Ella and I started our morning as we usually do, by walking up to the dog run so she can chase tennis balls for an hour until she’s at least tired enough when we get home to lay down for a couple of hours and let me do some work.  Unfortunately, our morning routine went very awry.  I knew we were in trouble when I got there and there were no tennis balls to be found.  Usually there are at least a half dozen or so available so I have the luxury of throwing balls in rapid fire succession  to tire her out even faster.  But this morning…nada.  And I stopped bringing her own ball because Ella is so passive the she drops it the second we get there and other dogs play with it and she just stares at them for an hour.  Just as I was trying to figure out an alternative to tiring her out, a man walked in with his dog…and a brown paper bag.  He walked over to a bench, sat down, and proceeded to take a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel sandwich out of that bag and rest it on his lap.  In the blink of an eye - literally - Ella ran over, pawed half the sandwich onto the ground and swallowed it whole!  Mortified I ran over as fast as I could to pry her away from him in the hopes of salvaging the other half.

There is no denying I’ve got a really special pup. She is incredibly sweet, licks random children throughout the city in the face (with the permission of their parents, of course), is so passive you can take her bone from her mouth and she’ll sit patiently hoping at some point you’ll give it back…I am really lucky.

One of Ella’s truly “special” characteristics is that she’s a helper. When I bring my finished laundry back from the cleaners, she’s always happy to stick her nose in the bag, pull out the socks and unmate them. Whenever I bring the mail in and throw it down on the bed, she takes care of shredding it for me - including the bills which I’m REALLY pleased about. And whenever I get a package, without hesitation she jumps in the middle of it all to help me open it up.

Case in point, a couple of months ago, I got a new keyboard (I’m an aspiring photographer AND a wannabe pianist). For once, I was more excited than Ella about the delivery. While I was busy cursing the instructions (and I use that term loosely) for putting together the stand, Ella took it upon herself to finish unpacking the box which I had clearly not taken care of adequately.

I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Months have gone by and I’m still finding bits of styrofoam under the furniture.

Toss the lint brush - get the Furminator!

It doesn’t take much to get Ella excited.  Everytime we head outside she acts as though it’s the very first time.  If only we could all experience life with such wonderment…and if only random strangers didn’t tell me I ought to get a trainer as Ella bounds out the door, barrels over sidewalk traffic, and sprints down the block with glee.

But if you think that sounds crazy, you should see her when it snows (or rains or hails…any inclement weather really).  We always try to make it to Central Park early before the snow starts to melt or has been soiled by the masses.  It truly is a winter wonderland perfectly suited for a goofy puppy and a woman with a camera.

I have a hankering to try my hand at photography…couldn’t resist the amazing backdrop.

Shot of Ella’s rear and the Conservatory Water/East Side of Manhattan.

I couldn’t even launch that snowball before Ella made a go for it.

Ella peers back longingly at the kiddies sledding on the hill in the background. Ella on a snow saucer? Hmmm…

And finally, the requisite stick - even better frozen.

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It was so cold this winter that it actually crossed my mind (very briefly) to throw a cute sweater on Ella like as if she were one of those petite pups everyone carries around in their handbags throughout the city.  To add insult to injury, there were several occasions on which the heat in my building was out. Naturally, those were the days an Arctic front came through and the Polar Bears were in town apartment hunting.

I blame the following pictures on the cold which seemingly began affecting my brain. It’s not so much the fact that I decided to put earmuffs on Ella for fun; it’s the fact that I was stupid enough to take those earmuffs off of my own ears even for a moment. These images are pretty priceless though - I think it was worth risking frost bite.

Toss the lint brush - get the Furminator!

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Would you believe Ella and I have been in the witness protection program for the past several months and were “forced” to move to Brazil to ensure our safety?  And therefore it’s not momma’s fault that she stopped posting on the blog?

Ok, fine.

We haven’t been living a Law & Order episode, or basking in the sun in South America. We’ve been right here in NYC muddling through the harsh winter and crappy economy together, and frankly momma has just been too pooped to post.

But with the coming of spring, we’re trying to emerge from the depths of our Seasonal Affective Disorder and get back into the swing of things.