Hot off the presses, some pics of Lily outside. She hates it, and I had to tamp down an area for her to go to the bathroom.
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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.
They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.
Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.
When I was faster i was always behind.
I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.
This blog will pay for itself.
He really is that stupid.
We are aware of all internet traditions.
When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.
Fuck these fucking interesting times.
How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.
Only Democrats have agency, apparently.
If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.
Usually wrong but never in doubt
Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!
They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.
Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.
America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.
There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.
This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.
Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?
And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.
Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.
Let there be snark.
jeffreyw
Tamp some snow in a box, let her use it indoors. Hell dude, we’ve had indoor plumbing in this country for, like, ages.
James Hare
We’ve got at least 20″+ here in Burke, VA. How much does anyone else out there have?
jeffreyw
Obligatory snow pic from this morning.
licensed to kill time
Lily definitely has a kind of WTF? vibe going on. I’d be hatin’ it too if the snow was up to my crotch – pobrecita!
You’re a sweetie for clearing a path for her, JC.
dmsilev
My parents’ puppy loves the snow. So much, in fact, that getting him to go to the bathroom when there’s a lot of snow either falling or on the ground is very difficult. Too many distractions.
When I visited them over Christmas, there was a big snow storm one morning, and it took my dad something like 30 or 40 minutes to get the dog to attend to business for the morning toilet run. That evening, we went to a neighborhood party, and about a dozen or so people commented about looking out their window and seeing a frolicking puppy and an absolutely miserable owner, trudging up and down the block in the middle of the storm…
-dms
SiubhanDuinne
Awwwww! Lily pics! I didn’t realize how much I had missed seeing her. Glad to know you are sufficiently pain-free to operate a camera (not to mention all that snow-tamping).
Now that we know you can: TUUUUUUUNCH?!
You Don't Say
Yay! Lily pics!
WereBear
@dmsilev: Tee hee. That sounds like a great puppeh.
mr. whipple
Be careful out there!
Linda Featheringill
Only about 2 inches or so in Cleveland. Snow is sticky and everything looks like a Christmas card. Very nice.
Not so nice – working on the weekend. Sigh. It pays the bills but rots the soul.
robertdsc-PowerBook & 27 titles
What a beautiful doggie she is.
SIA
Lily looks very fox-y in all that snow.
The Grand Panjandrum
I am jealous! Here in the Upper Valley (Hanover, NH) we’ve only had about 24″ of snow this winter and most of it melted during the January thaw. Sigh.
Heard a rumor a football game is being played tomorrow. Anyone else heard the rumor? I sure hope the Steelers don’t lose.
Violet
Lily! I’ve missed seeing her! She looks so good. You have been good for her, John Cole.
You’re a thoughtful owner tamping down a place for her to do her business. Does she have snow booties yet? I wonder if that would help or make it worse for her.
At least if you fall in the snow it won’t be as bad for your shoulder. Still not advised. Be careful out there.
R-Jud
@Linda Featheringill:
This is actually the first weekend since October that I’ve not done some work. I feel your pain, and hope you can cuddle up with your favorite libation before long.
No snow here in Blighty, just serious fog. I think it freaked the baby out: when I took her for her morning stroll in the park, she whispered instead of hollering as usual.
Mr. Jud is joining his American football teammates to watch the Super Bowl tomorrow night/Monday morning. My test batch of gumbo turned out well, although my brother-in-law was confused when I explained that if I took out the okra, per his request, it wouldn’t really be gumbo anymore. Silly British.
tamiedjr
My little cocker spaniel had the same trouble here in the Pittsburgh suburbs until the guy I hired to shovel the snow showed up. He’s still out there working on my 50 foot driveway. It’s painful to watch from here inside my nice warm house.
PurpleGirl
Yay, Lily pics. Thanks.
Mnemosyne
We’re getting massive rainstorms — another one just rolled in. Yes yes yes, snow is soooo much worse, but rain sucks really bad when you’ve just had a nasty fire season that burned up most of the brush that was keeping the hillsides from falling down on you. The kittehs did not enjoy being put in their carriers and taken out in the rain for grooming, but it had to be done. Keaton has quite a fuzzy butt and he was doing his Mr. Hankey impression the other night (if I may use a euphemism), so we had to get him what the vet calls a “sanitary clip” and the groomer calls a “potty trail.”
AkaDad
If John really cared about Lilly, he would have shoveled a spot for her. She’s clearly in excruciating pain.
Ben JB
John, did you ever decide for or against footwear for Lily, and if so, did you decide which brand?
Here in Chi, we’ve got no snow, which is a shame for my puppy, as that’s when she likes to run the most.
(Speaking of, an odd thing happened last night: normally she’s not very into fetch with a ball, but yesterday she found a stick in the playground that she couldn’t get enough of. Any thoughts?)
inkadu
@The Grand Panjandrum: My touch pad wanted to see your blog. Grey text on a black background? Sorry. Can’t do it.
—
There used to be a little terrier living next door to me that liked to visit my dog. One winter, we had about two feet of snow, so I courteously dug them a path. It was something to see, a small dog in this large snow hallway. I should have dug them a labyrinth, too.
Mary G
What a difference from the scared little thing you had to drag out from under your desk with her tail between her legs! So good to see her, even though she doesn’t look like she’s having tons of fun. Thanks for the pics.
Tunch deserves equal time, however, if your coverage is to be truly fair and balanced.
It rained all night here in SoCal and is only going to be 59 degrees today.
mr. whipple
@Linda Featheringill:
Really? There’s about 8″ in pierogiland.
Morbo
Just don’t end up with two bad shoulders now.
Libertini
So sorry that Lilly no likey the snow. In future winters, I might need to send my Jake for a visit to Camp Cole. Do you offer dog boarding? Jake LOVES snow, and rarely gets any here, which is perfectly fine by me. If he were in that pic with Lilly, he would consider it doggie heaven.
gogol's wife
Lily is beautiful and it’s great to see her. But I do miss Tunch so much. I say to myself, “You have three live cats whom you love dearly, so why are you pining for a picture of a cat on the computer?” But I am.
gsp
Is it just me or does Lily look like she’s put on a little weight? Be careful Cole, the knives are going to come out on her too as they have for Tunch the last couple years.
gsp
Is it just me or does Lily look like she’s put on a little weight? Be careful Cole, the knives are going to come out on her too as they have for Tunch the last couple years.
JimPortlandOR
She’s getting FAT! Cut down on the calories and increase exercise or your other shoulder will get it too.
tatertot
By golly, vive la difference!: Lily looks so good! Head up; plump; beautiful coat – a leetle bit of snow is just a challenge.
p.s. dogs don’t go ‘to the bathroom’ – they just have a poo … whatevah …
O/T: if there’s 600 “delegates” (like, who ‘delegated’ them?) attending the TeaPoooer’s ‘Convention’ at $500 a pop, that makes $300,000. $100,000 goes to St Wasilla Wingnuttia Moose-shooter, which leaves $200,000 – did they really do everything else (speakers, balloons, sound system, publicity, hot dogs, standby defibrullators with accompanying paramedics) for $200,000? Methinks not … must be a behind-the-scenes sugar daddy there.
Randy P
A lot of dogs like some snow but not the deep stuff that makes them sink up to their chest. Our old Lab loved it. One time she actually caught one of the squirrels she loved to chase (it got slowed down as much as her and she basically landed on top of it) and she had no idea what to do with it
Carrie
My little cocker Mimi loves the snow (good thing too, she doesn’t have much of a choice) but she’s not a fan of cold weather. Some days she doesn’t even bother going down off the deck to do her poops.
Beej
@Mary G: 59 degrees? Awwwwwwwwwww. Snowed here Thursday. That makes about 40 inches so far this winter, about half of it still on the ground. Supposed to snow 3-6 inches tomorrow. Cold front coming through next week. Highs in the single digits, lows below zero. I’ve lived here in Nebraska my whole life. This is the 2nd worst winter I’ve ever seen. The worst? In December of 1983, we had a ten day stretch from the 16th through the 26th where the HIGH temperature was -5. The low was -28. Come to think of it, maybe 40 inches of snow isn’t that bad.
Keith G
Yay Lily pics. Yay snow pics. (I live in the swamps)
gsp and Jim are correct. Is seem Lily *is* filling out.
kay
@gsp:
It’s her winter coat. Her fur is thicker.
I don’t know anything about dogs, but that’s what I’d say to critics.
jeffreyw
@kay: My fur is , umm, luxurious.
Linda Featheringill
To Mr. Whipple:
Cleveland West Side. In the city of Cleveland itself.
You are probably stationed in the burbs.
Carrie
Men should never comment on an other man’s lil doggy’s weight :)
She looks gorgeous, healthy and a little sturdy.
Nothing wrong with that, considering how she looked when she was first adopted.
kay
@jeffreyw:
Oh, no. I think she’s cute, and I’m generally afraid of dogs. It’s what I actually thought when I saw her in the snow: “winter coat”.
It’s entirely plausible, right? In the Animal Kingdom?
Help me out here. I have no idea what I’m talking about.
Litlebritdifrnt
“Swing looooooooooow sweeeeeet chariot, coming 4 2 carry me hooooooooooooooooooooooome”
“Engerland Engerland Engerland!”
England 30 Wales 17 in our first game of the Six Nations.
I wish to have Johnny Wilkinson’s babies.
That is all.
licensed to kill time
Lily: “Does this snow make me look fat?”
Tunch: “As long as you’re offa my futon, it’s all good, biyatch”
Randy P
@kay:
Definitely. And then in the warm weather they lose that winter coat in a phenomenon which is a joy to all carpet owners: “shedding”.
You’d be amazed how much fur those little guys shed. Sometimes you see the pile and expect there’s got to be a completely bald pet around somewhere.
suzanne
@Mnemosyne:
My grandfather called it a “poop chute”. Now THAT’S eloquence.
Oh, and 0″ here in Phoenix. Just me in my sleeveless sundress and flipflops.
(Yes, you can tell me I’m being a cocky bastard. Karma will smoke my ass in August.)
SiubhanDuinne
Lily: “Does this snow make me look fat?”
Raenelle
I think she looks like she’s gained weight.
The only animals I have that aren’t overweight are the ones who discipline themselves. It’s a temptation. We love them so much, they like the food so much; and we remember how haggard, thin and dull they looked when we rescued them. Plus, I’ve had a lot of animals, and toward the end of life, losing weight was a huge problem for most of them, whereas I’ve never had an animal’s life cut short because of fat.
SiubhanDuinne
@licensed to kill time: Mindmeld (but you got there first!)
mr. whipple
@Linda Featheringill:
I lived very near the Market at one point, then out near where the house blew up last week.
Morbo
@Litlebritdifrnt: Fun game, I didn’t have the faintest idea why certain things happened the way they did, but so it goes.
licensed to kill time
@SiubhanDuinne: Ha ha, great minds etc.
jeffreyw
@kay: Yes, you are correct, and in the spring I’m going to the groomer to be ready for swim suit season.
Randy P
Apparently I have challenged the neighborhood to a snow sculpture contest. I didn’t know I’d done that.
I wrote an e-mail to the keeper of our neighborhood e-mail list asking if she thought it would be possible to organize a contest with the white stuff on such short notice. Next thing I know, my “challenge” is issued.
So I guess I’m playing in the snow for the rest of the afternoon. Keep the cocoa warm for me.
LuciaMia
Lily’s expression is pretty intense. Looks like she’s concentrating on ‘Don’t lose the trail, don’t lose the trail. Remember the Donner Party!”
It’s funny. One of my previous dogs, Clemmie, would react to a rain drop as if it was battery acid. But snow? She’d roll in it like it was warm summer grass. Then stick her head in and shake one of yew hedges so the snow would fall all over her back.
Maude
@SiubhanDuinne: In a word? No.
I think she’s at her normal weight. I noticed the weight from a pix and seeing her neck.
She was underweight when we first saw her.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Morbo:
I was worried Wales was going to pull it back at the end. There were alot of mistakes made but when the doofus got himself thrown in the sin bin England did a great job of making sure they took advantage of being one man up. I will be watching tomorrow when Scotland plays France. What is so nice is that the games are on at a reasonable hour, I usually have to get up at 3am or something stupid like that.
kay
@jeffreyw:
I kept my daughter’s cat for a couple months and she shed a lot. I have white painted windowsills and that’s where she sat, and they had all this cat hair on them. I mentioned it to a cat-loving friend of mine and she said “she was probably under some stress”. Like, living with me.
She was under no stress. She looked out the window for 3 months. Maybe longingly? Horribly depressed? Who knew?
licensed to kill time
Here’s some pics of Lily from mid-June 2009 for comparison. We report, you decide.
ono
A stiff, frigid wind out of the north is thankfully keeping that monster storm away from cold, cloudy southern New England. You, John and Lilly, can have it.
John Cole
She is putting on weight I think. I just scaled back her kibble the other day because I saw a bit of a gut developing. But really, I should have known better and scaled back the kibble as winter set in, because we went from walking 5-10 miles a day in the summer to much, much less. This winter has had a lot of snow and crappy weather, and then the last month has just been terrible for the obvious reasons.
But don’t worry. I am moving in 6 weeks to a big yard and a park in walking distance, so it will be all good.
Comrade Mary
Aww! She may not be terribly happy, but her tail is up!
Still no snow in Toronto, but we should get a couple of inches mid week, so I’ve bitten the bullet and will be picking up studded tires for my bike tomorrow. They aren’t cheap, but the carbide studs should be good for a couple of winters of both dry pavement and snow/ice.
For the hardcore among us.
licensed to kill time
@John Cole:
Ha! Talk about your parasocial interaction – here we all are, discussing your dog’s chubbiness factor.
We are all Lily’s minions now.
Comrade Mary
Good on you for checking on her, John. I know I let my cats get a little chunkier than they should because it’s so hard to say no when they claim that they’re simply starving.
A relevant discussion.
I Has a Sweet Potato.
mainsailset
my favorite dog in snow youtube “Bailey..”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sUL0KCIc48
licensed to kill time
I was googling for tea party attendance stats and ran across this entry in the “You Finish the Headline” Dept:
tamiedjr
@John Cole: I’m having trouble keeping weight ON my dog. She eats, but doesn’t seem to be gaining. The vet can’t find anything wrong and suggested a specialist. But she’s almost 13, and what am I going to do if they do find something? Put her thru surgery or chemo at this age? I’ll just spoil her as much as I can as long as I can. And she’s very energetic and happy.
Trinity
That Lil is the cutest!
Svensker
@mainsailset:
I just love that. So happy! Yippee!
GReynoldsCT00
@mainsailset:
That’s awesome! Love the tunneling underneath and that last dive into the snowbank at the end…
Violet
@Litlebritdifrnt:
It was a good match, wasn’t it? I thought Wales might pull it out there for awhile, but England showed a little fire for a change. Nice to see. I think the team could be heading in the right direction.
Watched it here on BBC America. A real treat after having watched rugby on the dire Setanta for so long. I’m pining for BBC America in HD, which isn’t available for us at this time.
Jonny Wilkinson is amazing….
demo woman
Lily looks like she’s healthy and happy. I’m glad that you are able to take pictures again.
Cathyish
@James Hare: We’ve got about 20 inches of snow in Vienna, VA. Power had been out for about 4 hours.
schrodinger's cat
Actually I would say she is getting Tunchier.
John Cole@ top
How is your shoulder?
asiangrrlMN
Lily looks good to me. So much better than when you first got her, Cole. Like many have said, she looks healthy and happy (well, ok, not so happy in the snow, but in general). And, I am jealous of all the snow. And, TUNCH!
@gogol’s wife: I say the same thing to myself (except I have two cats, not three). Nevertheless, I need pics of Tunch, and I need them NOW!
jeffreyw
Hey! Look!
jeffreyw
Did you see that?
geg6
Lily is gorgeous, Cole. And cutting back because of lack of exercise in winter and with your injury will be a good thing. Glad the new digs will give her more room to roam and sniff and be doggy. We ended up with about 22″. But the sun has been out since about noon and it is just beautiful. Really picture perfect. So nice this happened over a weekend and ended quickly so we can dig out and clean up. Now it’s just picturesque. The roads are mostly cleared and the western burbs of the Burgh are back to normal. I’m betting NoVa and DC will not bounce back so quickly.
gogol's wife
@asiangrrlMN:
There’s just no substitute (don’t tell my cats).
Ming
thx 4 Lily pics! she looks great!!
WANTS Tunch!
a, t.
Josie
John Cole – I had not seen the earlier pictures of Lilly, since I just recently started reading your blog. The change from then to now in her carriage and expression is striking. You have done a wonderful job of giving her a new life and attitude. What’s a few pounds when compared to that? And, as you said, when she gets her big yard, she’ll get lots of exercise checking the perimeter and defending her territory.
Thoughtcrime
Why aren’t Tunch and Lily on this list?:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/06/helpful-animals-photos_n_447498.html?slidenumber=pZIwfzKjnCQ%3D&&&&&&&&&
Oh…never mind.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Violet:
Isn’t he just! I am convinced he could kick a ball from the parking lot at Twickenham and score a goal.
RedKitten
Lily looks like quite the intrepid explorer.
We only got flurries here in N.S., and it’s forecasting a light snow tomorrow afternoon. This has been our mildest and least snowy winter that I can remember.
Violet
@Litlebritdifrnt:
I bet he could! And that’s not the only amazing thing about him. Ahem.
Gravenstone
Some friends of mine from Baltimore shared a few pics of the path they dug out for their Shelties to roam. Damned snow was taller than the dogs.
CaseyL
@jeffreyw: Those photos are adorable. What did your dog do right afterwards, try to run after the deer? Or was s/he just excited to have seen one?
@John Cole: Good to hear the move is still on. But someone else, surely, is going to do the packing and loading and unloading and unpacking. Who would that be?
Are you…. (insert: dramatic pause) moving in with someone? (insert: dramatic hamster) A Very Special Someone? (Insert: sound FX: Duh duh duh)
jeffreyw
@CaseyL: Nope, they don’t chase deer.
CynDee
@jeffreyw: But, but — where’s teh food ? ?
Yutsano
Obligatory LILY PUPPEH!!
Decision time: I’m going to dinner with friends tonight and I’m at a conundrum over what to have. I told them I was craving Thai but now I feel myself potentially waffling on that decision. There’s a very nice (VERY expensive, but I’m treating so I don’t care) Italian place in a train car I adore I haven’t been to in forever. This does not preclude any other potential options in the mix. Rule is though I go for local businesses over chains, so just a general cuisine type is what I’m looking at. Ideas anyone?
Anonsters
I happened to glance out my front door earlier this afternoon as the snow was beginning to taper off here in D.C., and what did I see?
Someone carrying their dog through the snow.
I just stared.
CynDee
John, thank you for the Lily pics, bless her sweet li’l feet. . .
Stay cozy.
Svensker
@Yutsano:
Unless it’s reeeeeeally good Italian with very unusually good food that does not fall into the standard rut (I lived in Hoboken — had my fill of Sinatra, mobsters and meh Italian food), I’d go for the Thai. Love the symphony of flavors in Thai food — high notes of lime, deep notes of fish sauce, the timpani of the chilies, the rich sonority of coconut milk, the ringing notes of the cilantro, all against the soothing steady tones of the rice. Zing zing zing. Yum.
Me, we’re having leftovah beans and rice with salsa and cheese
jeffreyw
@CynDee: Food is on the way. Click on my name for the latest.
Yutsano
@Svensker: Considering it’s the only place in the area that serves A) anything veal and B) has fantastic osso buco, yeah, it’s pretty darn good as far as all that goes. Some tom yum gai doesn’t sound half-bad though. Again I’m waffling and I’ll probably be a bit more decisive after I’ve had a nap and the laundry’s done.
jeffreyw
@Svensker: That may be tintinitis, dude. LOL
Delia
@Comrade Mary:
This is the funniest thing I’ve read in months.
Svensker
@jeffreyw:
Dudette, if you please. (Ring, ring, ring.) :)
Svensker
@Comrade Mary:
This is wonderful.
Keith G
@jeffreyw: Freekin amazing pics. Great weather, great pup(s), great adventure.
Platonicspoof
@Comrade Mary:
Many thanks for ‘I has a sweet potato’.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: Thai, damn it. In honor of moi! (Thai, Taiwanese, you know, same diff).
@gogol’s wife: I know! (Don’t tell mine, either).
Steeplejack
@licensed to kill time:
One big difference: tail down in those old pictures, tail proudly up in the new ones. Lettin’ her freak flag fly.
Steeplejack
@licensed to kill time:
One big difference: tail down in those old pictures, tail proudly up in the new ones. Lettin’ her freak flag fly.
Yutsano
@asiangrrlMN: Heh. If I had a Taiwanese restaurant I’d go. After nap Thai is gonna win, especially since I’m making a lemon pie for dessert. I think that would go better after Thai food. Have fun with Bible Spice while I’m gone!
Anne Laurie
@Comrade Mary: “I Haz A Sweet Potato” was hilarious! Don’t have time to read the comment trail there, but just in case: Sweet potatoes are actually a good low-cal dog treat; people in my Papillon club slice & roast them for dog snakkies. ‘Regular’ potatoes can be toxic in large enough amounts, and an excess of any new food can cause vomiting.
Rescued dogs (and even cats) may never get over the impulse to scarf down anything that might vaguely be related to food, sigh. We’re at a difficult stage with our “accidental” rescue — all we know about her past is that she was taken by the ASPCA for “neglect”. Like Scarlett O’Hara, Gloria resolved that she would never go hungry again… and like Scarlett, Gloria is no longer fit for polite company.
fordpowers
aww. looks like poppa has been givin lily some treats – she must have been a berry good gurly.
doggy snow angels?
Woodrowfan
I usually dig my dog(s) a maze in the snow in the yard. I can add a bit each day for them to explore.
and in Falls Church VA it’s about 30 inches I think. oye.