She Turned My Life Upside Down...But I Love It

"Ohhhh I thought love was only true in Fairy Tales and for someone else but not for me.  Oh love was out to get me that's the way it seemed and disappointment haunted all my dreams.  Then I saw her face now I'm a believer I couldn't leave her if I tried"...

The Story of Jessie Belle and Enzo Biscotti

I remember the date like it was yesterday it was a snowy day on November 30, 2011 I had just celebrated my 1st birthday when I joined a new online "social club" called Doggyspace.  There were so many pretty girls there it made my Golden head spin.  Being the handsome eligible bachelor that I was I started looking real close at all these lovely ladies.  Then suddenly this beautiful Border Collie mix with a sweet southern accent poked her head around the corner and smiled at me! Well that smile made me feel all light like I was floating about in space!  I couldn't sleep because all I could think about was this sweet southern Belle by the name of Jessie Belle.  She was on my mind during the day and all night.  I could not get her out of my head or my heart.  I had to think about what to do this was an incredibly big decision to ask a lovely young lady to be your "forever" girl.  So I waited and waited and waited and hoped that she would want me as her "forever" guy.  I turned 2 years old on November 27, 2012 and on November 29th I politely asked "Miss" Jessie if she would be my girl.  I was so nervous I carried my collar around and shook my toys while I awaited an answer.  I received that answer the next day on November 30th.  I sat at the computer and stared at her message that she had sent me.  I read it very slowly...It said Yes Enzo I would love to be your Forever Girl!  I jumped up and ran around the room...she said Yes, she said Yes!!!  That day was the happiest day of my life! 

Now came the tough part I am a mountain guy and she is a beach gal.  We are worlds apart and I didn't speak "southern"!  I was literally in a tizzy.  What do I do now!  I have a girl and I am to scared to talk to her!  I consulted with some of my "guy" friends on Doggyspace who told me Enzo if you can't talk to her then you will have to show her how you feel about her.  Hmm...I thought and pondered about how to show a girl how much you care about her.  Then it hit me!  I put on my best dressy tie to make a trip to the jewelry store and spent my cookie money on a pink promise collar with a big sparkly stone in it to send to Miss Jessie. 

Then I worried for days about what she would think about the promise collar...

Well in a few days I received a message from Miss Jessie saying how much she loved the collar and then I knew I had a companion for life.  She is my very best friend, my confidant, my girl.  Together we created and opened Enzo's Garage and Race Shop.  Later we planted a garden for her to plant her flowers.  I also built a picnic area with a BBQ so she could create her wonderful culinary creations to serve to the clients at the garage.  We have exchanged gifts and cards throughout the years and are the best of friends.  My nickname for her is Sweet Pea so every year she sends me "Spring" in the form of Sweet Pea seeds since Spring comes so late on the mountain. This is the kind of girl Miss Jessie is, kind, funny and loving.

So on November 30th this year we will be celebrating 6 wonderful years of friendship.  For those of you that are wondering there are no plans for a marriage between us.  We live miles apart and this way we are free to talk to other "guys" and/or "gals".  But we will always be a couple because Miss Jessie stole my heart and forgot to give it back.  And truthfully I don't want it back as it belongs to her. 

"You are in my heart, your in my soul, you'll be my breath should I grow old...your in my soul"

The Mountain Dogs Tackle A 14 Teener

It was a beautiful bluebird sort of day when Shyla, R, Molly, Maya and Enzo set out to climb the highest peak in the state.  They checked their packs making sure that they had all of the essentials for their trip up the mountain.  Enzo glanced over at the youngest member of their climbing party, Miss Molly who was completely inside of her pack with her head out and eating what appeared to be kibble!  Miss Molly I hope that you don't get hungry on our adventure because I think you just ate your rations for the trip.  Molly's eyes were huge as she licked her lips and her pack nearly fell over with the force of her butt wiggle!  But Enzo I was hungry now, right now I just want to run, play and explore the mountain.  Well alright I think I have some extra kibble just in case you need it.  Miss Shyla the most experienced of the expedition said to Enzo I think we had better get on the trail so we reach the summit before morning.  Yes Shyla I believe you are correct about the time.  Enzo shivered at the thought of hiking in under the cover of darkness and what may be lurking behind every rock.  He unzipped the small pocket of his pack and made sure that he packed his Binky just in case they ran into an unfriendly bruin.  He decided that you should never venture into the outdoors without a Binky or two besides maybe one of your friends might need a Binky too and he was polite enough to share.  He looked at his group of high altitude mountain friends and smiled to himself.  There was lovely Miss Molly who was frantically throwing things back into her pack while still being distracted by a bumble bee that was flying around the sub alpine flowers.  Miss Shyla was neat, tidy, organized and her chocolate colored coat gleamed elegantly in the mid morning sun.  She was soft spoken and smart.  Enzo had grown to trust her judgement as well as admire her intelligence.  He adored Shyla's brother R who right now was busy chasing butterflies with Molly.  He thought those two made a cute couple as he almost broke out laughing when he realized he was playing the part of a canine matchmaker!  A black lab and an Aussie now that is a pair!  Then he looked over at the matriarch of the expedition who was laying quietly on the ground beside Enzo.  Miss Maya thank you for coming with us on this adventure for we need your experience on the trail.  Enzo thought to himself, whew, I am sure glad that we have Miss Maya and Miss Shyla to lead the way because he knew that he had a terrible sense of direction and even got hopelessly lost in a corn field one time.  He was embarrassed to think that he needed to call on the Angels from the Bridge to help him find his way out!  He was still thankful that Judge Foley was not out partying that fateful day and was able to take his distress call!  

Miss Shyla stood up, stretched and barked ok troops it is time to hit the trail so put on your packs and we will head up the mountain.  They headed out almost in perfect cadence, nose to tail along the winding sub alpine trail lined with flowers and small pine trees.  Enzo sniffed the air and could smell the light scent of a small mountain stream, twisting and turning into the valley below.  The air was filled with delightful smells of deer, elk and squirrels.  WAIT...SQUIRREL!!!!!!  He felt a dog paw slap his butt and R who was right behind said stay on track Enzo no squirrel chasing today!  Oh phooey thought Enzo that takes all the fun out of it!

They walked and climbed for a really long time winding around rocks and through lovely fields of alpine flowers.  Shyla stopped and sniffed the air and turned to Miss Maya do you smell that?  Yes said Miss Maya and don't let Enzo get a whiff of it or he will need his Binky.  Miss Shyla laughed at the thought of her big Golden friend with a Binky shaped like human lips stuck in his mouth for the duration of the trip because he smelled a bear!  Maya and Shyla smiled at each other with the same thought that Enzo was big enough to pass himself off as a little bear cub!  But suddenly there was the big bruin grazing in the meadow beside them rolling over rocks to hunt for grubs and other tasty little insects. Enzo looked over and shivered.  He quickly hid behind Maya and keep his eyes glued on the bear.  Remembering his commands from obedience school he softly whispered in the direction of the bear, sit, stay, on by and a new one "go away bear"!!!  At that Shyla could no longer contain herself from laughter at her silly friend and unzipped his pack and stuck a Binky in his mouth.  Maya took the string and attached it to Enzo's collar so he couldn't lose it along the way.  The way she figured it the worst thing ever was to have a big dog on a mountain climbing expedition that is terrified of bears and loses his Binky!  

The sun was slowly beginning to recede below the horizon and the air turned crisp and the four friends were beginning to feel hungry and thirsty.  Miss Maya turned and told the happy wanderers that this was going to be where they camped for the night.  They had plenty of shelter among the boulders and and a small stream was nearby for water.  Enzo and R helped the ladies pitch their tents and lay out their sleeping bags.  Then Shyla went through all their provisions and set out bowls of kibble for everyone.  Miss Molly looked very worried that maybe she should not have eaten her kibble before the trip but was pleasantly surprised at the generosity of her friends as they carefully divided their kibble with her.  They ate in silence and then took a group trip to the creek for a long drink of water that somehow broke out into a game of tag!  They ran and played until they had no choice other than to crawl into their sleeping bags and fall into a deep sleep for the night.  The morning light lit up the sides of their tents in a deep rose color that sparkled on the mountain stream.  Enzo came out of the tent and looked at the beautiful sight that unfolded in front of him and had awoken the birds who sang a serenade in C for the lone hikers.  Enzo looked down into the valley and then to the summit of the mountain and whispered to himself...An angel robed in spotless white, bent down and kissed the sleeping night, the night awoke to blush the sprite was gone, men saw the blush and called it dawn...  It was indeed a beautiful sight but it made him wish that Miss Jessie was there to enjoy the view with him.  But he knew that she was safe on the island with her parents and brother Roscoe a long ways away from the bears...shiver.  

After splitting up the last of the kibble and sharing cookies the brave mountaineers started up the last trek of their journey involving steep traverses across boulder fields and loose shale.  The summit was not that far away but it seemed like hours before they reached the top.  They walked and walked until their paws hurt but the fearless four kept on trekking.  Suddenly they reached the end of the trail and everyone was left breathless including in a literal sense!  As they gazed north, south, east and west.  Wow what a sight they all said at once!  And in the words of CW McCall "My isn't pretty up here"!  The four friends stood in awe for many minutes soaking up every bit of the solitude that the mountain had to offer.  Then R turned to the group and said wait right here I have something to leave that will show the humans that us doggies were standing right here on top of the world and we did it without any fancy technology or human stuff but just plain doggy sense.  He reached into his pack and pulled out a very small flag so they did not leave such a large impact on the environment.  He carefully dug a small hole and placed the flag with a paw print and the four names of his friends on the top of the mountain.  He smiled and said now they will know that we were here.  The friends stood paw in paw and gazed at R's flag knowing that someday someone would write about their amazing accomplishment about the dogs that tackled and won the 14 teener.

Golden Kisses, 
Enzo 

Binkies And Bears

I admit it I am addicted to Binkies!  I found my first Binky in the church parking lot when I was around 2 years old and thought that was great fun to carry around.  This was in the summer and very soon after I met my first bear, nose to nose in our yard!  I was certain there was some sort of connection between the Binky and meeting the big bruin that didn't want to be my friend!  So ever since that day I have wanted my Binky when I smell bears in the yard.  Binkies are the best for emergency bear comfort.  My Mom has posted a lot of photos of me on the human site called Facebook with my Binky so my Doggyspace friends have mailed me a lot of new ones over the years.  I now have a big collection of Binkies including "lips", pink bears, a Binky Dog, a Binky Duck and even a Binky on a string that attaches to my collar when I go on Bear Patrol which is pretty much all summer and fall here on the mountain.

So I just want to say thank you to all of my friends who have supported my Binky addiction all of these years and in the meantime I am going to call a Binky support group at 1-NOB-INKY!  Some day I just might be Binky free!!! 

Hmm....Will any of you still recognize me without my Binky? 

Golden Kisses From The Mountain,
Enzo

On The Farm Raising Kane

Enzo its time to get up!  Enzo opened his eyes and blinked, why its still dark outside we should still be asleep Kane.  Kane barked loudly in Enzo's ear you are a farm dog today and we have chores to do.  A farmers work starts before the sun comes up and doesn't end until the sun sets.  Enzo yawned and stretched and wandered out in the kitchen where Kane's dad had set a bowl of kibble down for Enzo and Kane.  They both emptied their bowls in record time and set out at a run to the fields to start the chores.  First they checked out all the farm equipment making sure that it was all in the proper order and no varmints were hiding there.  Then it was off to the barn to chase the mice out so they would not eat the grain.  Then the next task at hand, Enzo thought was pretty fun since he was a bird dog and that was to chase the pheasants back into the field where they belonged.  Although this seemed a  little backwards to Enzo since he was trained to bring pheasants back it seemed odd to chase them away.  But he obediently did what Kane asked him to do since after all he was a guest on Kane's farm and he made sure that he was a polite guest.  In the distance Enzo watched as Kane's dad drove the tractor in what seemed to him "driving in circles" making furrows into the dusty earth.  Attached to the tractor was something he thought looked like a plow.  Kane caught the quizzical look and said yes Enzo that is a plow.  Dad is getting the ground ready to plant crops.  What is he going to plant asked Enzo.  This time it is wheat, the winter wheat has already been harvested and gone to market so it is time to plant more.  Do you grow toe-maters and taters on your farm asked Enzo?  Toe-Maters asked Kane?  What is that?  Enzo pawed at the ground and said thats what my mom calls tomatoes.  You know that round red fruit that humans put on hamburgers! (Yummmm....Hamburgers...drool fell lightly from both dogs at the mention of hamburgers)!  Yes said Kane I know what you are talking about now!  Come with me and I will show you.  We don't grow them as a crop but just in a small garden, with beans, peas, squash, carrots (ewww...Enzo whispered to Kane, don't tell my mom that you grow carrots, because she can't stand carrots)!  Kane smiled and told Enzo don't worry I won't say a word not even to my dad!  Enzo looked carefully at the beautiful garden with all the vegetables growing then it occurred to Enzo that Kane's garden wasn't in a "box" (a greenhouse) like his garden on the mountain.  Kane how come you don't need a greenhouse for your garden like I do?  Kane puzzled over this one but he said we will ask my dad tonight when he is done plowing.  Do you want to see our potato plants?  Yes said Enzo thinking about his own tater patch that he has planted every year since he was 2.  Kane proudly showed Enzo their potatoes and Enzo's eyes were huge!  The plants were over 2 feet tall and it was only early June.  How did you get them so big?!  Mine are only just coming up and my tomatoes are just baby plants.  Kane suddenly got it!  It has to do with the altitude that you live at Enzo.  You are way up high on the mountain and we are what you call lowlanders.  Our growing season is much longer than yours and summer starts much sooner so our veggies get a head start on yours!  So the mountain is not very good for growing good things to eat, at that thought Enzo looked sad.  Kane said Enzo your mountain has many things that the plains don't.  You can fish, camp and play in the woods.  You have beautiful scenery, mountain streams and very few humans.  Besides you can still grow your garden in a "box"!  Enzo thought for a moment about all the beauty of the mountain but then took another look at Kane's farm.  Beautiful gardens with flowers and veggies.  Flat beautiful landscape where you could see for miles filled with pheasants to play with and even better with the company of his good friend Kane.  

That evening after a big meal Kane, his dad and Enzo sat down in the living room, their eyes heavy from a long days work.  Somewhere there was the sound of a clock ticking and both Kane and Enzo were enjoying the gentle ear rubs from Kane's dad.  Enzo yawned and thought yes life on a farm is good and was so grateful to his friend Kane for inviting him for a visit.  Enzo started to fall asleep but as he did he thought to himself I wonder if I would make a good farm dog?