Musing On Monday #14

Some Dweeb doggie who shall remain nameless DWEEB ! chewed up my cute little professor hat - can you believe that!  Personally I think he is extremely jealous of my suave good looks while wearing it and that it won't fit his dweeb little head. Mom is making a new one though so all is okay.

This morning we went somewhere we have never been before - to the "downtown". I must admit it was a place none of liked - not even Mom. WE didn't like it because there really wasn't anything to sniff, it was noisy and there was a lot of traffic. Mom didn't like it because even though the speed limit is only 25 mph - there was A LOT of cars who seemed to think it was their was personal drag strip! Our downtown is also made up of weird one way streets which tends to confuse Mom as they are really not well signed or you are right on top of the sign before you see it. But Mom decided DWEEB needs a bit more exposure to new things so off we went.

Like many downtown areas of small cities - it has seen better days although they are trying to improve ours. There is mainly just restaurants and bars there at the moments which Mom thinks is silly because there is hardly any parking. They definitely need to do something to "green" the streets to - it would help reduce the noise issue and just make it look better. Probably half the stores in the downtown are empty and mom wonders why they don't encourage art galleries or such to open. One weird thing we did see in a window was a stuffed monkey!!!  It was pretty old and gross and the store was empty - just this poor fellow sitting in the window. Mom tried to get a picture but it was too dark. One has to ponder why someone would have a stuffed Monkey in the window - especially as the sign above the door showed it use to be an Italian Restaurant at one point of time!

Printing out your blog

There are quite a lot of blog printing options out there but the books can range from $60.00 to $100's depending on on how many pages or years you have on your blog.  To print our blog - even with a 15% off discount (offered via an email)  it would still of coat over $400.  That was until our ever resourceful Dad found Blogbooker. This site,  originally set up as a resource for teachers lets you convert your ENTIRE blog into a PDF file which you can then save to YOUR computer or onto a USB stick which you can then take to kinko, office max or anywhere that does printing for you and have it printed out at a fraction of what the books off other sites cost. To use this option if free on this site. You might not get the fancy solid book cover but you can have it spiral bound for just a few dollars. It works with Blogger, Wordpress and Live Journal.  We had over 5 years of blogging and this program set it up as a pdf file and sorted it out by year as well.  We are off to Kinko on Monday to have out blog printed out and we will share the results later this week.  If you are thinking about having your blog printed - search around as there are quite a lot of different companies offering this now and remember to take into account the cost of postage in your overall price.



Turn your Blog into a PDF Book/Archive.


BlogBooker


Some of the other options include
Blog Blurb  - www.blurb.com (doesn't do blogger anymore)
Blog to print (they are offering 15% off at the moment -  blog2print.sharedbook.com

Daddy Lubs Me

My dad lubs me soooooo munch - he buyed me a lodda of bully stigs. I ould yell ya bout it but I am buzzy.

Reilly - what the Dweeb is trying to say is that dad was lucky enough to be able get 50 bully sticks at half price! Dweeb loves them - especially the really thin ones. Me - I can take them or leave them depending on my mood.

We also have an update on the Dweeb Jackie - if you want to call on by you can say hi to him you can visit his cousins blog here http://handsomemax.blogspot.com/

Toot Toot Thursday

Not a lot has been happening in Dogville this past week - it is such a warm and cozy place though that all that warm fuzzy heat it gives off caused some shrinkage in the paper mache mountains. So the Mom has repaired that and repainted it and you can't even see the difference now. The other things we have been working on is some signs for the buildings. We now have a proper sign for Pip's Roadkill  Grill & Bar, for Denny's and for Eva's Salon. We have also added a farm house and another house and can you believe it - Dogville had been INVADED by an EVIL CAT - can you see it laying on the porch? What next I ask - will there be tree rats (squirrels) everywhere too?  I suppose we have to have something to chase though. Gawoof gawoof - there is always the postman ...did you see him in the picture too?

Wandering On Wednesday

Car Ride !!!!!!!!!!! - Who wants to go to the park? Bark bark bark - we do!!!!!! Well come one then - into the car - Mommmmmmm tell Weilly to move his butt so I can get up on the seat. Ermmm Mom I think I am stuck - a little help please. We had a nice long walk although nothing exciting happened today on the walkies that is - we did find out some other exciting news though........
















Do you guys know Bunk the Pug - he has a coolest blog and is having Easter Giveaway going on at the moment with some really excellent prizes - and guess what - yesterday we won 2 boxes of glutton & corn free cookies from Pumpkin Paw Bakery !!! Today there is a pet portraite up for grabs.  Call on by and say hello to him - he is the coolest little dude and don't forget to enter his contest too!

The Story of the Wacky Goose

Mom is  her madness thoughtfulness decided to brave the 40 degree temperatures and take us for us a walkies this morning. Trust us - she was rugged up in so many layers she could barely move! Anyway - we went to MY little lake park today mainly because it is more sheltered and we could stay out of the cold wind. Of coarse it didn't both Dweeb and I - AT ALL - nothing like a brisk walk in the fresh air!

But then we came across this Wacky Goose (no ! not the big guy out saving sticks) but a real goose of the feathered kind. It was just laying there with it's head in the water. Mom was concerned it was sick and we watched it for a bit. It would swim for a bit normally and then stick its head back in the water. It wasn't eating as there is isn't anything to munch in this lake at the moment (it has only just refilled)  Mom thought it probably didn't like us and this was a warning but she has never seen a lone goose do this before. We figured we would stop by the park office and let them know because it sure seemed like wacky behavior to us.  When it started hissing at us we decided skedaddle out of there pretty fast.














We wandered along the board walk while Mom pondered over the wacky goose some more. It is  still all dead and grey looking yet but Mom noticed lots of buds on the trees and we noticed lost of smells! We finally made it back to where we started from and there was the Wacky Goose still acting wacky and then Mom saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Up on the roof of the little lookout - do you see it?  There is a Mrs Wacky Goose and she has built herself a nest up there.  No wonder Mr Wacky Goose was behaving Wacky.

We called in the park office to let them know about the Wacky Goose and also to tell them we had seen a skunk near the path. (The peoples that look after MY park puts up signs to alert people if there is a skunk near the walking paths so they hopefully don't have any smelly encounters. Thankfully we didn't either - getting skunked would not be fun with our fur!

Musing on Monday #13

Did you know dogs feel envy ...... But not guilt

Dogs know when they're not getting a fair shake (tell me about it!)  A 2008 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that when dogs saw other dogs getting treats for a trick they'd been performing unrewarded, the unrewarded dogs became agitated, scratching themselves and avoiding the gaze of the rewarded dogs. They also stopped doing the trick much faster than if they were alone and not getting a reward. The dogs' version of jealousy wasn't as sophisticated as a human's: The animals didn't seem to mind if other dogs got sausage while they just got bread, (point taken I get a big cookie at bedtime - the Dweeb gets little cookies and he doesn't notice at all) and they didn't care if another dog got food for nothing while they had to do tricks for a snack (yeah tell about that too - I have to jump through hoops and the Dweeb just sits there looking like a DWEEB and gets a treat too! ) But, the researchers wrote, the findings were good evidence that being green with envy isn't just a primate thing.

Those puppy-dog eyes Fido gives you when you scold him over knocking over the garbage can for the umpteenth time aren’t a sign of guilt, researchers say. He's just responding to your rebuke.
When dog owners thought their dogs had eaten a forbidden treat and reprimanded them either with words or body language, the pooches looked just as "guilty" regardless of whether or not they had actually eaten the treat. In fact, dogs who were wrongly accused of snack-snatching often looked more guilty than dogs who had really eaten the treat. Turns out those soulful eyes don't reflect any soul-searching, after all.

Personally I think we ALL know we could argue both points of view :)

Sheltie Butt Wiggles Rule !

What can we say - when you got it - flaunt it - or in our case wiggle it !!!!

We are entered in the Sheltie Tails Contest over on Facebook - if you would like to vote for us - just visit here  and you can even enter yourselves ! Just click on the VOTE button on thee top right hand side and all the pups participating will appear - that enter competition thing will disappear.

Our Dad LOVES this Video !!!

The "Find It" Game

We loved watching Wyatt do his box hunting and decided to give it go too. Now me - I learned the 'find it' game when I was youngster but when we play 'find it' mom hides treats under the cushions, on the arms of chairs, in shoes etc. We had never tried boxes before. This is my first attempt and you can see I picked up it really fast although I still had to check the cushions as well :)

Mom also wants to teach the Dweeb (Denny) the game - but teaching Denny is a very slow job and requires A LOT of patience - not because he isn't smart (personally I have my own thoughts on that matter !!!!) -  Mom says  he is actually very smart and it is just that he is just SCARED of anything NEW and the boxes - well they were new !!   (He also thinks Dad is NEW every time he comes home at night and it takes him about half an hour before he realizes it is good dad and not a scary bad dad. Anyway you can see for yourself on the video (sorry it is a little bit long). We still have a long way to go with the Dweeb but we are getting there.

Note -  Mom says the reason he kept looking over his shoulder was because I was LOCKED away in the bedroom - can you believe that!!!  Mom says I tend to be a showoff and get tired of waiting for him so I find all the treats myself :)  Mom also started off with a treat in each box and gradually kept removing one so now we are down to one miserable treat and I have to search ALL the boxes to find it - is that fair I ask you?

Look what happened last night !!!

What is not to love about spring - the grass is turning green, the magnolias are flowering, the daffodils are bobbing in the breeze and it snows!!!!! I personally LOVE LOVE LOVE the snow and would be happy if we had inches of it every day......ahhhhh to lay in that nice soft cold snow, to grab mouthfuls of it and to bounce around in it like I was pup again...what could be better? Needless to say - The Dweeb - the BIGGEST WUZZ in the WORLD - well the photo's say it all - he is scared of it. I mean REALLY! - what is wrong with that boy???????

It's Bloomin Beautiful!!

After my laser treatment  we went to the park but before I get to that adventure Sam asked about my treatment. I have had 6 now and I have 8 minutes on each side of my spine down towards my back hips. I was having some nasty old muscle spasms after I twisted the wrong way (they think that is what caused it) and the laser treatment has worked so well at relieving that. I LOVE going to have the treatments..... I even race into the room and stand up next to the table waiting for them to pick me up and put me on the big soft bed. While they are doing the treatment I give lots of 'happy grunts' as Mom calls them. It is the same noise I make when my dad gives me a big old cuddles and rubs my furs. I even had a bight happy Hawaiian print bed to lay on today. Dog oh dog this is the life!













When we leave the vets we always go for a little walk at the park to walk out any 'kinks' as Mom calls them. Have a look at what was waiting for us - the Magnolias are in bloom! Mom says they smell heavenly - REALLY Mom ???? - now a week old bone - that smells heavenly but Magnolias - blah! We noticed yesterday that the Bradford Pears are flowering all over town too and we are not sure what this pink tree is but they are flowering everywhere too and they look so pretty - such a splash of color after all the browns of winter.


























Now can you believe it - Mom says she has finally found something I don't like (apart from baths) Something that actually "worries" me. You know what it is? Squeaky branches or so SHE says. We had a lot of storm damage in MY park last year and a lot of trees were blown down and broken and where they rest on other trees they make a strange squeaking noise - which I don't like. Now Mom says it is the trees making the noise but I am sure it is SOMETHING far more sinister - some kind of HUGE monster lurking in the undergrowth.....I mean I am the BIG DOG - I couldn't possibly be scared of a squeaky branch - so it HAS to be a monster right? - maybe that BUNYIP thing Mom talks about.

Springing into spring with Blish

 The "HAND" (that thing that feeds me)  has been very remiss in introducing me - so I will take matters into my own fins!  Hello - I am Blish a Siamese Fighting Fish (or Betta Splenda). I am getting on in years (nearly as old as that BIG Dog Fish that lives here) and have lost a lot of my color but I can still be a feisty little dude when I want to be. Oh - my fins are not raggity either - I am a Doubled Tailed Crown Java Betta and that is the way they are meant to look. The "HAND" just bought me a nice new tank and I am enjoying all the extra room and being able to watch the world outside the water. Do you like the four way me look - I was resting in the corner when the "HAND" snapped this photo.


 Now something I have noticed is a vase of flowers next to my tank and the "HAND" says it is because spring is coming. There are some white daffodils (the "HAND" says they were meant to be yellow) and some purple Hyacinth which are very fragrant. The "HAND" also says the mint is growing again and the parsley - but it is growing outside of the veggie patch and not in it. The "HAND'S" most favorite rose is also growing and she seems most happy about that. I did enjoy having those rose flowers near my tank last year.

I must admit I do like having some greenery around my tank and I even have a nice selection in my tank too. In particular I like to lay on one large leaf with my nose close to the surface because I am a labyrinth fish - that means I breath air and would drown if I couldn't reach the surface. As it is my nature to fight - I have MY tank entirely to myself and I quite enjoy being pampered by the "HAND"


YES - I guess  the "HAND" does take very care of me even if "IT" hasn't shared knowledge of my existence before. Now if only the "HAND" could stop those Dog Fish from swimming past my tank all day long - truly they make me dizzy with all their comings and goings. And why can't they blow silent bubbles like I do instead of making all that noise - it is so loud sometimes it make my tank vibrate!

Time for another nap I think - hopefully it won't take another 5 years before the "HAND" shows me off again.

Denny Wenny Day

I love when the BIG DOG goes and has his laser therapy - cause it means I get a bone all to myself while he is at the vets and I can chomp away on it without having to worry he might take it - not that he ever does - he is VERY cunning - he just waits and waits until I have to get a drink or get distracted and in those few seconds I leave a bone unguarded - it becomes his even when he has one of his own! Of coarse I do the same thing to him - but that is different cause I am Denny-Wenny and I am cute so it is allowed!







Mom says I am "blowing" my puppy coat at last - we have to go outside cause when she brushes me because the fur flies everywhere. See on the grass - that is my furs!!!!  But guess what - Mom says I am helping all the little birdies in the neighborhood - see they have started nest building already and we see them picking up lots of tufts of MY fur. The babies will be soft and cozy in their Denny lined nest boxes this year.

Musing On Monday #12

Pet Health Insurance - It is something we have been pondering over lately and the fact that ours simply doesn't cover anything. We had ASPCA pet health insurance which Mom cancelled today. She is a bit scared about it  because of  the "what if factor" - What if this happened or what if that happened?  Ours was costing $70 a month and they wouldn't cover any of my allergy stuff, any of my back treatments or bad leg/foot issues. They also wouldn't cover any of  Denny's medicines and they say they won't cover his arthritic knee because he was 2 days under 1 year old when he was diagnosed. Mom says the $70 a month ($840 year) might as well be put towards the bills she already has to pay for anyway.  We have been looking at other plans but of coarse we have "pre-existing conditions" and so far haven't found any thing that will cover us. Mom says it is a dilemma - she wants the BEST for us and has no qualms of about making sure we get it but it is always nice to have something to fall back on - but is that 'fall back plan' worth it when they are not covering anything anyway?  Something else - we had to pay extra for 'continuing care coverage". What that means is.... if your dog develops something one year - it may not be covered the next year because it is now a pre-existing condition - UNLESS you take out the continuing care coverage which covers follow up treatments for the same condition in the next year. Something to think about for anyone considering Pet Health Insurance - and something you need to check on if you already have a plan - are you covered for that?

What's Happening in Dogville?

It's the "Invasion of the Little People" this week in Dogville. Mom being the skint flint (cheap person) that she is - begrudged paying $10-$14 (plus shipping)  for just 6 little people so when she saw she could buy 70 of them UNPAINTED for $10 - she decided to give it a try.

Needless to say this has had her going cross eyed over the last week even when using a magnifier!  It is not only that these are small but there are "shrunken hoomans" as well and they are even smaller. This particular set is from Germany and Mom likes the details in them - but not those little stands (so she cut those off - along with a few feet - oooops Mom - wasn't I supposed to mention that gawoof gawoof) Mom says the hardest things to paint are the shoes, ties and hats. Us - we just keep Mom company while she goes crazy although the Dweeb did enjoy chewing one of the little peeps up that he found had high dived off the table onto the floor!! Here are some of the peeps in the process of painting and you can see the size differences in them. Mom had to buy some special brushes that are ultra small to paint them.

Now remember when we went to Hardy last weekend to the English Pub - well we went and had a look around the antique/flea market stores and Mom spotted this cool Baby Ruth box car. Nestle now makes Baby Ruth Candies - but this car was before Nestle bought them  and it has the original maker of them on it. Dad was very happy to find it. And finally there is something in Dogville for the Denny - his very own Diner. We have been waiting ages for it to arrive and we finally got it - he was feeling a bit left out but is very happy now.

Musing on Monday - Saturday Edition

Hmmm - somehow I forgot my Musing on Monday last week - but I am back again and do I have a gripe to gripe about. So I was reading what was new on all the buddies bloggies when a message popped up saying that Google Reader will be discontinued after July 1st this year. What the dog! It just so happens I LOVE Google Reader and use it every day - so why are they doing away with it?  Personally I am  going to be on a campaign to find out who made this decision and BITE THEM ON THE BUTT!

If you think this is a bad idea like I do - there is something you can do -  there is a couple of  online petitions available that have over 100,000 votes so far to keep Google Reader going so if you use and like it - we encourage you to get your paws busy and go vote!

Just a note - Thanks Sara - I went and checked out Feedly.com and it works in Firefox too. It was just a one click to sync it to my original Google Reader so I will see how it works over the following week and let every doggie know how it goes.  BUT - we would much rather keep our Google Reader - cause we are creature of habit and don't like change.

https://www.change.org/petitions/google-keep-google-reader-running
http://keepgooglereader.com/index.php