Friday, April 28, 2017

Uh Oh . . . I Forgotted Something Really Really IMPORTANT!!



I am so so so FIRING my assistant. She is so incompetent lately that it is reaching EPIC proportions. At first I thought it was cute. I mean - so what if I miss a blog posting or two. But NOW. . . now. . . she has totally dropped the squeaky ball.

She has not posted an AFFIRMATION in a HUNDRED DAYS!!!! Okay, okay. It has NOT been a hundred days. But it has been a long long time. She last posted on April 11 and that was ONLY Affirmation #6! At this rate it will be 2018 before we hit the 100 Affirmations mark.

I admit - I may not fire her. She does a pretty good job overall. But I am going to have to have a SERIOUS talk with her about this matter. No more missed posts. No more OLD photos. And under NO CIRCUMSTANCES is she to FORGET another Affirmation.

So without further ADO here is an AFFIRMATION for today -


Thursday, April 27, 2017

The PEN is Mightier Than. . .



When the humans all leave the house, we are never left to run amok in the whole house.
This would be inviting disaster from our, let's just say, less mature adventures.
So we must be confined to quarters, as it were.
We are told to "go to your BIG room."
Sometimes this confuses us so we head to our crate or pillow.
"No-no"
Sometimes we head to Mommy's room because it USED to be the "Big Room".
"No-no"
But it really means to go to our PEN where ever it is set up.
I avoid getting a dreaded "No-no" by sitting at the door of the pen until I am sure.
Molly prefers to run in and out and then she refuses to go in until a TREAT is produced.
If we are good and EVENTUALLY go into the pen without too much human reminders, we ALWAYS get a treat.
Always.
It is the only thing about this exercise that is NOT confusing.

Note the array of bandanas decorating our crate. Those are from events we (mostly I) have gone to. I might wear then while at the event, but once I come home I immediately have them put on my pen. I think it personalizes the space. Don't you?

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Wild For Wild Flowers - a Stroll Through SUNOL Regional Wilderness



Confession time - Mommy DID NOT take me hiking at the Sunol Regional Wilderness park. She and Auntie B went and left me at home. I would have loved it but they were unsure if I could handle the path they chose. In truth, probably not. But when she got home, Mommy shared all of her photos of wild flowers with me and explained what they were. She is like that - always teaching me and Mommy #1 a thing or two.

Before I show you some of her photos, though, let me tell you something about this park. It is about 20-25 minutes from my house and is between Fremont and Pleasanton. Auntie B lives in Pleasanton. It is nestled in the Calaveras Mountains which run along the eastside of our Valley and are between Tracy/Modesto and Santa Clara Valley. The park is amazing because you can see many varieties of wild flowers as well as old old Live Oak.

It was a perfect day for hiking - a cool breeze and occasional sunshine made it very tolerable for Mommy (she sunburns very quickly despite sunscreen).



Bush Monkey Flower also known as Sticky Monkey Flower

Miner's Lettuce

California Buttercup and Long Beaked Filaree

Blue-eyed Grass

Variable-leaf Nemophilia

Purple Owls Clover

California Poppy



Field of Poppies

Bundle of Owl Clover

Arroyo Lupine and Long-beaked Filaree

Mystery flower - Can you Identify it?

Morning Glory and Long-beaked Filaree

Blue Witch

Woody Woodpecker tree

Rough Cat's Ear

Mushroom

Milk Thistle

Vetch


Fuzzy foto of Blue Dicks



Monday, April 24, 2017

#Chewyinfluencer We Got Some GOOD STUFFS In Our Systems



If you recall from past posts, I have been having some, ummm, BELCHING issues. Nothing dangerous, mind you. Just frequent and, yes, SMELLY belches which made sitting near me NOT a pleasant experience.

So when Chewy.com's April newsletter came out offering The Honest Kitchen's Perfect Form nutritional supplement  my Mommy said "WHY NOT?"

You see, when she was at the Expo West - Natural Products show she asked a lot of people at the dog products booths what she could do about my belching. She knew it was caused by something I had tested BUT she couldn't stop it despite the food change. So several of the "experts" suggested probiotics. They said that once that gut stuff gets going it takes aggressive treatment with probiotics to get it all in check. Some other experts suggested nutritional changes that would include those GOOD enzymes which help with digestion.

required close up of ME

This was kinda vague to me so I LOOKED IT UP to verify these claims. Here is what I found out - we all need enzymes in our guts to breakdown food and make it work for us. These enzymes are sometimes already present in our digestive tracts to some extent but often the environment gets out of whack. When this happens, you need to ADD to the environment and get it working to optimum levels again.

The Honest Kitchen Perfect Form had the following ingredients Papaya Leaf, Plantain, Slippery Elm, Organic Pumpkin Seed, Pectin, Papain and Fennel  and are all natural sources for digestive enzymes.These enzymes work to breakdown food and make your digestive system a lean mean machine. And this also means that your food had a better chance of being absorbed and properly used by your body. Sounds like a good idea to me!

Yeah, it is a sage-y green gray

The Honest Kitchen Perfect Form is powder and is added straight to food. Think of it as BEANO for pets. Although, Perfect Form has a lot more going for it than simply being an Alpha D Galactosidase that breaks down carbohydrates. Instead Perfect Form is good for

  • Promoting digestive health
  • Fights gas and the results of excessive gas - belching and farting (guilty)
  • Can help ease symptoms of chronic problems like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and colitis
  • Can help ease occasional digestive distress brought on by stress

But the big question on EVERYPUGGY'S mind is . . . IS IT EDIBLE?

Well, yes it it! I like mine straight up. No need to disguise it for this pup. It adds a bit of seasoning to my kibble - a je ne sais quoi, if you will. There is a chart on the ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY package which tells you the proper dose for your pet's size. At each feeding (we get two) I get 1/2 a teaspoon and Molly and Sunshine the Cat each get 1/4 teaspoon. Now they are a little pickier when it comes to additives to their food so their doses are secreted into their kibble toppers. This way they eat it rather than leave it at the bottom of the dish uneaten.

The next big question is DOES IT WORK? Well, I think it does. . . at least for me. The real test is if I eat that food that gave me gas to begin with. But I don't really want to invest in that experiment. For the sake of time, I can tell you I am hardly ever gassy or belchy now. THAT is to the extreme pleasure of my Mommy. And I feel pretty good. I have energy and I am going outside to do my bidness like I am supposed to. And I think we have all shown a little better overall health since starting on the supplemental regiment.

We are a strikingly gorgeous trio

So is this item necessary for doggies and kitties? Hmmmm, not really day to day. And The Honest Kitchen says to not rely on the product too much in their article Balancing a Sensitive Tummy and make sure to take occasional breaks. But hey! Who wouldn't benefit from a properly working digestive system? I know I feel better!!

I am giving this product TWELVE PAWS UP because it is a good product that does what it says it does. To me it tastes good and is easy to administer. And I am pretty pleased to NOT be belching ALL the time. That just gets annoying, dontcha think?

** I was given sufficient product to test free of charge from Chewy.com. They in no way paid me for this review nor did they or anyone else tell me what to say. This is all my own good investigative journalism.**

Friday, April 21, 2017

PLEASE Don't Leave Me!!!!


I'm SOOOOO Very BLUE when you go away!
I realize you have things to do
Without you I have nothing to SAY
But to lay here and think of YOU
SO
Hurry back Mommy
I LOVE YOU




*Mommy's note: I was away from home for a week. We will be back on track next week

Friday, April 14, 2017

Back In Action, Jackson - AND T.G.I.E. (Thank Goodness It's Easter!!)


The Computer is BACK IN THE HOUSE, folks! Whew that was a long DRY spell, dontcha think? But all's well and the CPU is fixed without too much loss of data.

It is SPRINGlike today and I am loving it. The sun is out and everything looks happy. It is kinda cold, though, unless I am sitting in the sun in a sheltered spot. And I am ALWAYS in a sheltered spot. I went out for a little while this morning and captured some SUN RAYS.

You all might know that this SUNDAY is EASTER. I loves loves loves Easter. The whole family is here and lots of good food is cooking. The smells are amazing. Molly and I often get EASTER baskets of goodies as well. That's cool. Last year we got Pugs In The Kitchen goodies and they lasted a long time. If it were up to me they wouldn't have lasted as long. But I was on a (d.i.e.t.) and so too much snacking was out of the QUESTION!

I am so hoping that all of my FURiends here in Blogville and elsewhere have a wonderful Easter, Passover, Spring Day - however you celebrate.


Thursday, April 13, 2017

The Big Crash of 2017

We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you THIS announcement.

Mommy's computer crashed.

She cannot add pictures.

She cannot do her AFFIRMATIONS.

Please pray for a speedy recovery.

Love Noodles

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Totally True It's Tuesday

Look Below for another AFFIRMATION




It sure is a TUESDAY. What can one say about a Tuesday that has not already been said? 
  • Tuesday is Monday's Ugly Sister (why is it always an ugly sister?)
  • Ah Tuesday! The day I remember what I didn't do on Monday and push off until Wednesday
  • Today is not Friday. . . tomorrow is not Friday. . . and even the day after tomorrow is not Friday
  • You can come out now, Monday's gone
  • After Tuesday even the calendar goes WTF
  • It's only Tuesday and I am 95% done with this week
  • Nothing messes up your Friday than realizing it is only Tuesday
  • Tuesday - I can't even see the weekend from here

Actually I kind of like Tuesdays. I mean, it ISN'T Monday and we all know I have a tough time on MONDAY. It is also (usually) TACO TUESDAY and I love tacos. The are so yummy and so fun to eat.

Not only that, TUESDAY is usually a day we get packages, for some strange reason. So Molly and I stand by the front door pretty much all day and bark, bark, bark in preparation.

I see a PACKAGE truck coming down the lane . . . I'll catch up with you later.




Monday, April 10, 2017

Once Upon a Midday Dreary. . . But NOT Today!


This is what I do on a cold and rainy day. It's not much but it is fun. I sleep, watch a little television, and sometimes I nap (heehee, see what I did there?) The spot I am occupying in the pic above is Aunt T's chair in her room. This is a particularly NICE spot to hang out on because as a rule - I am not allowed up there.

It is not the being naughty that makes this spot so nice. It is mostly because Molly wouldn't DARE come into Aunt T's room and sleep on the chair. She wouldn't and she couldn't. I CAN because . . . well, because I CAN.


Today is not like that. Today is sunny and although not warm, it is nice. So on day's like today I like to go outside and hang out. Occasionally I will eat strawberries (we have a lot in pots and they are getting ripe. I estimate I have one RED BERRY a day. Isn't that cool? Sometimes I just nap on the cement in a ray of sunshine. There is nothing finer than to lay there smelling the breeze and getting all toasty from the puddle of sunlight. And yes. . . there are days I just like to

DANCE
(cue music)



And now for your AFFIRMATION for Monday


Friday, April 7, 2017

My New FURiend TINY

We look the same size here, huh?

Anypuggy who knows me knows I like to meet new pups and peeps. I really do. For me LIFE is all about expanding my circle of FURiends. That and TREATS, of course.

So recently Cousin E took me over to her BOYfriend J's house to meet his new puppy TINY. Tiny is about 6 months old now . . . maybe 7 . . . and can finally have visitors. His family is so thrilled to have him as the newest member. They watched Molly and Me last year when the whole family went to New Mexico for a wedding and afterward they SO WANTED a pet of their own. We were THAT good.

I don't know the breed that TINY belongs to - He is a mix of different doggies but, alas, no pug. His coloring is reminiscent of a BEAGLE, huh? But he has no Beagle that anyone is aware of. That is often the case of rescue dogs - which he totally is - because no one is sure what kind of breeds of which the pawrents are comprised. No matter, he is cute and funny and THAT is what the family wanted.
Oh hello. My name is Noodles

So on this particular day I went over to BOYfriend J's house and spent the afternoon getting to know Tiny. We said hello and sniffed a little. I don't like being sniffed a whole lot so we just did quick gettin'-to'know- you kinda sniffs. Then we stared at each other. Then Tiny barked. And he barked. AND HE BARKED! He reminded me of Molly in that way. She is a barking fool.

Oh! NOW I see why you are called TINY

Like I said, I spent the afternoon at Tiny's place although we did not play. He does not really know how to play yet. I suggested PUPPY CLASSES for him and perhaps some intense dog park action. That way he knows about other DOGS and learns to relate to them. Socialization is very important.

But he is a good doggie and is coming along nicely. He is sorta behaved in a puppy way and he is real cute. I think he will be a great addition for BOYfriend J's family for a long time to come. AND I am glad to finally have a chance to meet him.

And now for another of my 100 AFFIRMATIONS



Thursday, April 6, 2017

It's a WRAP - I Wish It Was a WRAP Sandwich But . . . #chewyinfluencer

I don't think we will both fit in that box

I finished my 30 day challenge for Chewy.com. This time I was challenged to EAT, EAT, and EAT Hills Science Diet Youthful Vitality dog food for canines 7 year and older. I am almost 8 so I qualified. Molly did not because she is only 4 AND doesn't have enough teeth to handle the kibble size. BUT I LET Mommy give her a couple to gnaw on. She liked them.

I really liked this food. The flavor was yummy and the crunch just right. I also liked the fact that my, a-hem, BELCHING diminished some. I am still cutting loose with a smelly burp now and then but not at the frequency I was last month . . . and not combined with the toots, either.

And my coat is soft and shiny which is always a good sign. My eyes are bright and my ears have no waxy build-up. These are all good things, DONTCHA THINK?

Plus I have been a lot more energetic than the previous few months. Could be the HILLS SCIENCE DIET YOUTHFUL VITALITY or could be the warmer weather. We'll never know for sure, but I am willing to bet the food helped.

I admit I was BUSTED a couple of time while, a-hem, PLAYING with a squeaky toy at 1 am. It felt so good to play. . . that "squeak, squeak" makes me smile.

Wait! Hey Mom! That's NOT a smile!!!

Not that everything about this food is perfect, though. Yes, it has a lot of good things going for it but satisfying is NOT one of them. I am still asking for more when I finish my bowl (so Oliver Twist "I'd like some more, sir. . ." Don't you think?) - And at dinner time I am inconsolable until the bowl is put before me. I have been put in the BAD BEHAVIOR pen more than once because of this. For this reason ONLY I have to take away a paw of approval. My food NEEDS to be satisfying or it just DON'T FLY.

In summation, Hills Science Diet Youthful Vitality dog food

  • Has great flavor and crunch-ability
  • Provides plenty of vitamins and minerals to keep an aging pup in peak health
  • Provides the important protein to give me energy and make me play
  • Is a good value for your PAWrents' hard earned money

Oh, and it comes in multiple doggy sizes so there is a kibble size just right for YOUR PARTICULAR PUP.

Casa de Noodles gives this food THREE PAWS UP.

We are grateful to Chewy.com for allowing us the opportunity to EAT this fine food and review it for you all. We are never paid for our opinions and no one, and I mean no one puts BABY in the corner. . . uh, TELLS Noodles what to say. We did receive a bag of food free of charge and sufficient enough to provide 30 days of meals in order to assess the effects of the product.

DON'T FORGET MY DAILY AFFIRMATION BELOW



Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Whacky Wednesday and . . . Affirmation #2



 I am waiting for something - what could it be? Could it be the mail person? The UPS driver? Here's a clue



Look at that intense concentration. Have you ever seen ANYPUGGY so focussed on something? I am thinking to myself - "Noodles, you got this. You're a champion. You're a treat MAGNET. Yes YOU can!"

Now you're asking yourself. . . "Did she catch it?" I will, of course say - yes I did. But. . . you'll never really know.

Today's affirmation


And remember you gotta
HOP


Monday, April 3, 2017

One Hundred AFFIRMATIONS Begins Today . . . Hop On-Board?


Hi from my MONDAY. I am not a fan of Mondays and I think anyone who knows me knows this about me.
So when I decided to begin A HUNDRED AFFIRMATIONS, I decided I needed to do so ON a MONDAY. Because, think about it . . . when does one most need AFFIRMATION?

On a Monday.