Pooh's Corner

Chimmie is still alive and kicking (and jumping, rolling, playing, chasing, eating, gnawing and being annoying) this morning. Linda was watching him in the backyard to see where he relieved himself, but she came in to fill her coffee cup and he must have gone then. She is going to go outside and go on a poo-hunt. He likes to go in the left hand corner of the yard, so that is where the hunt begins. She really hopes there is no blood today because the Vet is going to be very expensive. I think her vet does every single test possible and some not even needed to jack up the prices. If there is something wrong with him, she is going to get our medical files and go somewhere else for another opinion. It's time to switch anyway since we've had lots of issues with them in the past. UPDATE: The hunt in Pooh's Corner is over. There was only one fresh prospect and it was normal. Tonight, she is going to take us for a walk (if she survives her 3 in a row classes) and she'll be able to get a better sample.

Sticks and Stones

It's way too hot to do our trail walk. We are going to see how it feels around 6:30 this evening. Linda wants to get off the trail before it starts to get dark. If it's still to hot for my breathing issue, we'll wait until much later and just stay in the neighborhood. I've been lazing around napping while Linda is doing her chores. Chimmie has been in and out, mostly hunting for his missing sticks. This morning, Linda found out he had blood in his poo. It was bright red and there was a good deal of it. Mr. Google said if it is bright red, it's likely from a torn intestinal wall from chewing sticks and wood. She collected as many as she could find to throw in the trash, but it's making him crazy not being able to find any. He better not take any more chucks out of the fence or deck because he's mad. There was a dog on the Dog Whisperer who chewed stones. He was obsessed with them and chewed them til his teeth and gums bled. If Chim still has the same amount of blood tomorrow, it's off to the vet to get checked out. Linda will probably have to take out a loan to pay for the exorbitant Vet fees.

Ju-Ju Bees

Emily went out to dinner with friends the other night. While they were walking around the town center, she met a man with this little Chihuahua. Em said his name was "Ju-Ju" and he was full grown at 1 and 1/2 pounds! That is what I weighed when I was a newborn. It's so funny the way he is hiding his face. I would love to meet a dog smaller than me. Emily invited him to the car show that we'll be having at church, and hopefully he'll bring Ju-Ju. The man also makes custom dog clothes. Linda has looked everywhere for another harness to replace the one I love. It's wearing out, but I don't want a different kind. Hopefully, if he looks at it he'll be able to make me one. (For the young readers who don't know what a Ju-Ju Bee is, it's a little hard candy that gets stuck up in your teeth. Linda liked them when she was little because a small box would last the entire movie.)

Love and War

Today is Memorial Day, a time when we are to honor all the soldiers who have died in service to our country. A man named General John Logan started the tradition of placing flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington Cemetery in 1868. (I'll correct this if I'm wrong after Paul reads it.) Today at 3:00 p.m., all Americans are supposed to observe a moment of silence in remembrance and respect. Linda's Daddy was a solider in the war a long time ago. The day he was discharged, he got off the bus in his small town and immediately went into the towns record store before heading home. Linda's Mom was the girl working behind the counter. That is where they met and fell in love! They were married over 40 years before her Dad died.

Scary

Linda just read that two women were sexually attacked on a trail close to our house last Sunday. She said we have to be extra careful when we walk on the trails because the assault happened in the middle of the day. The women were OK and managed to get away, but the suspect has not been caught. We are going to start walking with Taylor's big knife that he left when he moved out. Linda said that unless the attacker has a gun or it's more than one bad guy, she would be able to save us. One of the best things about Snickers walking with Linda on the trail was that he looked scary and acted even scarier when a strange man would come around Linda. We are not going to stop enjoying the trails, but we are going to be more alert and carry a cell phone.

What a Little Deere!

Has there ever been a cuter baby? I don't think it could be possible. Taylor bought Noah a John Deere hat to wear at the farm this weekend. He looks so adorable, you just want to squish him in a giant hug. Maybe he'll be able to come over again this Thursday. Linda will miss him in the nursery tonight. She'll just have to console herself with the 11 other babies.

Doggie Ga-Ga

Paul is coming this morning while Linda is at church to walk us. He told Linda he would come earlier than his usual 10:30 time so it would be cooler. Even if we can't go because of the heat, I'm still looking forward to his visit. Chimmie is Doggie Ga-Ga over Paul and will wrestle and play with him every second he is here. I totally go off Chim's radar when Paul visits us. Sure, I get a little jealous when Paul can't pet me, but I really like that he keeps Chim entertained and tires him out a little. (It would take a solid 2 hour visit of intense, non-stop playing to really tire him out.) After church, Linda might or might not go to lunch with her friends. If they go somewhere quick, she'll go. If it's a long drawn out sit-down kind of lunch, she'll come home to eat. She has nursery tonight (surprise!) and has to leave for the evening service early. (There are lots of hits if you google doggie ga-ga. I feel sorry for this world.) UPDATE: We did a long walk with Paul after all. Linda went to lunch with Emily, not the big group. She is already home and going to start studying.

The Suspect

Nigeria is over 2,000 miles away from Nairobi, so Tier will still get to eat her goat-head soup on the last day of the missions trip. "I'm innocent!"

Wheeeee!!

We beat our best trail time by 10 minutes! We almost always finish in 75 minutes plus or minus a minute or two. Today we did door-to-door in 65 minutes. It was hot too! Linda had to carry me the last mile. Her arms are tired even though she kept switching sides. Chimmie was slowing down at the end and at one point, she carried both of us for about 200 yards. No way Jose', he is probably pushing 15 pounds now. Linda made him walk like a big boy. We took a short break as soon as we hit the neighborhood. A man was washing his car and Linda asked if both Chim and I could get a drink of water from his garden hose. This pooch loves the hose, I wasn't sure exactly how to do it. Linda had to make a little cup with her hand so I could lap at it. I think all three of us need to kick back and rest a bit. The laundry and chores can wait until tomorrow.

Buttery Battery

This afternoon, Linda gave Chimmie a time out. Up until the time-out incident, he was being amazing all day. There was nobody to care for us this morning/afternoon, so Linda had to race home between 10:15-10:45 to check on Chim out on the deck, change his water and make sure it wasn't too hot. She went back to work, came home at 1:30, checked on him again and then went to one of her favorite places for lunch. Since she was out, she decided to go grocery shopping. Chim was still being good, nothing was destroyed on the deck and he seemed happy. That was until he came in the house and saw me. He charged after me and nipped me right in the leg, hard enough to make me squeal! I guess he was jealous that he could see me inside all day while he was locked up on the deck. Bad dog! Linda put him in the bathroom for a 20 minute time out. (She knows from Cesar that dogs don't get time-outs, but she actually did it for me, not to teach Chimmie anything.) Someone else got attacked in the leg this week, but it was by a stick of butter. I can't believe this story actually made the news. Two roommates were fighting over who's food was who's. In the argument, the girl roommate threw a stick of butter at her male roommate, hitting him in the leg. The guy called the police to report the buttery battery. Officers interviewed both people and did find traces of butter on the mans ankle. A domestic disturbance report was filed.

New and Improved?? We'll See.

OK, Chimmie is not acting himself this morning. He is actually acting normal, like in regular dog normal. He was starving when Linda woke him up (yes, her alarm went off first!) and he did his outside business, sniffed around in the yard awhile and ate his breakfast. Now, he is actually sitting on Linda's lap, quietly watching her type without squirming, wiggling or nibbling on her fingers. She can never remember him doing this before. He usually plays so hard that he crashes and falls asleep in seconds. This calm, Choopie-like behavior is so out of character for him. (Not that Linda is complaining, but it is kind of freaky.) She is hoping it was the longish walk they took right before bed. Maybe that is the ticket to his rambunctiousness, just drain every once of energy twice a day. Since his appetite was good and hes not crying, she does not think it's because he is not feeling well. She'll see how he does after being cooped up for 5 hours today. Check out that loooong leg peaking out from behind coyote. This picture was obviously before he killed coyote, back when it still had ears and a nose.

Tornado Warning

When Linda was working in the nursery at church tonight, we were home alone during a tornado warning! While she was driving, she heard the warning on the radio. The announcer said to take cover in an interior room without windows. The wind was crazy strong, and it poured down rain for about 3 minutes. The tornado did not actually come to us but other towns nearby had huge trees knocked down and some other damages. By the time she was done with the babies and got home, the weather was so cool we were able to take a walk.

Ninja Update

The Ninja is truly the very best blender ever made. Maybe it's because Linda has only bought blenders that cost under $25 so she's not used to what a real blender is capable of. The Ninja was way more expensive than her old blenders, but the smoothie she made for dinner tonight was exactly the same consistency of the kind you get at Robeks. It pulverized the ice and fruit in no time at all. The downside is that its very loud, but it's not like we have a baby sleeping and need to be quite. I like it because it made Chip run downstairs when Linda started it. You can toss whole fruit or veggies into it, chop nuts and a bunch of other cool things.

Can You Believe This Sale?

While Linda was checking out at Target today she saw this ad. Look! A $25 airtime prepaid card is on sale for $24.99. How in the world did this not sell out the second it was advertised. Gosh, you save a whole penny at this blockbuster sale. If I were you, I'd stop what you were doing and rush right over to Target to get your card right now.

Ninja in the Kitchen

Linda did something today she hardly ever does. Those people who are closest to her know that she never buys anything for the house unless she absolutely, positively needs it. For instance, her kitchen appliances were all almost 30 years old before she replaced them. The oven and 3 burners did not work, but she still held off on a new one until the last burner stopped working. The only way the dishwasher would kind of work is if she scrubbed every single plate before she put it in to be washed. The refrigerator, well... let's just say it worked about as good as a cracked, leaky ice chest at a picnic. Today she bought TWO new things! It's been months and months since she had a blender. The motor burned out on the one she had for 15 years. Linda is now the proud owner of a Ninja Blender! Besides having a cool name, it got very good reviews online. Then, as she was leaving Target, she saw a food processor on clearance. It was $59.99 and the clearance price was $14.99! Woo-Hoo. She used to make us homemade dog food (in the blender that broke) because it's so much cheaper than canned food. An all natural, good for you canned dog food cost about $2.50. She can cook up some cheap chicken, brown rice and a giant bag of frozen veggies...pop it all in the food processor and Voila! Homemade, delicious dog food for a fraction of the cost. I know what she'll be doing this weekend!!

Dance The Ninja Rap

We finally managed to get going this morning and start on the list of things to do: water the flowers-check; clean the house-check; laundry-still in progress; walk pooches-no check; download new Pump and Combat routines to iPhone-check! Plus, it's still over an hour and a half until Linda has to leave for classes too. She has a 12:00 and a 4:30, plus she is helping her friend Collette do her audition tape for Combat at 3:30. Tonight, babies again in the nursery at 7:00. Linda was going to go to a friends after at 9:00 p.m., but she'll be gone so much today that she decided it would be best to come right home. It has to be cool enough for a long walk then, don't you think? (If you like this shirt, you can buy it here: http://shirtoid.com/37959/tmnt-michelangelo/)

It's My Blog

I just noticed that there have been more Chimmie photos than Choopie photos the last weeks. Hey, it's my blog! I should be the star. So here, for your enjoyment, are some photos of me from over the last year.

I Can Hear You Now

Linda ignored the first two alarms this morning. Chip's went off while it was still just getting light out. She did not look at the clock, but it must have been before 6 a.m. Chimmie's went off a little later, about 6:30. Since she does not have a class until noon, its her only day in forever to be able to sleep a little later. Mercifully, they both stopped going off and she was able to go back asleep until 7:15. There is a lot of housework, paperwork, errands and laundry to do this morning before class, but she's just not feeling any of it. As soon as I'm fully awake (it takes a good 30 minutes) we are going to go for our first of 3 walks today. Somehow, Chim knows it's soon because he is sitting staring at Linda with his ear (only one stands straight) perked up. He's still pretty small in this photo. I think we were close to the same size. Now his legs are twice as long and my head only comes up to his shoulder. UPDATE: Way too hot to walk even at 8:30 a.m. Drat.

I Know I'm Cute

Chimmie is sound asleep on the loveseat. He looks so peaceful and sweet. Linda decided enough is enough. She knows that most of his destructive chewing is her negligence. Things like boredom, not being supervised, leaving potential targets where he can reach them are all her fault. She does have to work, but before she puts him in his den or locks him on the deck, she has to walk him to drain some energy. An active puppy needs two hours of hard play or walks a day. He does have plenty of chew toys and its not his fault they are made so cheaply that they come apart in 5 minutes. . The shoe, inside carpet and plant were all done when Linda was home but not paying attention. The wood decking and sheep rug were when he was outside unsupervised. This is Chim on his very first day home. Isn't he adorable? Look how giant his paws are. We should have known he was going to be the World's Largest Chihuahua! Tonight during the walk I started choking. He came over to lick my face and make sure I was OK. I do love him and forgive his craziness.

Baa Baa Bad Dog

When Tierney was a baby, someone gave her a sheepskin rug. I know what your thinking, Linda is a vegetarian, how could she have a sheepskin rug in the house? Since it was a gift, and both Tierney and Taylor loved laying on it when they were babies, she decided to keep it. Well, after they grew up it was passed on. Over the last 24 years, Lickey, Chip & Pumpkin (cats); Sheba and even Snickers used it as a bed. For some reason, I never liked it much. Now, it's one of Chimmie's outside beds. Imagine Linda's surprise when she just went to get Chim off the deck and found it covered with sheep fur! That dumb dog chewed a hole in the sheep rug. That little hole filled a small trash bag with wool. That's it! Linda said Chim has to go live with Cesar Milan at his Dog Whisperer ranch and learn how to be a good dog. When Tier gets back from Africa, they will make the video and send it in. UPDATE: Linda put him back out on the deck after she cleaned up the mess and in just 5 minutes... this is what she found! He is starting another hole.

Thursday Things

Some carpenter angel came while we were not home and fixed our deck steps. Linda's asked everyone at church and no one will own up to fixing them. Was it you Paul, Jerry, Taylor? Linda almost fell one night when it was dark while she was carrying Chim down to the yard. Whoever did it, thank you so much. I'm glad today is Thursday. It is a nice and easy day for Linda, she only has 3 classes to teach. An easy day for Linda means we get a long walk. I'm a little concerned about the temperature today though. When I had my seizures, they were bought on by walking when it's very hot out. She might have to wait until she gets home from watching the babies tonight to do our walk. (She will have watched the babies Sun; Thurs; Fri; and again on Sun this week!) It will be cooler by this evening. Chim is tearing up the backyard right now playing with his rabbit. He'll be nice and cool when he comes back inside because the AC seems to be stuck on and our house is freezing. We woke up to all the windows fogged up and the AC blasting away. Linda said she might have to call someone to get the thermostat looked at.

Go Speed Racer, Go!

Linda was driving home from church tonight and going a tad over the speed limit. There were other people passing her, but they were really speeding. Just after she decided to slow down, a police car came out of nowhere and was suddenly behind her. Good thing she slowed down, paying for a speeding ticket would have been horrible. This week, a NASCAR drive in North Carolina was test driving a Lexus in his neighborhood. He was in a 45 MPH zone just like Linda. She was going almost 55, the NASCAR guy was going 128 MPH when he got pulled over! That's 83 MPH over the speed limit. To him, 128 MPH feels like hes creeping. His $150 ticket for reckless driving is probably just an annoyance too.

What??

This is how hot it was at 3:12 today inside Linda's car. Chimmie got to spend the day outside since it did not rain, Linda hopes it wasn't too hot for him. There is lots of shade on the deck, and he does not look like he is dehydrated or anything. She hurried home from the YMCA to check on him and he was fine. We can't take a walk before church because I'll only make it 2 or 3 houses before I have to be carried. It should be cooler tonight when she gets back home.

Hope It's Not Me!

Linda got word this morning that the missions team is safe in Africa and is visiting a town called Kwanjenga. Everyone is making them feel welcome and the church is very nice. Kwanjenga is one of the largest slums in Nairobi with a population of over 100,000. (Make that 100,020 now that Tier and her team are there!) I wonder what day she gets to eat the goats head soup?

Get Along Little Doggies

I wonder if the rain will actually hold off for today? Chimmie will have to be stuck in his little den again today while Linda is gone. Poor guy, if he just understood how to behave, he could run around the house with me. A few nights ago Linda wasn't paying attention and she caught him chewing on the edge of her shoe. He's never chewed shoes before. Then, two evenings ago while she was sitting outside without us he chewed another string in the carpet and made a mess. Oh, and no more putting Noah on the big bed while Chimmie is in the house. He also is strong enough now to jump up onto the bed. Linda said Snickers never even tried to jump up on the big bed. It's very high because she has it elevated on purpose, at least to her waist. From now on during Noah's visits, Chim is outside unless she is holding Noah. Speaking of Noah, his cowboy hat came yesterday. She is going to bring it to him tonight at church. Just in time too because he is going to a wedding in Perry and he'll be able to wear it on his Granddads cow farm. I hope Gretel takes a picture of him wearing it next to a cow. Sarah took Tier to the farm a few years ago. Look how the little babies live in doghouses. Too funny. Besides playing with cows, they went four-wheeling, hiking and tractor riding. I hope Sarah did not take Tier hunting though.

M.. I...C......... K...E...Y MOUSE

Linda really needs a vacation. A real one, not just not teaching for a 24 hours. She came home dragging tonight, tired and sore. She was really hoping that it would be like last week when her body felt amazing. Instead of stopping off for a yummy take-out dinner, she had to come right home. At least Jerry came while she was gone and took us for a long walk, so she can just put her feet up and rest for tomorrow. I had to be carried 1/2 way because it was to hot and muggy for me to be able to finish the whole walk. Jerry put Chimmie out on the deck and spent about 1/2 hour of special time with just me while he fixed some kind of hard drive thing on Linda's laptop. I laid on his lap sleeping and had peaceful non-Chimmie dreams. Even though Jerry has not lived here for 3 1/2 years, he still loves me and tries to come at least a few times a month for a visit while Linda is teaching. This photo is from one of the Disney Cruises. If Taylor sees how funny he looks with the Mickey Mouse ears, he'll make me take the picture off. I don't think he even knew that they were doing that to him.

We LOVE Tierney!

We got word that Tierney left London and is on her way to Kenya right now. I'm glad she is safe so far. The news said some volcano ashes might clothes the London airport, so Linda was a little worried Tier would get stranded in London. (I'm sure tier would have been fine with that!) Here she is last year surrounded by her class. I'm sure they will bombard her with hugs and kisses the minute they see her. Her very first time in Africa she was mobbed by people in the street petting her long black hair that hung to her waist. She had to be rescued! Now to news on the home front: Linda let me sleep in until 8:30 today. She came in to get me at my regular time, 8 a.m., but I did the cutest little whine and went deeper under the covers. Chimmie and Chip were up bright and early though, so Linda never gets to sleep in even if she could. It's turned into a blistering hot day, way too hot for Chim to be out on the deck for any length of time. He'll have to be stuck in the bathroom for a little while until Jerry comes to walk us tonight. Linda hopes she feels as wonderful as she did last week after her 3 classes in a row tonight. She's thinking of stopping off at Wegmans on the way home to eat dinner at their cafe as a treat.

My Star!

So much for Linda feeling a little sad about Tier being gone. Two wonderful things happened tonight. The first: She found out that Taylor got a job as a financial analyst at Northrop Grumman. The Second: Star Fruit. She is so happy for both Sarah and Taylor, he worked so hard in school and it's paid off. The second thing is not as spectacular, but still very special. When Linda was in St. Kitt's on her missions trip, she ate star fruit every morning for breakfast. She loves it, but never actually had it once she got back home. Guess what she is going to have for breakfast tomorrow? Star fruit AND fresh mango! Hopefully it won't be raining, because she plans on eating it out on the deck and pretending she is back on the veranda in St. Kitts enjoying the sea breeze.

Off to Africa

Bye Tier! Linda just left the airport and Tier is probably sitting on the runway right now waiting to taxi off. She has about 8 hours to London and then a 4 hour layover before she gets back on a plan to Africa. Linda did not cry at all. She did cry the one year when both Tier and Taylor went. The real tears happen when she picks her up in three weeks. It's such a relief to have her home safe and sound, Linda can't help but get teary eyed.

My First Day

You would think life in the doghouse would be the same day in day out, but it's not. There are days Linda is home a lot, and there are days shes not. Monday and Tuesday, she is in and out, but mostly out. She has a 9:30, 11:30, 12:30 and 4:30 today. No complaining about Monday night though. It's the only night she does not have plans, so we do a long walk (lots of times the trail) and chill together. Starting the middle of June, she will be losing her 11:30 and 12:30 class on Monday and Thursday, so she is looking for a new job. I'm hoping it will take her a little while to find something else. Totally selfish on my part, but it would be a dream come true if she could spend a little more time home. She said she is going to use that time to start cleaning out the spare rooms and garage. Hopefully, she'll have some help since Taylor has not started his new job yet and a few other guys from church have volunteered to help her. How pitifully is this picture of me? Tier took it the first day they met me, even before I came to my forever home. I was one and a half pounds of pure sadness. What is that giant thing around my neck? And those ears!! They are bigger than my whole head. Linda did NOT want a small dog, but when she saw me, she knew that I was destined to come home with her.

Baby Tierney

Linda was late coming home tonight from church. She was working in the nursery (its like the 6th Sunday in a row or something!) and there were 11 babies. Little ones too. Some just a few weeks old. She was a little sad she did not get to see Tierney do her skits that the team will perform in Africa these coming weeks. Sometimes they videotape the skits, so she might get to see it on You Tube. Monday is the day Tier leaves for Nairobi. I won't miss her because I only see her once a month if even that. Linda sees her 3 or 4 times a week, so it will be way harder for her. They will get to eat lunch together tomorrow before her flight leaves. Linda is going to try and get Laura to teach her TKD class so she can go to the airport and see her off. It just seems like yesterday when she was a little baby. (Linda made this dress for her. In fact, she sewed all of the kids clothes when they were little.)

Sarah's Family (minus Noah)

Paul came by to walk us this morning, but both Chim and I were not feeling up to it. I just wanted to go back home and Chim kept resting in the shade. The 75 minute trek last night really tired us out, plus getting up before dawn did not help any. He played with us and left earlier than usual. After church, Linda went to a wonderful cookout with Sarah's entire family. There was lots of vegetarian food including black bean burgers. And for dessert, homemade strawberry shortcake! Sarah said I could come too, but Linda would have had to drive 20 minutes total to come and get me. They have a beautiful fenced yard that looks like a photo in a garden magazine. Linda could have taken some amazing photos of me there. You can't tell because she looks about 19, but Sarah's Mommy is wearing the gray dress.

Share the Love

Chim decided to wake us all up before dawn this morning. If Linda would have let him whine a few minutes, he would have gone back to sleep. Since she was awake, she figured she might as well get up since she took the day off of chores yesterday and had things to do. Now it's only 6:40 and she's had some quite time, made coffee, cooked a batch of chicken for our suppers and washed the kitchen, foyer and 3 bathroom floors. Hopefully, she'll be meeting Tier at the Corner for breakfast in a little while. Tomorrow Tier leaves for Africa and Linda won't see her for a loooong time. Maybe someone will have a laptop and they can Skype! Paul is coming over this morning to walk us while Linda is at church. He loves Chimmie best. I don't mind because besides Paul, Taylor and Dennis.... everyone loves me best. I can share the love. If the weather today turns out to be like yesterday, we'll do another trail walk before night church.

Where's Choopie?

I just got back home from a special outing alone with Linda. Since her whole afternoon/evening is free, she decided she would spend time alone with both Chimmie and I. Of course I went first since I'm the princess. We went to the dog park since that is my favorite thing to do. Unfortunately, as you can see from the photo, I was the only dog there! If you look really close, you can see me on the right of the photo near the two tennis balls. There are lots of bowls of fresh water under the tree. People bring gallons of water and leave it there to share. Linda was super worried it would be too crowded, but I had the entire park to myself. It's really too bad Chimmie did not go first because he would have loved being there alone. Last time Chim visited the dog park it was a disaster. Linda had no way of knowing it would be empty though. After I sniffed and explored every inch of the park, we went to Whole Pet. It's a store with just natural and organic food and treats. Linda bought us each a salmon skin bone. The guys said it's super healthy and full of good things for us. Lastly, Linda picked up lunch and we went to our special picnic place near the woods. Now we are home and going to rest awhile before Linda takes Chimmie out for his turn. She is not totally decided what they are going to do yet. Maybe drive to a place called Whites Trail and take a walk there, or they might just go to our trail since Chimmie is not crazy about driving in the car. UPDATE: We all ended up going for a 75-minute hike in our woods. It was amazing, by far the best trail hike we've ever had. I didn't even freak out (much) when we came upon 5 deer were grazing just yards from where I was standing. Linda did carry me the last mile though. Her arm is cramped.

Grow Up

We did our walk tonight with a friend of Linda's and their dog, a Jack Russel named Ollie. Ollie was nuts, kind of like Chimmie normally is at home. Of course Chimmie was acting all shy and had his tail between his legs the entire walk. Ollie just wanted to play and wrestle with Chim, but Chim was acting like an idiot and kept hiding behind Linda and flattening himself into the sidewalk. I was my normal, socialized adorable self, but I got tired and had to be carried. We ran/jogged to their house before our walk together even started, so I already used up all my energy. We'll try walking with Ollie again tomorrow and see if Chimmie does any better. Why does Chim have to embarrass me so much? It's not like Ollie was giant, they were the exact same size. Get over it Chim. It's time to grow up and act like a big boy.

So Many Choices

Linda is hoping the rain holds off tomorrow so she can mow the grass. It's getting tall (not long, thanks for the correction Ron.... but your hair grows long and not tall so I'm not sure if he is right....) and it is going to be hard to cut and bag if she does not get to it soon. After she teaches tomorrow and does the lawn, it's a totally free day! She rarely gets those, so it's nice to be able to choose what to do. There is an outdoor art festival at a big Town Center near her house. She's been before, and its really nice. Food, music, crafts and fine art. She wants to bring me (Chimmie has to stay home until he learns to obey) but first needs to make sure pets are allowed in the closed off street area. If we don't do that, she might take both of us to Great Falls park. The water should be really high and the falls beautiful. She has a secret place to park and start the hike that won't be crowded. Her bike tires are pumped up, so if she can find the carry-me bike pack, maybe we can go for a bike ride through the woods to our favorite lunch spot. So many choices! The scary look on my face is because a deer just passed in front of us and I'm petrified of deer.

Rescue Rangers

Tier loved that show when she was little. She can probably still sing the entire theme song. A group has started a company to become pet rescue rangers. Some believe there is one more day until the predicted rapture (well, not according to the Bible, but according to some man who swears its the real day.) Linda said not to stress about this weekend, because predicting the actual day is just a lot of bunk. Her church is going about business as usual and Saturday (the supposed J-Day) is the annual clean up the grounds work day. Some people are believing the prediction though. In 26 states, those who are raptured can pay a company to come in and rescue your pets after J-Day. Eternal Earth-Bound Pets charge $135 for the first pet and than $20 for each additional pet. All the rescuers are sworn atheists who don't believe in God or heaven, so they say they will be on earth to adopt your animals and care for them. Just in case it does not happen this week, the contract is good for 10 years. Linda can save her $175 because Jerry will be here to rescue us when she is gone.

Family Time

In the last 3 days I got to visit with Tierney, Jerry, Sarah, Taylor and Baby Noah. Sarah and Taylor came over tonight to see Linda. Taylor had a great time playing and wrestling with Chimmie. He said that he would love Chimmie to come and live with him at his house. Even Sarah said it would be neat to have a dog to run with. If Chimmie ran 3-4 miles a day, he would not be so crazy in the evening. Right now, I'm the one who is crazy. I'm shaking like a leaf. The thunder always scares the fur right off me. Linda has me tucked in her sweatshirt trying to keep me calm.

Let Sleeping Dogs (and Babies) Lie

Boy, is Chimmie going to be upset when he gets to come back inside later on. Since he has to be outside today, Linda used the time to clean up his den while Noah is napping. She trashed his brown woobie bed, and his newborn blanket. Both were so ratty and the brown woobie bed was starting to stink like wet dog. It was too torn up to wash, so it went into the trash. She also threw away all the half eaten, frayed, chewed up soft toys. Some of them are his favorites too. She did buy him a sturdy and durable new bed to take the place of woobie and blanket bed. Linda used the time to scrub down the entire bathroom before she put the new bed and toys in. He'll be sad for a few hours and then totally forget about them. (She hopes!)