A new view of the wet nose.

I got a new camera to document Singer's antics.  It was a purchase several years in the making, but an Amazon Deal of the Day pushed me over the precipice.  Meet the proud new owner of a Canon S95.  Yes, it's not the S100, but it's still many steps above the current set up.

I'm looking forward to learning how this bad boy works.  My most observant of readers may have noticed that the pictures from Singer's birthday party were a little sharper than normal.  There's a ring on the front that lets you change focal lengths and the shutter button on this camera is where my old power button used to be.  I've still got some puttering around to do before I become the next Jimmy Chin though.

Party Time!

After nearly twenty-four hours of anticipation, Singer got her birthday cake, complete with edible doggie candles.  Singer's never eaten at the table before, so she really wasn't sure what was going on.  My pointing to the plate didn't help; I think she thought I was tricking her.  Once I put the cake on the floor though, all bets were off!

First, a trip in the way-back machine.  This is a picture I took of Singer on December 20, 2010, the night I took her home.  I'd been approved to take her home a whole day earlier than expected, and I didn't have all of her gear ready yet other than a dog crate I'd picked up that afternoon.  Thanks, Craigslist!  I remember being terrified on the car ride over to the pound to pick her up, knowing that this skinny little dog was going to be my responsibility for the long haul.

Notice the purple leopard collar and the carabiner leash.  The collar I'd purchased to take her home in was too small, and I didn't have a fancy car harness (or know they existed yet).  Don't worry, I've stimulated the economy and purchased all of the gear and accessories necessary to keep her safe and spoil her rotten.  

Back the party prep now.  After I let the cake cool, I cut it into a cute little bone shape.

Here, Singer begs for the parts of the cake I cut off.  No dice, Singer, not yet!

I ended up nixing the cottage cheese "frosting" the original recipe called for and going with a sweet potato-organic yogurt mixture.  Sweet, orange and probiotically delicious.  I tried it myself, and I give it a 4 out of 5.

Singer thought the frosting was pretty good too.

Since no birthday cake is complete without candles, I made some flameless, edible candles for Singer.  Okay, really for me, because they're cute.  And I really didn't want to see if she would really try to eat a lit candle.  How did I do it?  Ziti "candles" and grated carrot "flames".

Once I had that all set up, it was time for the birthday girl to take her throne.  Unfortunately or fortunately, she doesn't normally eat at the table and had no idea what was going on, as evidenced by the pictures below.

Am I going to get in trouble?

Are you sure this is mine?

Once I put the cake on the floor though, she knew it was hers.  I don't think they make shutter speeds fast enough to capture what happened next.

It was a blur of chomping, wagging, scarfing, and licking.  I actually had to stop her so I could take the cake away and cut it up into smaller pieces.





 And when it was all over, Singer, in typical Singer fashion, looked up at me for more.  Just tonight, Singer! May your days be filled with happiness and wonderment and your nights be filled with dreams of slow-footed squirrels.  Happy birthday to my favorite Singer in the world.

Happy Birthday!

Did I hear birthday cake? For me?!

Ms. Singer turns three today (but one for me). She has been the best dog I could ever ask for, and it would be a grand understatement to say that my cup runneth over with her. She has been there for good times and better times, and has shown me the true meaning of generosity and unconditional love, and the responsibility it comes with. I would not change a minute of the past year if it meant that she could not be a part of it.

This morning, she got belly rubs, a nice long walk with extra sniffing time, her GNC doggie vitamin, and her fish oil pills (that nice sleek coat is not an accident!). Tonight, she's going to party like it's 2011. I love you, Singer!

Birthday countdown

Singer's going to party like it's her birthday tomorrow, because, well, I don't know when her real birthday is. Like any spoiled birthday dog, she'll get the royal canine treatment (as much as I can provide anyway). And what's a birthday without some birthday cake?

To pull off this feat of puppy spoilery, I found a dog-friendly cake recipe online and modified it a bit so that it would include a few of Singer's favorite snacks, like squirrel and Bo. I jest! Notice the frantic wagging of her tail as she watches me prepare.

Behold the peanut butter-carrot cake!

Ingredients: shredded carrots, natural peanut butter (none of that hydrogenated oil and nuts crud), flour, oats, one egg, oil, and a tiny bit of baking soda.

Mix, and bake for 40 minutes in a greased circa 1980's baking dish (for authenticity, this step is crucial). If Singer's enthusiasm for the batter-laced mixing bowl was any indication of her assessment of the cake, then I think we may have a winner.

The original recipe calls for frosting with cottage cheese, which I don't have. And eww! I think I'm going with plan B for that one. I'll frost the cake when I get back from work tomorrow.

At right, the cake, unbaked. Since I'm not a fan of peanut butter, the smell of pb wafting through the house during baking was a bit weird. Singer begged to differ though. Happy almost birthday Singer!

Progress

Inspired by several fancy-pants bloggers turned professional DIY'ers, I'll be posting before and after pictures of the progress at The Manor over the next few days (read: months).

I'm not sure if I should post the progress as it happened chronologically, or from the outside, in. Thoughts?

First race!

I capped off an abbreviated karting season this year in Englishtown, NJ with my very first race! The last race of the year is called the Turkey Race, and the winner of each class brings home a trophy and a turkey. That almost pays for 1/100th of the travel expenses, entry fees, fuel, parts, and Xanax required to corral two hyperactive fur balls. While I didn't bring home a turkey, I had great fun, and turned my best lap times yet. Here's how it all went down:

Saturday: practice. So-so, lots of traffic. No personal bests, but with a rare full, free weekend, I decided I was ready to finish the season off with a bang. 

Sunday: earthquakes of doubt and remorse. What had I gotten myself into? Went out for 4 practice sessions, and felt okay. My times were decent, especially with no one to follow. Now for the qualifier... lots of rules, something about flag order, crossed flags, count laps.. hmmm okay zoom! The qualifier felt good. Most of the regulars turned a few laps and went in. Since I was there just to get more experience, I took all 8 qualifier laps and posted a personal best. Afterwards, I helped the pit crew change out a bent axle on another kart. I'm becoming quite the grease monkey. Who knew axles were so bendy? We finished in time for my pre-feature, which had a slightly different protocol. Whatever. I started at the back of the pack and hoped for the best, and I brought it as best as I could. Another personal best! (And I didn't even get lapped.) By this point, I'd turned nearly 50 laps and was pretty tired, but I wanted to see if I could get even faster in the feature. Since I already let the cat out of the bag (no turkey for me), it's pretty clear what happened at the feature race. I got tired, I misread the flagger and I did not best my previous times. But I beat one guy in my run class (take that, team Ferrari!), I had a blast, and Ralphie and I will be back next year.

And no mommy makes two.

For the first time in nearly a year, I will be completely puppy-less. Well, technically, I've always been puppy-less, but Singer will always be a puppy to me. With a combination of work and travel, I'll be away from my girls for almost three weeks. To make matters worse, Singer is not feeling well, and it's so hard for me not to be doing everything for her *myself*. As if I don't sing her praises enough, she has been a truly perfect dog for me, and not a week goes by that I don't think about the Manchester Animal Control and all that they do. I know those guys take a lot of heat, but they really hit one out of the park with Singer. So thank you MAC and special thanks to Officer Elise!

I suppose today is also a good day to reflect upon all that has changed in the last year: repainting and decorating the living room and hallway, the attic chronicles, Singer! Bo..., Ralphie the kart, climbing on the sharp end, slowly...

And of course, other changes that have not been welcome at all. This past year has zipped by, this one seemingly more quickly than the last. I guess it's true what those adults say: your twenties will fly by, your life and priorities will change, and if you're lucky, a pair of soulful brown eyes will come into your life that will make you welcome those changes with open arms (and you'll accidentally take a picture of your foot).