Thursday, March 20, 2014

New Fur-Cousin!

Last weekend Harry met our newest fur-cousin, Pickle.  Named by my 5 year old niece, Pickle was adopted a few weeks ago from a family where he wasn't adapting well to the new boyfriend.  Timid and a little shy, it took a couple of hours for him to really warm up to Harry.  On the other hand it took less than 10 seconds for Harry to warm up to Pickle, but Harry did a good job of backing off and giving him space.



Pickle is a lot smaller than his family's former fur-baby, Jager.  About 90 pounds smaller being that Jager was a German Shepherd.  They do, however, share the same German heritage and long snout as Pickle is a purebred dachshund.  With his silky wavy hair and fast feet, Pickle is swift yet graceful - something that Harry had to get used to since his fur-cousin Jager was easier to catch.




At first Pickle kept his distance from Harry and stayed close to his mom.  Then when Harry wasn't looking or got too close, Pickle would pounce out and bark then quickly return to Mom-Base.  Eventually the two of them found that they had a lot in common.  Their moms kind of looked the same, and they both wanted whatever their family was eating.  It was when Harry got tired from racing around the backyard that the two of them enjoyed each others company quietly.


Having a new pooch, especially a puppy, is always an exciting time.  We're hoping that by spending more time together with Harry, Pickle will come out of his jar (see what I did there) and stop cherry picking Mom-Base.  We're so happy to welcome Pickle to the family!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Doggy Dining: Jimmy G's Steaks

Two polar vortices ago, our fam needed to cure some pretty bad hangovers.  A night of friends and too much wine was forcing us into the kind of misery that can only be cured by grease.  It comes along only once in a while, and that Saturday the craving for a cheesesteak was there.

When a new cheesesteak joint pops up, it's met with skepticism in Philadelphia.  The greatest cheesesteaks in Philly are legendary and have staked (see what I did there) their claim on the city decades ago.  That said, in times of distress convenience trumps reputation and so our venture to Jimmy G's steaks began.

An order of a cheesesteak (American w/ onions) and french fries was placed.  While we waited for our food we helped ourselves to sides of the array of peppers and pickles available to all customers no charge. After a short time our food was ready, our names were called, and we were ready to indulge.  

Despite the chilly weather, we were able to dine outside which meant that Harry was able to join us.  The outdoor area is enclosed during the winter months and kept warm with portable heaters.  The foo and I sat across from each other on red picnic tables while Harry sat at the head enamored of our spread.

Jimmy G's steak was up to par.  Featuring chopped steak rather than the tear through it with your teeth type at Pat's, it was easy to eat with just enough grease and cheese melted throughout.  The french fries were hot, crispy, and thick cut graced with perfect saltiness.  Normally a cheesesteak lunch isn't about decadence, but facing the hangover and the stomach bug I was about to get in just 4 hours, this was the most decadent experience I had the entire week.  Happily I engorged myself while Harry stared.

The cheeseteak cured my hangover, but it couldn't cure nor was it the cause of the GI fury that was took over the rest of my weekend.  Jimmy G's was not only a steak to be revisited, it was the gleaming, radioactive, surging highlight of a terrible 48 hours.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Snow Dog

It's been a hard winter, right?  Snowstorm after snowstorm is preventing Harry and I from getting in our much needed runs and all of us from getting along since we're stir crazy and grumpy.  The only cure for a grueling winter (besides an early summer) is watching your pooch go nuts in the snow.  

One of the best things about the dog park is that it's not plowed.  Which means when we go we get to watch all the dogs play in the snow together.  It's like a totally new dog park!  
Yippee I'm in a Winter Wonderland!!!
While we froze on the sidelines, Harry scrambled around and around the dog park encouraging his friends to chase him.  Since snow covered the entire surface of the dog park, there were no more boundaries.  Benches were definitely base as usual, but there wasn't a differentiation between turf and non-turf so mutts were everywhere.

With the new terrain pooches were slipping, sliding, and tumbling in the snow.  Yellow snow was made additionally yellow as other dogs noticed it, which made for easier navigation than usual for us humans.  

A couple weeks later when it snowed almost a foot in Philadelphia, Harry and I visited an open area so he could run around.  Harry likes deep snow a lot more than regular old snow, and had a great time romping in it.  So although the weather makes us grumpy, we might as well enjoy it while we have it, like Harry does!

Harry goes NUTS.