2 reasons for a happy dog

Dexter sleeps in on a Saturday. He is still sleepy while I put my winter coat on and get ready for our morning walk. He yawns lazily as I put his leash оn. Poor Dexter  – he has now idea that today is 
the day he's been waiting for so long.
It is snowing outside for the first time this season. Not too heavily – but enough to make a golden retriever the happiest dog in the world. I remove his leash and he starts running like crazy, making impossible u-turns, his back paws sliding like he's a cartoon character. He stops every now and then to eat some snow (I try to be the voice of reason but he's a rebel, I give him that) and then rushes off again. Funny how he can run in the snow for so long, but finds it boring when I take him out for
a jog.

As Dexter runs giddily from one end of the park to the other, an old girlfriend of his appears out of nowhere. She waits patiently next to me for Dexter to notice her which takes a good ten minutes or so. Dexter finally comes to greet her and a couple of minutes later they are both running and rolling in the snow. His girlfriend is not as excited about the snow as she is to be seeing Dexter – but he's a little too preoccupied to notice. Or, as I suppose, snow is, after all, a little more exciting than girls.

After a whole hour of snow adventures we finally get back home. We make lunch, brew tea, and hide under a warm blanket. It's a nice Saturday.

Happy first snow!

Full of ideas

Dexter and I are partners in crime. 

We are the perfect team: he's the brains, because all of his ideas are brilliant, and I am the looks, because - well, he is a handsome mister, but I am a girl and I would have been very upset with any other arrangement. We go on all sorts of adventures together: sometimes we go on an expedition to find the best waffles in the neighbourhood, sometimes we go out for a run (we both agree exercise is important - especially after a waffle), and sometimes we randomly decide that gardening is our newest hobby so we seek for lilac tulips and supplies and advice on how to take care of flowers. Dexter is pretty excited to participate in just about anything (excluding cleaning) but sometimes he likes to do things his way. 

Here's a short list of some of his most brilliant ideas:

- Can I have half of your breakfast? It looks pretty tasty and I'm sure you don't need that much food anyways. We're pals, let's share. You know you can always have some of my dog food, if you want.

- A midnight walk! But not just tonight! Every night this week! Don't worry, I'll let you know when the time is right. 3am should be just fine.

- Do I see another dog across the street? Lets totally freeze until we know for sure if it's a friend or a foe. Trust me, it's a good tactic.

- It's raining cats and dogs and it's also freezing outside - we might stay out for a couple of hours, wouldn't it be fun? Dancing in the rain, playing in puddles, digging holes - all sorts of fun activities to choose from!

- Can I have some of your lunch? I didn't have much breakfast. Sharing is caring. 

- Did I just see a cat hide under that car over there? Let's check - I think we will all manage to fit in there and have a party. 

- Let's examine this piece of rock thorougly - half an our of sniffing should do the trick. I think I might have found something. I need time. More time. More time - oh look! Another rock! Forget the first one, this is it!

- Let's bring all sorts of sticks home and hide them under the sofa. A tree might magically grow. An apple tree! Apples are tasty. What's for dinner?

Dexter is a funny little guy but sometimes he gets a little too excited. We couldn't hide under the car with that one cat. Nor was it such a great idea to play in puddles because - as it turned out - mud is fun only until you try to get it all off. But we're having so much fun together it doesn't matter that things sometimes end up with boring baths or light bruises or scratches or - like that one time - with a black eye.

We're adventurers.

Аll is love

Dexter and I wake up early on a Sunday. 

Dexter waits impatiently while I make breakfast: freshly squeezed orange juice and a perfectly cut mango (it took me only a million youtube how-to videos to finally get the hang of it). We take a look through the window to check the weather outside and plan our day accordingly. It is sunny today. Perfect for an expedition. 

And by expedition I mean an adventurous walk to the near bakery. We can't live on orange juice and a mango! We need a second breakfast. Something like a muffin or a waffle or a slice of pizza. Dexter doesn't mind - he could eat all three at the same time. 

I put on my magical lilac hat I found a couple of days ago and almost-magical-running-shoes and we are ready to go.  Dexter doesn't have any magical attire. He keeps it real and casual. Although he likes to wear my lilac hat when we're at home and nobody's watching - but let's keep that a secret. 

We meet friends and foes on our way to the bakery: a couple of stray dogs that don't like Dexter very much and keep arguing we should change our route and a cute little black dog who is Dexter's latest love and follows us along. We stop every now and again because Dexter believes he is this close to finding a treasure but - oh well - it is always a false alarm. We haven't lost faith, though - every adventure ends up with a treasure sooner or later.

Our treasure today is a delicious freshly baked croissant from the bakery. We share 50/50. 60/40 even, because Dexter's girlfriend gets some of my share. Ah, love. I do what I can. 

When we get home we are already tired of our little adventure. Dexter falls asleep almost immediately and I hide under a pink blanket with a couple of favourite books. I don't read much today - I just look at pictures or make lists of german words I don't know. I listen to good music, drink sweet tea and... well... I might have a mint chocolate or two. Or half a box of. It's Sunday. I can do that on a Sunday. Right?

Dexter sleeps till late afternoon. I invite him out for a run but he's the laziest dog in the neighbourhood, he can't take more than one adventure a day. So I put on my magical hat and shoes again and go out alone. An 8km run compensates for eight After Eight mint chocolates, that's what my simple math tells me. I'm good at math, you can trust me on this one. 

I feel happy today. I go on expeditions and draw and run and read and take pictures of mangos. I watch an old Bulgarian movie called All is Love (Dexter falls asleep right after the opening title. Not the best company for movies, this one), I laugh to old-fashioned jokes and clumsy romantic scenes. 

I feel happy and loved today.

All is love. And a simple Sunday made wonderful.

* All is love opening title. Enough to put my Dexter to sleep. 

Tangerine Season

Winter has come a little earlier this year. It is freezing cold outside and it has been snowing for the past couple of days. Which is always good news for Dexter who runs in circles like crazy every time we go out for a walk. Playing in the snow is his second most favourite thing in the world. After eating, that is.

I've taken out all winter equipment. Enormous amounts of both tea and tangerines are in stock - because it's not truly winter without the smell of freshly brewed tea and the sweet taste of tangerines. My sketchbooks are full of doodles I can't wait to see finished and a whole bunch of lovely books are waiting patiently on my nightstand. I can't be more prepared for winter than this. Oh, wait - I can. And I am, because I write lists. As in winter-to-do-lists.

Last year's ice-skating was a total failure (but enormous fun, nevertheless) so this time I need to be a little more serious about winter sports. Maybe even try skiing or snowboarding. I also have some running challenges I need to take seriously before the end of the year, so that I can start clean from January on. New recipes and learning this and that in illustrator are constantly on my list, so I'm not even mentioning those. 

What do you have in your winter to-do-list? Any brilliant ideas I could steal? I'd give you a tangerine for one. :)

Read of the month: november

Мy very last read of the month post was in October. Last year October, that is. Wow. I assure you I haven't been neglecting books for that long - I just stopped sharing my current reads here for some reason. I wanted to start keeping track of what I read again - it keeps me motivated to finish books faster and I'm always interested to hear your reviews and recommendations, too. 

This month's read is John Steinbeck's Cannery Row. (Bulgarian edition here on the photo, much older than I am, as you can probably guess). A lovely book about ordinary people and extraordinary human relations; about the goodness of men.

I remember seeing my mom read this exact edition every once in a while when I was little. She loved it and used to tell me I would read it one day too, when I feel it's right, and fall in love with it as well. My mom knows best. 

Cannery Row doesn't follow an exact plot. It is a short story about a couple of unemployed men and their difficult yet very adventurous life in the cannery district of Monterey, California. It is extremely well-written, utterly funny and heart-warming. Steinbeck pays all the attention to little things in life, little gestures, small talks, sunrises, self-proclaimed artists who create crazy things, but believe they're making the world a better place. The main emphasis here is on the dignity and value of each person - be they a prostitute, a scientist, a shop-owner, a derelict. You cannot help but fall in love with the whole set of characters who are funny, witty, and most importantly - good. 

Тhe book is brilliant. Definitely read it if you have the chance - you will fall in love with it as well. I would know.

Dexter posing with Cannery Row. He can't get enough of the attention.

Lego Lunchbox: pumpkin somethings

Lego Lunchbox today:
6 pumpkin somethings - I can eat no more than two but I have to show people around I've actually baked something, no?
Flavoured yoghurt drink - here's a secret - I only picked the strawberry flavoured yoghurt because the cap was red and it matched my lunchbox so well. But we all know forest fruits is the better choice. Just so you know.

А couple of weeks ago a colleague of mine shared a most excellent recipe for pumpkin cookies with me. Being the crazy pumpkin lover that I am, I couldn't resist trying it out immediately. I have to admit I changed it a bit (unintentionally, of course) and my version can hardly be called cookies... so i just call them pumpkin somethings. But don't let that discourage you! I promise these are the tastiest pumpkin somethings in the world!
If you want to try this recipe at home you are going to need: oat grain; oat bran; raw nuts - I used almonds, cashew and hazelnuts; apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, a tablespoon of coconut oil, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and... some pumpkin would be great, too. Roast about 3-4 pumpkin wedges until they are fork tender and let them cool. Then peel off the skin and put the flesh in a food processor. Once the puree is ready, you can add the sugar and oats.
Blend the nuts and seeds and add them to the mixture as well as the coconut oil. Grate the apples (I used raw apples, but if you like you might roast them beforehand as well) and add cinnamon and vanilla. I keep myself from giving you exact proportions, because this is more of a do-whatever-feels-right recipe - experiment, add or remove whatever you like and I'm sure it will turn out great - you might even make actual cookies, instead of somethings. But hey - no judging: somethings are pretty tasty as well.
Since my mixture wasn't exactly homogeneous (my puree was too much, I suspect), I used cupcake cups for the baking. The whole place smelled of cinnamon for so long afterwards - it didn't even matter that the whole thing came out as little pies more than as cookies.
These pumpkin somethings are great for breakfast or for in-between meal snacks. Obviously I've had them for lunch, too. They are very nutritious and have all magical ingredients for a wonderful day. Dexter says so, too. If you don't believe me, trust him - he's quite the expert.

The one that believes snow is there to be eaten.

Dexter's favourite winter treat?

Snow. 

A whole lot of, to be precise.

Dexter is pretty excitable by default. But when it comes to snow, he's not just excited: he gets a little crazy. Crazy enough to gulp down serious amounts of snow and run around at high speed. Or bury himself under a snow pile or dig giant holes or even start levitating. (I'm not kidding! See picture below!) He doesn't get tired, he doesn't get cold (and its almost ten degrees below zero!), only thing he cares about is eating all the snow he could get. And chasing snowballs; eating them, too, if possible. 

I love chilly white winters like this one.

Dexter loves them more.

The Perks Of Being... Dexter

Dexter loves to snuggle and is always polite. Sometimes he gets a little too excited when it comes to walks outside but it's alright: he loves the outdoors. He is interested in chasing cats not because he doesn't like them, but because he wants to make friends. He is shy and always waits for someone else to make the first move. But he is romantic, too, always ready to share a stick he has found or his toy, just to impress a lady.

Dexter's hobby (aside from reading) is... sleeping. Although he has his own, he often falls asleep on somebody else's pillow. Sometimes he likes to sleep on books, too. I guess he's a true bookworm adventurer.
Funny fact about him is that his nose changes colours. It is usually dark brownish, but during winter it gets pink. The resemblance with Rudolf the reindeer is amazing.

Dexter loves to try out new things: food, hobbies, dance steps. He's a little sceptic at first, but soon gets the hang out of things. He likes to listen to the piano and sings along, although he's a little afraid of trying to play himself. He likes to dance, but he gets bored a little too soon. Oh, and he's very good at playing hide and seek, too. A real partystarter.
We've been inseparable the whole summer. Running around, playing in puddles, taking pictures or just watching TV. Today he got a little upset when he saw me packing suitcases again. I'm leaving for Vienna tomorrow and I will see  him only on camera. I guess I'll have to play in the rain alone till December. But oh well - I've got many memories and pictures to keep me warm! :)

Super Dexter

Believe it or not, in a land far far away (from where I am at the moment, anyways) there is a dog that has super powers. I cannot be sure of it, but that's what they say.

I've heard his name is Dexter.

He has those big brown eyes that can enchant you pretty easily. He can look you in the eye and make you do just about anything, they say. Like, give him your last (and most delicious) piece of pizza, for example. Or play hide and seek. Or run around the house, screaming "You can't catch me!", which he, eventually, does.

I've heard that his most special ability is to make people happy. People he knows or total strangers - it doesn't matter. He has all those hidden tricks that can make you laugh at any time. They say you fall in love with him the moment you meet him...

What a magician!

~

Dexter's got a new friend!

It took me forever to figure out how to add music and upload this video... Probably that's why I never share videos! (although I have tons of.) I know it's bad quality but I really wanted to share this memory with you. Dexter's got a new friend, the tiny little kitty called Diego (strange name, huh? Not my idea!) and it's the cutest thing ever. I'm not quite sure Diego realizes Dexter is a dog (or the other way around, actually) and they are both very curious and excited about each other. Dexter wants to play, but is way too clumsy, Diego wants to hide somewhere, but is way too slow. It's adorable.

Dexter & Diego sounds like a mischievous pair. But a cute one, too.

My Lovely Dexter

Here's Dexter, resting on the sofa after the longest walk outside in the rain.

I guess owl loving runs in the family, because he can't sleep until his new friend (the owl pillow) is near him.

That's my boy!

Cutest Poser EvER.

Funny thing is, Dexter really enjoys posing for pictures. When he sees me holding my camera, he stops whatever he's doing and looks at me. So cute!