Blog Archives
Party Time with Mom
It’s her day.
Who’s the real party animal in this picture?
This is the woman who taught me how to love unconditionally and that your baby, no matter how many legs it has or how ill-mannered it can be, should be doted on and cuddled as much as possible.
Case in point: Tori the rat terrier who’s giving the camera the stinkeye.
Today, I’ll be spending a good part of the day with my mom, celebrating our relationship and dining on tasty, locally prepared food.
Our ultimate hope is to get tickets for a tour of Boulevard Brewery, the internationally renowned craft beer company based in Kansas City.
She better leave that Spuds Mackenzie apron at home, though.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there! Whether your puppies have two legs or four, you deserve some appreciation for a job well done!
Never was a cornflake dog
Considering the current makeup of our home pack, I might come off like a big dog person.
It’s not true.
I love all dogs in general and my own forever and foster dogs in particular, but I really love dogs so little I can scoop them up, snuggle them against my face and carry them into the next room.
A recent interaction with a five-pound yorkshire terrier named Sissy really drove this home for me.
I am sure there is a psychological reason for my desire for an animal that I can totally dominate and stuff in a purse. But I just blame this dog:
Tori is the first tiny dog I ever owned. She lives with my mom.
At my demand, my family acquired this tri-colored rat terrier my junior year of high school. At the time, I was listening to a lot of Tori Amos and dealing with typical teenage angst. The bossy little dog provided great company and something for me to focus on.
In her almost 13 years, Tori has lived up to all of the stereotypes of small dogs — yappy, snappy and just plain adorable.
Although she doesn’t like most people or dogs (nor they her), when Scooby came into my life five years ago, and I was living down the street from my mother, Tori graciously accepted him as a friend. (Who wouldn’t?)
Scooby’s exact age is unknown, but due to their similarly decreasing energy levels, old dog breath and rapidly increasing gray-face, we estimate that these two little ones are about the same age. I hope they both stick around forever, but since that’s unlikely and I don’t get to see Tori very often, I asked Magnet Lady Kathleen Henn to make me a keepsake.
Mine is different from the one I gave my mom for Christmas.
My music tastes have changed a lot over the years, but I will always have a soft spot for Tori Amos, whose powerful perspective as a lyricist helped me find my own feminist voice.
Zach is a rather vocal non-fan of Ms. Amos, but I often remind him that we fell in love on the same evening that I last saw her in concert.
In honor of that fact and my first tiny dog, here’s one of my all-time favorite Tori songs, “Spark.”
Are you a big dog person or a little dog person?
Either way, you can order your own custom magnet by e-mailing kathleenhenn@yahoo.com.
Black and white image courtesy Stacy Ideus Photography.
