HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!

Dolce and I just returned home from The Big Apple, where we met our friend, talented stylist and photog Takashi , to welcome the new year! We had dinner at his favorite restaurant, Kanoyama, and then watched the ball drop in Times Square. It was COLD!!! But we know 2009 is going to be so much better than last year, even if 2008 was the year the wonderful Dolce was born! Thank you for the great time, and for our photo, Takashi! You're the BEST!!! Love, Maia

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

This has been quite a year! A lot has happened...trips to San Francisco, New York, Palm Beach, South Beach, Puerto Vallerta, Tucson Arizona, and Chicago! In between trips, we also moved to our third house in three years! I think Felicia is done moving (and taking a bath on real estate) for a while now--at least that's what she claims. Plus, India graduated from High School and is now a freshman in college! In addition, last but NOT least, we got our latest (and Felicia swears, final,) dog, Dolce, the Pomeranian. Dolce wanted her picture high on the masthead today, but I've given her enough attention since she joined our household. She may be a puppy, and she may be cute, but this is MY blog. It's called, The Maia Chronicles, not The Dolce Chronicles. (The Dolce Chronicles doesn't even sound as good!)

Well, the old year may be over, but we have a nice surprise to kick off 2009! Esteemed poet Robert VanderMolen has a new book out, called Water, and he has agreed to let me interview him! More about Robert and his book later. The interviews will start next week.

In the meantime, I wish you all a Very HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you next year!

Post-Christmas Delight

The Christmas Tree is Still Up.  The unwrapped gifts are waiting to be put away.  So I'm going to sit here...

and *chew* enjoy the Christmas treat...

...that *slurp* Felicia gave me when she realized that all the Christmas doggie biscuits were still sitting in their package and Christmas was done with over five days ago now!  The container was so beautifully designed that guests at Twin Oaks thought it contained lovely human treats, and everyone was rather let down when they realized that all those colorful red and green cookies with icing and sprinkles were really for us dogs...

(ooohh...it's so hard to hold things with doggie paws!  *sniff* What a delightful aroma)...

...and ooohhhh....isn't it beautiful?  And it tastes so good as well....hmmmnnnn....I just wanna look at it and take it all in....

Before I chew some more!  How could life get any better, I ask you??  And while I'm sitting here, not that I want to get too philosophical or deep or anything...but I can't help but wonder what 2009 will bring our Doggie Family!!  I just know it's gonna be great!!

"Marley" and Me

Felicia and India went to see Marley and Me yesterday in the theaters. The movie was packed. Everyone cried at the end, even though it was a bad movie with too many close-ups of Jennifer Aniston's stomach. And who has a flat stomach the day after giving birth? That's what I heard Felicia saying. But after the movie, Felicia said to Sacha, "We're going to start calling you Marley. Because now that Marley's gone to doggie heaven, I think you're the world's worst dog!" Sacha didn't seem to care about being called the world's worst dog. She was just wondering when Felicia would forget and leave Dolce's dog food on the counter, so that she could jump up and polish it off!

I cannot jump up on the counter like Sacha can.

Felicia left the room, and I caught Sacha eating last night's spaghetti out of a container!

I barked, and Felicia came back in the room and yelled at Sacha.

"Bad girl!" said Felicia, as Sacha licked her chops.  Sacha's ears were down, like they always are when she's doing something wrong, or not chasing a squirrel.

"You know better than that!  Stay off the counter!" said Felicia.  Sacha looked away.  She never makes eye contact when someone's yelling at her, or when she knows she's being bad!

Sacha looked sorry--that she'd been caught, that is.

But she took her medicine, looking sheepish, and I know that she was thinking to herself, "I wonder when Felicia will leave the room again so I can finish it off.  Felicia makes the world's best spaghetti!"

Dolce Cute

India took photos of Dolce on her camera phone. Dolce blends in with the snowy driveway, on her way to somewhere important, doing her little soldier march.

And here's Dolce lying on her back, head hanging down like a bat over India's lap! Not the greatest quality picture but cute as a button and you get the idea!

Zara Plays with Dolce

Busy since returning home from California, Zara didn't have much time to get to know Dolce...

But on Christmas Eve, she and Dolce got acquainted. I just stayed with my sibs and was happy that she kept Dolce occupied so that I didn't have to avoid her! She's such a puppy!

The Day After....

Opening gifts, meeting new people, routines interrupted...it's all too much for the newest member of the household. Dolce crashes cuddled up to Big Sister Sacha. Time to gear up for the days after Christmas!