Sandy.

You guys, my mom just adopted the cutest dog in the world (tied with Cohen, obviously). She is perfect for my mom in every way. She's housetrained, crate-trained, incredibly affectionate, so soft & cuddly, a perfect 30-lb size, fuzzy, beautiful, and friendly. They just fit each other so well. I'm so glad they have found each other. Sometimes life just works out like that.... you go to a street festival to visit family, and end up going home with a piece of your family you hadn't even realized you were missing.

If you give a dog a cat toy....

He will probably just eat it. Unless that dog is Cohen, in which case he will play with it incessantly.

Good god, I love him.

Why I love my pets.

Everyone who knows me knows that I'm just absolutely in love with my pets. I'm an animal person through-and-through. I'm a vegetarian mainly because I just can't bear the thought of eating an animal. I get upset at the predatory nature of animals while watching Planet Earth. I fall in love with every dog I see at the dog park, every single time I go. I just adore animals, particularly the warm-blooded kind.

So, it's only natural that this love of animals would lead me to be a slightly obsessive pet-parent. I could seriously just sit and watch my cats chase a bug all day long. I could pet each of them until their hair fell out. I spend too much of my paycheck on animal toys, and Nathan has to drag me out of PetSmart every time we're there. I nearly had a breakdown when we brought Cohen into the family just because I was so nervous that the cats would be unhappy.

My pets are my family, in such a genuine way. I know their personalities. I know whose hairball that is, which cat is scratching at the door, what food they like (my cats don't like fish... weird, huh?), where they like to be petted (Fiero loves his butt being scratched), what makes them more excited than anything in the world (you should see Cohen's ears when I ask him if he wants to go on a walk), and  what kind of games they like to play.

I enjoy their company like nothing I've ever experienced. The affection of my animals is probably the most therapeutic experience I could ever have. Fi-fi sitting in my lap purring is all I need in this world to be happy. Somehow, when I feel like little in the world is good, including myself, my pets remind me that simply being with another life is enough. The goodness and gentleness of my pets brings me such peace and comfort, as well as joy and laughter.

Animals just have an incredible way of showing us what is good and real in life. They're not distracted by technology, opposable thumbs, and human drama. They enjoy the simplicity of life: food, a warm bed, cuddling, exercise, rolling in the grass. Sometimes I really need to be reminded to take a break from being a human.

THE BEST EVER.

I'm obsessed.

And completely unashamed.

Because I love photos of my pets.

And I hope you do too...

Shoot. He's stinkin' cute.

cat & dog, on the same bed.  (this was after Cohen tried to lick Fiero's butt hole)

Lookin' goofy. THOSE EARS. Love them so.

I swear, he is the best model.

And Corduory was probably hidden under a piece of furniture or awkwardly crammed in a cubby-hole somewhere at the times these photos were taken.

Puppy Photo Shoot

Cutie-pie & his pop.

Fiero was moping because he, for once, wasn't getting all the attention.

"hey mom!"

And then I grabbed his bone and held it by the camera...

"ohhhhh mom, I want that bone"

"BONE! YUM! I'm sitting mom, doesn't that mean I get the bone?!?!?!"

After being teased too long "mommmmm. this is mean. I give up." 

So, isn't he the cutest dog? And as much as we complain, he's actually REALLY well-behaved & well-adjusted for being a stray & a puppy. I just love him to bits. And we repeatedly get stopped by neighbors commenting on how adorable he is whenever we take him for walk in the neighborhood. 

Cohen is my current joy. 

Favorite Summer Salad

So, I know I haven't posted about food and or crafting projects in a while. A lot of that is due to the fact that I never found my camera charger when we moved into the new house. It's also due to the fact that we have been so incredibly busy & I haven't had time to blog or craft as much. But, we've definitely still be cooking a LOT. 

We're doing a summer CSA with Bountiful Blessings Farm, as well as getting weekly groceries from the East Nashville Farmer's Market (Kenny's Cheese, Delvin Farms basil, Peaceful Pastures eggs, & Provence bread). So, we've been able to thoroughly enjoy the amazing bounty of summer. I love summer vegetables. I think tomatoes might be my favorite summer crop.... but I also love love love basil, corn, and summer squash. It's all just so wonderful. 

So, I introduce to you my absolute favorite summer salad. Now, I did cheat a bit by buying some avocados that are definitely not grown here in Nashville. But, a girl's gotta have an avocado from time to time, right?

This salad is the perfect summer salad. It's light & refreshing, and so jam packed with flavor. It's vegan, raw, and filled with nutrients. 

So, here it is: my favorite summer salad.



oh, the colors!



So many textures and flavors.



Who doesn't love a jar full of cilantro?!



All you need for this salad are:

• an avocado
• a handful of cherry/plum tomatoes
• two small ears of corn
• 1/4 onion (any kind will work... I used white)
• a handful of fresh cilantro
• the juice of 1/2 a lime

Mix all ingredients & you've got summer in a salad.

In other news, Cohen is as perfect as always. He got a bath today, as well as some good walks. He's learning how to lie down, and he starts puppy school in a couple of weeks! He's pretty much the cutest thing ever, and he adores us. It's like a constant confidence boost. And also a lot of cuddling. 

Puppies have teeth.

A list of things Cohen has chewed up/on:

• My eye glasses
• Nathan's eye glasses
• The case to my new eye glasses
• Our porch swing
• Clothes-drying rack
• A remote
• A hat
• Blinds
• 10+ bones
• A tupperware container
• A couple books
• A bookmark
• One of my favorite sandals
• A cat toy or two
• The insoles of Nathan's gardening shoes
• One of Nathan's house slippers
• and, surely, many more things to come... 

Somehow, despite all of the destruction, we absolutely love him to pieces. I love the way he reaches his arms up to hug me when I get home, as if he has never been so excited in his life. I love the way he chases after his ball & does a cute little leap right before he reaches it. I love the way he jumps up on our bed, as though he knows he's totally welcome and wanted there with us. I love his curly tail and his big floppy ears. I love his long snout & his cute white belly. I just love him. Having a dog is a big commitment, but it's a really rewarding one (well, not financially... financially it freakin' sucks).

Chewin' real good.

Looking for something to chew.

Gettin' his chew on.

Cohen Gets His Face Stuck In A Chip Bag.

The silly antics of our dog. Enjoy: 

Cohen playing.

Isn't he the cutest? 

Historic Moment.

Cat & dog coexisting peacefully:

(Fiero's in the top left corner on the piano, and Cohen is obviously on the floor)

They may not be able to play together, but they can at least sleep in the same room.
Hallelujah.

Meet Cohen!

We have huge news... We have a new addition to the family! No, not a baby... We've still got several years to go before that happens. To satisfy our parental urges, we adopted the most precious pup in the world.

Meet Cohen, our wonderful new 9-month old terrier mix pup.

We loved him from the start. When we took him on a walk at the humane association, to check him out, he burst out the door ready to play. He insisted on running circles around me playing tug-o-war with his leash. And after his initial outburst of energy, he proved himself to be very well-behaved for an adolescent. We played catch for a while, at which he is already a pro, then took him on a walk and were impressed when he didn't lunge for or bark at the dogs we passed along the walk.

After 15 minutes playing, we realized we were, in fact, in love with this little pup. He was required to do a meet-and-greet with all members of the family before going home, but since we knew that bringing Cord & Fi-Fi to the shelter would be traumatic for everyone, they just tested Cohen out with another cat from NHA. He did surprisingly well! He wanted to play, but he backed off quickly when he realized that the cat really did not. The NHA trainer told us that he was well-behaved with cats, and she didn't see a reason why we shouldn't bring him home.

The rest is history! We filled out the forms, paid a teensy fee ($45??? that's all??) and took him home with us! He got plenty of time playing, a doggy play date with Bella and Huck, a refreshing bath, more time playing, a yummy bone to chew on, even more playing, a walk in the neighborhood, and now a much-needed nap.

The cats are not too pleased with the new arrangement, but they're starting to settle down. They've been exposed to dogs before, so this isn't the first time... But that doesn't mean they like it! They keep sneaking up to Cohen and then getting angry when he reciprocates their forward movement. Silly cats. They'll all figure each other out sooner or later. The good thing is that Cohen is not at all aggressive toward them; he backs off as soon as they hiss or growl at him.

And I mean, how could they not fall in love with such a cute pooch?:

And now, his profile on the NHA website looks like this (his shelter name was Shelby):