Thinking of better days on the 1st day of Spring.

The weatherman reminded us tonight that last year on the 1st day of Spring the temperature here was 83 degrees. Then he went on to say that tomorrow morning, on the 1st day of Spring this year the temperature will be 17 degrees when we wake up and not go higher than freezing. Truly, that old groundhog in Pennsylvania has lost his mind to say that we were going to have an early Spring this year. Either that or the townspeople who believe the groundhog have lost their minds.

So while we huddle indoors keeping warm I thought about some older pictures of my baby Rottwiler, Ruffin, and wanted to share them with you.

Here he is on July 27, 2007 when he was only 8 months old. I think that was around the last time I was able to pick him up.

Then on September 1, 2007, Ruff, along with Sassy and Mo, were introduced to our new pet tiger who gave them some concerns until he introduced himself.

September 7, 2007, Ruff paid me a visit in my den and my wife Jackie took this picture.

Just before Valentine's Day 2008, Ruff gave his mom a big hug and a kiss.

Then on March 8, 2008, we had our really big snowstorm and Ruff got his first taste of deep snow. All 14 inches of it when it was finished.

2008 was a busy year for Ruff. He was entered into a national photo contest and became very concerned about running against some little dog owned by a school girl who had gotten her whole school to cast votes on their cell phones. Ruff didn't win but he did make a lot of friends.

And 2008 was also the year in which Ruff met and kissed his first (and only) horse and left him forever fascinated by them. He has sat in front of the TV and watched several horse races since then.

What a brave little Rottweiler Ruff was when he first saw the horses walking toward him in the field.

 Now all he does is lay around the house getting heaps of love from his two humans.

  Spoiled Rotten.

 Click the pictures for a larger view.

  

I never get tired of this.

 

When we're watching TV at night this sort of thing is very distracting, even when there isn't any snoring. The reason it is so distracting is because I can't stop looking at it. Which is why similar photos appear on this blog. I just hope nobody else gets bored with it.

 

Even when they sleep.

Yesterday, while the corned beef and cabbage was cooking on the stove and the Irish Soda Bread was baking in the oven, my wife Jackie and her ever present protector were waiting in the living room for dinner. I enjoy watching how well her protector takes care of her when I am busy doing other things. Even when he is fast asleep. Here is the proof.

Axl is an old Rottweiler with the heart and soul of a guardian angel.

Hey, this isn't the Cooking Channel but speaking of Irish Soda Bread, if you are interested in an authentic recipe that is around 100 years old here it is. It was passed down to my wife from her Grandmother. I have made this every year and it is delicious.

Authentic Irish Soda Bread ( Landen-Osborne Family)

 

Recipe Makes 2 Loaves

Bake: 35 - 40 minutes

Pre Heat Oven to 375

 

Ingredients:

4 cups. Flour

3 teaspoons Baking powder

1 teaspoons Baking soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Butter (1/2 stick)

1/2 cup Caraway Seeds

1 1/2 cups of Raisins

1 large Egg

1 3/4 cups. Buttermilk 

 

SIFT OR WISK ALL DRY INGREDIENTS TOGETHER IN A LARGE BOWL AND SET ASIDE.

 

1/4 cup Butter (1/2 stick)

CUT IN BUTTER WITH 2 KNIVES OR A PASTRY BLENDER. Also works with the bread hook on the mixer.

Add large handful of Caraway Seeds and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of Raisins to mix.

 

LIGHTLY BEAT THE EGG AND ADD TO BUTTERMILK.

1 large Egg

1 3/4 cups. Buttermilk 

 

MIX INTO DRY INGREDIENTS WITH A FORK UNTIL BLENDED.

 

TURNOUT ONTO A FLOURED SURFACE AND KNEAD UNTIL SMOOTH FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 - 3 MINUTES.

(A MIXER WITH A BREAD HOOK IS HELPFUL)

 

DOUGH WILL BE STICKY. COAT HANDS WITH FLOUR.

FORM INTO A LARGE BALL AND CUT IN HALF WITH A SHARP KNIFE.

RESHAPE EACH HALF INTO A ROUNDED MOUND CUT AN X ON TOP OF EACH MOUND.

PLACE ON GREASED BAKING SHEET. Bake for 35 to 40 Minutes.

REMOVE AND COOL ON WIRE RACK.

 

THEN TOP WITH GLAZE WHILE IT IS STILL WARM.

SUGAR GLAZE - FOR EACH LOAF.

1 cup 10x (powdered) sugar

1/2 teaspoon. Vanilla

5 tablespoons Milk

  

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

 

March 17th, and Spring is supposed to be only four days away. Woke up to this and the weatherman says more is coming tonight.

The Rottweilers are getting confused, and I can't blame them.

 

Dreamy Ruff.

 

My baby Rottweiler Ruffin could hardly keep his eyes open when I walked into the bedroom tonight. He goes to bed after everyone comes in from their late night potty on the front lawn. I usually follow him an hour or so later. After I get my wife into bed I usually check my email and surf the Internet for awhile until I know she is asleep then I go to bed myself. Ruffin seldom stays awake until I get to bed.

What a dreamy look he has. Can't hardly keep his eyes open.

 

The spots above their eyes.

  
What is that gives our Rottweilers their personalities? The way they look or the way they act? They are all quite beautiful and we feed them with loads of love and affection every day. Does the love shine through their eyes and make them look so happy? I went back through my huge collection of photos, I have almost 15,000 that I've taken since 1995, and found three I'd like to share again.

This was taken July 4, 2003 and it shows Mocha, my first Rottweiler, on the left. Nikko Bear, Mo's father, in the middle. And young Sassy, who was 6 months old on the right.

This photo was taken a month after we brought baby Ruffin home from the breeder in February 2007. Mocha never had any puppies but she was a very wiling foster mother to little Sassy and then baby Ruffin.

And this is my favorite photo and watercolor of Mo and Nikko that I had made into flags back in 2003.

It isn't difficult to see why I called this "Thief of Hearts". That's what they do.

Hey, I couldn't leave out one more photo of Ruffin, all grown up.

Or maybe two.

 

   Yes, I think it is the spots above their eyes.

 

Bed time.

In between my last post on March 8th and today we have had a little more snow followed by a few days of rain and some cool sunshine. The Rotties continue their protests because they don't understand how much trouble is to clean up the mud they track in the house. 

Last night when I was ready to retire I walked into my bedroom and saw this waiting for me on the bed. 

What an innocent expression Ruffin has on his face. I just had to take one more picture of him. If only he would stay after I go to bed. Ruff feels he must take up the advance guard position in the hallway in case we are invaded. I still can't convince him that its my job to protect the family.

 

Protest on a sunny afternoon.

Sun and snow don't mix. The Sun makes the weather warm and when it melts the snow it makes mud. Mud makes messes in the house. Rottweilers don't understand this but the human who cleans the house does. For that reason alone, when the Sun melts the snow and makes mud, the Rottweilers stay in the house. So everyone takes a nap with the warm afternoon Sun streaming in through the windows.

Click to view larger image.

Poor Rottweilers. Nobody loves them.

   

As promised, the boys get to play in the snow.

 

Nobody seemed to care about the promise of Spring. The sun never came out today but the snow was still fun to play in. I do stand corrected on how much we got. While the front of the house had only an inch the backyard had about three inches. The boys didn't seem to care. Ruff and Axl enjoyed every bit of it.

Ruff was determined to get Axl to play.

Then we had to come in for lunch.

 

Old Man Winter isn't done yet. Battle for early Spring continues.

 

Just when we started getting used to some warmer weather, we get some more snow. The storm that dropped down here from Chicago last night left a very mixed amount over the tri-state area. 30 miles North in Loveland, Ohio they had almost a foot of snow, 5 miles North of us in Taylor Mill, Kentucky they had 3 inches of snow, and in our area we got about 1 inch of snow. Well, from my experience with Rottweilers, I know they don't care about size or amounts. They're just as happy getting a piece of a biscuit as they are getting the whole biscuit. Same goes with snow. Here is Ruff getting his first look this morning.

And a little while later, Axl comes in for breakfast from the backyard.

After lunch we'll take a walk down back where they can all run around.

The Sun came out today and we all went out to play.

 

Winter has been trying hard to hang around with some unseasonably cold weather but Spring is fighting a battle to uphold the prediction made by Punxsutawney Phil that said it would arrive early. So the Sun came out today and I was given a request that I could not refuse. Who could say no to a face like this, anyway.

So I grabbed the trusty camera and we all went for a walk in the back yard. And the first thing that Ruff and Axl did was to stick their noses into the ground. I guess that we must have had a few visitors in the days and nights since their last walk. Anyone watching these two would think they were Rootweilers instead of Rottweilers.

Once in awhile someone asks me "Where is Sassy?" since most of the pictures are of Ruff and Axl.  Well, Sassy did come with us but she sat down by a tree and watched over us while the boys were exploring. Sassy is doing fine with her new diet and the Levothyroxin pills are starting to keep her thyroid and weight under control, too. I'm hoping by Summer Sassy will be able to keep up with us.

  

Sunday evening we watched the Academy Awards.

 

I just had to add this post as a footnote to yesterday's activities. While we were watching the Daytona 500 and I was taking pictures of Ruff watching the television, old man Axl was sound asleep on the couch next to me. So after dinner last night we retired to the living room to watch the Academy Awards and Axl resumed his position on the couch where he left off. And he took another nap. The poor old Rottweiler can't live on just 12 hours sleep next to my wife at bedtime, he has to take more naps during our waking hours. But did you ever see a dog sleep like this?

 

Sunday afternoon, we all watched the Daytona 500.

 

Ruff loves excitement. And girls and horses. But anything that moves fast gets his attention. Girls just make him act like a silly clown. We all watched the Daytona 500 on TV this afternoon and I must say that Ruff really enjoyed watching the Budweiser Clydesdale horses in one of the commercials. And he did turn his attention to the TV when Danica Patrick was on the screen but I still think he likes Vanna White better on the Wheel of Fortune.

Sorry for the poor angle.

We'll have to chalk up NASCAR racing along with The Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.

   

Mom's got biscuits. Ruff is the only one who knows.

Last night my wife Jackie sat down in the living room with three biscuits wrapped in a paper towel. Ruff immediately spotted this when she unwrapped the biscuits in her lap.

One is never enough.

Two is good but I did see you had one more.

By the look on her face I don't think my wife appreciated Ruff climbing over her to get the last biscuit. Meanwhile, Axl slept through the whole thing, on the couch laying next to me.

  

Snow is all gone, too muddy to play outside.

 

Well the snow did look pretty while it lasted and the Rottweilers enjoyed the two weeks of cold air. But when it started to warm up above freezing and the snow began to melt, it was just to mushy and muddy to go for a run down the back. So we stayed indoors. Watched TV. And took pictures. This night it was Ruff's job to keep Mom company. The two boys seem to take turns.

 

Finally, some snow the boys can play in.

 

Glad to report the mid-winter thaw didn't last very long. After several days of cold weather we had some snow last night. It was only about 3-inches but that is a lot when you think that it is the biggest snowfall in two years. I took the boys, Ruff and his old buddy Axl out back for some fun. And Axl really surprised me by running around playing with Ruff. He hasn't been too interested in play lately and I was beginning to think it was because he was getting too old. At 11 1/2 years he has been really acting his age and spending a lot of time napping around the house. Today was a different story and it convinced me that the snow does make a difference.

Click the pictures for a larger view.

Judging by the look in Axl's eyes, I think he saw Ruff coming.

And then they were off.

Axl was running just like he did when he first came to his new home three years ago.  I wish every one of my Rottweilers was in such good shape when they were his age.