He's so cute.. Lather, rinse, repeat, repeat, repeat....

Our new puppy is named Lichen (I'll get some pics this weekend). If you've visited Kat's blog, you've already seen him. I've been bad about updating this blog after the first couple of months. I still seem to get it about once a week, but it keeps getting later in the week. I'll try to be better about doing it on Sunday or Monday. Although it will be challenging at least until we get DSL at our new place.

I must admit, I was sad to leave the Village, but I'm also really excited about the new place. Even though I've yet to really do laundry (thanks Kat) I really like being able to just run a small load if I want something to wear, or not have this huge pile that takes half the evening to wash. But the dog is the real highlight. It's challenging of course, especially on the sleep, but he's better than I expected. Often after coming back in from going to the bathroom, he'll go lie down rather than play so we can sleep.

Pavlov, our last Australian Shepherd, was also like that. Though with Pavlov, it took until about 5 months for her to be potty trained. This guy definitely has a way to go, but really was most of the way trained "out of the box." The very first night he would whine to us to be let out, and still does. He woke me the last two nights at 5 am to be let out. While I wish he'd wait another hour and a half, it's better than cleaning up the mess.

Now if we could just get him to learn his name and what "no" means.

Perhaps it's just been a while, but I really think this is the cutest puppy we've ever gotten. Conversation when Lichen is in the room pretty much consists of some form of "so cute." Over and over again. But it's true. He's absolutely adorable. As much of a guilt trip the snobby pound people give you about selfishly buying a puppy, I don't regret it for a second. We absolutely love the new member of our family. I wasn't so sure when we picked him out. He was the most loving out of 15 or so puppies. Just followed us around and wanted to be petted. So much so that I was worried he wouldn't be playful. No worries there though.

Kat and I debated the name for about 3 days before I finally caved and went with one of her favorites. I like the name, but it's a soft sounding name and not good for calling. I also think it's why Lichen is having such a hard time recognizing it as his name. We tried to find names that fitted our interests and geekiness. I've always liked literary names, and suggested Hemingway. I also thought Kat's suggestion of Bunsen was good. My favorite was Switchback (like the back and forth of a steep mountain trail) which was fitting because he always takes shortcuts: under the truck, around the porch. Sometimes getting lost trying to keep up. A good follower though. Now I know what "follow around like a puppy" means.

He's so innocent though, it's hard to get stern with him. He's too young to understand even what "no" means. It's amazing how they know body language though. When we brought him home, Helix put his ears back and hissed and Lichen hid behind my legs. This kept up for a few days until one time Lichen didn't run away. Helix has been screwed ever since. You could just see the look on his face like, "oh crap, what now?" Lichen chases him around the house and "herds" Helix, which consists of him biting his tail and ears and tackling him. Helix hasn't learned, like Galileo, to go vertical to escape. Helix really hates him, but doesn't show much sign of fighting back even though he's twice Lichen's size. They'll work it out, but Helix will have an easier time establishing who's boss when Lichen is this small.

The house needs a lot of work, but it's great. We're keeping an eye for free/cheap stuff on Craigslist. Every city in the country should have a site like that. It's a free classifieds site that kicks butt. We've gotten all kinds of stuff on there. A dishwasher, dog kennel, wood, dirt, TV stand, and much more. Tonight we're picking up a wheel barrow for $8 and a free de-humidifier and free lawn mower. It's kind of odd moving piece-meal like that. I think it's a bit stressful and can only imagine what Ruth must feel like (my sister is building a house and moving between her old and new). We've moved our essentials over, but some things are still a challenge. Every time we want to eat something, seems like we have to search through boxes to find it. Glasses, pots, rice, wine opener, etc.

Well I've rambled long enough. That's what's up in our world. Make sure you all get a chance to come visit us in our new place. We should be there another two years, so make plans now for next summer. No guarantees for two summers away that we'll be here.