I’m starting off the week with a post from Sarah in Illinois. Today, she’s introducing us to her two dogs. You all know how much I love our Baxter, so I’m very happy to get to know Sarah’s two furry fellows.

I have really struggled with coming up with something to write about this week. I feel like we are in the eye of the storm here. The hustle and bustle of harvest is over. Steve comes home at regular hours again since all the crops are in, and he has all of his ground work done. But I am fully aware of how busy we will be in just a couple weeks. Between both of our families, my work party and the kids’ schedules we will have something to do every weekend in December.

This weekend we took advantage of the fact that we still have great weather here. We mowed the yard for the last time, brought in all outdoor decor, the grill and garden hoses so they don’t get damaged when it starts to freeze. We even hung Christmas lights on the house. However we won’t light them for a couple weeks.

I don’t want to rush the holidays at all, so we are just relaxing and enjoying the calm. Of course, that doesn’t make a very interesting blog post. When I said aloud that I didn’t know what to write, Steve’s daughter said that I should write about our pets. So this week I will introduce our dogs.

Brody

Brody is Steve’s 10 year old chocolate lab. Brody has a very interesting background. He is retired from the US Air Force! We don’t know a lot about his time in the Armed Forces, but we know he was stationed in Alaska.

Brody has multiple health issues, and it makes us wonder what he has seen and what type of things he has been exposed to. About two years ago he started losing his eyesight and he is now completely blind. But that doesn’t stop him from getting around the house and finding his chew toy to bring to us.

He is very talkative. I think because he is blind he struggles with not knowing exactly where we are sometimes and he “yells” at us, which is a harsh bark. We laugh because he doesn’t seem to need anything; I think he just wants to know where we are.

Treu

Treu is my 12 year old German Shepherd. I got Treu when he was 6 weeks old. He is an outside dog, but there were many times when I lived alone that I would bring him in with me to keep me company or to make me feel safe.

When we moved in with Steve, Treu got a really expansive pen with shade trees and access to his own section of a barn. Besides his foam bed and heated water bowl he has a “deck” that Steve built and he spends a lot of time laying out on it.

And of course any time we are out in the yard where we can watch him, he has free reign.

Treu is starting to show some hip problems that are slowing him down. However, I don’t think he knows that his hips are failing. He still tries to run and chase the cats. It’s just his legs don’t always get the message.

Both of our dogs are getting up there in age. We joke about how high maintenance they are. We are constantly buying special food, medicine, supplements, and vet visits. But they are a part of our family. They are waiting on us when we get home with smiling faces and a wagging tail. And we treasure every moment that we have with them.

I know exactly where you’re coming from, Sarah. I can tell Brody and Treu are well-loved. Brody’s history is so neat. I had no idea you could adopt a dog after his tour of duty.