Vacation Day Two

After talking to Maw-Maw and Pap for a while, we went to bed in Maw-maw's very nice nondescript guest room. Mom said that this used to be her bedroom when she was a girl. But she said it was painted a groovy yellow and orange and had pictures of really dreamy tv stars on the walls. Stars like Bobby Sherman and David Cassidy and Davy Jones. WHO? Whatever mom.

We had a good night sleep, but when we woke up in the morning, it was raining. It was raining like crazy-on Elizabeth's wedding day. Mom kept saying it was ironic, but no one got the reference.

The wedding wasn't until later in the day, so we just hung out at Maw-maw's house. You don't want to know what we had to eat. Remember, this is my healthy grandma. Maybe an egg white omlet for breakfast, some fruit and cheese for lunch. No need for dinner, the people were going to a wedding with free cake. Thank goodness Maw-maw lives close to a supermarket and mom and dad went for a doughnut run.

All mom and Maw-maw did was talk. No one could watch tv because they just talked and talked and talked and talked and talked. And then everyone had to get ready to go to the wedding. (Everyone but me and CoCo).

Mom looked lovely in her brown sparkley dress (I think it's the only dress she owns.) Dad looked extremely handsome in his black suit. I was not allowed to rub up against him because he did not want doghair on it. Maw-maw wore a purple outfit that was just the right color for the grandmother of the bride but Pap couldn't decide which suit to wear. He showed mom several suits but then Maw-maw yelled at him and told him to wear the new suit he bought for the wedding. Mom told me that this is how human families are. After everyone was lovely looking Uncle Johnny came. He looked nice too, but I really didn't get a chance to visit with him because as soon as he came everyone piled into Maw-maw's car and went to the wedding, leaving me and CoCo alone.

CoCo went to sleep in her bed and I went to sleep in mom's old not-s0-groovy anymore room. Since I did not go to the wedding, I can not tell you what happened there so I will get mom to tell me about it and I will write about the wedding tomorrow.

Will there be cake? Tune in tomorrow.

Vacation Day One

Well I am home from vacation. I sure had a good time, but mom and dad are sooo tired.

We left Friday around noon. For some reason, mom did not want to start her vacation by getting up at 6:00 am. Finally, we were packed and ready to go. Everytime we drove by a road that I have been on, I had to poke my head out the window to smell just to see if we were there yet. We passed by the vet's. We passed by our friend's who live in the mountains. We passed by mom and dad's old college friends. We even passed by Grandma's house.

We went on a road that was full of cars. Mom said she couldn't believe she used to drive this road everyday and not think anything about it. Now mom won't drive on the interstate at all. (Well, she does but she doesn't have to like it. If there is a road that goes up the mountain instead of the interstate, mom will take the mountain road.)

This busy road led to an airport, but we drove right by the airport. When mom was a little girl, she used to live right by an airport and she said the planes would fly so low they would almost land on the house. So now everytime mom sees a plane she looks for it to land on the house or the car. That is why dad was driving. Mom was too busy looking for planes getting ready to land on the car.

[Anyway, enough of mom's travel issues. I'll write a story one time: Why mom doesn't travel well].

Mom and dad had road food, but I don't eat when I travel. I waited until we were at Maw-Maw's house. And I am glad I did, because Maw-Maw was just taking dinner out of the oven. This is my Healthy eating Maw-maw so not everything was made with a stick of butter, but it was still good: chicken (no skin), salad (dressing on the side), corn and potatoes in their jackets. It was soo good.

I had to eat fast so CoCo the dog wouldn't eat my food. But, CoCo is just as healthy as Maw-maw. She only eats dog food and no people food. She doesn't even eat dog treats. Maw-maw rescued her from a puppy mill. That is how terrible puppy mills are, if doggies don't even recognize dog treats.

So after I ate, I looked up from my bowl and my skin cousin Sarah was there. I was so happy to see her. I let her pet me. She was going to be in the wedding and she just stopped by for a minute. She had to go to rehearse. When I was in a wedding, I didn't need to rehearse. How hard is it to walk down an aisle?

That's when I remembered that I was all mad that I couldn't be in the wedding. All of my girl cousins were in it. Why couldn't I? So mom told me not to tell anyone, but the real reason I couldn't be in the wedding was because I was soo beautiful everyone would look at me and not the Bride and I would take away from Elizabeth's special day.
And since mom's nose didn't grow and her pants didn't catch on fire, I know that is true.

After Sarah left, I went for a walk. I walked all around grandma's yard and peed all over to make CoCo mad. Mom said we were in the city so I had to watch where I did my business because city people are funny about that. I wouldn't know, I have two big fields to do business in. I tried to do business in the one person's yard who would get mad, but the only person who got mad was mom. Silly mom-what about the cats, birds, racoons, deer and bear and other dogs? Silly city people.

After our walk, I lay down by Pap. He is good for giving snacks. He was eating cheese and salami. (Shhhhh! don't tell Maw-maw).

So that was day one of my vacation. Stayed tuned for day two.

Vacation!

First I want to thank everyone for their kind words and rosettes for Freckles. I know she is happy at the bridge and glad to see her mom and dad. Everyone is so sweet.

Now the crazy news! We are on VACATION! That's right. Me and mom and dad are going to go see maw-maw and pap. It is a super long car ride. I usually only go up to see them for deer camp, but my human cousin, Elizabeth, is getting married so we are going to the wedding. Well, mom says I am not invited to the wedding and I have to stay home with CoCo. I don't know why I can't go to the wedding. I have actually been in a wedding as a Flower Dog. So I would know how to act.

Ok the wedding part is boring, but there is a big party afterwards with CAKE! And I am not invited. The even worst part is Elizabeth is a dog groomer! Why wouldn't she like nice doggies at her big, fancy wedding? Oh well.

Mom says she will bring me home some cake so that will be good. Mom says if you sleep with wedding cake under your pillow you will dream of who you will marry. Silly humans-you don't put cake under your pillow, you put it in my stomache.

Hmm. If everyone has cake under their pillows.......

So I am off on vacation until Monday. I will let you know how the cake was.

Some Sad News

I have some sad news. I have lost another neighborhood friend. My friend Freckles has gone to the rainbow bridge. If you read my diary with any frequency, you will know that Freckles was my arch enemy and my best doggie gal pal.

Freckles was a pure bred dalmation who lived up the road from me. She lived with her human mom and dad and boy. (The boy is at least 30 years old). Freckles' dad was first diagnosed with cancer. Freckles never left his side, but it took a toll on her. She would chew on herself when because she was so nervous. After Freckles' dad died, her mom got diagnosed with cancer. That's when me and mom and dad offered to take Freckles on daily walks. It got her mind off her family's illnesses. Then Freckles' mom died. So it was just Freckles and her boy. Her boy is not in the greatest health either, so we just kept on walking her every day.

There would be times when her boy would have to go to the hospital so Freckles would come and stay with us. Oh my was that Freckles ever spoiled. She would sit on the couch (MY COUCH!) and sleep on the bed (MY BED!) and eat everything in sight. (MY FOOD!) and she would insist my mom would pet her. (MY MOM!) Well, you can see why she was my arch enemy. I sure am going to miss her a lot.

Mom said Freckles was old. I don't think so, she was at least as old as me. Plus Freckles' hips and legs and feet hurt her and she could hardly go on walks anymore. The last time we went to see her, she couldn't get off the couch but she wagged her tail like crazy.

So all you bridge pups please welcome Freckles and let her know she doesn't have to worry anymore.

Thanks and a fun quiz

First, I want to say thanks so much to everyone who made my dogster anniversary so great. You all made me feel really special.

I found this fun quiz on Kirby's page. I'm going to play it and I guess it would be ok, if you wanted to play, too.

How old was your typist when they got their first dog? Mom can not remember not having a dog. The first dog she remembers is a yellow dog named Stinky. She remembers her little brother, too so she had to be between 2 and 5. (Personal note to Kirby's ma: The dog we had the longest in our family was named Tiny.)

Has your typist ever been bitten by another dog? If so, how many times?
Once mom was bitten by a dog named Harry. It was just a nip, but Harry's owner admitted he was training Harry to be aggressive. Sadly, when Harry's stupid owner had children they had to put Harry down because he was too aggressive.

Spaghetti - with or without meatballs?
Meatballs. Oh and Spaghetti. Oh and Sauce. Oh and Garlic Bread. Oh and Salad. Oh and Ice Cream for dessert.

What is your typist’s favorite song right now?
Right now? That will change with whatever song is next on her mp3. She was dancing to Bad to the Bone but now I think she is listening to Mack the Knife.

How many dog parks do you have in your area?
I know there is one in Charleston, but I've never been to it. We live in the Country and there is a lot of room to run and a lot of dogs to play with just in my neighborhood.

What was the last movie that your typist went to see? Mom and Uncle went to see Julia Julie. She said it was good. It was all about Butter. How can that be bad? Mmmmmmm Butter.

Is animal shampoo tested on humans?
Yes. Well, I know some people who use horse shampoo.

How often do you get your teeth brushed?
I never got my teeth brushed but I use bones to clean teeth and freshen my breath.

Collar or harness?
I have a collar and a bandana. A collar for information and to jingle my medals on and a bandana for fashion.

Do fish get thirsty?
Well, we have fish but I've never seen them drink.

Where is the last place your typist went to for vacation?
To grandma's house. But for a different place they went to the Outer Banks a few years ago. Mom loves the beach, but I did not get to go and my feelings are still hurt over it.


PetSmart, Petco or _____?
I went to PetSmart once. It was too big and I got tooo thristy there.


Besides Dogster, what’s another one of your typist’s favorite web sites?
Mom likes PostSecrets, The Straight Dope, Overheard, and of course Graphjam and the Lolcatz and dogz and newz etc.

Have you ever caught a squirrel?
No and they are always hanging out in my yard eating my peanuts. grrrrrrr.

Are you more of a sniffer or a licker?
I am a sniffer. I don't hardly lick at all.

When’s the last time you were at the vet?
I went on Monday. It was for a yearly checkup. I'm fine.

How many packets of Kool-Aid would it take to fill the ocean?
It's not the Kool-Aid, it's the sugar.

Does your typist spend more than two hours a day on Dogster?
Well, time does fly when you're having fun.

What’s the name of the dog on the Cracker Jack box - Pete, Bingo, or Skip?
Bingo.

If you could meet any ‘famous’ dog past or present, who would it be? I wouldn't mind meeting a dog that was in the war so I could buy them a steak.

Pawty

Kirby has thrown me a big Pawty to celebrate my 5 years on Dogster, with friends bringing cakes and crowns and steaks and bones. So here is my speech:

Thanks to everyone for being such good friends. One of the luckiest days of my life was when I found the dogster site. Now let's stop all this barking and ROCK AND ROLL! IT'S PAWTY TIME!

News since the crash

It looks like our computer is up and running, thanks to my favorite Uncle. That's right, Uncle has come down for a visit. Unfortunately, Grandma still isn't up to traveling, but Uncle says she is doing much, much better since she had her medicine changed. Maybe she will come next time Uncle visits.

I think that Uncle came to visit at a perfect time. Our computer crashed and I needed a new one before Thursday. Thursday is my Dogster 5 year anniversary. I wanted to give everyone some kind of gift, but I spent all my zealies already. So if you didn't get a gift or a bunch of bones I still want to say Thanks for being my pup pals.

The weather here has been hot and humid and sticky and one minute it is dry and the next minute it is wet. It is like living in a rain forest. Fortunately, I don't mind the thunder.

I do mind the new couch. It is higher than the old couch and it isn't so mushy like my perfect old couch. But mom and dad saved the cushions off the old couch. They thought I might like them to use as a bed or to sit on. But, now that they are off the old couch, I have avoided them like the plague. Mom has tried wrapping them up in my favorite blankies and putting treats and toys on them but I won't go near them. I have always been allowed to sit on the furniture including these couch cushions. Mom doesn't understand what the problem is and I ain't telling. Mom says if anyone wants to explain it to her, leave a comment or a paw mail.

I had to go to the Vet for my yearly physical and shots. I enjoyed myself. I like going to the Vet. I am always the best doggie there and the most popular. (At least that's what mom says). I am fine. I have lost some weight and I have a little bit of arthiritis, my teeth aren't the best but the bumps and tumors on my legs and feet are nothing to worry about.

So that is all the news I have since the computer crashed. I am glad to be back on line. Now I must go and take a walk before it starts to rain again.

Crashed

Our computer has crashed and we have lost almost everything! Hopefully we will be up and running by Wednesday. I have so much news. Plus-Thursday is my 5 year anniversary on the Dogster and I wanted to celebrate. But now I will be happy just to have a working computer. (Also I am happy that when our computer was broken, I didn't win dog of the dayor week or diary of the day, because that is always my luck).

Stolen-Almost

This evening, after dinner, me and mom and dad were just hanging out. Chilling after a hard day of napping(me) and work (them) when Mom looks out the door and said:"Here's Roger."

Roger! I didn't even know we were going camping. I jumped off the couch to get into camping mode. Dad and mom went outside, to see Roger I guess. I went outside too. When I came back in-MY COUCH WAS MISSING! Where did my couch go! My best sleeping place. I had just got it perfectly covered in dog hair. It just disappeared. It was stolen! While I was busy outside thinking about camping and mom and dad were visiting with Roger, someone snuck in and stole my couch.

I went outside to look for my couch. I was so sad. Couch. Couch. Where are you. You were so comfortable. You fit my behind so perfectly. Ok you were a little saggy. But that only added to the comfort and ease of jumping up on it.

When I got back in from my search(I thought I saw it in the carport) there was a new couch in it's place. Hmm. I don't know if I will like this new couch or not. I better like it, because Roger is not taking me camping. He was only bringing this new couch to us. I am going to try it now. It is blue so my dog hair will show up nicely.

Dead Mouse in the Middle of the Hall

Ok, is that song going through your head now?

For a while now mom has had a feeling that the mousiecabra or perhaps his brother was back. Mom never actually saw this new mouse, but she was hearing strange noises at night.

Sometimes she thought she heard me walking around at night, but when she would tell me to go back to sleep she would see that I was already asleep.

One day, a decorative bottle that mom keeps on the window seal came crashing down. But maybe it just was sitting crooked. Yeah, keep telling yourself that, mom.

And the other night mom heard strange rustling in the kitchen. When she asked dad to see what it was, he told her some cockamamie story about the couch vibrating up against the wall and that is why you shouldn't put furniture up against the wall or your house will fall down. Now mom thinks dad actually did see mousiecabra in the kitchen and was just telling her a story to make mom feel better.

See mom had a bad experience with a devil rat while in college ( cheap student housing) and while she doesn't mind bugs and spiders and slugs she draws the line at rats and mice.

So this morning, mom gets up and right in the middle of the hall is a dead mouse. So mom gets the broom to sweep it up and it's little legs started twitching. Mom is freaking out but she hurled the dead mouse and the dust pan out in the yard. I think we are going to need a new dust pan.

Then she starts yelling at me! She says I am a terrible mouser. Well of course I am! I am a dalmation mix! I like to ride on firetrucks and hang out with horses. I don't have no time for mouse catching. Maybe mom should get a cat. I hear cat food is delicious.