Raining Cats and Dogs

It's raining cats a dogs! That's the best way to describe the recent wet weather that we've been experiencing. But where did the phrase "raining cats and dogs" come from?

Tahoe wants to know - what's the origin of "raining cats and dogs?"

According to a "reliable" source, "raining cats and dogs" is most likely a phrase that was coined during a time when England struggled with its poor sanitation:

"The... probable source of 'raining cats and dogs' is the prosaic fact that, in the filthy streets of 17th/18th century England, heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals and other debris. The animals didn't fall from the sky, but the sight of dead cats and dogs floating by in storms could well have caused the coining of this colourful phrase." (Source)

It's raining cats and dogs!

 
Yuck - I'm glad that I don't live in 17th century England.  I think I prefer my own literal interpretation of the phrase, as illustrated above.

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It's raining cats and dogs, make sure you don't step in the poodles.

~ happy leap day!

And the Oscar Goes to...

All eyes will be on Hollywood tonight as the stars step out in their designer outfits and sparkling jewels for the 84th Annual Academy Awards. Some are saying though that this year, Hollywood has gone to the dogs - literally! Two weeks ago, canine actors were recognized at the Inaugural Golden Collar Awards for extraordinary performances in film and television. One dog that walked away with top honors was Uggie, a jack russell terrier who won the Golden Collar award for his performance in The Artist.

Uggie from the movie The Artist

Dogs and animals have been used in movies and television for years - from Dorothy's dog, Toto, in The Wizard of Oz to the talking Palomino horse in the television series Mr. Ed. Do you think that dogs and animals deserve the recognition or is this just a bunch of Hollywood hype?

For a funny (and crass) look behind the Golden Collar Awards, check out Triumph the Insulting Dog's video segment from the Conan show below - Warning: this video clip is not suitable for children.

Spring has Sprung?

The flowers are blooming and the bees are buzzing...  with all of the sunshine and warm temperatures, it's hard to believe that it's still February! It appears that the trees, flowers, and insects are confused too - buds are blooming and the ants and the bees are emerging from their winter slumbers, weeks earlier than normal.

The daffodils are blooming

The purple pansies are flowering

Tahoe and Ashley are loving the weather. We had a chance to spend some time outside today, soaking up the sun and enjoying the mild breeze. Apparently, there's more to come tomorrow. The high temperature for Friday is predicted to be 72 degrees!

Ashley is all smiles

Tahoe wants to grill! (Maybe tomorrow buddy)

Just Another Lazy Sunday

Aren't Sunday's the best?

This morning, I woke up to find that my two favorite snuggle bugs had hopped into bed with me. They were both comfortably nestled beside me. Generally, on Sunday's I can take my time getting up and getting myself ready for the day. Once I extracted myself from the weimaraner sandwich that I found myself in, I went to the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead. When I emerged from the bathroom, I discovered the following - apparently, Tahoe likes to surf the internet...?

Tahoe discovered Sage Tails - he thinks she's pretty!

It looks like he found a new blog that he likes!

The rest of the day, although relaxing, is a bit of a blur...
After a bite to eat I went running - I ran 15.5 miles. (I'm signed up for another 1/2 marathon in March so I've increased my training a bit in preparation). After returning home from the run, I showered and changed and met up with my brother, Mike, and his family for lunch. We ate pizza and salad; it was super yummy! It was really nice to see everyone and catch up. After lunch, I returned home and took Tahoe and Ashley out for an afternoon walk. Unfortunately, I haven't been very consistent with walking them recently so, it was especially nice to have time this afternoon to take them out and let them roam around. All in all, it was a good day!

After tiring my legs earlier in the day, I felt like I was walking horses!

Something smells good...

Shhh - what's that?

Ashie Belly

Ashie says... "A good bone, a long walk, and a soft belly rub are the three best cures for anything."
~ Happy Saturday!

Ashley

Ash-a-bee!

Mr. Romantic

Last year on Valentine's Day, I was feeling down and blue because Brian and I were oceans apart, literally. (Brian was on the island of Guam, 8,000 miles away in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!) This year, Brian was home and he had a few romantic surprises "up his sleeve." Our Valentine's Day evening included:

Heart-shaped steaks...
Lobster tails...
One dozen long-stemmed red roses...
Champagne...
Dark chocolate...
and... Bones for Tahoe and Ashley...

Heart-shaped steaks & champagne

Tahoe and Ashley looking on

Red Roses

 
Brian surprised me with a romantic dinner. He grilled steaks and lobster tails. He bought champagne and long-stemmed red roses. He was Mr. Romantic. The best part of the evening though, was simply the fact that we were able to be together. O.k., that and the fact that GMU beat VCU with a buzzer-beating shot at the end of an exciting basketball game.

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day.
xoxo

The Eagles Have Landed

Today, we took Tahoe and Ashley for a walk at our local lake...

Ashley

Sniffing by the path

Sunset at the lake

Smiling Ashley

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that our daily walk usually takes us by the lake. Three weeks ago, there was some unusual activity at the lake that drew crowds of people into our neighborhood. What was the fuss all about? Check out the video link below:

Making Friends at the Dog Park

Brian and I took Tahoe and Ashley to the local dog park this afternoon. We figured that a little change of scenery and off-leash roaming was just what Tahoe and Ashley needed to get their minds off of yesterday's football game. Once at the park, Tahoe immediately latched onto a tennis ball and Ashley made her "rounds" sniffing at every dog in the park. They even made a few new friends - a large and handsome harlequin great dane named "George" and an adorable little black puppy mix named "Haley." A little leash-free fun was had by everyone!

George, the Great Dane

Haley chasing Tahoe

Haley getting some love

Ashley on the move

Haley and Tahoe

Awe, what a cutie patootie!

Tahoe, in a staring competition with a tennis ball

Still staring at the ball

Miss Ashley

Super Bowl Sunday

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl - Super Bowl XLVI, to be exact. The New York Giants will face off against the New England Patriots in Indianapolis, IN for the championship football game. Kickoff is set for 6:30pm, EST. Once again, Tahoe and Ashley have decided to take part in the fun and make their own "picks" on which team they believe will walk away from tomorrow's game as Champions.

You may recall that last year, Tahoe and Ashley did not quite agree on the winning team. This year though, both pooches seem to be in agreement about the winning team. Like last year, I used a very scientific method to help Tahoe and Ashley make their decisions - doggie footballs and Milkbone treats, of course.

Tahoe's footballs

Ashley's footballs

One Milkbone treat was placed underneath each ball

Ashley makes her pick - New England Patriots

Tahoe makes his pick - go Pats!

Both pooches are confident and in agreement

Ashley's football didn't last very long though

So there you have it - Tahoe and Ashley have selected the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS as the Super Bowl XLVI Champions. To be honest, Tahoe and Ashley are really not that interested in the game. If they had their way, we'd be watching Puppy Bowl VIII tomorrow evening instead. (They just love the Kitty Half-Time Show!)

Enjoy the game!

Cover Model

Have you see the February 2012 issue of the National Geographic Magazine? This month's cover story is entitled "How to Build a Dog." So what kind of dog do you think they selected for the cover? A weimaraner, of course! Below is a video clip of how artist William Wegman captured the image for the cover.

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It's that time of year again... today is Groundhog Day! There was a big crowd gathered at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, PA this morning, waiting to see what a little furry rodent, I mean Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinaire would predict... Well, the little fellow saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter ahead.

It seems that a lot of cities have started their own groundhog weather predicting traditions.  A groundhog was even spotted in Washington, DC this morning.  "Potomac Phil" was introduced in Dupont Circle - even though he's a stuffed groundhog, [I'm not sure how a stuffed groundhog can make a prediction] he also saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter AND nine more months of gridlock traffic on Capital Hill. (Hmmm, I think I could have predicted the gridlock traffic part.)