Duchess was much harder to photograph than Gar. She got into some incredible situations and ran at the sight of a camera!.
We lost Duchess to a cougar May 2004 while she was exploring the field beyond the back 40. We miss her terribly...so does Edgar.
Background and graphics by Dianne Larson Ward
Buddy 12-24-03 The best dog in the whole world that I don't own belongs to Bri, Katie and Skyler.
Emily and Jack help me sew the Norwegian bunads. 2-05
Jack Sparrow 6 wks old
Jack's little sister Emily 6 weeks old
Emily and Jack They look so innocent. 5 months.
Dainty Little Emily the Terror of South Aberdeen
I said Give me the damn lens cap!
Emily Nov. 1 2004
Mid October 2004 Jack after being stuck in the engine of the car for an hour. He didn't want to go to the vet...rammed his way out of the cage and the rest is history.
Aw, come on Gar! I wanna be your buddy! Nov. 1 2004
As of today, March 25, 2005, Jack and Emily are a little over 10 months old. Jack is still everyone's best friend and very easy going. Emily is shy with new people and new situations but cuddly with me, and her brother.. sometimes with Jim....and she still terrorizes poor Edgar unmercifully. She chases him out of any room she's in. He's too gentle (and smart) to attempt to to put her in her place. She's fierce when she feels secure.
She and Jack are both "lead bottom's" and are no longer the scrawny little things they were when they came to live with us. Emily wieghs close to half again what Edgar weighs and Jack isn't far behind. (Update 2007...Gar outweighs Emily by quite a bit. He's a major lump. He's also the funniest most laid back cat we've ever had. He always assumes everyone loves him and knows that (for example) he can lean far over the edge of the bed (backside first) and I'll catch him. Very secure but not obnoxious. He's everyones buddy. His trying to catch beams of sunlight as they hit the wall is hilarious. He will jump over 4 feet in the air to try to catch it. Emily is very sweet and affectionate...except with poor Edgar. Edgar does now fight back when she hassles him. Jack just sits back and waits until it's over. It never phases him.)
Edgar plays with Jack at times altho it took him many months to accept him. Gar gets his best cuddle time with me in the computer room where he lays on my left arm as I type.
All three love the new bedroom window in the rear wall. Jack thinks it's great fun to jump out the window, run around to the sliding glass door, run thru the house to the bedroom window, jump out....etc. etc...over and over, and over, and...All three really like the new view..especially when the birds are feeding at the neighbor's bird feeders or are flitting around in our trees.
Gar is playful again. He mourned for Duchess for many months and was very depressed. he did not like having Jack and Emily join the family so soon. They were born within a week of our losing Duchess which considering his mourning was a bit of a signal to me that Gar needed a companion.
Now Gar often finds a pencil or a piece of "something" and skitters around in the kitchen jumping up and down tossing his "toy" around the room. Sometimes he just races around on the carpet dwirling in circles pretending to catch "something". He races thru the yard to his weeping willow and flies up the truck whick Jack watches with great awe. Any day he'll be doing the same thing...Jack seems to use Gar as a role model. Not a bad thing as far as I am concerned!
Emily saw Gar in his tree and
climbed up to bully him...he knows
if he tries to go down past her she'll tackle him. She's the most alpha cat I've ever had...and Edgar was here first!!
April 2007 Magdalena Englehardt, "Maggie" (named for my third great grandmother)our now 14 year old miracle pup. We nearly lost her a year ago to haemolytic anemia. The doctor gave her no chance but he kept treating her. Through his talent, Maggies determination and God's help she pulled through and is in better shape now than she has been in for many years. We are very blessed and very thankful we were given more time with her.
We had to let her go July 26, 2009.
Sometime this summer (2007)
Maggie will have a new sibling...a mini-Buddy. Our niece Jodi has a miniature of the same breed as Buddy ( he's an Australian Shepherd) and puppies will be born soon. She's promised me one!
I have no doubt that Maggie will train the new baby (whose name will be Jodi!) well.
Emily, on the other hand is going to really be in a snit. Oh, well. It's time someone showed her that she needs an attitude adjustment.
***
Update Oct 3, 2007
(Emily, the last time she came home)
Emily didn't even try to adjust or to terrorize the puppies as she always had Edgar. Even though we always tried to teach the pups that they were not to chase or tease her she began staying outside as much as possible...then in September she would be gone for two or three days before coming home to eat and sleep for two or three days. I spoiled her rotten when she came home....she knew she was loved.
We haven't seen her at all for two weeks now and it makes us very, very sad. She could have trained then to leave her alone with one good swat...but she didn't even try.
There was no way to keep her inside the house. She wouldn't allow it. We miss her but we know we did all we could to help her feel safe. We just hope she is safe somewhere with a new home she enjoys.
