Christmas Moves Forward

Well as most of you guessed our protest did not work out too well. The tree is up and has lights on it. Mom is crocheting a tree skirt and has completed about half of it. She does not want Katy chewing on the pretty cross stitch one her sister made her.

We got 5 more Christmas Cards yesterday. Mom and Dad got none. Our first Christmas card wreath is starting to fill up. We may have our cards spilling on to the extra one Mom has for big years.

We have received cards from:
Chewy Deravi, Bella and Daisy, Bert King, Miley and Maggie, and Dakota & Cody, Frankie Furter, Freedom, Casper & Nikki, Maggie Mae and Max, Sweet William The Scot, and Finn.

This is proving to be a very exciting Christmas season.

Protesting Christmas

What is it about Christmas that causes our entire lives to be upset? We are staging a sit in. In this picture, I am sitting in the place Katy's crate used to occupy and if you notice, my couch has been moved to a far corner. Katy was trying to block the Paparazi from snapping photographs and gaining enjoyment from our legitimate protest of taking our space and replacing it with of all things a Christmas tree.

Dad hastens to remind me how much I love hiding behind the Christmas tree and spying on everyone from my couch. He mentions that I stage an equally strong protest in January when my spying tree is removed. I have no memory of fighting to keep the tree. He also points out that Katy has a better view of the front door where her crate is now giving her an advantage she does not have during the other seasons of the year.

We were forced to give up our protest and Katy gave in and has tried out her new crate position a few times now. She seems pleased with her door access. I will not admit to using my couch until Mom documents it with photographic evidence.

We were excited to get our first Christmas cards ever. We have heard from Chewy Deravi, Bella and Daisy, Bert King, Miley and Maggie, and Dakota and Cody. We have all our cards displayed in Mom's Christmas card wreath. Wait until Grandma sees all our Christmas cards.

Wordless Wednesday: Katy claims Her Spot

Help Save Tyler the Turkey

Mom wants to send Tyler away to some place called the attic. She already took away our Halloween toys, but we keep hiding Tyler. She promised he could stay until Dad brings out the Christmas toys. We do not remember the Christmas toys she keeps discussing. Then again, there always seems to be something for us in those boxes she drags out. Now she says that all the holiday boxes will include something for us since we now have Halloween and Thanksgiving toys.

How can we give up our favorite gobbler? Then again, Mom says we will appreciate him more if he is only around during Thanksgiving. We have a horrible feeling that as soon as the Christmas toy box comes out Tyler will disappear into that attic thing. Mom is convinced we will not even notice once the Christmas toys are distracting us. Does she really think we are that shallow? Then again she claims there is a box of toys in the attic that I do not even remember.

Now We are On Christmas Cards

First it was mugs and t-shirts, but now Mama has had Christmas cards printed with us on them.  (Not this picture, she wants it to be a surprise.)  Dad went and picked them up Saturday at Walgreens.  Do all of you have to go through this with the Paparazi?

Mama did promise us a trip to Santa.  Dad always gets us a treat when we visit Santa.  Not a bad trade off for another picture trip.  Especially since Santa does always fill our stockings with such nice treats.

The Christmas card list gets started today.  Mama says she is starting with family first and then will see how far our cards go before she has to dig into the boxed cards.  We are so excited to get our own Christmas cards this year.

Wordless Wednesday: Thanksgiving Bows

Christmas and Holiday Cards

After reading about the holiday card exchange on Finn Howard's Blog we were thrilled to realize we could send and get Christmas/holiday cards. Mama went out today and purchased a specific holiday card and Papa is out mailing it because Mama does not have any cards for that holiday in her collection of cards. She plans on getting started on the rest of the cards when Papa digs out the holiday boxes with all of her holiday supplies.

We are so excited to hear from our friends and to send out cards of our own.

Wordless Wednesday

Tyler Turkey

We got mail! Our first every Thanksgiving toy arrived. Mom has been on a kick to bring back Thanksgiving as it has been passed by since both sets of parents have moved out of state. This was a good thing for us because it meant she was on a quest to find holiday themed toys to keep us and the Thanksgiving visitors amused.

First up is Tyler Turkey who arrived yesterday. Mom had been looking everywhere for local Thanksgiving toys, but everyone has moved on to Christmas. As she approached the Internet, she found many places were already sold out. She originally found Tyler on Amazon.com, but you could not place an order directly through Amazon, you had to go to Entirely Pets to get him. They had a Pilgrim Dog Toy made by Kyjen available for direct order from Amazon through the same company that hasn't arrived yet. It is supposed to be here a couple of days before Thanksgiving. Mom will post pictures and let you know how he worked out.

Katy took off the first time the turkey gobbled, but she is starting to get curious. Dad says it does make a unique gobbling sound. I have been carrying it around since Mom took it out of the bag. Dad finally made me let Katy have time to play with it, too. Our time with our Thanksgiving toys will be short. Mom will pack them away and bring out the Christmas toys she packed away last year. However, next year we will have a longer time to visit with them. Perhaps they will even have new friends if she thinks to look at Halloween instead of waiting until November.

Thanksgiving Toys

Mom knows there are some great shoppers out there and we are on the hunt for Thanksgiving toys. Mom watched as the Halloween dog toys went on clearance and the Christmas toys came out. Mom wants to track down some dog friendly Thanksgiving toys. If you have suggestions of where she can find these very necessary holiday items, please share. She already put our bat and mummy away and it will be another month before the Christmas toys come out of her holiday boxes.

Wordless Wednesday

The Cold Sends Bailey to the Vet

One of the big frustrations with the cold was keeping the dogs warm, thus their new fleece coats. Bailey hates it when we discuss the idea that he might be aging, getting old, or the joke in our house was we were discussing the counselor who was running for reelection, Elder to avoid hurt feelings. Bailey still believes he is a puppy and there seems no reason to change his perspective.

Bailey is by no means ancient, but as he turned eight last spring, we did notice the wet spring weather was starting to effect him more than it had in previous years. We were quite concerned when he started limping during the power outage. A trip to the vet on Tuesday led to a diagnosis of bursitis likely brought on by his physical activities in a cold house. The doggy version of Motrin has helped. However, last night I had to resort to putting him on a leash for the delayed trick or treating. During the excitement, he kept jumping on and off couches and running around. Sure enough, his limp was back. After his evening dose of dog Motrin and restrictions on his reactions to excessive doorbell ringing, his limp seemed to disappear again. He has been happily playing with his toys and taunting Katy all morning.

Fleece Coats

By now most of you know of our obsession with fleece blankets. Mom loves to talk about it to everyone. However, as the temperatures in the house dropped to the low 50's the blankets were not helping. After all, it is hard to walk around, jump on things, and patrol with a blanket strapped around you. A Sheltie has work to do and cannot be tied down with a blanket, no matter how cold it may be inside the house.

When Mom and Dad got the word it would be Thursday before power was restored, they went to the camping store to get supplies. While they were out they stopped at Petco and Bailey got the Blue Fleece Coat and I of course got the Princess Pink One.

Mom was thrilled on two counts. First, the items were on-sale and second we actually wore them and did not try to tear them off when she put them on us. Then again we have not worn them since the heat came back on so we will have to see if they work as well when it is not freezing in the house, it is just cold outdoors.

Thankfully, heat was restored earlier than predicted. However, we now have our emergency coats.

Dad Discovers the Fireplace

When the power went out over the weekend the heat stopped working and it got really cold. Dad and Bailey often visit a friend and have outdoor fires during the summer and fall, but we have never seen one indoors. When it started to get really cold, Dad's friend offered him some firewood to use in the hole in the wall Mom calls a fireplace.

Bailey and I were both a bit nervous. In all the time he's lived here Bailey says Dad has never tried to bring fire indoors. It was a rather scary experience. Fires get angry. They spit, they yell, and they jump around a good deal. The tempting part that was hard to avoid was that it was so warm. Mom moved our bed a safe distance away from the fire and you feel the heat when you sat on the bed.

While we weren't crazy about the fire in the beginning, by the time the power came back on, Katy and I were curled up in front of the fireplace, resting. We are glad Dad conquered fire.

Halloween Sent Us A Trick

Yes, folks this is me, Katy sitting in snow over Halloween weekend. There was no heat in the house and snow on the ground. It was supposed to be a lovely fall day. While I was not looking forward to strangers banging on the door demanding candy, I also was not prepared for freezing in the house when the heat went off on Saturday and did not come back until Monday night. Mom keeps telling Bailey and me we should be quite grateful as the power company was predicting we would be without electricity and thus heat until Thursday. She was doing the happy dance when it came back yesterday. She also says the strangers will not be coming to the door until Thursday either as the City postponed trick or treating.

We have many stories to tell all of you about our adventures in house camping. We hope all of you are safe and warm.

The Papa Razi is back

Here we were enjoying a little fall cuddling after the colder night air is settling in when what should happen, but Papa sneaks in with the camera. We have been very good at avoiding the camera the last few weeks, much to Mama's dismay. However, we let our guard down and now look what happens?

The Big Doll is Gone Now Mama is Working on a Smaller One

This one has headed back to the closet as we predicted yesterday. Only Mama's Aunt came and took her outfit away. We did not know that was on yesterday’s agenda.

Now this one has emerged. She is far more tempting. The big one might be nice to cuddle with on the floor, but this one you could travel with and move with you. However, do not think she cannot fight back. Those hands are sharp and pointy. Do not ask us how we know. We are pleading the fifth. We are not sure exactly what that gets us, but they always say that in the mystery shows Mom loves.

Mom even resorted to rolling the yarn into a ball because it was knotting. (Mom hates making yarn balls.) Katy was sure the ball was for her and every time Mom dropped it, Katy pounced on it. Mom was not amused. Yarn balling and untangling yarn are not her favorite tasks.

We need to resist the temptation to play with this little Ninja doll. Not only will Mom be upset, but that doll also packs a punch.

What is a Dog Supposed to Do With Dolls in the House?

What is it with these things that look like humans, but are not alive? Kids bring them to the house and the dolls sometimes make noises. That really freaks me out. Mom has them stored in the closet. She brings them out, tries clothes on them, takes pictures, gives the clothes away, and then they go back in the closet. They come in all sizes and she makes different kinds of clothes for them all the time. Does anyone know anything about these things she calls dolls? She lets us sniff them, but NO PLAYING with them. We played with one of the outfits she was working on yesterday and she was not at all pleased. Can we help it if it looked like a ball?

Mama Can't Make Up Her Mind

She always complains that we are not willing to be in pictures. So, this time I hurry to get into the picture and she keeps trying to get me to move. I know deep down she really wants me in the photograph. After all, isn't Dad always chasing us around with the camera? Won't I just make the item all that more attractive? As you can see, they just couldn't resist snapping the picture and Mom isn't even posting the other pictures on her craft blog until next week.

Next time they had better not complain I am not cooperating.

Our Weekly Book Review: A Prince Among Frogs

I was really looking forward to Mom bringing home A Prince among Frogs (Tales of the Frog Princess) for us to listen to together. This Tales of the Frog Princess is not as scary as some of the other series Mom reviews for her education blog. I like the happy romantic stories.

I was disappointed that this story was not as fun as the previous books. I found myself wandering out of the room as the story of Millie and Auden trying to find her missing baby brother was not nearly as interesting as the previous books. While I will miss the stories of Eadric and Emma's family, if the author was no longer able to create the fairytale stories found in the previous stories perhaps it was time to finish the series.

Mom is listening to a rather scary Peter Pan prequel that has my attention at the moment. While I normally don't like scary books, this series has Bailey and I both paying attention.

Squirrels Seem Bolder This Year

Mom and Dad never seem to be quick enough to catch their faces, but we see them lurking in our tree house, using our fence as a highway, leaving unwanted presents on our porch. Yes, we know they are out there those varmint squirrels. Mom went to a place where you can get wanted photographs like those that they have for criminals. She claims that is not where she went. Why else would they have photographs of these nasty creatures?

One was actually arrogant enough to do stretches over the fence post while we were resting comfortably by the window, which of course forced us to have to rush outside and get him out of our tree house.

You have seen the enemy. Be warned. Last year we let one get in the basement and he created all kinds of problems. Even with two of us there seems to be an increasing problem. The population seems to have grown this year.

Photo Credit: Morgue Files

You Know What Fall Brings More Walks!

Dad loves the cooler weather and has been taking us on more walks. This weekend Mom even went with us to visit a neighbor. It has been so nice to get out and check the p-mail and even Katy has enjoyed the outings.

We are hoping for a long fall season. We need the winter weather to hold off for a while so we can enjoy more walks.

Happy Thanksgiving to Our Canadian Visitors

Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian friends and family celebrating today.


Mom and Dad are off again to visit King Richard's Faire to celebrate Columbus Day. We cannot get them to explain what King Richard and Columbus have in common, but there seems to be some yearly ritual involved.

World Smile Day

All our blogging buddies were posting about World Smile Day so Mom decided to get in on the action and dig out a couple of our smiling moments.

Hope these put a smile on your face.

Jumping Katy

Katy has really come in to her jumping abilities. This is from a dog that was afraid to climb the back stairs when she came here a little over a year ago. This morning she cleared Bailey when he would not make room for her on our bed.

As I watch her zooming through the yard, leaping plants as easily as if she was walking over an ant I am thrilled to see her joy and excitement. Her favorite obstacle is still Bailey. For some reason she loves clearing Bailey.

She is starting to stay in the room when guests are here. She slowly is reaching out and it is amazing to see this Sheltie who was so afraid get to be so bold.

Keep it up little girl.

Mom and Dad are Off to Vote

Mom and Dad are off to help with local elections today. Dogs are not allowed to vote and we cannot even participate in getting out the vote. Now this makes no sense, Shelties are some of the best herding dogs in the world. We are made for herding people to the voting booths, but Mom says this is not exactly what the phrase means.

Sadly, this is only what Mom calls a preliminary election. The big election comes in November. This just narrows down the candidates for one of the local offices. So that means more time not devoted to ball playing or football games with Dad.

We Love Fall

What's not to love, football, cooler weather, and the squirrels are fatter and slower. They are much easier to chase.

We had a wonderful weekend with one of our favorite visitors and a weekend of football watching with Dad. The weather was wet, but it was better than being hot all the time.

Grandma Cursed Us

Sure, it was raining yesterday, but there was no thought of the dreaded t & l word. There was not a sign. Then Grandma called and she had to say how scared her dog was because they had several days of those unmentioned words. Before Mom could stop her there was a loud booming noise and the house lit up. Sure enough, Grandma sent us thunder and lightning. What kind of Grandma does that? We barked and barked to scare it away, but it took its sweet time leaving. We want Mom to send snow down south this winter to get even.

Picture Credit: Johnglenn513 Morgue Files

Our Weekly Book Review: The Dragon Kiss

Mom and I finally finished listening to the Dragon Kiss this week.

This book had more adventure that the previous one. Auden the dragon wants to be human so he can marry Millie a human/dragon. I cannot imagine wanting to be anything other than a Sheltie. Humans have no time to play or sleep. They are always traveling around and busy with other things. However, Auden had his reasons.

His relatives force him to complete certain tasks in order to get the right to be able to shape shift from human to dragon. Bailey liked that this book was less mushy and had more action. He hung out with me more to listen to the story while Mom was working. I was pleased that the story had my romantic happy ending. Mom borrowed A Prince among Frogs from the library so I can listen to the final book in the series.

What Happened to Fall?

Mom told us that fall was coming. Katy barely remembers last fall, but I love fall. The weather is cool, the leaves crunch under my feet, and the smells are amazing. However, this past week has felt worse than any we experienced during the hot days of summer. Everything in the house is sweating from something Mom calls humidity.

I demand my fall weather and I want it now!

Wordless Wednesday: The Red Sox Season Not Going Well

Crochet Swaps Bring Dog Treats

We have been complaining that Mom spends too much time with her crochet hooks. In fact, she started to use Bailey as a crochet pattern holder when he wanted to snuggle with her on the couch and she was working on a project. However, we have discovered something cool about crocheting. Some swap partners send dog treats and toys.

Mom is involved in a group that does themed crochet swaps. She completed her first one and her first box arrived. We were very excited and Mom could not understand why as all she could smell is cinnamon, which she loves. We however, immediately sensed there was more to this package than yarn, crochet hooks, potpourri and candles. There was the delightful smell of dog treats. We were even more amazed to find a cool Frisbee that doubles as our new favorite tug toy. This one is Katy sized and she constantly fights to get it back. Mom is not sure what it is about this toy that she is so attached to, but she is thrilled that Katy is showing some interest in holding on to something when I try to steal everything. (You should have seen my toy pile yesterday.)

So perhaps this crocheting thing is not so bad after all.

What a Beautiful Fall Weekend

Mom and Dad spent a great deal of time enjoying the fall weather. It turns out that many people ignored the directions for that fall festival and brought their dogs to the outdoor festival Mom we wrote about a few weeks ago. The dogs left the parade and ignored the rules about going to the festival. Mom and Dad followed the rules and we stayed home. However, Dad made some special time for us when he got home and Bailey made a visit to a special friend later that night.

Sunday Mom and Dad were going to a kid-oriented event that Dad had to make a presentation at and they invited one of our human cousins to come and visit. She came over on Saturday night so she could be ready early on Saturday morning. Katy and I chased the ball, but Katy hesitated to get to close. Not me, I got as much attention as I could. She wanted to make friends, but was not sure. She would come close even poking with nose and foot, but each time she retreated. I of course took full advantage of the situation and got as close as I could. Never one to pass up a tummy rub, I moved in. However, Katy was trying to make a connection. After we went to bed, Katy made several trips downstairs to check on our guest. She would stay for a short time until a noise would send her flying back upstairs to jump up on top of me.

When Mom and Dad arrived home last night, Katy kept checking the door. She normally has this reaction when she knows Mom or Dad has stayed outside talking to a neighbor and has not come in yet. She was distressed that one of her sheep had not returned home. She actually missed our guest. She does not seem to understand the idea of borrowed sheep, yet.

I may have to get used to sharing attention with Katy, as she is getting bolder.

Our Weekly Book Review: The Salamander Spell

While Bailey has shown no interest in the series I was very excited when Mom brought home The Salamander Spell. After the romance and adventure of The Dragon Princess ,I had high expectations. Bailey had no interest in the Tales of the Frog Princess series, although he has gotten hooked on the Grimm's sister adventures Mom has been reviewing for her education blog.

Mom was interested in this story as it provided the family history Emma's Mom, Chartreuse and Aunt Grassina. It explains why Emma's Mom was not the green witch and why Aunt Grassina ended up with the gift of magic. It was not nearly as exciting as Milly's story. Mom has promised to make it up to me and has put Milly's next story Dragon Kiss on reserve at the library. I will admit Bailey is right, the Sister's Grimm are pretty funny.

Wordless Wednesday: Dad's Bad Aim

It is the Small Things

It really is the small stuff with Katy. Like children, it is wrong to compare dogs, but sometimes you cannot help yourself. Things came easier to Bailey. It may have been that he came to us as a puppy from rescue and he had less baggage. He might have a more outgoing personality. I do not know. I do know that Katy has fought hard to believe and each victory is amazing.

People can debate the issues with dogs on furniture, but we have always enjoyed cuddling with the dogs on our beds and couches. That is why the couches all have fleece blankets on them. They wash when company comes and it reduces the hair to clothing ratio for our guests. When Katy came to us, she had challenges with stairs and jumping was not something she would do. We were not sure if it was training or fear.

The stairs were necessary. In order to reach the backyard she had to be able to negotiate the back stairs. My husband carried her down the first few times, but that was not a long-term option. With cookies and Bailey's help, we coached her on walking the stairs. Today, the problem is still getting her to walk the stairs. Now, she flies over them. Getting her to touch the stairs is a thing of the past. She flies up and down every set of stairs indoors and out. It is wonderful to see her fearless, but we do have to work on keeping her from breaking her neck with her races with Bailey around the house.

I started a tradition of picking her up and scratching and petting her on the couches for short periods of time to help her understand she was allowed on the furniture if she wanted to be there. She was not interested for a very long time. Last night I walked into the room my husband and his friend were watching the game and I saw Katy jump up on the couch and curl up with my husband. I struggled not to say anything. For some reason when you notice what she has done, even in a positive way, Katy leaves. My husband told me later that she has started to come out at night and watch sports with him on the couch. It does not sound like a big issue. However, if you understood how far she has come not just jumping up on her own, but to initiate contact it is huge.

Katy may always be shy. Several people have remarked that may be her personality. I am fine with that. My hope has always been that she would choose to do things based on personality, not on fear or bad past experiences. She may never be comfortable with strangers. However, she has won so many of the battles with challenges since she arrived with that I leave it to her to decide.

Monday Night Football

The season has begun. We had our first college and professional football bonding with Dad this weekend. However, tonight is a special night. Dad's best friend is coming over to watch the Patriots open the Monday night football season. Dad is getting Pizza and this friend ALWAYS has dog biscuits in his pockets. What more could a Sheltie want?