I took my family for a walk.
It was so very long.
When I got home I ate a lot.
It was so very wrong.
Now in my bed I lie and toot
Until the church bells dong.
Birds fly through my noxious cloud
And quickly lose their song.
(Yes, it’s been another Alpo day.)
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This is what I found after a suspiciously quiet moment.
It wasn’t me, Mom. You can clearly see it was Blue Puppy.
Toby loves Blue Puppy, but I am finding that he is the scapegoat for a lot of things that go wrong around here. Things where Toby is somehow nearby….
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Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Poopiter.
Poopiter is available at Amazon. (Some people donate their copies to their local children’s libraries or the children’s ward at the hospital. Kids love reading about naughty puppies.)
You’ll want to be caught up on the boys’ adventures before they start their next one which is coming up soon. I have been working on this next book for a very long time, and it looks like I am in the final stretch. Yeah, I’m happy!
On Monday, the boys and I accompanied Grandma to the funeral home to say goodbye to another friend and neighbor we have lost this year. (Well, we haven’t lost them. We know where they are, but we can’t see them from where we’re standing.)
The pups and I waited outside while Grandma went inside to pay her respects. While we were out there, person after person came out of the building and straight over to Geordie and Toby. They had to greet and be greeted. They told me stories of their own beloved pups – both those who had passed and those who had recently joined the family. Every person left with a big smile on his or her face.
Children especially seem cheered and distracted from the grief around them when there is a puppy at the funeral home. Maybe more could consider having therapy dogs on site for those who need the comfort. I know I would want to visit the therapy dog.
We’re puppies. We can fix anything!!
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Not my picture. It is borrowed from another post.
Geordie says:
A friend just posted this picture of a coyote vest. Actually, this particular ensemble has a coyote vest, coyote bristles and a spiked collar. Not only would this protect me from neighborhood coyotes but it would keep Mom from hugging me all the time. Honestly, she is like Pepe Le Pew, and I am poor Penelope. It’s awful!
Anyone want to transfer some kibble to my PayPup account? I’ll pay ya back. Honest. (*cough, cough, hack*)
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Wanna catch up on what Toby and I have been up to before our next book comes out? Then pick up a copy of Poopiter! Poopiter tells the illustrated story of our first year together.
Poopiter is available at Amazon.
But Mom, doesn’t having cancer mean I automatically get everything I want?
Geordie’s lung cancer gives him a distinctive cough – a sort of *cough, cough, hack* When first diagnosed Geordie coughed a lot, but with his medications he has barely coughed in months. Recently I noticed Geordie coughing so much that he could hardly catch his breath….until he got what he wanted, then it miraculously stopped. My Mom was with him when he was having one of these “fits”. Worriedly she asked, “Shouldn’t you give him more medicine?” I told her, “No, he is doing this for attention. He knows everyone will rush over to help him if he coughs.” Sure enough, as soon as I gave him some food, Geordie walked over to his bed and went to sleep. Sadly it took me nearly a week to figure out he was playing me.
That’s my Geordie. Too smart for my own good.
Image not stolen. I made it myself!
The kitties! The kitties! Can’t you see the kitties?
This picture was taken at a Halloween party at the pet store. For some reason they decided to stage the photos in front of the kitty adoption section. Geordie can’t hold in his excitement when a feline is around. As you can see, his is not a happy look but a frantic one.
Some terriers have the “terrier scream” and my boy is one of them. It is a very human sounding noise, as if a person were yelling, “Aaaaagh! Aaaaagh! Aaaaaagh!” at the top of their lungs. Trust me, you get awfully strange looks when your dog starts belting out some of those.
Even now when Geordie is a very mature pup and has lost a lot of lung capacity to cancer, he can still shout out a terrier scream loud enough to break windows.
Kitties beware.
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Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Poopiter! It tells the illustrated story of Bitey and Toby’s first year together. (You’ll want to catch up on things before their next book is published.)
Poopiter is available from Amazon.
Not my photo. Borrowed from public domain stock.
The local newspaper had an article about half a dozen stores closing at the nearby mall. My family went, hoping to catch some going-out-of-business deals only to find that most of the stores were already closed. They said the mall was a sad, empty place and that they did not want to go back.
Supposedly the casino that is negotiating for space in the mall is really happy about what is going on. I am not sure why. When the casino had been first proposed, one goal was to bring traffic into the mall complex in order to keep retail businesses alive. Now that two of the four anchor stores are gone, I can’t imagine that anyone will want to remain paying over-inflated rent there. I expect the few remaining store to close soon, too.
I am glad that last year I tried to stock up on everything I could to last me the rest of my forever. There are some items I simply do not trust to online purchases, and the local teeny-tiny Walmart doesn’t carry.
I am sad to see the days of in-person shopping gone not only for nostalgic purposes but for those who can’t afford phones for online shopping and payment.
My boys aren’t worried, but maybe they should be. What happens when PetSmart is online-only? Where will they go to catch up with friends and meet potential new siblings on Adoption Day?
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And you thought I was kidding. Seriously, these things are lethal.
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Learn more about how this phenomenon came to be when you read Poopiter. Poopiter tells the illustrated tales of Geordie (Bitey Dog) and Toby during their first year together.
To Toby’s great dismay, I have had to put him on a diet for Lent. Geordie’s pickiness over food has given Toby ample opportunities to become roly-poly by eating his brother’s leftovers. The other day I found this going on in the kitchen. In the background, I was pretty sure I could hear Shaggy singing, “It wasn’t me…”
I’m telling you, it was Blue Puppy who ate all the food!
As you can see, Toby clearly blames his little blue puppy for getting into the dishes and then trying to hide the evidence under the rug.
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Today I am using Bitey’s blog to vent my own frustrations. (The views here are the author’s alone. Bitey Dog does not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed in this rant.)
The local parish decided to start their Lenten appeal by bringing in a speaker to address three reasons why everyone should give more money. With the first reason, I could find no fault. They discussed building repairs and maintenance. Every building needs maintenance. In the past several years I have seen no extravagant building expenses: no problem there.
The second point they addressed was the neighboring county where 75% of parishes closed due to parishoners “not giving enough money”, therefore we need to give more money. What?!? (I need a needle-on-record screeching sound.) I am sure you are familiar with the diocese next to ours. It has made the news many times in the past two years for sex abuse scandals. The reason those churches closed was that parishoners’ money was used to pay lawsuits and legal fees for church leaders doing horrible, illegal things. Don’t put the blame for closings on members for not giving enough money.
Lastly members are supposed to pay for an expensive private school in the area. Reportedly attendance has declined by 50% over the last 30 years, yet costs are something like 4X what they used to be per student. I know that there is a tech element that was not present 30 years ago, but surely school administrators can find a way to adjust education costs to keep them more reasonable rather than expect others to pay the bill. Home schooling is very, very popular in this area. It is done on a shoe string budget, but the kids come out with superior educations. Why not learn from their example?
I realize that this isn’t my problem and that I shouldn’t care. I am not a member of the parish. Whatever they choose to do with their funds and resources is their own business. The boys and I support the church because we like to visit the outside.
So, little church, we trust that you will be well in other’s hands. The boys and I will still pray for you.
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The Adventures of Bitey Dog 