Brotherly Love

Brutus's dad has been out of town for a few days, and Brutus has been pouting big time. He is really good at pouting. He does this thing where he lays his head down on his paws and lets out this big breath, like he's sighing. And labs have these incredibly soulful sad looking eyes to begin with, so even though he may not be completely miserable, he sure has been acting like he is!

Brutus and his brother Andrew

Andrew to the rescue. My son Andrew was in the Cities visiting a friend over the weekend, and he stopped in for a visit. I thought Brutus was going to jump through the roof. He was so excited when he saw Andrew pull in to the drive way. I'm sure that at first he thought it was his Dad, but he seems to love Andrew just as much, so it was OK when it wasn't Dad. Andrew got hugs and kisses, and the whole time that we were trying to visit, Brutus was putting toys in his lap. I got a phone call, and all of a sudden Andrew and Brutus disappeared. I could have kissed Andrew's whole face a million times!! He grabbed Brutus's leash and took him for a run. It seriously was the best thing he could have done. I walk Brutus, and we go at a fairly rapid pace, but Andrew runs, and Brutus LOVES it. Brutus was so happy and excited when they got back that he grabbed his favorite toy and just ran up and down the hallway.

Needless to say, he slept really really good that night. Thank you Andrew!!

If I Just Had A Red Nose That Blinked!

I am convinced that Brutus's second calling in life, the first being "Master Chipmunk Chaser" is to be Rudolph's replacement. If only those reindeer aged!! I mean, the boy loves snow, he can jump like Lebron James, and his enthusiasm when he's outside is never ending. And let's be honest here, his "boys" have been removed, so he may even talk like Rudolph. We don't really know for sure what his real speaking voice sounds like.

We are having our first snow fall this morning, and when it started, it started in full force. Brutus had been outside just an hour earlier and the sky was clear, but when I opened the door to let him out again his face lit up like a Christmas tree!! First he smelled the drive way, then he licked it, and from there it was twenty minutes of jumping and running and sliding around. He love love loves the snow, and I have decided that that must be the reason why he suddenly seems to gain about ten pounds right before the snow flies, and then manages to drop it in the spring. I gain ten pounds right before the snow flies because I buy way too much Halloween candy!!

So, enjoy the following pictures of my "Rudolph wanna be" having fun this morning, and everyone be safe out there. Since I took these pictures, we have gained at least an inch more of snow on the roads.

The Price of Gas

I have to laugh, because in our home, the cost of gas lately has been tears, laughter and a lot of blankets over our nose! When we were first married, it was Don's fault. I am totally sticking with that story, and nothing you can say is going to change it. Now, it is Brutus's fault, and Don will completely agree with me!

Most of the time his digestive system isn't too bad, but when we give him a treat that he hasn't had before, or a bite of something that might be more fatty than what he's used to, everyone within a fifty foot radius pays for it! His reaction to his gas is the funniest part. There are the silent but deadlies. When those fly, he doesn't even move. Don and I can be laying on the bed literally hiding under the covers gagging, and Brutus just looks at us like "what's your problem?" Although, coming from a guy who will carry a dead chipmunk around in his mouth on a hot summer afternoon, for hours, I would have to say that his "gross" radar doesn't function properly.

Then there are what I like to call the slippery ones. Those usually get his attention. I can always tell because he'll all of a sudden jump up and look at his bum to see if something bit him. I'm guessing they burn a little!

The funniest of all are the noisy ones. For example, I was sitting in the kitchen today, and Brutus had quite a loud toot. He literally had no idea where the noise came from and jumped up to stand at attention and look around to see what was making the noise. He had that look on his face like he was ready to bark at whatever it was that was making noise, perched with one paw half way up and all.

What a goof.