Toy Introductions Day 16: Off Limits

The Bird and The Bee . . .

Our human mommy has recently loosened our restricted access to the Land of Forbidden Toys. We’re allowed to play with pretty much any of the toys that haven’t seen the light of day in years. There are, however, two notable exceptions: Allie Gator and Puppy.

Harper Lee, Spring 2016

Allie Gator was one of Harper Lee’s all-time favorite toys. Our sister received Allie Gator when she was about three or four years old as part of a blogger Christmas gift exchange. Allie Gator’s tummy was stuffed with squeaky eggs and Harper Lee absolutely loved removing the eggs. She’d take them out, Mommy would put them back, and they’d repeat that over and over again. And then, years later, a certain toy-killing puppy came along (Tallulah Bee fessing up), and Allie Gator had to be hidden to save her life. She came out when that certain puppy (me, Tallulah, again) wasn’t around. Harper Lee always lit up when she saw Allie Gator. One day, during Harper Lee’s last week with us, Mommy took Allie Gator out for Harper Lee to play. Harper Lee didn’t want to play with Allie Gator. That’s when our human mommy knew that Harper Lee was ready to go.

Harper Lee, Spring 2016

Puppy was another special toy for Harper Lee. You might know about the “Chance” plush puppies that PetSmart sells each Christmas. Harper Lee received this one for her first Christmas in 2010. Puppy always sat out on a special chair. Harper Lee would pull Puppy from the chair for play sessions. That is, until a certain real-life puppy with a toy-destructive streak came along (yes, that was me, Tallulah). Puppy was hidden away with Allie Gator and only came out when Harper Lee could play with him safely one-on-one.

Although we’d love to be able to play with Allie Gator and Puppy, we understand why they’re off limits. Those toys were once very special to Harper Lee, so now they’re extra special to our mommy, and that’s ok.

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Sunday Sisters: September 24, 2017

It’s important for big sisters to let little sisters know who rules. I’ll always remember this moment when the pecking order was made abundantly clear to a certain pesky little sister. Tallulah had just joined our family and she had the nerve to pull all of my toys out of my toy basket and act like they belonged to her. Seriously?

With one bark, I let Tallulah Bee know that I was still the Queen Bee in my house . . . and I got the toy.

That was a little more than two years ago. From time to time, I still have to remind Tallulah that I am the big sister and that being the big sister has its privileges. But for the most part, she understands: Big Sisters Rule!


Rerun: Nap Time

Nap Time 1 thek9harperlee

My human mommy/blogging assistant is still on that “well deserved” (her words, not mine) vacation, so I’m rerunning another blog from the past. I’m really starting to miss Mommy. Ha ha ha . . . who am I kidding? I just said that in case she’s checking in. I’m having the time of my life. In fact, I’m having so much fun that I’m about to indulge in a little nap time. Zzzzzz . . .

My human mommy is fond of saying that nap time is wasted on children: It’s the busy and exhausted adults of the world who really need nap time. She may be right about that, but I can tell you that if humans prevented dogs from napping, there would be a canine uprising. I love my naps . . . and I can nap any time, any where, and in just about any position.

Puppy Nap thek9harperlee

I have been a napper since I was a tiny puppy. This photo was taken when I was exactly two months old. I truly believe that a marching band could have come across my patio and I would not have stirred.

Off-the-Bed Nap thek9harperlee

Some of my best naps happen when my humans leave the house in the middle of the day. Those naps are so good that they often start with all of me on my bed and end up with various parts of me falling off of my bed. Now that’s some good napping!

Disturbed Nap thek9harperlee

I am a little embarrassed to admit that sometimes when my humans come home I am napping so soundly that I do not even get up to greet them. (Please don’t share this information with the burglars.) That’s when they catch me mid-yawn as I am just exiting la la land. Oops.

Sun Nap thek9harperlee

My late canine sister Lexi taught me the incredible joy that is the sunshine nap. Lexi worshipped the sun. She would nap and bake until my humans swore they heard her sizzling. The weather now is just becoming ideal for napping in the sun, and I am looking forward to spending many hours in this exact position.

Under Desk Nap thek9harperlee

My all-time favorite place to nap is the study. I think all of my canine friends (and maybe even a feline or two) will agree that the harder our humans work, the more relaxed we pets become. My humans do a lot of hard work in the study, so I tend to do a lot of hard napping in that room. My naps often occur under the desk . . .

Desk Chair Nap thek9harperlee

 . . . but my favorite position for a study nap is crammed as close as I can possibly get to the base of the desk chair. There is a method to my madness: By trapping my humans at the desk (they cannot possibly move that chair when I really get next to it), I ensure that they will continue to work . . . thereby continuing some of the best of my naps.

Propped-Head Nap thek9harperlee

Just to prove to you that I truly can nap in almost any position, I present to you my propped-head nap. I love to prop my head against something–anything–when I nap. You can find me napping with my head propped against a door frame, the leg of a table, a human leg . . . just about anything that is available.

Calf Rope Nap thek9harperlee

Wow, all of this talk of napping has made me exceptionally tired. I think I’ll just get into my calf-rope position–where a gather all of my feet together–and settle in for a nice little snooze. Happy napping!


Wordless Wednesday: My Easter Basket

Basket Puppy thek9harperlee

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Puppy Pics

A recent post by The Daily Golden blog had a link to a Golden Retriever puppy cam. I cannot stop watching! The puppies are too cute. It reminds me of just a few years ago when I was a puppy.

This is me at six weeks old, and this is the day my mommy fell in love with me. She actually met me one week before this. That was when my daddy fell in love with me (after I kissed his nose), but it took my mommy a little longer to come around. I think she still had a very, very special place in her heart for Talbot, the Golden Retriever who preceded me; but on this day, I sat up, grabbed her hand, stared into her eyes . . . and I’ve had her heart ever since.

Here I am two weeks later, at home in my back yard. Everything was still a little new to me then. Little did I know what amazing adventures my parents had in store for me. Notice that they had switched my collar from pink to purple. I was already becoming a fan of LSU and the Fighting Tigers.

Just a few days later, I was much more comfortable and ready to explore . . .

. . . and at 10 weeks, I was fearless.

When I was 16 weeks old, I had my first trip to the LSU campus. My neighbor, Rudy, let me borrow his LSU bandana. It was a great day. Isn’t it just amazing how fast puppies grow up? Just 10 weeks after I stole my mommy’s heart, I was almost too big for her to carry me. She says now that if she had known how fast I was going to grow, she would have carried me so much that I never would have learned to walk. I’m glad my mommy didn’t know how fast I was going to grow!


Rainy Days and Mondays . . .

. . . just make me want to lie down on my bed–or lie down with half of my body falling off of my bed–and sleep. Yesterday was our third rainy day in a row. You can tell from the towel placed on the floor that a certain Golden Retriever had to have her muddy paws wiped before returning to the comfortable and dry confines of her home . . . and returning to sleep mode until the sun reappeared. Rainy days also make me miss my yard. I have loved my yard since I was a puppy.

When I was very small, I crawled into a lawn chair so that I could enjoy gazing upon the birds and squirrels as they frolicked in the trees . . . but then I fell asleep.

I learned at a young age to be a helper in the yard. This is the first plant I ever potted. (I have only “un-planted” one thing–a rose bush–and I will never do that again!)

I have always had a fondness for monkey grass and sticks. A Golden Retriever can amuse herself for hours chewing on a few stray sticks, and then she can cool down by lying in a nice clump of monkey grass.

Fortunately, the rains have stopped today, the sun has come out, the grass has dried . . .

. . . and I have returned to my yard. Watch out, squirrels!


Golden Retriever Rules

When I was just a puppy, my neighbor gave this to my parents. I’m so glad she managed to set my parents straight early on regarding the truth about Golden Retrievers and rules.

  1. The Golden Retriever is not allowed in the house.
  2. Okay, the Golden Retriever is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.
  3. The Golden Retriever is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.
  4. The Golden Retriever is only allowed on the old furniture.
  5. Fine, the Golden Retriever is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.
  6. All right, the Golden Retriever is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.
  7. The Golden Retriever may sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.
  8. The Golden Retriever may sleep under the covers every night.
  9. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the Golden Retriever!
  10. In all cases of dispute . . . the Golden Retriever rules!

I hope you’ll share this with your humans. It’s something they need to understand.


LSU GameDay–Geaux Tigers!

It’s GameDay and I am ready for some football. You may have noticed from my collar in the last post that I am an LSU fan. Today the Tigers open their SEC season against Auburn, so I have raised the flag and donned my finest tiger-print bandanna. Check out my profile.
There’s a certain amount of preparation required from LSU Tiger fans, even for an away game. We have to select a lucky place to sit–or sometimes stand if the game gets too close. I’ll probably alternate between the rug in front of the television and one of my beds in the den. We have to decide what to eat for the game. I’ll probably have my usual dry food and maybe a rawhide treat. More importantly, we have to decide what to drink for the game. While I normally stick to water, GameDay calls for something special.
I know  I look like I’ve had a little too much, but I’ll be ok. I’ve been doing GameDay since I was a puppy.
So here’s to my LSU Football Tigers. Have a great game and . . .
GEAUX TIGERS!!!!

Introducing Miss Harper Lee

Welcome to my world of Golden Retriever Reflections. My name is Harper Lee, but as time passes you will find that I have many, many nicknames. I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with my human mother and father (I’ll just call them Mommy and Daddy from this point on) and my canine sister, Lexi. One day I’ll tell you all about Lexi.
I celebrated my third birthday March 17. This photograph was taken a few months before when I spent a weekend at Butler Greenwood Plantation Bed and Breakfast in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Butler Greenwood is one of my favorite places because I get to run in the field, smell lots of interesting smells, and spend the evening relaxing in front of a nice fire in one of the cabins. I love to travel and I have many favorite places. You’ll get to read about a lot of them in my future posts. I also love going out to eat with my humans. You’d be surprised how many places are happy to welcome well-behaved dogs. I’ll definitely share some of my favorite spots. I’ll introduce you to my favorite humans and my favorite animal friends.
I’ll close this post with one of my best puppy pics, taken when I was about 10 weeks old. Who can resist a Golden Retriever puppy in a basket?

I’m excited about sharing my life with you. I think it will make you smile.