Bean and Gneville

This is Bean on the back porch at her lookout post with my garden gnome. His name is Gneville. I found him at a thrift store, and when I brought him home I asked Bryan to help me think of a name for him. I wanted something that started with the same letter as "gnome" and sounded gnome-ish. When I shouted out "Neville!" (as in Aaron Neville), Bryan gently reminded me in his school-teacher voice that "Gnome" starts with a "G." So I decided to name him Gneville instead. (It's pronounced the same as "Neville," just in case you were wondering.)

Anyway, Gneville lived inside my apartment with me before Bryan and I moved in together. But now that we have a nice fenced in backyard where I can be sure he'll be safe and won't wander off, he lives out there.

Bean shows absolutely no interest in Gneville, so his chances of ever showing up on this blog were slim. So today, when I saw her out there, I put Gneville up on the railing and took this shot.

Gneville the Gnome. Yep... I lead a thrilling life.

the 55-lb paperweight

In preparation for tax season, I spent part of today sorting through the piles of paper in the office. Bean "helped" by making sure a certain pile didn't blow away in a freak indoor windstorm.


I wonder if the IRS will mind if our return smells like dog butt? I wonder if we can claim her as a dependent?

brrrrrrrrrrr.....it's cold!

The temperature has dropped here these past few days, and since we can't afford to keep the whole house nice and toasty (we have gas heat and a giant drafty old mill house) Bean is forced to find whatever spot of warmth she can and settle in. Her favorite is the sunny square in the office floor (see previous post) or in bed with us, but when that can't happen, she is often found here:


This is "Bean's couch." It's also in the office, which is good because that's where we usually are, and she likes to hang out with us. It is a hideous old couch that she chewed to bits and now I just cover it with layers and layers of old white sheets I find at thrift stores. It's perfect. Once a week I remove the top layer and wash it. She likes to nestle into the corner between the sofa arm and back, and make herself into a tiny little ball.

She is so cute like this it makes me think of her as a puppy, and I want to scoop her up in my arms and snuggle with her on my chair.

And then I remember she is now 55 lbs.

Oh well, she's still darn cute. Stay warm everybody!

the spot

First of all, I can't believe it's been a almost a year since I posted here. It's been a rough year. Let's just say that now that everyone who used to read this is long gone and reading other, more interesting blogs, I have finally learned an important truth:

Any life that does not leave time to blog about your dog, is no life at all and must be changed.

So, now that I am taking some serious ME time, there will be a lot more posting around here. Starting with this....

This is Bean's spot. A Bean-sized square of warm sunshine. It only appears for a few hours a day, in the middle of the office floor. It is like no other spot on earth. And nothing, absolutely nothing, can tempt her to move from it.

Except of course, the sound of mommy's camera clicking from her desk. Our Bean is not one to miss a photo op!