Stormy Weather

We had a big, bad storm here while Linda was away teaching her TKD classes. It did not even rain where she was. When she pulled to our house, everything was soaked and puddles were everywhere. The cable man was outside our house fixing the connections that got broken when the storm went through. It's a good thing she remembered to shut the window in Chimmie's bathroom or he would have drowned. It's a little drizzly, so we are not going to go for a walk right now. Besides, Linda's heading out to date night with her #1 Favorite Person and needs to get changed and ready to go. She won't tell me who it is because they are going to come back to the house to surprise me. This photo was from Saturday's Award Ceremony. (No, she did not break the little boys arm sparring!) FYI: Chimmie is still working on killing the coyote.

RIP Coyote.. Updated

Chimmie has been practice killing his coyote all morning. He has bit it, shaken it, thrown it, tried to bury it, tossed it into the wall and he is still hunting it as I write this. We've never seen him this set on trying to kill one of his toys before. Maybe he wants to protect me from the backyard creatures and is perfecting his skills for the real deal. He is doing a great job, I'm really starting to think he will turn into my guardian angel just like Snickers was. (As soon as he stops being afraid of everything during our walks.)
P.S. Linda just let Chimmie out from being in his den for 5 hours. The first thing he did after he went pee is start killing his coyote again. It's like he is obsessive with it. He found the squeaker in the neck and has been torturing the limp critter. All the squeaking is making me anxious.

Strange Night

I'm super sleepy this morning. A giant lightning bolt hit the tree in our neighbors backyard during the night. The thunder was the loudest and lightening brightest that Linda has ever heard in her whole life. It scared me and kept me up for awhile worrying. Linda had strange dreams of Masai warriors taking over the US using chopsticks as weapons. We were safe because the leader gave Linda a Get Out of Jail Free Monopoly card to show anyone trying to attack us. After a night where we both tossed and turned, I had to get up at 6:30 to go to the bathroom. Usually, I like to go to my bed when I have to go to the bathroom before our alarms go off. This morning, I cried to be in the big bed. Miraculously, Chimmie did not start demanding to come out of his den when he heard us moving, so Linda was kind enough to set the alarm back 15 minutes so I could snuggle awhile longer. He started up about 15 minutes later which was perfect timing since Linda has to get up anyway. It looks like these Masai warriors are waiting for action. (Linda said her dream was from a combination of Tierney actually going to Africa in a few weeks, watching Prison Break on Netflicks and eating Thai food the other day with chopsticks. Just very weird how they all made perfect sense in her dream.)

Big Girls Don't Cry

I have been super clingy to Linda the past two days. I have to be pressed right up next to her every second she is home. When she took a bath, I laid on the floor up against the tub on the clothes she took off. When she is on the laptop, I'm sleeping between her arm and body with my head in her armpit. I actually cried when she got back from church tonight because I was so relieved she was home. I didn't even enjoy my walk with Jerry because I missed her so much. Right this second, I'm licking her arm and giving her kisses. Linda said it started when Noah left on Friday. Maybe I think she is going to replace me with a baby! I really did not get any loving at all the entire time he was here. She said not to cry and that she'll love me to the end of time. I feel better already.

Todays Going To Be a Good Day

Chimmie is so cute in this photo. He always picks up his giant paw and tilts his head when he wants a cookie. I am starting to love him more and more. He is calming down and turning into a fun playmate. He looks so much like Snickers that I have flashbacks sometimes to when I was a newborn and Snickers was my Daddy. I still miss him terribly. I'll miss Linda today too. She will be gone most of the day. She has two church services, an hour private lesson to teach for TKD and also a clothes party. That is where everyone goes to someones house and tries on outfits. Linda cleaned up her closet a little last night to see if she has room for anything new. The answer: no. The fun part is that Paul is coming in the late morning and Jerry is coming this evening to walk and play with us. We are so lucky that we have 2 more people that love us and are willing to pitch in for walks/outings while Linda is away. It's always a surprise on Sunday to see who is coming in the door. Every once in a while, Tierney surprises us with a visit. I love my life!

Bicycle Basket Built for Two

What an amazing afternoon. We took a long neighborhood walk. There was so much rain the last few days that we knew the trail would be soaked. Parts of it are muddy even when it has been somewhat dry. Plus, it's a challenge for Linda to carry us both over the stream stepping stones when the water is low. It would be treacherous for us all if she lost her footing and fell in. (That happened once, but it was before I was around. She got soaked, but did not get hurt. She said walking the 3 miles home in wet shoes and clothes was not fun.) We found out another thing Chimmie is petrified of: bicycles. He hunkered down so far that he almost came out of his new harness. I showed him there was nothing to be afraid of, but Linda had to pick him up and scoot him forward to get him moving again. Then a giant dog was barking loud and running along his fence line. I boldly went right up to the fence and touched noses with him. Chimmie peed in fear! I thought Chihuahua's were supposed to be brave dogs? That just goes to prove he must be just a mutt. He better get used to bikes because this spring Linda is getting a basket like this to take us for rides.

Don't Let the Cat Out of the Bag

Further investigation this morning about The Creature From the Black Backyard reveals that the mystery creature was indeed a white plastic bag. That is what Linda saw with the flashlight, but there could very well have been another animal beside it that she could not see because it was too dark. This morning, Chimmie stayed far away from that side of the yard. As much as she does not want to, she is thinking she is going to have to start bringing him out back on a leash when it is dark out. Maybe it was this cat inside the bag that freaked him out. I would rather run into the mutant toad below then a cat in the dark.

Creature From The Black Backyard

Heart Attack for Linda! She let Chimmie out a little while ago in the backyard to go to the bathroom. Since it is super dark out, she has started using a flashlight to follow him around the yard. He was sprinting around just like normal. When he reached the far corner by the fence he screamed and yipped, running straight back up onto the deck. She checked him out and can't see a bite anywhere on him, but some kind of critter scared him silly. I hope whatever out there goes away. From what Linda could see, she said it looked white colored and was smaller than Chip. I hope it was just another cat, but she could not be sure and was to frightened to go look closer. It was in the exact same area Chimmie found the dead newborn critter.

Noah Says Goodby

Linda was sad to turn Noah over to his Granny, but it was time for him to go home. He never cried once the entire time he was with us. He laughed and giggled and wiggled, but mostly he slept. Bye Baby Noah!

Noah: Hour 3.5

So it turns out babies are not all that bad. They pretty much sleep the day away. It's a beautiful day outside, so Chimmie and I have been spending most of our time on the deck and playing in the yard. Noah has not fussed or cried at all. He ate his first bottle, napped a bit, then woke up and giggled while he watched Chimmie run around the house for 1/2 hour. Chimmie is acting like a clown entertaining him with his puppy antics. Now Noah is sleeping again. Gretel said he was up a lot last night, so that is probably why he is sleeping so much. It's almost time for his second bottle. We are going to get it ready in a little while so it's warm for when he wakes up.

Noah: Hour One

OK, no one told me that babies are the scariest things ever to inhabit the planet. I LOVE the smell of Linda when she comes home from working in the nursery at church. I go crazy sniffing out all the amazing stains on her shirt. The real deal scares the fur off me. Noah has only been here for an hour and I'm so confused and frightened that I won't even go near him. I've been hiding under the dresser since he got here. Linda said I had to get at least one picture with him, but as you can tell from my eyes I'm saying "Get me the heck off this bed!" Linda said I am the only pet allowed near him. He loves the sound of Chimmie yipping and crying to get on the bed. He is laughing his head off when he hears it. Chimmie is too rambunctious and Chip is a Cat (as we all know, cats are sneaky and untrustworthy) so they are not going to be playing with him. The big bed is perfect, because we can't jump up. More photos of Noah and his day with Aunt Linda will be posted later in the day.

This Crime Stinks

Another pants stuffing shoplifter is heading to jail, this time it's 15 years in the slammer. The NJ man has 74 prior arrests all involving shoplifting. This time, the man went into a Rite Aide drug store and shoved $180 worth of deodorant down his pants. He also goes by about 15 different names, so besides being stinky...the crook has an identity crisis.

NoAH AH AH AH !!

Yeah! Friday is the day we've been waiting for. Noah comes to spend the day with us. Our plans might have to change since the weather is calling for rain. We won't be doing much tooling around the neighborhood with the stroller in the rain. Linda spent the entire morning scrubbing the entire house in anticipation. It's not like a little baby who's not even crawling will care, but she wanted everything spic-n-span clean! I'll be posting lots of pictures of him tomorrow. This is Noah when he was only a few weeks old. He's so big now!

Backwards Pooh

Linda's friend Tom came over this afternoon to take a dresser that Linda has had for almost 30 years. It was her dresser for awhile, then it was Tierney's dresser from the time she was a baby until she moved out. Since we are trying to downsize all our extra furniture, she gladly gave it to him since he is moving into a new apartment. She tried to give him more things since she still has 4 more dressers, 2 night stands, two big tables, lots of odds and ends furniture but he did not have room for it all. The next yard sale we do is going to be a gigantic. Last year Tierney wrote such an amazing ad for Craigs list that other people copied and pasted it word for word to use as their yard sale ad! Then she did a rebuttal about the sale being so amazing that people were actually copying us! Eventually, Linda wants to get a 5 bedroom furnished house with three baths; 2 family rooms, and one jam-packed garage into just enough stuff to fit a small townhouse. I don't mind if she downsizes Chip cat, but I hope she keeps Chimmie and I! (Linda has had this photo up for 23 years and never noticed that Tierney was holding Winnie the Pooh backwards until today. Ha!!)

Don't Tread on Me

What a ridiculous news story! I like to read off-beat news sites for stories that don't normally hit the regular papers. This one might be a urban legend because I can't believe its true. It's from a town in England. A disabled man had his wheelchair custom built because he loved taking his kids to the beach. His regular chair would not move in the sand, so the brilliant man had a chair made with caterpillar treads instead of wheels. He is able to move over the sand with no problem and enjoy days at the beach with his family. When authorities saw his invention, they ordered the wheelchair bound man off any public roads because his chair is too big and the treads move like a tank. He would have to get a tank licence if he wanted to tool around town in his wheelchair. I'm not seeing the resemblance.

Do You Like My Hat?

You never hear any stories about my sleeping habits at night. That is because I am perfect. As soon as I hear the words "Big Bed" I sprint to the foot of Linda's bed and sit waiting patiently. The bed is waaaay to high for me to jump up on. She says "elevator" and I pick my butt up a little and as soon as her hands start to reach for my belly, I spring straight up into her waiting hands. In all of 20 seconds I find the spot I want to sleep in, usually pressed up against her legs. I fall immediately to sleep and never move a muscle until Chimmie starts his morning whining from the bathroom to be let out. When the crying starts I crawl under the covers with Linda for 5 minutes while she starts waking up. It's the same thing every night. Except last night. I was having bad dreams and yipping in my sleep. When I would wake up, I was so scared that I had to climb under the covers. Then I'd get too hot and come out. I did this 2 or 3 times during the night. She forgave me for keeping her up because it usually never happens. Besides, who could be upset at a dog who looks so good in her new spring hat?

Twice my Size

This morning, Chimmie jumped down off the couch and landed right on me. Ouch! He is now a whopping 11.2 pounds of 6 month old Chi-Chi-Chihuahua. He's still about 1% body fat and as slim as ever. His neck is growing so long that he looks like half giraffe. His shoulders are so broad he looks half Pitt Bull. His feet are so big he looks half Taylor. (Taylor wears a size 16 shoe!) His body is so long he looks half Wiener dog. I guess he can't be 1/2 of all those things because that would add up to two dogs. Linda wants to get a DNA test done on him because there is no way Jose that he is a pure Chihuahua. I don't care what his parents were. He must have been adopted. When he came to live with us I was so much bigger than him. Just look at us today!

We're Getting a BABY

Only three more days before baby Noah comes to our house. We are going to watch him all day Friday while Gretel works. Usually Sarah watches him, but she is going away for the weekend. Chimmie will be outside and in her bedroom most of the time when Noah is awake and playing. I'll be able to be around him more, since I'm so easy going and don't get excited. I can't wait to take him for a walk in the stroller. I'll show him our whole neighborhood. Linda is going to take him shopping too for some new spring outfits. Say YEAH for babies!!!

Think Pink!

I remember this past spring when Linda took this picture. The weather was beautiful and Linda made me stop during our walk and take pictures in front of all different flowers. There are not any flowers out right now, but the weather did obey me when I said NO to SNOW yesterday. I woke up to just an inch, if even that. I can still see green grass in our backyard. It's super sunny already this morning, so this should all melt. Schools are delayed, so maybe other parts of our county got more snow. Linda hopes the roads are not icy because she is going to teach at noon today. I'm staying inside where my paws stay dry and it's warm. Chimmie is going to continue with his outside training. He hates to get his paws wet too, but too bad. He'll have to go under the deck where it's almost snow free.

P.S. Update: turns out that Chimmie does not mind the snow one bit. He has been tearing up the backyard. It's almost as if the snow is making him run faster and harder. He's been out twice already, and wants to go out again. Crazy dog.

Say NO to Snow!

I'm not believing this weather. It was 60 degrees, sunny and warm just a few days ago. Tonight the weather guessers on the news are saying up to 6" of snowfall tonight. Our deck is already coated with snow. All of Chimmie's excellent "outside" potty training will be lost if we get a bunch of snow. If he has to start using a pee-pee pad again, he'll get all confused and start having accidents inside. Linda might shovel off the deck stairs and shovel a little part of the yard for him to go on. WE WANT SPRING!! Guess who's photo is on google when you type in "say no to snow"? Little Choopie, that's who!! Here I am from last winters snowstorm. I'm google famous!

uggs!

I know uggs are popular, but I wonder if this Puss-is-Boots trend will ever catch on. For my sake, I hope not.

Lil'Snickers

I have to give credit when credit is due. I always whine and complain about Chimmie doing this, and Chimmie doing that. Yip, Yip, Yip... grumbling he's taking my toys, eating my food and sleeping in my bed. Maybe starting today, Chimmie might be turning into a good dog. He is growing so big that he might be "Snickers" reincarnated. It's been over a week since he's had an accident in the house. He is sleeping longer hours at night. If Linda puts my food down while he is out, he won't touch it. He runs back to his den and waits to be fed in his own bowl. He hasn't been playing too rough with me. He is doing so much better on walks. There has been no carpet chewing. Today, he napped while Linda watched Prison Break. (With Chim, there is usually no napping when Linda is home. It's all "play with me right now".) Snickers and Chim even look so much alike!

Sticks and Stones

We've already been up for hours and hours today. Since we went to bed early, it was up at the crack of dawn for all of us. We've been outside twice already playing and exploring in the back yard. Chimmie has been super hyper racing around the yard. He has a new obsession. Sticks and Stones. He has to carry one or the other while he is moving at lightening speed from fence to fence. It's really funny. He wants to take the sticks into the house in the worst way. Linda put her foot down on that one. No sticks or stones allowed inside. Paul should be coming over while Linda is at church to walk us. Maybe he'll take us back on the trail since it is such a beautiful day.

Is it a Cat? Dog? Goat?

What in the world made Linda think today would be a good day to walk? Not one walk, but two walks! And one of them was on the wooded trail! It was so windy that she actually thought the trail would be more protected from the gale force winds. She was right, up to a point. When we got to the fields or their was breaks in the trees, then we got slammed. You should have seen her trying to carry both Chimmie and I across the rushing water, trying to step on the stones and not fall in while battling the hurricane. (OK, I exaggerate a bit. I've never been in a hurricane, but I think the wind were the strongest I ever felt in my life.) We made it home safe and sound. She went to visit a friend for awhile and when she got back home, out we went again! This time we stayed in the neighborhood because it was getting dark and you DON'T want to be on our trail in the dark. There are lots of scary foxes, owls and deer that could attack us.

I'm An Angel!

"They're yippy and loud, and they have the Napoleon complex." No, I didn't say that. An article in the New York Post said that about Chihuahuas. The Chi's are in the top 5 of all dog bites in NY last year. The writer said that because we are little, we are going to be aggressive and defensive when someone bigger approaches us. All I have to say is NOT! I'm a 6 pound half Chi and half Yorkie and there has never been a more gentle dog than I am. (OK, maybe giant Snickers. He was Dobie/Shepard and was as sweet as a newborn baby.) Back to my story. Another small dog, the Shih Tzus are only 5 bites behind the Rottweiler on the list. Some trainers think the smaller dogs are high on the list because people take them to Nordstroms and Starbucks. Doberman owners don't usually take their pets to the mall. As you can tell, Victoria Secret is my favorite store! I'm their number one Angel.

Oh What A Night!

Wow! What an amazing night. Full moon, lots of stars, a beautiful breeze and 66 degrees. We took a 45 minute walk tonight. Linda had to teach a late class, so she did not get home until 7:45 p.m. Even though she was exhausted, it was too nice not to walk us. Chimmie did the entire walk, I had to be carried for about 10 minutes. He could have gone another 45 minutes, but both Linda and I were tired. She subbed a lot of classes this week along with her regular schedule of 19 classes and still has 3 more to teach tomorrow. Sunday's are her day off. If it is as nice as today, we might hit our wooded trail for a hike.

Yuck

Linda will now think twice before using one of those plastic trays at the food court. (Come to think of it, she said she can't even remember the last time she ate at a mall food court.) A University study of the trays showed that they contained as many bacteria germs as a gas station toilet. A microbiologist said one of the germs on the trays makes you feel very ill and is highly resistant to antibiotics. She does use the trays at other kind of restaurants where you walk up to the counter to order. Maybe to be safe, she should just eat every meal at home and spend extra time with me!

Pampered Pooches

How come I wasn't chosen to be on this show? I guess it's because I'm not as posh or rich as these pampered pooches. A new show called "Doggie Moms" is the next "Real Housewives." The reality show focuses on a group of NYC women who take their pups to doggie dates, birthday parties, weddings, fashion shows and expensive dinners. The women will compete to see whose dog is the best socialite. I'm actually glad I'm not a pampered, spoiled brat. I'll take living the laid-back, low-key life with Linda over the high and uppity canine social scene. (OK, maybe I wouldn't mind this little beach set-up. But that's as far as I would take it. Absolutely no foo-foo hairdos or jewelry)

Cow-Owie

Yesterday, it was a semi-tractor trailer that overturned spilling dead chickens all over the road. Today, a much sadder crash occurred. In Minnesota, a semi rolled over spilling 16 cows from its load. The difference, these cows were alive. Oh no! One cow was hit by a car and died at the scene. The other cows were herded into a nearby field, but 6 of them had panic attacks and charged rescue men. They had to be put down. I wish there would have been another way. I don't know much about cows, but how could a charging cow be really that dangerous? This guy is just chilling with his cow. Maybe Sarah will tell me since she grew up on a 600 acre dairy farm.

Prison Pets

We have been watching the TV show Prison Break on Netflix. It's very good, although at times things are so impossible that it is funny when it's supposed to be serious. There is another show on TV where prison inmates take bad dogs who are on death row and turn them into wonderful family pets. I love this on so many levels. For the inmates and for the dogs. Both grow and become useful and productive members of society. Recently, a Missouri prison trained a deaf Wiener dog in sign language. The super smart dog named Sparky has graduated from prison and is now living with kids at a school for deaf students. The kids have taught Sparky even more signs! Another deaf dog, a Boston Terrier named Petie is also being trained by the inmates to join Sparky. Chimmie and I know some of Linda's special sign language too. We know heal, wait, down, roll over, and come. I'm much better then Chimmie, but I've also been doing it longer. I also can do "Bang your dead", but I guess that is probably not an appropriate sign for the inmates to teach the dogs. I bet if all the guys on Prison Break had pet dogs to take care off, none of them would have busted out. The one prisoner, the DB Cooper guy, did not want to leave as long as he had his kitty. When the bad guard killed it dead, he decided to go too.

Dog Psychology 101

We might have figured out why Chimmie is more jacked-up than usual after our walks. When he was a baby, he would not walk on a leash. He would not come off the front step. He would not set foot into the yard. The sounds, wind, outside air, trees, cars, etc. all scared him to death. Now, he will actually walk, but he is tense and frightened every step of the way. Most of the time he sticks next to Linda's leg and stops when she stops. Only occasionally will he venture out front and smell things with me. If Linda starts to jog, he stops and hunkers down to the ground. He's only actually gone #2 once or twice and he hardly never pees. I'm the one that has to keep marking our way in case we get lost. It was close to 60 degrees this morning, so we went extra long. The minute she took him out of his harness and let us in the back yard, he ran like the wind. It was a blur of black and tan as he sprinted around the yard at break-neck speed. I think he has so much pent up adrenaline from being afraid, that he has to run it out when he gets home. If he can't run it off in the backyard, he races around the house like a wild dog. Is this weird or what? We might have to write the Dog Whisperer and ask what to do.

Stick With Cambell's

Tierney just informed us that she is going to Africa for three weeks in the spring. This is her fourth trip to Kenya with the church missionary group. She usually does puppet shows and Bible classes with the kids, along with singing and street evangelism. (OK, maybe not street, more like dirt road.) I'm glad she is going, but Linda always worries about her a little bit. Linda has been on three missions trips too, but they have all been to their St. Kitts church in the West Indies. I hope Tier stays healthy and safe. As a treat, one of the tribes they visit kills a goat, and cuts it's head off to put in the soup pot. The eyeballs look up at you when you are scooping out your bowl. Taylor went to Africa one time while he was in high school. He's such a picky eater that he lost almost 20 pounds in three weeks. Linda hardly recognized him when she went to meet him at the airport. I don't think he ate any of the goat soup.

Back Off!

Finally... I stood up for myself! I'm sick and tired of Chimmie taking my toys, my bed, wearing my harness, laying by the sliding glass door in my favorite spot and even competing for Linda's lap when we watch Prison Break on the computer. Tonight, I just snapped. It was our nightly 30-minute buffalo bone chewing time. He wants my bone along with his own. He chews his for a minute, then comes and tries to chew mine before running back to his. I love me some buffalo bone and when he came tonight to push me out of the way and steal my bone, I let him know I was not going to take it anymore. I did the scariest-deepest-most threatening growl that can come out of a 6.2 pound Chorkie. I even showed him my tiny-little teeth! It worked!! He backed off and went to nurse on one of his stuffed toys. I wish I would have done this months ago when he first started getting bossy.

Ruby Woo Loves You

All my readers (this week I've had 648 page views, is this good in the blog world??) need to check out Tierney's blog: Ruby Woo Loves You. It's all about her passion for red lipstick, leopard, all things nautical and other random things. Mostly it's a fashion blog, but Linda loves when she does posts about "The Things You Need to Buy from Etsy." Linda is ordering a navy/white striped tote bag that she recommended. Her writing style is fun, creative and very Tierney-ish. Check it out. Leave a comment and tell her Choopie sent you!! She was featured last week on this famous blog review site!! So many people left comments about how wonderful she is. Heck, I could have told you that!

Wild Kingdom

Linda was finally brave enough to do an (almost) complete search of the backyard to look for animal dens and other scary things. The only two places she was afraid to look were in the two old dog houses. Snickers and Sheeba's Igloo doghouses are still in the backyard. If I was a smart raccoon or other woodland creature, that is absolutely the very first place I would put my babies. The igloos are warm and insulated. No snow or rain can get inside and all in all, it's very cozy. Of course, that is probably where the nest is, but she was too chicken to go near it. She had another thought about the piece of animal Chimmie tried to bring inside. It had fur like a full grown animal, but it was small. She thought there were tiny feet on it, but the more she thinks about it, the more it could have been little blood or skin pieces. Maybe our resident hawk killed something and it was just a piece of a big animal? Her friend is going to come over and put a big light on the back deck so we can see if anything is about to get us when we do our night time bathroom breaks. I still vote for locking Chip outside at night and letting her deal with it. She could boss 80 pound Snickers around, a raccoon would not scare her!

Why Did the Turkey Cross the Road?

I like to blog about big tractor trailer trucks who crash and dump their load all over the highway. (Of course, as long as the driver did not get hurt.) There have been trucks who dumped 40,000 pounds of beer, 30 tons of sand, ice cream, a semi full of toilet paper, powdered milk... the list is endless. This crash in California is a buzzards dream come true. About 300 turkey carcasses were dumped on a road outside Hollister yesterday when the driver tried to make a turn. I'm not going to post the photos of the dead birds all over the road because Linda said it's just not something people want to look at. You'll have to google the story and see it for yourself. This is the only picture turkey Linda would let me post.

Hostage Taker

ACK! Linda can't let Chimmie out in the backyard until she finds out what the heck is living back there. This morning he tried to bring a tiny dead critter into the house. It had hair like a raccoon, but it was really small. Last night about 11:00 p.m., she took him out back to pee. She heard a bunch of noise coming from the corner of our yard, tucked up against the fence. Chimmie was going crazy smelling around the yard first thing this morning. The second time he went out, he made a beeline for the fence and started picking something up and throwing it around. From far away, Linda thought it was just a leaf since he has an obsession with them. Except the thing he was tossing around was coming down too fast and going up to far. She called him to come in but he would not obey, even when she said "cookie". He finally came running when he heard the cookie container shake, but he bought his new toy with him. As soon as he got to the sliding glass door, she saw what it was. It freaked her out! She has dealt with dead mice before, but never something like this. She kicked it off the deck and will not go back out there. Someone needs to come over ASAP and remove the dead critter and check for a nest. I told Linda to lock Chip Cat out there and let her deal with it.

P.S. Sarah, send Taylor NOW! (Or come do it yourself since you've come face to face with a crazy raccoon and lived to tell about it)

Not a LOL Cat

Linda always takes our daily food allotment and divides it into two meals, breakfast and dinner. When I was a baby, I used to eat a teaspoon of food every 4 hours. Jerry would sit on the kitchen floor and hand feed me because I refused to eat it out of a bowl. (No joke. He also would take me out of my kennel in the morning and rock me awhile because it would take me so long to wake up. Those days are gone. Linda plucks me out of bed even when I'm super sleepy and makes me eat by myself out of my bowl.) Anyway, I'm usually not as hungry for supper as I am for breakfast. Lately, it's been the opposite. Now Linda knows why. Here is our routine in the morning: Linda gets me out of bed first so I can go to the bathroom in peace. Then Chimmie gets let out of his den and goes outside to take care of his needs. Chip gets fed first up on a table since she gets VERY crabby if anyone comes around her when she is eating. Then, Chimmie gets fed in his room with the door shut. Lastly, Linda lets me eat in the kitchen alone while she is making her bed, taking a shower and getting dressed. Then Chimmie comes out of his den and we go outside for another potty break. Today, Linda unexpectedly came into the kitchen while I was supposed to be eating and she found Chip Cat eating all my food! No wonder I've been so hungry at night. I've been missing breakfast because of the dumb cat. Now she has to come up with a different plan for feeding me.

See You Later, Alligator!

Yum.. Yum..Yum... Chimmie and I are thoroughly enjoying our Valentine treats! Linda went to a holistic dog food store after work today. They only sell all natural, wholesome pet food. She bought us each a buffalo bone. (You think since she is a vegetarian she would not buy us treats she thinks are disgusting, but she loves us.) I adore this bone. It is so good that I've been obsessing over it. Linda limits our bone time so she said in 5 minutes she is taking them away. I'm chewing and gnawing like crazy. Some of the other choices in the store were alligator bites, deer antlers and duck feet. They had all sorts of strange treats and chews. Chimmie also got a new harness for our walks. Even though the he falls within the weight chart for the size Linda picked, it is too small. She is going to exchange it in the morning so she can take us on a long walk before she teaches.

Gentle Giant

Even though Chimmie is a very BIG boy, today his weight was 10.2, he is a big scaredy cat. During our walk today it was super windy. The temperature is in the low 60's, so it's not cold. I had a hard time pressing-on through the wind. He had no trouble moving his muscular body forward, but he was petrified of the wind and the leaves blowing around. His tail was so far between his legs that it was wrapped under his belly. Linda made him finish the walk and did not pick him up, even though he was shaking from fear. One of the things he does when he is unsure or scared is really adorable. He needs a few favorite stuffed animals and his newborn bed to give him comfort. When he is really unsure, like today after the windy walk, he sucks on them just like he is nursing. He even closes his eyes when he nurses. It melts our hearts watching him do it. (This is a photo of when he was little. We need to take some more now that he is grown so big.)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Will you be my Valentine? I am very lucky to have so many people in my life that love me unconditionally, but I always have room for one more! Of course, Linda is my number one Valentine, she'll never be replaced in my heart. I'm just glad that one of the very first Valentine traditions is no longer practiced. No one knows the exact origins of Valentine's Day, but some think it all started in ancient Rome. From Feb. 13-15, they celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The entire tradition is not suitable to write on my family friendly blog, but the feast starts with the men killing a dog, then skinning its hide. Let's stick with flowers (like Linda's beautiful dozen red roses!) Hearts (like Linda's beautiful necklace!) An of course, chocolates (um, we don't have any of those yet..hint..hint.)

P.S. She got some candy today from one of the people in her Body Pump class, but it wasn't chocolate.

Chimmie's Day Out

What an exciting day for Chimmie! Since I'm a good girl and don't need to be crated or locked up, I was able to stay at home unsupervised but Chimmie went on a field trip to Paul's house for the whole entire day. I was supposed to go to Jerry's, but he had a business trip. So that meant I got to nap, play with my own toys and chill without someone pouncing on me. (OK, I did miss him a little bit.) Linda had a certification workshop/testing that she had to attend to keep her job. It was in another state and all...day...long....Instead of spending the night at a hotel on Saturday with her friends who were also there for testing, she just got up super early and drove on Sunday morning. She said she is 100% sure she passed the practical and written part of the exam. Back to Chimmie. Paul was nice enough to let him spend the day at his townhouse so he would not be in locked in the bathroom for over 12 hours. Linda gave us an early breakfast, than Paul gave us lunch at 11:30. Now she is back home and we just got dinner. Chim must have had a blast and kept super busy because he is actually sleeping on the couch with us right now.

Let's Do This To Chip!

Jerry is out of the country on a business trip so we did not get our normal visit/walk with him today. It was a long 5 hours for poor Chimmie in the bathroom, but I was happy snoozing in the sun next to the sliding glass door. It's so windy right now that the trees in our yard are bending over. Linda said we have to wait until it dies down before we take a walk. She is home for just a few hours and then it's back out again this evening for another 4 hours. Tomorrow, she is gone for 12 hours because she is taking a certification test in another state. Paul is coming to get Chimmie for a field trip to his house and Tierney is going to come over after church to visit with me. It would be fun if I had this Pikachu kitten to play with while she was gone.

Made From Your Meal

Everyone knows that Linda is a vegetarian. She was a vegan for a few years, but relaxed her rules a bit when she needed to get a little more protein in her diet. At that time, she also read a lot of online articles about feeding me a vegan diet too. I'm SO glad she choose to let me eat meat. She does not mind if her friends eat meat, but it does give her the willies when people eat meat that looks like the animal or is bloody. Steak is the worst. Chicken on the bone, is pretty bad too. A new hot "it" restaurant in New York is taking eating meat a step further. The eatery serves all natural, free range, grass fed animals to it's customers. If eating the steak isn't enough, they also sell leather tote bags made from the cow you just ate! Yes, you read that right. If your timing is right (and you have $400), you can leave the restaurant with one of the 10-20 handmade leather tote bags that came from the cow you just ate. If you don't want a tote bag, you can buy a wallet, belt or even a football. Next year they are going to add rabbit hats. The owners of the place say it is "another way (besides eating it) to honor the animal." Somehow, it just doesn't seem very honorable to me.

NO MORE CHEWING

This morning, Linda had to make 15 minute trip to the bank. How much trouble could Chimmie get in during 15 minutes not locked up? Well, turns out... it takes less than that to chew an even bigger hole in the carpet. He never goes near it while she is home. As soon as the door shut, he went right to the same spot and started chewing again! This time she did punish him when she saw the carpet yarn strewed about. Chim knew he was bad because he took off down the hallway and hid in the bathroom when she started coming up the stairs. Linda might sprinkle some red pepper on the spot, then go out front for a few minutes. He'll start to chew then... BAM! Although since he is a Mexican Chihuahua, he might like the spicy taste.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

Linda is not a huge TV fan. For a long time she did not even own a TV. There has always been a no TV rule in the bedroom or living room. We have one down in the family room that a friend of hers gave her when he got his giant flat screen. There is another small one in the den where we sit some evenings. She never turns it on unless there is a show she wants to watch (aka...Dog Whisperer.) Imagine my surprise last night when she started watching TV in her bedroom, in bed on her iPhone. Her back was bothering her sitting on the couch, so she decided that if she went to bed, her back would feel better. Except she wanted to watch an episode of Prison Break. The little Netflix button has been on her phone forever, but she just never pressed it. What the heck? Last night she took the leap and found out you can very comfortably watch an entire TV show or movie on your phone! (I know, most of you are shaking your head wondering how we could be so slow on the technology revolution. We don't have DVR (or whatever its called) TiVo and most of the time, she can't turn the DVD player on.) It was amazing! She put her headphones on so I would not be bothered by the sound. The problem now is not getting into a habit of watching too much TV since it's so convenient and comfy in bed. (It wasn't Capt. Kirk doing the Prison Break, although if Scotty did beam him up, it would have been a whole lot easier than what they are going through on the show.)

Energizer Chimmie

Why is it that after walks, no matter how long or arduous, Chimmie is jacked-up and even more crazy than usual. We can go over an hour; then he can chase the ball in the backyard 20 minutes... but as soon as he comes back in the house its like someone lit a fire under him. He races up and down the hall, steps and around the furniture. Once Linda came home after he has been cooped up for 4 hours with no exercise at all. She was super tired and wanted to take a little nap. He went from being locked in the bathroom to under the covers with her and slept 20 minutes. Exercise does not tire him out like Cesar says. It makes him even more rambunctious. I have to rest after a 20 minute walk. He's like some kind of endurance athlete or something.