07/05/12 This, that and ...

Hi pals,

The humans are still packing everything up and getting ready for daddy to haul the first load of stuff off to New Mexico next week. It’s been very boring around here lately except for when momma lets Puffy and I play tag with Arleenton. She has been exploring the whole house and really getting into the tag game. Daddy said she chased my kitty sister Bay-Ling from the living room into the big bedroom and then Bay-Ling chased Arleenton back out into the living room – BOL.

I’d like to thank everyone who sent Puffy and me Forth of July flags, swimming pools and fireworks for our pages. I’m ashamed to admit that we did not send out any pressies this time because we can no longer afford to buy zealies like we used to so we are saving the few that we have for Thanksgiving and Christmas (yes, both holidays will be here before you know it) or for pups that are in need of POTP.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that momma received an email that the game warden sent out to everyone who lives in our development in New Mexico informing them that there is a BEAR roaming about. Yup, that’s right a real, live bear. Our property is very close to one of the national forests and we knew there was a possibility that bears would visit but everyone we spoke to said that had never happened, until now. Daddy says we are going to be getting a big dog to help guard momma since she can’t hear very well so it looks like I will be getting a new fursister after we move. Daddy wants a Labrador but momma thinks they might be too energetic for “the old people” and is thinking maybe something that is a bit more laid-back might be a better choice.

I hope you all had a safe Fourth of July. I got scared with all of the loud popping sounds and daddy told momma that thunderstorms come through the valley where our New Mexico property is at “all the time” so it looks like I will be wearing my thunder shirt often (too bad it didn’t appear to help me last night when I was shaking from the popping noises).

Hugs and kisses,

Coco Rose

06/26/12 The house is erected!!!

Hi pals,

The house building is up but not totally completed. The good news is that the builders got the roof up and all the insulation has been put in. It’s a good thing that daddy was there to watch them because they were putting the super thick insulation on the walls instead of on the attic. Daddy ordered 8” thick insulation for the attic because where our property is it gets really cold and it snows during the winter and the thicker insulation should help keep the house warm during these times. The builders had already installed the insulation so they had to take it all down and re-do it using the right stuff.

One thing daddy did not include in our new house is a fireplace. He said he didn’t want to mess around with chopping wood and the house filling up with smoke. When we were cleaning out Grandpa’s house he had a fireplace and we used it all the time but daddy is right they are messy and require a lot of work to keep the fire burning. The humans also discuss putting in a pellet fireplace but after all discussions daddy just didn’t want one. Momma says if she gets too cold she will climb back in bed and turn on her electric blanket and have Puffy and me snuggle with her – I like that idea and will be more than happy to snuggle.

It's raining where daddy is at and that might be an issue. He is supposed to catch the train on Friday night and arrive in California early Saturday morning. However since there were lots of big construction trucks coming and going from our property daddy chose not to have the driveway graveled because it would have been a waste of time and money as the trucks would have ruined it anyways. If he does not find someone to come out and gravel the driveway before the monsoon season arrives then it might become impossible for him to get his truck on and off of the property. Keep your paws crossed that daddy is able to come home.

I forgot to tell you that daddy had a drain put in the laundry room floor and that is where we are going to have pee-pee pads left for us to do our business on during the super cold days and nights. Momma thinks having the drain in the floor was a great idea as it will make clean up easy should somebody piddle on the tile.

One of the benefits of moving is that momma is cleaning out the freezer so tonight she cooked some tri-tip, put it in the food processor and chopped it fine, then mixed it with our normal dinner and boy was it delicious! We ate every bite and probably could have even made room in our tummies for more – BOL, BOL.


Well got to go watch momma pack up some more stuff.

Hugs and kisses,

Coco Rose

06/25/12 The garage/workshop is up

Daddy called and told momma the garage/workshop is finally up and he now has a place where he can lock up all the tools he bought. Tomorrow the inspector will be coming out to our place to do an inspection on the septic tank installation. There will be several more inspections that need to be done before they will allow anyone to move into the house. If the inspectors catch you living in the house before it is signed off they can fine you and delay any further inspections needed so daddy has to be very careful to follow all rules.

The builders have started work on the house now and hopefully they will get that done soon. Keep in mind that the house will only be a shell and that momma and daddy will be doing almost everything else, and let me remind you that momma is dreading this.

All day long momma is still busy packing up our California house and it’s a good thing too because daddy says he hopes we are all moved out by the end of August.

Today the nasty ants invaded the sewing room and got all over MY kibble. This always happens when it rains or gets really hot and right now it is hot. Momma tried spraying with an organic insect spray but it didn’t stop the ants at all so in desperation she finally used RAID so no we have to get off the computer and go into the big bedroom where she didn’t spray.

Hugs and kisses,

Coco Rose

06/24/12 Daddy is coming home

Hi pals,

Only five more sleeps until daddy will be back home for a short while. He will be taking the train from Gallup, New Mexico to Riverside, California on Friday night and arriving EARLY on Saturday morning.

Daddy told us that the builders have the garage/workshop building erected and almost completed. They couldn't finish the job because the door that daddy ordered from one of the local home improvement stores won't be delivered until next week.

Work on the house should start on Monday but won't be completed for several weeks. Momma really wanted him to stay and make sure the builders used the correct insulation but daddy says he will check it when he gets back to New Mexico. He says he wants to sleep in a real bed and have some real food even if it is one of momma's "good luck" dinners. For those of you who don't know what that is, momma likes to experiement with recipes and often times they don't come out so when momma isn't sure if dinner will be tasty she puts the plate of food before daddy and says "good luck" - BOL, BOL. I should tell you that there have been a couple of times when even Puffy and I have refused these.

Our house here in California is a total mess. Each day momma has been packing stuff up so we have boxes stacked all over our tiny house. My kitty sibling Bay-Ling is having a blast playing in the empty boxes but the mess is driving momma nuts. Things were so bad here that Puffy and I snuck off to Demon Flash Bandit's party and had a great time. My boyfriend Hobo was with us and we spent a lot of time dancing and eating. It was nice seeing Ebby, Ceeley, Zoe, Zaidie and some of our other pals at the party.

Well I need a nap now so I'll bark at you all later. Hobo rest up good because next we are headed to Canada to party at Zaidie's place.

Hugs and kisses,

Coco Rose

06/20/12 New Mexico update and other stuff

Hi pals,

Well the date to have the two buildings up and done in New Mexico has come and gone and they are not done. Come to think of it, they only started on the framing of the garage/workshop today after daddy had words with the supervisor of the build last night. They were supposed to show up on Monday and erect the garage/workshop but here it is Wednesday and daddy had to get nasty with them last night on the phone and tell them that he has been more than tolerant with them but they have not held up their part of the agreement in which they stated they would have BOTH buildings completed by June 15 (of this year). Well needless to say that date has come and gone and neither building is up. The builders said they would work tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each time something goes wrong the builders always have an excuse and daddy is getting frustrated with them.

Daddy is coming home for a week or two next Saturday. He is going to take the train from Gallup to downtown Riverside, California. He told momma that she needs to come pick him up at 5:15AM next Saturday – BOL, BOL. Momma isn’t all that pleased with the time schedule because she has been staying up until the wee hours of the morning so getting up that early is going to be very hard but we want to see daddy so she better.

Arleenton, my bunny sister came right up to me when I was lying down on the rug under the dining room table and touched me all over with her nose. Everything was fine until Puffy jumped off the sofa and chased her back into her cage. The rate he is going she is never going to be pals with him because he is too aggressive so momma is watching closely when Arleenton is out.

We had more drama regarding the Banfield pet hospital. Momma called in HER prescription for thyroid medication at her pharmacy and the pharmacy got confused and thought it was for a refill of Puff’s medication, not mommas and therefore called the vet for approval. The vet has been calling and calling momma today telling her the prescription is wrong and to please call. It didn’t take long for momma to figure out what had happened so she called the pharmacy and they verified that they accidently called the vet instead of momma’s doctor – oops.

In regards to the other Banfield issue to cancel our health plan momma was still too upset to call their headquarters to discuss their refusal and will do so maybe tomorrow. Daddy says it is illegal for them to try to demand that we continue to pay for a service that they are unable to provide. It’s not our fault that they don’t have a Banfield pet hospital someplace close by where we are moving to.

Anyhow, I need to go watch momma pack up some more stuff. I’ll bark at y’all later.

Coco Rose

06/19/12 Be careful of what pet health plan you choose

I want to warn you about signing on for the Banfield Wellness Plan. As you know we have had a love/hate relationship with them for approximately 6 years. Recently I attempted to cancel both Coco Rose’s and Puff’s plans because there isn’t a Banfield close to where we are moving to in New Mexico. Below is the response I received from them when I requested that they cancel the plans.


Dear Marilynn,

Thank you for contacting us about your Wellness Plans for Puff and Coco Rose. Whenever we cancel any Wellness Plan before the current plan year is up, there are two options to choose from based off services used. We will always choose the option which is the least amount to cancel for each client. Clients are able to pay for the services used, or the Wellness Plan, whichever is cheapest. When we go to cancel the Wellness Plan for Puff and Coco Rose, it shows:

Cost to cancel for - Puff
Services Used= $205.29
Remaining Wellness Plan Payments = $199.75

Cost to cancel for – Coco Rose
Services Used= $295.63
Remaining Wellness Plan Payments = $199.75

Your Wellness Plans have been set to not renew and will end on the anniversary date of November 21st 2012. Because the price of services are more than the full Wellness Plan Price, if you would like to cancel prior to the above listed anniversary date your remaining balance of $199.75 for the remaining Wellness Plan Payments will be due in full.

If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-866-894-7927.

Sincerely,
Wellness Plan Relations
Banfield Pet Hospital

What they are telling me is that I have to pay them $399.50 to cancel the plan even though they are informed that I will not be able to use it. WHAT A RIP OFF! Why would I pay for a service that I can’t use and even more surprising why would they insist that I have to pay when they are told that there isn't a Banfield close to where we will be living?

Right now as I type this I have been on the phone for over 44 minutes “on hold” with terrible music blasting from the receiver as I wait for a live person to answer the stupid phone. I’m frustrated, getting very mad and afraid I’m not going to be very pleasant if someone finally does answer the phone.

I’ve finally hung up the phone without anyone picking up the call and will attempt to contact them tomorrow. Wish me luck.


Marilynn – Coco and Puff very upset mom

06/10/12 Early morning game of bunny tag

Hi pups,

Arleenton's new bunny cage is working out real well because she has learned how to open the door and is now able to let herself out (I bet you know where this is leading don't you?)

Anyhoodle, this morning momma lifted Puffy and me off the big bed and was going to let us outside to go do our morning business but we were engaged in a spirited game of bunny tag. Yup, Arleenton was hopping around under the formal dinning room table and Puffy and I were chasing her all over the place. We were like a pack of fierce hungry lions going after the tasty deer. Puffy and I chased her all around the table and under the chairs and we were all having great fun until Arleenton hopped back into her cage and momma shut the cage door. PHOOY!!! I was going to sit and wait for Arleenton to open the door again but momma secured it with a cloth pin and told us that she would go to the hardware store today and get something sturdier so this won't happen again because there is no telling how long Arleenton had been out but we are guessing it had been a while because she seemed to know the layout of all the furniture - BOL, BOL

Does anyone know how to get that clothes pin off?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you that daddy says there are lots of bunnies on our New Mexico property and they are HUGE! He says he has seen some that are even bigger than our 16 pound kitty Simba. Puffy and I are going to have lots of fun playing bunny tag – do any of you want to come play with us?

Hugs and kisses,

Coco Rose

06/09/12 I got to play bunny tag today!

Hi pals, you’re not going to believe what I got to do today. Momma opened the door on Arleenton’s cage and she hopped out to play with me. That’s right pals, Arleenton and I played tag around the formal dinning room table and we had lots of fun. She hopped around the table and went under the chairs then went back in her cage but came right back out to play some more. All during this time Puffy was running around with one of his stuffies in his mouth while chasing after Arleenton – BOL, BOL. Simba and Bay-Ling my kitty siblings sat around and watched but didn’t play with us. Momma said as long as we play nice with Arleenton she will continue to let up play together.

Hugs and kisses,

Coco Rose

06/08/12 Gnats must be hungry

Hi pups,

Nothing much has been going on around here except that momma has been taking all her decorative plates off the kitchen wall and packing them up. We now have packed shipping boxes stacked in various areas of the house.

And speaking of New Mexico, daddy discovered there isn't a problem with mosquitoes on our property instead he is being eaten alive by swarms of gnats that have sampled his flesh and now he is covered with welts and discoloration from all the bites. He was told this is only an issue during June because once the monsoon season starts at the end of June the gnats will be gone.

The first inspection of the new house was done on the plumbing and got signed off even though the plumber wasn’t there and the plumbing wasn’t complete. The plumber had to go to town because he didn’t buy enough parts so one part of the plumbing wasn’t finished but the inspector knew the plumber and signed off on the inspection. Having to go to town to get a part was a very expensive mistake for the plumber because he had to travel one hour to town and another back to our property.

Today workers came out to do the rebar and brought truck loads of sand to put on top of the rebar. They will be back on Tuesday to compact the sand and then they will start pouring the concrete for the two pads (I don’t know why they aren’t coming back on Monday). Once the garage/workshop is built and daddy has a place to store his tools and stuff then he will come back home on the train stay for a week and then rent a U-haul and take the first load of stuff back to New Mexico. He told momma it would be so nice to sleep on a real bed again. Momma didn’t tell him about the “Puffy” incident on the big bed – BOL.

My bunny sister Arleenton go a new indoor cage and momma has it on the floor by the sliding glass door so I have been going over there and barking at her. Momma says I’m not supposed to be doing that but I’m so excited that I just can’t help myself. I’m not being mean, just asking her if she wants to come out and play tag with me, what’s wrong with being friendly?

Anyhoodle, that’s it from me.

Hugs and kisses,

Coco Rose

06/02/12 Lots of excitement today

Our neighbors next door were having a party in their back yard late this afternoon so of course Puffy and I had to go to the fence and BARK at everyone to let them know that we were watching them. We were having lots of fun until momma made us come back into the house. All we were doing was trying to get invited over - Sheesh, we never get to have any fun here.

Daddy called and told momma the builders got the framing done for the garage/workshop and now they are going to start on the bigger building. The plumber is supposed to come out one Monday and do whatever it is he needs to do before the concrete arrives late next week. Daddy said he is going to try to get a train ticket to come home so he can rent a U-haul and start taking some of our stuff to New Mexico. The problem is getting a train ticket is hard because they are booked in advance and he is afraid to reserve a seat on the train and then not be able to use it due to other responsibilities that he has going on at the property.

Momma went to three different swap meets today and didn't take us with her. In the past they used to allow dogs in but now there are signs posted at all entrences saying since food venders are regulated by the health department only certified service animals are allowed. I think they should get rid of the food vendors and have more pet friendly vendors instead. Anyhow, momma was looking for a nice cage for Arleenton since she will now become a house bunny because the weather in New Mexico is going to be way too cold for her to be outside. Anyhoodle, momma didn't find a cage at any of the swap meets so she ended up ordering a nice big one off the internet when she finally got home. Oh yeah, daddy told momma today that there are lots of bunnies running around in the New Mexico development. Maybe Arleenton will find a boyfriend - HeHeHe

Hugs and kisses and POTP to our pal Abby who is going for surgery on Monday: please send her lots of love and prayers.

Coco Rose