I know why she wears a hat… November 26, 2010

Eep! I’m late on this one… I have a picture! I just need to upload it. It’s of an infamous Halifax icon. And I have the inside scoop on why she always wears a hat…

Here’s the story. I used to work at a chocolate shop in downtown Halifax. There was a lovely toy shop across the hall; Geraldine the Giraffe lived there. She was rolled out every morning to the entrance of the shop, and rolled back in at night. Well, one Saturday morning, the girls at the toy store came to get me. When I got to the shop, I could smell something had been burnt. I looked up, and half of Geraldine’s head had been singed straight through to the stuffing. The girls were HORRIFIED; apparently, they had put her too close the lights the night before, and Geraldine’s head caught on fire. They had no idea what to do.

They wrapped her head in a bandage, and then raised money for the burn unit at the hospital. Since then, Geraldine has moved the Halifax library, and now wears different hats, depending on the time of year.

April is the cruelest month April 5, 2010

Poor Easter doggy. Mr. Bear and I saw these on display at the Superstore this afternoon. After laughing ourselves foolish, we picked it up for a friend of ours.

Happy Easter, kid. Sorry your dog hasn’t got a face, but times are tough for the Easter Bunny. Maybe you’ll get the face for Christmas.

Happy Fish January 29, 2010

Mr. Bear wanted me to take this picture. He likes the patina fish. He thinks it looks very happy. We walked by a government office yesterday, and the Bear pointed to Happy Fish. Happy Fish obliged by smiling brightly for the camera. Hooray, Happy Fish!

In other Happy Fish-worthy news, Molly’s sister has moved to town! Charlottetown has become a much better place with the arrival of the Divinest Ms. M. Hooray, Mira! We have much merry mischief to make!

Eyebrow Dog January 20, 2010

I had my procedure done today. I’m still a bit blurry and headachey, but I’ll live. In the meantime, here is a picture of the Eyebrow Dog, Neko-chan (neko means ‘cat’ in Japanese, -chan is a term of endearment for a child). He lives in Japan with his owner, who loves Sharpies. Any day I saw Neko-chan was always a fantastic day. How could it not be?

The first time I saw Neko-chan, I thought, hey… that dog looks surprised. Then, I thought… hey, dogs don’t look surprised! Sure enough, he had eyebrows. Thick eyebrows. Just like me! My friend said, “That dog took one look at you and thought, ‘Hey, her owner drew eyebrows on her, too!’” Smartass.

I used to see Neko-chan on my weekly walk up Futatabi Mountain with my lovely friend, Lynva. It was always a great start to the day!

I hope that Neko-chan brings you good luck, too.

Hobbesy Doggy January 15, 2010

This is Hobbes. He was our family companion. It’s not fair to call him a pet, because we needed him as much as he needed us. He just didn’t have the opposable thumbs needed to open his dog food. He was the best doggy ever. He was supposed to only be 65 lbs. He surpassed that in no time. He grew to be 95 lbs, and never stopped being a puppy. He also never stopped being a lap dog, which could get crushing. When my dad would read his the paper in his chair, Hobbes would climb up under it and sit on his lap, often pinning Dad to the chair.

Hobbes would wait for hours by the window for my sister to come home. He would sit by the door and count people as they walked in, then do a sideways dance. He loved potato chips. He would sit next to you if you were sad, and put his head on your lap. He was the happiest dog in the world, and we miss him every day.

But it’s not a sad thing. He has been gone for a few years now, but he’s still very much in the house. I can still ‘feel’ him there when I go home. That makes me happy.

Baby, Baby January 14, 2010

I don’t have a cat. Some of you may think that I have a cat, but I don’t. Mr. Bear talks about this cat all of the time. He is allergic to cats, but he loves the cat in the picture.

The cat in the picture is Baby, my older sister’s cat. Baby used to live in a shelter, until Berta took him home almost 2 years ago. Baby is the most laid-back cat I’ve ever met. Well, tied with Loki, my friend, Hilary’s, cat. Baby and the Bear fell in love at first sight. He wants to get Christmas pictures taken of the two of them… wearing matching sweaters.

Do any of you have suggestions on how to get a sweater on a cat without losing a hand?