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.