Devotion and Worth

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."


- Unknown

Snow Days!

School has been out for two days due to snow...snow like we have not seen in Georgia since 1993, the year of the blizzard....but unlike '93, this year's snow has been perfectly lovely...with all the fun AND all the comforts: power and heat, warm food and running water.

All the snowfall, however, has this little guy visiting my porch every hour or so. I get to sit at my desk and watch him through my kitchen sheers while he flits about, stealing cat food crumbs. Simon has noticed these frequent visits too...and watches until he just can't stand the temptation any more. Then Simon whines and paws at the door, scaring away our feathery friend.

But watching our little scavenger isn't the only thing we've done...

My husband made an early morning snowman.

I went for a walk...

and took some snowy pics.

Yesterday, our snow was unusually powdery for this area. So my two-footed boys spent most of the day riding four wheelers and dirt bikes. Simon and I settled in for a warm day on the couch. Today, however, our snow is much wetter, which lends itself to better packing. It's been much quieter around here...

Simon discovered snowballs.

He loves chasing them, but loses them immediately when they hit the ground. It's hysterical to watch him dart across the yard and plunge his nose into the snow, rooting around for an object he knows he just saw land but can neither smell nor find. When Simon does catch one mid-air, they crumble into nothingness. That, perhaps is the sadder scenario, as it seems to truly disappoint Simon. You should see those sad shoulders slump.

The secret is to freeze them.

Frozen (freezer) snowballs hold up to a bit of weimy chewing, and make great "treats." Finally, Simon has something!!! Not sure I would use them for "fetch" though...

...and of course there's the usual snowman construction...

Leave it to an engineer to design a life-sized, square snowman. These guys spent a couple hours packing and shaving snow with a machete. Then, they broke out an electric saw, some spare wood, and black spray paint for the facial features and buttons. Now this is a man's snowman!

By the way,...

those arms are made out of aluminum arrows and hunting gloves.

Last but not least, a bit of whimsy!

That's Simon's nose print, turning my smiley face into a face sticking out its tongue. Simon's such a Nosy Parker! Literally.

:-p

Update: School has already been cancelled for tomorrow. That makes three days out of school so far...a big deal for "this neck of the woods." 2011 is already proving to be a memorable year!

One Year!!!

I am proud to say that Simon Says is a year old today!

Thank you to all who visit.

on wisdom

"All knowledge, the totality of all questions and all answers is contained in the dog."


- Kafka

Remembering 2010

It’s 2011 now, and while I find myself excited about all the possibilities ahead, I’m sad to see 2010 go. 2010 was a good year for me, a year of acceptance and healing, a year of self-discovery and personal growth, a year of new beginnings.

After all, I started Simon Says in 2010. I wish I could say that I joined the ranks of bloggers and never lost momentum, but I can’t. I started. I wrote a few posts. I went through a phase of self-doubt and silence. Finally, I chose courage and gained momentum. I’ll call 2010 the year of “finding my voice” and 2011 the year of “finding my rhythm” here on Simon Says.

I also accepted Karen Walrond’s Beauty of Different self-portrait challenge. I spent twenty-eight days photographing myself…and using each image as an opportunity to discover what makes me differently beautiful. What an experience! It was fun turning the camera on myself…a little unnerving at times, but fun…thrilling even. I am not Hollywood beautiful, nor am I model material. But I am beautiful….differently beautiful. I see that now, thanks to Karen and her challenge.

I even took my first photography workshop and joined our local museum’s photography guild.

But enough about me…

Simon has grown into a full-sized weim, but he is still very much a puppy. He still whines e-a-r-l-y in the morning to be let out of his kennel. He still chews and destroys with no regard for human, sentimental attachment or monetary value. He begs to be noticed. He begs for treats. He begs for his evening scoops of kibble. He refuses to be ignored and uses his big, behemoth body to levy his demands.

-photograph taken by my son with iPhone

Here Simon is demanding I take a break from photo editing. He's wormed his way into my desk chair, his most recent antic. I am so ridiculously in love with this mutt. But then, those of you who have been following Simon Says already know that.

Happy 2011!