Uplifting . . . Really

Balloon, BALLOON flying so high

I try to chase you - but I don't know WHY

You stay ALOFT and so aloof

You even ignore my loudest WOOF

But once you come tumblin' DOWN to me

I jump at and hit you with unbridled GLEE

Balloon, balloon - Red, Yellow or BLUE

I had a lot of FUN playing with you

Speechless

Words cannot express how cute I am.

Dear Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,
Summer has arrived here at last. Yes, I am talking about warm evenings, hot lazy days and AIR-CONDITIONING (not the natural kind).
Late last week YOU sorta forgot this is FALL and cranked up the heat. And unlike NORMAL Septembers, the heat is sticking around and cooking for more than the usual 4 days.
I am sorta taking it in stride, as if I have a nice cool pen in a nice corner of the downstairs and a nice cool pool outside.
But really, Mother Nature - what are you thinking? How can we even think of pumpkin (I loves me some pumpkin) and Halloween when the temps are flirting with the century mark? Cut us some slack already!!!!
Love Noodles

Yoo Hoo

I want to discuss something very near and dear to my heart - FOOD.
And by food I mean kibble, veggies, fruit, and occasionally chicken n' rice.
I want MORE. Can't you see I am hungry all the time?
Can't you tell I will do ANYTHING for a nosh?
So beginning today I will only WORK for food. Hugs won't cut it. "Good Girl" won't woo me.
I am going to sit right here on this couch until I get all-day access to FOOD!!!
. . .
. . .

HEY!!! WAIT!!!! I'm TALKING to you!!!
Where are you going? Can I go too? Can I sit on your feet? Don't I look adorable when I wiggle my bottom rather than wag my tail.
HEY!!!!

What can I say? I am more of an attention HOUND than a CHOW hound.

Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue?

 

I love to have my photograph taken. The camera LOVES me. But sometimes I get a little feisty and make Mommy's job of getting that perfect shot just a little more difficult. It keeps things fresh, you know.

                                                     

  The first is what I call CUTE DUCK How this goes is Mommy poses me all nice and CUTE like. I am very good at posing, you know. Then . . . at the very last minute . . . I DUCK out of the picture. I had to go way back to my baby archives for this shot because nowadays Mommy gets so aggravated she immediately erases them.

The second is what I call SAY WHAT? For this one, I again POSE just like Mommy says. I stand tall and smile or brood, whatever the moment dictates. Then, just as the camera is ready to click, I look away as if someone CALLED my NAME. I almost always erupt in laughter over this one. Sometimes it works out fine, like this lovely shot from Lake Tahoe.

Finally is what I call BRIGHT EYES  It really takes no effort by me to get this look. But the behind the scenes story is I messed up the shot where Mommy had the RED EYE setting on and by the time she gets me to cooperate - she forgets the RED EYE. I kinda like it, though. With my BLONDE highlights - I think BLUE eyes become me.

What do you think? ARE BLUE EYES ME?

What's Fallin"?

An orange leaf dances down and tickles my nose

The chilly breeze dashes by and freezes my toes

There's a new smell in the air today

It's clean and fresh - I kinda like it this way

The garden is changing, most fruit is all picked

The apple tree is heavy, though, and leans on a stick

The clouds o'er the hills hides the sun some

Today is clearly the start of Autumn

Cruisin'

I went CRUISIN' the other day.
Yeah, you heard me. Cruisin' and not ashamed to say so. Oh, I did the perfunctory walking first - all the way to the shopping center. A WHOLE quarter of a MILE!
Then I did the pout thing.
Then I did the liquid eye thing.
Next thing I knew . . . I was CRUISIN'. In a lime green stroller just my size. Sah - WEET!!!
I realize not everyone can look cool in a stroller.
It's good to be a pug.

I'll take THAT one

My Mommy #2 was sick this past weekend. She said the FLU bug caught her despite her trying hard to out run it. I felt duty bound to stay close to her, bring her comfort, warm her tootsies, and so on. What ever I could do to help.

But we had a PROBLEM. It seems we always wanted the same pillows and bed space. So a lot of time was spent with Mommy #2 switching pillows or moving her feet while at the same time I would be switching pillows and moving to another spot on the bed.
With 4 pillows and a full bed you'd think there would be plenty of room!
And yet we always ended up IN THE SAME SPACE!
I think deep down Mommy #2 really wanted me on her pillow and draping over her feet.
After all - is there anything more COMFORTING than a warm puppy snuggled close?

Permanently (?) Punished Pug

I discovered something fun and forbidden yesterday - MINI ERASERS! It so pays to have school age children around. They also love those erasers shaped like miniature foods, bugs, aliens, etc. Since we have THREE school age children, there is a lot of potential for snatching one. But I had never seen them before so I think they are usually kept in those big bags the young'uns carry to school. But yesterday there they were - on the floor or on the couch.  Just asking for me to grab it into my mouth and RUN!
And RUN I did! This way, that way, up the stairs, down the stairs.
And then I WAS run straight to my crate.
Yesterday I made another discovery - if I stand REAL TALL I can reach ANYTHING on the edge of the coffee table. What a revelation that was because that is where the youngest of the young'uns generally has her FOOD!! I snatched a treat or two before I was discovered. Then I found out that standing on the couch can sometimes get me on the TOP of the coffee TABLE! A bounty awaited me up there.
But I was caught and rounded up.
And went straight to my pen
Yesterday there were an extraordinary number of shoes on the floor without FEET in them! Ahem - need I keep reminding them - I LOVE SHOES!
Oh, I tell you, it was a day of discovery and fun . . . until I got caught. OVER and OVER again.
I think I am destined to be one

POSITIVELY PERMANENTLY PUNISHED PUG.

Yakkity Yak!

I have a problem with chewing. Aside from my well documented obsession with chews - I MEAN SHOES - I live to chew on string, plants (sorry Auntie T) and paper.

More recently I have discovered the wonderfulness of chewing on THROW PILLOWS. And we have a lot of them. Mommy has been so upset by this behavior that she has started to BAN me from the couches. And I love couches. I love snuggling with my Mommys on the couches.
Unless I get this pillow habit under control, though, I am never gonna be allowed on the couches again.
SIGH!!!

But help is on the way thanks to my lovely pal Bellatrix. See Bellatrix sent me some Himalayan Yak chews. She loves them and is sure I will too.

So I tried one half of one.

I LOVES IT!!!
Hopefully with the help of the Yak I can eventually overcome my pillow chewing madness and be allowed on the couches again.
Thanks Bellatrix - for giving me hope in the shape of a CHEW.

Ready for Prime Time

Oh I wish I were and Oscar Mayer wiener

That is what I truly like to be

Cuz if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener

Everyone would be in love with me

I am READY! Ready for America's Got Talent, definitely. I was watching the finale show last night and came to the conclusion that I could beat any ONE of them! Really! What's that Michael Whassit's name got that I don't got - other than opposable thumbs and the ability to play GUITAR? 

HARRUMPH!

And that 10 year old little girl - Whoshe Evanco? Come on! I challenged HER to a sing off last night, as a matter of fact. Not in front of 10 million people, granted. But my mommys said I sang GREAT and possibly better than SHE did. 

So bring it on!!!!

I AM READY!

Bright Eyes

Like all pugs I LIKE FOOD. There isn't much in the way of edibles (and some SUPPOSEDLY non-edibles) I don't like.
Except the HOT chile my Uncle W tried to get me to eat last weekend.
I didn't like it at all. Well, maybe a little . . . but it burned my tongue so I stopped nibbling on it.

In the religion I call FOOD, there is of course a ceremony attached to its preparation and presentation. What is it you ask????

Well . . .
  
Ceremonies may have a physical display or theatrical component: dance, a procession, the laying on of hands
I JUMP up on Mommy's legs while whimpering ever so slightly. She PROCEEDS to push me down with her HANDS and threatens to NOT FEED me unless I behave.

A declaratory verbal pronouncement may explain or cap the occasion, for instance:

• I now pronounce you man and wife.          o  I am hungry NOW
• I swear to serve and defend the nation ... o  I SWEAR I am hungry NOW
• I declare open the games of ...                o  I declare it is DINNER TIME
• I/We dedicate this ... ... to ...                   o  I/We dedicate this meal to ME

Two times a day we go through this ceremony.

My humans are vegetarians so they automatically think out of the box (actually my kibble is in a bag) when it comes to feeding me. While they do not feed me a vegetarian diet, they do include a wide variety of fruits and veggies in my dish.

Take for example the above meal. Do I need to shout it?????
Cantaloupe!!!! Cool - Juicy -Sweet Cantaloupe!!!!
See how my eyes light up when Mommy comes in with my food?
YUMMMMMMMM!

Labor of Love

I love gardening and I like to help out where I can. As you all know, I have picked up apples, apricots and plums. I have also helped pick tomatoes. That is the end product. What I do most of the time is PREPARE the yard for planting.
Just the other day I was outside "HELPING" Auntie T. She was unable to work in the yard as she normally does because she was painting some vanity doors.
So I helped aerate her basil plants by digging holes to the side of them.
I thought I did a good job.
Guess T didn't agree.
Hmmmm . . . gotta think this through.

Fun Times

Went to a barbecue yesterday. Yes, ME the DOG was invited to the barbecue.
BBQ!!!!!!
I was on my best behavior, unless someone opened the door. Then a quick slip by their legs and I was IN THE HOUSE - underfoot - in the kitchen! Oh it was sweet BLISS! All that food preparation going on and an amazing array of food bits dropping on the floor.
I did this about SIX times before I was banished to my crate for a time out. So . . .
I took a nap.
After my nap I took a short tour of the yard. There was a river of red lava rocks (or pebbles. . . or stones . . . OH WHATEVER!!!) that I found extremely fun to run through. In addition to the tickly feeling on my feet, they also made this cool swishing noise when I ran through them AND dust and rocks would fly from my wake!!! How COOL is that? I was asked to stop throwing the rocks out of the river. I stopped and tilted my head questioningly. Then I started dashing through the rocks again.
I was grabbed by my Mommy and escorted to my crate to reflect on my not minding,
I took a nap.
Then it was time to barbecue and the whole party moved outside. It was fun for a while until I wandered into the vegetable garden and tried to HELP pick tomatoes. . . I said HELP . . . help myself to a cherry tomato or two. Then I was rousted from the garden and into my crate, for another respite.
I took a small nap.
I was rewarded for my good behavior with one of the bestest and ynmmiest dinners I have ever ever had! They made me a hamburger!!! And smothered it in lettuce!!! And sprinkled it with kibble! For once I did not really gobble my food. I savored it.
When I was done, I walked to my crate - on my own - and took a much deserved nap.
Ahhhhhh.
Fun Times.

Hey You!

Hey You!
Come and play with me.
Hey You!
'Tis a very nice place to be.
Hey You!
I'd like a friend like you.
Hey You!
Not just any dog will do.
Hey You!
I'll give you a hug.
Hey You!
You look like a mighty nice pug
Hey You!

Oh! Those Bad Boyz!

We had house guests over the recent holiday weekend. Uncle K, Aunt D and gang came all the way down (from wherever UP they are from) to spend some time with us! Included in the gang are 2 golden retrievers who are kept in the backyard while I dominate the house.

We don't play together because, frankly, they are BAD BOYZ!

Oh, I pretend I do not like their barking and jumping on things. And I hide a giggle when they scale the swingset and slide. Deep down, deep deep down, though, I find this behavior

WELL

Kinda attractive.

Mommy(s) think I don't like them because I go to the glass doors and bark, bark, bark at them.
And bark, bark, bark some more at them.

I am really just telling them - "Hey! Look at me! Aren't I CUTE?"
I was really sad when they left.
Hey! Kand K! Come back soon - I wanna - um - TALK!

Shadow Jumping

Mommy #2 and I went for a walk Labor Day. It was not even noon and already it was HOT!!!!
Not just HOT. It was H-O-T!!!! But I wanted to go for a walk and so did mommy, so we went. We walked down our street to the MAIN DRAG. From there, we walked UPHILLish to the next MAIN DRAG. All the way we asked ourselves - It this a WISE thing to do?
So we made up a game to help us deal with the DESERTlike HEAT!!!
We Shadow Jumped. It goes something like this.
Walk . . . walk . . . walk
AHHHHHH! Tree Shadow. Think I will stand here for a bit.
Walk . . . walk . . . walk
AHHHHHH! Doesn't this Fence Shadow feel delicious.
Because our neighborhood is pretty well established (in other words, OLD) there are a lot of big trees and vines to create very good shadows.
This game, along with tiptoeing through some newly watered grass, made the walk all the more enjoyable. I really like shadows - except for the indoor ones at night which kinda freak me out.

Woof!

High Maintenance

I am not a DIVA.

Granted,  I do have some very particular routines. But they are for my own good, really . . . to keep ME especially healthy and happy.

One thing I love about Sundays is MY beauty routine. My nose fold is cleaned every couple of days anyhow, but on Sunday it is done especially well. . . I prefer unscented wipes, triple thickness, extra emollient. It makes MY sniffer just SO soft.

When it comes to MY ears, I want them to be flower scented and shiny clean. So I insist on the top ear cleaner from the doggie boutique. I get ever so upset when my Mommy uses only WATER! So not fair. At least make it ROSE scented - PUHLEEZ!

MY nails are required to be a certain length and girth - not too thick, not too sharp and please NOT touching the ground too much. I want to be able to walk softly and quietly. Ladylike, you know.

And while we are on the subject of ME, does this make MY butt look BIG?

Like I was saying . . . I am SO ready for MY massage NOW!

What inthe WORLD?

What in the world is going on? I mean, first it is hot (for like 2 days) and then it is cool . . . and then it is HOT (for like 2 days) and then it is COOL! What-tha?
It is like totally bringing me down man - can't get my Chakra aligned and YOU KNOW how I get when I am mis-aligned.
So I have a plan . . . it is a long holiday weekend and lots of people have outdoorsy things planned. I have been in talks with the weather - uh - thingy - and we have decided to have ANOTHER cooling trend that will last just as long as the weekend AND THEN heat up for the following work week.
That way everyone will be back into their air-conditioned offices when the mercury goes up.
It is genuis, if I do say so myself.
Enjoy your holiday weekend.
And you're welcome for the cooler days.

Hotsy Totsy

Yesterday it was HOT and today promises to be the same. What's a PUG to do? Even when I went outside to do my bid-ness it was HOT. My poor tootsies would burn until I hit the cool grass. AHHHHHHHHHHH!

I got some relief from my swimming pool but the water heated up quickly and was no relief at all. I wonder if next summer my Mommy can put in a REAL pool - 6 feet deep, pool sweep, and a floating lounge? AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Oh, I am getting delirious, I think.
What happened to our cooler than normal summer? It certainly isn't so cool this week

I was just panting and panting last night and nothing would help. So Mommy got my cool bandana (the one that holds a lot of water and helps bring my temperature down) and put it on me. It did not help. Then she put the fan on high so I could feel it. That did not help. Finally she wet a Sham Wow and draped that over me. It didn't help at first and it was kinda heavy so I didn't like it. But when she took it off and with the fan blowing air across my fur - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Buckethead

Okay, I DO realize this does NOT look like I have a bucket on my head. My Mommy WISELY did not get a picture of THAT event - just the aftermath.

It all began rather innocently, as you can imagine. My Mommy was cooking and I was in the kitchen HELPING. Yes, I was not begging or ANYTHING like that. All of a sudden my Mommy offers me the yogurt tub (it was a large tub so I took literary license and called it a bucket, you see) because it has a bit of yogurt left in it.

And I LOVES me some yogurt. Especially THIS kind as it was the plain Greek yogurt.
Well to make a long story sorta shorter, I absolutely said YES YES YES and she put it down next to me. I dove in with undisguised GLEE (I am a GLEEK, now that you asked - but that is ANOTHER story).

Next thing you know my lovely cranium is STUCK! I didn't even notice at first and started walking to my Mommy - and walked right into the cabinet!

She was laughing so hysterically at this point she barely had presence of mind to get her CAMERA. By then the tub had fallen off - back to the floor.

Mommy snapped a couple of pictures and turned off the camera; and I tried to get that last bit of yogurt still in the tub . . .
Yes, you guessed it.
STUCK!