. . . Perhaps she was thinking about her younger sisters ZuZu and Ginger and wondering where in the heck they got all of that energy to run and chase each other with abandon through the snow.

On this day, however, Paczki was giving Ginger the stare down, and those of us who have canines know what this means. Paczki's tail is at full mast, and if only Ginger would turn and lock eyes, then the fun could begin. A short time after this was captured, that's exactly what happened . . .

. . . They had gathered under the shade to rest for a spell, so I rounded them up for a quick pic. My wife is the one who usually does the sitting and staying for our portrait photos, but since she was away for a while, I used a shorter lens and tried to get them to pose on my own.

. . . through the years you've brought smiles to over 800 patients at the local hospital, and you've been there for so many special needs kids to read to you during the Reading to Rover program. You and your Mommy are special angels for all that you do for others. Happy birthday, and here's to many more!

The girls love being outside in the summer, and you can see from this image that they are pretty content indeed. We enjoy growing wildflowers in the back, especially patches for butterflies and hummingbird, and these make for some beautiful backgrounds when we can get the girls to cooperate . . .

When the sun is soft in the west, and the flowers and grasses are in full bloom, it makes for a beautiful setting if the girls will cooperate . . .

Lately we have a new game she loves: catching the squeaky green ball. When ready, she'll turn to trot and we'll toss the ball way up in the air away from us. When she sees the ball in her peripheral, she'll figure out where it will land and then she'll run and sometimes jump up to grab it on the first bounce (or two, depending on how good we throw it!).

So even though it is the height of summer, the joy expressed in this image is perfect for her birthday greeting. Happy 4th birthday Ginger! And please don't ever change . . .

. . . and one of her favorite things to do, right after a fresh snowfall, is to meander over to a spot where the snow has been untouched, paw a little of the snow away and plop down and make snow angels. After a couple of sessions of snow angels, she's up, looks around for her sisters (with maybe a stare down) and they start running and chasing each other around with the snow flying creating diamonds in the cold morning air.

When we think of Paczki, this is one of the images that really reflects what we see. A beautiful smiling face and content eyes. No wonder she is a beloved therapy dog, and patients at the hospital just love to see her, and collect her card as well . . .