Happy Labor Day

Labor Day is a bit of a big deal in this area. There is a parade and people take it pretty seriously. For the first time Dad and Mom saw people putting out chairs the afternoon before. I guess they must be expecting large crowds. Mom wrote an article for her education blog about the parade and it has been getting hits from around the state and even from surrounding states. She had no clue it would be that popular. She wrote it for family and friends, since the local paper can be hard to access online. She wanted to make the information available to people who might want it. It was also a good place to send people, instead of trying to pull out the paper to find the information again. Mama is honest enough to admit her blogs are often like extra storage units for information she hates to lose.

One of our favorite relatives is coming to visit today. She has no problem spending time giving us lots of attention and playing with us.

We hope all of you have a happy, fun, and safe Labor Day.

Happy Anniversary Katy

It all started with an email. While actually it really started when the new neighbors rescued a cute black lab and Bailey realized just how lonely he was as the only dog in the house. He so badly wanted a playmate and he was not allowed to play with the new dog next door. Mom felt so bad. She knew Bailey needed a brother or sister in his own home to play with, but she had to talk Dad into the idea of bringing home another Sheltie.

Mom agreed to not pursuing a puppy, but an adult dog. Dad thought about it and agreed. Mom sent in the paper work to the New England Sheltie Rescue. They expected a considerable wait time before a dog would be available and they were OK with that.

However, an email arrived almost immediately telling them about me and they jumped to reply. They were going to have a new dog for Labor Day. I had no idea that people were coming to take me home. I was at my foster home playing with my foster brothers. They were fun. My foster Mom was nice and gave me tons of cookies. In fact, for a long time that was the only word I responded to until I moved in with Mom and Dad.

Mom was surprised when she realized this was Labor Day weekend and thus the anniversary of my arrival. She says she cannot believe it has been a year. I can tell, though. I finally claim toys as my own. I demand attention from Dad and know I will get it. When we get in the car, I no longer think I am leaving forever. I am home.

Our Weekly Book Review: The Celery Stalks at Midnight

We warned you about veggie gardens and after listening to another of Mom's library audio books The Celery Stalks at Midnight we have even more proof of the danger of veggie gardens. Our friends from Howliday Inn are back and as usual facing danger. A Vampire bunny has been turning the family veggies into zombies and Chester and Harold must attack the veggies with toothpicks to put them to rest. Vampire hunting is not as easy as they make it in the movies. Toothpicks are not as strong or as easy to use for animals as people might think.

Chester and Harold are reassured by the end of the book. We, however still think this book supports our theory that veggie gardens are dangerous to humans and animals.

Told to Stay in School

I thought I had found my doggy career as a plumbing assistant. However, I was told to stay in school. Since I am not crazy about water, being a full time assistant would not be a good career choice. I am crushed, but Mom and Dad are trying to tell me they could not do without me being around all the time. I was so sure I had finally landed the job after my great work during this latest flood. However, they do have a point. What would Mom and Katy do if I were off riding around doing plumbing jobs while they needed me?

The plumber's own dog might also get a bit upset if she was left out of the business for an outsider. Since this house seems to have its share of issues, I guess I will have to use my talents when he visits. After all, every job needs a supervisor and who better than a Sheltie.

Zooming After the Storm

It was so wonderful to wake up to light and sun yesterday and today. Mom and Dad were busy cleaning most of the day, but Dad took time to throw the ball and in the clean up located a forgotten soccer ball.

Grandma called us to tell us that we actually did not get the worst of the storm. One family member had a tree crush a car and part of the house. Another had a bigger basement pool at 22 inches and did not yet have power or a friend with a generator and pump. Mom's Aunt across town still does not have power and reports are that it could be a while before it comes back. While Mom and Dad are still waiting on the hot water, they feel a bit better about their situation.

We hope all of you are recovering from the storm. Please stay safe.

We Survived Irene

Just a quick post to let everyone know we survived. Mom and Dad went almost 24 hours without technology. We were amazed. The downside is that Bailey almost learned to swim. While Mom and Dad were down in the basement working on a flooding situation they did not realized Bailey had joined them. While the ground was dry when they started, as the storm continued he found himself on a concrete oasis and started to panic. Dad escorted him to shore (the basement stairs) and he continued to monitor the situation from there.

One of Mom and Dad dearest friends came out in the storm with a generator and a pump and helped them pump out what was fast becoming a basement swimming pool. Before it reached 5 inches, he was at our house with Katy running protection duty for him while he started up the big machines. I am not sure why, but Katy found herself in the storm. She followed the big man around when she never would get close even for cookies in normal weather. The noisy generator did not bother her and she did not want to come inside except when the wind parted her hair.

I was not so crazy about this storm. I help supervise the basement cleanup. I would really love to be a plumbing dog. I think I have the talent, but I keep being told there are no openings for dogs. I helped work on the hot water heater that we are trying to salvage from the water damage.

Mom promises she will send us to visit all of your blogs later this week. She knows not everyone is back to power. Much of this town is still out. It is possible we could lose ours again as they are repairing the rest of the area. Therefore, we have paws crossed, as we did not like the total blackness that we saw last night.

The big man showed Dad a catalog for generators that would run the sump pump and some basic items like the refrigerator during the storms that hit New England frequently. Dad had been talking about doing this before winter, but it appears that Mother Nature wants us to move now. We are not fans of basement pools. Dad has some homework to do once the stores are back in stock. Mom wants to visit the camping stores and find more camping gear for lighting and other emergency supplies. The ones we have are rather outdated.

Dad did do well heating hot water on the outdoor grill once the rain stopped. Mama was impressed. Those bins that Mama bought to keep the bugs out of our food also kept it watertight during the flooding. I am not sure why humans have such complicated food.

Stay Safe

Like Lassiter who has been studying geography over on his blog and we have started to learn more as Mom and Dad have been constantly watching the weather maps to see where this Irene monster is heading. We are thinking we need more hands on study like Lassiter because the pictures move too fast on the screen.

We are sending doggy prayers for all our fellow bloggers stuck in the storm’s path. Be safe and keep watch over your humans. They have a way of being stressed during these events. Check in after the storm and let everyone know you are OK.

-Bailey & Katy