PUPPIES!!!

Dear Folks,

An exceedingly wonderful thing has happened in the Millah household. My darling Maddy has given birth to pups, and the most beautiful pups you ever did see. There were never cuter puppies in the world. I mean, just look at them! Are they not the epitome of perfection? (They are, and if you think otherwise, I'm sorry, but you are wrong.) 

They are mini golden doodles. Golden doodles are wonderful, because they are hypoallergenic, because of their poodle half, but they have the calmer temperament of a Golden Retriever. I do not much care for poodles myself, they are too energetic and even a little sneaky, and they are not my Style, but I cannot help melting when I'm around a golden doodle. They really are the sweetest things, and they aren't as excitable as poodles, for sure! 

This little guy here is Blondie. He is, as you can see, the only gold in the litter. He's an extremely vocal pup. If you hear outraged Squawks coming from the puppy crate you can bet your buttons it's Blondie, annoyed that one of his brothers is sitting on his tail, or that his mother shifted position and interrupted his dinner. 

He loves to be held. He is the one puppy that just adores being petted. The others tolerate our attention, but Blondie basks in it. He will complain loudly and vigorously for minutes at a time until someone comes and picks him up, where upon he snuggles up in your arms and falls silent. 

This here is Blackbird. He looks remarkably similar to his brother, Starling, but is distinguishable by the white strip on his chest. He is a precocious youngster, and was the first puppy to learn to walk. On the first day he mastered the art, he waddled out of the crate and carried on the time honored tradition of soiling my bedroom rugs, like his mother and father before him. 

This lovely little lady is Magpie. My dad is earnestly petitioning my Mum to let him keep Magpie. "You have a dog, and Lissy has two dogs. It's my turn to have a dog." He says. Magpie is the smallest pup in the litter, and we were a little worried for her at first, but now she is as lively as the rest of them. 

She is very wigglesome, and if I forget to secure the puppy crate she gets out and crawls underneath it. I have had to rescue her twice already, because once she squirms under, she cant figure out how to turn herself around and get back out. 

This little guy--or maybe I should just say "guy" because he is not little--is Starling, but his bulk prompts us to call him by his nickname "Lardo" most of the time. He is a fat little feller, always the first at his mother's side.  He likes belly rubs, and we've found his "kicky" spot. He likes to cuddle up under your neck and fall asleep. 

Isn't he adorable? Just look at his little face!

Maddy is an excellent mum. My friend, May, compares her to Jesus, because if you pick up one of her babies and carry it off, she forsakes the three that are safe in the crate and seeks after the lost one. She follows you very closely and calls out advice. "Hold him carefully! Don't drop him! Maybe I should take him, he looks a bit insecure. Be careful with my puppy human! Give him back!" It is ever so touching. I love it. 

To All the Blogs I Have Ever Loved

Just so you know in advance, this is NOT a farewell post!

I love the blogging community. Of all the social media communities, the blogspot (and wordpress etc.)  community is the nicest. It's friendly and personal and warm and welcoming, that's why I wanted to start my own blog so badly. (Unfortunately, when I started this blog I didn't fully comprehend how bad I was at keeping a writing schedule. I sincerely apologize to people who follow this blog, I ought not to be so remiss.)

This week, however, I am rather melancholy. Another of my favorite blogs has been ended, and so I am awash with sad nostalgia.

One of the main reasons I don't do much blogging is because the blogsphere has been changing. I started blogging just as my favorite blogs were closing down, going on hiatus and joining the other lovely, dusty blogs that haven't been updated in years and whose last posts were "I Promise I'll Blog More From Now On."

I love the community I'm in currently. Some of my favorite blogs are still up and running and I follow them with great relish. But there is a difference, and I can feel it. All the teen bloggers whose blogs I loved so much when I was younger have grown and are getting married. Their blogs are changing.

This is a fact of life. People change. Blogs end. It still makes me sad. The worst thing is when the blogger deletes her blog, because then you are left hanging, and a little piece of yourself seems to be gone. I hate that.

The olde blogs of yesteryear that are now on permanent hiatus that can still be viewed are my solace. I look them up every now and again. I read the old posts and relive old memories. It hurts a little bit, because those blogs were often a big part of my life. I remember the things I was doing on the days certain posts were published, I checked my email constantly waiting for notifications that the blogs I loved the most were updating. I commented under assumed names, and literary-inspired aliases. It hurts, but it is a happy ache. I still have the posts to remind me of what these blogs were in the golden days in my teenage years.

I miss the old blogging world. The new bloggers that keep coming will fill in the gaps left by the old ones, but the demographics are changing. I watch as the blogs shift, little by little. It's not a bad thing, but it still makes me a tiny bit sad. This is a melodramatic comparison, but I feel a bit like one of Tolkien's elves, watching the old age become the new age, and seeing the old things disappear, bit by bit.

This is not a post of complaint. It is simply something that has been weighing on me. I love the new blogs, and the new bloggers. They aren't the same as the old, but they have a special place in my heart. Not the same place, but a special one none-the-less.

To everyone who blogs, whether your blog is ten years old, or only a few months, thank you. Bloggers don't know what impact they have on other people's lives. The blogs I read had a profound impact on me. I went through a very difficult move a few years ago, and one of the things that sustained me through that period when I was acclimating myself to a new environment was a blog that posted several times a week and was always warm and sweet and upbeat. It made a huge difference to have that familiar presence in my life when every other thing was different and strange and new.

I love you guys. Thank you. Thank you for just being there.