Why It's Called A Puppy....

I think I figured out where the word "puppy" comes from:

Pick
Up
Poop
Pee-pee
Yuk!!!


Who? Me? I swear THE CAT DID IT!!!!

He sure looks guilty to me!

Yeah, this puppy sure is keeping me busy, but there have also been other things going on here as well, both good and bad. First the bad news: there was a fire in the building where both Carlos and I work about a week and a half ago. There was quite a bit of smoke and water damage, but it is a large building and the fire was pretty much confined to one area, so we were able to return to work the next day. Also we were afraid of losing our jobs this fall, since we were bought by another company last year and there were rumours they were going to close our building in October. Well, there has been a change of plans; they are going to keep our building open, upgrade our operating systems, and we're all getting retrained. So that's the good news. Now, we can relax and enjoy the rest of the summer, that is when I'm not chasing after our little furry, four-legged "chew machine".

Sunday In The Park

We took Archito to the park today. He really seems to enjoy walking there much more than walking around our neighborhood. Poor little guy is really afraid of cars. I guess I need to walk him at 4am when there isn't much traffic!

Here he is with Carlos:



And here's me with the little guy:


Gotta luv those orange shoes!

While we were heading back we were caught in a pretty bad thunderstorm. Carlos said something about turning off our air-conditioning at home and opening all the doors and windows because our last electric bill was pretty high. Well his wishes were granted, for when we returned home we had no power for several hours. It was raining buckets and the water in front of our house was ankle-deep when I emerged from the car with one wet, stinky Archito. He looks like a little puff-ball now.

Well, that's all for now. Hope to find some time to post during the week. I have to return to work tomorrow :o(. Wouldn't it be great to be a kid again and have the entire Summer off?

Meet Archito!!!

When we lost our Doberman, Raven, earlier this month our home felt so empty. One evening while sitting on the front porch, I noticed several of our neighbors walking their dogs and my heart ached so badly that I ran inside the house crying. Yes, I did plan on getting another dog or puppy when I was "ready", I really didn't want to rush into it. When I mentioned the crying incident to both Carlos and my sister, they both said the same thing: "Lynne, it sounds like you're ready for another dog."

I was hoping to find a dog at one of the local shelters, but they seemed to be full of mostly pit bulls and pit bull mixes and I was afraid such a dog might hurt our cat, Jeter. Also I wanted something smaller and less agressive, because both our home and yard are definitely what one would call "cozy" and I didn't think a large dog would be happy here. And I simply did not want an agressive dog. Although Raven was a Doberman, she was very sweet and gentle, and also very petite for her breed. We were very fortunate with her.

So we searched a bit and found this cute little guy. He's a Sheltie aka Shetland Sheepdog. We had one a few years back and enjoyed "Archie" so much that we decided to get another one. Carlos named him "Archito" (little Archie) in honor of our former dog.




He's six months old and he's soooo smart! I've always loved Shelties, especially their long noses:



He's slightly smaller than our cat and our vet doesn't think he is going to get much bigger, so I'm sure Jeter is going to be happy about that.



This little guy sure keeps me on my toes; he has lots of energy. The last time I raised a Sheltie puppy I lost quite a bit of weight trying to keep up with the little pooch. That's another reason we decided to get another Sheltie. I'm happy to report that so far I have lost four pounds on the "Shetland Sheepdog Puppy Diet and Exercise Program"!

Hello Again!

Bless me Father, for I haved sinned, it has been more than four months since I last posted here! I hope to be blogging again on a regular basis. So much has happened in the past four months. I survived my 18 weeks of grand jury duty. It was pretty interesting. I'll talk about it in a later post. but first I have some sad news.

I lost my beloved canine companion of nearly 13 years earlier this month. Raven had been battling lymphoma and having her "put to sleep" was the most agonizing decision I ever had to make. It was truly one of the worst days of my life. She was a big, gentle girl with a heart to match and was loved by all who knew her. If there is a doggy heaven she is most surely there. I miss her terribly. Here is one of the last pictures I took of her:



That's our obese kitty "Jeter" pictured with Raven. They were best friends. I think he misses her the most. Sometimes he sits by our gate waiting for her to come home. So sad.

We do have a new puppy. I'll post about him soon, hopefully before he eats the computer.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.

Safe Autumn Lights

I remember when I was in elementary about a hundred years ago that October was fire safety month. And these battery operated tea lights are a safe alternative to the real thing, especially in a home where there are children and pets (and grown-ups who tend to nod out very easily :o). Found a pack of 6 at Walgreens for $5 which really isn't so bad since I've seen single lights priced at a $1.50 or higher. They even flicker and look a lot like the real thing. They fooled Carlos. And they seem to last for quite a while. Have not had one "burn" out yet.

Here they are in one of my wall sconces. I've always been a bit leery of using the real thing here:



And they look really cool inside a paper lantern. I would NEVER use a regular tealight here:



I bought these lanterns at Le Gourmet Chef yesterday. A pack of three of these vintage-y looking lanterns was less than $3.00. I like vintage holiday decorations, but the real McCoy is often very pricey.
If I ever get around to carving a pumpkin, I'm going to put one of these tealights inside. A safe alternative to the real thing. And I'm sure the local squirrels will thank me when they go munching on my pumpkin!

And now my cat "Jeter" would like to comment:

"Just what is going on with those NY Yankees??? The Bronx Bombers have really bombed in the playoffs so far. I'm so embarrassed right now that I was named after their shortstop. I'm thinking of changing my name to "Rockie". Just look at my face in this photo-does it look like I'm kidding?"



"If you lose tonight, I'm going to bury my Daddy's Yankee cap in the litter box."


Well said, my dear kitty-cat! Let's go Yankees!!!

You Gotta Love It!

Well isn't this cute! As the hubby and I were getting ready for work this morning, I noticed that Jeter, our cat, has quite the life of leisure. What a racket he has going: two meals a day, a roof over his head, maid service (someone's gotta clean that stinky cat box!), and free medical care! I want your life Jeter!!!



I guess he didn't think we'd notice him sleeping on our bed on that kitty quilt. C'mon you lazy cat-get up and catch a mouse or something!! Earn your keep around here!



Oops sorry-did I wake you? Poor baby-what a hard life you have! Well now that I have your attention, maybe I can teach you how to clean the bathroom. Or at least you could put away some of your toys! Never mind-go back to your nap. After all, you're just a kitty cat.

So go to your favorite window and spend the day watching the birds and butterflies. There's food in your bowl in case you get hungry. And if you get really bored, you can always tease the dog. Just please don't hurt each other- I can't afford the vet bills right now!



All I ask is that you greet me at the the door when I come home, maybe with one of those cute kitty nuzzles. After all, being a cat is what you do best. And who knows, I may not even notice all that litter on the bathroom floor or that hairball on the sofa.

Busted!!!!

Well it looks like the heat and humidity have gotten to Jeter and Raven. Caught them off guard holding paws. I'm really beginning to wonder about these two. Who knows what goes on when we're not at home?

A Message From The Cat

Pssst! Looks like Mom left the computer on while she and Raven went for a walk. Raven, Raven, Raven! Seems like she's in a lot of posts. Well please allow me to introduce myself-I'm Jeter, the family cat.
Yes that's Jeter, she named me after the NY Yankees shortstop. And frankly, I find it a bit embarrassing because lately they are as stinky as my litterbox! (Mom doesn't clean it very often-PU!)

And speaking of embarrassing, how do you like that picture she took of me? Not exactly my best angle. Boy, just wait until I get my paws that digital camera-I'm going to get even and trust me, it will not be pretty!

I'm still trying to master using this mouse thing attached to the computer, it's not easy. And speaking of mice, I noticed Mom never told you about the one I caught a few months back. Now that's what I'm talking about-Raven chews a shoe and Mom posts about it. I catch a mouse and she says nothing-I guess it wasn't blog-worthy enough!

Well, I think I hear them coming inside, gotta run! But don't worry-you'll be hearing from me again soon.

And Mom if you read this-pleeeeease clean my litterbox!!!

Piano Playing Cat

I have to admit-she plays the piano much better than I do!

It's The Cat's Meow-Talking Cats!

Time to give our feline friends their moment of fame. (But I do believe the doggies had a wider vocabulary.)

Talking Dogs

Raven occasionally will utter a very Scooby-Doo like "hello" while I'm talking on the phone. She also likes to sing (howl) along to "Happy Birthday". What's that, Raven? I believe she just said "walk". Time to go!

Calling All Animal Lovers:

Hi, all you animal lovers. This is pretty simple. The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on the purple box "fund food for animals" for free. This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising. Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

I tried to copy the graphic from this site, but I was not successful. Too bad, because it's a really cute one. I thought about using Raven's picture because she is sooo skinny. At least one of us is losing weight from our walks!

There are also links at this site for other worthy causes you can click on to make free donations.
Thank you for reading this and I hope you will find the time to visit these sites.