It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Super Yorkie

Balloon Boy was in the news awhile back. Seems like his family pretended that he flew away in a big balloon. It cost thousands and thousands of dollars for the rescue workers to go looking for him. He was hiding in the house the entire time. Some fool dressed their little Yorkie up like Balloon Boy. Doesn't it look like he is really flying away? Yikes! The second photo of the Superman dog is just too funny. He looks like he is really going after Catwomen. Yeah! No costume for Choopie.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

An extra hour of sleep sounds heavenly. I love, love, love when Linda sleeps a little later in the mornings. Today she was up before 6 am to set up for the yard sale. It pretty much sucked. I was so tired all day from the sale. Now, our door bell is ringing every 5 minutes and it makes me crazy. It looks like I won't be sleeping in late tomorrow either, even though it is "fall back." Now I might have to change my routine for good. Doctors have been studying peoples sleep habits. I usually sleep all night long and then most of the day too. When Linda is home, she takes me for walks and play dates, but most of the time she is on the computer or reading, I sleep. The report said that routinely sleeping more then 8 hours a day leads to an increased risk of stroke. There is also a condition called "sleep drunkenness." This is what happens when you try to catch up on sleep during the weekend. After 12 hours of sleep, you spend the day sluggish and tired. One lady went to the ER because she was so disoriented after sleeping late on a weekend that she thought something was seriously wrong. Maybe those mini-strokes I have are from too much sleep. I better go play with a squeaky toy instead of napping.

Lick or Trick?

With all the yard sale shenanigans, I did not have to dress up like a monkey, princess or mermaid this year. Linda was just too busy to buy me a costume. We did just get back from a twilight walk and all the little kids were out Trick-r-Treating. It kind of freaked me out because some of them had weird masks. Linda said we don't do the whole "Happy Halloween" stuff, but I did find some really good Zombie jokes:

Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?
No, they eat the fingers separately.

What do you do when 20 zombies surround your house?
Wish them happy Halloween and give them candy.

Why didn’t the zombie proceed with his lawsuit?
He didn’t have a leg to stand on!

Why won’t a zombie eat a clown?
Because they taste funny.

Ha-Ha-Ha, because they taste funny! That one is my favorite.

It's OVER! (Til the next one)

I am SO glad the crazy yard sale is over. In ended up being 5 different families bringing stuff to our yard. Linda alone made over $250, Tier made $50, Megan and Josh were over $100, Chris and Kevin were probably close to $200, and Molly sold a vacuum and microwave! It was insane. People started coming at 6:15 while it was still dark. They came in the house to look through the stuff while Linda carried it out. Sarah got a marriage proposal from an old man who loved her. Tierney was the most awesome sales person ever! Linda sold everything for about 10% of the cheap price she put on it. At one point, they were trying to see how much money she would sell me for. The bidding got up to $50 grand and Linda said she still would not sell me. People were offering $1 for something that was marked $10. Anyway, there is more, more, more to sell and we have not touched the garage. No one wanted the big bears. They were marked 2 for $15 and at the end Linda said they were .25 cents but people still did not want them.

Hurry Up Sunday!!

No time to post today. Linda is a whirlwind getting ready for the BIG GIANT BEST EVER Yard sale tomorrow. Now there are 3 other families bringing stuff. She has been so busy that I really hope she forgets to dress me up in a Halloween costume like she did last year.

Best Yard Sale Ever!

We are having a GIANT yard sale on Saturday. Linda is cleaning out the house so she can join the "100 things" club. If you need anything, anything at all... we probably will have it on our front lawn. No, I'm not for sale... but I might try to put a price tag on Chip when Tierney isn't looking. Please come and help us clean out our house!

Cooking with Pooh

Now that Tierney has her own home, she is going to need some cookbooks. She can cook grilled cheese and eggs, but I don't know if she knows how to Cook with Pooh. I'm going to get her this book so she can expand her recipe knowledge. I'm not sure how good the food is going to taste though.

How Cool is This?

It took 10 years, 10,000 hours of work and over $21,000 dollars, but Francois Knorreck combined his motorcycle with a sports car to make the coolest motorcycle with a side car ever. The reason I am posting this is because it is the perfect thing for riders who can't take their pets places. Now, the dog can ride safely in the side car and enjoy a motorcycle ride with their humans. Brilliant! I just don't know anyone that would want to spend that much time and money just to take their dog to Starbucks.

Make Mine Decat Please

Did you know there was a pettube.com? I had no idea. We've watched funny animal clips on youtube.com, but for all animals, all the time... go visit pettube.com. Linda is going to put some clips of me doing clever things on pettube. I doubt I could reach the coffee maker even with a stool. I better start rehearsing something else.

Bark Like a Dog

Linda has wanted to get a big dog for awhile now. Ever since Snickers passed on, we've missed having a big dog to keep the bad guys away. A women in Georgia did not have a big dog either. A burglar was trying to get into her home late Saturday night. He was at her front door trying to break in. The smart lady got down on all fours and started barking, growling and scratching on the door. The burglar heard the "big dog" and was scared away. He ran off the porch and down the street. This is brilliant! Linda is going to try it the next time someone comes to the door. I wonder if it will work.

Ms. Home Owner

The big news is that Tierney is now the proud owner of her very own home. The entire house is just beautiful inside. The 2 bathrooms look like they belong in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Her gorgeous furniture will be delivered Friday. She has a giant screen TV. Her bedroom is all decorated in black and white with a chandelier. The back yard is multi-level with a fire pit and built in seating. Linda is going to take more photos Friday, so I'll post them this weekend. We are so very, very happy for her but at the same time we are so very sad she moved out. Chip is having a cow because Tier is not taking her to the new house. Tonight before she left, Chip was in the hallway trying to climb in her suitcase, no joke. Sarah and Taylor are trying to get Linda to sell our big house and move into a smaller townhouse. They even came over tonight to help her start to clean out the storage rooms. A Realtor is meeting Linda on Friday to look at our house and see what it is worth. Boy.. OH... Boy, Linda better take me with her if she moves and not leave me behind!

What??!!!??

BIG NEWS on the home front. I just can't write about it yet. Tune in tomorrow for the BIG announcement.

Barktoberfest!

What a beautiful day for a super-fun outing. Today was Barktober Fest. It is a festival just for dogs, although their humans are welcome to come. I've never seen so many fun carnival type games just for dogs. I did not play any because most of them were for bigger dogs. I did get two bags of food samples and cookies. As usual, everyone said I was the cutest dog there. Linda almost bought me a hooded fleece, but even the XS was too big. After the festival, we went to an outdoor cafe for lunch. Now I am so sleepy that I can barely finish typing this. Nap time.

The Outfit Isn't the Only Scary Thing

Seven children, age 13 down to a newborn infant were taken by child services from their parents in Dundee, Scotland. Hours after the baby was born, local authorities took the baby from the Mom to protect it's welfare. The parents crime: being obese. The mother weighs 322 pounds, the dad weighs 252. I wonder if the Scottish Child Protective people have ever been inside a Walmart in parts of West Virginia? Or maybe Tennessee? Over half of the parents would have their kids taken away because of the parents obesity. Linda said she is all for being healthy and a good role model, but this is just scary. What if the ASPCA comes in and takes me from Linda because they don't like how many hours I'm alone on Saturday? Or what if they come in and tell people their kids can't go to a Christian school because they need a more "rounded" education? Oh wait, that one already happened. (Photo courtesy of peopleofwalmart.com)

If The Shoe Fits

Tierney loves shoes. Tierney loves taking a bath. Tierney would really love taking a bath inside a shoe. These tubs was just made for her!!

Pre-Exsisting?

My last two insurance posts were about kids that were big and kids that were little being denied coverage based on their size. This one is just plain crazy... the National Women's Law Center found that the laws of eight states permit insurance companies to deny health coverage to a battered spouse as a "pre-existing condition" according to a September report by Kaiser Health News. If you are beat-up on by your spouse and he breaks your arm, you better not live in one of those 8 states that are allowed to deny your coverage. It looks like this cute little guy got coverage for his broken arm.

My Pack

Linda had such a great birthday today. Sarah and Tier made her a carrot cake (her favorite) and Sarah made enchiladas for dinner. This is Linda wearing the Northface jacket they bought for her prize . It is so soft and cozy, she said she will wear it every day. Even Cesar came to the party!

Happy Birthday to Linda

Linda and I share the same birthday month... Tierney said today she is 34, but I don't think that is right. That seems way too old to me, but since Linda still walks me 3 times a day and teaches 20 classes a week, she seems to be doing OK. Happy Birthday Linda, thank you for taking such good care of me. For your present I want to give you these wienies. I know it says "kids love them", but I thought old people might love them too! P.S. How come you were cleaning the house like a crazy women today? Couldn't you just take the day off? P.S. Linda's friend Chris gave her a big balloon with a googley-eyed Chichihua on it. Paul gave her a huge illustrated book on history during Bible's times. Plus, they bought her lunch! Thanks guys.

Zonkey

This isn't really a very good story, but I just wanted an excuse to write the word Zonkey. What is a Zonkey you ask? Well, of course a Zonkey is a cross between a Zebra and a Donkey. A man in Florida was knocked to the ground, attacked and bitten by the Zonkey when he tried to paint a fence near the Zonkey's enclosure. The Zonkey lives at a small Petting Zoo. The man's Mommy helped him escape from the attacking Zonkey. Did I mention it was a Zonkey?

Chip Just Hates Me

Lately, Chip has been so grouchy. She won't come out when Linda gets home. She doesn't want to eat as much. (Which really sucks because I don't get to lick the dish.) She sleeps all the time on my bed next to the sliding glass door. She swats at me if I bark or get excited about a toy. Chip still loves Tierney and will come out when she calls her and still sleeps on Tier's bed. Linda said Chip is getting old and to give her a break, but I am getting tired of walking around on egg shells waiting for her to snap.

Reading Tutor

I found the perfect volunteer opportunity! This has Choopie written all over it. Literally. There is a new Therapy program for children called R.E.A.D. or Reading Education Assistance Dogs. It seems that children who are having trouble learning to read will learn to read faster and have better pronunciation with a dog on their lap. Dogs won't be judgmental or laugh if the kids make a mistake. We will love them and keep them calm while they struggle with words. All in all, dogs are just excellent listeners. Linda said I am just the dog for the job. I LOVE to sit on Linda's lap while she reads or does a crossword. There was another side of kids reading to dogs that was a surprise to the therapists. Confidence. The kids get to be the teacher and they feel they are helping the dog understand the story. Sign-me up NOW! I want to be a reading dog.

Birthday Friends!

Linda's Coffee Friends gave her wonderful pre-birthday presents this morning. She got some great gift certificates, a little jeweled sculpture that holds cards or photos and a Lenox Angel with her birthstone on it. She was so touched that she wanted me to tell them how thankful she is that they are her Coffee Friends. They have been meeting at the same place (where we sometimes ride the bike to for lunch) for more than a year. Tomorrow, on her actual birthday, she has lunch plans with Gym Friends and then dinner plans with Family Friends. Sarah is going to cook a special vegetarian dinner. (Taylor will probably have a slab of beef on the side since it is not a real meal to him without animal flesh.) I wanted to get Linda a special prize too, but she said just being her special Pet Friend was prize enough for her.

It's M....as in Madness!

This is a girl Tierney works with. I have not met Megan before, but since she reads my blog, I like her a lot. She was talking to someone on the phone trying to get them to understand her name is spelled "M...M...M.. not N, I said M... like in Moooo, no I did not say my name is Mooo, it's Megan, spelled M..." You get the general idea. Tierney said Megan was so tired of trying to get the person to understand that she laid her head on the desk to rest since 20 minutes of confusion had worn her out.

Cup o' Art

There is an artist guy who takes a Sharpie marker and draws on plain white Styrofoam cups. Guess he was bored one day while he was having breakfast. Pretty soon, people started asking him to draw on their cup. Now Styrofoam Cup artist sells his cups for up to $200 each. Wowzers! What a way to make a living. I would put a photo of one of his cups up on my site, but it says "copyright" on them and I don't think I can draw well enough to copy it right. Look for yourself, his Flicker page is Boy Obsolete.

What, Your Left Handed? Sorry.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the insurance company who would not insure a baby because he was too big, over the 95 percentile for his height and weight. Now another insurance company has turned down a 2-year old girl who is too small. The girl is in the bottom 3 percentile for her height and weight, but otherwise, perfectly healthy. Her pediatrician says she is not ill, her size is just a matter of genes. She has steadily been gaining weight since she was born. What will be the next step? If you have red hair you can't be insured because you might get a sun burn and later get skin cancer? What about if you are too tall? Maybe you'll hit your head on a door frame and need surgery? The human world of insurance is very confusing!

Give me a Kiss!

How is this for two natural beauties? Both Sarah and Tierney are even gorgeous after a day riding roller coasters at Hershey Park. It looks like Tier and Taylor are watching a cow puppet show. (He looks good without make-up too!) Hershey Park has lots of fun rides and free chocolate samples. How can you top that?

The New Daddy

As everyone knows, we love the Dog Whisperer. Now it looks like Fox is going to make a sitcom based on Cesar Milan and his pooches. An actor will play Cesar and actor dogs will play his dogs. Why doesn't Fox just show more Dog Whisperer shows? Who wants to watch a make-believe Cesar and make-believe dogs when you can have the real thing. Unless of course they want to hire me to be the star dog, then I'm all for it. Linda can be Illusion, his wife.

When Cats Mosh

Thumper (not the bunny)

Linda went over to a friends house tonight. Sara (not Taylor's Sarah) is one of my blog fans. Hi Sara!! This is her dog Thumper. Linda said it was the friendliest dog she ever met. Thumper jumped up on every person and gave them kisses and love. He is a mix between a Yorkie and a Pekingese. Poor Thumper should have gotten braces when he was little. His bottom teeth stick way out, but it only makes him more adorable. I hope we can get together for a play date.

Cats Gone Wild

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. This is really an 18-month old regular old house cat named Magic. He holds the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest domesticated cat in the world. Magic is 17.1 inch from shoulder to toe. She is also waiting confirmation as the worlds longest cat too. It would be so traumatic if Chip grew that big. I think it is really a wild leopard. Look at those spots, I don't regular cats are so spotty.

Warning! Scary Post Ahead

Some schools are not letting the kids pick sides during PE because someone might get their feelings hurt if they get picked last. You also can't play tag or dodge ball because someone might get injured. Now the BBC has decided to change the ending of the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty for their children's TV shows. Instead of "couldn't put Humpty together again" all the King's horses "made Humpty happy again." Their reason: Obviously children will find it far too distressing, violent and horrific if Humpty is all broken. The same channel changed the ending of Little Miss Muffet so she made friends with the spider instead of running away. Don't Hansel and Gretel run away because they have a wicked stepmother, then some old hag stuffs them in a hot oven? That sounds a little worse then a silly spider.

Brrrr......

Finally, the rain has held off long enough to get some exercise this afternoon. After church, Linda had a nice lunch out with Tierney, Taylor, Sarah and Sarah's entire family. Linda even ate a piece of carrot cake for her pre-Birthday celebration. Since she was so full when she got home, we took a little jog instead of a walk. Whoa, it felt good to stretch my legs out. Linda better buy me a fall coat though, I was cold!! This is the one I want. It is exactly like my old one that does not fit me anymore. It must have shrunk during the summer.

Feeling Groovy

I found this photo from a 1975 J.C. Penney catalog. I'm not sure what my favorite part is. The hat with the nifty feather? I'm really digging the groovy white platform shoes. Could it be the high-waist blue pants? The yellow belt/yellow pant combination is right up there. Maybe best of all is the front-tie on the black flowered shirt? I just can't decide. I wanted to also post the men's underwear page, but the pictures were just too racy for my PG blog.

Think Pink

It's about time Linda got home! She left this morning to teach and just walked in the door at 3:30. She had to go to big event to raise money for Breast Cancer research. Her part was self-defense and punching a bunch of boards. I'm glad she had fun, but what does she think I have to do here all day alone? Sleep? (OK, so maybe I do sleep a lot.) Play with my toys? (40 squeaky toys for one little dog does keep me entertained.) Play hide and seek with Chip cat? When I write it out like that, I guess it's not so bad after all. It's still raining so no walk again. Linda said she would rest a little and then take me to Pet Smart to look for a new pink raincoat.

P.S. Just great. Linda was only home for a little while before she went back out to dinner and then the Town Center. I was so sad about her leaving that for the very first time in my life I ran out the door after her into the front yard. She cut the night short to come back and be with me since she felt so guilty.

Two-Timer

I won't get to see my boyfriend Snickers this weekend, although I suspect that he is playing the field and that I'm not his only girl. I fear there is another Chihuahua named Chloe. Snickers owner said that Chloe & Snickers might hook-up and have babies. I'm not that kind of girl, so if that is all he is after, he's not the one for me any way. Besides, I had an operation where Linda said I can't even have puppies. She told me it is healthier for me to be spayed and that I'll live longer then if I had a bunch of litters. Bummer. I think I would be a great Mom since I love my little toys so much. Speaking of Moms. I read today that a television station in Chicago reported that in Paul Robeson High school 1 in 8 high school girls are expectant mothers. They will have to add a day care center to the high school if they haven't already.

that's MY linda

This is the third day in a row that Chip is insisting on sharing Linda's lap with me. Usually when Linda reads, does a crossword, or watches TV Chip is laying somewhere else in the house. Hours go by and we don't see hide nor hair of her. Just out of nowhere, she has started jumping up on the couch or bed and taking MY spot on Linda. I've had to move my spot to down by her legs. This just stinks. I want the best spot and Chip cat better move. She is not fussing at me, she just uses her huge 15 pound body to push me out of the way. If she starts writing her own blog, I am going to be really mad. Just cause she has lived here longer then me, she thinks she can push me around. I'm just feeling grouchy since it has been raining for 2 days and I have not had a walk.

Belated Birthday Present

I want this Snuggie! Tierney, Linda... please order me a Snuggie ASAP. It is freezing in the house and I really need one to keep me warm. Look, I will even be able to play backgammon if you buy me one. I'll also be able to work the remote and watch the Dog Whisperer while you guys are at work. You know how much I love popcorn. The fluffy white dog made his own microwave popcorn. All because they are wearing their Snuggies. They are only $24.99, so you can afford it. Please? I want the blue one since Tier says pink clashes with my coloring.

Can you say Cankles?

OK, so maybe this might be pushing the envelope about Barbie posts, but this is the first time I have read an actual quote from Barbie. Yesterday I wrote about the new, more realistic African American Barbie. Today, I am going to talk about Barbies cankles. Don't know what a cankle is? I didn't either. A cankle is where a girls calf and ankle are all one size, hence the cankle word. A famous shoe designer named Christian Louboutin is saying that Barbie has cankles and unless she has liposuction, he won't design her a pair of his famous 5" stilettos. He was hired to make 3 complete fashion collections for Barbie, but will only do it if Mattel gets rid of her fat cankles. Barbie has given a statement regarding her cankles. "It has all been a complete misunderstanding. Christian loves my ankles. He wants to give my arch a lift so I can rock those high stilettos. After all, my ankles are only 22 millimeters around, how can that be fat?" Barbie, you are 51. Do you really think you should even be wearing 5" stilettos?

Just out of our Element

We have a great car and it gets us where we need to go. It has a lot of miles on it, but it still works pretty good. Linda is thankful that it is paid off and we don't have a car payment. But I wish she would buy me the new Honda Element. The new Element was designed just for pooches. It has a special enclosed dog area in the rear that is cleanable, a built in pet bed, ventilation fan, extendable ramp so I can walk up alone, spill-proof water bowl and dog-bone pattern in the floor mats. It even has a dog emblem on the outside. Only one problem, the base price on the Honda is $22,635 plus an extra $1,000 for the dog package. Linda said "Dream on Choopie!" So I guess I'll just be riding in the front seat of the old Subaru a few more years.

Hope (I don't get one) Dolls

No, it is not a Michelle Obama Barbie, but it is the new Michelle Obama 6 " action figure. I wonder if she approved the outfits? The black/red dress does not look like J.Crew dress to me. The purple dress with leather studded belt looks a little to edgy for her. The only one that looks like her style is the black and white number. Her smile looks like an ad for a teeth whitener. The hair is just wrong. You can order your own Michelle action figure at Jailbreak Toys. While you are there, be sure to order the matching Mr. President Hope action figure. (Is his face half white and half black? Is he wearing OJ leather gloves?)

Bible Grounds Plane

I'm sure there are two sides to this story, but this is just one side. I will quote the story lead in exactly "A Delta airliner in route from Seattle to Atlanta made an unscheduled stop in Nashville after a passenger reportedly began quoting Bible passages. No one was hurt." I did not research the rest of the story, I just read the headline. Maybe the guy was really a terrorist and had a machete hiding inside his Bible. Maybe he was reading the book of Revelation about the end of the world. Maybe he bit someone on the leg after he read the Scripture. (The last one might be what really happened according to one witness.)

Weapons of Class Destruction

When Linda was a Brownie Scout she used to love the little camping fold up eating utensil. It had a little spoon, fork and knife that was part of the mess kit. She used to eat all her regular dinners with it. That was in the good old days. Today in Delaware, a 6-year old Kindergartner bought his boy scout utensil to school to eat his lunch. He was apprehended by a teacher for bringing a lethal weapon to school and faced 45 days in an alternative school for bad kids. The same school system expelled a 5th grader who bought a birthday cake to her classroom. The mom packed a butter knife to cut the cake with. She was also expelled. Both cases were overturned and the kids were allowed back to school. The school board believes in "zero tolerance" where weapons are concerned. Will pencils with sharp points be the next ban? You might poke someones eye out. How about metal lunchboxes? That could really make a dent in someones head. Forget the compass for math class that hold a sharp pencil. Two dangerous weapons in one.

Sick as a Dog

So many people are getting H1N1 Swine Flu. It is a dangerous epidemic, but dogs can't catch it. We have our own flu to worry about. H3N8, or Dog Flu is very contagious. Dog parks, kennels,
dog shows and the vets office are all breeding grounds for the sometimes lethal flu. Linda is going to ask my Vet if she thinks I need the flu shot since I am so little. Many people said their dog got really sick from the flu shot, a few almost died. Do I just stay away from other dogs, or take my chances and get the flu shot? What to do, What to do?? P.S. I know this photo has absolutely nothing to do with the post, but I really wanted to use it because it makes me laugh. Do you think they actually taste like meatballs?

I Think She's Pretty

I love any excuse for a Barbie post. (My loyal readers know what I am talking about.) Mattel has released a new line of African-American Barbie dolls with fuller lips, a wider nose and curlier hair. The designer, a black women and Mom, wanted her daughter to have a more realistic black Barbie. Linda said if she was a black mom she would not like the hair they chose for Trichelle. Most black little girls don't have long straight hair with gentle waves unless they have extensions and spend hours straightening it. Even Tyra Banks has decided to stop wearing wigs and weaves and go natural to be a role model to young women who feel like to have "good" hair it needs to be "white" hair. I can totally understand though. Left on it's own, my hair is a mess unless I get it clipped short. People are always saying "Choopie, you have to do something with that hair!" So my wiry Yorkie hair is now short-smooth Chihuahua hair. What is Trichelle holding? It looks like a peace pipe.