posing on the beach

All prettied up in her Old Navy doggie duds, Bella was quite the picture posing on the beach. Amazingly, she tolerated being dressed like a little doll very well - no verbal complaints, barks, howls, etc. (Yes, she talks).

Now she and Murphy are spending their last night at the lake, resting up for the 24 hour drive back to Colorado and their fenced-in back yard. No more running around the big yard. No more swimming in the lake. No more chasing the dogs next door. No more kisses for Nana and Poppy. We're so sad...

ho ho ho?

We are located in the Finger Lakes area of New York and our weather can be spectacularly gorgeous or spectacularly terrible -- sometimes both in a 24 hour period. We've already had snow in the air and on the ground. We've had a couple of hard freezes and the leaves are mostly off the trees.

For the last few days, however, we've been having summer weather - blue skies, temps in the lower 70's and a need to turn on the air conditioning at the store (black ceiling, lots of lights -- it gets HOT fast).

But the kicker is that we need to be decorated for the holidays -- the semi-annual Art Walk starts tomorrow afternoon and goes through the weekend. So the trees are up and lit, the red glass ornaments are shining throughout the store and Joolie, our inanimate shop dog, is wearing her holiday bow. However, I just could not start playing the holiday music yet - Michael Buble crooning on the iPod was as close as I could get. Am I nuts, or did the kids trick or treat less than a week ago?

how much is that doggie in the window?

It was unanimous. Not one single person I told could believe I was getting a dog. But I had finally found the perfect dog...no barking, no shedding, no jumping, no growling, no chewing, no slobbering, no "accidents." Most of my friends are dog people. Now I was going to be one, too!

I placed my order and was told that my dog was on backorder. Darn! I was ready to take the plunge. But I had to wait about 3 weeks for my dog to be delivered. Finally....today...it arrived. And I think it's perfect. Notice that it is an "it." I have been referring to it as a he, but I think I want it to be a she. After all, I do sell jewelry for women, and "she" could be a great model for some fabulous joolz.

I've placed her in the front window of the shop and I'm sure she'll draw some attention. (The photo above is her catalog glamour shot). She's a "dalmation" with black and white spots made from decoupaged playing cards. (If you visit our website (http://www.shopjoolz.com/), you can see that the decor of the shop is black and white with pops of vibrant contemporary art).

So now she needs a name. Suggestions are welcome, but as her owner, I do have veto power. And if you ask, "how much is that doggie in the window?" - I'll just have to say "she's priceless!"