VISITING AUTHOR SERIES: ImperfectPhil in the Classroom
If Your Feet Get Cold…Put Mittens On Them
When You Give, You Get More In Return
Attention! Attention! It’s a Dog’s Prerogative to Change His Mind
Technically, I am not changing my mind, I am simply adjusting to what goes on around me. Hmmm, I think there is a good lesson in there for everyone.
Sure, when life throws us a curveball, you could sit on your haunches and pout, but where is the fun in that?! Instead, look for the best solution you can find!
Want to go for a walk, but it’s raining? Put on your doggles!
Want to take a nap, but Molly is hogging the sofa?
Move to the bed!
Want to hang your head out the window, but Dixie is closer? Share!
There is always a way to make things work, so here are a few shifts to my upcoming plans…
I have had to WITHDRAW from Heritage Days in Belvidere, NJ on September 10th in order to attend a memorial for a wonderful woman who left us too soon.
I added a furbaby FUNDRAISER on Saturday, September 17th at Hardball Cider from 1 to 4 p.m with Bully Rescue Warriors!
I added an amazing child FUNDRAISER EVENT on Sunday, October 9th from 9 a.m to noon at the Belvidere Library on Shotwell Drive in Belvidere AND from 1 p.m to 5 p.m at the Harmony Recreation Fields 3003 Belvidere Road, Phillipsburg, NJ
It doesn’t make sense to bark and complain. This is a team effort, and we are in it together, so wag more, whine less.
I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws. I’m perfect. Imperfect. Just. Like. You.
The Epitome of Imperfection, But I Love Her
I’m a Working Man
I am excited to announce our 2022 event calendar! We hope to see you out there somewhere.
April 23 @ A Day of Wine, Romance, and More… Brook Hollow Winery in Columbia, NJ
April 30 @ Warren Hills Regional HS in Washington, NJ
May 21 @ Hopatcong State Park for the Lake Hopatcong Foundation Block Party
June 11 @ Parkfest at Bread Lock Park, 2627 Route 57, Stewartsville, NJ
July 16 @ Blairstown Farmers Market in Blairstown, NJ
August 20: Pupstock, a rescue fundraiser in Sussex NJ
September 10 @ Belvidere Heritage Days in Belvidere, NJ
September 17 @ Hardball Cider in Mt. Bethel, PA… an adoption event with Bully Rescue Warriors!!!
October 29 @ Honey and Garlic Festival in Sussex, NJ
December 2, 3, 4: German Christmas Market, Sussex Fairgrounds
Want to see us at an event near you? Send me an email!
Play to Your Strength…and Go
I awoke in upstate New York the other morning and it was -20 degrees. Let me spell that out for those of you who aren’t good with numbers…N-E-G-A-T-I-V-E T-W-E-N-T-Y D-E-G-R-E-E-S!!!
Cold? No. It was glorious and clearly time to get up and go.
I jumped on the bed and informed mom with a nudge of the nose that it was time to GET UP AND GO. We needed to hit the street and breathe in the refreshing chill from the air.
Some people and pets would take one look at the negative number and crawl back under the blankets, but if there is one lesson I have learned in my five years as a furball, it is that when a challenge presents itself and adventure calls, it doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you get up and go.
A few minutes later the humans of the house were bundled up and we were on our way.
Mom had on her big puffy jacket, dad was wearing his battery operated heated vest, Evelyn put on some ski pants, and Rick had a turtle fur wrapped around his chin.
It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you get up and go. I am a giant St. Bernard/Mastiff mix puppy, so I just wore me. Play to your strengths.
Our walk around the lake was three miles. Along the way I wagged at everyone I saw. When we got to Main Street, I had the opportunity to stop and lean into some strangers while I gazed up at them with my big brown eyes…and shared my frozen drool!
It was N-E-G-A-T-I-V-E T-W-E-N-T-Y D-E-G-R-E-E-S I had a full on icicle beard!
Back at the house, my people thawed out while I sat by the door and waited to return to the frozen tundra.
Eventually mom gave in and we hit the ice rolling on our backs and loving life.
Rod and Barb bought Dixie snow booties because her feet got sore in the cold, but she was a champ and powered through. Play to your strengths.
It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you get up and go.
When we returned to New Jersey at the end of the weekend, the temperature soared to 15. A bit balmy for me, but I grabbed mom and Molly anyway and went….yep, back to the trail.
I know you know what happened next!
I found a stick. I laid in the snow and chewed my stick. I rolled on my back some more because I had a stick!
Cold? No. Balmy? Maybe. Whatever your climate control, it was glorious.
To this point, Molly has not been a big part of my story. While we were in New York, she was cuddled up in her blankie at home.
I love that girl dearly, but she shivers and shakes when the thermometer falls below 80! She has never been a cold-weather dog and much prefers the fireside to the snow.
However…Molly is no whimp. She’s my hero…and you can be too.
When you see a challenge or sense an adventure, don’t be shy and don’t lay low. Be like Molly, put on your jacket, grab a stick of your own, play to your strength, and get up and go.
I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws. I’m perfect. Imperfect. Just. Like. You.
A Friend Indeed
Mom hates the word “thing”. She says “thing” is too general and that it has no real meaning. She tells her students they have to find “a more specific word” or that they should “say what they really mean”. It is rumored that at one point in her career, mom took one point off student work every time they used the word “thing”!?
Ruff.
With that precursor, let me tell you a story about the BEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!!!
Nope, not a walk.
Nope, not a swim.
Nope, not chasing a squirrel.
Nope, not finding a stick.
The BEST THING IN THE WORLD is a friend.
I may not be the smartest dog in the dog park, but I am smart enough to know my life is good. Yes I get to walk every day, yes I get to swim, yes I get to chase squirrels, yes I still find amazing sticks, but even better than all of that, I have friends.
I have mom and dad. I have Molly. I have Sheeva. I have grammy. I have Amanda. I have Dixie. I have Brooke. I have Denise. I have Jack-Jack. I have Barkley. I have Nick. I have friends. Even more importantly, I am a friend!
The best part of having a friend and being a friend is not worrying if there is drool hanging from my mouth….there is. The best part of having a friend and being a friend is not worrying if there are knots in my tail….there are.
The best part of having a friend and being a friend is being able to laugh when one of us falls down, being able to bark when we have something to say, being able to sit quietly when we just want to be.
THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD IS A FRIEND.
It is rumored that at one point in her career, mom took one point off student work every time they used the word “thing”!?
-3
The best GIFT in the world is having a friend.
The best COMFORT in the world is having a friend.
The best LAUGH in the world is having a friend.
The best JOY in the world is having a friend.
The best REWARD in the world is having a friend.
The best FEELING in the world is having a friend.
The best DEFENSE in the world is having a friend.
The best OUTLET in the world is having a friend.
The best LIFE is one that is full of friends.
I think I just scored a 106.
 I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws. I’m perfect. Imperfect. Just. Like. You.
What I Learned Today
This weekend mom and dad went on a road trip without me. This is not allowed in my world! I was sad to stay behind, even though Amanda came and hung out with Molly and me, because I felt like I was missing out on my next great adventure.
When they finally came home, I was so excited to see them and to get some uninterrupted belly rubbing. Molly grabbed our orange stuffed duck and raced to the door as soon as we saw them pull up. I immediately pounced on Molly and stole said duck and presented it to mom and dad as my own.
Later, when mom and I were talking, I asked her why they had to go away and leave me at home. She told me they went to a funeral.
Hmm? I did not know what that was, but it had the word fun in it, so I figured it was something exciting and F-U-N. Right?
I asked for further clarification.
Mom explained that a funeral is what people have when someone dies.
I still needed a bit more, so we talked about the rainbow bridge. The rainbow bridge is where dogs and cats and other animals go when they die.
I was still unclear.
We sat and talked about what is means to die, and she told me what they said about her friend Gayle this weekend at the funeral.
Mom told me that Gayle’s daughter said that even though her mom had died, she was still alive in the smiles of her grandchildren, and she was still alive in the words of the books they would read at night because Gayle loved to read, and she was still alive in the cookies they would bake because Gayle made great cookies. Then mom told me they said Gayle’s grandchildren would always know her, even though she isn’t here anymore, because they would share stories about her and laugh about her and think about her and that because they were loved, they would continue to love.
After that I thought about Tucker and Shannon and Tonka and Sabre and Daisy and Meiko and Cooper and Sandy and Blackie and Jeremiah and Maltese and Peanut and Dillion and so many other pets I have heard about but who I never knew. And I thought about the happiness that each of these pets brought into the lives of the people who knew them … and how because their people loved them when they were alive, their people now love me…and how it is all connected. We are loved—we love—we are loved—we love.
When someone dies, they are no longer “here”, but in such an important way, they are everywhere. When someone dies, they are no longer in our physical world, but they become an even bigger part of our emotional world. They become the sunsets we see because we watched a sunset with them once. They become the music that we listen to because they loved to sing and dance. They become the walks that we take because they loved the woods. They become the warm days because they hugged us. They remain in everything we are because they were them.
Mom and dad went away without me this weekend and it made me sad, but when they came home, we sat together and talked and what I learned mattered even more.
I’m a dog, I love life, and I have flaws. I’m perfect. imperfect. Just. Like. You.
