.  but most of the time, she just greets people who walk by.  or hides under the picnic bench.

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peanut:  always warm up properly before engaging in strenuous exercise.  i recommend doing upward dog and downward dog [demonstrated].

snake

kim:  i saw peanut sniffing at something in the yard.  turned out to be a little garter snake.  luckily, the snake wasn't budging a muscle, so i had time to grab the camera and take a picture.

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peanut:  hmm, not sure if i should bite it before it bites me...

graffiti

kim:  i was amused at this.  when texting, i will refer to peanut as pnut.

not sure whether or not this a step up from peeing on it, though...

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peanut:  this is my territory.

weekend with friends

kim: i was away for another bonspiel (curling tournament) this weekend.  my friend karen was kind enough to take peanut for the weekend, so she got a chance to stay with her friends jake (pictured) and lash.  when peanut got home, she totally conked out, so she must have had a good time.

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peanut:  it was a great weekend.  jake and i wrestled and played a lot, and lash and i snuggled up in my kennel together.  i hope they come to my house some time.

winter nap

kim: nothing like a nap in the sun on a cold winter day.

peanut has very delicate ears - you can almost see through them.

see through my wallet: $4444.24

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peanut: [sweet dreams]

kidnapped

kim: the heart of the curling season is just past, which means i was recently traveling quite a bit; that meant a lot of jail time for peanut.  one weekend, we mixed it up and my friend carol took care of her.  the photo depicts what she looked like most of the weekend.  apparently, she only came out for food and walks and the occasional back scratch.

i think this was because, due to logistics, carol picked up peanut from my house after work - after i'd already left town.  the poor dog must have thought she was being kidnapped.

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peanut: i'll just wait in my house.  when mom realizes i'm gone, she will know to look for me here.