Ernie loves his Oma

And he is getting huge. He is 5 1/2 months old and weighs more than Molly now. But still looks a bit  like an Ewok and gamboles around very puppy-ish. I think he's going to be a monster.....huge and wanting his way a lot. Just being cute while he's at it.

Getting used to Ernie

So little Ernie-pie has been with us since the 8th of September. He's adorable. A super fun pup and growing like a weed. He weighed (according to his records) 13 pounds at the beginning of August, and was 28 pounds on the 20th of September. And last Thursday (Oct 6) he weighed 34 pounds. He's been gaining about 2 1/2 pounds per week. He's going to be a monster as he's only 4 months old and already weighs almost as much as Molly. In this picture, he's soaking wet from the shower and looks so much like my first Afghan Max that it gave me a bad moment or two. But once he's dry he looks like a little puff ball.

RIP Wiska-Biska

His nicknames included Blink, White Wonder, and Sneaky Bastard. Also Defiant Dog. He definitely liked to get his way. He was just always quite passive and apparently sweet about it. I discovered the sneaky part early on. He and Sonny didn't always get along that well and one day I had bought a box of Scooby Snax at the grocery store. Sonny didn't really care for them, but Wiska loved them (as much as he did carrots). Anyway, one day I come home and the Snax are not on the counter. A three-quarters empty box (shredded) is sitting in the back of Sonny's crate. That didn't really make any sense because Sonny didn't really care about them. So I offered both dogs a regular dog biscuit. Sonny wolfed it down, and Wiska turned up his nose as if to say "I couldn't eat another bite". Aha! And that's where the moniker Sneaky Bastard came from. Lucky for Sonny I knew his likes well enough.

Wiska loved everyone and no one. He was equally happy with each person giving him attention. The one true love of his life was Molly. She's the only one (other dog, anyway) who could snuggle up with him. And he'd even share his carrots and toys and the couch.

A new thing

I don't normally make New Year's resolutions. But this year I think I'll break with tradition and make one or two. I've joined Mike in his annual resolution - to quit smoking.  Easy-peasy as neither one of us does. Yes, I know, that's cheating. In addition to the non-smoking thing I'm going to work on my writing. Every day I don't have an appointment (and boy, do I have plenty of those) I'm going to write a short story. Wish me luck.

Additionally, I'm going to work a bit harder on letting the people that I care about know it. I've been a bit self absorbed the past few years and it's time I spread the joy a little. I know I always love it when someone lets me know how they feel.

So Happy New Year to all. May 2016 be the best year ever for you.