Home from the Groomer

white shih tzu
Yesterday was Annika’s day at the groomer. She always looks so pretty when she comes home. She didn’t like wearing the scarf, but I left it on long enough to take her photo. Annika is 3/4 shih tzu and 1/4 wire fox terrier. She doesn’t shed as many dogs do, but because her breed doesn’t lose hair, she must go to a groomer every five to six weeks. We adopted Annika from Bichon Fur Kids. She is not Bichon, but if you look at their web site you’ll notice that this wonderful group rescues small dogs of various breeds. When Annika was rescued by Bichon Fur Kids, she had to be shaved down, because her previous owner hadn’t had her groomed. Her coat was badly matted and she had an ear infection. I can’t even imagine what her beautiful tail, which must be combed daily, must have looked like. Budgeting for a groomer is something dog owners must consider when thinking of owning this type of dog. It’s an additional expense, but well worth it. When Annika comes home from the groomer she has been bathed, had her ears cleaned and checked, and her nails have been clipped. Our groomer also looks at Annika’s teeth during the appointment. She comes home looking adorable.  Below is another photo of her from a past visit to the groomer. Note the different scarf. She has one for every holiday and season.Annika-2
You have to agree, she really is cute, isn’t she? I found an interesting and helpful website called, four paws, that talks about the need for grooming you pet. I have no personal connection to the site, but I found it had some good information on pet care. I do wish Annika would wear her scarves for a longer time, but once she is home she is ready to have the scarf off.

An Artist Date to the Bird Store

Macaw-parrot-2

 

Today I met this friendly young macaw at Omar’s Exotic Birds,  this week’s Artist Date. Omar’s is so colorful and I love seeing their birds. Our cockatiels came from Omar’s and we’ve been customers for over twenty years, so they know us well. I asked permission from the store manager before I took any photos. This lovely macaw was very friendly and not at all disturbed by my camera. In fact I had to be careful because he was a little too curious and kept reaching for the lens.
Senegal-parrot

I saw this bright little Senegal Parrot, while looking around the store, and it tugged at my heart. We lost our Senegal a little over a year ago and I still miss her.
Blue-Macaw-Parrot
Before I left,  I went back to see the friendly macaw, and found him eating his lunch.
Wall-of-color
I spent a few minutes looking at the wall covered with bird toys, but I resisted buying any and headed home.

Camping in Santa Maria, California

Grounds of Fess Parker Winery

 

 

It has been a great day filled with gorgeous views of mountains and ocean. We left early this morning and arrived in Santa Maria just before noon. Even the Los Angeles traffic co-operated with our plans and was fairly light.
We had an enjoyable drive north and are now set up in a beautiful camp site. But even when everything goes smoothly, the  first day of camping can be tiring.  I could not resist taking this photo of my husband, Martin and Annika relaxing after dinner.

It is lovely and cool in Santa Maria, but I hear it was very hot at home today. I hope our house sitter remembers to water my outdoor plants before going to bed. As you can tell, my thoughts are never very far from home.martin and Annika resting