My parents' gorgeous three-year-old pit bull, Mara, aka Mars Bar, is putting up a good fight against mast cell cancer. Known at the vet's as "Miss Happiness," they can stick her with needles, isolate her in a crate and do surgery on her and she's still the happiest and friendliest dog anyone's ever seen. Every single dog and cat is her new play pal. Each human is her new best friend. She's gone through two surgeries and when it's all over we're going to celebrate with some Mara-garitas!

I'm kind of ashamed that I've been hiding these gorgeous photos of Bonnie for months! So I finally got around to posting them today. They were taken on a beautiful April afternoon in a park that has lots of sticks - her favorite!

And then decided to just lie there and not look at me. As if I had no idea that she was also about to tear the ball to pieces, but only after carefully prying off the furry outer piece.

The Yuba River is this secret little spot about an hour from Tahoe, down in the foothills where the sun shines brightly, the water is turquoise and the huge boulders glow blindingly white. In other words, it's a little piece of heaven when you've just about had it with winter. Despite having a great time going snowboarding and cross country skiing in Tahoe, this day of warmth and water was just what my awesome friend Sam, her dog Ziggy, and I needed. Now we just need some spring here on the East Coast.

There went my big plans to a) use the big snowstorm to test out my snowshoes, or b) go on a long hike with Bon because the temps were in the 50s. A: we didn't get a big snowstorm around DC - only further south or further north. B: it rained all weekend. I miss the Rockies.

So instead Bon and Moby (pictured) and I caught up on "Pit Bulls and Parolees" - only one of the BEST shows on TV (and why I justify spending hours upon hours on the couch). The dogs really love it, too, but then again, my combined family has three Pits and a crazy cattle dog who only knows Pits. And they're all rescues, so of course we're all big fans. And of course, I cry every episode.

Somebody decided to get bathed, brushed, and all dressed up, and beg to have a Christmas Eve photo shoot.

Happy holidays. XO, Em and Bon

The other night I was walking Bonnie, who found a tiny bit of what was once a stick, but now was just a couple inches of a barely-there twig. But she totally digs the twigs. And I can see why – there you are doing your business and sniffing around, and oh my god – a STICK! Time for fetch! I threw it a few times, but we eventually lost it. It was nighttime after all. So then she looks up and sees a tree we see every day, which on every other day has just been a tree. Today, however, it is full of STICKS! She starts jumping up, standing on her hind legs (one day if she’s not careful I’m selling her to the circus), and going crazy for all the sticks that she can see, but not reach. So I find another little bit of a stick on the ground and toss it again. The next day it was just a tree.

Take one amazing cattle dog who after a weekend with three pits thinks they’re pretty darn cool (Bonnie); one rescued-from-the-streets-of-Richmond lovebug (Ella); and add one giant goofball with a huge smile, the softest ears ever and some mad cuddle skills (Moby); and one sweet and silly brindle babe who thinks she’s a lapdog (Mara). That equals a better-than-reality-show event not to be missed. From left to right, the four rescues: Moby, Ella, Mara and Bonnie. Moby and Mara and the newest members of the pack, recently adopted and literally saved from death by days by my inspiring parents. Anyone scared of pit bulls should think again. These guys have learned to heel and sit in two weeks, they cuddle with the best of them and they sneak kisses almost as much as they melt hearts

This winter I’ve noticed that the lift-served snowboarding just isn’t cutting it. Maybe it’s because Tahoe ski resorts are more crowded and have less trees than Telluride, or maybe it’s that I lack ski buddies so when I go, I seek more of a solitary time with nature than a party on the mountain. But the snowboarding these days just isn’t filling my need for nature. So I’ve taken to going hiking at Boca Reservoir, which sometimes is more like postholing (especially for the dog), but it’s a great spot for hiking, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing – and there are bald eagles there! Supposedly. At least, I saw one flying over I-80 the other day and heard that they nest near the reservoir, but I’ve yet to see one there thus far.