Keeping the Aunts Happy

This is for Tamra.
Love,
Jasper

PS - see Thomas in action at
http://www.me.com/gallery/#100071/Thomas%20groovin%20to%20beyonce

December

Thanksgiving, without Turkey?

Hi Ya'll
Yes, Thanksgiving is now a distant memory. My excuse for not posting sooner is that I was waiting for some turkey... but it never came!! Don't get me wrong, I do like my people. But my world would be a better place if they ate more meat, especially on those holidays that ARE ALL ABOUT TURKEY!
Oh well, I'll continue to perform my responsibilities with my normal aplomb. My main responsibility - Thomas - is doing very well and enjoying his first holiday season. Gatherings with family and friends have kept him busy; and I'm confident he'll take to the whole gift-getting thing. And as long as he remembers me when it comes to gift-giving, then this holiday experience will have been a success.
Hope you enjoy a few pictures from our Thanksgiving; and check back around Christmas for the next update.
Happy Holidays -
Jasper

Thanksgiving

more pictures!

Just in case any of you want to see some more pictures of our summer, here they are!

Entering the Fall

Was that a sheep?

Hello and welcome to the start of the Holiday season, 2009. While the summer was slow, and I may have had writer's block, the end of the year is approaching and I expect to be ramping up my blogging production. I think my people will be taking more pictures, and that gives me something to work with. Really now, a dog who writes a photo-oriented blog should be able to get some help from his photo staff!
So, without further ado, lets start with Halloween. Now this is one of my favorite holidays, what with the expectation that my people will take me out late at night, let me dress up in my best tuxedo (or any other fetching outfit, if I choose), and do tricks in anyone's yard. WEEELLLL, not this dog, not this year! What's the problem, you ask? It turns out that my people are all thumbs when it comes to making a simple costume. Come on you guys, it don't take no advanced degrees... just a little common sense. But that seems to be lacking around here. In short, I suggested that Thomas and I could go trick-or-treating as a sheep-dog duo. Pretty brilliant, huh? After explaining to them that I could take care of my own outfit, if they would fix a sheep outfit for Thomas, I lay down on the couch and began dreaming of all the fun we would have.
A few days later I awoke and wandered into the kitchen to check on developments... WEEELLLL (can you tell I'm a little grumpy?), even with their thumbs and (purportedly) large brains, my human handlers screwed up this simple little assignment. My poor Thomas was being bent and smushed into something that resembled a full-body cast with cotton ball decoupage. My keen sense of "sheepness" convinced me that not even the dullest human would be fooled by this "costume." Alas, my dreams of a Halloween rampage through the gardens of North Tacoma came crashing down in an instant, but in keeping with the spirit of the day, Thomas and I were tortured with some picture-taking to document this first (and hopefully last) costume disaster.
So, without further ado, you may proceed to the photo-essay portion of my first holiday blog...

Halloween

JASPER IS BACK

Dear Devoted Fans,

Who would have thought even a dog could get behind on blogging about the newest family-pet? Really, it's the long introduction to photos I am supposed to compose that has been the sticking point. Bloggers' writing block... boredom with blogging... herding cats keeping me too busy... I could offer a thousand excuses but instead - without further ado - I will just post what you all really want to see... photos of Thomas from this summer.

WOOF,

Jasper

Thomas Down Under

Summertime Part 2

We're finally having a windy, cool morning so I am taking a break from my backyard lounging duties to update my fans. You won't hear from me for a few weeks as the family is off to Australia and New Zealand and I'm going to be very busy helping my good friend Rainier take care of the cats. But they'll be back with lots of photos (which THEY will have to put on this thing since they aren't taking me. There are limits, people). Well, if they bring some sheep home for me maybe I'll post something on that, because that will be pretty exciting. Border Collies ARE supposed to come with a herd of sheep, you know. But if they ever go to Switzerland they don't have to bring me a milk cart in honor of my Bernese Mountain Dog heritage. Just the sheep will do.
Lots of licks,
Jasper

The month of June

A Special Birthday Party

Five months!

Hi faithful followers,
Thomas seems to be learning something new every day so it's hard to keep up, but I've tried to sample a few of the highlights in this series. I haven't learned any new tricks, but I figure being able to write a blog is good enough for now. Someday I'll teach myself how to drive the car, and then watch out Tacoma.
Jasper

Five Months

Jasper - the Director's Cut

I've been sitting in my director's chair a lot this summer. Mostly I just sleep... but when I'm awake I've been known to produce some celluloidal magic. Here's a short from a few weeks ago. I think it may earn some Oscar recognition...

I have no idea what week it is...

So, people. We're on summer "vacation" (academic families always put that in scare quotes... indicating 'it's not meant to be taken literally' ~ Wikipedia or Monty Python. Take your pick). The long delay in posting seems inexcusable! Well, let me explain. Summer is a time for all those things a dog can't even think about when he's helping his family during term: organizing the toy basket, reburying the bones people have given me that I've promptly buried in the backyard, breaking up fights between Francis and the EVIL black cat next door, keeping my voice in fine form for neighborhood 3am concerts, making sure none of my beds feel neglected (which means sleeping in EACH one for an equivalent time each day), getting back into a 3-walks a day routine plus weekly trips to the dog park, and - most important - making sure Thomas is constantly entertained, comfortable, and safe. One of these days he'll figure out what the world can really be like (you won't always have the best dog in the world by your side - sometimes you have to settle for a... gulp... adequate cat), but until then... back to work!

What week is it?

Weeks 15, 16 and 17 - Finally!

We've had a very busy few weeks but Spring semester is almost over and summer is nearly here... Thomas is growing fast and keeping his parents on their toes. He is getting particularly good at tummy time, as the photos in the album attest!

Week 15-17

Week 13 & 14

There were lots of adventures the past two weeks - some documented, others lost to posterity. But I'll continue to dream about them (one of these days I'll figure out how to post movies so you can see Thomas coo and me catching rabbits in my sleep). Here are some of the ones that made it into the camera!

Week 13&14

Week Twelve

This post is entitled "The Many Expressions of Thomas." I have become an expert at interpreting his various moods for Mom and Dad. Of course, it still takes time, thus the delay in this Week Twelve posting (it's almost Week Thirteen... where has the time gone? That's 91 weeks in dog years).

Week Twelve

Week Eleven

Sorry, folks, for being a bit late for the week's posting. It has been a busy few days! But I've been documenting it all - except for my absolute FAVORITE part which was a surprise visit from my FABULOUS friend from Vashon, Carter!!! Next time I'll try and remember to get a photo, but it's hard to take a break when you're in the middle of the Greatest Wrestling Match of All Time.

Week Eleven

Week 10 - a few days late!

There is not a GREAT deal to report this week. It's been a quiet week with little photographic documentation (c'mon guys... I can't work the camera. Just the blog. Give me more material to work with!!!). But here are a few fashion-themed shots, with vague political undertones, to keep my fan base happy.

Week 10

Week Nine

Hello my faithful followers, and welcome to week nine! Goodness, how my life flies by. One minute I'm sleeping on the couch, and the next minute I'm sleeping on the bed, and the next minute I'm out on a walk. As you'll see in this week's album, on one of my walks I showed Thomas a wild goat, which was very scary to him. Of course, I'm not scared of goats. Pah! I was just acting in that one picture. And, for those of you who are actually more interested in Thomas (I'm sure you'll wise up one of these days), he's getting very big and, they tell me, cuter and cuter. Judge for yourself.

Week Nine

Week Eight

Its been a good week for the herd, and for me. One day, out of the blue, my people bought me some special treats at the dog store. Maybe they briefly realized all the amazing things I do to keep things safe and orderly around here. Most of my super-dog powers go toward fending the cats off the baby, and each other. But these accomplishments generally go unnoticed, and as long as I do my job, that's really how it should be.
But as you will see in the following album, I've also continued to exercise my people - come sunshine or snow - and we all celebrated a wonderful birthday. Happy Birthday, Omi! (And really, you should have invited me to dinner too! I'm quite well behaved at table.)

Week Eight

Week 7

We've had a busy week. So busy I can't think of anything to write here, so proceed to the photos and enjoy!

Week Seven

Week 5 & 6- bit late!

I suppose I was less than sympathetic when my owners couldn't keep this blog updated in a timely manner. This isn’t as easy as you might assume, especially with my big paws. So I owe the previous owner of this blog (and you, my loyal readers) an apology for this late update on my life. But I’ve been a busy dog, as these next two albums will attest.

Week Five

Week Six

Week Four

Thomas has been with us a whole month now, though it seems like he just arrived yesterday. We are all still adjusting to having our entire days revolve around this little human being (who so far as I can tell is primarily a poop-producing machine... at least I play tug-o-war and herd my toys).  Recently the big news is that with his Nana Johnson's expert help, Thomas took to a bottle like a pro! His mom and dad are very relieved, as mom goes back to work in three weeks and dad is going to be in charge of some feedings, and that will certainly go better with a bottle given what happened to our male nipples somewhere in the deep past. With a little help from technology, it's amazing how we can trump nature. T.H. Huxley would be proud!  

Week Four

 

Entering Week Three!

As Herd Chief I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all those who have been helping to keep my charges sane amid sleep deprivation, by providing treats and meals (I had to include a photo in this latest album of our fridge since this is the first time it has been so full), including some choice treats for yours truly. Thanks to all the nutrition, little Thomas is now slightly-bigger Thomas (from 5 pounds 12 ounces at birth to 6 pounds 9 ounces just two weeks later!).  

Week Three

Island Life and Thomas' first trip to his grandparents' homes.

Here I have posted two albums filled with photos of handsome Thomas and handsome me. He's more than a week old and I'm more than a week wiser. The responsibilities are endless, but as every wise man knows, a border collie needs a job (or two) to do.

Click on this photo to see Thomas' album

Thomas' Album 1/31/09

And here are some pics of me:

Jasper's Album

OK, I'll share

I just got chewed out for my previous post on the grounds that I'm not being magnanimous, or some such drivel.

So, as a gesture towards my little friend Thomas, I'm posting a link to some photos of him and his family for you all to enjoy. But don't forget to come back here and marvel at me occasionally!

Thomas

The First Week

So this first week of Thomas's life has been tough. The people who claim to take care of me forgot one of my daily walks, and (as a dog with a very sensitive nose) they really need to keep up with their daily showers. Taking care of a baby needn't hinder the practice of daily hygiene! Even a dog knows that. In any case, with all the attention being paid to Thomas, I thought I'd post a few particularly fetching pictures of me, and some of my friends, to remind people that this is MY blog!

Inaugurating Change

Well, it's happened. Thomas arrived just in time to allow his parents to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama on a hospital television (rather than via clips on youtube), as they recovered from his (quick!) labor and delivery. They arrived home from the hospital today and here I am inspecting little guy. Plus some other gratuitous shots of my new

charge.