A Different BUT Great Summer (and yes, I know the REAL Summer is not over yet)

Our Summer guests are gone, Cousin C is back at school, Me/Mommy#1/Mommy#2 moved back to Casa de Noodles, and Cousin E and Mommy #1 are preparing to return to university. August started off rather cool and we contemplated sweater and then POOF! The cool days were gone and replaced with scorching temps. This has been some SUMMER.

JUNE

 Because there were so many people in our house, Auntie B said ME and my MOMMYS could stay at her mother's empty house. Grandma H had passed away last Fall and the house had been empty since. What a TREAT that was - we had the run of the house and I didn't have to share my bed with Molly AT ALL! 

No Mommy, I said I was not sharing with ANYONE, not just Molly. Ha! Like I said, I really enjoyed being a solo PUG - even if it was only in the evenings and on weekends. We were at Casa de Noodles every day so Mommy #2 could work. That is where her office is AND Grandma H's house had no wifi.

July

 

The Fourth of July was a tough one. It was actually tough from the end of June because that is when the neighbors in the court behind Grandma H's house began shooting off fireworks. Big BOOMS! I got used to their pattern and was pretty calm . . . UNTIL. . . The. . . FOURTH!!!! Our big house has places where the BOOMS are not so loud - but not the little place we were staying. It was almost like the BOOMS were inside!  See that belly wrap? It was actually (poorly) wrapped around my chest and midsection in an effort to keep me calm. Mommy was worried. The BOOMS were so loud I simply could NOT calm down. The wrap helped. 

The white peaches became ripe while we were there and I enjoyed going outside and noshing a peach or two (or three). Then one day Mommy #2 declared they were ripe and picked a whole bunch - I helped. I THOUGHT they were all for me which is why I am smiling in the photo. I got one or two. . .sigh. . .

This is how the counter at THE HOUSE looked ALL THE TIME. Fresh fruit. Mouth-watering, huh. I am so lucky to live in CALIFORNIA and to have fruit trees readily available.

July was also when we took an ALL FAMILY trip to Lake Tahoe. We stayed at Auntie DD's chalet in Meyers. I have been there a couple of times before and I gotta say - I love it so much. This was the first time in over 20 years that Mommy #2 and ALL of her SISTERS were in the same place at the same time. It was a pretty amazing week.

We took a lot of walks in the highly SCENTED mountain air. I almost hyperventilated from breathing so deeply.

Molly enjoyed a few walks but UNLIKE ME, she does not like to get her paws dirty so her walks were confined to POTTY walks.

My Mommys took a jaunt down to the shore of LAKE TAHOE for the sunset. It was pretty spectacular from where I was. Seeing the photos from lakeside made me wish I could have joined them. Next time, they assured me.

AUGUST

August was, like I said was cooler than normal. It was still warm during the day; but our famous FOG came back in to cool down the evenings and early mornings. The flowers were happier with the cooler weather and we had a lot of DAHLIAS and even a couple of Hydrangea blooms on the counter. 

Mommy #2 did a lot of JAM making with the peaches. They ripen faster than everybody could eat them and she didn't want them to go to waste. So she made several KINDS of white peach jam. She never let me taste the JAM but she did give me pieces of fruit.

 We had some down time now and them and Mommy spent them reading or crocheting. I "helped" by snoozing right by her side. I learned a lot through OSMOSIS.

One day we drove to Ptown where Auntie B lives. She was dog-sitting a yorkie named FANCY. I got along fine with Fancy and we even took a walk together AND picked APPLES.

I loves loves loves APPLES.

Fancy would not pose for the PHOTO. But believe me, she is cute.

 August was also the GREAT N. AMERICAN ECLIPSE of 2017. It went from WEST coast to EAST coast and everyone had some degree of darkness. We were not in the TOTALITY ZONE but we did have about 75-85% of the sun covered. It was really neat. I was outside with Mom to see it but she ushered me inside when I HAD TO LOOK in the direction she was looking. I didn't want to miss what she saw. The difference was she had special ECLIPSE GLASSES and I did not.

She took this cool shadow picture of the eclipse. All of her other attempts were for naught.

NOW WE ARE HOME

Thank you Auntie B for sharing your mom's home with us and helping us make such wonderful memories. It is a SUMMER I will never forget.

Peachy Keen Says I

OMIGOSH!!! Look at this bounty. Mommy #2 and I picked peaches last night. In the past we have only been picking up the ones that fell as the ones still on the tree were too green still. I don't know where the ripe and overripe ones on the ground CAME from but it appears NOT the tree. 

But I am segue-ing away from the topic. The POINT is we finally found fruit ON THE TREE that was ripe and yummy. Mommy walked around and found quite a few that were ready to pick - a whole BOWL FULL, as you can see.

I simply could NOT contain my excitement. "All these peaches - FOR ME? Mommy you ARE a dear one. . . I will pose next to MY bountiful peaches and sing your praises. . ."

"Wait. . . what. .  ? They are NOT ALL for me? You're making more JAM? Just how MUCH jam do you need Mommy? You don't even eat the stuff!"

SHEESH!!!!!

That Was SOME Celebration!!!

Photo by Emelia Hamilton

Oh My DOG!!! I gotta tell ya. That was some party the country threw for me yesterday. I mean, have you ever seen or heard of anything LIKE IT? There was an estimated one explosion per SECOND in my hometown. That is COOOOO-RAY-ZEEEEEEE!

My day started off pretty normally with a trip to HOME. As you might recall, My Mommys and Me are staying at Auntie B's Mom's house for a while. After Mommy #2 picked up some sunscreen, we headed to FREMONT to meet Auntie B. The Fremont Parade included a tribute to Auntie B's late cousin because he was such an integral part of their community. It was pretty special. So we drove to Fremont which is all of 15-20 mins.

The parade was pretty cool since it is a small town. It was very personal to a lot of people there. What I like best about Fremont is the diversity of the people living there in harmony. Really a wonderful feeling.

What a wonderful way to celebrate this nation and what it stands for - Life-Liberty-and the Pursuit of Happiness. I know I was feeling all THREE.

Then we came home and I played with Molly while the rest of the family went over to Auntie D's house for a bbq and swimming. They had fun and the weather was pretty perfect with the warm temps and cool ocean breeze. They all got home just before dark so I opened my birthday gift from my BFF Max - Auntie B's grandpup.

Hi Max

OMIPUG can you believe these toys, How did
Max KNOW I love Star Wars?

After choruses of Happy Birthday and sufficient cake . . . 

we sat to watch a movie and wind down from all the excitement. Only the FIREWORKS started off about then. It was very very loud and scary and I barked, jumped up and down, and panted for THIRTY MINUTES until Mommy #2 used her foot wrap to create a substitute thunder shirt for me. It worked - eventually - and I finally calmed down and fell asleep on the kitchen floor.

Remember me telling you about the peaches in Auntie B's Mom's yard? Well, I discovered them almost immediately and on Friday night I ate so many I got a tummy ache. Mommy was a little worried. But she gave me something for my tummy and I settled down. NOT that I stopped PEACH PICKING. . . Ah..... but Mommy dashes out ahead of me and grabs anything on the ground. Here is her weekend take. Some of the green ones will be ripe by tomorrow. White peaches - YUM.

Thanks for all the BIRTHDAY wishes, everypuggy. They mean the world to me!

Today's Affirmation