Zerbert 1993-2009

Friday, January 23, 2009 marked the end of an era. Sadly the era of Zerbert is over. Zerbert’s sixteenth birthday was to be her last.

With Keri at Christmas

For those of you who did not know Zerbert except when she couldn’t walk, she was an energetic, mischievous pooch. Anyone who visited us in Arizona can attest to the fact that she could find your best or favorite pair of shoes to chew on. She used to jump onto the back of the couch with one quick bounce, so that she could get a better view of the world. After all, she thought she was a much bigger dog than she was. She could also stand on her back legs or gesture adamantly with her arms when she begged for food. A trick called Angry Arms. Of course she was very patient when we dressed her up in costumes for the holidays. She had definite likes and dislikes. The witch and clown costumes were OK, but she hated, hated, hated the Batman costume.

I hate this raincoat!

Zerbert was a worldly little pup. In her sixteen years on this earth, she lived in four different states: Tennessee, Illinois, Arizona and Massachusetts. She road tripped all over the country. She visited Kenyon College in Ohio, traveled out to rural South Dakota, and road along Route 66. This dog even went to the Grand Canyon…twice. She traveled all the way across the country, from Arizona to Massachusetts, camping along the way.

Zerbert's biggest fan

When you remember Zerbert, don’t think of the dog who peed on floors and chewed up your favorite possessions. Remember the energetic puppy who entranced little kids everywhere. Good Dog.

Here is a retrospective slideshow.

A Visit from She Who Would be Known as Voof

This past weekend brought with it a special treat, as my mother spent a few days visiting. While her primary concern was to see her lovely granddaughter, we all had a pretty wonderful time together. She was more than gracious while visiting and it proved to be an exceedingly nice trip overall.

Grandma, Son, and Granddaughter   Happy Family

Hadley grew quite taken with her grandma and even re-dubbed her with a new call sign,“Voof.” It was rather cute. She was particularly concerned that there was no Papa on the trip, as she seems to have already figured that both of my parents go together. It must be all that Skyping that we have been doing.

Brady Fan   Hadley and Voof - Concentrating   Hadley and Voof - Happy

Overall we had a great time, in spite of the almost never ending snowfall that added another blanket to New England. It limited our travel to some extent but made for a lot more time at home playing with Hadley, which seemed to suit everyone, especially Hadley and her Voof.

New Year and a Winter’s Birthday

The new year continues to take New England by storm, as below. Every few days more snow arrives, a few inches with each fall. While it might warm slightly and possibly mix with rain or dangerous ice, the few new inches continue to insure that we are never without a proper, downy, winter blanket.

Cars to Clean   More Snow in the Neighborhood

Smiles for the Camera

This weekend marked the celebration of my birthday. It is the kind of birthday observed scenario that MLK gets to ensure that everyone gets a Monday holiday. Since mine, this year, falls on a Tuesday, it seemed best to engage in the traditional eating of Italian beef sandwiches when my lovely wife, Ali, and her sister Keri (otherwise now known as Aunt “E!”) could both be present to share in the imported succulence of that Chicago delicacy. Of course we also had a traditional ice-cream cake. Hadley certainly enjoys that newer tradition perhaps most of all.

Preparing the Beef   Preparing the Sandwich   Get a Load of That Beef   Help from Hadley

As one might expect of Daddy’s girl, she is rather fond of the ice-cream. I think it would be safe to say we have discovered that eggnog flavor might be her favorite, but she was more than willing to knock down more than a fair share of the chocolate and vanilla layers of my birthday dish.

Ice-Cream Cake   Presentation of Birthday CakeBlowing Candles   Mmmm - Hadley Enjoying Ice-Cream Cake

The women in my life were wonderful to me, also presenting me with an array of wonderful gifts. My lovely Aunt sent me a shirt and some sweets, ingeniously wrapped in a puppy print paper. It was as if she knew that would keep Hadley interested. My wife and daughter gave me some great DVDs and my sister-in-law provided the Red Sox garb. All fantastic! The whole evening was great.

Opening Gifts from Afar   Daddy, Puppies!   Gift - Shirt   Gift - Red Sox