Wordless "Well Hey There Antler" Wednesday

Maisie was still sleepy-eyed after breakfast, but a few moments of antler lovin' helped wake up this little dog!

p.s.  for more frequent Maisie updates and pics, please "like" our Facebook page if you haven't yet!

It Takes a Village

We now live in Newton, a city of 85,000 people within thirteen different villages.  Our village is West Newton, but others are just minutes away as I discovered when I took a yoga class on Saturday morning.  Though it was only a five minute drive to the studio, it's actually in the village of Newtonville.  This system can be quite confusing!

Maisie and I took a little walk today to (and through) what is considered the West Newton town center.  We passed lots and lots of pretty houses on tree-lined New England-y streets along the way. 

The picturesque setting was only briefly interrupted by the presence of a sad, deflated Santa Claus.

It took us less than ten minutes to reach the main drag. After scoping out the courthouse and police station, I noticed that this giant church is also home to a Jewish Reconstructionist synagogue.  Interesting...

Next, we saw some cute little shops as well as the area's only independent movie theater.

There are several other stores on this street, and plenty of restaurants too (including Italian, BBQ and a deli).  This French bistro seems to be the fanciest option, with an ever changing menu featuring local ingredients.

This building previously housed the Railroad Hotel, originally built as a place where stagecoach riders could stop and spend the night.  It later served the same purpose for the railroad line to Boston and back.

I started to realize how much history there is around here when we walked past another historical site, this very old (and kinda creepy) graveyard down the street from my house.

Maisie didn't care about any of that, of course.  She just wanted to thoroughly sniff out every single tree.

And every fire hydrant.

And every leaf in the grass.

But I tried to focus on the new scenery.  I think there is beauty to be found here, if you look for it.

p.s.  for more frequent Maisie updates and pics, please "like" our Facebook page if you haven't yet!

Wordless "Why Wake?" Wednesday

The more things change, the more they stay the same...

"after eating breakfast, I go back to bed.  doesn't everyone???"

p.s.  for more frequent Maisie updates and pics, please "like" our Facebook page if you haven't yet!

New(ton) Beginning

You may (or may not) have noticed that the tagline for the blog has changed.  That's because Maisie and I no longer live in the Windy City!  We survived the loooong trip from Chicago to Boston thanks to my friend Curtis, who served as our designated driver for all 18 hours (through six states and numerous blinding rainstorms).

I still have a few boxes left, but all the major tasks are done.  The first thing I did was set up Maisie's crate area in the kitchen, initially to keep her out of the way of the movers.

Curtis also helped me unpack, tackling the kitchen and even organizing an entire cabinet of Maisie's stuff.

Maisie is kind of confused and nervous but has found some good napping spots to help take the edge off.  The couch is still one of her favorite places, and I now can check on her from the dining room on the second floor.

can you find the snoozing pup in this picture?  

The dog bed remains another preferred sleeping location, of course.

Maisie also enjoys lounging on the (hideously patterned) big angled stair between the first and second floors.

As well as the same location on the staircase up to the third floor (thankfully with less offensive carpeting).

It also doesn't hurt that Maisie has her very own backyard at the new house!  While it isn't large enough for her to really run around, she still managed to have a mini-pit fit zoomies session out there yesterday morning.  I confess, I have not taken her for a walk on leash since we got here...so I'm loving the yard as well!

But since this is Maisie we're talking about, it's no surprise that not everything has gone smoothly. When the Verizon technician arrived yesterday to set up my services, Maisie lunged at him and had to be put into the crate where she immediately began to cry.  I set up a baby gate in the kitchen doorway, thinking that would give her more room to roam and therefore calm her down.  No such luck.  The installation appointment ended up taking four hours and Maisie was completely freaking out the whole time.  She may appear to be smiling in this picture, but in fact she was a panting, drooling, shaking, whining mess of a dog.

We have Maisie's new daycare meet and greet/interview today and I sure hope she makes a better first impression there than she did with the cable guy.  Fingers crossed!  In the meantime, I am attempting to just go with the flow, per the fortune cookie I received last night with my Chinese food delivery.

Happy holidays, everyone!!!

p.s.  for more frequent Maisie updates and pics, please "like" our Facebook page if you haven't yet!

Birthday Girl

Sorry again for the lack of posts lately...packing and working remotely and searching for a place to live have been taking up ALL my time.  I probably won't be back on a regular schedule until after the big move.  But I couldn't let today go by without acknowledging that it is a most special day...it's Maisie's 4th birthday!!!

Maisie plans to spend most of the day doing all her favorite things, such as snoozin'...

Lickin'...

Froggin' out...

Snoozin' in a different location...

Soakin' up hot air from the heating vent...

Chewin' on an antler...

Chowin' down on a bully stick...

And in the midst of chaos and moving boxes, finding some peace and a soft place to lay her head.

Happy birthday, Maisie...my little monster, my sweet baby, my cross to bear.  I couldn't love you more.

p.s.  for more frequent Maisie updates and pics, please "like" our Facebook page if you haven't yet!

Perma-Snooze

Minus a few days in Boston, I'm home for a few weeks before the big move.  Since Maisie isn't going to daycare, I've re-hired Chicago Dog Runner to take her out for a run once a week.  This morning was the first session and Maisie was super excited to see our runner Claudia again.  Claudia's initial comment upon seeing Maisie was "I forgot she was so little!"  I later received this summary email from her:

The run with Maisie today went really well. It's like we just picked up where we left off and Maisie seemed to be having a blast. We ran about 5.3 miles together and I hope to run even further with her next Thursday.

All that activity has resulted in a full day of canine slumber.  Maisie was so quiet that I actually forgot she was here...I didn't walk her all afternoon and she never even woke up to remind me!

 still sleepy-eyed 12 hours after the run

The dog runner is definitely money well-spent.  I haven't found anything exactly like that service in the Boston area, but there are some companies that offer hiking and outdoor playgroups so I will be investigating those further.  In the meantime, I was relieved to find a daycare for Maisie right by the new office.  It's run out of a house with a yard and is small with lots of personal attention...of course,  I still have to check it out in person.  It has good reviews and the owner seems like she really loves dogs.  On the downside, while she does accept mixes she doesn't take "purebred" pitties (whatever that means), which is a policy that obviously violates my usual "pit bull power" position.  But the only alternative open past 6pm in that part of MA is a facility that routinely has 130 dogs a day, all together in a big warehouse and I knew that would be an awful and terrifying environment for Maisie.  I realized in this case I need to set aside my pit bull activist persona in order to ensure the best possible situation for my little girl...so I am choosing the smaller daycare.  I strongly believe Maisie will be much happier there and that's the most important thing.  Forgive me, readers!

p.s.  for more frequent Maisie updates and pics, please "like" our Facebook page if you haven't yet!

Movin' on Up

As I said in my previous post, there was the possibility of a big change happening.  When we last left you, Miss Maisie Lou was eagerly awaiting the details.

 "I'm all ears."

Now, since it appears to be a pretty done deal, I can spill the beans.  Though some of you were sure I was getting a canine (or G-d forbid, human) sibling for Maisie, others wondered if we might be moving...well, the second guess was correct!  Although I only recently started my job, for a number of reasons it has not turned out the way it was supposed to.  So when I was contacted by a recruiter for a position in a suburb of Boston, I figured it couldn't hurt to at least check it out.  Turns out it's an amazing opportunity, and one that will really take my career to new places (literally and figuratively).

I have lived in Chicago my whole life...all my friends and family are here.  Knowing the move would be mandatory, accepting this position was one of the biggest decisions I have ever made.  I've got only about four weeks to try and sublet my current place here, find a new place there, hire movers, pack, then drive my car and my dog from Chicago to Massachusetts.  While Boston does not have a breed ban per se, they do have BSL in the form of a muzzle law and since there are no muzzles in my girl's future, we need to find a place outside the Boston city limits.  I am hoping to find a single family home with a yard for Maisie, but most rentals in the Boston area are not dog-friendly (regardless of breed) so the search has been tough thus far and I know compromises will need to be made.  Plus the cost of living there is surprisingly a LOT higher than it is in Chicago!

I wonder what Maisie would think if she knew about all this impending change.

"making major decisions without canine input???  that's it, I'm outta here!"

I am of course very nervous about all the tasks that need to be completed before the move and about how Maisie will react to completely new surroundings, with no constant other than me.  There will be a new house, new daycare, new dog walker and new doggie friends (and enemies) for her to get used to all at once and I'm afraid she'll be overwhelmed by the sheer new-ness of it all.  Personally, I pretty much feel that no matter where I live, if I have Maisie and we have a roof over our heads, I am home.  Hopefully that feeling will last.

"on second thought, will there be food at this new place?  I may consider reconsidering..."

Please stick with us as we make this major life change.  I'll be sharing our (hopefully big) victories and (hopefully small) defeats along the way.  It's going to be quite a project, but I believe it will all be worth it in the end!

p.s.  for more Maisie updates and pics, please "like" our Facebook page if you haven't yet!

p.p.s.  I just noticed that this is my 100th post...thanks to all my readers for not getting sick of us yet!  ;)