Farmington Valley Golden Retrievers

Today was a spectacular morning for exercise and reflection. The high school fields have become one big blanket of sweet smelling clover.

The sun was coming up and you could see its rays of light reflecting off the mist from the overnight showers.

There was not another soul around, and it was peaceful and good.

Of course with all the rain lately, the dog’s private swimming holes were back. Now however, the ground is relatively dry. The mud is gone and the girls don’t get as dirty.

We all came home physically tired, and for myself, spiritually refreshed.

And what better time on this beautiful morning, to annouce that our oldest son, Michael Jr., and his wife Emma called with the birth of their second son, Michael Alexander, at 8 AM this morning. Born in Washington, DC. at 8 pounds 12 ounces, everyone is doing well.

We give thanks for our blessings.

It is hard to believe that our little Lucy (Miss Pink Collar) and the rest of her littermates are already five months old. Seems like yesterday that we were cuddling and bonding with everyone in the whelping box. With Lucy it seems that every fifteen minutes if not every five, brings a new adventure. She is constantly under my feet or trying to get involved in my daily chores. So I thought it would be interesting to share some of our recent adventures…

• The Aquarium: We’ve had a fresh water fish tank for over twenty years. For the last five or so, our red tailed shark has gotten very big, and instead of being just pretty, he has gotten very hungry. Everything I have tried to add from guppies to larger fish has disappeared overnight, probably into his gullet. Not having the heart to toss him, I decided to take a ride. Half a tank of gas later, the owner of a specialty tropical fish store heard my story and brought me to a tank way in the back. Inside was a big red cichlid. Called a devil fish by some, it hails from South Africa. Five inches long, it has the reputation to become the boss of any tank. Inside the same tank were a number of black and white striped fish about four inches long. Called appropriately (I kid you not), “convict” cichlids, these beauties come from Central America. Feeling like I just bought Tony Soprano and his henchmen, I brought the gang home and added them to the neighborhood. Lucy sat in front of the tank and watched their movements fascinated. Overnight the fish count was the same as in the morning, so we are off to a good start. But I wouldn’t call it Mr. Roger’s neighborhood anymore.

• These days, we (the girls and I) are up early and out front watering the flowers. Solo and Lucy compete for who can get the paper first when it is tossed at the end of our driveway.Then it is a tug of war to see who can claim possession. If I don’t intervene quickly, the paper becomes just another piece of fiber in their omniverous diets.

• And then there are my poor flowers. Despite double fences, Lucy manages to squeeze into the beds and cause mayhem. She even likes chewing on Alliums which are members of the onion family. Hopefully in another month, she won’t fit through the fences.The only evidence of her having passed through (unless I catch her red handed), is the missing flower hole or the stick like flowers stripped of all their leaves.

• The pool: The cover is off and that is about the only good thing we can say about that at the moment. The smell and the color of the water are nothing that would entice anyone for an early morning swim. Even the big dogs have not gone near it. Lucy however apparently fell in when no one was watching. Next thing Barb knew was that she came racing in soaking wet. And not smelling like a rose by any means. Looking back it seems that all our pups have fallen in and gotten baptized. I remember almost jumping in after Solo when she missed her step. Of course she did fine. These are water dogs after all.

Notice how Lucy appears wet in several of the photos above while her family members are dry. A water bug to be for sure!

For almost thirty years now I have been privileged to participate in that amazing miracle of life called birth. I have watched as thousands of women of all races, ages, and nationalities have dedicated their mental, physical, and spiritual energies to accomplish that most difficult journey that results in another living being. Picture the growth of a beautiful flower, in slow motion photography, that slowly grows from a seedling, and then enlarges into a mature plant that soon will spill forth its colorful blossoms and pollen. In my world, months of preparation go by as that challenging and unpredictable experience approaches.

Then the waiting is over. Labor begins, and the mother to be realizes how difficult this journey is going to be. Hours of hard work go slowly by.

Then finally, and suddenly, with a burst of sweat soaked energy the reality of a new life arrives.

With only limited time to recover from that herculean physical effort, the new mother’s work really begins. Teaching, supervision, and love must be given.

The months and years go by and her work goes on shepherding her loved ones as best she can.

I am sure she expects that her family will be something like this…

While the reality is usually closer to this…

So today on Mother’s Day, we should remember these most special beings, whether on two legs or four, whether still with us today or who have crossed over and await us on the other side. We say thank you from our hearts for the physical challenges and sacrifices you have made over the years to allow us to be who and where we are today.

And in my own life, I give thanks to those inspiring mothers that have helped me become who I am. Thank you: Great Memere, Mom, and Barb. I wish all a happy Mother’s Day.

Tomorrow is our younger daughter’s 24th birthday. She now lives out of state, and so we were celebrating it here this weekend. Not being a shopper, I was trying to think of some way to make this birthday special for her. So, after she left, I pulled out the old photo albums and lost myself for awhile in the memories that resurfaced from years past. I realized how our goldens have intertwined themselves into all our outings, adventures, and big occasions over those same years. They always managed to bring a special element to everyone and everything whenever a crowd gathered. Kristen, being our youngest child, was around the most when we started breeding as a serious hobby. Our older children were already away at schools. So we have lots of photos of her helping with the pups.
I have picked out some of those special moments with our different litters. If you will bear with the sentimentality of a father looking back on those long gone years, I think you will see how special our goldens have been to all of us here. Along with the work that Kristen put in to help.

I hope Kristen will be pleasantly surprised (and not mortified) to read this blog episode tomorrow morning.

Mom and dad wish her a birthday filled with “golden” moments, and happy reminiscences of the memories these photos have brought to us.

And to our readers, we hope that sharing our photo moments with you will trigger thoughts of your own adventures with your goldens. Whether already cherished memories or dreams of adventures to come, they all start with the love of this amazing breed.

It has only been a week since our pups have gone, but there is a new routine developing here in dogville that is more comfortable for all since those first few days. The growls and barks over Lucy’s place in the pack have subsided, and along with it our worries over everyone getting along.

Eating is a short affair lasting just one to two minutes. The big dogs inhale theirs, while Lucy is a few moments behind in cleaning her bowl. I suppose this makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. In the wilds you never know if someone bigger or stronger will take your portion. Still it is amazing how fast they inhale everything we put out.

Emma has begun teaching Lucy how to fight in a playful sense. Again from an evolutionary perspective this is a key to the pup’s survival in the wild. While the photos may look frightening, Emma is careful to use her neck more than her teeth, and she puts up with quite a bit of nipping from her daughter in return. Solo is always close by and doesn’t quite know if this is serious play or not. But you can see from the photo of her and Riley watching that the atmosphere is now calm and peaceful.

Lucy at times wants peace and quiet so she naps under the bed in the crate in the family room.

However most of the time she wants to be in the thick of the excitement or at least watching from a comfortable vantage point.

Like the rest of her littermates, she is one cute puppy!