Happy New Year!

It was a good year, but the next one will be a thousand times better!!! It cannot be otherwise!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and best wishes to all our friends and family!

Sort of formal with the pug.

That would be the last portrait for this year. Too bad I cannot paint. Probably that's one of the reasons why I do photography.

I think I need a red dress for the next one...

Tiny sad Santa

We were making Xmas card today. Alfred doesn't make the happiest Santa, I should admit. But hey! He's the pug!!!

Informal with the pug

New apartment has a potential that  needs to be explored. If only I had time.

Friday pug

Lady with the pug

I have to photograph friends more often. I feel like I'm missing so many moments. I don't even notice behind my daily routine how fast time goes by. So fast it scares me.
This picture of Julia was taken in July. Fruit of rare but most welcome visit, I do love it.

Thanks for being patient with me, girls. I'll try to catch up.

Lichtenstein pug

Well, actually he didn't have any artwork including pugs. I thought I might fix that. So, here is my take on pop art style.  I'm thinking about printing it poster size. Alfred will look cool on my wall.

Informal with the pug

Because my father asked me to send him a picture:)

Who's the Birthday Boy?

Alfred is! Our little monkey is 2 years old today!  

Pug for Tally

Hey!
I'm sorry to make you cry. Truth to be told, I made myself cry.
But all the stories are ought to be told, and it was time for me to tell that one:)
To cheer you up here is a pug for you!

Orbis vitae

     More than 15 years ago I bought a rubber ball for our dog.
He loved these balls. He would play with one for days very carefully, then at some point just squeeze hard and poke a hole in it. After that, the ball was doomed and destroyed in a matter of hours, and I would go and get him a new one, because I loved to see him happy. And he was always happy to see a new ball in my hands! That's the magic of a rubber ball.
     He passed before he had time to destroy this one.
Cheap rubber ball with dead dog's teeth marks traveled to Canada with me. It was hidden in a drawer all these years, and once in a while  I would take it out, roll it across the room, and think about Gin (short for Imagination - why on Earth I named my dog Imagination? I have no idea. I didn't even speak English back in Russia!).
     He was a good dog. He was part of our family. He was the friendliest and smartest dog ever. When we lost him, I thought I would never have a dog again. I kept his rubber ball.
     And then, more than 15  years later, here was Alfred. Unsure of his new situation, he was very timid and quiet at first. Didn't know how to play with the toys I got him. One day, desperately wanting to cheer him up,  I took out Gin's old rubber ball and rolled it across the floor.
     Alfred run after it and was happily chasing and bouncing it around the room. Rubber ball still have that magic inside. At this moment I cried.
     It became one of Alfred favorites. He fishes it out of his toy basket, brings it to me and smashes it into my calves, inviting me to play.
     At some point he squeezed hard and poked a hole in it. Someday  he will destroy it and I would go and get him a new one.
     The circle of life.

That's what we looked like in that other life:

Hot days

Alfred follows me around the apartment and as soon as I sit down he collapses at my feet. He also learned to jump into a bathtub and whine until I pour some water in, so he could play a bit and cool himself off.I need to get him a rubber duck:)

One classy pug

Informal with the Pug

Because we have a new chair.

Gotcha Day

A year ago while looking for a pug to adopt, I saw that picture on KIJIJI, replied to the ad and on the same day we brought home Alfred.  He still have a thing for dishwasher...

It's hard to remember what was the life like before him. I cannot imagine now waking up and not to be greeted by wiggly - snorting - nose licking funny dog. Snoring on my lap while I type this, he has no idea that he changed my life for better a year ago:)

Pug in a suitcase

Seems that he likes his new bed.

Pug in red

Because we are that artsy.

Little pug in a big world

Self in blue

Why I shoot so many self-portraits? Because I'm the person I know best. And let's face it, I spend most of the time alone.

Even though you can never be alone when you have a pug. He has no concept of personal space and I have troubles of teaching him that:))))

Whosdagoodboy?

I'm sure this is what Alfred hears when I'm talking to him.... Will he ever find out who is the good boy?

For the love of teal

Sometimes (not always) I find Alfred sitting on my furniture when he thinks I'm not looking. Which is quite funny. He makes that "I'm sorry" face, gets off and runs to me wagging his tail:)
Usually I reprimand such behavior, trying very hard not to laugh. But in this case I could not help, but take a cute picture.

One of our family dogs had a habit of  laying on the dining table so he could look at the window when left home alone.  The other one was sleeping on the couch secretly (so he thought:)  I'm starting to compare Alfred to them, and I do find a lot of similar problems... I have to think about it some more...

Informal with the pug

Hide and seek

Few days ago Alfred went to the vet to complete his yearly vaccination. He was not trilled  by this visit at all, put up a struggle (I know now that it takes 4 persons to draw blood from a pug) and complained very loudly about everything... Despite his foul mood he received all his shots, was given a clean bill of health and off the hook for a year.
Back at home I sat working for a few hours, and then realized that Alfred is not under my work table. And not in the room at all.
He does sleep in his bed or kennel sometimes when I'm busy, so I went to the living room to check on him. He was not there.
I checked bedroom and kitchen - no pug. The only place left was the bathroom. Almost closed door revealed this:

That was so sad, I almost cried. Which obviously didn't stop me from taking the picture first and hugging the pug next.
He is not mad at me anymore.

Informal with the pug

Mostly because I feel like it

I'm 40. Deal with it.

happy birthday to me

At some point I stopped liking my birthdays, as many people do when they getting older. Last year was pretty bad. All I wanted was to close the curtains, crawl under the blanket and stay like that for a week.
Today  however, I made peace with my birthday. I liked it even. I decided not to sulk, talked to my family in Moscow,  admired awesome gifts my friends got me and was perfectly content to spend a day in Alfred's company.
And then I got flowers. My amazing family arranged delivery and surprised me with a huge bouquet of roses and there was a cute Teddy bear attached to it! This made my day!

Alfred got jealous a bit and tried to steal my Teddy 3 times, so I had to put it away:)
At the end of the day I was really happy that I have a loving husband, wonderful family and so many dear friends!
And of course Alfred. Actually, I think he might be a reason for the sudden end of my birthday blues. And my blues  in general. Owning a dog does make me mellow and happy:)

What?

High key pug

I'm getting ahold on the whole high key thing. 

Alfred The Pug helped me paint the chair and table, so he's the one to sit there first. Looking good. He expressed interest in the porcelain pug, barked at it and tried to play. Porcelain pug did not respond, just sat there...

Valentine pug

What could be more lovely then a pug?

Probably two pugs...Hmmm..

All things pug

He definitely knows how to pose now:) Even if he's sitting under the kitchen table...

We are still here

I was absent from the blog for a while due to some family matters. This is too sad to talk about, so I wont.

Instead I'll wish happy 65th birthday to my aunt Nadejda. I wish her a good health and strength, patience and calm. I think she needs this the most!