An early chill has left us under the weather.

 

I just unloaded some photos from my Nikon that were taken over a week ago. This is something I almost never do as most pictures are put into the computer the day I take them. The reason was the fault of the weather. We suddenly had a span of chilly weather that contrasted with the 60+ degrees we were having. I went out and spent an hours on the tractor cutting the grass and was chilled to the bone when I came inside. One thing quickly led to another and I just finished taking the last pills the doctor prescribed. But now my wife has come down with a cold.

So this is what it looks like when we begin to hibernate. Humans and Rottweilers sleeping all day long. And the weatherman predicts a cold and snowy Winter. I think we will be acclimated to it in a few months.

They are very good company and don't complain too much except when I'm late with their dinner.

The untold story of the photoshopped kiss.

Many years ago when I had just started this blog I was invited to post my pictures of my Rottweilers on a Canadian bulletin board dedicated to Rottweilers. Many of the people who frequented this board fell in love with our baby Rottweiler, Ruffin, who was only 2 years old at the time. Even as young as he was, Ruff had already gotten used to the camera and almost struck a pose whenever I came in the room with the camera in my hand. He had a distinctive way of staring straight into the camera that caught everyone's attention. When I posted this picture two days ago one of his fans made a comment on about it. She said it was absolutely stunning. I get that a lot.

 

December 25-2008

This reminded me of the story I am telling now. One of the women on the Canadian bulletin board was particularly envious of a photo I posted of Ruff giving his Mom a kiss. This is the photo.

For several days she wrote me saying how much she wished she could have Ruff give her a kiss like that. One day it dawned on me to offer her a solution. I asked her to send me a head shot photo of herself and I would try to work it into this picture. I sent her this picture as an example.

Out of respect for the lady's privacy I cannot show you the actual results, so I obscured her face in the image below, but it did come out very well.

 

I have been using similar techniques to clear up some of the clutter in the photos I post here. It's basically just a cut and paste. If you are interested, the clutter are called photobombs. Look it up on Google images search.

 

Today we took an afternoon walk.

Well, Ruff and Axl are happy, now. Or maybe we're just adjusting to the cold weather. Finally got to take the boys out back for a run. 

And got the Mom all bundled up to keep her warm.

Yeah, me too. I had on my winter coat, as well.

Wish they would declare Daylight Savings Time.

If you live in the United States you know that by this time of year the Sun begins to set fairly early each day and gets earlier as we go. Today, for instance, it is setting at 6:49 PM. The humans here usually eat dinner around 6:30 PM and have been taking the Rottweilers out back for their walk after dinner. But with the early sunset it is getting too dark to go for the walk and this change does not go well in the dog world. So we have been patiently waiting for Daylight Saving Time to kick in and the clocks get set back an hour so there is still daylight after dinner. By the way, we happen to live on the Western edge of the Eastern Time Zone. In the Summertime we still have daylight here at 9PM at night but we pay for it in the Fall and Winter.

That isn't our only problem. The weather is changing. Some people out here in Northern Kentucky are still walking around in t-shirts and shorts while we are putting on heavy jackets and sweaters. One day it is warm and sunny the next day it is uncomfortably cold, then warm, then cold. Until there are no more warm days until next Spring. This is not good for us old folks. It makes us go into hibernation. And it causes long gaps in my blog entries until we get used to the changes.

Thanks to an email comment from an Anonymous reader today, who inquired if everything was OK because it has been too quiet, I have been nudged out of my rut. Yes, we are OK, in spite of the above complaints.

Baby Ruff, who will be 7-years old next month, has been my biggest complainer. He misses his daily walks more than any of them. He loves to run around in the wide open spaces of his back yard.

Ruff has grown quite big over the years but he still has that sweet, adorable face that people love when we go to Petsmart.

February 7, 2008

Yesterday.

OK, time to get back to work.

A followup to Sunday's post: "Well, this is something different." Maybe Ruffin knew something was wrong.

Apparently, Ruffin had a reason for checking on his best buddy Axl. Axl was getting sick. Yesterday (the day after Ruffin went to extremes licking Axl's face, head and ears) Axl woke up with a very upset stomach and didn't eat any breakfast or dinner. (they are fed two small meals a day) He then spent the day having a bad case of heaves and diarrhea that lasted even after we all went to bed. I had to take him outside at 1:30 AM after he vomited twice more in the house. After I brought him back in he slept outside his Mom's bedroom door all night long and then this morning he went in her room and took a nap by her bed while she was still sleeping. This morning Axl seemed to feel a little better. I don't know if it is a fact but this morning his nose was cold and yesterday his nose was warm. I boiled up a chicken breast and a cup of rice and Axl ate the whole thing so at least he has his appetite back and he hasn't thrown up so far today. 

Its now just past Midnight and everyone is in bed sleeping and I am happy to write that everything went well today. Axl ate another meal at dinner time - I boiled up another chicken breast and mixed it with some rice and he had a hardy appetite. No more throw up or diarrhea so it looks like it was just a 24-hour virus, like we humans sometimes get.

I think the next time Ruff acts a little out of character I will pay better attention. He really was showing concern over his buddy on Sunday because he knew something was wrong.

 
 

Well, this is something different.

 

I've been living with Rottweilers and taking photos of them for 18 years and I have seen all kinds of different personalities. They are all clowns to some extent and seem to just want to entertain us. My baby Rottweiler Ruff wasn't the first Goofus Rottus we ever had. But he sure isn't like the others. I was sitting in the family room watching TV tonight and Axl was laying on the couch when all of a sudden Ruff climbed on top of the hassock and stepped onto the couch right next to Axl and, while standing over him, started to give him a tongue bath on his face, his head and his ears. And as you can see, Axl never objected. Ruff and Axl have best friends since the day we adopted Axl four years ago. I liked to think Axl was a sort of father figure to Ruff. Ruff frequently washes Axl's ears but this is a new one. I quickly retrieved the camera and managed to capture the last few minutes of this crazy act. These photos are in the sequence I took them.

Click the pictures for a larger view.

And another - after the movie scene.

At the start of the movie (Star Trek - Into Darkness) there was a lot of traffic in our living room. The usual kind, one Rottie on my couch the other Rottie on the other couch. Then they switch. Then they take turns going for a nap on the floor. Then the movie was over and I saw an opportunity to grab the camera. We had a pile of Riottweilers on the floor.

 

Lousy photo, beautiful message.

Sometimes it takes two to get the job done.

Mom taking a nap on the deck. And so are her constant companions Axl in the foreground and Ruffin under the table. 

If I had taken the time to clean the glass on the storm door they may have woken up. So in spite of the nose prints and sneezes and reflected sunlight - I shot the picture as I saw it.

Click to enlarge.

Enjoying a beautiful day.

We had workers fixing a problem with the new pool liner this afternoon so it was an occasion to sit outside in the beautiful sunshine and watch them work. And even our little girl Sassy came out with us and acted like a sidewalk superintendent. That's a slang expression from New York to describe people who watch other people working. Mom sat on the deck with both her protectors Ruff and Axl close by. And I was roving around with the camera taking pictures.

Just had to take a little stretch.

We celebrate another birthday milestone. Our old Rottweiler Axl is 12 years old.

He can no longer jump up on his Mom’s bed but Axl still never leaves her side when she is awake. He spend the night sleeping outside her bedroom door and snores the night away. His face is getting covered with gray hairs and the more Axl gets the more dignified he looks. He sleeps more like a baby now, but old men do so as well. He is, by far, the most loveable, most gentle, most handsome, sweetest and most devoted Rottweiler I have ever known. And I am so glad he seems to be in good health and I hope he stays that way for a few more years. I need him and so does his Mom. He had a checkup at the vet’s office a few months ago and he was fine.

Axl was 12 years old this month. I took these pictures today.

In case you didn't know, Axl came to us four years ago. We adopted him when he was almost 8-years old from a rescue group in Ohio and by chance, I happened to know the woman who first owned him when he was a puppy and she was instrumental in helping us get him. Axl was and is the best rescued Rottweiler we have ever had. He ranks way up at the top of those Thief of Hearts that have given us so much happiness.

I think Axl may get a steak for dinner tonight.

Happy Birthday, old man. May you have many more to come.

  

The television crew.

 

Before our evening walk we sat down to watch Ruff's favorite TV show, Wheel of Fortune. And it is fun to watch Ruffin watching the TV, especially when his favorite star Vanna White is on the screen. Well I've been lucky before capturing his stare and I did it again. Got this photo of both Vanna on the screen and Ruff intently watching.

And old man Axl is just taking it all in.

 

Who is babysitting who?

I've often mentioned that my two Rottweilers, Axl and Ruff, seem to take turns babysitting their mom. One or the other (or both at the same time) always seems to be around her, either in the house or out on the deck. If I am wrong then it is the mom who is babysitting the Rottweilers because they do not like being left alone.

After the movie, Part 5, or 8, or 10?

I have forgotten how many times I've used a variation of this post title. We do not live a very exciting life and our evenings are almost always spent around the television with our constant companions watching broadcast TV programs or movies that I buy ( I have over 200 Blu-Ray titles). A very apt subtitle to this post could be: Tiptoeing through the Rottweilers, because that is how we have become accustomed to moving around the room while our best friends are napping on the floor. BTW, they move on and off the couches regularly through the course of the evening, as if to cool off on the floor. The best part, for us, is that none of the large sleeping hunks ever tries to get up while we are stepping over them, for that would end in quite and accident. So this was last night, after the movie. And, in case you're interested, the movie title was "Olympus Has Fallen", I just bought the Blu-Ray version yesterday when it came out and it was a great movie.

Mom sitting outside by the pool, with her two protectors.

The weather has been lousy. Days of rain, then a few days of high heat and humidity, then cooler temperatures more like early Spring than Summer. So we enjoy a nice day when we can find one and sitting outside by the pool, listening to the gurgling water is very enjoyable. My wife finds the solitude comforting and on a day like this she will spend hours outdoors. But most of the time she is not alone.

She usually has at least one Rottweiler with her and often sits with both Ruff and Axl. It is very quiet and peaceful and the rippling sound of the water adds a nice touch, almost like a stream.

A bedtime hug.

Time for Mom to go to bed but first a quick stop in my room where Ruffin is waiting on my bed to say good night to his Mom. He also is waiting for his little biscuit (which is why he is looking at me out of the corner of his eye) but he gets a hug and a kiss from his Mom, first. Sorry to say, the hug and kiss photo didn't come out. But this is how it looked a few seconds before.

I actually took this photo a few days ago but didn't post it because the followup photo was too blurry. It is a nice shot of my sweetheart and my best friend so I thought I would share it after all.

A beautiful day to be outside.

 

Well, the heat wave ended after a few days and the monsoon weather is all dried up so what's left of our Summer has turned into Fall. Or Spring. After getting the very nice new liner installed in our swimming pool we managed to get only one day warm enough to use it. The water temperatures have been matching the air temps and our day time highs are hovering around 80 degrees. A bit too cool for taking a dip. The overnight temps are dropping into the low to mid 50's. Great sleeping weather and even nicer days to be outside. So we did and here are some new pictures.

And one more of Ruff trying to grab his ball off the desk.

Ruffin and his golf balls.

 

It has been very busy around here lately. I had to have the liner replaced in our swimming pool and it had to be scheduled after our unusual monsoon season. The whole operation took five days, including the three days I gradually emptied the water from the pool. When you have almost 30,000 gallons of water to dispose of and the ground is already fairly soggy from the rain, it takes a bit of prep work to avoid making matters worse than they were before. But it all came out well in spite of the temperature being in the high 90s.

Then, yesterday, after the ground was dry enough, I got to cut the grass in the back which I hadn't done in three weeks. After dinner we took the rottweilers out for a walk in the backyard. And Ruffin brought back another golf ball. He has been finding them in the back for the past three years, and I have no clue where they come from. They almost all have the same brand which is expensive enough to not want to hit them once and forget about them. Someone is practicing their driving but it isn't any of my closest neighbors and I have no idea how far away they are being hit.

 

Above photo: taken last night when Ruff brought his important discovery in the house.

And here is Ruff's two boxes of trophies. Almost 3 dozen golf balls that he had found. I think maybe I should take up golf if only Ruff could find me some clubs.

 

The Sentinels

11PM, their Mom has just been tucked into bed, The Sentinels take up their positions to stand guard through the night outside her bedroom door. And give me something to step over in the dark after I turn out the lights.

Axl and Ruffin take their duties very seriously, sometimes. When they're not trying to steal a handout or get someone to play with them.

They are the two best Rottweilers I've ever known - except for my girl Mo. If you are new here and haven't read about Mo you can type in her name in the search box in the upper left corner.

How wet was it? Local TV says some got 8 inches of rain here.

Today the sun came out but the back yard is like a mud pit covered with grass. Just read on the local Fox TV station web site we had 8-inches of rain in some areas. And one man literally picked up a 40-LB Carp he found in his flooded back yard. See photo and story below.

CRESCENT SPRINGS, KY (FOX19) -

A man pulled a 40 pound carp out of the water between 2551 and 2553 Avon Drive late Saturday morning during a major flood in Crescent Springs, KY.

Mike Works, a neighbor, describes the scene as "something out of a horror movie."

The flooding in Crescent Springs was a part of the flash flood Saturday morning that extended from the Cincinnati area into Kentucky.

The flooding is the third time that Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky have flooded this week.

If you know the man that pulled the giant fish, please contact FOX19 at 19news@fox19.com.

 

 

More things to do on a rainy day. The deluge continues.

  
Ruffin woke me up around 8 AM this morning with an urgent, "I gotta go real bad" cry. The first sound I heard when I got out of bed was the rain pounding on the roof. When I got to the back door and opened it, Ruff had a change of heart. He wouldn't even stick his nose outside. So I went back to the bedroom and got dressed and offered to take him out front and cover him with my umbrella. The big wimp acted like he was afraid of the water. Since I was now fully dressed I went out and retrieved the newspaper before it floated away and came in and ate breakfast. Ruff was still doing a dance and after an hour or so I got him and Axl and Sassy to take a quick pee break on the front lawn. Then I dried everyone off with a towel.

The rain continued for several hours and I decided to spend my time reading the news and checking my emails. Then after lunch I spotted this cozy scene in the family room. That big Rottweiler really knows how to sleep.

 

Things to do while waiting for the water to go away.

 

We are fortunate to be living on higher ground because we have had weeks of unending rain. The back yard is so supersaturated that my lawn tractor makes mud tracks in the grass wherever I drive. This is all bad news for our Rottweilers. While we have a large umbrella covering the picnic table on the deck you can only do so much to pass the time away. Except take naps. And our Rottweilers are experts at this. Here is a sampling of the rain taken yesterday from the open kitchen window.

This is the first time the water has ever backed up over the entire sidewalk.

And, today, I walked into the family room and saw this.

I think Ruffin was using his chin to prop up his head.