Artist Renee Lammers

    Bucksport has severe flooding today!  Our basement needs pumping out every few hours.

We are high and dry!  I started to work on this new night Stonington 14x20 oil on copper.

   I always use the same four colors.  I decided to draw with a warm darker red. 

"Dancing By The Light Of The Moon" 14x20 oil on copper.  1500$ framed in gold or black

with silver or gold.  Shipped free.

   I finished this painting this morning. 

   This is one of the sketches done at night in Stonington used to paint the painting.

I also used a couple of very blurry photos.

   It is fun to look at these sketches full of energy and emotion. 

   I use dots to make me remember all the radiant light I saw. 

   Monet was sitting on my lap this morning as he always does when we received a call from

a lady whose family saw the puppies last night.  They have selected Tulip.  She will have a

wonderful home in Bucksport.  Maybe I will see the puppy from time to time!

    Lily spends the most time with the puppies.  Yesterday she showed

all the pups how to drink water.  They all watched Lily drink then gave it

a try.  Then Lily was wrestling with them.  Today she just cleaned them

and made them feel loved.  Monet watched.  Poppy still nurses the pups but

not often.  The puppies sleep all night long now.  They are quiet.

    They love their Daddy Monet.  He loves them too. 

   Monet stood by the puppy's pen.  All the pups gathered around to take a look

at their Daddy.  He smells different. 

    Lily checks on the pups regularly.  She is a good big Sister.

Have a good night!

   This painting is on my easel right now!  It is a 14x20 on copper painting.  I am using

my sketch and photos of the scene.  I would love to go back there soon at night to do

a quick painting sketch.  There is nothing like working on location.

   We are all so happy Robert is home!  He brought us presents.

   Lily loved her toy.  She guarded her toy so Monet would not steal it.

   Poppy always allows Monet to have her toy.  She plays with her toy later when Monet

forgets.

   Monet walked around with both toys in his mouth.  He loves toys.

   The puppies are wrestling now!  They are biting each other.  I didn't hear very many

squeals so this means they are being gentle.

   Buttercup, yellow collar girl, was biting Dahlia, blue collar girl's foot.

   Dahlia tackled Buttercup!  She has been watching professional wrestlers on TV?

   Vincent, green collar boy, grabbed Dahlia's ear really hard.  She squealed.  Vincent was

not letting her ear go.  I had to open Vincent's mouth to release her ear.  She looked shocked.

   Dahlia lower right corner had her mouth wide open right

before she bit Vincent's tail.  "Pay backs are hell!" she yelled.

Wow that Dahlia is going to be a tough little girl.  Vincent squealed.

It is fun watching them.

Have a good night.

    Last night after all my puppy duties were finished, I drove to Stonington, to see the moon!

I hope to do a series of paintings of the lobster boats dancing in the light of the moon.

   I drew pictures with a black brush pen.  I will use these drawings in combination with the

photos to create my memory of the boats in the light.

   After breakfast, after the pen was all cleaned up, it seemed like the puppies were all playing!

Alligator game is a popular puppy game.  Puppies will bite each other for a few days until

they realize the pain it causes.  I didn't hear any yelping yet.  They were gentle.

   Sunflower is the puppy on the right front.  Her opponent is Tulip, red collar. 

   Dahlia, blue collar girl, exploring a cardboard tunnel didn't want to play alligator game. 

"Let's explore!"  She wagged her tail after she came out the other side.  She wanted to go

back through the tunnel but another puppy was on her way through.  Puppies were really

happy or thrilled going through the tunnel.  They stood there wagging their tails and looked

at the tunnel.  I was giggling watching them.  I like to surprise them with new things.

   I am picking up Robert tonight at the airport.  He has a bad cold.  I will be glad when he

is home.  We missed him.  Have a good night.

    It was such a beautiful Fall day here in Maine we decided to have a picnic!

Buttercup posed for a portrait on the yellow wicker chair.  She was a little frightened

being up so high.  What a cute puppy!

   Sunflower had a great time at the picnic.  She is cute too!

   Here is the lovely Dahlia.  What a sparkle she has in her eye! 

Buttercup was on the left. 

I was saying "Ah!" to myself watching them explore.

   Monet laid down so Sunflower could come visit him.  She was licking his neck. 

Dahila was getting her first feel of grass while her Mother Poppy admired her.

Sargent and his brother Vincent hung out together.

   Monet was the most popular at the picnic.  "Daddy is great!" 

Sargent was on the left, Sunflower getting a snuggle, and Daffodil was on the right. 

   A great time was had by all.  Dahlia, blue collar female, said, "The food was great!"

   I framed 40 paintings!   Here are some of the painting getting framed. 

We all slept great last night!  I had Poppy sleep with me upstairs.

I used framing wire to lock up the puppy's door to their pen!  Monet and Lily slept downstairs.

We didn't hear one puppy howl.  Have a great night! 

"Schoodic Light" 5x4 oil on copper.  Sold at Saltwater Artists Gallery in Pemaquid.

Thanks!

"Schoodic Point" 4x5 oil on copper.  Sold thanks to Salt Water Artists Gallery. 

   Last night I was sleeping soundly when I heard a puppy growling.  I waited for a second.  I heard

it again.  Then I ran downstairs to check it out.  The time was 2:00 am. 

 I saw all the pups out of their pen.  Monet was standing there with

another puppy toy in his mouth.  Lily was cleaning a puppy.  The rest of the puppies were

nursing.  Poppy was standing there half a sleep.  I sat down next to Poppy to pet her.  She

liked this.  When she was finished nursing the puppies, I put all the pups in the pen, and put

a stack of towels in front of the puppy pen door.  There is a latch but it is not dog proof.

    An hour later I heard familiar pounds on the wood floor.  Oh yes, that would be Monet,

hopping up and down with a toy in his mouth, trying to get a puppy to play!  I knew the

puppies had escaped again!  I put them all back in the pen. 

     Another hour later I heard a siren go by the house followed by one puppy trying to mimic

the siren.  I decided to check on the puppies.  They were all out exploring.  I put them back

into the pen.  I saw a puppy use his shoulder to knock open the door!  It didn't work.  The door

did move a little.  I decided Poppy should sleep upstairs. Then the pups might sleep. 

This worked well.   I am sleep deprived today.  I forgot to take photos of the pups.

   All the dogs seemed a little more tired today than usual. 

   I found Lily with a box of rubber gloves!  I saved the box just in time. 

   Paper towels are exciting!  She shredded one roll this morning but I stopped the second

shredding tonight!  Where is she getting all the paper towels?  She must have her own private

stash. 

    Have a good night.

   At two o'clock in the morning I heard thumping noises.  What was that?  Doesn't anyone

sleep in my house?  I ran down stairs to find Monet with a puppy toy in his mouth hopping

up and down.  There were puppies all over the living room.  They were all scampering around.

Lily was playing with one.  Poppy was standing on top of a stack of newspapers and heap

of towels way up in the air.  She looked like a billy goat!  She was trying to keep away from

the puppy's teeth!  She was talking and stomping her feet up there.  I laughed.  What a funny

thing to see at 2:00 a.m!  Monet was having the time of his life.  He was trying to play with

puppies.  His front feet were pounding down hard.  He was tossing his head around.  I saw

one puppy in the other room on top of the cot.  How did she get up there?  I started to gather

up the pups and put them in their pen.  I counted them.  I was missing two puppies.  I searched

everywhere.  I found the pups under the cot.   I closed the puppy's pen.  Made sure they had

water.  I went to sleep. 

   After breakfast this morning I brought the pups outside.  At first a few howled like a wolf.

I saw Poppy licking their faces. 

    Monet and Lily decided to put on a show for the puppies.  They rolled on their backs

and bit each other's feet.  The puppies watched. 

   Monet decided it was so exciting for the pups to be outside.  He wanted to play.  He hopped

up and down with his big front feet pounding the ground.  Some puppies retreated. 

   Their Daddy Monet weighs 80 pounds.  He is a big happy boy. 

   One puppy fell off the ramp into the grass on the right hand side.  She tried to scoot

under the ramp!  I captured her.  

   I set Vincent up on the yellow wicker chair for a photo.  He hopped off right away.

I like the size of his big head.  He will be beautiful.  They say pups will be the color of their

ears when they grow up.

    They stayed outside for three minutes. 

    I am looking forward for Robert to come back home Sunday.  I have one more

 day taking care of all 11 golden retrievers!  Have a good night.

  "Lily, Why did you tear up two rolls of paper towels?"   I ask.

 "I am bored.  Where is Robert?"  She replied.

    This morning I heard howling.  Sometimes I have thought I have heard howling when it

happened to be noise from the new electric water heater in the basement.  So I laid there

ignoring the howling.  Poppy came up to my bedroom door.  She talked to me in her sing

song barking way.  I knew the pups were howling.  They needed rescuing!  I ran down

stairs to find five puppies on the other side of the pen.  There had been large cardboard

boxes cutting the pen in half.  The puppies had climbed or crawled over.  They had explored,

became trapped, and needed help.  I decided the pen needed to be enlarged.  I took a

box out of the pen.  Then I took all the newspapers out and replaced with new newspapers.

The results made little Buttercup run laps around the pen several times with enthusiasm. 
She looked like a little bunny hopping.  Both her back legs were together.  She has not

learned how to really run yet.  Lily came in to the pen to inspect the area.

   Monet came into the puppy's pen after their breakfast.  He was checking

out the new enlarged pen.  The puppies were afraid on him.  They didn't

recognize him.  Most of them ran away and hid.  :"He doesn't smell like

Mom or Big Sister Lily.  Intruder!  Intruder!  Run!"

   Monet just wanted his frog toy.  By then a few puppies

recognized him as their Dad. They sniffed and watched him.

Monet takes all the puppy's toys.  Lily and Poppy bring the

puppies toys!

   After many meals, playing, exploring, it was time for a nap!

   I can't remember who the blue girl puppy collar is because Lily tore up that piece of

paper!  She sure is cute. 

   Exhausting day of feeding, cleaning, exercising the bigger dogs.  Now everyone is asleep.

Do I have enough energy to paint tonight?  Maybe!  Have a good night. 

"An Apple A Day" 14x20 oil on copper 1500$ framed in gold or black with silver.  Shipped.

   This morning I worked on the edges of the leaves blending them into the background or

working on their shape.  All three dogs walked with me outdoors with the painting to take

it's photo.  They were curious.  What does she have there?  Lily sniffed the painting.

   I gave little Sargent, black collar male, his own bowl of food today.  He liked this.

   For lunch little Sargent jumped right into the middle of the platter!  He declined his

private bowl of food.  He was the last one eating lunch. 

   Poppy and Lily do a great job cleaning after dinners.  The pups wag their

tails.  They like visitors.

   I held a few puppies today after lunch.  Sunflower was on my lap here with Lily and

her Father, Monet, saying hello. 

    Sunflowers looks like she will be a pretty golden color.

   She decided to chew on her back foot.  She has some red fur on her face.  I wonder if she

will be like her Grandfather Luke?

   She decided sucking on her back foot was nicer than chewing.

   I woke up this morning regretting not swimming once the entire Summer.  When Luke and Ted

called to say they were headed to their secret fishing hole, I decided it was an opportunity

to swim!  I really enjoyed swimming for a few minutes.   Luke held a few fish.

    I walked right by this strange looking tail.  I realized it was a

giant snapping turtle!  He or she was sleeping. 

   Luke was startled by the fish moving. 

   He pawed near the fish barking.  I threw the fish back into the water.  I am sure the

fish was slightly traumatized but in great health. 

   I enjoyed my two hour break.  Now I will clean up two paper towel rolls Lily demolished.

She is feeling great since she was treated successfully for Lymes Disease.  She plays non

stop. 

Have a great night!

14x20 oil on copper in progress!

   Here is a sneak preview of the painting on my easel tonight.  I started work in the apple

orchard this morning.  I knew it would be a good day because it was grey.  Grey days can

be good for plein air.  I have changed my mind regarding grey days.  The light stays the same.  Everything

is the true color of the object.  You are not painting sunlight or shadows of objects.  You can

paint for a longer time without battling changing light.  I decided to paint the sky in lavenders

instead of grey.  I love lavender, green, and oranges together in a painting.  This color scheme

can create beautiful paintings.  I had to look hard for oranges in the scene.  At first all I saw

was a lot of dark green resembling the Army green.  I thought apples all hung of the tree the

same way.  Today I learned apples all hang differently and usually at an angle. 

    I came home, fed and walked the dogs, fed the little puppies, cleaned up after them, and

headed back out to the apple orchard to paint!  Soon it became too grey to paint.  It was

too dark outside.  Game over.  I headed home to work from the computer monitor. 

   Robert, who is still in Holland on vacation, asked me to post more photos of Poppy, Lily,

and Monet.  Here is the gang.  They are all alive and well!  They do miss him. Lily and Monet

are sharing a bone. 

   The bone is all natural containing cheese, milk, and other good things..not raw hide.

   The little pups know the sound of my voice.  They come running to eat.  Little Sargent,

black collar male, has a difficult time eating.  The others are bigger.  He could use

his own dinner plate.  Sargent is not assertive but a rather relaxed sweet boy. 

   I had to point Dahlia, purple collar female, in the right direction of the dinner platter.

She was confused.  She was sound asleep. 

   I guess the look is "I ate too much!"  Vincent and Sunflower seem to dive right in the middle

of the platter to eat. 

    The puppies were getting crusty from goat's milk and dry food.  I used a warm washcloth

to give them a bath.  The boys both loved this the most.  The girls were fussy.  Poppy gave a few

girls a few kisses on the head while I tried to wipe them up. 

   Lily and Poppy wait around like vultures ready to clean the puppy's plate and clean the pups.

I close the door of the puppy's pen to keep them out.  Both Poppy and Lily know how to open

this door with their snout.  I had to pull them out of the pen a few times today.  They were trying

to eat the pups food.  Monet wouldn't even think of doing this. 

"Stonington Burnt Cove Day" 14 x 20 oil on copper. Sold!  Thank you.

Have a good night. 

"Golden Delicious" 6x8 oil on copper  sold.  Thanks!

   Today I decided to visit an apple orchard, pick and eat apples, and paint!  I loved the

golden delicious apples.  I had never seen them on a tree before.  I was amazed to see so

much red and oranges on the leaves and on the apples.  I contemplated painting a larger

painting of green apples. 

   Here is my easel and painting with the subject in the background.

Painting apples on a tree is not easy.  There is a lot of precise drawing.

The sun changes then it is difficult to find the leaf or apple you were working

on.  You get lost.  Then you look for something you recognize and find the apple

or leaf again.  It is great to work on location even if it is more difficult than painting

from a photo.   I always like the results so much more.  The painting feels

more authentic to me.

   I decided it was time to put a bowl of water in the puppy's pen.  Sunflower decided it

was a spa.  She leaped into the bowl but then decided just to soak her feet. 

   Then she decided to splash her front feet.  Fun!

   Puppy pile!

   Poppy will stand to feed the puppies now.  As soon as one of them bites her, she scolds

them, and takes off!  She still likes to admire them.

   Everyday the puppies seem grow and play more. 

    Poppy cleans the pups after they eat.  We are doing fine.

   Have a great night.

   All the puppies have teeth now.  They had two dinners of goat's milk with pureed Blue Buffalo

Chicken and brown rice puppy dried food.  They loved it.

   Lily cleaned each puppy off after their dinner.  They were covered with goat's milk.

   Lily was naughty today.  She put her bone in the puppy's pen.  Then she watched.

As soon as the puppies started to investigate her bone, Lily pounced on the puppies, and

growled at them.  I heard a few puppies scream.  I grabbed Lily by the collar and pulled

her out of the pen.  I told her no.  I even gave her a light tap on her nose.  I pulled her away

from the pen into another room.  I made sure she knew she was not going to bite or terrorize

the puppies again.  Poppy gave me two licks on my arm afterwards to show her appreciation.

   Later I saw Monet with a dried salmon skin treat next to him.  Lily was trying to steal his

treat.  He growled and took off after her.  I knew where Lily learned this game.  Is it a normal

game among dogs?  I think Lily was trying to establish a pecking order among the pack. 

   Two last remaining eaters!

   Lily's intentions are good.  The puppies are too young to worry about who is

boss yet. 

   When Lily steps inside the puppy's pen all the puppies wag their tails.

They do love Lily. 

"Stonington's Burnt Cove Day" 14x20 oil on copper  Sold.  Thanks.

    I finally finished this painting late last night.  I like it!  Have a good night.

    We won't point out any one puppy but the one who has teeth may have bitten Poppy while nursing. 

Poppy leaped out of the puppy area talking like a sailor.  I have not seen Poppy so mad ever.  She

told off the puppies.   She stood there stomping her feet.  She ran under the table to a bed.

She calmed down but I could tell her feelings were hurt.  How could those puppies turn on Poppy

and bite her?  I could hear the puppies try to fall asleep but some where whimpering.

They were hungry. 

   I gave the puppies warm goat's milk.  I put my finger in the goat's milk, patted my finger on

Vincent's mouth, and he liked it!  He used his nose to find the bowl.  I was surprised to see

Vincent gulp down the goat's milk.  I found Tulip and did the same thing.  Dahlia was interested

in the milk.  The three puppies drank all the milk within two minutes.  I made another bowl,

found more puppies, and fed them.

    Vincent's stomach was enormous! 

   I was amazed at the slurping and smacking of lips.  They were really cute today.

I can not believe how eager they were to drink milk!  They were ready.

Lily and Poppy came in to clean all the puppies when they were done with the milk.

Poppy continued to nurse the puppies later.  I will start to feed to pups.

"Stonington's Roof Tops" 6x8 oil on copper.  Sold by Camden Falls Gallery.  Thank you!

"Stonington Golds" 5x7 oil on copper 350$ framed in gold or black with gold.  Shipped.

   I started this painting on location a few weeks ago.  I worked on this painting last night

while all the dogs were wrestling and chasing each other around the house.

   My friend Pat and her dog Sunday invited me to hike on of their favorite trails.

We hiked to the summit in the Great Mountain Pond Preserve.  There were views of

Blue Hill and many lakes. 

   We saw the most amazing green caterpillar.  I wonder what type of butterfly or moth

it will be?  Have a good night.

    They seemed to be checking out Vincent's new teeth!  He is the only puppy with teeth.

The other pups will have teeth soon.

  The puppies are old enough to be held and petted!  They seem to like this.  This is

Vincent who is spoken for.  He will be called Tucker by his new family. 

    Little Sunflower takes a bite out of the pink elephant toy. 

    The puppies seem to sleep all night long except for nursing and playing.  They haven't

been lost or crying late at night.  I checked on them once last night.  They were sound asleep.

   Lily was admiring the puppy's toys.  I had to put a few back.  The bark boxes arrived

just in time!  Monet, Poppy, and Lily were thrilled with a new green frog tug toy, a glow

ball, a rubber chew toy, a hard chew made of all natural ingredients, and salmon skins.

I could tell Poppy was disappointed there was no lamb tracheas.  Oh well.  She is spoiled.

The salmon skins were a nice change.  We received two of each item since there were two

bark boxes. 

  "Butterfly Kisses at Charlotte Rhoades Garden" 14 x20 oil on copper.  850$ framed in gold

or black with silver.  Shipped.

   Today I worked on this painting.  I painted several butterflies fly, chasing, and hovering.

I painted more details in the pink Zinnia on the left side.  I am pleased with this painting.

"Stonington Main Street" 14x20 oil on copper 850$ frame in gold or black with silver.

   Today I repainted the sky, background, and street using a plein air sketch.  I also worked

on the architecture, flowers, laundry, grass, and everything else.  I like it now.  I may still

paint a person walking a dog or a cat walking.  I think it still needs another interesting

subject on the right hand side. 

"Little Mockingbird" 6x8 oil on copper Gifted to my Mom.

   I decided to work more on the bird's eye, highlights on the feathers, and refine a few pieces

of straw in the nest.  These little touches are important.

   I am thinking of painting at night somewhere!  I will wait till all my dog duties are done. 
Have a good night.

   I purchased a few puppy plush toys today.  Lily confiscated the log with many chipmunks.

I had to guard the rest of the toys from Monet!  Poppy gave me a lick on my arm a sign

of great gratitude reserved only for excellent cooking, beach car rides, and puppy toys.

   It was fun watching the puppy's reaction to the new toys. 

   Tulip, red collar girl, thought the purple dragon made a nice pillow.

   The chipmunk and the purple dragon seemed to be favored.

   One of the puppies tried to hug the purple dragon or maybe he was trying to walk

and was stuck on top of the dragon.  He tumbled over on his back, got up, and started to

walk again.

   Here is Lily with her log full of chipmunks.  She was so happy.  I didn't dare take it away

from her. 

   One of the pups has a scratch on her nose.  No one has confessed yet.

   A fire truck went by our house today blaring a loud siren.  The puppy's reaction

was to howl exactly like the siren.  They had never done this before.  Monet, Poppy,

Lily, and I came running to see what was happening.  They all were howling a long

undulating high pitched cry.  It was amazing.  I had seen Monet do this twice when

the fire truck passed by with it's siren on.  Monet put his foot on a chair, put his head

up high, and mimicked the siren.  The pups were doing the same thing!   Poppy

jumped into their pen, went around checking each pup, and made comforting noises

grunting and moaning to them.  They all wagged their tails.  It was fun to watch.

I took two naps today.  I am tired.  I had a dream at five o'clock this morning.  In my dream

Poppy barked at me to wake up.  She wanted to be fed.  I woke up.  Poppy was sleeping.

I could not tell what was going on.  It was so early.  I decided just feed her.  I turned on the

light.  Poppy still laid there on the floor.  I coaxed Poppy downstairs to eat.  Poppy ate.

I wrestled a 55 pound bag of dog food up a flight of stairs into our house.  It was so hot.

I laid down on a cot in the kitchen where the air conditioner unit was.  I wanted just to

close my eyes and cool off.  Monet came into the kitchen, thought I had died or was very ill,

and started to give me CPR it seemed.  He put his paw on my heart and pressed down five times.

Then he licked my juggler vein in my neck three times.  When I opened my eyes he licked my

face.  When he saw I was alive, he climbed on to the cot, and went to sleep.  Lily climbed into

the cot too.  Thank heavens the cot holds 400 pounds.  Poppy wanted to climb into the cot but

there was no more room.  We slept there for an hour on the cot in the kitchen.  We are getting

more eccentric since Robert left. 

Have a good night.

"Camden Harbor" 14x20 oil on copper 1500$ framed in gold or black with silver.  Shipped.

   I cropped the photo of Camden Harbor to take a closer look at a few boats.  This really

helped me understand the details.  I didn't want to capture all the details but just a few key

details to make it more interesting.  I was going to take the painting back to Camden Harbor

to work but decided it might fall into the ocean.  I had my entire easel and finished painting

fall into the harbor in front of 40 people a few years ago.   People helped me retrieve my easel. 

 I still have people ask me if I was that artist. They recount what happened.  They were moved at how

important the easel was to me. 

  Our friend Ted and his lovely red golden retriever Luke, who is Monet's Dad, took me to their

secret place to fish.  I told him I would keep his secret spot a secret.  No one knows about

this place.  Ted talked about riding his bicycle down the steep hill with friends as a boy.

Fifty years ago it was a popular place for everyone.  Now kids stay inside to play with their

computer.  He never sees anyone here. 

   Luke loves to assist Ted with fly fishing.  Luke barks every time he casts the fly into the river.

The fish do not seem frightened of Luke's bark.  A fish is caught then given to Luke

to examine.   After a few minutes Luke drops the fish back into the water. 

   Luke loves to help fish.  He wags his tail once a fish is caught.  He comes over to get

the fish.  Sometimes Luke gets into the water to be closer to the fish.

  Luke doesn't hurt the fish. He will hold the fish in his mouth for us to see. 

 It is very exciting for Luke. 

   We can't help but laugh or smile watching Luke and his fish!  What a happy dog!

   Each time Luke dropped the fish.  He watched the fish go into the water.

Then he ran over to the water, put his paws in the water, to see if he can

catch the fish again.  After a minute he realized the fish was really gone. 

  Here is Luke with a new fish in his mouth.  He dropped the fish in a small water hole.  Ted retrieved

the fish and it jumped into the river. 

   Luke is a gentle soul.  What a great way to spend several hours. 

   Now I know a great place to take Monet, Poppy, and Lily.  It should be a safe place to

bring them.  There is a terrible dog virus going around.  We have kept away from high dog

traffic areas for over a week or so. 

   The puppies are doing great.  I saw a few of them walking very good. 

   Have a great night!

I stood over the puppies to admire them many times today.  Are they getting more

adorable?  Sargent, black collar male, snuggled with Sunflower, orange collar girl, this afternoon.

I could tell they loved the sun warmed clean blanket to lay on. 

   Daffodil was sleeping sweetly.  It is too early to dream about chasing cats!

   Buttercup, yellow collar girl, was stretching.  I know she enjoyed her lunch.  Dahlia,

lavender collar, was a cry baby for a few minutes.  She had crawled too far away to a corner.

She was lost.  "Help!"  Lily, Monet, Poppy, and I came running.  I put her in a puppy pile.

She settled down. 

    Eight puppies are perfect for Poppy to care for.

Vincent seems to be the ambassador for the group.  He was trying to

communicate something to me today.  He is very handsome.  He will

look just like his Dad Monet.

   He has the same large head, big eyes, posture. 

   Poppy is looking beautiful as ever!  Today she drank a large bowl of goat milk.  I told

Poppy about my goat buying efforts at the Blue Hill Fair last week.  I told Robert about this

and he laughed.  So I guess I should write about my goat purchasing efforts at the fair.

   I decided to attend the Blue Hill Fair to search for a female goat for Poppy.  Poppy loves

goat milk while she is nursing puppies.   Goat's milk costs 12$ a can.  A goat costs 300$. 

 I set out to find a white goat.  Why a white goat?   I wanted to paint this white goat. 

 I just happened to be at the fair while the goat beauty contest was going on. 

 The tiny goats were all in one area.  I could see benefit having a tiny goat

 but worried about one of the dogs stepping on the goat.

  I saw many larger goats but didn't like their color. 

 I walked over to the goat area. 

 I saw a beautiful white goat in a pen.  Sunlight was shining on the goat's head. 

 She looked perfect.  She had incredible amounts of milk!

 The beauty of the goat took my breath away.

A man was eyeing me suspiciously.  I asked him, "How much for the goat?"  He said,

"That is not a goat, that is a sheep!"  I said, "What?  How come he has no hair?"   The man said,

"The sheep was sheared."  I said, "Oh."   I was very disappointed.

  He asked me what was I  going to do with the goat?  I told him about Poppy. 

I told him how much Poppy loves to drink goat's milk.  The man laughed. 

He said, "Did you think this was a female goat?"  I said yes. 

He laughed and said the sheep was a boy.  "Oh." I said.  He said I would have to buy three goats

because they were herd animals.  He told me how complicated a goat's diet can be.  They eat

purred beets and other fancy things.  I thanked the man and left. 

Robert would not be too pleased if I came home with three goats that needed to eat

purred beets.  I decided purchasing goat's milk in the can was best.  Poppy just blinked

her eyes when I told her the story.  I think I should get out to see some humans tomorrow.

Here is beautiful Lily!  Have a great night.

"Little Mockingbird" 6x8 oil on copper 450$ framed in gold or black with gold.  Shipped.

    Late last night when all was quiet I painted a little mockingbird who fell out of a tree on

Monhegan Island a few years ago.  An artist found this little bird still in his nest on the ground. 

 She kept the bird in her room for a few days feeding the bird bugs.  A bird rescue

 came on to the island to bring the bird to a sanctuary.

I told her I would paint this bird.  She liked this idea.  I scraped out some oil paint with a brush

in the nest area.  I like the copper coming through.  I won't ever forget the expression on the

birds face.  He didn't look afraid.  He was curious.  He was brave.  I hope he survived.

   During the night I checked on the puppies five times.  This morning Poppy woke me

up with a cheerful loud bark right in my face.  "I am starving!  Wake Up Right Now!"

   I saw Monet in his bed with a puppy!  Miss Daffodil had leaped from her baby pool, crawled

over, and somehow climbed up to visit her Daddy.  Monet was so pleased.  He was cleaning

her.  He had the most amazing proud look on his face. 

   There were five puppies out of the baby pool walking about.  Poppy may have been

attempting to wake me up so I could fix the situation!  "The puppies are loose!  Wake UP!"

Ok.  The puppies were moved downstairs into the official dog kennel Robert built.  The

heater was moved.  Within five minutes the puppies moved into their new home.  At

first they made sounds like a siren.  All adult dogs were concerned. 

   They started to explore.  They were walking around.  Their eyes were open!  Soon they

were very pleased. 

   I set up two large boxes inside the kennel to make the space smaller.  I washed a nice

dog bed in hot water and powerful soap, set it out in the sun to dry, then put the bed into

a large plastic bag.  I put many towels on top of the bed. This will give them a soft place

to rest, keep the bed clean, and Poppy should love it.  UPDATE:  I had to remove the bed

because one of the puppies laid down in the center of the bed on her back.  She cried

because she could not roll over.  She was stuck in the center of the bed.  They are too

young for a bed yet.

   Lily climbed on to the bed.  She held court with two puppies.  Poppy took the corner

and fed most puppies.  They looked content.

   With cardboard and gorilla tape I created a Dutch door.  Adult dogs can walk over this

Dutch door while the puppies are kept in the pen!  It worked.  Now I should be able to

get a good night sleep.  The puppies should be safe.

   Tulip took a nap.  She likes the new turf.

Gardenia curled up in the corner and was snoring!  Another puppy dove under a blanket

for privacy and warmth.  Sargent conked out.  He was so tired.  "All this moving around is

so exciting.  I will do some painting another day!" 

   The toilet broke, the dryer broke, and the microwave broke;  The frig is working, the

stove is working, and the shower is running well!  Robert has only been gone for two days.

I am not worried.  The plumber is coming tomorrow!  I can dry my clothes outside.  The

stove can cook food!  Kind of funny though.  Have a good night.

    Taking care of 8 golden retriever puppies requires many helpers!   Lily continues to

clean.  Today Monet came to assist!  He cleaned a few pups.  Poppy is doing great feeding

them.  I am doing fine cleaning the puppies quilt everyday.  I cook chicken and sweet potato

to supplement blue chicken and brown rice puppy food.  Poppy loves cottage cheese too.

Right now Poppy is eating 4 times a day.  Next week Poppy will be eating 6-9 meals

a day to feed all the pups. 

 Today I gave Poppy  and Monet a bath!  Monet loves a bath.  I brushed him.  He

was smiling.   Poppy dislikes baths but loves to be clean.

    I am glad Monet came to visit the pups. 

    Last night Gardenia, purple collar girl, jumped over the baby pool wall and crawled

into the hallway.  She was not barking or crying.  She was growling.  She was very irritated

by the situation.  We were all downstairs.  I was brushing the dogs.  We rescued Gardenia.

   This morning a few other pups leaped over the edge.  It doesn't hurt them.  They are little

butterballs.  It is too soon to move them downstairs.  I might make a cardboard extended wall

around the baby pool to contain the puppies. 

    I might paint tonight!  It is quiet.  Finally!  Have a good night.

    I woke up this morning to find Poppy nursing the puppies while Lily was in the pool too!

It was crowded in the baby pool but every dog was happy.  I didn't have my camera ready.

Later I inspected the pups to find Lily pretending to be the Mother!  She was so sweet.

She was unaware of me watching her.

    I stood there quietly and watched.   Lily loves the puppies.

    I took Robert to the airport.  He is going back to Holland where he was born and raised.

His sister and brother in law will take good care of him.  I am caretaker of eleven dogs for

awhile.  I can do it.

   Lily will help me care for at least 8 little puppies.

Vincent, the green collar male, hopped out of the baby pool twice today!  He squealed loud

the second time he plunged over the edge.  I was near by.  I came running to see him crawling

around on the wood floor.  Later I saw Vincent with both front paws on the top of the baby

pool edge.  He had his chin held high.  He was staring at the oil radiator heater.  I had to laugh.

The puppy's eyes are open but they have been only squinting and peeking!

   Tulip, red collar girl, was right next to Vincent as he was gazing at the heater.  She looked

like she wanted to climb out.  She was too afraid.  The others are not at all interested in exploring.

They are so content.

You can see them peeking!

   Robert built this amazing dog house for the puppies.  There is a door in the back that

swings open.  Two windows on either side can be swung open by a smart dog.

   All three dogs were fascinated with the dog house.

   Robert also built this large puppy pen.  Linoleum will protect the hard wood floors. 

I will sleep next to the puppies the first few nights.  They might be afraid of their new

surroundings.  I am sure Poppy, Lily, and maybe Monet will be in the pen too.  It will be

a furry pajama party.

   All day long the dogs barked when they saw Robert's van.  They looked up to see if he

came home.  Tonight in the dark two of them were waiting by the window for him.  I

told them, "He is not coming home tonight.  He is on vacation.  You will be fine."  They seemed

to understand. 

   I varnished many paintings.  Have a good night!

   I have all the copper covered with oil paint.  There are some areas that are ambiguous.

I would like to take this painting to Camden on a sunny day in the morning.  Hopefully

Mary Days Schooner will be there.  It is the last few strokes of light that will be important.

There might be a few details of the schooner I have missed.  People who purchase boat

paintings look for those details. 

"Full Sails" 6x8 oil on copper 450$ framed in gold or black with gold.  Shipped.

   I saw this scene the day a big French schooner came into Castine's harbor.  There were

ten thousand people in Castine waiting for this schooner.  I arrived through many barricades

a minute late.  I did see these Camden schooners in the harbor.  They had chartered guests

wanting a closer look at the French Schooner.  Twilight provided beautiful light.  I remember

thinking it was worth the effort to take these photos. 

   Monet were you digging?

   Were you digging too Lily?  Did the dirt taste good?

   I tried to entertain the dogs in between painting sessions.  The little puppies upstairs

were shivering.  I turned on the heat!

   I keep a close eye on the puppies.  Every hour I check on them.  After the heat was turned

on the shivering stopped.  They looked happy.  Pups must be kept warm or their stomachs

can not digest, their lungs can't work, and then they are gone.  It happens quickly.  Good to keep

an eye on them. 

   I placed a clean blanket in the baby pool.  Tulip, red collar girl, and Gardenia purple

collar girl snuggled up in the blanket together.

   Vincent, green collar boy, and Sargent, black collar boy seem to always be together.

They are out numbered by 6 girls. 

    The little pup up top is Tulip red collar girl.  She is cute.  All of the puppies are cute.

I am glad I don't have to pick one out! 

   My forty foot flower garden by the water grew very small zinnas, asters, corn flowers, and

bachelor buttons.  Next year I will not plant as many seeds, add fertilizer, and have a water cistern

near the garden. The flowers are beautiful.

    Robert found Lily laying down trying to feed the puppies.  They were checking her out.  She

was very pleased with herself doing just like Poppy does!  Poppy came in and just let her have

the pups.  She went back downstairs for another snack!  Have a great night. 

"Red Dory" 6x8 oil on copper 450$ framed in gold or black with gold, shipped.

    I finished this dory painting last night.  I saw this dory along the Dark Harbor Pond

on Grand Manan in Canada.  It was a whirl wind trip but the photos of the dories made it

worth while.  I love how happy this dory looked. 

   I worked on the buildings and trees in the background.  I might be able to complete

this painting tomorrow.  My plan it to take the painting to Camden Harbor once it is

almost finished.  There on location I will work on the painting tweaking the highlights

and making sure all the important areas of the schooner are finished. 

   I find the most unusual bugs here in Maine.  This one was very tiny.  He looked

like a leaf!

   The two boys, Sargent black collar, with Vincent green collar were taking a siesta this

afternoon.  Vincent is larger.  His head is huge.  Little Sargent is a doll. 

   In this photo you can tell how much larger Vincent green collar is compared to little Sargent black collar.

I think Vincent will look like Monet with his huge head.

   Lily was watching Sargent yawn. 

   Here are all the girls!  Six girl puppies!  Blue collar is Dahlia; Yellow collar is Buttercup;

Orange collar is Sunflower;  Red collar is Tulip; Purple collar is Gardenia; Pink collar is Daffodil.

They look about the same size but a few puppy's heads may be larger.  I think the smaller

head girl pups will take after Poppy their Mom. 

   One puppy, Dahila blue collar, had her eyes open last night!  She peeked at me! 

Have a great night. 

14x20 oil on copper in progress. 

    Last night and today I worked more on the water, boats, and schooner.  It is coming along

slowly.  I also fixed the dock lines so they lined up better.  I am sure the dock will need more

work. 

"Evening Sail" 6x8 oil on copper 450$  framed in gold or black with silver or gold.  Shipped.

    I ate a lot of pizza.  I painted this painting last night.  I guess pizza is great fuel for painting.

The painting might be more bright than seen here. 

   We have two bee hives right now.  One of the bee hives looked very interesting today.  Most

of the bees seemed to be hanging on the side of the hive.  I have no idea why.  Maybe they are

crowded or maybe it is too hot inside. 

    I put puppy Velcro collars on the puppies today!  Black collar is a boy named Sargent.

Pink collar is a girl named Daffodil.  They are getting fat. 

Yellow color is a girl named Buttercup.  Purple collar is a girl named Gardenia.  Darker

blue is a girl named Dahlia.  Orange collar is a girl named Sunflower.  Red collar is a girl named

Tulip.  Black collar is a boy named Sargent.  Green collar is a boy named Vincent. 

They scramble around sometimes when Poppy and Lily come to visit.  Most of the time they

are eating or sleeping.  Monet comes in and admires pups if Robert or I are there for safety.

He is still worried Poppy will get him.

  I suppose it was Lily who brought the puppies a dog toy, located in the center.  Once

the puppy's eyes are open they will begin to walk and play. 

   Poppy is doing well!  I took Monet, Poppy, and Lily for a car ride to the bank today.

They thought they were going to the beach.  I had to pull over and reorganize Lily.  Lily

was sitting in the driver's seat behind the driver.  I put her in the back twice.  Finally

I used a pack of paper towels to keep Poppy and Lily in the back.  Monet sat in the passenger

seat.  He kept trying to sit on my lap.  I had to tell him no a thousand times.  I was

happy to get back home. 

   I purchased two new dog toys.  They enjoyed them.  Have a good night!

     I like to paint the water all at one time.  I can soften all the edges this way.

  I can work more on the water after it is dried.  I made good progress

 today on this painting.   I will keep the water a deep brilliant

blue to allow the boats to glow.

   Lily and Poppy take their puppy duties seriously.  Poppy nurses the puppies.  Lily cleans

each puppy.  She does not miss one.  She started at the left and worked her way down the line

to the right.  Monet was in the doorway watching.  I asked Monet to come in and stand by

me.  He was standing there admiring his puppies.  I picked up a pup and let him sniff.  He

was sniffing and licking the pup when Lily brushed his head away!  She was possessive of

the puppies.  I had to tell her to share.  No sharing.  Monet was disappointed.  He might

need private visits with his puppies.

   The two puppies on the bottom left woke when Lily came over.  They crawled over to

Lily! 

   Then they marched over to Poppy!

   Lily was making her way down the line cleaning puppies!

   Good girl Lily!

  They sure are healthy.  It is so much fun to hold and pet them.  I don't do this too often

right now as I think they are too young. Just a few pats. 

    I am keeping all the dogs home.  There is a canine influenza going around.  The main

symptom is coughing.  It can progress without antibiotics.  So far Luke, Dug, and Ziva, all

older golden retrievers who frequent the same beach have come down with this virus. 

They are all doing better.  Ziva is now being treated with the other two dogs cured. 

Have a good night!

    I drove to Camden Falls Gallery to drop off a large lobster painting.  Then I set up

to paint along the harbor.  I decided to sketch in all the boats and buildings in cobalt

blue.  The copper size is 20x14.  Many people wanted to know why I was painting on

copper?  I explained how archival and luminous copper is as a substrate.  I handed out

prints of a dory painting.  When I finished the drawing, I packed up my equipment, and

drove home!  Too hot today to paint outside!

"Stonington Neighbors" 6x8 oil on copper.  450$ framed in gold or black with silver or gold.

Shipped free.

   I worked more on this painting this morning.  Sometimes a plein air painting needs

drawing corrections or extra work to refine areas.  I had to fix the lobster boats. 

   The air conditioning inside our house was a welcome.  I decided to work on my painting

started at the harbor.  I painted one small boat at a time using a computer image to guide

me. 

   It is interesting to look at the photo of the location and compare it to my drawing. 

I decided to work on a few boats each day.  Painting all day long for days

would be a tedious.    

   "Good Morning!" said Lily.  She had my shoe in her mouth.  This is

how she greeted me this morning!  She has given up on bringing

me socks and now just brings me a shoe to put on.  Poppy looked excited

for me to get up too.  Food!  Monet hops all over me.  He needs a lot

of hugs in the morning. 

   The puppies are growing!  They are doing well!

   They are just amazing.  Have a good night.

No name yet!  6x8 oil on copper Almost finished!  Will post tomorrow. Sold.

    I drove to Stonington today in search of a  Seal named Willis.  A lobsterman told

me about Willis the last time I was in Stonington painting.  He had seen me painting in

town for a long time.  He wanted to know where I was from.  I told him Bucksport.  Then

he asked if I lived there in the winter too?  I said yes.  Then he told me the location of

Willis.  Willis supposedly hangs out along a particular dock hoping for fish.  The lobsterman

feed him regularly.  Willis was no where to be found.  I spent a few hours calling his

name.  Nothing.  I guess I need fish next time. 

   While I was waiting for Willis to show up, I took many photos.  It was a beautiful day.

   This Boston Terrier rides on his master's lobsterboat, below, all day.  He was fun to

watch.  When they took off, the dog went below, but he did put his feet on the edge

of the boat to take one last look. 

   Two days ago, Dundee the orange Maine coon cat, didn't come home.  I was on the look

out for Dundee while I traveled around the waterfront.  I had talked to his owner who owns

the gift shop.  He said, "Dundee always had to be the center of attention.  He was not like

other cats not even as a kitten.  He is going to get himself into trouble someday.  He goes

into people's houses for food.  He likes to hang out around the post office because he knows

many people will pet him and talk with him.  He has been staying out overnight then coming

home very tired with his hair all messed up."   I told him if I saw Dundee, I would put him

in the car, bring him home, and tell him he was a naughty cat!   Dundee's owner laughed.

I was glad to see Dundee home today.  He looked exhausted.

    Luke is doing very well!  He has improved 300% said his owner Ted.  There is a bad virus

going around infecting dogs.  Bangor Daily News reported this virus came up from the South.

It causes fever, coughing, with respiratory issues.  Please be careful if you have a dog.  Luke

caught this infection.  Also another older Golden named Doug who frequents the same beach,

Sandy Point Beach, in Stockton Springs, caught this infection.  We are staying home.  We

can not have this virus infect the young puppies! 

    The puppies are beautiful!  Lily continues to be cleaning the puppies.  Robert reports

tonight watching Lily flipping them over cleaning them very dutifully.  He said she

could be a little more gentle.  She doesn't realize they are delicate.  The puppies

bark and make lots of noises when visited by Lily.  The boys seem to like Lily's cleaning

methods.  They are quiet and seem to be smiling. 

   Robert also caught Lily laying down with the puppies playing Mama doggy. 

   Thank you Camden Falls Gallery for selling two paintings yesterday!

"Stonington's Morning Light" 6x8 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thanks!

"Lupine View of Blue Hill" 6x8 oil on copper Sold.  Thanks!

"Grand Manan's Dark Harbor In Fog" 6x8 oil on copper.  Sold off my website today.

This painting will be traveling to Holland!  Thank you!

Have a good night.

"Stonington Dog Days Of Summer" 6x8 oil on copper 450$ framed in gold or black with gold or silver.

Shipped free.

     I decided to work on this painting last night using a computer image.  I admired this happy dog

riding in the front of the boat.  I was wrestling with the painting yesterday while they zoomed by. 

They made me smile.  In the distance the beautiful sail took my breath away.  Even though yesterday's

painting didn't work out, I saw an amazing scene, and took this photo to paint! 

   Here is a close up of the boat with dog and three people.  It was very hard painting

this because it was so small!  I think I achieved the feeling of speed. 

   I was curious what the seagulls would look like blown up. 

   I worked late on the painting.  I finally went to sleep.  This is the scene I saw

in the doggy nursery or Robert's room.  Lily was admiring the puppies.  She had her chin

on the edge of the baby pool.  A couple of puppies had crawled over to visit with their big

sister Lily.  Poppy was content nursing a few puppies.

   I could have pulled up a chair to watch the puppies too.

   Lily's fascination with the puppies is so sweet.  I hope Lily will have puppies of her own

someday.

   Clearly a couple of puppies are really enjoying Lily's company!

   Those puppies will be very clean!  Have a good night.  Happy Labor Day weekend.

    It is always a good idea to identify what was the problem when you have a painting disaster!

1.  Did you have a terrible design?  No. 

2.  Did you paint in a completely different style for some strange reason?  Yes.

3.  Did you have equipment failure?  No.

4.  Were you tired?  No.

5.  Were there distractions?  Noise?  Yes, semi trucks were running right next to me.

6.  Was your mind elsewhere?  Yes, I was thinking of poor Luke at the vet.  He was throwing

up all night.  His owner Ted was worried so took him to the vet.  Luke was getting fluids by IV.

They were doing xrays and bloodwork to determine the problem with Luke.

7.  Did you feel guilty about anything?  Yes, I left the 5 day old puppies in care of their doggy

Mom. 

8.  Was there any other problems with the painting?  I could not figure out what colors I was

seeing.  I was looking right into the sun.  With my sunglasses the sky looked green but without

my sunglasses the sky looked pink and the water looked orange.  It was so confusing I gave up.

I wiped off the painting.  I can reuse the copper panel.  I won't have to feel bad about the painting because

it is gone! 

   Look how cute the puppies are today!  This little boy is sleeping.  They have black toes and

their noses are turning too!

   They are all rolly polly!  Lily forgot who the Mother of the puppies was today.  She

was cleaning each one.  Poppy was standing along next to her.  I think Poppy might have

been grateful for the help.  Lily was using her nose to roll the pups over to wash the other

side.  Then she put her paw out and touched one lightly.  Not sure why.  I told her not to

do that.  She looked up at me with the sweetest face.  I told her, "Let's go out now."

    I really enjoy watching the puppies. 

    We all enjoyed watching Maisiey the 6 month old Corgi with Lily this morning.

   Maisiey took Monet for a walk on his leash.  Monet was fine with this.  He is very

good natured.  "What kind of crazy game is this?" said Monet.

    Please say a prayer for Luke.  Luke is Monet's Father, the red golden retriever. 

Have a good night.

   All eight puppies are doing great!  Poppy is a wonderful doggy Mother.  Lily is back

to checking and cleaning puppies.  Monet is still standoffish but delighted when a puppy

is put in front of him. He dutifully cleans the puppy and enthusiastically kisses them.

   Here is an example of one of Poppy's lunches!  She loves baked

sweet potato, sausages, and chicken thighs, goat milk powder, and

Blue buffalo chicken and brown rice puppy dried food.  Robert is still

cooking duck eggs every morning for all the dogs and maybe himself too!

At night they have what Poppy has for lunch.  Monet and Lily watch

Poppy eat her huge lunch with amazement.  She is feeding many pups!

   Poppy spends many hours laying with her puppies.  She also loves to venture around the

backyard, hunt in the wood pile, and swim at the beach every night. 

   Poppy was still guarded after Lily tried to steal a puppy a few days ago.  She let Lily

step into the bed and clean a few pups.  She was not thrilled about Lily.  Lily must have

learned her lesson.  "No stealing puppies.  Mom doesn't like that!"

   I thought Poppy was going to leap up and scold Lily but she stayed calm. 

    I need to venture out tomorrow!  I am not use to being homebound.  I have been cleaning

the house and cooking!  I am going to paint in Stonington later in the day and night tomorrow.

Have a good night.

"Good Night Stonington" 6x8 oil on copper 450$ framed in gold or framed in black with silver or gold.

Shipped free.

    I stayed home to paint from a computer image today.  Poppy had me very busy feeding her.  She wanted

goat's milk three times.  She had three lunches!  She ate human size portions of chicken thighs, sausages,

and two sweet potatoes.  She turned down apples and bananas.  I did get her to eat bowls of Blue buffalo chicken

with brown rice puppy dried food. 
  

   Then Poppy wanted to go outside most of the day!  She touches the door knob with her nose when she

wants to go out.  She was growling in the firewood stack.  I hoped she wasn't trying to hunt a chipmunk!

   When Robert came home Poppy decided she wanted to go to the beach too!  We talked about Poppy

going to the beach.  Was it too soon to leave the puppies?  Maybe she could go to the beach just for a minute or

two?   In the end, I drove Poppy all by herself, to the beach.  Robert drove Monet and Lily.  Poppy wanted to

swim in the ocean.  She wanted to freshen herself up after giving birth to puppies!  I should have known

what she wanted.  Poppy loves to be clean! 

   Lily and Poppy enjoyed a swim tonight.  Poppy decided it was time to go back to her pups!

"Take me home now please!"  She ran up the stairs to her puppies so quickly!  I towel dried

her off very well so the pups would not get chilled.

   Here is the slightly damp Poppy back with her puppies.  The puppies scurried all over her.

They were happy to see her.  They made little squeaking noises.  She responded by making

low little grunts back to them.  This morning Lily wasn't allowed by Poppy to visit the pups.

I guess last night's episode was too much for Poppy.  Lily tried to steal a puppy.  Monet

still stays out in the hallway to admire the pups.  Soon Poppy will relax. 

   Lily and her Father Monet waited for Robert to go to the beach.  They look and act so much

alike!

   One of the boys is spoken for already.  His name will be Tucker.  He

will enjoy an older Sister named Lady Edith/Lia who was from the first

litter of puppies Monet and Poppy had together.  The puppies should be

ready to go to new homes Oct 30.  They should be 8 weeks old, vet checked,

and have their first shots.  They are AKC papered.  They will cost 1500$ each.

    Have a wonderful night!

     The three day old golden retriever puppies are doing great!  Here is one of the little boys.

They are all very happy and content during the day.  At night squealing can be heard once 

in a while.   Robert slept downstairs to catch up on sleep!

 I was on puppy duty last night.  I pulled puppies

 out from behind Poppy, out of a fold of a blanket, and showed one back to

 her Mom when she went too far away in the baby pool.  They are all

very hearty looking puppies.  Lily and Monet continue to be curious about the puppies.

   About five times today I let Lily and Monet in to visit.  Monet stayed next to me the whole

time.  Lily walked into the baby pool and cleaned puppies.  I held one boy puppy up for Monet

to inspect.  He cleaned the little boy.  Monet's tail was wagging.  When I put the puppy back,

Monet gave me a giant lick on my cheek, he was thankful for the visit.  He is keeping his distance

so Poppy doesn't get too upset with him. 

    They are all very sweet.

   Lily was very brave during tonight's short visit with Poppy and the puppies.  Lily tried

to steal one of the pups!  She tried to grab the puppy's neck so she could take him downstairs!

We told her, "No!" quietly.  She was being gentle about this but we told her to go out anyway.

    I spent a few hours this afternoon feeding Poppy chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, and many

bowls of goat's milk.  She went outside many times. 

   Everything is going well!  We will catch up on our sleep.  I ordered puppy Velcro identity

collars for the puppies.  I decided to nickname each girl after a flower:  Gardenia, Freesia,

Daffodil, Dahlia, Iris, Sunflower, and Tulip.  The two boys will be nicknamed:  Vincent and

Sargent. 

    Good night!