This year, I kept it simple.

Before bedtime, I burrowed under the covers and called for my Daisy. I made sure I didn’t have any limbs or toes sticking out under the blankets.

“Where’s Mommy?!?! Mommy disappeared!”

The dog kept sniffing until she burrowed under the covers next to me.

When she pushed her muzzle into my face, I said: “April Fools!”

“Sit.”

And that was a challenge for my Daisy. She knows sitting is her way of saying so many things.

“Yes.” “Please.” “More kibble.” “More wine.” “Throw my Toy.”

It took her three tries to squat into a sitting position and it looked uncomfortable. Daisy still had enough vim to chase squirrels and ghosts in the backyard. But she also had trouble jumping on to the couch (she loves doing that) and she took more naps.

Time to take her to the vet.

Daisy’s doctor took some X-rays and showed us why she would never be serious contender for “Best-in-Show.” The black-and-white images shows one leg bone is shorter than the other. We finally have proof that she runs with a permanent limp. I suppose she would fit in with any hip hop/rap video with her gimpy stride. Just call her a playa. She’ll answer if you call for her in a high-pitched voice.

So – we think she may have strained something when it came to chasing critters on the trail. Daisy’s doctor gave us some herbal pills for her leg/bum pain. He also said she needed a break from running and walking. She hated it when I left her behind for my walk/run along Alamo Creek, but she needed the rest.

After the pills, Daisy’s jumping back on the couch and bed with no problems. She’s also sitting again.

Hopefully, we’ll be able to take her on a walk to celebrate the weekend of Spring.

Not only is she a wonderful source of warmth, she makes me feel special as we cuddle. It’s nice to wake-up in the middle of the night and feel her chin on my shin.

I wonder if she missed me. One thing that put a smile on my face – this adorable promo for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Before the run: She’s a furry ball of energy when she sees me in my running pants and tiny socks. After the run, she gives me this look: “What part of “lap dog” don’t you understand?” I know cocker spaniels are typically pampered pets, but Daisy has energy to burn. Plus – she has the sad look on her face when I leave her behind for longer runs.

Here’s how we did. Thanks to Nike+ – the Twitterverse knows exactly how many minutes it takes us to finish a mile.

While I’m pounding the pavement to CSS, Freezpop and Lily Allen, sometimes I imagine I can hear what’s going on in my puppy’s head…

Taking mommy for her run.
Taking mommy for her run.
Sniff. Pine needles. Check.
Sniff. Dead leaves. Check.
Sniff. Old people walking. Pass. No threat.
Sniff. SQUIRRELS!!!!!! Must catch them all. Mommy feels so damn heavy. Such a fat bitch. Come on….just let me go Mommy. Let me go!

Then repeat. Crazy Daisy.

In the meantime, who’s ready for Puppy Bowl VI?!?!?! We’re baking beer bread and cooking chili for the big game. I’m rooting for the tiny runts in the litter.

She’s small, light and oh so expandable with some sexy SD cards. Plus – she shoots in HD. I shot this video of my puppy with the Zi8. Daisy doesn’t need any help looking good, but with this camera, she’s gorgeous.

Playing Outside from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

I’m also dubbing this camera as the Flip-killer.

I still love my cute white camera. ABC News used some of my crazy Kansas weather that was shot with this camera.

Now – I need to upgrade.

I know Flip has its own HD version. However, the Kodak Zi8 is so wonderfully expandable. I love being able to shoot more hours of HD goodness with those SD cards. Plus, this camera has a port for an external mic. Joy! I can finally shoot some kick-ass interviews with this camera. I can shoot some wicked concerts and record some amazing music with this camera.

Who knows, maybe I can launch a really cool project with this camera.

We’ll see.

Check out my puppy – up way past her bed time on the first day of 2010.

My Daisy was trying to be a good host….waiting for us to finish playing Chinese Checkers with our friends. We were up past 2 AM – moving the pastel-colored marbles to the other side of the board.

Last month, I couldn’t imagine being able to stay-up that late. Last year – My bed time was around sundown. I started reading AP headlines, searching for AP video and listening to police chases on the scanner at around 2 AM inside the newsroom.

Now, I’m falling asleep with my hubby and puppy.

But I’m still waking up before dawn. Today – I woke up around 4 AM with too many thoughts rattling around my head. It didn’t seem right to be lounging about in bed when I could be doing something productive.

I kept paraphrasing a line from Glengarry Glen Ross: “Sleep is for closers.”

What is wrong with me?

I couldn’t answer that question. Instead – I turned on a light in the living room and wrapped myself up in my snuggie. I started reading the fourth chapter of “Wild Sheep Chase.”

I finished up the chapter.
I closed the book.
ABC – Always Be Closing

Good times.

Merry Christmas!

We’re at the tail-end of t-shirt weather and the trees are starting to change color in Vacaville and Sacramento. There’s Daisy peaking out behind our shed in the backyard. Folks in my newsroom say I need to check out the trees in Apple Hill. I’m also trying to visit the cornfield maze in Dixon.

It’s nice to enjoy the changing seasons without the cooler temperatures.

My hubby keeps telling me that these signs of fall do not compare to the autumn foliage in New England and other parts of the East Coast. I’ll check it out some day.

I just checked my work schedule for next month. I’m so happy to get Thanksgiving off! It’s the first time we’ll be able to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family in So Cal since I started working in TV news. Yah!

Her painful story started Thursday afternoon. She kept licking her front right paw. In the past, she’s been quite good about chewing out the burrs and foxtails from her paws. In fact, she prefers to do it herself instead of letting her humans take a whack. She’s such an independent puppy.

On Friday, I canceled her grooming appointment and dropped by the Vet at Pet Smart. The vet’s office required a full canine exam. That means the medical assistant checked out her heart rate, ears, eyes and then he stuck a thermometer up her butt. Poor Daisy, she hates that part of the exam.

I told the Pet Smart doctor that this has happened before back in Topeka. He decided to shave-off the hair from her bottom paw and see if anything was stuck up there. He couldn’t find anything. He prescribed an ear ointment and topical spray for her pain. He claimed the ear ointment could be used on other stuff, like inflamed paws. OK. He said we needed to apply both meds, two times per day and each dosage separated by at least an hour.

No problem with my graveyard schedule and Mark driving an hour+ to Berkeley. Still we knew it was worth it. She’s our Daisy and we wanted her to get better.

Friday night, we did applied both meds to her paw and it looked like she enjoyed the taste of the drugs. I also think she just couldn’t help licking the painful paw. On Saturday morning, I applied the spray again to her paw while she was sleeping in bed with Mark. I think that woke her up.

When I got home from work, I noticed she gnawed off some hair from the FRONT side of her paw. Mark and I agreed things got worse for the puppy. We knew she was making it worse from doing what comes naturally. That’s when we decided to get a second opinion from another veterinarian.

We managed to squeeze ourselves into another animal hospital before it closed for the weekend. Daisy did not like sharing the waiting room with 3 curious dachshunds. Thankfully, the doctor was quite sweet with our puppy. I think she was relieved that her butt was spared another temperature reading. The doctor sedated Daisy and checked out her paw. He found a few tiny strands of foxtails stuck in her paw. He bandaged up her injured limb with purple bandages. I told her it matched her leash, but I think the last thing on her mind was fashion choices. The doctor gave her some puppy-safe penicillin and oral meds. I think these pills are similar to the ones we got from the Topeka vet and they worked better than the Pet Smart spray and ear ointment.

On Sunday morning, Daisy looked better. She kept staring up at me with her big brown eyes, begging me to take-off the purple bandage. I reminded her the doctor said she needed to keep the area covered until Tuesday. Then she sighed.

Soon, Daisy will be running around the yard, barking at our neighbors and enjoying our beautiful Cali weather.