A beautiful evening

Last night, the rain stopped and a huge rainbow came out over the neighborhood. Everyone came outside and stood on the street to look at it, and people were taking pictures. It stayed out for a really long time, and all the flowers underneath were glowy and pretty and everyone oohed and ahhed. It was a really pretty thing to see.

Wags

I didn't blog yesterday because Monday night I got a really bad tummy ache and had to be held and snuggled a lot. I think I ate something bad but I really can't remember what that might have been. I eat a lot of things, not all of them actually food.
I felt better by yesterday afternoon, so Mami and Papi and I took a big long walk for an hour around town. I got to sniff in a lot of gardens and see a lot of people out and about. It's always a little dangerous when I walk, 'cause big dogs sometimes jump at me, but last night, I actually got chased by an orange and white cat. Mami had to shoo it off. She said it thought I was a big mouse.
When we got home, Mami noticed that one of my dew claws is broken and stuck out at one side. I wouldn't let her look at it because it's kinda sore. She said I have to go in for shots at the vet anyway so I guess they'll have to clip it off for me. I don't like the sound of that one bit. I think they should just leave my toes alone.

Summer reading

Although I'm not old enough to read yet (I'm not quite two), I do like to be read to at times, as do most dogs. Mami likes to read out loud, she even volunteers during the school year for a program called SMART, Start Making A Reader Today, to help little people develop a love for books.
This summer, you should find someone who doesn't know how to read, whether it's a little human person or a fur person, and spend some time reading books, like my Aunt Candace and my friend Charley. Charley likes books about dogs and cats, ones with good exciting words and sometimes pictures. Aunt Candace has lots of books about dogs. Maybe sometime soon, I can go over to her house and she can read to me too!

Midsummer's Night

Yesterday was the first day of summer, and I got to spend yesterday evening out of doors, running around with my chew, and helping Mami water the garden. It was very pleasant and warm, and the neighbor was blasting Irish music. After we finished our chores Mami put a bowl of milk out for the fairies in the Hawthorne tree.
Then we went inside and watched t.v. and ate a big bowl of popcorn. That's my favorite late night treat. This time it was extra buttery. Lulu wanted some but we decided it might not be good for cats. But it's very good for choodles.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Just a few short minutes ago, the Summer Solstice officially took place. It's the longest day of the year! Mami opened the windows before she went to work so that Lulu and I could enjoy the sunshine and smell all the blooms.
Today is a day to celebrate the nice things about summer, like flowers and berries and picnics and naps in the sunshine. You should also leave out a bowl of milk for the fairies. They'll appreciate it. Put it under a tree for them. They deserve a party too!

Risky business

My bold protection of the cherry tree has earned me some deadly enemies, in the form of two blue jays who have the same love of cherries as I do. They spend all their time bouncing up and down in the branches, or sitting on the fence giving the cherries the eye, and squawking.
Well I don't care for their noisy behavior, so I run up and bark at them. First they would get scared and fly off, which was very satisfying, but lately, they haven't moved at all. In fact, they lean down and yell insulting things at me, things that Padre Lucas has told me never to say or repeat. And yesterday morning, one of them had the nerve to swoop at my head! Can you believe it?
Papi thinks that I'm gonna get bonked in the noggin with a beak pretty soon, and Mami's worried that they'll just carry me off. I'd like to see them try!

Felicidades!

Today was a very important day. First Mami got up and made a big big breakfast with potatoes and eggs and cherry cobbler she made fresh from the cherry tree, and then Papi got all fancy in these big black robes with a very special hat, and a fancy scarf that kinda looks like a serape.
He looked very strange and official in his outfit, and Mami said he was going to lead a whole parade of students at graduation. First he let me get in a photo with him so that I would look important too.
While Papi was at graduation, Mami went to the store and bought a new comforter and sheet set, burgundy with fancy stripes, to surprise Papi, and she had it all put together before he got home. Now he is asleep on top of the new comforter because he is so tired of marching. Also he has a big red stripe of sunburn on his forehead. He forgot to wear sunscreen.
I'm chewing on a rawhide and Mami is coming in and out of the house to water the garden. Everything is so nice and bloomy. It's been a very good day. And if I'm lucky, there will be some cherry cobbler again tonight.

Rainbows and kazoos

Tonight, Papi and Mami left me at home to go to a very special celebration at Papi's school called Lavender Graduation. Sunday is the big graduation day for everybody, but there are a bunch of little graduations all over the place. Everyone played Pomp & Circumstance on purple kazoos, and then after some nice speeches, all the special graduates got to stand up and people said nice things about them. Five of the students have taken classes from Papi, so he wanted to make sure he was there to celebrate with them. Then everybody got special purple roses and rainbow sashes and they played kazoos again. Then Mami said there were snacks.
I wish I had been there. I like snacks and rainbows. I don't know how I feel about kazoos though. I've never met one.
Here is a picture of Auntie Jen and Doris playing the kazoos.
Tomorrow Mami has the day off so we're going to play in the garden some more. That means more cherries. Hurrah!

Summer snacks

Yesterday Papi came home early from school so he set up his computer on the lounge chair and got some sun while I ate cherries on the lawn. I got covered in more burrs again, but I ran so fast that Papi couldn't catch me to pull them off, so he just let me be burry. They finally fell off by themselves.
Meanwhile, I found whole branches of cherries to eat. They were soooo tasty! There were a few more jays bopping around in the branches, and they started fighting, which got me pretty mad, so I was barking and chasing them around until the finally left and I had the cherries to myself.

Guarding the goods

Now that the cherry tree is in full-fruit, I have to be especially vigilant when I go out for morning patrol. The air is full of thieves on wings, especially those pesky blue jays, who are always rooting around in my tree.
This morning, a big bold one sat on the arbor just staring at me with its beady black eyes, hopping up and down and daring me to come after it. Of course, I can't reach very high, so all I could do was stare it down.
Then it winked in a saucy fashion and hopped onto the tree and started eating cherries left and right. I hate that! It doesn't even eat the whole cherry, it just pecks one bite and spits out the rest. It's wasteful! I eat the whole thing.
Mami was nice enough to pick some cherries for me and share them, but the whole time I kept my eye on that jay, ready to give him the business if he came anywhere within a foot of the ground.

Graduation time

Around here, the world is full of people in big robes and funny flat hats, getting ready for something important. Mami keeps having to go to all these schools and ask the funny-hatted people about what they're going to do next in life, after they get special pieces of rolled up paper and throw their hats in the air.
I think that sounds really exciting, especially the throwing part. I want to go to a graduation and chase some hats. But Mami says no. Papi has his own fancy robe and special hat, and something colorful that hangs down the back like a dog hammock but Mami said I can't ride in it cause I'd fall out. He's going to be a "marshall" at the big college graduation Sunday. I thought a marshall was one of those police men in the movies, but this time it's something different.
If I were to give my own personal choodle advice to graduates, I would advise this: Take lots of naps. There's no such thing as too much sleep, and I hear it makes you more beautiful. Even though naps do something funny to my hair sometimes. If you can, take naps with the people you love, the cuddly ones, that is. And preferably the non-stinky ones.

Some bonus photos

I just got some really nice photos that my Tio Casey took at the tea party last week. Wanna see?

Walking into trouble

Yesterday was a good day for getting into trouble, even though I never mean to. It was one of those super nice days that sometimes happen in between a week of showers, and so Mami spent time outside under the cherry tree, where I always like to go, because I can eat all the cherries that fall on the ground. I don't eat the pits or the stems, I spit those out and just get the good part.
Well, while I was walking around looking for more cherries, I got back into the bushes where I normally don't go, and when I came out, I was covered in these little sticky green things.
Mami says they're burrs, although that's a funny name, cause it was hot out. Anyway, they were stuck pretty good in my fur, and I didn't like it when she pulled them out. They made tangles and I screeched. And once she got them out, I forgot and went back in the bushes again and got covered a second time. I guess Mami got pretty aggravated, because she told me if it happened one more time she was going to shave my fur off to get the burrs out. So after that I stayed out of the bushes.
That night Mami took me to have dinner with Auntie Candace and Charley. They ate outside so Charley and I got to sit near them and smell all the good food smells. Papi was supposed to come but he has the bad allergies and he stayed home in bed.
After dinner I went inside and saw Auntie's cat, and thought maybe she was like Lulu and needed a good chasing so I chased her all around the house. Mami caught me just before I got her, and then when I saw how puffy and growly and mad the cat was I realized I guess I had a lucky break. Lulu doesn't hit with her claws, but I guess this cat does. Auntie Candace says I'm lucky to still have my eyes. Next time, I'm supposed to remember not to chase cats that aren't Lulu. There are way too many things to remember when it comes to being good.

Rainy days and pixie dust

Sometimes, rainy days just make me sleepy and I crash out on the couch with Lulu. But then there are certain rainy days sprinkled with some evil pixie dust that just turn everything on its head. Yesterday was one of those days.
I'm not sure what started it, but I blame Lulu. She started running around the house in big circles, screaming and hooting, and leaping in and out of the cat door into the utility room. That got me going, so I started chasing her, and for about two hours straight, we were jumping and shouting and slapping and chasing and growling. Mami didn't know what to do with us. She stayed on the couch where it was safe from toe biting and just left us alone. She said as long as we didn't draw blood, she'd just remain a neutral party.
We didn't stop until Papi got home and we decided it was a good time for a nap. Then I got to climb into bed with everyone, and Lulu went to sleep on the bedroom chair. I guess we kinda got drained from all that slapping.

Pretending

I've been thinking about the things I learn around humans, especially when I'm at parties or other gatherings were lots of humans are bopping around and talking to each other. I've decided that the biggest difference between dogs and humans when it comes to being around each other is that dogs never pretend they feel something that they don't.
For instance, when I decided I didn't like Spanky the other day, it took me only a second or so to decide, and once I made up my mind, I started growling to show how I felt. That doesn't mean that I won't change my mind again and like him someday, and when I do, I'll give him a wag and a smile. But I showed him how I felt right away.
That's not what humans do. Mami calls it being polite, but I can smell when people don't like each other, and I can hear it in their voices, but they still smile instead of growl, and they don't chase each other or put their ears down.
Why is that? How come humans pretend they want to play and show their bellies, when actually they'd rather take a swipe or turn their backs? It seems kind of silly to me. I think dogs have a better attitude. We may make snap judgements, but at least we're up front about it.
As for me, I like pretty much everybody. I might even like Spanky the next time we meet. I'll give him a second chance. But I'll tell you right now, I won't fake it!

Rainy nights

Man, just when I thought summer was here, the rain rolls in and it gets chilly. I was so cold last night I had Mami close up the windows and I curled up really tight in a ball next to her so that I could stay warm. And this morning, when I went outside for my constitutional, it was all wet in the grass and icky. I thought that June was supposed to be nice and sunny!
Yesterday afternoon I got to spend time in the front yard, which is normally forbidden 'cause there's no fence. But Mami was weeding out there before the rain started and she said I could be out there with her if I stayed within four feet of her, so I was really good and didn't wander off. In fact I got right in there with her and pulled up some of the weeds and carried them off for her. I'm super good at digging weeds, and I get to help all the time.

Tea and company

I had a fabulous amount of fun this weekend, and oh, it was so nice to enjoy it outside. On Saturday, my Auntie Candace threw a big tea party at her house, and when Mami and I got there with our tea sets, she had a big frilly purple bow for me to wear. My friend Charley was already wearing a pink one.
Once everyone got there, I had such a good time getting snacks from everybody, and then we went outside to play in the sunshine, and I discovered a cool new game called croquet. At first, I tried to carry off everyone's croquet balls, but I got chased off, so I had to content myself with a tennis ball, which was pretty nice, and Charley didn't try to take it from me.
The only time I got grumpy was when I met this chihuahua-papillon named Spanky. I decided I was going to be bossy and I chased him and growled. He didn't like that very much. I've never met a dog who got scared of me before. I was pretty proud of myself but then Mami got mad at me and Auntie Candace made me be nice by tricking me with treats.
On Sunday, I got to play with Doris, who is 11 and loves me very much. We ran around in the sprinkler and then we made a fairy house with hazelnut shell cups and rose water. It was pretty fun!
Today, I plan to nap and recouperate.