Busy Days and Puppy Ways

Too much to do, so little time! No doubt most everyone feels that way at some time or other. I seem to be trapped in that lifestyle all the time. I was hoping retiring from my full-time job of thirty years would help, and I suppose it has, but there hasn't been a lack of something to do yet. I've been writing this post in my head for over a week but am just now getting it into the computer. The puppies are growing like weeds, the maple trees are pouring and sugar water boiling, and The Guest House is racing toward a mid-March opening. I've been (and still am) just a bit busy.

The syrup and Guest House posts will have to wait another day, or two, or several, but the puppies won't wait. They're growing so fast! They are nimble as can be, running, jumping, wrestling, and even trying their paws at digging now and then. Simple toys are beginning to interest them, with empty plastic soda bottles and old socks tied in a knot being the best. (We have to watch Leah, because she loves toys. She steals them from her babies and takes them upstairs, where she plays and plays and plays.) Puppy teeth are in now. I should know because they practice using them on my ankles while I'm cleaning out their puppy yard. Ouch! We introduced them to the water bowl this week - that was fun to watch! And the barking! If they wake up suddenly, or realize someone new is around, they turn into "watchpuppies" with their cute warning barks and growls. When they all get going at once, they're pretty loud. Despite all the work, having puppies in the house is a lot of fun, bringing us a good dose of that joy we were looking for.

Here are some photos from a week or so ago:

I just took these photos this evening:

These individual shots are in the same order as the ones in the last post, in case you want to compare.

This is that same fist puppy born, but look how much she's
grown! Her eyes are still blue, by the way, and she's the
only one with a brown nose.

This is the sassy little girl, but she's also very smart.
She's usually the first one to try out a new toy.

The other black & tan female discovered how to
climb out of the puppy gate while I was taking photos!

I call this guy Chunky Monkey because he is
definitely the biggest,  sturdiest pup of the  litter.
And he's sweet, too.

This fella is spoken for. He looks the most like
his papa and has the cutest wrinkles on
his head and face.

This sweetie is the smallest boy, but he's the
most adventurous when you put him  in a new place.

Now that one puppy has learned to escape the puppy yard, I fear we're in for a new level of doggie parenthood. We've already become newspaper hoarders, feeding time rolls around way too often to be convenient, and every towel in the house that shows the least sign of wear has been demoted to puppy bedding. Our next big step will be the first trip to the vet, sometime next week. I hope I'm up for it!