Double Take

Linda looks real happy in this photo. Oh wait, that is not Linda... that is her cousin Marie! Linda said when they were younger they used to fool their Nana and switch places. They are 9 months apart in age and were like sisters growing up. I would be cool to get a photo of them side by side.

Aiiiii-yah!

The trail today was so messy and muddy that I had to be carried a whole bunch. I hate getting my feet wet and I triple hate stepping in wet mud. I stayed nice and clean thanks to Linda, but I did bring home a giant tick. She always does a tick-check (she calls it "massage time") and sure enough, the blood sucker was latched onto my neck! A little later, Linda locked herself out of the house. I was inside barking and wishing I could reach the lock to let her in. She tried all the windows and other doors, but everything was locked down tight. Since she is a 3rd Degree Black Belt, she decided she would use her ninja skills to break in the door from the garage to the family room. She tried to palm heel it first (not so smart....big ouchie on her wrist) then one good front kick broke the flimsy lock. In a way, it was good she found out how easy it was to break in. Now it's off to Home Depot to buy a stronger lock for the door and an extra house key to keep hidden in case she gets locked out again.

Taming the Wild Beastie

Jerry drew this picture of me when he was on the plane coming home from his Grand Canyon trip. I love it and hope he'll give it to us to hang in our house. I'm whispering to King Kong that he does not want to eat me. Now if only I could convince Chip cat of the same thing!

Really Bad Hair Day

Whoo, it's a hot one today. We had a picnic and grilled outside on the deck. After just 2 hours out in the heat, I was bushed. I even laid in the shade the whole time. We were going to hike the trail after, but Linda was afraid that I would get a heat seizure again, so it is a stay inside afternoon for me. She is thinking about using the electric trimmer and cutting all my hair off. The last trip to the groomers was a waste of $70. They barely trimmed my hair and it is already a bushy mess. At least it does not look as bad as this guy! If Linda never cut my hair, it would look exactly like this. You know what? If I gained 10 pounds and dyed my hair, this dog could be me!

Life is Good

Bath day today, then Linda brushed me on the deck for a long time. I am so puffy and fluffy I look like a beach ball. I did two very long walks today, one with Jerry this morning and one this evening with Linda. What a great Saturday! With my new low weight... 5.8... I am able to with more stamina and go even further then I used to when I was just a puppy. Linda was reminding me that when I was little, I used to walk 5 houses before I had to be carried. I walked almost one hour tonight and about 45 minutes this morning. I'm so thankful that I have not had a seizure in a long time too. I'm also super thankful that my knees have been better too! Maybe I'm healed and I won't need the double knee surgery. One weird thing happened on our walk this evening. A women and man in a van pulled up to us and the women was asking a bunch of questions about me and gushing how adorable I was. With the weird dog-napping going on, Linda just kept walking and picked me up just in case they had some hanky-panky in mind and were planning on snagging me. Everything was fine, but it was better safe than sorry.

Dangers All Around

There is definitely some critter prowling my neighborhood. Linda took me on a 45 minute walk tonight. We stayed on the sidewalks near our house since it looked like rain and we did not want to be stuck in the woods if it started to downpour. There where 3 dead birds, one with it's head completely bit off! A few weeks ago, something ate our baby birds and their Mother too. What could be causing this carnage? Chip is looking pretty fat these days. (Except she is only an inside cat, so she is not a suspect.) I'm glad Linda is always watching for danger and protects me while we walk. Tonight, the same dog who attacked me months ago ran out to get me again! The owners let the dog run around the yard without a leash and last time Linda had to pull him away from me. This time he snapped at me but only bit the air because Linda picked me up on time. If she would have had her iPod on, she never would have heard the tags giggling on the collar and she might not have picked me up in time. The man came running out and apologized, but Linda told him this was the second attack and she was not happy one bit! She said she is going to start carrying pepper spray on our walks just in case he comes after me again.

Soy Scary

Two scary news stories in the news tonight. One, dogs are being poisoned in their own back yards. Some jerk is throwing poisoned meat balls over the fence and poor unsuspecting dogs are eating them up. So far, two dogs have died. Second, bad men broke into someones home today and stole just the DOG! They left all the other valuables and only took the pooch. Between the crazy people doing horrible things near where I live, I also have to worry about the explosion of copper head snakes on my walking trails. Linda better hurry up and adopt another giant dog to protect us. I so miss my Snickers.

I did get to see Jerry tonight. I missed him last week. He is finally home safe from his Grand Canyon hike. p.s. Linda made me use a photo of vegan meatballs.

Thirsty Squirrel

It's been a slow news day around here. Linda taught a bunch of classes today, then had church tonight so I have been chilling in the sun by the sliding glass door. She did take me for a late night walk when she got home since she felt so bad for leaving me. This weekend is supposed to be nice, so we might have a fun outing. Since I don't have any photos from today, here is one from my stash. I hope there wasn't any alcohol in this drink or the squirrel is going to be tipsy.

Bees Knees

Linda has a friend who raises bees. He has thousands of bees that live in his back yard. The bees make delicious honey. They are very friendly and don't sting him when he collects it. I hope the 17 million bees that escaped in an accident on the highway in Minneapolis were as nice. Rescue crews used fire hoses to douse the swarm of bees who flew out of 7,000 bee hives. Unfortunately, one person was killed and another one was hurt badly. I'm not sure what happened to all the bees. Do you think this guy is wearing underpants?

10K Here I Come!

Linda and I went on such a great walk last evening. Since it stays lighter for a little longer, we took an hour walk on the wooded trail. I walked almost the entire time, the only time Linda carried me was across the streams. The water was very high from all the rain and she had to be very careful crossing on the stepping stones so she did not fall into the stream. Today, we did another walk but it looked like rain was coming, so we cut it short. I'm not sure what I weigh, but I've got to be down a few more ounces. All this exercise and dieting has to be paying off. Do I look thinner to you?

Burger Rage

I love a good cheeseburger. Ever since I got pancreitis from steak, I am not allowed to have beef. Since I trust Linda is doing what is best for me, I don't miss the meat. An 18-year old man in Ohio was not so forgiving. His Mom bought home a fast food cheeseburger to eat for her dinner. When the man saw that she did not bring him one, he choked and stabbed his Mom! She will live, but I hope they put the jerk son in prison and make him eat a vegetarian diet! I love this burger sneaker picture and am glad I finally found a story where I could use it.

Smile Choop

I'm getting used to posing for all photos Linda keeps taking. Honestly, I'm starting to like it. I get a cookie so the 5 seconds I have to pose is worth it. Today Linda had the microwave installed. Now we have a new (used) stove, and a brand new fridge, dishwasher and microwave in our kitchen. Yippee! Linda loves cooking now that the appliances are in tip-top shape and actually work!

Moooooo

I just saw on TV that it takes 9 whole cow hides to make the interior for a Porsche 911. That is a lot of beef! Based on the options you chose, they cost between $77,800 to $143,800 MSRP. The car payment alone would cost more then our entire house payment!

Say NO to SNOW!

This afternoon Linda planted the last of our beautiful plants in our new flower bed. It is so pretty that she likes to go outside and just look at it. We have these little solar lights that glow at night scattered along the edge. She will go ballistic if the weather guesses are right and it gets cold enough for possible snowflakes on Friday! They are saying 74 degrees on Thursday and then low 40's on Friday. If our flowers freeze, she will cry. Maybe she should get a bunch of towels and cover them up to keep them warm.

Squirrel Streakers

Are you sick and tired of squirrels running naked in the trees around your house? Have you had to hide your childrens eyes when a tiny furry streaker crosses the sidewalk in front of you? We've got the answer...Squirrel Underpants!

Each pair of tiny briefs has a 3" waist and is made of 100% cotton.

Order your own pair (or 10 pairs if you have a lot of squirrels in your yard) for just $5.99.

http://www.perpetualkid.com/squirrel-underpants.aspx

Yertle the Turtle

May 23rd is World Turtle Day. I hope all the turtles out there have a happy day!

What a View!

Jerry made it out of the Grand Canyon alive. I hope he took lots and lots of photos. He sent us a text to say that all went well, but he was very, very sore. I'm sure it's because he bought me a lot of presents at the one and only gift store at the bottom of the canyon. They probably made his backpack much heavier. I will be sure to show him my appreciation with extra licks and cuddles when he comes to get me next Saturday for our adventure. When Linda was little, she went on a vacation to the Grand Canyon. She bought Grand Canyon slides for her View Master. That was her favorite toy for a long time.

Ugly is the new Cute

Tierney is always full of surprises. Today while Linda was working, she bought Diesel over to my house. Diesel is the bulldog that she is puppy sitting while his humans are on vacation. First of all, I've never had another dog in my space. Second, you are saying he is a 4 month old puppy? He's paw is as big as my head! I know he just wanted to play with me, but I was so scared that I just ran into my bed. The best part was that he chased Chip and finally showed her that dogs are the bosses of cats. I wish I could do that! Here he is sleeping after Linda and Tierney took him for the longest walk in his life. Up until today, he would not walk on a leash. Linda used tips she learned from watching The Dog Whisperer and they got him to walk like a champ!

Ummm............

I really can't think of a story to go with this new mushroom that was just discovered. It's name is Phallus Drewesii.

El Diablo

My favorite TV show, The Dog Whisperer, is doing a special tonight all about Chihuahuas. Unfortunately, the show is called Chihuahuas from Hell. It is a compilation of all the worst Chihuahuas that have ever been on his show. The worst is El Diablo. True to his name, he is The Devil Dog. After a month living with Cesar, he turned into a wonderful and loving dog. Cesar renamed him Sammy Davis Jr. (?) Who am I to judge someones name since I am named after a food from Taco Bell. I'm sitting on Linda's lap listening to all the yaps, yips and growls. It's very entertaining. Plus, she smells wonderful. Tierney is puppy sitting for friends and Linda was walking the puppy for her earlier tonight. It's a miniature bulldog but Linda forgot the name. Maybe he'll come over to play with me tomorrow.

Chip is Useful

Chip Cat bought Linda a surprise this morning. When we woke up and went out into the hall, there was a dead field mouse on the carpet! Chip loves Linda and wanted to give her a gift, except Linda went Ewwwww!!! Chip Cat was very proud of it; strutting her stuff up and down the hall. Linda praised her and then very calming disposed of it in the outside trash can. It must have came in through the open garage door yesterday. (Our hot water heater wasn't working and Linda left the inside garage door open while she was trouble shooting the problem. Luckily, it was just the breaker in the circuit box.) Hopefully, only one critter came in and there will not be another prize in the morning.

Chumura?

I always thought I was a Chorkie... half Chihuahua and half Yorkie. Linda found some photos of a baby lemur that looks suspiciously just like me! In all the photos, Lil' Lemur is making the same exact faces and poses I make. The nose, eyes and snout is very similar. If you just quadrupled the size of the ears, it could easily pass for my kin. Poor guy has to pose for as many photos as I do.

Great Deal of Money

Cesar Milan is hosting a vacation package that sound like so much fun that I am about to book our flight. It is called The Great Dog Adventure. Linda and I would fly to San Diego and spend two whole days with Cesar and 40 other guests. Some of the activities are walking as a pack with Cesar and the other dogs, a book signing, all meals with Cesar including a reception at the San Diego Zoo, VIP seating at this LIVE show and 2 nights at the Best Western Hotel. Sounds good, right? Except the two day vacation without airfare is $2,698 for just Linda and I! Holy Raw Hide, that is a lot of money. Linda could take Tierney, Taylor and Sarah to Mexico for a week for the same price. I guess we will not be meeting Cesar anytime soon.

Choopie: Take 3,392

I just thought I would explore our new flower bed. Not really, once again, Linda made me do a stupid pose so she could take a photo. Enough already!!

So Beautiful

Jerry just sent me this photo from his iPhone. He is going to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon! What a wonderful experience. I wish he could have taken me and carried me in the front pack. He said there are rattle snakes, giant spiders and other creepy/crawly things that might eat me for a snack, so I better stay home. Plus, it is going to be very, very hot. Heat sometimes makes me have seizures. Besides Linda would never let me go since she is just a wee-bit over protective.

Do I Have To Pose For Every Photo?

A bunch of guys came over today and bought us a brand new refrigerator and dishwasher. This is Paul finishing the trim work around the dishwasher. Both appliances look so beautiful and she is so thankful to have them. She picked the least expensive models the store had for sale of both appliances When you live for 25 years with the same broken down, ugly ones... even the "low end" models seem luxurious. Besides, who needs water in the door of the fridge when you have a perfectly good tap three feet away?

It's All About Taylor

I just noticed that this blog has had a lot of Tierney posts lately. Sorry Taylor. To make up for the neglect, here are some Taylor photos. I bet you are curious about the pimp photo, but I'm not giving away his secrets!

Pancake Art

Look! Tierney was so famous as Kiki the Giraffe that someone already making a pancake giraffe to commemorate her performance last night. I wish Tier still lived here. Linda said she would have made a pancake giraffe for breakfast and presented it to Tierney.

Hey, Over Here!!

Tierney is so afraid of alligators that when she was little, she would not even go to the alligator farm park. I don't blame her. One snap of his jaw and I would be in his belly. I'm glad I don't live anywhere near where I might get all eaten up. A man in Orlando was swimming in a lake by his house early Sunday morning. He had been swimming in that same lake everyday for years and years without any incidents. This past weekend when he went for his swim, an 8' gator grabbed him and held on tight. The man was able to escape, but he suffered big bites all over his body.

Kiki

I wish this photo of Tierney came out better. The skit last night was amazing. Along with Kiki (Tierney) the Giraffe, there were 2 hippos, a lion, a walrus, a raccoon, an orangutan and a lemur. All the zoo animals were happy at first. Then grumbling and complaining started. Each animal was trying to be the "boss" of the zoo. It was hysterical at times, but still conveyed a very good message what happens when people (or in this case, zoo animals) start feeling like they are better then everyone else, or don't need help from others or become unhappy with their current situation. It was kind of sad when the Lion ate Tierney all up, but she played another part after her demise as the zoo keeper. Linda said it was one of her favorite skits yet.

Skit Night

What's up with Linda leaving me alone so much? I guess I can't complain since last night I was out with her for over 3 hours at the big screen movie night. Today she went to another party that I wasn't invited to. She'll be home for an hour with me then it is back out to watch another of Tierney's incredible skits. They have been practicing for months and months. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes serious... but they always have a great message and lesson. In last nights skit, she was a flight attendant but she died in a horrible plane crash about 2 minutes into the skit. Tonight she has a starring role, neither Linda or I know what this new skit will be about. Since it is inside, I can't go watch. I don't have a photo to go with this post, so I'm using this adorable puppy. At first I thought it was a stuffed toy, but it is real!

My Two Sisters

Two of the prettiest girls I know. They are not sisters, but they ARE sister-in-laws. Sarah is on the right, Tier on the left. Usually Tierney is taller than Sarah, she must be wearing flip-flops.

Does That Come With Rice?

Movie Night!

What a day yesterday! It was another very busy Saturday for Linda, so that means... Jerry comes and gets me for an adventure. He took me into the woods and walked the trails. I love the smells, chasing squirrels and listening to all the bird sounds. After her classes, Linda stopped home for 5 minutes and then went back out to a friends graduation party. After the party, she met some different friends for a cookout later in the afternoon. Next up, Outside Big Screen Movie Night! She bought me along to the festivities. There was a bonfire, music, skits, food and at 9:00 pm, everyone snuggled in their blankets and lawn chairs to watch a movie. There were 3 other dogs there. Spike and Beast scared me to death. You can't tell by their photos that they are dangerous. They may look innocent, but they are ruff, tuff, wrestling crazy dogs. I did play with Ginger. She is a tiny tea-cup poodle. We got along great and romped around in the grass for almost an hour.

Bella and Bo

My friend Bo, the wiener dog, almost died earlier this week. He got into Leslie's Mother's Day Godiva chocolates and ate the entire box! Bo is my size, so that much chocolate could kill him dead. He went to the same animal healing center where I will have my surgery. They deal with taking care of all things pets: surgery, emergency care, dental care, and even check-ups. Bo was put on an IV and spent the night in the emergency room. It looks like with great care (and lots of prayers) he will make a full recovery. He might have pancreatitis, the same thing I got from eating a few bites of steak a few years ago. I was healed after eating a bland diet for a few weeks. I hope he has learned his lesson and stays away from the poison chocolate in the future. Linda never gives me any bites from the table anymore. I eat my plain chicken, rice and healthy dog food mixture.

How Many Calories Is That?

I love reading other peoples blogs. It gives me good ideas for my blog and it also is very entertaining. One of the ones I'm reading now is about a guy who goes into all different fast food joints and orders crazy stuff. One time he went into Cold Stone and ordered a huge sundae with every single topping Cold Stone offers. It was 2 quarts of ice cream, all the wet toppings and all the candy, cookie and fruit toppings. According to the photos, it looks like he finished it alone. Another time it was Arby's. He ordered Every Animal on the Farm Sandwich. Included on the sesame seed bun........ Every animal on the farm!! Ham, salami, turkey, roast beef, fried chicken patty, grilled chicken patty and bacon. (That would be pig, turkey, cow, and chicken) He also added the veggies and cheese to make it complete. At Micky D's he ordered a Big McSausage Egg Surf and Turf Mac. Also served on a sesame seed bun, the Mac includes 2 all beef pattys, eggs, sausage, pickles, onions, grilled chicken patty, fillet o fish, special sauce, and cheese! I would be happy right now for more then 2 tablespoons of plain chicken for dinner. I'm hungry.

It's About Time!

Linda and Taylor went to the Big Box store to buy a new refrigerator and dishwasher. Our existing ones are over 25 years old! Both of them still work, kind of. The refrigerator is semi-cold, but it leaks inside. There are little plastic bowls all over the inside catching the dripping water. The freezer part squeals and whines so loud it wakes us up at night. Plus, the seals do not always stay shut. Sometimes they pop open by themselves. It probably has another year of life, but Linda was tired of all the mess. The dishwasher is so weak and lame that unless you totally wash the dishes before you load them, they don't look any different when the wash/rinse cycle is done. Kind of defeats the purpose of having a dishwasher. They are being delivered next Tuesday. Watch my blog for photos! (p.s. not our actual refrigerator, but it's the same style and model.)

Snoop Doggie

OK... Here goes. I read a news story that Snoopy tried to break into prison to free one of his relatives. I did not even know that Snoopy had siblings, so I did a little Wiki research. Snoopy's family: Spike; Andy; Olaf; Marbles; Rover; Belle and Molly. His mom's name was Missy. Before he lived with Charlie Brown, he lived with a girl named Lila. Then I read a little further down the article. It wasn't actually the real Snoopy, but a man dressed up in a Snoopy costume who tried to break into the jail. He tried to enter through a staff door and was waving a gun. His accomplice threw concrete bricks at police who tried to collar Snoopy. Both Snoopy and the other perp were arrested. Their gun turned out to be a water pistol. The best part of the story, they were breaking into the wrong prison. Seems like their relative was in a different jail! They will both be spending some time in the dog house, that's for sure.

Girl Detective

When Tier was 7 or 8 years old, she used to love to read Nancy Drew mysteries. Tier started reading real books before 1st grade and to this day, she still reads upwards to 15 books a week. Nancy always captured her attention more then most because deep down, Tier wanted to be a real life Nancy Drew and solve the mystery herself. Well, she recently not only solved a case at work, but she got a subpoena to testify in court against the bad buy! The police detective she worked with was very impressed by her detecting skills and told her she should come and work for the department. There was one scary moment after court today when the defendant was walking behind her in the parking garage. Linda has taught Tier enough self defense that she could have dropped the guy if he tried any monkey business. Besides, at the court house there were lots of cops around and the parking garage is right next door to the county jail!

Today is........

Clean Up Your Room Day! It is the official holiday (?) for cleaning your house. I think I would rather have it be Eat Up All the Chicken Day or even Take Your Dog For a Walk in the Woods Day. Who wants to ruin a perfectly good holiday by doing something so bland and boring as cleaning. Linda said we have to participate so she is making me clean up my little corner of the kitchen. This is only about 1/4 of all my toys. Linda keeps rotating them to trick me into thinking they are new, but I'm on to her.

Fat Cat

I found a new website called Meowmania. You keep clicking on the screen and different photos of cats pop up meowing, yeowlling, mewing and just making annoying cat noises. If you have a dog or cat at home, try it yourself and see how your pets respond. Chip came running when she heard it. Now I know what to do when I want to get back at her for scaring me. I'll just play all the cat sounds and watch her freak out! Chip looks like she swallowed a basketball.

http://meowmania.jqln.org/

Ouch!

This is a horrible news story and I don't mean to make fun of it. Please don't think I am being insensitive, but I have a duty to report weird news. A 23-year old policeman in Moscow was working in a court security facility. No one had heard from him and his supervisor could not reach him. The sergeant went to check on him at his post and found the man on the floor with his head under the desk. The policeman had an itchy nose and used the tip of his gun to scratch it. The gun accidentally went off, shooting the bullet into his face and head. The investigation ruled out suicide or foul play, it was just a freaky accident. Lesson learned: Never scratch an itch with a loaded gun.

Make a Wish and Blow Out the Cake

A Florida child's 4th birthday party was interrupted when their home burned down during his party. Most of the guests were outside, but the mom and sister were still working on the cake in the kitchen. A nearby bush caught fire and the trailer quickly went up in flames. The two women ran out of the burning trailer leaving the cake behind. The dad was not about to let a house fire ruin his kids birthday party. He ran back into the burning home to rescue the birthday cake so they could finish his child's birthday celebration. I know Linda would run back inside a burning house to save me, but a cake? I don't think so, but maybe if it was a carrot cake.

Train Up a Child

There's been a long standing tradition in our family to take a group photo on every holiday. One is always serious, one is supposed to be fun. (The best fun photo was last Christmas around the manger scene, remember Tier?) They took this after church tonight since it was way too cold this morning to take it outside by the tree they usually use. I'm glad Linda had such a great Mother's Day.