SPECIAL EDITION OF THE LAZY VEGAN!! Happy 15th Birthday to our Beloved Toby, and WELCOME TO SPARKY!!!!!!

Faithful blog audience, please note:  thanks for the suggestion of my very smart stepsister, Jackie, the blog will now be posted every Saturday instead of Sunday...hence allowing the blog reader to  get caught up on the Lazy Vegan news on a Sunday at one's leisure!

WOW, what news I have to report this week!  First of all, our wonderful old boy Toby turned fifteen.  Fifteen!!  We marked the event with one of those special canine cookies from the pet store and gave him extra hugs! I'm hoping he has some good years left in him yet, despite the fact that I have to help him out of bed every morning and he is completely deaf and at least partially blind!  Secondly, my sister and her family went out and got a Jack Russell terrier pup.  Yep, that is correct:  a Jack Russell terrier.  A girl that they've named Sparky (the foreman's suggested name, so he was very touched). Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this to ever become a reality - both the idea of a dog AND of it being the same breed that a certain somebody swore she'd never, ever get.  All of us at the Lazy Vegan are SOOOO excited for them!  I actually got emotional when I first saw a photo  - I think because I just know how amazing these little creatures are and I have had so many extraordinary moments of my life with them.  (In fact, as I type this, Bravo is frantically digging a hole into the deck with his paw to get after a fallen piece of kibble...something he's been doing for about forty-five minutes now).

WELCOME TO THE WORLD, SPARKY!  

We so look forward to updates as you grow!  Congrats to the Tomashefsky family.  Below are some photos, courtesy of them.  Brace your heart, first...because Sparky is one heck of a cutie!

 Get OUT OF TOWN with the cuteness factor!

 So, so, so, so adorable.

 Cookie crumbs on the carpet...the first of many!

 Note to Sparky from Bravo, Toby, and Solo (from his post in Heaven):  That's right, Sparky...good girl!  Take a nice long nap because you have a lot in store for yourself and your new family!  Oh, the things you will do!  The places you will go!  To name just a few:  there are so many things to chew!  Shoes are actually low on the list when you can go for the corner of the expensive coffee table in the living room and design it to your preference!  Or the end of the drapes!  Or the very middle of the couch (we love the stuffing inside)!  Heck, while you're at it, you could always get the metal ring of your collar caught on one of the loops of the very pricey carpet and tear up an entire section while you try to dislodge yourself (Solo's claim to fame)!  And then there's peeing.  And pooping.  And throwing up.  All of these activities are best done on the BEST rug or carpet you can find in the house.  Trust us!  Never do any of these things on a bare floor where they can be easily cleaned!  Did we mention places you will go?  We hope this doesn't happen often, but the three of us have ended up at the emergency room at the local vet more times than our mama could count.  So if you ever swallow something you shouldn't (no chocolate, no onions, no raisins or grapes...that's just part of the list), be sure to do it at 3 a.m. for the full dramatic effect of being rushed to the 24 hour vet at double the usual cost!  Or you could always chase after a cat or jack rabbit and tear your ACL and need knee surgery (Bravo) - and then jump off a terrace or something a mere year later and need another (Bravo) to the tune of...well, let's just say barely under $10,000!  Another thing:  abandoned full dinner plates (sometimes the human will just leave it there to go answer a phone) are absolutely opportunity time!  So are bags of groceries left on the table!  Heck, left on the COUNTER!  (Gotta love how a JRT jumps!)  Birthday cakes left unattended are a huge bonus!  And should you ever find yourself in a compromising position, dear Sparky, just sit up and tilt your head in that ridiculously adorable way that only a Jack Russell terrier can do and ALL will be FORGIVEN!  ALL!!  More advice to come from us later.  Sincerely, your canine cousins.

 I cannot wait to meet this little pup!

 On the car ride home!

Stand up Jack!

Seeing all the Sparky photos inspired me to pull up some pup photos of my own...

 Bravo as a pup!

 Nine weeks old.

 Toby, Solo and Bravo many years ago!

Happy 15th  Birthday to Toby - photos below!

My sweet old Toby!!!

 And Toby in his younger days...never seen without a ball in his mouth (these days, sadly, rarely seen with a ball).

BEAUTIFUL Bobcat!!

Red shouldered hawk!

Love the turkeys!!

Every evening a trio of jack rabbits play in our meadow!  This one is lounging!

Busy woodpecker.

The jacks!

Fun and games!

Wow - the boys have really grazed away in their new area!

 It is veggie garden time!!

 Driving to the nursery for plants and seeds!

 Checking out stuff for Wasabi's section of the garden!

 Seeds!

 Weegie let out a very loud hee-haw this evening before dinner!

The weekly pose with Paco!

 And with Weegie!

 Milling about.

The foreman moving the princess bun!

Deer on Alert!

Prepare yourself:  date night number 4!!!

Carrot ginger juice!

Cheers!

The foreman got spinach pasta and veggies with vegan garlic bread!

I got the sampler plate...a bit of everything!

A bear painting at our table.

On the drive there!

Our favorite place:  Slice of Life in Sebastopol!

Another painting at the restaurant!!!

Possum!

Look who is lounging behind me...

We had friends over for dinner and dined outdoors!

Their daughter adored Wasabi!!

Wasabi was a hit with everyone!

The following videos were all taken by the critter cam placed by the foreman deep in the "wilds" of the "watershed area"!  I ventured there myself today - hiking carefully due to my still ginger back.  I put the camera in another, even more remote spot and will leave it there for one week!  Really hoping to get some great coyote or bobcat sightings!
                                                           Raccoons, Possum & Skunk!!