MY New Tree

So there I was enjoying  a little morning sun
when Mom comes outside and tells me Dad bought us a new tree. I am thinking "great - we need some more shade in MY yard".  Then she comes back with the tree - "WTD - you have got to kidding right Mom - no way is that going to give us any shade!"  Then she tells me it is 4 years old - (that is older then the Dweeb!!!)  She said it is a Chinese Elm and that is won't grow any bigger than it is because it's a Bonsai. Bonsai Smonsai I am thinking -  I just gave her "the look' and said "Mom - you need to feed this thing mega doses of fertilizer or something because it isn't even going to shade my nose"

Baby EVIL Tree Rats and Cabbages

After not seeing a single squirrel all winter - today at the park the evil tree rats were EVERY WHERE including some teeny tiny ones that Mom says are babies - (mmmmm tasty little tooth picks :) Dweeb of coarse just about jumped out of his fur every time he heard one  and was constantly looking up in the trees - he was convinced they were going to jump on his back and bite his ears (wonder who put that idea in his head????)  - really that boy has some serious issues! Mom was all  "awww look how cute they are" - that was until we got home and found squirrels had eaten ALL our newly planted cabbage plants in the veggie patch - suddenly they weren't so cute any more :)  It also proves my point about how EVIL they are - they waited until I was not home to attack our cabbages - otherwise it would of been squirrel for dinner !!!!!!!!

Grrrrrr The EVIL Orbee Ball

Seriously Mom - Payback is a puddle of pee you step in one dark night when you least expect it - I have a long memory !

Daffodils and Crop-dusters

Mom said the magic words this morning "car ride" and we were up and ready to go in the wag of a tail. We went to one of  MY other parks today - Lake Pointsette and even though it isn't green yet - it was still beautiful. The sky was the MOST beautiful blue and it was a nice 55 degrees which for us is perfect walking weather and trust us - we walked and walked, we sat and watched the world go by, we walked some more... we sat some more - well you get the idea :) Then Mom spied a splash of color amongst all the brown and guess what we found - a little patch of daffodils. Mom couldn't help herself - she had to pick jut one flower as it was so bright and cheery.


























On the way back to the car we walked through the area is set aside for trailers and campers and saw this cute "Little Free Library" where people can leave or take a book - what a wonderful thing to do on a warm spring evening while camping, to sit and read a book, hear the birds and enjoy the smell of the woods. Mom said she wasn't ready to go home after visiting Lake Pointsette so we headed off to visit Lake Hogue and NO - we didn't mind at all :) On the way there we noticed the crop-duster planes were buzzing the fields  - a sure sign of spring is nearly here if they are getting ready for planting. Mom loved that the planes are daffodil yellow and stopped to get a photo as one flew over us. Don't worry - she had the camera on zoom and we were not really that close to it. Then we went on to Lake Hogue - there was no one but us there and we just sat of the little dock in the sunshine enjoying the fresh air. We had the best morning - thanks Mom :)

My Limerick

Did you see the Limerick that OZ penned for me - he let out my secret !!! I am a sheep dog that is allergic to sheep (or their wool to be more precise)  Thank you Oz :)  If you would like your own limerick go visit Oz for the details.

We also have to make a correction - our Andrea is only 13 not 16 - we blame Dad entirely - he has been saying she is 13 for years so Mom just kinda added a year for all the years he has been saying it.  She is indeed only 13 - she looks older because she VERY tall. 

There once was a Sheltie named Reilly,

Who believed he was esteemed very highly.

Allergies? He has a heap,

And one of them is sheep,

Which makes herding a bit of a trial-y.

A BIG Thank You from Andrea

Dad spoke to Miss Andrea's Dad last night  and he told us that Andrea would like to send a BIG BIG thank you for all the wonderful cards she got - she was thrilled and loves every one of them and she especially loves the photo's of the us doggies that were included.  As you can see she has her very own furbaby - this is sweet little Millie and we know what an pawsome little nurse she has been.

For those that don't know - Andrea is our Dad's niece - she 13 and just before Christmas she had a spinal embolism.

We also have an update on how she is doing. She is now home and having lots of physical therapy. In April she will be going to Phoenix to have some follow up surgery. There are only a couple of neurosurgeons in the whole of the USA  that can do this type of surgery and she was very lucky to be able to get to see one. Basically she has a knot of blood vessels that weren't formed properly in her spine and which caused the embolism - the surgeon is going to try and fix these so they don't bleed again. They also had to remove part of a disk in her neck when they first stopped the bleeding so they are going to do a bone graft to fix that too. This will help her to hold her head up straight again. She still has a long road ahead of her to get to wellness but with lots of power of the paw and prayers we know each day will be better than the last.  

Chewy.com Rewiew - Old Mother Hubbards Crispers

13th March 2014


Today thanks to Chewy.com we are reviewing  Old Mother Hubbards newest treats - Crispers. Now if you haven't checked out  Old Mother Hubbard's you should - they have a huge variety of products to choose from and you can see them here at Chewy.Com.  These new Crispers come in some wonderful flavors and today we got to try the Parmesan Bacon and Tomato    They also have a new range of soft baked cookies and some that are filled with fruit like fig newtons !  There are lots of new flavors so go check them out.

Here's the Basics

• Wheat-free recipe with no artificial colors or flavors
• Baked crisp with real cheese - dogs love cheese!
• Satisfying crunchy goodness
• Made in the USA!
• Available from - Chewy.com
• Cost 6 oz bag  - $5.99
• Chewy's Old Mother Hubbard Page

Taste Test

• We both REALLY loved these....mmmmmm cheese!
• They are crunchy but not not really hard - crisp is the perfect name
• They are a great size - and easily broken into smaller pieces too

Ingredients

• Barley Flour, Oat Flour, Potato Flour, Pea Starch, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Parmesan Cheese, Bacon, Tomatoes, Natural Flavor

Negatives - Kind of - Sort of - Maybe - Not Really

• None at all - they are totally yummy
  

 Rating

• We are giving these our  5 paw rating - Why 5 paws you ask? - well because my 4 paws are the most IMPORTANT and Dweeb only gets a 1 paw say in the matter :)

Disclaimer : Chewy.com sent us a packet of the Old Mother Hubbards Crispers in return for an honest review.  We were not paid or compensated for our review in any other way and our opinion is  purely our own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It is coming - we are sure - maybe, hopefully - EVENTUALLY

We are woofing about Spring - yes we are ALMOST sure it is just around the corner. Yesterday we had a glorious 73 degrees - it actually felt hot!!!! It is the first time Mom has been able to go outside without a coat on  - even though the wind was blowing up a gale! Any day now the grass will start turning green, the leaves will start appearing and we will all be complaining about how hot it is. It just won't be today because it is back in the 40's and raining - sigh!

The Orbee Ball That Terrifies

Have you joined Blog Paws yet ?  It is a great site with lots of information for dog bloggers and groups you can join with information of training, exercise and all sorts of neat things. They also hold a photo competition each month and in February I won and got to choose a prize from Pet360 up to the value of $25.  Well Mom thought we needed a new puzzle so she picked the Orbee Treat Ball and some stinky Canadian white fish treats to go in it.

Needless to say  the Orbee TERRIFIED the Dweeb and he went into his "stranger danger terrified barking mode" and won't go near it - not even with the most alluring stinkiest treats inside it. Mom had to all but superglue him place just to get a photo of us. As for me - I snuffled it with my nose than gave Mom "THE LOOK" you know - the one that says "I am much too dignified to waste any effort on getting those treats so lets not waste time and just give them me instead" She did  - she is such a pushover :)

All That Fresh Air

Dog oh dog - it is a sunny 60 degrees so guess where we went - MY park!!! So many smells and all that wonderful fresh air!!!

The lake is so full it is overflowing so we went to check out water gushing over the spill way. Mom said it sounded like a waterfall but we were much more interested in all the deer prints all around it. For some reason they smelled extra good today.

Yesterday Dad and our next door neighbor were able to move enough ice to get MY car out of the garage and with today's warm temps and tomorrow going for 74 - the rest of it should melt pretty fast. Mom promised more park time tomorrow  - we are two very happy but tired boys now  and can't until tomorrow :)

The Great Escape !

Mom decided to give Lassie & Benji's idea a try - she hunted through the cupboards until she found the electric kettle and boiled up some water.

Now comes the good part - bbbbaawwwhh  picture this - mom  half in and half out our doggie door... pouring hot water on the ice. (Dog oh Dog I wish I had thumbs so I could of held the flashy beast and took pictures of HER!) It took 4 kettle full of hot water but finally she was able to get the door open about 7" and escape.

YEAH my fellow furbies - Mom was getting THAT stir crazy!!! So for the first time in days she was able to squeeze herself outside - she was so happy she did a little dance on the ice on the deck.

We even managed to fill up the bird feeders - though why she insists on feeding those bird brains is beyond me! Really - we don't know what all the fuss is about - we have been able to go in and out with no problems. The other good news is we have clear blue skies and 53 today and it is supposed to be in the high 60's over the weekend and 73 on Tuesday - woo hoo! Maybe the ice will melt enough for Mom to be able to get MY car out of the garage and take ME to the park!

Help - Mom is Bored!

We are SOOOOOO bored. It hasn't warmed up yet and the ice is still blocking the back door and it so slippery outside Mom can't even go down  to the mail box. She is even starting to get a bit batty herself and has started saying crazy things like "maybe you two should have a bath" and "maybe I should do your nails" I gave her my very best pitiful "SAD" look ....and thank dogness it worked because she sighed and said 'okay maybe we will do it tomorrow' - PHEW !

Anyhoo - here is the view from out doggie door ....we actually have to slide out sideways to get out and that is all the sleet that is piled up - not snow. Mom grabbed a handful to show how pretty it looks (until it made her hand all cold and suddenly the word 'pretty' wasn't being used anymore:) It is supposed to warm up from tomorrow on - so paws crossed Mom will forget the evil thoughts she was having.

We have heat again!

The wonderful repairman was able to come out and repair our heating - it was indeed the blower motor which had shorted out and he said we were very lucky it didn't catch fire.  There was lots of noise up in the roof that scared the Dweeb silly ....but I just took it in my usual stride.

While we we were waiting I helped Mom cook up a batch of lemon biscotti (it was also a nice way to warm up the house). Here I am in MY cooking corner as I like to call it. I am always in this spot when Mom is cooking (ready to taste test anything she makes - or that falls to the floor.) We even got to have a bit of noggins (the ends you can't use) - it was yummy. Mom is just waiting for them to cool and then the bottom will get dipped in lemon flavored white chocolate. Anyone want to join us for afternoon tea?

Mom's Super Snozz, Fire Engine, Strange People - oh dog!

It went like this....8.00 pm last night Mom and Dad decide to have an early night as Dad has to go to work at 4.30 am. As Mom gets up she notices a burning smell - that awful electrical type burning smell.

She heads to the kitchen with us following her every step.....the smell gets stronger. Checks the humidifier, the oven, the fridge - no not them. She is like a bloodhound - sniffing, her nose a twitching. Dad is not much help as he is still stuffed up from a cold.

Mom says it is like she keeps walking through pockets of the smell. As she passes the thermostat she notices the temp has dropped to 66 degrees. I light bulb pops on over Mom's head  - the heating unit - she kept smelling it as she walked under the vents. Dad heads out in the garage to the access door into the roof. As soon as he opens it EVEN he can smell it...he flips the breaker switch on the heating unit and heads on up into the roof.

The heating unit has scorching on the side (rather like the the Indiana Jones movie where the ark burns its image into the wood) but no sign of fire. Mom says we need to call the fire department to be safe. The big red truck with chains on the wheels arrives within ten minutes and three wonderful firemen go up in the roof and check the unit and vents for us.

I was barking like crazy telling them how happy we were that they could come and make sure it was all safe for us. Dweeb of coarse was hiding in the sun room. So now with the temps still hovering only around 30 degrees we have no heat. Mr Fireman said he thinks our blower motor burnt out.  With all the ice on the roads the chances of getting anyone out to fix it are not good but we have space heaters, lots of blankies and fur coats -  so we are warm.

A whole heap of nothing

Looks like we be doing a whole heap of nothing for the next few days. Our back door is still frozen solid with inches of ices behind it.  Luckily the doggie door is just above it so we have just enough space for us to get out. Mom is a bit worried because both our side gates have feet of ice in front of them which means there is no way for her to get into the back yard and she thinks we may hurt ourselves if we slip. She figured out she could reach us through one of the windows though - which would be a sight seeing Mom climb out the window. We told her we have feet like mountain goats but she still watches us every time we go out - really mom - boys need a bit of privacy you know!

So today we are stuck inside and practicing tricks - which isn't so bad as it means treats. We do think this "leave it" trick is a bit mean though. Making us lay there with a treat on our foots for 87 gazillion minutes when the smell of it is wafting right under our noses.

Oh My Dog

It rained, it sleeted, it iced, there was thunder and lightning and it snowed then the temperatures dropped down to 11 degrees and EVERYTHING froze solid. When we got up this morning our back door was frozen solid and we still can't open it (thankfully Mom was able to gt the doggie flap working) - we have a north facing house and with the wind coming from the north look what we saw when we open the garage door this morning. But do you notice something - in the second picture - I am NOT sinking - this is all solid and frozen hard.

Dad was supposed to be going to Ohio today but there is no way he could get the car out and drive to the airport and to make it worse - we only have 3 snow plows to cover 8 counties and they only do the main roads when and if they can get to them. The good news is the power stayed on for us - many many places around us don't have power.













The wind is still howling so it feels even colder then it is and I even had to hunker down between these shrubs while Mom took a quick photo. Mom is only letting us out if we absolutely have to go because we just slip and slide across the deck and I already went splat and had trouble getting back up again. The big question is how we are ever going to get out - because we just can't move piles of solid ice. They are saying it will be Friday before it warms up enough to start melting this.