You Can't Keep a Good Dog Down...Or Confined.

We've had a stray tomcat cattin' around our house the last few weeks and spraying this and that and even sprayed inside our garage! He was able to get into the garage because I usually leave the door ajar so Hipparchia can get into the garage/shop to take care of any mice that might think it's a great place to live. Well, after the cat spray I decided to keep the door shut. Problem is, the garage is connected to the shop which also has second floor storage. So if I go into the garage for something and one of the pups, like maybe Pete, goes in behind me and then into the shop where I can't see him, I won't know he's in there when I leave the garage and shut the door behind me. Which is what happened here. Pete was accidently locked in the garage for about an hour and a half and freaked - he never has taken well to being confined. If he'd been out there much longer, I do believe he would have made it out the other side. At least he had the decency to rip up the old door to the shop and not the new door to Michael's new garage. How's your teeth feel, Pete?

Awwwwww...How cute!

Celeste, cutest little mermaid ever.



Pete in his safety vest sitting with his new buddy, Little Jackson aka "Little Devil"




Another shot of the Little Devil and Pete.

The Wedding Dress

Angie is married! It was beautiful...the ceremony...the reception...everything. We stayed the entire weekend in Maggie Valley and it rained just about the entire time --except for the wedding (which was outside) and the reception! Here are more photos:


Cutting the cake. Check out the view behind them - it was a beautiful setting.

And, of course, Pete had to be in on all the attention. This is his wedding outfit. He was also wearing a sign on his back that read "Best Man In Training.

Tortoise (Big Turtle)and the Hare (Pete)

Pete's not happy about the moving rock.

Dog Days

No, that is not mud on my face...

Pete's face is covered in mud (his face should be the same color as the fur on his back).

Showing Sarah the Ropes

No Pete, this is not exactly what we had in mind when we asked you to show Miss Sarah how things work around here...

These guys have started buddying around together - chasing deer, knocking on the neighbors doors for treats, digging for moles, and securing the sofa...nothing productive but at least they are becoming friends.

Sarah Proofing

Miss Sarah has way too much energy. She takes off running through the kitchen towards the dog door, changes her mind and applies "brakes" trying to stop ...leaving nail gouges in the new kitchen floor. She like to run around and around the kitchen slipping and sliding and skidding ...leaving nail gouges in the new kitchen floor. The new kitchen floor already looks like it has had years of abuse. So, I broke down and Sarah-proofed the floor. It is a mismash of area rugs, throw rugs and runners that don't even come close to matching and it is going to be a pain to clean --but the floor is protected. Maybe, just maybe she will calm down and I can go back to a nice runner that matches the kitchen. Maybe.

I Don't Understand Why You Keep Putting Me Outside

Meet Miss Sarah (as in Sarah Palin and the whole lipstick on a pit bull thing). She is the newest member of our household...maybe. I found her and her buddy at a service station on a busy road dragging chains behind them. What can I say - I'm a sucker so I loaded up both of them and brought them home. One night was all it took for me to realize there was just no way I could keep both...even for one more night. So we decided to try and make Miss Sarah a part of the family. She is probably about 6-8 months old and full of energy. She gets in trouble for: chasing Cessie, barking in the house, jumping up on us (and everyone she sees), leaping from chair to sofa and back again without her feet ever touching the floor, putting her paws on the counter to see what is up there, sniffing at the garbage can and eating out of Pete or Cessie's food bowl. Her worst trait is food aggression. Food aggression is not tolerated in this household. We are working on it but until I think it is "conquered", she will not be allowed to be alone with Cessie. I'm not that worried about her being alone with Pete - he will very calmly put her in her place. Not sure how he does it but he is like that with all the neighborhood dogs - they just know he's the boss although I've never seen him be ugly with them. But this isn't about Pete, it is about Miss Sarah. Wish the best for her - if she doesn't shape up, she's shipping out. I hope she shapes up - she is the sweetest, most cuddly lapdog you have ever seen. She just loves to cuddle.

Cousin' Bubba

Here is Pete and his "cousin" Bubba (Michael's Dad's dog). These two could almost be twins and they have the best time hanging out together. Pete loves going to visit Papa Richard and lives for going for walks with him and Bubba. We all had a great time in Florida but it's always nice to be home...although Pete is still looking for the chocolate chip cookies Papa Richard hands out.

Back Seat Driving

We went to Florida to visit family this past week. It's a long drive and this is how the pups pass the time. We stop every two hours or so to let these guys run around outside and sniff stuff. Occasionally, Cessie gets restless (you'd never know she is twelve) and has to come up front and hang out:

Overall they're good travelers --Pete didn't get sick and neither one of them asked, "Are we there, yet?"

A Turning Point...

This is evidence of something truly amazing. No, it's not that Cessie is eating a Milkbone that is amazing --it is the fact that I didn't give it to her. My neighbor did. Anyone that knows Cessie realizes how remarkable this is. Cessie will not go near strangers at all --even if they offer food and especially if we are not around. It takes multiple visits from friends and family (and lots of patience) before she will trust them. Again, we have been blessed with great neighbors that treat our dogs like theirs and Cessie feels comfortable enough to head over there when the treats are being handed out so she doesn't miss out. They have four dogs; a chow mix and a beagle mix that Pete hangs out with and two Pomeranians that Cessie hangs out with (Gizmo is her boyfriend -she thinks we don't notice).

Mole Hunter

Believe it or not, he actually catches the moles. We had an awful problem with moles in Washington until Pete showed up. There was one instance where a mole was destroying my planting beds and since Pete knows to stay out of those, the mole escaped his hunting prowess. I had to call in a professional trapper. The guy came out and set up numerous traps. A week later, the mole made the mistake of venturing outside the beds and into the yard. Big mistake - Pete got him (and I praised him repeatedly). The trapper came back and retrieved his empty traps. The moles aren't as bad here and I expect Pete will take care of this one soon. Just hope he doesn't start hunting in the neighbors' yards. They may not see it as I do - the little bit of digging in the grass Pete does is minor (and restricted to one area) compared to the amount of damage a mole will do over time to the entire lawn. Go Pete!

Hey -- That's My Spot!

Pete decided to take an afternoon nap…in bed. Usually he sleeps in the neighbor’s front yard or in their garage. But where Pa goes, Pete goes. Yes, Michael decided to take an afternoon nap --and Pete joined him leaving no room for me. I don’t have time for napping anyway.

Things You'll Only See Down South

That would be a field of tobacco. I pass several of these during the many trips to Lowe’s (or Home Depot). While I really like living in a rural area, it can be rather inconvenient at times. I was actually just taking a picture of Cessie hanging out of the window (she always does this) because I think she’s cute. I’m sure Michael is looking at this picture wondering how I took it since it is obviously taken while moving and from the passenger side of my vehicle…I’m not telling.