The Best Dog Ever

In Memoriam

2008-04-17T12:44:00.002-05:00

“You've given your heart for a dog to tear.”
–Rudyard Kipling, The Power of The Dog

“Be thou comforted, little dog, Thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail.”
–Martin Luther

Cub Poppy Forbus

2000-2008

How I'm doin'

2008-04-15T07:07:00.003-05:00

Well, The Typist and The Alpha are still paying a whole lot of attention to me. They're glad I'm taking my pills with peanut butter again instead of protesting, but they won't just let me eat chicken. There's this icky stuff that we brought home in cans from the vet. If I don't eat it on my own (which I don't), they make a milkshake out of it and help me eat it. I don't particularly like that part, but I put up with because I really am starting to get hungry again.

Yesterday I decided I like treats again, so that was kinda fun. Also, somebody I've never even met called The Typist to see how I was doing! That was really sweet of her.

The Typist is still telling me I'm God's girl, but that's old news. I've always known that.

Glimpse of Grace

2008-04-12T14:51:00.004-05:00

This bunny isn't named Grace. This bunny gave us a glimpse of God's grace, in the finding, the sheltering, and the setting free.

Another note from The Typist

2008-04-11T19:48:00.002-05:00

Hey there... just wanted to let the blogosphere know that Cub isn't doing so well right now. Her liver disease seems to be getting more aggressive. The Alpha and I plan to do whatever we can to keep her comfortable. Hopefully she'll be back to blogging in a day or two.

Prayers are much appreciated. Again, and still.

Messing with my thumb-havers' heads

2008-04-09T07:03:00.004-05:00

Some would say I'm behaving more like a cat than a dog lately. You see, I've decided I don't like my special menu anymore. Well, except for the bran flakes and the chicken. I love bran flakes and chicken. But I'm finished with eggs and cottage cheese and wheat bread. I just am. Who knows? Maybe I'll decide to eat regular chow again. You never can tell with me.

RGBP Big Event: Geocache Internationale

2008-04-03T20:29:00.007-05:00

Hi, The Typist here, with another interruption of the dogblog to share some more about the RevGals' Big Event. (I pull rank now and then; it's one of the many benefits of having thumbs.)

So... if you know The Vicar of Hogsmeade, you know about geocaching. Trust me: this is a good thing! Here we are near the start of our morning in Cozumel:

(That was the part where we were going the wrong way. Which was perfectly fine; after all, we were on an Adventure.)

Then we got closer to what we were hunting:

See that cap in the lower left corner? It's on The Vicar herself, our illustrious leader for this endeavor.

And, after much careful searching (along with some toes in the water and a nice rest at a patio table), we found the cache!

As you can see, serious geocachers never go barefoot while on the hunt. The rest of us were along for the experience, and a lovely one it was. (If you click for the larger version and look really closely, you can see will smama's blister a few inches from her tattoo. Both accessories were hard-earned.)

So, while it may be on The Vicar's official log, God Guurrlll, will smama, and I also share the distinction of being international geocachers now.

Thanks, Vicar!

RGBP Big Event

2008-04-02T07:10:00.003-05:00

The time on the ship is over, but I do feel as though the rest of it is just beginning.

I'll be reeally late for work if I blog all my thoughts this morning, but I do have time to share a photo...

Only one of these is permanent, but they're all "real."

As has been said by St. Casserole and many others: Love ya... mean it!

She's back, and look!

2008-03-31T20:36:00.004-05:00

We got special bandannas!

The Typist got us these new bandannas when she was away with some other RevGals. Our friend Zorra was there, but didn't get Amie one because Amie doesn't like to wear bandannas. (We don't understand that around here. We like accessorizing.)

See the logo? These bandannas help out other dogs and cats in Cozumel.

The Typist had a great time with the other RevGalBlogPals, but is very tired now and is saying something about laundry and a shower and bed. The Boy and I don't really care for laundry or showers, but we're right with her on the bed thing. Anyway, we think she'll probably do her own blog entry pretty soon. But for now, we're glad she's back and that she brought us cool stuff.

Because I'm a prissy princess, that's why.

2008-03-25T22:22:00.007-05:00

It only took one day for the thumb-havers to figure out why I wouldn't eat my oatmeal and chicken for supper anymore. They're learning fast.

What they learned is that I liked the oatmeal out of the other round box better.

And when that other box was empty and they brought in a new round box with different pictures on it, I didn't like that oatmeal.

They didn't think I'd notice the difference, just because they don't. Well, the nosery nose knows, and that's final.

These boxes both have pictures of oatmeal, but the oatmeal smelled totally different from the icky box. Also, the good box has cookies on it, too.

So The Alpha went out and got me the good box of oatmeal and fixed it with my chicken for supper tonight. And I rewarded him by eating it.

I still don't think I'd eat the oatmeal from the box with the man in the hat on it. He's kinda creepy.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T20:21:00.003-05:00

This is a nifty picture for a lot of reasons:

All four of us have glowy eyes. That doesn't happen very often. The Typist doesn't like that, but I think it's cool. Besides, she doesn't really know how to use Photoshop so she can't do anything about it, even with having thumbs and everything.
We are all looking at the camera. And it only took one try.
We are all dressed in our Easter finery. See my sunflower bandanna?

Happy Easter, everybody!

Gleaning

2008-03-22T19:03:00.004-05:00

The Typist says most dogs and thumb-havers aren't into following Levitical law. So she thinks it is interesting that I let The Boy glean from my bowl.

Here he is gleaning some cottage cheese, oatmeal, wheat bread, and maybe even a little chicken that I left for him. Yes, he gets his own chow, too, but he knows mine is special. So I share a taste with him.

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien..."

Well, our Pop has been known to say The Boy is "poor as a snake," so I guess that means he's poor. And he didn't live here when he was a pup like I did, so I guess that means he's an alien, too.

It may just look like he's sniffing in the picture, but he was licking all over, really. His tongue is at least as fast as mine.

Good Friday Five

2008-03-21T07:34:00.004-05:00

The Typist here; this Friday Five isn't really up Cub's alley, so I'm playing it solo.
From RevHRod over at RevGalBlogPals:

Our prayer concerns are as varied as we are this day. For whom would you like us to pray?
Continued prayers for Cub, as we have her checkup at the vet in an hour. Her Aunt Cathy of marvelous dogsitting fame is coming, too, because while Cub will be just fine, I'm not so sure about me. So, I guess that means prayers for me, too. And prayers for all who are struggling with depression and related problems, as I'm always becoming aware of more people dealing with such.
Are there things you have done or will do today to help the young ones understand this important day in our lives?
Don't have any young ones myself, but it was cool watching the youngest worshiper at last night's Maundy Thursday service being guided through the song lyrics by her mom, especially "Were You There (when they crucified my Lord)."
Music plays an important part in sharing the story of this day. Is there a hymn or piece of music that you have found particularly meaningful to your celebrations of Good Friday?
"What Wondrous Love Is This" has long been a song I lean on this time of year.
As you hear the passion narrative, is there a character that you particularly resonate with?
Peter, and his denial of Jesus after his insistence that such a thing could never happen.
Where have you seen the gracious God of love at work lately?
In a fellow church member who is answering a calling to begin an adult special needs ministry, and in watching her establish a connection with a visiting family in need of that ministry last night after worship.

My sock is falling down!

2008-03-18T21:00:00.002-05:00

At least, that's what The Alpha says my front leg looks like since I came back from the all-night vet.

What do you think?

Home from the all-night vet

2008-03-14T08:22:00.003-05:00

Hey everybody! Thank you for praying for me. I got to come home! The Typist says I'm still "loopy from the Valium," whatever that means, but I feel pretty nice. I'm resting on the living room floor, and I had a nice breakfast and I was nice to The Boy and let him smell where I'd been all night. The thumb-havers at the all-night vet were nice. The bed in there was nice. The being able to quit having that big long string of seizures was nice. Alllll.... nice. I'm nice! They also wrote on my chart, "She is a very sweet dog." That's nice...

Pray for Cub

2008-03-14T00:16:00.002-05:00

Hi, The Typist here.

Cub is spending the night at the emergency vet. While we were out for our evening walk, she started having a seizure -- she is epileptic, so we expected it to pass, but it didn't. We had to carry her back home, where it continued for another hour, then we took her to the vet. They have her on Valium and expect to keep her between 12 and 24 hours.

The rest of us are going to try to sleep now. Please keep our inter-species family in your prayers. And if you're not the kind of person who prays for dogs, don't tell me that. Just pray for us thumb-havers, then.

Thumb-havers are silly.

2008-03-11T21:47:00.002-05:00

Tonight The Boy and I got to go for a ride, then a walk up and down the Greenbelt. Which really means up and down a wide sidewalk, because they wouldn't let us walk in the mud. No fair. (Might have something to do with those baths to which we were subjected over the weekend. But at least I'm all soft and fluffy.) The Boy managed to walk in some mud anyway. He's quick!

Another weird part was that The Alpha kept giving The Boy's leash to The Typist, and she would keep us sitting on the sidewalk while he rattled around in the bushes -- well, not so much bushes as little trees without their leaves on them, but you get the idea. He was "geocaching." I think it helps to have thumbs if you want to do that. And a Gee Pee Ess receiver, whatever that is.

Anothernother weird thing is that our blogfriend Mindy is getting her Peeps all ready for Easter, and that got The Alpha excited. He says there's going to be a Peeps experiment this weekend at the fire pit. Mainly the fire pit means "stay away, dogs, because your tail fur might get burned." But dogs are supposed to stay at the edge of the firelight anyway. It is our heritage.

So, that's what we've been doing tonight. How about you?

German Dog, Texas Snow

2008-03-06T21:07:00.002-06:00

The Typist started playing with Movie Maker tonight, right after I played in the snow. And so, I present my first short-form documentary:

You know, The Boy decided later that he liked the snow after all. So we had The Alpha throw snowballs for us to catch. We never could find them when we dropped them, though. Strangest thing.

The Middle Name Game

2008-03-06T19:54:00.006-06:00

Diane (Scout's mom) tagged me for a meme that uses your middle name.

I'm glad I have a middle name. Not all dogs have them. My middle name is Poppy. It's because of some silly video game The Alpha used to play, but it's also nice that a poppy is a flower. And around our house, it means a puppy, but all grown up.

Here are the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.

2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name).

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)

P is for Pretty. There's no doubt about it, I'm a good-lookin' dog.

O is for Overjoyed, because I have a really sweet deal here with my family! Sometimes they tell me to get a job and pull my own weight, but I know they don't mean it.

P (this time) is for Prissy. I don't like to admit it, but there it is all the same.

P (again!) is for Protective. I do a lot of good guarding work, even when nobody wants me to.

Y is for "YES! What is it?" Which is what I answer every time I hear a question that starts with, "Cub, do you want a..."

And, I tag Whistle, Tiria, Molly, Phoebe, and Grendel, who has had a surprise houseguest this week.

Six random things

2008-03-02T17:56:00.007-06:00

LawAndGospel tagged us for a meme! The rules are:
--Link to the person who tagged you. (done)
--Post the rules on your blog. (here they are)
--Share six non important things/habits/quirks about yourself. (we'll do three each, since we were both tagged)
--Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. (we've tagged folks on this one before, so we'll just let you decide if you want to play...)
--Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website. (Let us know if you play by leaving a comment!)

So here are the six non-important things/habits/quirks about me/us:

The Typist's turn:
1) When I give Cub and Angus good-dogs-go-out treats, I like the treats to be the same color. The Alpha makes fun of me for this, and I don't blame him.

2) I knitted a hat for the first time last weekend (thankfully, the yarn is pretty forgiving). It was a baby hat to match a blanket I'd done for a friend, and can be worn cuffed or un-cuffed:

3) I've watched more DVDs this weekend than I had so far all year.

Cub's turn:

1) The Alpha cut my toenails today. I was very good, and I got a treat after each paw was done (and all the treats were the same color).

2) During my nap today, I was chasing bunnies.

3) I have a habit of going On Patrol in the back yard. I cover the perimeter, then I sit sentry by the back gate. Sometimes a motorcycle goes by in the alley and I yell at it.

Oh, I got it. Yes, I did.

2008-02-27T21:50:00.006-06:00

So, tonight we were going round and round and round the living room playing "Get him," which I usually do pretty well, but tonight I got The Boy very, very well! I got him so good that I took the bluebell right out of his mouth! No, I didn't knock it out and then pick it up. I took it. With my pointy teeth.

It's mine now.

See me with it?

I surprised The Boy and The Alpha (and myself a bit, too, honestly!). When The Typist got home, she called it a smackdown.

A Heavenly Friday Five

2008-02-22T06:37:00.003-06:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Singing Owl writes:

I am in Seattle assisting with family stuff and preparing to attend a memorial service (Saturday) for my sister who died of complications of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

I am not grieving much, since the shock and tears and goodbyes and losses have been many and have occurred for a long time now. I am mostly relieved that my wonderful sister and best friend is free from pain and confusion, and I am thinking of eternity. That sounds somber, but I don't mean it to be. I decided to have a little fun with the idea. So how about we share five "heavenly" things? These can me serious or funny or a combination of the two.

First, prayers for Singing Owl, who has been through a very long goodbye because of her sister's Alzheimer's disease. And thankfulness that Darlaine is now free from it.

Now, we haven't played Friday Five in a while, so we're doing a tandem play!

What is your idea of a heavenly (i.e. wonderful and perfect):

1. Family get-together
The Typist: Vacations with The Alpha. Time with Super-Niece, made more precious now that she's even further away for grad school. Little moments that pass by so quickly you barely recognize them.
Cub: Everybody on the couch! Sometimes The Boy will climb on The Alpha's or The Typist's lap (or both) and let me stretch out a bit, which is nice.

2. Song or musical piece The Typist: Oh, this is too difficult! I really loved the last concert I attended, though, so I'll say something by Terri Hendrix.
Cub: I'm not that big on specific music, but I think it's heavenly when the band The Typist is in gets together at my house.

3. Gift
The Typist: Our trip to Alaska was a gift The Alpha and I gave each other for our 10th anniversary. Amazing and wonderful.
Cub: SQUIRRELY! The Boy and I each got another one for Christmas.

4. You choose whatever you like-food, pair of shoes, vacation, house, or something else. Just tell us what it is and what a heavenly version of it would be. The Typist: Back to Alaska, please. But we can skip Fairbanks this time and go inside the Arctic Circle instead. And I really missed my dogs for those 10 days, so it'd be heavenly if they could come, too.
Cub: You know, things are pretty good around here. I'll just leave it at that.

5. And for a serious moment, or what would you like your entrance into the next life to be like?

What, from your vantage point now, would make Heaven "heavenly?" The Typist: It's a very small piece of it that I'm sharing... my mom there to greet me, no longer allergic to anything, especially not animals, many of which she loved but couldn't be around. She would've loved Cub, but probably wouldn't have been able to spend more than a few minutes in a house where a dog lived.
Cub: All my favorite thumb-havers, of course, which is a lot of them, and my friends who have gone on... especially Lady.

Scout gave me an award!

2008-02-15T06:53:00.002-06:00

My friend Scout gave me this award! Isn't it nice of her? I've always thought I was special, but it's nice to know others think so, too.

And another cool thing about this award is that I get to share it! So I give the So Special Award to Zorra and Amie, and Princess Mindy (who got some wonderful PantiPalooza publicity this week), and Spooky, a cat who has started coming by to visit my blog lately. (I'm not very good with cats in real life, so I try to be extra-nice to them on my blog.)

I made The Typist help me give out my awards before she left this morning for a very long day. I don't like it when she's gone for very long days, especially when it's supposed to be her work-from-home day, where she sits at the computer and I come up and she pets me. And I hear tomorrow will be another very long day away from me, too. I don't know what it means to interview candidates for bishop, or what a bishop even is, but it seems like it probably won't be much fun if The Typist can't hang out with dogs while she's doing it. I'm just sayin'.

Adventures of last night

2008-02-09T17:07:00.000-06:00

Last night, The Boy and I got a big walk, and then a ride!

First, The Alpha and The Typist left in our car, and we stayed in the back yard. Not unusual. But what was different was that when they came back, they came in through the front door, and without our car! Then they fed us supper. (I could tell they'd already eaten because I could smell beef.)

So, after a little while they took us for a walk, but not our usual route. At first we thought we were going to get to go to the Magic Treat Window, but we walked right past that place. Instead, we went past a pond and over a bridge and across quite a few streets (I lost count because it was more than four), and before we knew it, we were at a place with lots of cars, including ours! We could also smell beef, so we were pretty sure they'd had their thumb-haver supper in the same area. That, and they said something about walking it off being a good thing.

We hopped in our car for our ride, and we rode... right back home! It didn't take long, but it was still fun. After all, walks and rides are two of the best things a dog can get, and last night, we got them both!

Didja see the big game?

2008-02-04T20:42:00.000-06:00

Watching the Puppy Bowl was great yesterday!

Our favorite player, Bruin the Alaskan Malamute, didn't get MVP, but that's only because some silly thumb-havers Just Didn't Get how Cool he was. Maybe they thought he was too big for a puppy. But that's how big he is, even though he's young!

We did some playing of our own, too, but it was nice to get some napping in while the young pups frolicked.

The Alpha and The Typist especially liked the Bowl Cam. (We are not getting a camera in the bottom of our water bowl here. That would be a little too much for The Boy to handle.)

My special menu

2008-01-29T07:12:00.000-06:00

I have an update on my special menu: I don't like yogurt anymore.

I decided not to like it when I saw how many big tubs of yogurt The Alpha brought home. I mean, if you can get that much of it, how is it special?

So, I'm letting The Boy have the yogurt now. I still like cottage cheese, though.

A memory of Lady

2008-01-27T19:49:00.000-06:00

In the comments on my last post, The Alpha wrote: Cub, you need to tell everyone about the time Lady came to visit and you were both left in the kitchen for a few hours, and how you both made an escape and noted your displeasure with the situation. It was ... memorable.

You know, there are some secrets that I prefer to keep. One of those secrets is exactly how Lady and I got out of the kitchen that night. Let's just say that I was already taller than Lady, but much younger with practically no street smarts. This was more than 7 thumb-haver years ago, so I was still a pup. The Alpha and The Typist and Lady's thumb-havers think Lady was the brains of the operation, and I was the muscle. But I'm not talkin'.

When the thumb-havers got back from their late-night gallivanting at some place that doesn't allow dogs, Lady and I had made our statement. We made it by going through the trash cans and decorating the floor with what we found -- something I've never done since (it was a very special occasion).

And, on the carpet... right in the middle of the carpet... we left a very special statement that explained what we thought about Getting Left.

The thumb-havers marveled at the size of our statement, and concluded we only could have created such a huge statement by working together. Then they cleaned it up.

Again, I will not reveal the secret. But I will say Lady was one smart mutt.

In Memoriam: Lady

2008-01-23T07:23:00.001-06:00

Before I was born, Lady was The Best Dog Ever.

Lady was the dog who helped The Typist want to have a dog of her own. And so, when I showed up, she was ready to say yes.

Late last night, Lady went on. We don't really know how old she was, but The Alpha and The Typist knew her for about 11 thumb-haver years.

She was a Great, Great Dog.

Rest well, Lady.

Day-Making Award

2008-01-19T13:34:00.000-06:00

Spooky gave me an award! It's the You Make My Day Award. Which made my day! Here it is:

The award says you're supposed to give the award to 10 other bloggers, but as you may remember, I run out of counting paws at four. So, I give the award to:

Zorra, who prays for me a lot. (Her dog Amie is the same breed as The Boy, which is how we met.)

Mid-Life Rookie, who is way nice to me, even though dogs pretty much freak her out. She knows how much The Typist loves me, which helps. (Also, she and The Typist got really excited this morning because a bishop commented on MLR's blog. I don't get it, and neither does The Alpha, but MLR and The Typist assure us it's a very cool thing.)

Grendel, who spreads the word that Gravy is Love.

Molly, who started visiting my blog a long time ago and is a great blogpal (although I think if we met in person I might be scared because she's taller than me).

I have other blogfriends who make my day, too, so if you want to give out the award, consider yourself tagged!

Calm, for a change

2008-01-15T21:54:00.000-06:00

That's how things have been around here the last few days! We like that!

The Boy has been back to his normal level of goofy all week (in fact, that picture in the last post was taken Saturday afternoon, well after the 1 a.m. incident -- see? he's fine).

I'm feeling pretty well, too. We like days that The Typist would describe as "typical," and we've had a few of them in a row.

Lots of you thumb-havers who pray for dogs have come by here lately, and I really do appreciate it. Would you do me another prayer favor? Please go to Zorra's blog and pray for Amie, who is the same kind of dog as The Boy. She has a big test tomorrow like I had a while back. I hope they don't shave her belly as much as they shaved mine -- I was chilly for a few days!

(Zorra and The Typist know each other through RevGalBlogPals. What a great bunch of thumb-havers they are. We've even met some of them. Mary Beth let us hang out in her flower beds when we went to see her.)

Guest Blogger: The Boy

2008-01-12T10:36:00.001-06:00

How To Get Attention When Another Dog Has Been Getting More Than Her Share Lately
By The Boy
Guest Blogger

Step 1: Wait until just after 1:00 in the morning.

Step 2: Have a seizure. Grand mal, if you can manage it. I'm new at this, but my effort did not go unnoticed.

Step 3: Let a thumb-haver scritch you behind the ears for, like, an hour.

That worked pretty well!

Tagged for my 250th post!

2008-01-11T21:54:00.000-06:00

Yes, we all know I can't count past 4 because I run out of paws after that, but The Typist says 250 is a lot of blog posts (even if she did throw in a few without me). So, happy 250th post to me!

For this special occasion, I've been tagged by my friend Rowan. Here's how it works:

- Link to the person/dog that tagged you.
- Post the rules on your blog.
- Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. (I really like this idea, because we have had way too many important things going on around here lately, and it wears a girl out!)
- Tag six people and at the end of your post, link to their blogs.
- Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1) I'm not really ready to go to sleep for the night until I have a nice big sigh. Sometimes The Alpha and The Typist sigh after I do. They are mocking me, but I don't mind.

2) I like being a groupie. The band was over again tonight, so I got to hang out with them. The Boy doesn't like being a groupie so much. He usually hides under the coffee table or back in the bedroom.

3) My licking speed is so fast (Fastest Tongue in the West, they call me) that I can sometimes lick things thumb-havers would rather not have me lick, like their teeth and their eyeballs. I licked Miss Julie's teeth today. She was very surprised!

4) There's a couch in the den where I'm only allowed to sit on one end of it. But I like the other end better, and that's where I go when nobody's looking.

5) I like licking the holes in the compost bin. The Typist thinks this is disgusting and it gives me bad breath. She just doesn't get it.

6) I think any time is a good time for some yogurt. It's my favorite thing in my new menu. Except maybe the chicken. Or the cottage cheese.

I'm tagging... anyone who wants to play! Thumb-havers, dogs, other RevGalPetPals. Just let me know if you decide to play.

The Cub Report(er)

2008-01-08T21:31:00.001-06:00

The Typist says there's not much journalistic integrity in reporting on yourself. But as a dog, I don't think I'm aiming too high anyway, so here goes:

After I finally finished being woozy from yesterday (I napped hard all day and last night!), I had the seizure this morning -- the one I meant to have at the special vet's office like I did before, but they drugged me up before I got the chance. So I went ahead and got it out of my system after breakfast.

But don't I look good this evening?

(Sorry for not smiling. I'm trying to look professional and stuff. Which is hard to do when there's a cardboard box and a red teddy bear sticking out from behind your head.)

Now I feel pretty good! I've been playing, and chasing The Boy, and Aunt Lidna came over to pet me, and I got so excited I squeaked a few times.

And I hear that I get some new kinds of food for breakfast tomorrow. Including that stuff called pumpkin that Amie told me about.

Thank you all for the praying and for the sweet comments! I'd lick you all if I could. Instead, I'll settle for licking The Alpha and The Typist. Because they let me.

Woozy day...

2008-01-07T21:48:00.000-06:00

Well, I had an odd morning... glad I'm home. I'm still kinda..huh... from whatever needle they put in me at the special vet. Then The Typist came back and rescued me. I'd like another nap in a minute... I didn't want anything to eat until after my all-day nap, but when I was ready I got fed a lot!

Thank you for praying for me!

The Alpha and The Typist are talking about my food. They've been looking at something new. Amie will be happy because it has pumpkin!

Just couldn't do it.

2008-01-07T08:56:00.000-06:00

Hi -- The Typist here. I sat on the waiting room floor with a shaking Cub for 25 minutes. I got her all checked into the surgery center, paid for and everything. I went out to the car and called The Alpha with my doubts... for instance, they didn't tell us until this morning that with the exploratory surgery necessary for this type of biopsy, she would definitely have to stay overnight, possibly two nights. Quality of life for The Cubbins would've taken a major downturn for a while, even after she got home. We talked it over (yet again!) and decided that if we can keep her at her current level of functioning, attitude, and behavior, then we shouldn't subject her to major surgery just to find out that we still don't really know much more, and confirm that we almost certainly can't do anything different to fix her problem.

So I walked back into the surgery center and got my girl back. Surprisingly, I got a full refund, too, even though they'd already given her a sedative and had to give her something else to counteract it before I took her home.

Going to work now. Still feeling sad that I can't help my girl get all better, but knowing that a solution wasn't likely to come of this experience anyway, I'm feeling good about the fact that I haven't subjected her to an unnecessary major surgery.

Thank you all for your prayers. I felt them.

S'picious...

2008-01-06T21:36:00.000-06:00

I've heard some things today. Things about me not getting breakfast tomorrow (although I did get an extra big supper with more Egg Love). And about that specialist vet. And about something called a biopsy. Will all of you who are praying for me please keep it up?

In other news, The Typist says I was a groupie today and yesterday. I don't know what that means. All I did was hang around the band when they were all over here playing with their noisy stuff. I made sure every one of those thumb-havers had a chance to give me a good ear-scritching or two. Mid-Life Rookie's guy G&T was here. I licked G&T's hands while he was playing, and The Typist told me to stop, but G&T said it was okay for me to get in some "guitar licks."

Almost time for bed... all that company gets me worn out!

New year resolutions Friday 5

2008-01-04T06:52:00.000-06:00

Sally over at RevGalBlogPals writes: Well it had to be didn't it, love them or hate them I bet you've been asked about New Year resolutions. So with no more fuss here is this week's Friday Five:

(It'll be a tandem play for us this week -- good thing, because it's been a while since either of us played!)

1. Do you make New Year resolutions?
The Typist: I used to, but I've been trying to stay away from them.
Cub: I have made and kept resolutions in the past, but I don't feel the need to be so formal this year. My fellow RevGalDogPal Scout says it well: "Silly! Dogs don’t have New Year’s resolutions! We live in the moment. We don’t regret the past. We don’t hope to do better. We know we are always doing our best."

2. Is this something you take seriously, or is it a bit of fun?
The Typist: Well, if I make a resolution it can be any time of year, and yes, I'd take it seriously. But for New Year stuff, nothing special. For a bit of fun, though, Questing Parson has a nice set of resolutions this year.
Cub: As a dog, there's not much that I take too seriously.

3. Share one goal for 2008.
The Typist: To behave at General Conference in a manner that honors God and my fellow delegates.
Cub: To be the best girl I can be.

4. Money is no barrier, share one wild/ impossible dream for 2008.
The Typist: Using about twice the vacation time I have available so I could not only go to the RGBP Big Event and GC2008, but also to things I've had to skip this year, like Perkins Theological School for the Laity, various locations in Alaska, and a visit to my niece in graduate school. And, while we're dreaming, have Cub with me at all of those things.
Cub: Frosty Paws every single day!!!!

5. Someone wants to publish a story of your year in 2008, what will the title of that book be?
The Typist: Confessions of a Church Nerd: Admitting That Following My Instructions Wouldn't Fix Everything
Cub: Bad Liver, Good Life: One Dog's Journey With the Thumb-Havers Who Would Do Anything For Her

Quincy's meme

2008-01-03T19:59:00.000-06:00

Hi -- The Typist here, having been tagged by Law And Gospel, who writes: Dave over at Here I Stand posted on a sad note, that they had to put Quincy, the family dog, to sleep. Certainly, we pray for Dave and the family because we all know that pets are people too. Their stories are our stories. One thing that can guarantee good conversation is a sharing of the antics of our animals. So, in honor of Quincy and all of our animal companions past and present, I thought I would post a couple pet antics from our house and create a new meme.

1. What is an amusing anecdote about a pet friend in your life (past or present)?
When we brought Angus, a.k.a. The Boy, home, we pulled a fast one on Cub: we had some friends bring The Boy in through the front door instead of bringing him in from the garage as if he had arrived with us (which he had). She thought she was getting someone to play with for a little while, which was cool. Then our friends went home -- without The Boy. For the next 48 hours, Cub would stare at him, then at us, as if to say, Wasn't he supposed to be leaving? But things settled in after a while, and they're quite the pair these days.

2. What is a gift a pet gave to you when you really needed it?
There's nothing like a muzzle-nuzzle and a cuddle from a dog who understands that you're sad or upset. She may not understand why you're the way you are, but she knows how to be present with you and comfort you.

3. Share a picture of one or more of your pets - extra points for amusing photos.
I just happen to have a new amusing photo of Angus, a.k.a. The Boy, from our New Year's Eve celebration:

We were all hanging out around the fire pit, and he got thirsty. It was only ginger ale and pomegranate juice, or I wouldn't have let him drink it. (Certainly not with the existing canine liver problems in this household.)

And, just because she was so cute we could hardly stand it, here's a picture from the day we got Cub:

Isn't that sweet enough to rot your teeth?

Big grown-up Cub is having a liver biopsy on Monday. Please pray for her, if you're the kind of person who prays for dogs. (And if you're not the kind of person who prays for dogs... just don't tell me that, okay? I'd rather not know.)

Gracious God, we thank you for all of your creation. We especially thank you for the animals that grace our lives. May we learn the unquestioning love they share with us. Bless all of our pets, and those who care for them. Amen.

Now, I tag... Janie, Mary Beth, and SpookyRach.

In Memoriam: Uncle Ren

2007-12-31T14:40:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of Uncle Ren from years ago, with Aunt Nancy holding him.

Uncle Ren went on this weekend.

He was 14 in thumb-haver years. He didn't like to play very much at all. The Alpha says he used to love to jump up high, and roll over, and shake hands, and go after members of a certain political party, and catch peanuts, and even kill a gopher or two out in the garden. But that was back before The Boy and I got to know him. Lately he'd just been tired, and deaf, and nearly blind. His smeller still worked great, though. He could always find where the food was.

Ren was our Pop's buddy, and his pardner, too. I hope Pop does okay without him.

According to Martin Luther and Rowan, Ren now has "a little golden tail." We were wondering, is that a stump-tail like he had here, or does he get his full tail back in heaven? Because "a little golden stump" just seems kinda funny.

Either way, it's golden.

Rest well, Ren.

Dear Cub: How did you find out about Egg Love?

2007-12-30T22:08:00.000-06:00

In the comments to my previous post, Grendel writes:
Wow, Eggs are Love, too?
How do you eat them? Raw? Boiled? Fried? Poached? Scrammeled? Deviled?
And how did you find out about Egg Love?
I need to know!!!

Yes, Grendel, Eggs are Love. I eat them scrammeled. Here's how I found out about Egg Love...

A few days before Christmas, I had decided I didn't want to eat because my tummy felt bad. And so The Alpha and The Typist took me to the vet for needles, and then back to the vet the next morning for an all-day needle called fluids. The vet gave the thumb-havers some pills for me, and special smelly wet chow for me, and I ate it all up. For a few days.

But while we were at Christmas, I started getting a little more picky. I wasn't sure I liked the wet chow any more. The thumb-havers were all talking about how it's better to keep a dog eating, and the next thing I knew, my grandma was cooking eggs to mix in with my wet chow. My grandma loves her granddogs, especially me, her granddogter. (All the other granddogs are boys, and sometimes she calls me one, too, but I don't really mind.)

I've kept not liking my wet chow, and so I get more eggs, even now that we're back in Texas. The Alpha and The Typist keep trying to get me to eat my wet chow, but I won't eat it mixed in with the eggs anymore. Now we're making a game out of it, and I like playing Catch the Treat. They're obviously having great fun making the smelly wet chow into little treat-sized bites to throw in the air for me to catch.

So, Grendel, if you want Egg Love, I think you have to get your thumb-havers all worried about you. But maybe, if you're really, really good, you could get one anyway.

Blog-Blessed!

2007-12-28T12:49:00.000-06:00

Scout has a blog of her own now, and she blessed me over there! Thank you, Scout!

Here is the big explanation so I don't have to re-type it, and I can hurry up and get to the blessing!

The idea… it’s a game of tag with a difference, rather than looking inwardly, we look outside ourselves and bless, praise and pray for one blog friend. By participating in this endeavour we not only make the recipient of the blessing feel valued and appreciated, but we are having some fun too. We’re going to see how far the bloggin’ blessings can travel around the world and how many people can be blessed! Recipients of a bloggin’ blessing may upload the above image to their sidebar if they choose to. If you recieve a bloggin’ blessin’ please leave a comment on this thread so that we can rejoice in just how many blessings have been sent around the world!

Okay... here are the three I'm blessing and praying for today:

I bless Whistle and everybody over at his place (Fish, Sister, Dubby, Andy, thumb-havers). They have had a really big year, and I pray that with Fish's leg all healed, everybody stays healthy and happy.

I bless Molly, too. She and I both have had not-feeling-good times this year, and I pray she keeps feeling better. Also I pray that Sam quits eating stuff he ought not eat.

And, I bless Zorra. I know Scout already blessed Amie through Zorra's blog, but I want to bless Zorra herself, too, because she helps The Typist pray for me and they have big email discussions about me and Amie. I pray that Amie's raw spot where she likes to lick her paw gets all better so Zorra doesn't have to keep worrying about it.

And please keep praying for me, everybody. I had another test yesterday (too many rides with needles at the other end lately!), and I think something else is coming up soon.

Love and poppy kisses,
Cub

p.s. to Grendel -- Over Christmas, I learned from my grandma that, like Gravy, Eggs are Love. You might want to check them out.

Christ Candle Aglow: The Peak of Liturgical Yard Art

2007-12-24T22:30:00.000-06:00

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Merry Christmas!

Advent 4: Liturgical Yard Art continues

2007-12-23T20:55:00.000-06:00

In Which I Get The Boy

2007-12-22T18:46:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty pleased with this video. As you'll see, even when I'm not at the top of my game, I can still catch The Boy. And if there's any question as to whether I really got him, notice who has the Kong at the beginning, and who has it at the end.

I'm home!

2007-12-21T21:43:00.001-06:00

Thanks for all the praying! I'm home now, and feeling decent. I think I still need more praying, though.

Here I am after I got home, but before supper. See my pretty wrap with the stars on it?

They really like me at the vet. If they have to shave me and leave a needle in me all day, at least they put pretty stars on the spot when they're done.

Miss Cherrie came by to see me and told me there are lots of prayers for me all over the place. I gave her poppy kisses.

I kept my breakfast in me all day. And I've kept my supper tonight, too...they're still giving me extra-special soft chow.

I did have a little bit of a seizure after supper. It wasn't too bad. But I never do like them, and neither do the thumb-havers. And they're looking at me a lot lately, even without the seizure.

Tomorrow I don't have to go out anywhere! After this week, it'll be nice to lie like a dog around the house. 'Cause I am one.

Not So Hot

2007-12-20T21:38:00.000-06:00

Well, I haven't been eating for a couple of days, and it really got The Alpha and The Typist all worked up. So they took me to the vet today for some needles and stuff, and rumor has it they're taking me again tomorrow for something called "fluids." And then at some point there will be something called a "specialist." They were frowning at some piece of paper the vet showed them. But I got sent home with some really good soft chow from a can, so that helped me eat my supper tonight. I didn't even try to give it back the way it came in -- which I think had something to do with getting that stinging needle. Because after it, my tummy started not feeling so bad, so that was nice.

I'm pretty sure they want y'all to pray for me, so will you please do that?

Dog Hero Profile: Boe and Budge

2007-12-18T21:37:00.000-06:00

Meet Boe and Budge.

Boe and Budge are trained to work with combat stress units, which I think means they help thumb-havers who have had a rough time of things start to feel better. That's a very heroic kind of thing to do.

Read more about them and learn about the big plans they have. If my Uncle Kevin starts to feel bad or needs special help from dogs when he's far away from his own dogs next year, I hope that Boe and Budge will be there for him. But mostly I hope they all come home safe.

Dog theology

2007-12-16T19:56:00.001-06:00

My dogblog friend Rowan has been doing some very nice thinking this weekend. In particular, about big theological thoughts. He even writes about Martin Luther, a very famous dog person who happened to be a theologian.

Liturgical Yard Art: Advent 3

2007-12-16T19:27:00.000-06:00

This week, observers may notice a slight modification.

The candle flames now enjoy the protection of clear 16-oz. party cups, secured by clear packing tape. We are always learning.

(It rained this week. The candles threw a breaker. All is well.)

Also, we are glad to report that the cups aren't as visible from the sidewalk as they are in this photograph.

For those of you wondering, "Why didn't they light the pink candle on the third week?" this site offers explanations of various Advent wreath practices, including: "With the shift to blue for Advent in most non-Catholic churches, there is also a tendency to move pink to the Fourth Sunday of Advent. It still remains associated with Joy, but is increasingly used as the climax of the Advent Season on the last Sunday before Christmas."

The Alpha, as further justification, wishes this blog to transmit the following message: "So there. Nerts to everyone else."

Advent 2: Liturgically Correct Yard Art, Continued

2007-12-09T21:12:00.000-06:00

Here we are, second Sunday in Advent:

Okay, confession time: the paint on the pink candle is actually red. But the lights are pink.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

I Got Blessed!

2007-12-08T15:54:00.000-06:00

Today The Typist took me on a ride! to go get blessed! (It was just us girls. The Alpha stayed home with The Boy, because the thumb-havers thought it might be too much for all of us if The Boy went.)

We rode for a while, and when we got to the church I helped by unbuckling my harness myself. It wasn't our church, it was another church a little further away, where The Typist knows some thumb-havers. She said hi to people while I said hi to people and dogs.

After a while we all got quiet and sat in a circle in the parking lot. Pastor Katherine read a Bible story about how it isn't good for thumb-havers to be alone, and that's why God made me and all the other dogs (and cats!) who were there. After that, the thumb-havers all said a prayer together and Pastor Katherine went around the circle and blessed every one of us by name! She also asked God to heal my liver.

Then I got to sniff some more dogs and thumb-havers before we got back in the car for another ride. (I've noticed that rides usually come two at a time.)

I was very, very good when I went to get blessed. I didn't show my teeth to any of the other dogs (and The Typist didn't let me get close enough to the cats to even try). I politely sniffed other dogs and less-politely jumped up and kissed lots of thumb-havers. And there was this one miniature hot dog who freaked me out a little bit, but I was even nice to her.

I highly recommend going to get blessed! Maybe next time they'll take The Boy, too. Though The Alpha says he may need an exorcism instead of a blessing. (I'm not sure what that means.)

Meet Charlie

2007-12-07T07:31:00.000-06:00

Charlie is a real coyote who lives with a thumb-haver. He was an orphan, and she took him in when he was wee tiny. Go see him!

Liturgically Appropriate Yard Art

2007-12-02T18:54:00.001-06:00

Most of my RevGal friends share my dislike of inflatable yard decor, as we learned from this week's Friday Five.

But what do y'all think of this custom creation from The Alpha?

It's hard to see the pink candle this week, but it's on the far right in this photo. If you like, I'll post a pic each week of Advent... let me know...

Friday Five: Seasonal Edition

2007-11-30T06:54:00.001-06:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Will Smama writes a Friday Five that The Typist will enjoy (I'm sitting this one out):

Please tell us your least favorite/most annoying seasonal....

1) dessert/cookie/family food: I'm tempted to go with Will Smama and say ribbon candy (see her reasoning). But I think for me, it's probably.... no, wait, I'm going with ribbon candy after all. It's pretty, but not really what I'd call edible. Which is so not nice.

2) beverage (seasonal beer, eggnog w/ way too much egg and not enough nog, etc...): Hmm. I actually like most holiday beverages... cider, wassail, Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (mainly because of the Holiday Hawk)... but I will say egg nog has to be just right for me to enjoy it, which usually involves mixing some of the dairy store version in with the liquor store version.

3) tradition (church, family, other): It used to be that my hometown church insisted upon doing Christmas Eve Communion the slow way -- everybody come kneel, use your Jesus shot glass, wait for a dismissal -- which, thanks to the size of the crowd gathered, kept the service running at nearly two hours. Far too long for an 8-year-old nephew who knows he gets to open presents as soon as this thing is over. Also far too long for the adults to avoid giggling over a gassy stranger seated nearby. Now, though, they have mercifully switched to intinction -- rip it 'n' dip it, y'all! Body/blood combo! Keep it moving, thanks very much!

4) decoration: Santa Claus, Father Christmas, whatever you want to call him. Hairy old men everywhere, even on top of some Christmas trees (yeah, I know, they're from the Druids anyway, so there's no real reason to put a star up there, but still...)

5) gift (received or given): I'm thankful that the Big Mouth Billy Bass appears to have run its course in our family. I still haven't actually touched one myself.

BONUS: SONG/CD that makes you want to tell the elves where to stick it:
"Santa Baby." EWWWWwwww. Ew, eww, ewwwwww.

Candy Cane Monday (Thursday, actually)

2007-11-29T20:42:00.000-06:00

We got tagged by Zorra for this meme! She invited both of us to play. I'm going to let The Typist go first.

So, Typist, name five of your favorite all time gifts, either given or gotten:

1. This one's a little bit of both giving and getting: for our 10th anniversary, The Alpha and I gave each other a trip to Alaska. (Far better than one of those bits of jewelry the diamond cartels want you to buy, at least as far as I'm concerned. And definitely more memorable.)

2. The portrait of Cub that my sister painted. She has a truly amazing talent. Nobody else could have done it so well.

3. A thick book of children's stories given to me by a retired school teacher who was one of the saints of my childhood church. The book is now almost 100 years old, and Miss Gertrude used to read out of it to her students. By the time I got it in the 1980s, the back cover and spine were gone. I don't keep it out with other books because of its condition -- I keep it in a fire box. But it's very interesting to read and see how harsh many children's stories used to be!

4. Giving The Alpha an electric chainsaw for Christmas turned out to be loads of fun, even though he figured it out early. Or maybe it was fun because he figured it out early. He was so excited that I just enjoyed watching him react instead of being miffed that he guessed the surprise. It was amazingly cute!

5. Rufus, a stuffed toy dog, the first gift The Alpha ever gave me. Also known as Fake Dog, ever since we adopted Real Dogs.

Okay, now my turn to name five of my favorite all time gifts, either given or gotten:

1. SQUIRRELY! I don't have very much of squirrely left now--just a tail pelt--but I still like it. And I think I may be getting another one for Christmas.

2. I love giving thumb-havers poppy kisses. I've got the fastest tongue in the West (whatever that means).

3. My canvas teddy bear. I'm not allowed to play with it anymore because I tore all the stuffing out, but Aunt Lidna gave it to me after my hip surgery. It was very nice of her to do.

4. My friend Tux gave me his ropey Kong because he didn't play with it much. It's an Outside Toy. I really like it, and I even share it with The Boy. Sometimes we play tug-of-war with it. I usually win.

5. The Typist is kind of embarrassed that she knitted me a scarf, but I really do like it. She says that her knitting homework just happened to fit me, not that she did it on purpose. But I like it no matter what she says.

Does anybody else want to play this game?
Tell us if you do!

Too busy!

2007-11-28T22:49:00.000-06:00

I got tagged by Zorra, but The Typist was out late, so we can't play tonight. She came home way too late, smelling like church and the band (I know what the band smells like, because they were all over here a couple of weeks ago). It gets busy that way for her before Christmas.

Maybe tomorrow night I can really blog!

Dog Hero Profiles: Thunder and Haven

2007-11-19T19:23:00.000-06:00

This dog may look very familiar, but it's not me.

This, dear readers, is Thunder, Dog Hero, with his thumb-haver Carlos. Thunder is a working dog who does all Carlos's looking for him. He gets to wear an official Guide Dog harness and everything.

Our good friend Lily knows Carlos and Thunder from her work (stuff she does when she's not here petting us). Lily says Thunder is really great, and we know she's got to be right about that.

What happened to Thunder and Carlos is really scary. They were with Carlos's girlfriend Diane and her guide dog Haven when a car came right at them. The car hit Carlos and Thunder, but Haven, being very smart and doing a Good Job, pulled Diane out of the way. So Haven is a hero for that.

Thunder's hero bit came when he was already hurt. He got himself back to the library they all had just left. In special emergency dog language, he told the people who work there that there had been an accident. They called 911 for him to get Carlos some help.

Carlos and Thunder are injured, but they're slowly getting better. Thunder may have to retire from his job, but he will live with Carlos no matter what (and for that, Carlos is a hero, too).

And guess what? Carlos and Diane got married this weekend! Hooray!

I hope they let Thunder and Haven have just a teeny bit of cake...

What the vet thinks

2007-11-17T14:58:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody! Guess what? The vet thinks I have another big word. I don't know what it means, but it doesn't matter 'cause I really don't have time to be bothered with that kind of thing. There are things to sniff, people to lick, The Boy to chase. I'm a busy dog.

What it really means for me is that I get lots more peanut butter every day now! (So what if it's wrapped around pills? It's still a nice treat.)

Here are the pills I take when we get up in the morning:

And here are the pills I take when it's time for breakfast:

And here are the pills I take when I have my supper:

The Alpha and The Typist have been saying, "Most people make car payments. We make dog payments." I don't know what that means, either, but I'm not very curious. Curiosity is for cats.

So, thanks to all of you who are saying doggy prayers! The Typist says to keep it up, and we'll know something in a month.

A prize from Mindy

2007-11-11T20:58:00.000-06:00

The Typist here, reporting that I got a lovely prize in the mail when we came back home from our weekend adventure with the dogs! Thank you, Mindy!

Here it is:

And guess what? It's reversible, too!

How great is that? Oh, and it smells nice, too.

I'm going to have to wear purple to work as much as possible this week so I can show off my nifty-cool headband that my fellow RevGal made. Thanks again, Mindy!

We went places!

2007-11-11T20:25:00.000-06:00

Friday we knew something was up because we got dressed in our bandannas and harnesses. And the thumb-havers started putting stuff in our car.

The Boy decided to see what was in there. Usually he tries not to touch our car when he stands up to look in, but here he is, caught with his paw on the shiny paint. I don't think he's supposed to do that.

So, sure enough, they put our beds in the back seat and we got all buckled up and went for a big, long ride!

We rode and rode and rode and rode, and The Typist played with her sticks and yarn and The Alpha drove, and right about time to eat, we got to Mamaw's house!

The Boy had never met Mamaw before. He liked her, but he wasn't sure we were supposed to stay at her house for very long. He kept whining in his soft little shouldn't-
we-be-doing-
something whine.

But we just settled in and spent the night there and everything. And in the morning Mamaw even let us have some eggs for breakfast. (She wanted to give us some gravy, too, but The Alpha and The Typist said that probably wasn't a good idea. But Grendel says gravy is love, and I think that may be the case. Even though The Typist says it wasn't the same kind of gravy that Grendel has.)

Then the thumb-havers who call us their Granddogs came to Mamaw's house, and we followed their car in our car and we rode and rode some more, and got to this place where we got to stay in a motel! Once again, we were Very Good Dogs. We were so Very Good that we even stayed in the room alone for a little while, with our very own TV to watch (there was a wolf pack documentary on PBS).

And we also got to go on a big, big walk downtown, where we met lots of people who loved us and said how beautiful we are. Some of them even let us come in their shops. In one shop that smelled a lot like rawhide chews, I saw this other dog that looked just like me inside this little window near the floor. The Typist laughed when I tried to go behind that shiny little window that she called a "shoe mirror" to get closer to that other dog like me. Funny, I sniffed and sniffed and never could smell that other dog.

Here we are waiting with The Alpha outside a shop we couldn't go inside. This is how well we watched the door where The Typist went -- as soon as she came back out the door she took this picture. You can't really see in the picture, but there was a bubble machine blowing on that street, and I wasn't even scared. (I didn't like bubbles when I was littler.)

We also saw a Real Wolf! On a leash! while we were downtown. The Alpha and The Typist seemed pleased to see him, but they wouldn't let us get very close. I think maybe it was because the Real Wolf! was growling. And I think they probably made the right decision for us. They take very good care of us.

Near the end of our walk, The Typist saw a yarn store and wanted to go in there. We were ready to wait outside with The Alpha, but the shop owner saw us and said, "Oh, we're dog friendly! Please come in!" and gave The Alpha a place to sit and learned our names and everything. The Typist got some more yarn to put around her sticks.

Then we walked up the big hill and we were Very Tired Dogs. But we'd had a Very Good Day and our beds were in the motel room all ready for us. So we had a Very Good Nap. Then today we came back home. We had fun, but we like being back here, too.

BellyDog

2007-11-08T19:06:00.000-06:00

So, I got another ride to the vet today. I stayed all day.

And after a while they started messing with me, but it wasn't that bad. No needles this time, and they didn't make me take a nap, either, but they played with my belly.

And see? I got a special belly haircut!

The Typist got another picture of it, too, but she cropped it because she said it was indecent. And also because one of my eyes looked like it had turned into a flashlight.

I'm not sure what the deal is, but I'd like all my RevGalDogPals (and CatPals, too) to pray. The Alpha and The Typist seem worried.

They should really just have a good roll in the grass. I know that makes me feel better.

DogBlogs galore!

2007-11-06T21:04:00.001-06:00

I hadn't even gotten around to having The Typist add Tanner and Grendel and Rowan to my sidebar when Josie and Boudreaux got a blog, too!

The Boy and I met Josie and Boudreaux back in June. They didn't really know what to do with us, but we had a good time in their nice shady yard. Plus, they're fluffy, so that was interesting.

I love this picture of Josie.

Or Boudreaux.

I can't tell them apart very well.

Vet words

2007-11-05T20:55:00.000-06:00

Dang it. The Alpha's been talking to the vet again. And of course then he talks to The Typist, who gets all down in the dumps. They're using big words like "ultrasound" and "biopsy" and "antibiotics."

Seriously, I feel fine.
Really, I do.

I don't know what the big deal's all about.

Backyard Bulletin

2007-11-01T21:43:00.001-05:00

Hi, Internet! Sorry it's been so long since I blogged. The Typist has had busy evenings. Here's what's been going on lately:

The Alpha dug up a big long patch of grass in our backyard a few weeks ago, and he won't let The Boy and me dig in it. It's supposed to turn into something called a "garden." I have a feeling we're not supposed to dig in it when that happens, either.
I think I get to go for a ride tomorrow! ...but it may be the kind with a needle at the other end of it.
I have some new blogging DogPals: Grendel and Tanner. Go say hi!
The Typist had a birfday. She did not give dogs any cake. I think that is a shame.
For some reason, The Alpha and The Typist have gotten the crate out again. I think it's okay, but The Boy is really scared of it, and he's not telling anybody why. He won't even go in there for treats very often. When they say "crate," I go get in the crate, but The Boy gets under the bed or the coffee table.
We got new toys this week: a big bouncy jack with a rope through the middle, and a regular rope. We like 'em!

So, what have you been doing?

Adventure in the Wee Hours

2007-10-26T06:41:00.000-05:00

Actually, I think it all started last night, when The Alpha and The Typist decided to have their supper in our backyard. They were watching some silly thing through the window, and they had a fire going in the grill for roasting food they did not let us have. But, they were also dropping perfectly good peanut shells on the ground, so The Boy and I snacked on those.

Which I think is where it all started.

In the wee hours of the morning when everybody was asleep, I started to feel kinda funny. So I decided to get rid of those peanut shells.

When The Alpha heard me acting on my decision, the adventure started! He woke up really fast and decided we were all running to the back door! Even though I wanted to finish my project right there on the bedroom carpet, I went with him. I even put most of my project outside, so he and The Typist only had to clean up a little of it.

Then we all went back to bed. But I don't think everybody got back to sleep. Funny, that seems to only be a problem for thumb-havers. I can take a nap anywhere, any time!

Off to do that now...

Friday Five: Homage to the Top Chef

2007-10-19T07:13:00.000-05:00

This week's play from RevGalBlogPals:
We're more Alton Brown fans around here -- never have seen Top Chef -- but regardless of our television preferences, Food = YES!

If you were a food, what would you be?
The Typist: I've struggled with this one! I'm still not sure. Maybe the Everlasting Gobstopper, what with all the different-colored layers and the occasional surprise.
Cub: I don't want to be food! I hear some thumb-havers eat dogs! No, no, no!
The Typist: Relax, Cub. (Dogs aren't always good at metaphorical stuff.)

What is one of the most memorable meals you ever had? And where?
The Typist: I'm not the spicy food fan of the family, but for The Shed I make an exception. If food brings tears to my eyes, I normally stop eating it. Except when I'm there. It was at least as much fun to watch The Alpha's surprise as it was to actually have the meal.
Cub: Once I was at my friend Sophie's house and saw a dish of little candies on the coffee table. Everybody else was in the kitchen, and I could reach them myself, so I ate them. They were good! When the thumb-havers noticed what I'd eaten, they all got kind of worried because dogs aren't supposed to eat M&Ms, but I was fine.

What is your favorite comfort food from childhood?
The Typist: My mom's beer bread. She never liked beer, and hardly ever drank so much as a glass of wine, but for beer bread she'd go to a liquor store that would sell her just one can of beer. And the result was always wonderful.
Cub: When I was a puppy I'd sometimes get cereal in milk as a special treat. Hey, I should ask for that again!

When going to a church potluck, what one recipe from your kitchen is sure to be a hit?
The Typist: Anything The Alpha makes. The youth always want to know what he's brought. (It usually involves a Jell-O mold.)
Cub: I'm not allowed to go to potlucks. I would always be underfoot, looking for what thumb-havers might have dropped!

What’s the strangest thing you ever willingly ate?
The Typist: Well, separately they're no big deal, but together they make an unusual appetizer: prosciutto ham over cantaloupe was our starter item for an anniversary dinner several years back. Delightful!
Cub: When I was a puppy I had a towel that I liked to shake around. I ate a piece of it once, and it didn't come out so well, if you know what I mean. The Typist keeps my towel on a high shelf now.

Bonus question: What’s your favorite drink to order when looking forward to a great meal?
The Typist: A margarita or a nice glass of pinot grigio. Or, for a non-alcoholic option, sweet tea.
Cub: Milk. I really like milk! I have a little bit of white fur around my mouth, so it always looks like I've been in the milk, even though I haven't.

Lieutenant Calf! You got five laigs!

2007-10-13T14:38:00.000-05:00

Remember the game from Sesame Street? "One of these things is not like the others?"

Notice anything different about the middle calf? Well, besides the fact that he's relieving himself. Which he's not doing in this next picture. So, do you see it? Up by his shoulder?

We are sorry we couldn't get a better picture than either of these, but his mama wasn't going to put up with us for very long.

Just so you know, he seems perfectly happy, running along on four of his legs with the fifth one swinging from that attempted thigh growing out of his back.

Thank you, Farmer L, for taking us out into the pasture for a visit. We appreciate knowing that this is the first time an extra leg has ever occurred in your decades-long farming career, as well.

But we wish Mama Cow had let him have his close-up.

Friday Five: Thankfulness List

2007-10-05T07:07:00.000-05:00

Mary Beth over at RevGalBlogPals writes: Welcome to the Friday Five!

This one is going to be veeeery simple: List at least five things (people, places, graces, miracles...) for which you are thankful. You may elaborate as you wish, or keep it simple.

Hat tip to Princess Mindy for the idea. Oh...and if you know The Veggie Tales' hit "Thankfulness Song," please hum it as you post.
****
Okay, we aren't up on our VeggieTales, so we'll hum "For the Beauty of the Earth." Here we go with our tandem play on thankfulness:

Typist: For the beings of my household, one two-footed, two four-footed -- The Alpha, Cub, and The Boy.
Cub: For my two thumb-havers who keep me happy and healthy.

Typist: That I have the ability to stay so busy and do things that I both need and want to do.
Cub: For my sunny, grassy back yard where I like to relax!

Typist: No thankfulness list that may be read by Mindy is complete without clean panties!
Cub: Okay, as a dog, those really aren't something I'm aware of a need to be thankful for... but I'm thankful that I have a nice collection of bandannas for accessorizing.

Typist: For RevGalBlogPals!
Cub: For RevGalDogPals (oh, and CatPals too, I suppose...)!

Typist: For music.
Cub: For belly rubs.

Fab Four Meme

2007-10-02T21:38:00.001-05:00

The Typist has been tagged by Zorra! This one is all about fours, but not my four paws... her answers in groups of four:

Four jobs I've held:
receptionist
junior advertising writer
public relations account representative
part-time church staff member

Four films I could watch over and over:
The Blues Brothers
The Muppet Movie
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
A Christmas Story

Four TV shows I watch:
Dirty Jobs
The Daily Show
Saving Grace
Doctor Who

Four places I've lived:
Clinton, CT
Hot Springs, AR
Conway, AR
Dallas, TX

Four favorite foods:
waffles
strawberries
vegetable steak soup
cheese fondue

Four websites I visit every day:
revgalblogpals.blogspot.com
www.umportal.org
www.methoblog.com
www.thepioneerwoman.com

Four favorite colors:
green
tan
red
gray

Four places I would love to be right now:
Seward, Alaska
New Mexico
Colorado
Right here at home

Four names I love but would/could not use for my children:
Forrest (immediate mental thought is "I'm Forrest, Forrest [insert our last name in place of Gump]")
Temple (love the name, but I will always remember what happened to Temple Drake in William Faulkner's Sanctuary)
Bartholomew ("Nothing rhymes with Bart!" --Homer Simpson)
Talkeetna (don't ask; I'm running out of ideas.)

I tag Mindy, Mid-Life Rookie, RevHRod, and LawAndGospel.
Hope y'all haven't already been tagged by somebody... this one's going around!

Back to Baseball?

2007-10-01T07:29:00.000-05:00

A few days before I found The Typist and The Alpha, they were on a trip up north to see some guys lose a baseball game. It's part of how I got named Cub.

The Typist said that back then, she'd already been burned by the strike of '95 (she still has her protest t-shirt), but she forgave them after a few years. These days she's still not happy about all the juicing rumors. (She voted for The Asterisk.)

Now, the Cubs have made the postseason again. She's been very good about not watching all season, because it seems the more she cares, the more they lose. So, she will be not-watching on Wednesday (convenient that she has choir and band to keep her distracted, isn't it?).

The Phoebe Interview

2007-09-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

This is Phoebe. She lives Out West, and normally doesn't blog herself, but avanta7, a friend of The Typist's (they go way back, she says), is going to let Phoebe answer my interview questions. Isn't that nice?

So, here we go:

1. Phoebe, you are very fluffy! How does this trait affect your fur maintenance?
2. I understand you have cats. You look like you're about the same size as these cats. Is that the case, and if so, how do you cope?
3. What is it like to live Out West?
4. The question for all dogs: What is one secret of a blissful life that you'd like to share with your thumb-havers?
5. Wet or dry food? Explain your answer.

UPDATE: Phoebe has posted her answers.

If anyone else would like to be interviewed, please see the rules included in previous sessions and post a comment with your request. This has kept me busy blogging lately!

Dogs on a Mission

2007-09-29T10:47:00.001-05:00

Well, the thumb-havers forgot the camera, so there are no action shots, but they took pictures of us at home after we completed our mission.

We're incredibly humanitarian, especially when you consider that we're dogs.

This morning we did a CROP Walk. See the special stickers on our bandannas?

The Alpha and The Typist tell us that there are hungry thumb-havers all over the place. As much as The Boy and I complain about Never Getting Fed, we know we're just being whiny and that we're actually quite well-nourished (The Boy has even had to go on a little bit of a diet this week). So we walked to raise awareness of all the hungry thumb-havers out there. It was a nice walk, too... a little longer than our usual neighborhood walk, but there was a water break halfway through. Also, lots of thumb-havers noticed that we are Really Good Dogs and came over to pet us and say how pretty we are. We even saw my friend Bear's thumb-havers -- they got to meet The Boy for the first time. They were amused, I think.

Anyway, doing CROP Walk is just one small way we can help. We love to help. You can help, too, if you like.

Dog Logic for Thumb-Havers

2007-09-27T21:04:00.000-05:00

After supper the other night, The Boy and I got walks... all the way down to the Magic Treat Window at the back of the pharmacy! They said my name, and handed back and forth a card and a piece of paper, and got a little white bag, but we knew why we were really there.

The thumb-haver inside the Magic Treat Window saw that we are Very Good Dogs. He saw that we were so good we each needed TWO treat bones. Not the little dinky kind we get at home, either. Nice, big, long-as-my-muzzle, serious treat bones. Apparently The Alpha and The Typist do not understand that these are what we actually require.

But, thanks to Sunny the Papillon, whose thumb-haver is John the Methodist, we now have a training tool for our thumb-havers. Sunny showed me a great thing that this other thumb-haver by the name of Khoi Vinh uses to figure out what his dog, Mister President, is thinking:

Go see! It could change your life.

Two More Interviews!

2007-09-27T18:18:00.000-05:00

Wow, this interview thing is interesting! I have had two more requests, one from a thumb-haver and one from a dog. This time they aren't in the same house, though: Aunt Lidna, from around here; and Molly, from far away where it snows more, and where Songbird lives with her.

First, for Aunt Lidna:
1. Why don't you live with a dog?
2. Sometimes you smell like chili. (The thumb-havers can't smell it, but I can.) Why is that?
3. Will you please share a St. Francis story?
4. Do you love me more, or The Boy more?
5. Dog on floor, or dog on lap? Explain your answer.
UPDATE: Aunt Lidna has posted her answers.

Then, for Molly:
1. You are a Ministry Dog. What is your favorite kind of ministry?
2. Like me, you have a dog brother. But you also have human boys and a human girl. What's that like?
3. Is the floor slippery at your church? Some places in my church it is, and I slide all over.
4. Same question I asked the other dogs: What is one secret of a blissful life that you'd like to share with your thumb-havers?
5. Frosty Paws: ever had them? If yes, share your opinion; if no, do you plan on trying them?

Please see my previous interviews for the Rules On What To Do Next, you two!

AnotherNother Interview: Bandy

2007-09-24T18:40:00.000-05:00

Wow! The dog interview circuit is the place to be! Bandy has just requested an interview, too. Here we go:

1. I really loved swimming in your pool. How come you don't swim?

2. I'm sorry I knocked your tooth out... Want to try getting along with each other again some time?

3. You're a trim and pretty dog. What's your secret?

4. Same question I asked the other dogs: What is one secret of a blissful life that you'd like to share with your thumb-haver?

5. Walks or rides: which are your favorite? Explain your answer.

Now, when you've finished your interview, post it on your blog. Include this invitation at the end, for anyone who would like to be interviewed by you. These are the rules:

1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave a comment on my blog saying, 'interview me.'
2. I will respond by posting five questions for you. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post with your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Thanks for playing, Bandy!

Another Interview: Amie the Cattle Dog

2007-09-23T20:37:00.001-05:00

I've had another interview request! My friend Amie the Cattle Dog, pictured here with her thumb-haver Zorra, wants to give it a try. So, Amie, here we go:

1. You are the same breed as The Boy. Can you give me any insight into what goes on in his mind?

2. How did you get your name, and do you have a middle name, too, or any nicknames?

3. You look very happy in your picture! What is it that your thumb-havers do that makes you the happiest?

4. Same question I asked Cletus: What is one secret of a blissful life that you'd like to share with your thumb-havers?

5. Toys that make squeaky noises: yes or no? Explain your answer.

Now, when you've finished your interview, you have to post them on Zorra's blog with this invitation at the end, for anyone who would like to be interviewed by you. These are the rules:

1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave a comment on my blog saying, 'interview me.'
2. I will respond by posting five questions for you. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post with your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Thanks for playing, Amie, and thank you Zorra for letting her share your blog for a little while!

UPDATE: Amie has posted her answers.

Interviews: RevAnne and Cletus the WonderMutt

2007-09-22T10:33:00.000-05:00

Fellow MethoBlogger RevAnne agreed to be interviewed, and has graciously included the non-blogging Cletus the WonderMutt! So, here we go, with five questions for each:

RevAnne...
1. You're part of a clergy couple... what is your favorite thing and least favorite thing about you and your husband having the same vocation? (Yes, I know, big question coming from a dog, but I do have an intellectual side.)
2. How did Cletus the WonderMutt come to live with you?
3. Have you ever had a blogger meetup? If yes, how was it? If no, what would you like a meetup to be like?
4. I have one costume, Ace the Bat-Hound, to go with The Alpha's Batman. The Typist says I'm not getting any more costumes. (I'm kind of relieved by that.) Have you ever dressed Cletus up in a costume? Why or why not?
5. It's getting to be the St. Francis Day time of year. Do you ever do Blessing of the Animals?

Cletus...
1. "Paraclete Duke" -- how did your ever-so-stately name come to be?
2. How much do you weigh? I can't tell how big you are from your picture.
3. I hear you live with a cat. I sometimes wonder how I live with The Boy, who is also a dog... cats are only long-distance blog-friends for me. How on earth do you live with a cat?
4. What is one secret of a blissful life that you'd like to share with your thumb-havers?
5. Bandannas: yes or no? Explain your answer.

Now, when you've finished your interviews, you have to post them on your blog with this invitation at the end, for anyone who would like to be interviewed by you. These are the rules:

1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave a comment on my blog saying, 'interview me.'
2. I will respond by posting five questions for you. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post with your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Have fun!

UPDATE: They've posted their answers.

Interviewed by Rowan

2007-09-20T20:54:00.000-05:00

Rowan did an interview, and he asked who else would like to do one. I said I would, so here are the questions he asked me:

1. I can see from your photo that you like chewing on sticks. I do too. Here's the question: Which is better, a good stick or a belly rub? Explain your answer. Well, this is a tough question... I think it might be a two-part answer: outside, in the wilds of the backyard, I really think I like chewing a good stick the best. But inside, on the couch or the floor or (when The Alpha's out of town) the thumb-havers' bed, I think a belly rub really is more satisfying. Both are nice relaxing and rejuvenating pursuits for dogs, though. I recommend them.

2. I am a Methodist too! It’s a good religion. But, if you could practice any other kind of faith what would it be and why? Wow! My other dog-blog-pals are UCC and Lutheran and stuff. The cat-blog-pals are mostly Presbyterian. Molly is always blogging about how she loves everybody and they let her come to church a lot, so I think I'd pick UCC. (I've been to church a few times, but not when very many people were there. Don't tell anyone.)

3. What is your favorite thing about being a dog? I have lots of favorite things about being a dog! Let's see... I can take a nap whenever I feel like it. I never have to wear pants, and in fact, I look rather stylish without them. I get to greet almost everyone who comes over. My thumb-havers sometimes make jokes about me needing to pull my own weight around here, but I know they don't mean it (I would be a horrible sled dog, with my hip problems). I get by just fine on being an extra-cute girl and patrolling the perimeter a few times a day.

4. It looks like sometimes your guardian uses your blog to post her own stuff. I would never let my guardian do that. How do you deal with it? Well, since she does all my typing for me (she is The Typist, after all), we have an informal arrangement that if she really wants to post on her own, she can. But not too much. She really just wants to comment on other people's blogs more than she wants to blog herself. Also, now that she blogs for work, it means less nosing in on my posts.

5. If you could tell your guardian one thing, what would it be? Don't worry so much! Even the stuff that doesn't seem good is actually okay. We love each other and God loves us, too, and that means a whole lot. All shall be well.

Thanks for the interview, Rowan!

Now, if anyone -- dog, cat, thumb-haver -- would like to be interviewed by me next, these are the rules:

1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave a comment on my blog saying, 'interview me.'
2. I will respond by posting five questions for you. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post with your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Who's in?

Friday Five: Meetings

2007-09-14T07:38:00.001-05:00

As the dog of this blog is highly fortunate to be excused from meetings for life, The Typist is playing this one alone today.

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Reverendmother writes:

In honor of a couple of marathon meetings I attended this week:

1. What's your view of meetings? Choose one or more, or make up your own:

a) When they're good, they're good. I love the feeling of people working well together on a common goal.
b) I don't seek them out, but I recognize them as a necessary part of life.
c) The only good meeting is a canceled meeting.

I'm pretty much in the camp of b). I do a lot of sitting on my butt for the Lord (or, more often, for the church), and I confess freely that I do get impatient with them. I'd rather just DO stuff!

2. Do you like some amount of community building or conversation, or are you all business?

It's great for a newly-gathered group to have those elements, but for those where we already know each other and interact regularly, I prefer limiting the community building to prayer requests and move on with the agenda as quickly as possible. Of course, informal conversation before and/or after the meeting are great... let's just not tie up everyone's time with it.

3. How do you feel about leading meetings? Share any particular strengths or weaknesses you have in this area.

Ooh, I can't stand to lead meetings... I run, quickly, from chairing anything. I'm better at filling the role of snarky commentator and comic relief.

4. Have you ever participated in a virtual meeting? (conference call, IM, chat, etc.) What do you think of this format?

Tons of times. I really like a certain brand of webconferencing, but don't really want to give it an advertisement here. Conference calls are effective as long as all participants actually talk, and also remember to identify themselves (I've totally mixed up identities of male voices before, and directed comments in follow-up emails to the wrong people -- but nothing embarrassing, thankfully).

5. Share a story of a memorable meeting you attended.

A leadership meeting in our congregation years ago, when someone who is now no longer a member stated that he wasn't getting his ROI out of the church. I was new on church staff and intimidated enough by that fact that I bit my tongue the rest of the evening and let someone else say, much more gently than I would have, that it helps to SHOW UP at church instead of going to your lake house every weekend.

Oh, and Reverendmother, thanks for the ever-so-appropriate graphic! I use that line all the time.

Image from despair.com, a wicked and funny site.

Smells of Not-Here

2007-09-12T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, The Alpha and The Typist were gone for a while, but we didn't really notice because they sent Aunt Cathy to stay with us. We did notice when they came back, especially because they had a lot of dirty laundry for us to sniff.

I'm not sure, but I think I smelled this:

And possibly a hint of this:

And most definitely THIS, all over the Typist's stuff:

She keeps calling that last smell Walter. And she insists that Walter is a good Walter, even if he was gassy.

I wonder why The Boy and I didn't get to go smell all those smells up close?

For Mindy

2007-09-09T18:35:00.000-05:00

Hi -- The Typist here, butting in on the dogblog to share a very special moment from last week.

We got to the Denver airport, picked up our dinky little rental car, and as we drove through Aurora we were compelled to exit the freeway and turn around. For Mindy. So that, via this blog, she, too could behold the wondrous sight:

It was in front of a Holiday Inn Select. Nobody around to let us have a look inside, but we did get this shot through the window:

Notice how the dashboard features two hot dogs snug in their buns? Isn't that the cutest?

Also, you should know we weren't the only ones. As we were leaving, a guy pulled up in a New Beetle and asked if we'd take his picture in front of it with his camera phone. Of course, we obliged. There are tons of us out there who want to drive the Weinermobile. We may not know why, but we love it.

My vehicle has a first name, it's O-s-c-a-r...

They're home!

2007-09-07T22:41:00.000-05:00

I can blog again because The Typist and The Alpha are back! But right now they're tired, so I have to wait some more. In the meantime, The Boy and I will be smelling the laundry they took out of their suitcases and will tell you what we learn from that.

Also, we LOVE Aunt Cathy, and we are so glad she came to stay with us. We barely even noticed we Got Left by our regular thumb-havers.

Friday Five: Seasons Change...

2007-08-31T07:33:00.001-05:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Reverendmother writes:
It's Labor Day weekend here in the United States, also known as Summer's Last Hurrah. So let's say goodbye to summer and hello to the autumn. (People in other climes, feel free to adapt as needed.)

It's another tandem play for me and The Typist today!

1. Share a highlight from this summer. (If you please, don't just say "our vacation to the Canadian Rockies." Give us a little detail or image. Help us live vicariously through you!)
Typist: Hmm. I'm not feeling into imagery this morning. Dare I say something as small as having a lovely 11th anniversary dinner with The Alpha? Because that was very nice, indeed. Our real summer hurrah is coming up tomorrow -- we had to put it off until September because of church-nerd obligations.
Cub: I've had a pretty good summer all around. It was nice to go for a swim a few weeks back.

2. Are you glad to see this summer end? Why or why not?
Typist: Indifferent on this one. I don't think I'll get any less busy, but summer hasn't been as scorchingly hot as it could've been this year. Still, I'll be more inclined to spend time outside when it cools off a bit more.
Cub: I'm pretty much with The Typist. Although I haven't been nearly as busy as she has.

3. Name one or two things you're looking forward to this fall.
Typist: Going to northwest corner of Home State. Technically, the trip is for a church-nerd meeting, but there should still be some wonderful time outside at the retreat center.
Cub: My fur really looks even more beautiful in the fall. I'm an autumn dog.

4. Do you have any special preparations or activities to mark the transition from one season to another? (Cleaning of house, putting away summer clothes, one last trip to the beach)
Typist: A trip to the northwest corner of Home State, particularly to town of The Alpha's alma mater (coincidentally, the same town as retreat center mentioned above). We try to have a weekend up there every autumn, but it doesn't always happen.
Cub: I start to grow in some more fur. I have plenty, but I want to be extra-sure about it.

5. I'll know that fall is really here when...
Typist: ... I step outside and smell freshly-mown grass mixed with falling leaves. Smells like high-school football season. Keep in mind that fall only hangs around here for about a week, though, so I have to be really attentive to catch it. It was easier in Home State.
Cub: ... the backyard grass dries out and The Alpha doesn't have to mow it for a while. And when I roll around in it, some of it will hang onto my fur and The Typist will pick it off when I come inside.

New friend we haven't met yet

2007-08-30T20:39:00.000-05:00

Remember Miss Cherrie? She sent us a cute picture of Nick today, from back when he was young:
Nick definitely knew how to have fun. He even liked little thumb-havers, the kind that make me nervous. Such a good boy, that Nick.

Well, Miss Cherrie sent another picture today, too. It's of someone new. Internet, meet Jay:

Jay came to live with Miss Cherrie last weekend, and The Typist got to go meet him, but we can't play with him yet. Not until he's settled in. And that might take a while, because he's a bit of a scaredy-dog from being in a shelter for a very long time, and being in a place where good people had to come take him away from bad people before that. ("Cruelty" is what it said on the form. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I know I don't like it.)

Jay has decided he likes living at Miss Cherrie's house, so The Boy and I will get to meet him eventually.

The Typist says that in the morning, Jay is going to be on her work blog, with a story from Miss Cherrie. (I haven't gotten to be on her work blog, but I have been on John the Methodist's blog and in the paper, which is more than The Boy can say.)

I'm glad Jay and Miss Cherrie found each other. Not every thumb-haver would be so patient with a dog who gets scared when a book falls over on the shelf. But Miss Cherrie understands, and she's helping him not be so scared.

The Return of The Typist

2007-08-25T21:46:00.001-05:00

The Typist left yesterday and didn't come back until today. The Alpha didn't let us up on the thumb-havers' bed while she was gone, either. (He's such a "rules" guy.)

Anyway, when she came home she smelled like this. With plenty of this on top. Also, some of this. (She said we will get to see a picture of that last one.)

Cultural Friday Five

2007-08-24T07:11:00.000-05:00

As a RevGalDogPal, I play the RevGals' Friday Five as much as a dog can play it. Today it's about Culture, though, and I'm not very big on Culture. So, I'm letting The Typist play on her own this time:

Sally writes: I have spent the week at Summer School studying the Gospel and Western culture, we have looked at art, literature, music, film and popular culture in their myriad expressions. With that in mind I bring you the cultural Friday 5.

Name a

1. Book The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne (does this one count? because it's not exactly secular culture. In case it doesn't, my backup would be Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird).

2. Piece of music: Too many to list! But the one that comes to mind right now is "Angry Young Man" by Billy Joel (despite the fact that I have more hope than the speaker in the song).

3. Work of art: Pieces painted by my sister. Her situation in life hasn't been the greatest for a while now (The Alpha rode the MS 150 in her honor earlier this year), but when she feels up to it, she can paint beautifully, and it's a gift from God (and sometimes results in a material gift to us).

4. Film: Big Fish

5. Unusual engagement with popular culture: Being married to a comic-book/sci-fi geek, I know far more about some of genres than I realize until it surfaces (did you know, for example, that The Thing is Jewish? Any time someone brings up the Fantastic Four, I can't help but blurt that out. Also, Superman: Methodist!).

That have helped/challenged you on your spiritual journey.

Bonus: Is engagement essential to your Christian faith, how and why? This is a "well, duh" one for me. I have a much harder time relating to non-churchy people if I don't at least attempt to keep up with what's going on in pop culture. Still, with the sheer volume of variety in this world, it's often hard to maintain a broad awareness!

Dog Hero Profile: Nicky

2007-08-18T21:08:00.000-05:00

This picture is of Moose, a Jack Russell terrier who pretended to be Eddie on TV.

But tonight I'm talking about a dog who looks kinda like this: Nicky, a local hero.

Or, should I say, who looked kinda like this. Nick went on today.

We never met him, but Nicky lived near us, with our friend Miss Cherrie. He was very old, but he had lived with her since he was a puppy. She took very good care of him and loved him lots.

There was a time when Miss Cherrie couldn't hear well. Nick understood she needed help, and so he used his ears for her until she got her own ears fixed (and even some after that).

He liked pickles.

He liked watching Wishbone on TV.

And he loved Miss Cherrie.

Rest well, Nick.

Friday Five: Word Association, Redux

2007-08-17T20:24:00.000-05:00

ReverendMother over at RevGalBlogPals writes...
This one is patterned off an old Friday Five written by Songbird, our Friday Five Creator Emerita:

Below you will find five words. Tell us the first thing you think of on reading each one. Your response might be simply another word, or it might be a sentence, a poem or a story.

1. vineyard
Typist: A winery in Home State.
Cub: What's a vineyard? Is it like a backyard? Because I like my backyard.

2. root
Typist: Big, gnarled tree roots.
Cub: Rooting for milk spouts when I first came to live here. Turns out The Typist doesn't have a bunch of milk spouts on her belly like mama dogs do.

3. rescue
Typist: Both Cub and Angus were rescues -- one turned in as a stray in a nearby apartment complex, the other dognapped from Home State, where someone wasn't taking good care of him.
Cub: I'd like to be a dog that wears an important-looking vest and help with rescues. But it might interfere with naptime and be a little rough on my hip.

4. perseverance
Typist: Hebrews 12:1-2.
Cub: The people at the vet persevere at sticking needles in me!

5. divided
Typist: United Methodists (ironic, no?).
Cub: Our morning "good dogs go out" treat, which The Boy and I have to share.

(Each of these appears in one of the readings from this Sunday's lectionary.)

Last night's DogPal meetup!

2007-08-11T20:12:00.000-05:00

First off, The Typist says she is very glad that the cable internet guy is supposed to come Monday, because nobody has been able to blog or check email around here all dang day. It started working again not long ago, thank goodness, because the thumb-havers were getting testy.

Next, and more importantly... WOW, did we have a great time last night! We got to take a ride over to Bandy's house! I went swimming -- Bandy never uses her pool, so her mom was happy to see me paddling around. The Boy even got in and stood on the first step. That's a huge breakthrough for him.

The Typist put the camera away after this part, because I was starting to shake water off. I had fun shaking water all over the thumb-havers every time I got out of the pool -- and sometimes before I got out!

Bandy and I had a couple of scuffles, as dogs sometimes do when we first meet, but it was nothing personal. We actually like each other pretty well. The Typist was upset when Bandy lost a tooth in one of the scuffles, though. Bandy's mom says Bandy is feeling fine now, but will be going to the vet soon! Oh, and we found out we have the same vet. I hope they give Bandy lots of treats like they do for me.

Besides standing on the top step of the pool, The Boy also drank lots of pool water. He let it go on the way home. He tried to tell The Typist to pull over, but she didn't understand. So he managed to aim a lot of it toward her bag full of wet dog towels instead of directly on the back seat. (He can be very considerate.) The Typist wasn't upset; she says she is thankful she got the ScotchGard option, whatever that means.

Thanks, Bandy and Bandy's mom, for a nice evening!

Friday Five: Stress busting edition

2007-08-10T06:49:00.000-05:00

Sally over at RevGalBlogPals writes: I am off to spend a few days at the beach chilling out after a hectic few weeks and before I head off for Summer School...

So with that in mind this week's questions are looking at how you deal with the stress monster!!!???

The Typist and I haven't had time to play Friday Five in a while, so we're glad to be back with another team effort!

1. First, and before we start busting stress, what causes you the most stress, is it big things or the small stuff?
The Typist: The big things cause the most stress, but the small things are what usually trigger the meltdown over the big things!
Cub: What's stress? I'm a dog! But seriously... The main thing that gets me worried is small-sized thumb-havers -- the kind who might grab my tail or try to pet me where I had hip surgery. Also, "pet" and "slap" are much the same thing with little thumb-havers.

2. Exercise or chocolate for stress busting ( or maybe something else) ?
The Typist: Chocolate! (And this is Texas, so the something else, by default, is a margarita.)
Cub: Exercise! (Chocolate is Not For Poppies.) I love a good walk, or a good round of chasing The Boy.

3.What is your favourite music to chill out to?
The Typist: Ooh, the British spelling of favourite! Does this mean I need to answer with a British artist? Eh, not feeling it at the moment... Lately I've had Billy Joel back in my car's CD player after a too-long break. The Eagles are also great chillin' music. And so is John Lee Hooker, but I can't listen to him without developing a serious craving for ribs. Blues and bbq, you know...
Cub: Anything soft and mellow soothes this savage beast.

4. Where do you go to chill?
The Typist: This is a harder question than it should be. I guess my place differs depending on the situation. A restaurant, a massage clinic, a comfy spot at home, New Mexico, Alaska...
Cub: If I'm outside it's the tile walkway in the backyard; if I'm inside, the tile by the front door. Tile is more chilly than carpet or a couch.

5. Extrovert or introvert, do you relax at a party, or do you prefer a solitary walk?
The Typist: A small, casual party of good friends.
Cub: A walk! I like walks!

Bonus- share your favourite stress busting tip!
The Typist: Always have at least one friend who can listen without trying to solve your problems. Venting serves a purpose.
Cub: There's nothing like a good post-breakfast waller on the carpet to get your day off to a nice start!

Another well-duh quiz

2007-08-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

On the Muppet Personality Quiz, I -- a dog -- am Animal.

Who's surprised?

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts.
You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary.
But you sure can beat a good drum.
"Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

New DogBlog friend

2007-08-04T11:33:00.001-05:00

I made a new friend this week! Go over to BabyDog Bandy's blog and say hello!

Weekend Report

2007-07-29T21:50:00.001-05:00

Well, Friday I got to go for a ride, but it was the kind of ride where when I get to the other end they stick a needle in me. Oh, and I wasn't allowed to eat breakfast before the ride. But after the sticking, the ladies at the counter let me try the treats in ALL of the jars, because they knew I hadn't had breakfast! So that was fun. They didn't even make me sit or anything. And I got breakfast when I got back home, too.

Later, The Alpha came home with a big vase of stinky flowers. The Typist really seemed to like them a lot, but for dogs, they smell a bit too... nice. They're stinking up the house. (I'm sure there's a thumb-haver or two who would say that very thing about The Boy, though.)

Then the two of them got dressed up all nice, and left us for a few hours, and came back smelling like meat. I think they even had some of it with them, because they went straight to the kitchen with the bag and Saturday they had more meat for lunch. No, they didn't share. But we did get some nice crunchy bread.

Today, they did the usual thing where they come home smelling like church, only twice. And the second time they did it, they came home smelling like church and cake. But no cake for dogs.

I think we're overdue for some Frosty Paws. Don't you?

Dog Hero Profile: Jake

2007-07-26T21:01:00.000-05:00

This is Jake.

Or, actually, it was Jake.

Jake went on this week. He was a big-time hero dog, especially in New York City and Mississippi. When he was in New York City wearing his work vest, he got to eat a free steak dinner under fancy restaurant's table. That sounds like fun!

He helped find thumb-havers who were stuck in awful places, and he taught other dogs how to do that, too.

When Jake was little, he was abandoned, like me. But he had a hurt leg, which I didn't have when I was all alone. And when he got better, he got special training so he could be a hero dog. A thumb-haver saw that he had potential, and believed in him. And he helped the world.

Woff, woff, Jake. We salute you.

Dog Hero Profile: Zoey

2007-07-23T19:20:00.000-05:00

See that little dog there? You almost can't see her, she's so little. And because she blends in with her thumb-haver's shirt.

She's not even as big as I was when I got my family, and she's already as big as she's going to get.

Guess what she did?

She took on a rattlesnake and protected that little baby thumb-haver there.

She got a nifty scar on her forehead, kind of like Harry Potter (I like Harry Potter because I'm hairy, too). You can see her scar in the video they have with her story.

Zoey, Hero Chihuahua: we salute you.

Interesting change

2007-07-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

The top-sheet that means "Dogs On the Thumb-Haver Bed" just came off.

On the one paw, that's kinda sad, because it means we're not allowed up there anymore.

On the other paw, I think it also means that The Alpha is coming home soon!

On the other other paw, it's raining again. We thought we were done with all that.

On the other other other paw, it has stayed pretty cool this week for summer in Texas.

I'm all out of paws now!

Well, of course I am.

2007-07-18T21:46:00.000-05:00

I just took the quiz about these books that everybody's reading. They're about Harry. I'm hairy, so we have something in common. Anyway, the test told me what I am besides hairy, and it's nothing I didn't already know:

I'm a dog.

Apparently, I'm one of Harry Potter's favorite dogs, but still...

I could've told you that.

You scored as Remus Lupin, You are a wise and caring wizard and a good, loyal friend to boot. However sometimes in an effort to be liked by others you can let things slide by, which ordinarily you would protest about.

Remus Lupin

70%

Hermione Granger

70%

Albus Dumbledore

65%

Draco Malfoy

60%

Ron Weasley

60%

Sirius Black

50%

Harry Potter

45%

Ginny Weasley

40%

Severus Snape

30%

Lord Voldemort

10%

created with QuizFarm.com

Oh, and I think the tie with Hermione must be The Typist interfering.
Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...?

Here we are...

2007-07-16T21:32:00.000-05:00

... just hanging out.

The Typist was gone a couple of nights ago, but she's back. Not sure where The Alpha is now, except maybe inside that speaker thing on the telephone. Because that sure sounded like him talking to us. But he's a little big to be hiding in there.

The Boy and I have a feeling we're about to get some grooming-type activities coming our way. I hope it doesn't involve toothpaste, and he hopes it does.

Good news is that with only one thumb-haver here, I get a spot on their bed.

Yeah, right now it looks like I'm sharing with The Boy, but he'll climb down later. He always lets me have the high ground.

An observation

2007-07-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

Aside from Whistle, Littlemankitty, and Tiria, my experience with cats is that they are horrible at spelling and grammar.

Horrible, but funny.

I'm just sayin'.

Yep, guests!

2007-07-08T18:00:00.001-05:00

I was right about coming over happening on Friday. We had four thumb-havers come visit and stay overnight! (I know there were four because that's how many paws I have.)

One of them was Uncle B -- I liked him already. The others were new, and I liked them, too. Even the one that I'm pretty sure doesn't really care for dogs (she was still nice). The Boy and I could smell-and-tell that the other thumb-havers live with dogs. So that was nice to know.

They left yesterday, and everything's pretty much back to normal now.

Oh, and The Typist just let us finish off the watermelon a minute ago... yum!

Friday Five: Hasty Edition

2007-07-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

Reverendmother at RevGalBlogPals writes: Whoops! I have been in a family-induced haze these few days, with the July 4 holiday and taking time off while relatives are visiting. So I literally lost track of what day it was!

So rather than make you guys wait even one minute longer for the five, I'll dig up an oldie:

Today, what are you:

1. Wearing

Cub: My usual... oh, wait, here comes a bandanna! - with suns and moons and stars on it to sort-of coordinate with my collar.

Typist: Summery lime-green and white striped sweater I got for $15 at the closeout store; khakis (had to go into the office this morning), and my tan Skechers. Oh, and sunglasses on my head -- it's my outward sign of an inward optimism that maybe it'll stop raining soon (and I actually needed them while driving today!).

2. Reading:

Cub: Expressions on faces. Also, various signs that we might be having people come over.

Typist: Still trying to finish The Irresistible Revolution (help Shane and the community recover from the fire by donating here); lots o' blogs; articles in the paper where I work.

3. Eating:

Cub: Chow, peanut butter with medicine hidden in it (don't think I don't notice!), and a Good Dogs Go Out treat so far today. Hoping for more watermelon in my future.

Typist: Too many sweets already today (snacks for and with the group we hosted at work), but keeping other areas in check. We shall see if that gets blown at dinner.

4. Doing

Cub: Stretching out on the cool tile in the entryway.

Typist: Making sure I haven't forgotten any errands.

5. Pondering

Cub: Whether anyone is actually coming over. The Typist just messed with the thermostat, so I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.

Typist: Where we will go for dinner with the four out-of-towners before we see Spamalot tonight.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!