A happy intermission.

Watched some new movies the other night and caught this happy look from my wife and Ruff and Axl. Not only do the two boys follow us around the house all day but they both seem to want to share the couches when we are watching the TV.

 

Some needed repairs on the last day of Winter.

The stone wall around the swimming pool has been deteriorating for years and it got to the point where it was beyond fixing so I got some bids from a few companies to rebuilt it. Moore's Stone Co. came in last week and took down the old wall in one day and came back today and with a full crew working almost 10 hours rebuilt both walls. Great job guys. By the way, it was 85 degrees out and today is the last day of Winter.

Click the pictures for a larger view.

  

Another day and another crowded room.

I coached my wife Jackie into taking this picture this morning when I noticed the camera was handy and the two boys had settled in for a nap. Jackie was a little shaky with the Nikon and I was afraid she would drop it but everything worked out fine. So here is one more picture of my crowded den.

 

Our crowded floors.

Took this picture a few moments ago. After breakfast I usually go to my den and turn on the computer to check my email and read the news. And, as usual, I am often paid a visit by my ever-diligent boys, Ruff and Axl, who drop by to take a nap. And that makes things very, very crowded. It was so crowded that I even had some trouble reaching my camera bag seen in the very top of the photo to grab my camera.

 Click the picture for a larger view.

 

An assortment of resting Rottweiler pictures.

One thing that Rottweilers do best besides eating is to take naps. They can doze off to sleep in a matter of seconds and just as quickly jump to their feet at any unexpected moment, especially if they hear the sound of a food wrapper being opened. I just love to take pictures of them and most of my collection of photos shows them resting on the furniture. Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we do living with them.

Last night I noticed Ruff sleeping on the floor while Axl was occupying the couch and it occurred to me that Ruff was almost as big as the couch when he was stretched out.

 

We are all OK. The tornado missed us.

I am not going to trivialize what happened Friday. Too many people died and too many homes were destroyed by a string of EF-3 and EF-4 tornadoes that swept through Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The closest it got to us was in the town of Piner, Kentucky, 5 miles away where at least 3 people were killed. For several hours we all hung out in our basement watching the storm move through our area on the local TV station.

The only concern I had was getting everyone to go downstairs and stay there after the weatherman told everyone to take shelter. I did get my wife Jackie and the three Rottweilers to go down to the basement but due to some confusion when I went back upstairs to grab some things of value everyone followed me and that led to some panic as I got excited about getting everyone to go back to safety. The Rottweilers didn't understand why I was yelling and they went and hid so I had to put leashes on them and walk them back to the basement. 

The local television stations take bad weather very seriously out here and one station we watched, WKRC, channel 12, continued live coverage from 2 PM until 11 PM. I started watching Intellicast radar on the Internet and picked up this ominous picture just before we headed to the basement. Those boxes are confirmed tornadoes on the ground and we were right in their path.

Click the picture for a larger view. See where Piner in located just below Florence. 

Anyway, to make a long story short, once everyone was back in the basement the three Rottweilers all decided to just take naps, like they always do.

What a bunch of lazy hounds.

No words are necessary to describe what goes on here. The pictures are self-evident.

Yes, that's Axl doing an imitation of Ruff in Ruff's chair.

 

Winter has gone away again. Spring makes a preview.

This off again on again Winter weather has frazzled our nerves. One day its cold and the next day it warm. Well, at least it hasn't rained as much as a few weeks ago so we all got a chance to walk down to the end of the backyard. Here's a few pictures to share. First one is my wife wearing her Rottweiler-embroidered coat, followed by a few pictures of Ruff and Axl exploring. We must have had a few visitors out here because they were both very concerned about the scents.

Then it was time for a nap. The cool, crisp fresh air was so exhilarating that it tired everyone out and when they came back in the house they all climbed on the couch with their Mom.

 

It finally snowed last night. We'll take any snow we can get, even an inch at a time.

FINALLY!!! It snowed last night. The Rottweilers loved it even though we only got an inch of the cold, fluffy stuff. I haven't the heart to tell them it will all be melted away in a few days. Here are some pictures. And just to compare how much this Winter has disappointed us we've only had a total of 2 inches of snow this season while at this time last year we had gotten a total of 31 inches.

And, just like a couple of kids, they stayed outside for only a few minutes. But then they wanted to go out again in a half hour.

And as soon as they got their feet dried off they went back to keeping Mom company.

Ruff has found a new favorite store. A trip to Tractor Supply and they invited him inside.

I went out to the local Tractor Supply store in Florence, Kentucky to buy some new wheels for my hand truck today and took Jackie and the three Rotts along for the ride. Of course we can't leave our precious rott-n-kids alone in the van so Jackie sat with them with the windows open and Ruff had his head out the window watching after me. While I was paying for my purchase I heard two people comment about the Rottweilers in the car in the parking lot and I told them they were mine. One of the store people said, "Why don't you bring them inside?" I didn't know they allowed dogs in their store. I went out and put Ruff on a leash and walked him into the store and everyone crowded around him and gave him pats and treats and several compliments on being so handsome and lovable. Ruff managed to give out a few kisses to one of the ladies and to a man who worked there. As usual, Ruff was enjoying himself getting so much attention. But it didn't stop there. A man who worked in the store walked me out to my van (which was parked only a few feet from the entrance) and handed out more biscuits to Axl and Sassy. And before we left a woman who was shopping there stopped by the van to see everyone and while she was talking to us another woman who was heading into the store spotted us and stopped by to see everyone. This was a very friendly trip and I look forward to going back again and taking Ruff in to visit his old friends. This place is so friendly I may even bring my camera with me and take some pictures. That is something I have wanted to do at Petsmart but felt they wouldn't allow.

Ice cubes from the fridge are a poor substitute for snowballs.

The Winter that wasn't is still hanging around. The Rottweilers go outside every day (when it isn't raining) and seem to be looking around for snow. There is too much Sunshine and the temperature is still in the high 40s at its low side and several days in the high 60s. I have taken ice cubes from the freezer and given them to Ruff and Axl and they happily chew them up but you can tell they are a poor substitute for snowballs. Took some pictures today you might enjoy. The first one is Ruff looking off the deck, probably wondering what's going on.

And another of Ruff watching Gunsmoke on a Retro TV channel.

Here is one of Ruff and his Mom.

And Ruff washing Axl's ears.

I am so happy they are best friends.

 

Happy Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil 'predicts' 6 more weeks of winter.

Today is Groundhog Day and the Groundhog has spoken. Six more weeks with weather like this and we'll be cutting the grass before March. The buds are busting out all over. The animals are coming out of hibernation several months too soon. People are walking around in t-shirts and shorts. We've had less than a half inch of snow and it feels like Spring outside. Fox News reports:

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. –  Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair to "see" his shadow on Thursday, in the process predicting six more weeks of winter.
But, at this rate, that might not be so bad.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/02/punxsutawney-phil-predicts-6-more-weeks-winter/?test=latestnews#ixzz1lFlECq9k

I think I could live like this until Summer. When the backyard dries up a bit more we'll be taking the Rottweilers out for more walks.

  

Last day of January and its 60 degrees outside.

We look to be setting another record in strange weather here. Not only have we had just a half inch of snow but we've had warm weather and lots of rain. That means cabin fever to the Rottweilers and they are all dealing with the stress in their typical fashions. Taking naps.

Yesterday, Mom pulled a fast one on our sleeping baby Ruff. She walked past him and woke him up with a big hug and a kiss.

After his rude awakening, Ruff just stared at the camera.

 

Where did our Winter go?

I can't speak for the rest of the country but in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati region this Winter has so far been literally a wash out. Today is a perfect example. Right now we are drying out from a light rain with outside temps in the mid-50's. Heavier rain due back tonight and tomorrow with expected temperatures in the 60's. What to do at one o'clock in the afternoon? Watch more television. Hey, Gunsmoke is on the local retro tv channel 5.2. Even though its not in hi-def Ruff seems to like it anyway.

Everyone else is taking a nap. Oh well, its almost time to make lunch. That should wake everyone up.

Rottweiler watching television.

That's Ruff totally entranced with a very energetic dog competition, the Purina 2011 Incredible Dog Challenge. Only hope he could learn something watching other dogs doing it, like jumping and catching a Frisbee or running and jumping into a swimming pool. Oh, well, we'll just have to love him for what he is.

  Now if only we could get him to not block the television.

 

WOW (?) Our first snow of the Winter.

This has been a disappointing Winter to say the least. Last week we had several day time temperatures in the high 50s along with a few more days of rain. The Rottweilers have been anxious for snow and I could tell by the way they sniff the air when they're outside at night. Today we finally got some. Nothing much but at least a half inch gave them something to enjoy.

Hugs and kisses.

Every once in awhile Ruff seems to know when his Mom needs some special attention. Like last night, for no reason, Ruff went up to Jackie and  she leaned over and gave him a big hug. Ruff responded by giving her a big kiss. They both seemed to enjoy it. My wife has had Alzheimer's for some 4 years now and both Ruff and Axl seem very attentive towards her. The two boys have been a big help to me keeping her company.

 

Love in the afternoon.

I just took these pictures of my baby Rottweiler Ruff lying on the couch next to his Mom.

Hey, Mom, its getting late and I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

 

Happy New Year, better late than never. A look back at 2011.

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and had a safe New Year's. I was asked why there are so many pictures here taken indoors and if you consider what our weather was like here last year you might understand. The year 2011 had an historic record breaking year for rain. The normal annual rainfall in the Cincinnati tri-state area is about 43 inches of rain and last year Cincinnati had its wettest year with 73.28 inches. That shatters the old historical record of 57.58 inches. Along with a Spring that was literally a wash out we had a Summer with a long run of 90+ heat. Neither of which made it very comfortable to be outside.


Hopefully 2012 will be better and we can take some outdoor photos.

 

For Caroline, in France: Some pictures of our Rottweilers and Casey our black cat.

Caroline,

I loved the pictures on your web site of your Rottweiler Leslie and your black cat. We also had a black cat living with our Rotties and here are some pictures. I have no other way to show them but to place them here. These pictures were taken about 8-years ago and this is our then young girl Sassy with Casey the cat who was about 13 years old at the time.

Casey lived with us for almost 17 years. The Rottweilers all respected her and made me think they knew she was the oldest of the family. Casey even ate dinner with the Rottweilers.