Happy Monday!

Here I am Sunday night, rocking a shirt my aunt Tiffany sent me last year from Vegas. I don't normally like clothes but it was cold last night, and I think the skull is kinda cool looking. It's all glittery and it makes me look real tough.
Mami goes back to work today so maybe she'll be able to blog more than she did when she was on vacation. She says vacations are hard work and don't give you much free time! I'm not really sure what that means, but I will miss having her home most afternoons.

Astro-Teddy

Mami went up to visit my cousin Teddy the other day, and he was wearing this really cool outfit. I think he looks like an astronaut. But I guess he didn't think it was so cool, because he calls it the collar of shame. He's supposed to wear it until he stops chewing on his tail, 'cause he's got something called a hotspot. Although that sounds kinda fun, it's actually rather itchy. Anyway, he has to wear it all the time, and it makes it hard to eat kibble and drink water. Mami felt really sorry for him, but he gets to take it off in a couple of days when his medicine kicks in. For now, he only gets to take it off when he's under supervision. He isn't to be trusted. But I already knew that. After all, he's always trying to eat me when I visit.

Warm bellies

Sorry it's been awhile since I posted but Mami's using up some vacation time and has been so busy around the house she forgot to help me blog, and I can't type on my own.
We've been doing a lot of things, like trimming branches and digging weeds and planting asters in the front yard. We take frequent breaks for raspberry pie and watching old movies like "Practical Magic" and "Office Space." Sometimes in the afternoons Lulu and I take a sun break. You can see here that Lulu has her belly up to the sunshine, and she's hogging the whole rug, which is why I'm kind of sitting back, there's no room for me over by the door.
Tomorrow Mami goes up to see my abuela, but she's not taking me 'cause theyre going out to eat and I"m not allowed in restaurants, which is so not fair. I'm very well behaved.

Introducing...

Here is my new friend Grayson. He lives with Mami's friend Gwyneth from work. Mami is helping check in on him and his brother and sister, although they're too shy for pictures. Grayson is very dignified and also rather large. He is triple the size of Lulu. He does not make loud mewing sounds like Lulu either, at least, not when Mami is around. He is very handsome, isn't he?

Celos

So this morning it was very chilly, and Lulu got really cold, so she spent a lot of time on Mami's lap, which made me very angry. I am the one who should get lap time, because I'm smaller and cuter and fiestier. I tried to jump up and down and show Mami that she was making a big mistake, but she just called me "Celosa," which means jealous, and told me to go away. Lulu purred at me and was quite stuck up about it. I hate that.
Last night while we were all sitting on the couch together, Mami found this really cool video from Israel about the Wizard of Oz. That's Mami's favorite movie. This one is kind of weird, because it has a singing pug. That creeped Papi out a little bit, but Mami thought it was funny. Anyway, here it is, in case you want to see it.

I've never tried embedding a movie before, I hope it works! Anyway, enjoy the singing pug. I don't speak Hebrew so I'm not sure what they're saying, so if anyone can translate for me, at least what the pug is saying, I'd appreciate it.

Arrrrr!

Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, and it's time to channel yer inner piratitude and make today a specially piratical one. My first modeling job was on the front page of the paper when I was only two months old, modeling as a dog pirate. Aren't I cute?
Today Mami is wearing her striped stockings and her skull and crossbone headband to work. She has to host a big community meeting, so she's going all piratey for it.
Have a day full of treasure, mateys!

Schmacky

This is my friend Cat Smacky having a cup o' tea at his house. He is pretending to be one of those LOL Cats, you know, the ones on the web sites with the funny sayings. His saying would be "I'm in ur kitchen, drinken ur teas."

Dancing lessons

So lately I've been working on this new trick of mine. Since I've gotten really good at sitting and waiting for biscuits, Mami has been teaching me to stand up on my back legs and do a little dance. I already know how to do this on my own, usually so that I can stand up and see what's on the kitchen counter. But now, if I do it on command, I get peanut butter biscuits. This seems like a pretty good deal, since I only have to do it for a few seconds. Plus, it gives me balancing practice, so that when I need to reach things up high, I have a better chance of reachig it.

Fall weather arrives

Lulu here. If I'm looking fluffier than normal, it's because fall weather finally rolled into town yesterday, and I had to fluff up to keep warm. In the last few days it's been sunny and in the 90s, but all of a sudden the clouds and drizzle rolled in, and Mami had to shut most of the windows and put on an extra pair of socks when she got home from work.
I kind of like the change, because then my fur doesn't get so hot when I lay in the office window. It also makes the birds more active on the bird feeder, and they're easier to see because there is no glare. Plus, if I need to, there's always a warm lap around here somewhere, that is, if Emma isn't already taking up the space.

Drama

There's nothing worse as a small dog than having your toy stuck someplace. Usually, it's one of my rubber balls, which roll under the couch or the bookshelves or behind doors, and then I can't reach them. But other times, it's my Red Cat. He gets stuck in all kinds of crazy places. Last night, for instance, he got stuck on the coat rack, and I was too scared to get him. He just dangled there while I cried, til finally Mami took pity and pulled him down for me. Sometimes, being small has its disadvantages. And this whole deal about not having thumbs is sometimes not so great.

Positive thoughts needed

This is Nyala. She's a Saluki and a new mama. But right now she's pretty sick, and her Mama, who is a friend of my Mami, is very worried. So I thought I'd ask all the Choodlemania fans out there to send their good thoughts out to Nyala so she heals real fast!

Hats off to Wednesdays

So the other day, while Papi was out at his West African drumming lesson, Mami and I stayed home and took lots of pictures. Sometimes we get bored and put on hats and do fashion shoots. I'm not sure we're very fashionable in this one (that's Papi's old hat from high school) but I think it looks very album-coverish.
This morning I got very embarrassed because after a largeish breakfast, Mami picked me up under the belly to put me on the bed with Papi, and I belched real hard. Mami thinks it's funny, but it's not my fault. I think it's the salmon in my kibble that does it. Or the blueberries.

Lulu chat

Hello all. Forgive me but the lethargy of summer has prevented me from doing much guest blogging lately. I spend most of my time pressed up against the screen of the office window, watching the tomatoes ripen.
This has been an amusing weekend, especially watching Emma get her bath, which I know she hates. She gets even smaller, if that were possible, and grumpy, especially when I laugh at her. I never have to take baths, because I keep myself very clean. She is quite slovenly, as I have often pointed out.
Last night, when everyone had comfortably settled in to watch a movie, and Emma had put herself to bed, we all heard a growl, and Emma came marching out of the bedroom. She walked the perimeter of the room, growling under her breath, checked every corner, went into the guest room, came out again, stared us all down, and went back to bed. Heaven knows what she imagined she'd heard. I heard nothing and my hearing is quite acute.
One never knows what a choodle is thinking.

'Matoes and sunshine

Man is it hot today! Mami went outside early to weed and came back in an hour later all sunburned and sweaty. It's too hot for choodles!
It was so hot that Mami decided it was time for my bath. I haaaate baths so much but I was kinda sticky around the edges so in the tub I went. It didnt take long, and then I got wrapped in a towel and scrubbed off. That's the part I hate, so I growled real hard from inside the towel so Mami would know how mad I was.
Now I'm all fluffy and mainly dry. I'm sitting in the sun to get the last bits of fur dried off.
Yesterday Mami visted my Aunt Theo and her daughter Sidney, who turned 2-years-old today. I am exactly two months older than her, but she's a lot bigger than I am already. She likes tomatoes as much as I do!

Happy Birthday Auntie T!

Today is my Auntie Theresa's birthday (she's got the same name as Mami, neat!) so I'm sending out my best cumpleanos wishes to her and her lovely cat, Monster. Have a great day, you've got presents waiting when you get back to work!

Books n jam

I spend a lot of time in the library in the summer, because Papi is there working away, which means Lulu is in the window, which means I'm on the rug soaking up sunshine and making sure Lulu doesn't get any special pets or treats while I"m out of the room.
Lulu likes books a lot, mainly to rub her face on, or sleep on when its hot. I don't care for them myself, because my ball always gets stuck under the bookshelves and then I can't reach it. But I guess Mami and Papi like books, because they've got tons of them. I can't count past 16 (that's four toes on each paw) but I know it's more than that. Mami likes to lay on the couch on Sundays and read books, and they always get in my way of laying on her lap, which is frustrating, 'cause they're all pokey and not fun to lay on. She tries to read to me but I just fall asleep.
What I do like is when she eats and reads at the same time, because then I'm sure to get snacks. My new favorite snack is the raspberry jam my Aunt Candace makes. I eat it on english muffins and boy is it good. Much better than some stinky hard book.

Happy No Work Day

It's been such a nice warm weekend, full of walks and ball playing and cookies and sleeping in the sunshine. My abuelos came from the country and I got lots of snuggles, and we played outside and had a big lunch and it was really nice. Here I am having some tea on the patio.
Today everybody slept in past noon, and now we're going to have brunch. I am laying on the rug in the sunshine with my favorite red ball, watching the birds come visit the birdfeeder. It's nice to have a three day weekend!

Getting ready

Tomorrow my abuelos come to visit from the country, so Mami and Papi and I have to get the house all ready for their visit and Mami also has to go mow the lawn and weed the garden. She and I got up early to start work, but then we got distracted and did other things. Here you can see me warming up for a long day of work with some sitting and standing moves. You have to keep stretching so your muscles don't cramp. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go chase the cat before breakfast.