A Classic Moment...Captured!

The four babies in my house: Pico (in front), Mina (behind him), Billu (cat on the right) and Motu (cat on the left).

Earthquake

Our windows and doorknobs rattled and shook for a bit around 4:30 a.m. this morning. Nanu wondered why the road crews - who have been re-laying roads in our neighborhood the past few days - were already at work so early in the a.m. I never heard it, because I was sound asleep.
Imagine our surprise then to wake up two hours later and find Southern Illinois had experienced an earthquake that registered a 5.2 with the U.S. Geological Survey. Luckily no one was hurt.
But I found it interesting that our dogs woke my husband up sometime before the earthquake and he figured they needed to go potty at this unearthly hour. So he let them out in our back-yard and got them back in and came back to bed.
And that was the only reason he was awake when he felt our windows rattle…

Saturday Project!

My first Bollywood video. Its got it all - romance, music and a high-adrenaline chase!

How tacky but fun was that? :)

Credits
Hero *Pico Iyer*
Heroine *Mina Iyer*
Music *Gori Gori*
SFX *The Lawnmower*

Cascade of Colors

Saturday evening, we took both the dogs to Cascade of Colors - Southern Illinois' hot air balloon festival.

The parking area at Southern Illinois airport was jam packed with cars, when we got there.

Hundreds of families and their kids filled the venue, staring up at the balloons as they rose into the sky.

It was lovely watching the colorful balloons rising up into the air, as the wind ruffled my hair.

Since we had our dogs, we didn't go inside, but watched the balloons from outside the fenced in area.

A lot of people came by and petted Mina. "Oh she's such a cutie!" was the common refrain.

I felt bad for Pico. No one petted him. Poor boy!

Mina joins our family!

Big news people! We have a new baby at home!

She is of the four-legged kind. And her name is Mina.

My family thinks we're nuts. What? We want to add one more dog to our home-zoo of two cats and a dog? We must be crazy or just plain masochistic.

Against all advice from the wise, we went ahead and adopted Mina, a happy and beautiful terrier mix, this Saturday.

I first saw her on Petfinder and something about her seemed to call out to me. I called Nanu over to my computer and asked him what he thought. He liked her too. And so the wheels were set in motion.

PAWS, the shelter where we adopted Mina from, stands for Pets Are Worth Saving and is located in Anna, Illinois. We adopted Pico from them almost two years ago and it was sweet to be able to go back to them for Mina.

Apparently Mina's former owner - an old lady - gave her up to the shelter saying she was unable to take care of her any longer.

At the shelter, she was microchipped and spayed and then put up for adoption. The folks at PAWS, think she is about a year old.

The PAWS ladies called her "Angel," but since she doesn't seem to respond to "Angel" we figured we'd change her name to something nicer; and Mina seems to fit the bill.

So far, Mina and Pico get along like a house on fire. But the cats are mad as hell about having their space invaded. So they are still sulking.

The past two days have been crazy-fun. The dogs go for their potty breaks together, eat together and chew each other's bones.

We took them on a 2 mile walk this morning and both doggies did fine. There's a Discovery Channel documentary on animal behavior unfolding in my home and its fascinating and often funny to watch the craziness as it happens.

So congratulate us on our new baby and send a friendly bark across Mina's way! :)

New additions to the family

Methinks Pico needs a playmate.

Billu has Motu to play with. But Pico has no one.

I think he would be so much happier if he had another doggy to shake paws with and chase around all day.

And so the hunt is on.

We will adopt from a shelter. Pico is getting a brother or a sister very soon!

Yippee!!

Hiking at Heron Pond

Last Sunday, we decided to get off the couch and do something active for a change!

We drove for over an hour (and got lost several times!) until we finally hit the Cache River State Natural area.

The long ride didn't seem to agree with Pico and he managed to throw up some disgusto-smelling stuff several times inside the car.

So our first job was to clean up the mess!

Once we were done with that, we proceeded on our hike as planned, since all that throwing up didn't seem to have affected Pico in any way!

The Heron Pond trail and the Litle Black Slough Trail began with a fantastic truss bridge over the Cache River and I had a field day taking photographs.

Pico had a blast following his nose as we drank in the painted green canvas buzzing with life all around us.

Situated within a floodplain that was carved out centuries ago by Ohio River's glacial floodwaters, this natural area boasts the most massive and beautiful Cypress trees.

There's a sign that calls them "trees with knees" since no other tree has "knees" like the Cypress when it grows in wet, swampy conditions, apparently.

But what really stood out on the trail was a floating boardwalk kind of setup right in the middle of the swampy Cypress pond at Heron Pond.

On one hand, it gave us a chance to observe and appreciate relatively undisturbed wetland and aquatic ecosystems.

On the other hand, it gave us a genuine "Oh my God!" moment - when we just stood there awestruck by the sheer beauty surrounding us on all sides.

The secluded depths of this forested swamp, seemed to have a rhythm and life of its own.

The trees formed a canopy above us and since sunlight had to squeeze its way in, there seemed to be an eerie but beautiful greenish glow - caused by all the duckweed and other green forms all around.

We ended the trail by looking at a bald cypress tree that has earned the title of "State Champion" due to its massive trunk girth, awe inspiring height and heavily branched canopy.

It was a sight to behold.

Campus Lake Musings

It looks like we’ve finally established a fun exercise routine, now that the weather has warmed up a bit.

We get home from work and head out right away with Pico-the-happy-crazy-tail-wagging-enthusiastic-doggy to Campus Lake.

Campus Lake has a lovely 2.2 mile loop around it, perfect for walkers, joggers, runners and dog-walkers.

It’s even got some pull-up bars which Nanu uses from time to time.

Pico has a lot of fun, sniffing the privates of various other dogs out for a walk with their owners (!!). And I have a lot of fun watching Pico misbehave.

Oh and Nanu pretends to be horrified.

Ever since I can remember I have envied all those dog-owners riding in their cars with dogs by their sides. They just seemed so happy. And now that we have Pico, we realize what we were missing out on – endless fun!

The accompanying images were all taken around sunset, at the end of one of our happy walks!

Pico is a star!

A Torturous Walk

Weekends are good. Time off from the job. Time off to have a little fun and adventure. Time off to sleep that little bit extra. Time off to awake to a long, lazy breakfast; not the hurried cornflakes-with-milk thingy we have to do every other day during the hectic work week.

We took Pico for a walk on Sunday afternoon around Campus Lake. It’s a 2.2 mile loop around a lake surrounded by winding paths and sycamore trees. On a normal day it’s a beautiful walk. But on a day like yesterday, it was, “A torturous walk,” as Nanu called it.

The January cold bit into my face, fingers and thighs, through the layers of clothing I had on. By Carbondale standards, it seemed like it was the coldest day ever.

Despite the cold, it felt good to be out. Pico was in heaven. He had his red sweater on and was frantically following his nose, inhaling the smells of numerous dogs who had walked that same route before us. The waters of the lake looked crystal clear. We saw a ton of ducks swimming by and the occasional turtle.

About a mile into the loop, I took Pico to the water’s edge to watch the ducks.

Normally he hates water and will never get into it of his own free will. So I wasn’t expecting what happened next. Pico jerked on his leash as he watched the ducks swim past and leaned forward, nose quivering. I took my eyes off him at that very moment and the next thing I know, he’s fallen into the icy water.

My heart stopped. I saw Pico swimming in slow motion, his sweater a red blob in the water. I felt foolish still holding onto his leash. Fortunately for me, he hadn’t fallen very far. I leaned over and managed to drag-carry him out of the water.

Unsurprisingly enough, Pico was fine after his little mishap or should I call it adventure? And despite having just been immersed in near-freezing water, he shook himself, spraying water all over me and then took off, following his nose all over again.

Nanu removed Pico’s sopping wet sweater and got his gloves wet in the process. I had gotten my gloves wet by pulling Pico out of the water. And Pico was wet all over. In about five minutes, Nanu and I had ice-crystals form on our gloves. And then we saw ice-crystals form on Pico’s body.

In no time we felt C-O-L-D-E-R than ever; in definite need of warmth. Nanu couldn’t feel his fingers after a point. Neither could I. The exposed parts of my face hurt with the cold. To make matters worse a wind had just started blowing.

But we were midway into the loop and the car was parked a mile away. There was nothing else to do but to suck it up and walk as fast as we could, the rest of the way.

We felt a bit like the lost climbers on Mt. Everest, doomed to die of frostbite. Yeah that is an exaggeration, but I can totally understand what they must have gone through.

Strangely enough, even though we were literally freezing, there was something exhilarating about the whole experience. However we sure were glad to come home to a warm house and some hot coffee.

Pico Likes Popcorn!

Now who'd have thought a beagle would look at popcorn like it was the most equisite food on earth?

We just discovered that Pico LOVES popcorn. He adores the stuff. He's literally drooling, if you're sitting around him eating popcorn.

Check out Pico's expectant expression in the first pic - priceless, I say!

He'll just stare at you unwaveringly, until you break down with utter guilt and give him some popcorn to nibble at. Bwahahahaha.

Feeding Time

The cats don't seem to mind Pico all that much these days. But this is still a rare event - feeding them their treats all at the same time!

I particularly love how Motu, Billu and Pico all sat in front of me before I gave them their treats!

Gift wrapping frenzy!

While Nanu and Pico lay on the couch watching TV, this is what I got done.

Merry Christmas everybody!

PS - Someone please teach me how to curl ribbons. I just cant seem to get the hang of this supposedly "simple" art-form!

The Fur Magnet

This is what I came home to today. Motu and Pico sleeping on the same sofa in the family room.

Funny how this old, ugly sofa has become the favorite resting spot for all my pets.

It gets so covered in pet fur that I have to keep putting different sheets on it, just so I can take the sheet off every week or so and wash the damn thing!

If you're dressed in black you wouldn't dare sit down on this relic. You'd get up with a furry backside!

Pets Day Out!

We loaded up my car with all the pets this evening. Guess where we were headed?

The vet of course, for their annual vaccinations and check ups!

Billu and Motu made quite a fuss before we could get them inside their respective crates.

We then put the crates in the backseat of my car, leashed up Pico and got him to sit in front with me and then we were off to Striegel Animal Hospital.

One hour later, all my babies have been vaccinated, poked, prodded, tested for various intestinal diseases and examined.

The verdict? They are all in excellent health.

Though apparently Motu might have to watch his weight. The vet says he is nearing obesity. I found this funny, coz it's like he's trying to live up to his name! Ha ha.

Gosh we are mean parents. What were we thinking when we named our chubby kitten "Motu?"
Bwahahaha.

The Artistic Chew

Pico chewed and chewed his stuffed giraffe doggy toy until....all that's left is this.

A pretty artistic chew huh? :)

Dog Art

That used to be a watering can for my plants, until Pico decided he wanted to decorate it with his teeth. *sigh*

Who's the cutest of them all?!!

My cuties....

Pico's Puky Peccadilloes

Some friends wanted to go hiking and asked us for suggestions on Friday night. So Nanu and I told them about The Garden of the Gods – a magical place we’d visited about a month ago. A plan was made to go there Saturday and we promised we’d come along.

Since someone else was driving, Nanu and I decided to take Pico with us in the truck. It was supposed to be his first long car ride ever – almost 2 hours by road. On the way we got hungry and stopped at Dairy Queen and had sandwiches, cokes and some ice-cream. Unable to finish my ice-cream, I offered some to Pico, who happily ate it up. Nanu had some french fries left over and we gave about three pieces to our resident glutton – Pico.

About an hour into the journey, Pico started licking the half empty can of coke I was holding in my hand. Against my better judgment I let him have a few sips. Pico actually seemed to like coke and all of us laughed about it.

Almost at our destination, I suddenly felt a huge wet patch spreading at an alarming rate on my lap. I looked down and almost died.

Pico had puked right into my lap.

There was so much puke, I almost felt like a puke-queen. It was unbelievable how much gooey, liquidy, yucky greenish-yellow stuff Pico had managed to project out of his stomach and into my waiting lap. There were even whole chunks of puppy food - that he had obviously swallowed without chewing - sticking to my waist and thighs. I screamed and half stood up in the truck in total horror. It was so unreal.

A combination of motion sickness, french fries, ice-cream, coke and a heavy doggy breakfast before we left home had obviously been too much for him to handle.

We had to stop at Bill’s place and I washed up from an outdoor tap in the garden. Nanu had to borrow tissues from Mr. L, who lives down the road and mop up the seats and floor of the truck, which were also covered in dog vomit.

Since I had no change of clothes, and we’d just spent 2 hours on the road getting to this place, I ended up hiking in the Garden of the Gods, with a completely wet lower body. Hilarious!

Luckily there was plenty of sunshine and I dried off pretty soon. But I still had suspicious yellow patches on my khaki pants.

The rest of the evening was great. We saw some fantastic rock formations in the Garden of the Gods, had some good conversation and wine with Bill, while we sat by his five acre pond and even got to see his calico – a shy little fur-ball of a cat aptly named ‘Sweetie’.

But it was a relief to get back home and get out of those vomit-filled clothes. I had the longest shower ever and made sure I smelled like me again.

The experiences I go through with my dog are just unbelievable. They border on the darkly comic and surreal. But strangely enough, I can’t seem to stop loving him.

Day of the Dogs!

Lots of excitement happened today as Pico's friends came over to visit!

Two beautiful, sleek black pitbulls named Domino and Kelly. Unlike the vicious pitbulls you keep hearing of in the newspapers, these two are as sweet as can be.

They belong to the guy who lives opposite our place and come over pretty regularly to shake paws with Pico.

Of course in doggy terms a "Hello Buddy!" involves sniffing each others private parts.

So after lots of running and chasing in the open plot next to our house, the doggies thirstily lapped up some water I gave them in a bowl.

Then it was time for cookies - doggie biscuits, and I had a grand old time feeding three dogs all at once.

It was so fun and such a nice way to end the day after a hard day's work.

Of course Nanu took some pictures of me with Domino (the guy with the green collar) and Kelly (the girl with the red collar) and Pico (the cute tri-color beagle).

We were quite the stinky couple when we finally got back inside the house. We smelled like three dogs rolled into one!