The Really BIG Christmas issue

This time I have an excuse. Believe it or not I spent two weeks - every day - for two weeks working on my Rottweiler Christmas cards. I also had twice as many cards to print out and mail because I asked if anyone on my Facebook friends list wanted to exchange cards this year.

Then we had a lot of mixed weather, cold, rain, mud. Then I had shopping to do and laundry and... oh never mind. Here is the product of all my excuses. I also need to explain that the final, final version of my Christmas card went through two complete printings. After printing the first batch I decided to try a different approach and liked it so much I cut the cover photo off the first batch and used it as an insert.

 

 

And the one that was turned into an insert.

As you might expect I passed my free time enjoying the entertainment provided by my two best friends Bess and Griffin. When Griffin is in the house he almost always stays in the same room I am in. And when he is outside with Bess, he is never allowed to go out alone, I worry about both of them constantly. As it has turned out they don't spend a lot of time out, most usually 15-20 minutes at a time. And they don't mind it at all.

We have had visitors once or twice and Griffin is slowly learning how to act like a respectable Rottweiler. He still thinks he is a puppy and a lap dog and that presents a problem with people who have never met him before. But one lady has been back several times since I got Griff and she adores all the hyperactive kissing and face licks. I call it Wrestling With Rottweilers.

 

 

 

 

I found a new friend on Facebook, someone who I really like very much. The lady is single and lives in South Carolina and she manages a horse sanctuary where they provide shelter for unwanted horses. We have become friends and next Spring I would like to drive down and meet her. She mailed me a tee shirt from her horse farm.

And Bess and Griff have found lots of time and opportunity to play in the house. And take naps every day under my desk while I am working. And at night we have all enjoyed watching movies.

Mr. Griffin participated in another clean out the peanut butter jar events. Amazing how much and how quickly he has adjusted to his new home. Three months ago he didn't like peanut butter and wouldn't let me put a spoon in his mouth with anything on it. Now he waits next to the dinner table just like Bessie does and gets spoon-fed leftovers and peanut butter pills.

 

 

And finally, a few words about Griffin's table manners. Or lack of them. I don't recall if I've mentioned that Griffin eats like a horse. He is only 18-months old and is at the peak of his bulking out period and he is eating twice as much as any of my other Rottweilers. I can't imagine him to be any less than Ruffin was at 130 lbs and he is still growing. 

Griff has the cutest way around food. He not only sits next to me while I am eating but he often lays his huge head on the table and stares at my food to make me think he is starving hungry.

 

 

 

Yes, in case you were wondering, he is very successful in getting handouts.

Play time indoors

I'm sitting at the computer this morning and Bess and Griff are having a running dog-fight going from the hallway into my den tugging a yellow squeaky ball. This isn't anything new but this time my camera was right next to me.

The first time they came in Bess runs under my computer desk with the ball in her mouth and Griffin is right behind her. Bess turns around and tries to get me to take the ball and throw it for her to catch. The look on her face was asking, "Hey Dad, wanna play with us?" But Griffin has other ideas. He sticks his head under the armrest of my chair and tries to take the ball.

After this the action moved out into the hallway and I ignored them for several minutes. They both were making ferocious growling sounds while each of them holds a part of the ball. If you didn't know how Rottweilers played you'd think they were fighting. 5-minutes later they are back in the den. This time they are tugging the ball on the other side of my chair.

Once again I am in the middle of the action but this time I think they are just putting on a show for me. Then everything moves out in the hall again.

 

It is now 35-minutes after the game began and once again they are back in the den. This time it almost seemed to end just as it started. Griffin has his head shoved under the armrest of my chair while holding a piece of the yellow ball. 

 

Then all of a sudden Bessie has sole possession of the ball and she comes up from under the desk and hands it to me to throw for her.

This game must be very tiring because after I did a few throws and Bess caught the ball they both went inside and took naps on the couch.

 

A Rottweiler Christmas Story

This is a short story I wrote some years ago. I have posted it on my blog every year since 2009 during the Christmas Season. The format has been changed to better fit the presentation and I think it looks better now. It looks much better if you view it full screen.

+

The calm before the storm.

Feeling a bit dramatic this morning, waiting for the mailman to deliver my ink so that I can finish up my Christmas cards. During this quiet period I want to share some new photos taken this past week. I love taken very low angle shots of Griffin, holding the camera almost on the floor. This is what Griff looks like in his world at floor level.

 

 

The first time I showed these photos I got two different reactions. I thought that together they would make a funny meme.

Every day I am getting more and more people tell me how much Griffin resembles Ruffin. Especially when I added the above photos to my Facebook page. So I put together a collage of head shots.

Can you tell them apart?

  

Its been very busy working on the annual Rottweiler Christmas card

What started out as a two day event turned into a week long extravaganza.

I am so glad that I started early. This was the first year trying to get our boy Griffin to pose for my Christmas card. By posing I mean he had to sit either next to me or in front of me an look at the camera. He just didn't get it. I wound up taking over 40 photos to narrow it down to just a few. I changed plans along the way to accommodate the problems. But it was so much fun to look at all the photos once I had uploaded them into the computer.

Then I picked one and polished it up and printed out enough for my mailing list.

Then I came across another very nice photo and wondered why I had overlooked it. So I printed out another batch.

They say three strikes and you're out but the third time was a charm. I actually changed my mind and chose a third photo to use. This all may have occurred because I was so confident in having so much time to finish it. And two days ago I started printing the third batch of Christmas card and got halfway through my list and ran out of one of my colors. So a rush order to Amazon.com and the ink will arrive tomorrow and the printing will be done. 

I think I will bring it all to the Post Office and mail it on Monday December 3rd.

For the past few years ever since I started using a remote shutter release there hasn't been too many comical mishaps that I've been posting as outtakes. But here is a brief sample of what I got this year.

 

 

 

 

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I'm playing Santa this year and decided to lend some authentic look to it.
 

Movies, movies and more movies.

When the weather turns bad we all stay inside.

Doing this post in reverse order. First post was all about last night. (11-17) This post has 44 photos, largest one ever.

Saturday night at the movies.
Started out at 8:30 to watch a movie. As soon as I sat down on the couch I was mugged by Bess and Griff who seemed to be competing who could give me the most kisses. I couldn't watch the TV with these two on top of me so I stopped the movie and set up the camera to show everyone what living with Rottweilers is like in my house. p.s. the beard is for my Santa Claus role next month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After posting the first batch of photos I made another attempt to watch the movie. Bessie laid down on the other loveseat and Griff started another game of roughhouse with her. Bess didn't want to play so she came over and laid on my couch as if she wanted my protection. Griffin wouldn't give up so I let them play while I watched the movie. The movie is in my collection and I've seen it a few times so watching them play wasn't much of a distraction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the movie Griffin was still in a mood for play. He started chewing on my shoe. The shoe I was wearing on my foot.

 

 

Almost a snow day.
Almost never counts.
Started off the day with a pretty dusting of snow. By this afternoon it was all gone. Bess and Griff still love playing in the leaves.

 

 

Oh, crap. We have freezing rain outside. Just took the dogs out and almost slipped and fell. Weatherman said it has been below freezing all day today and the freezing rain was coming overnight. If you're driving to work BE CAREFUL.

Freezing rain last night gave us an amazingly beautiful morning. At least if you didn't have to drive to work. My trees took it well but my next door neighbor's huge Pin Oak lost a few big branches. I think there's a moral to be learned here. The mighty oak for all its strength was not flexible enough to bend under the weight of the ice. The weaker trees like my Japanese maples had not trouble with the ice.

Another movie night.
Just finished watching the movie Ant-Man and The Wasp with my two best friends. Lots of fun and amazing stuff. Started of with Bessie laying next to me on the couch but she traded spots with Griffin who slept through the whole movie.

 

And lastly, I found another interest to engage in. The woman I donated all of Jacqueline's clothes to after she passed away also runs a street ministry and works at a homeless shelter. One Friday of every month I pledged to cook up 10 gallons of Navy Bean Soup for her to take to the shelter. These pictures are the last two batches plus one with me wearing my chef's hat.

 

 

   Bon Appétit