Aug 24
When we arrived home from vacation, biscuit received a birthday gift from his Grandma and Grandpa Carver! Doug also received a matching mug to match Biscuit’s bowls! Now, Biscuit has a feeder on both levels of our house to easily accommodate Biscuit!
Happy Friday!
If A Dog Were The Teacher
“If a dog were the teacher you would learn stuff like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout… run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and them gently.” ~Author Unknown
Little Biscuit is our little teacher, a Buddha, in many ways. Biscuit has shown us how to live in the present moment. Biscuit is always living in the present moment, as he does not know any different. He is not concerned about the past or the future. It takes very little to make Biscuit happy. He is so thrilled when he gets a few treats (his kibble); and he wants and loves to be included in whatever we are doing — spanning from just sitting with us to going on vacation, which he loved. Biscuit is very persistent and determined, and he never gives up. Biscuit is very loyal. In fact, he is the most loyal living being I have ever met. Most of all, Biscuit makes each day special just by being him! We feel very lucky to have met little Biscuit.
Good Reads:
During our vacation, I was able to finally get some reading done. I still have many more books waiting on my bookshelf to read, but here are a few good reads.
1. The Best Advice I Ever Got Lessons from Extraordinary Lives by Katie Couric. Couric has compiled pieces of inspiration and wisdom from various people, leaders, and visionaries such as Maya Angelou, Jimmy Carter, Michael J. Fox, and Ken Burns, who offer advice about life, success, and happiness — how to take changes, follow one’s passions, overcome adversity and inertia, commit to something greater than ourselves, and more. Each story, which ranges from just a short paragraph in length to a few pages, has a unique and uplifting message. Couric also weaves her own personal stories throughout the book.
2. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Rubin is a former lawyer who abandoned her career to follow her bliss: She decided to become a writer. She started her blog as a part of a year-long experiment to find new ways to be happy. She has now turned that experience into a best-selling book. You can find The Happiness Project blog here. Rubin defined happiness (“To be happy, I need to think about feeling good, feeling bad and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth”), designed a chart to monitor her progress and assigned a goal to each month. Rubin took each month to focus on one part of her life to improve her overall happiness, Rubin examined different aspects like marriage, parenting, money and friendship and tried to find ways to add more fun and happiness to each. What really drives the narrative though is her ability to take this research, apply it to her life and come up with useful lessons for her readers. Rubin sums up the reason for her happiness quest best by saying “the days are long, but the years are short”.
3. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. For all of you dog lovers, this novel is a really good read. This book is narrated by a dog, Enzo, who (of course) cannot communicate as he would like to, by talking with his family. Instead, Enzo pours his considerable heart and spirit into this book, sharing his experiences and reflections with readers. Although Enzo is frustrated with his limitations as a canine, he comforts himself with the fact that, according to a documentary he watched about Mongolia (Enzo is a dedicated television viewer), he will be reincarnated as a human. And he knows a lot about being a human after watching his master Denny Swift, who is a hero to him. This was the first novel that I read with a furry friend as the narrator.
4. The Honest Truth About Dishonesty by Dan Ariely. This book provides a fascinating perspective about lying, truth-telling, and why it is much easier to slide into cheating than we realize or admit to ourselves. Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, sets out to ask why and when cheating occurs, whether it is useful and how it can be discouraged. He also defines the paradoxical nature of dishonesty. Specifically, Ariely explores the question — Why do we do what we do? Why do we often behave irrationally or in a way that is inconsistent with our values?
Aug 21
Below is an image capturing Biscuit while he worked on drafting his memoirs, which he began on vacation! (Biscuit informed us that he is still drafting his memoirs and he is happy to report that he has recent fond stories and adventures to share!) As you can see, Biscuit enjoyed some of his kibble while he wrote/typed!
Happy Tuesday!
Aug 20
Biscuit made it home from vacation. Biscuit did very well in the car, a twenty-three hour car ride each way (two consecutive days of traveling each way). He did not have any issues, thankfully.
Biscuit was very excited to be home and he was running all over the house smiling while taking the side of his head and running it up against our furniture! He was also very happy to be out walking in his neighborhood and he was sniffing everything in sight! We think that Biscuit is more happy to be home than we are! We will miss Nova Scotia’s peace and serenity. A few photographs of Biscuit taken on our front porch are below taken today upon his return home!
Aug 17
Below is a short slide show of our little Biscuit containing his recent adventures! Biscuit is relaxing and taking it easy during the remaining days of his vacation. Enjoy!
Aug 17
Biscuit really enjoys the beach, and he is always up for going to the beach. He also enjoyed making smores! He was not afraid of the fire as we thought he might be! Although, we were really careful to keep Biscuit away from the fire as we did not want any Biscuit injuries on our vacation.
Biscuit had a big day in downtown Halifax this week! He strolled all over the city, and loved every minute. He hopped in his Hound About even before the wheels were assembled onto his Hound About! Below are some photographs of Biscuit’s adventures!
Biscuit at Dalhousie University in downtown Halifax! Maybe Biscuit is going to be an engineer like his Daddy!
Biscuit next to the Winston Churchill statue at the library downtown.
Biscuit at the Harbor in downtown Halifax! Many people came up to Biscuit and wanted to pet Biscuit and they all commented on his Hound About!
Biscuit at Cows Ice Cream in downtown Halifax! (This year, Biscuit did not have any Cows Ice Cream as he is not permitted to have it per the vet! Plus, last year, Biscuit got sick after eating the rich Cows Ice Cream). While we were eating our ice cream, Biscuit attempted to jump out of his Hound About as he wanted to be included!
Biscuit at Cows Ice Cream by the infamous Cow!
Aug 14
Biscuit is wrapped up in his duvet like a little burrito! Biscuit is having a great time in Nova Scotia! He really enjoys the beach and sitting on the deck! A couple of photos are below!
Doug and I have been searching the stores here in Canada, and we have been unable to locate our little Biscuit on the Jones Soda Co. bottle. Biscuit appears on the green apple flavor of Jones Soda.
If anyone is able to locate Biscuit on a Jones Soda Co. bottle, we will send you a check for $100.00, in exchange for you sending us the original bottle(s) of Jones Soda with Biscuit appearing on the label! Per Jones Soda Co., 16,666 labels of Biscuit were printed by Jones Soda Co., which have been distributed throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Please contact us at katie@katherinecarverphotography.com for further information.
A copy of the United States label is shown below, which was sent to us by Jones Soda Co. Happy hunting! Feel free to share with your family and friends. We really would like to find Biscuit on the Jones Soda Co. bottle for a keepsake!
biscuit's space | The blog of photographer Katherine Carver 