More Mami pics

Mami got her pictures from Arizona back. It looks really neat, although hotter than I like it. She was sad she didn't get any pictures of the little lizards who live there, but they're fast! She has to work this weekend but today she gets to do a story about pie! Yummmm. Wish I could go with her. So enjoy photos of Mami and Tia Candace.

Mami's back!

Late last night, Tia Candace dropped Mami off from their vacation. Mami was very very tired but she was happy to give me kisses and hugs. It was nice to have Mami back, although it means I have to sleep in my bed and not theirs now (Papi spoils me), and there is not as much pizza left for me. But it's worth it to have her back. I got to sleep on her lap last night when she sat with Papi on the couch, and I got belly touches this morning.
Mami has fancy red toenails from her spa trip, and got massages and lots of nice things. She was very happy with her vacation, but now she has to go back to work for days and days and days, while everybody else goes on their Memorial Day break. But she doesn't mind 'cause she gets to do stories on pie baking and swimming and stuff.
I'll post more of her pics later.

Sunny, busy weekend

Papi and I had the place to ourselves this weekend, cause Mami was visiting people all over the place, and Lulu wouldn't come out of the home office 'cause it was so hot, so he and I just lounged around and ate snacks and slept a lot. Meanwhile, Mami got to see my Abuelita and bring her some plants for her birthday and Mother's Day, and she got to visit my cousin Teddy the Corgi, and then she went and stayed with my Tia Kate, and her cat, Gin. As you can see here, Gin has a fabulous blue kitten-shaped tent that she likes to sit in on hot days. It matches her eyes. But now Mami's back, and I'm very happy.
But tomorrow she leaves with my Tia Candace for a three-day vacation in Arizona, so it's gonna be Papi and me on our own again. I hope he gets us pizza! I prob won't be blogging for a few days cause Mami's in charge of helping me type, so I'll talk to you when she gets back!

My turn

So when Mami has time before work in the mornings, Papi is always demanding touches to help him wake up, like foot rubs and back rubs, etc. This morning it was taking an extra long time because he was really sleepy, so finally I walked over and sat down next to Mami and put my paw on her leg, which means "It's time to touch ME." So she stopped doing back rubs and worked on me for awhile. It was really nice. I got back AND tummy touches. But finally she had to leave for work, and I felt kinda sad because there isn't enough time in the day for touches.

Breaking weather update

The sun is out! The sun is out! And so are weiner dog bellies! Mami snapped this shot in front of the local antiques mall, where a weiner dog named Vera and her brothers and sisters were out soaking up the sunshine. And tomorrow it's gonna be hot!

Hard to wake up

Having one of those mornings when it's warm outside but all gray and overcast, and I just don't see the point of getting out of bed. Papi was having the same kind of problem. But Mami was bustling around like usual, and so I got up with her and had breakfast and sat on the couch and tried to wake up, but it was no use. As soon as she left, I went back to bed.

Choodle lady

I may be kind of scruffy and wild-haired, and that makes people think I'm kind of a crazy little dog, but if you want to know the truth, I'm actually a very polite and well mannered choodle. For instance, when I lay down to rest, I always cross my paws in a very delicate manner, as you can see from this photo. And I never bite or snap or growl, and I always give very nice kisses to the people I meet. And now that I'm grown up, I rarely have accidents, except when I'm in a new place and it gets confusing whether I'm outside or not (hallways are very confusing).

Chores

Spent most of the weekend either napping or doing chores, but mostly the former, because whatever bug Mami has is hanging on a really long time, and she was feeling pretty icky. She took I don't know how many naps, but she kept trying to get up and do things like wash dishes or go to the nursery and buy vegetable starts, and then Papi would tell her she needed to stay in bed cause she was so sicky. She did get some planting done with my help last night, and now there are lots of peppers and things growing in the vegetable garden but then pop, she went back to bed. She has to go to work today and I'm not sure she looks much better than she did yesterday but you can't tell her anything.

Gratuitous puppy picture

Mami got too busy to take any good choodle shots yesterday so we thought we'd do a little blast from the past action and post a photo of me when I was only 7 weeks old. Aren't I cute? That's one of Lulu's toy mice I have. I was only a pound back then, and my hair was really short and slick, not all fluffy like it is now. Pretty cute stuff.

Mami's cumpleanos

Hey there! Sorry I didn't post yesterday but Mami felt even sicker than before and all she could do was go to work and then come home and sleep, so there was no time to help me blog. But today is her birthday and she's feeling a teensy bit better, enough to help me write a little something before work. Everyone has been calling and emailing to send her birthday greetings, and Papi has been singing little birthday salutes so that has combined to make her feel more cheerful, even if she's got nasty cold and fever bugs. Tia Chelsea even sang a birthday song into the phone this morning. It was nice!

Stretchin' out

Whatever Papi had last week, Mami has this week, so she went home to bed with a fever last night, and I got to sleep in the bed with her. I know it's bad of me, but I kinda like it when they're sick, because I get good snuggles.

Post party pooped

It's been two days but I'm still recovering from the late night craziness. I'm telling you, that was one heck of a party. Here are some pics of me with Mami and some friends during the big event, and then a photo of me last night trying to catch up on some Zzzs. It's not easy being a popular choodle.

Mexico Lindo

Well we didn't roll out of bed until noon today, because we were up til almost 4 a.m. with party guests! We counted on our fingers and toes and figured out we had 56 people come to the party, which is a record, I think. It was a heck of a good time, and I got to try out all kinds of new food, like carne adovada and some new quesos. Yum! Also I got to see some of my favorite people, like Tio Andrew and Tia Candace and Tia Lisa and Tio Tony.
Here are a couple of camera phone pics, but the party pics will have to wait til Mami goes to get them on a disk. But right now it's so nice and sunny she wants to go sleep in the sunshine instead of going to the store, so we're headed for the yard.

Coming up fast on the fiesta!

Wage and I have been getting ready for tomorrow night's Cinco de Mayo party, as you can see. Mami spent all afternoon cleaning like a maniac, and tonight she's gonna do a bunch of baking (which means crumbs!). She has to work tomorrow morning but she's going to get out early to come home and shop and clean some more with Papi, and people begin arriving at 8 tomorrow night. Crazy times! I can't wait. I always get reeeally tired after the party but I have fun while it's happening.
So I may not blog for a few days, cause I'll be busy elsewhere.

Happy May Day!

Greetings on the first of May! Maybe you don't know it, but the first of May is an important holiday to many people. Papi thinks of it as International Workers Day, when the rights of the worker are celebrated. Mami thinks of it as Beltane, a more magical time when you contemplate the natural world and its beauty. I think of it as a day to leave baskets of flowers around on people's doorsteps. Sounds like fun, no? Here are Mami and Lulu on May morning. Mami is wearing a new green skirt but you can't see it. You should wear something with flowers today as a sign of good cheer!

Nurse choodle

I'm staying in bed today to take care of Papi, who is feeling very sick. He has some sort of chest thingy, and last night had chills. Mami took his temperature before work and he doesn't have a fever but he feels very icky so I am staying with him and making sure he's okay since Mami has to go to work. It's a very important job for a choodle.

Lulu steps in

Greetings! It is Lulu, up top of the bookcase to wish you a good morning. The last few days the windows around the house have been open and I've been patrolling each one, checking on the status of the local birds and talking to any cats who happen to wander past.
It was remarkable sunny earlier, but then the rains came back, and it wasn't so nice by the screen, but now the sun is back and if I can get in just the right spot on the rug, I can get some sunbathing in this afternoon. Hope it's sunny where you are.

Digging into Spring

What an exhausting weekend! I don't think I ever dug so much as I did on Saturday.
There is this big old wooden planter box out back attached to our old fence, and it's about 12 feet long or more and filled with strawberries. Anyway it started to rot and fall down so Mami spent the afternoon taking all the dirt out, putting it and the strawberries in plastic planters and tearing down the boards on the planter box. I got inside to dig out strawberries too and got covered in dirt.
The next day, she got two more whiskey barrel planters for the vegetable garden and filled those with dirt too, and I got inside and gave them an inspection. They look ready for planting!

Outdoor sports

Yesterday was so fine out that after we took an afternoon walk, Mami and I played ball in the back yard. It was a very nice afternoon. And today seems just as nice, so I'm anxious to get outside again and run around. There are butterflies and bees and little critters flying around in the sunshine, and Mami has all the windows open. Maybe now it will stop being so nasty outside.

Finally a nice spring morning

Every morning very early I go outside for my morning constitutional. For the last week or so it's been either soaking wet and puddly, or snowy. But this morning it was sunny and nice, so I thought I'd share some pictures of the pretty things I look at when I'm outside, like the cherry blossoms on our tree, and the bird feeders hanging from our euculyptus.
Tomorrow afternoon my Tio Jay and my favorite kid, Annie, will be coming over to visit and to look at our back fence. Papi and Mami are hoping to get a new fence built in the back, and Tio Jay knows how to build things so he's gonna take a look and see how much it might cost. Right now, there are holes in the back fence covered with chicken wire so I don't escape. Not that I'd want to, I like it here.

Downpour

Seems like every time I look outside this week, it just gets wetter. The front stone pathway is under about two inches of water, there's a regular stream running down the street, and when I walk past the bathroom I can hear the drops hit the skylight.
This means no walks whatsoever, and it keeps my outside visits to an absolute minimum. It's kind of boring when it rains like this. I can see how pretty and green everything is, but there's no way I wanna go out in it. I dont understand how humans walk around in it, but they always do. The boys across the street play basketball every night, no matter if it's pouring or hailing, and there's always people on bikes or people jogging by. They're crazy! It may be boring inside, but it's dry.

Mad skills

I don't know if you know this, but I am an amazing soccer player, you know, what they call futbol in Mexico. I can block any ball from anywhere at any time. You can't get anything past me. And if you throw it, I can fetch it so fast that I'm a blur.
But sometimes, if I get too crazy, they put my ball away until I calm down, which means that whenever possible, I sleep with it under my head so that they can't get it. This works some of the time, but it's not very comfortable, and usually, it rolls away after I pass out. So it's not the best plan. But it's the only one I could come up with.
I had a photo of me and my ball but it wouldn't load, so here's one of me and Mami instead.

Highs and lows

It sure was a weekend of extremes over here at the Choodle house. The weather, for instance. On Saturday morning reeeally early, it snowed! And then it got sunny, and then it rained, and then it hailed super hard. Sunday morning was the same thing. I woke up to 1/4 of an inch of white fluff in the yard. And then by 10 a.m. it was gone! And rain replaced it.
Saturday, Mami cleaned all day long. She was mopping and scrubbing and washing and going crazy, because she and Papi were busy all week and things got a little out of control. Plus Papi was gone Friday and Saturday to a conference so she was by herself, which doubles the amount of work to do.
But Sunday, Papi was home and the house was clean, so everybody slept and napped and slept again. Other than getting up for pancakes, we all spent most of the day in bed and didn't get up til night. It was nice! And then we had hamburgers. Yum!
Here's Lulu during one of the nap sessions. Doesn't she look comfy?

Waiting for the snow

That's right, I said snow. According to the weather people, it's supposed to snow here this weekend, which I am not at all pleased about. Nor is Mami. Last weekend we got to lounge out on lawnchairs in the 80 degree sunshine, and we were all ready to start planting vegetables this weekend, but now this winter storm is coming through from the coast and I may have to put on a jacket again! It's totally not fair. I mean, it's almost May out! What is going on! Mami said it's something called La Nina, which makes winters long and cold, and summers super hot, so she says this August is gonna be awful, but I'm a chihuahua, so I like the heat. It's this blasted white freezy stuff I don't like!

Miss Moosh

This is Tia Candace's cat, Moosh. She is a very serious cat who does not mess around. She is a one-woman cat, and doesn't like anyone else to be near her, especially the vet, and she only lets a few select people pet her a tiny bit. But mostly, she gives them hisses, bites and claws. If you think Lulu is stinky, you haven't seen anything until you've met the wrath of Moosh. She is also very beautiful and small and elegant. She likes to hiss at Mami, and Mami hisses back, which Moosh finds confusing. Mami is a strange human.

Dog in training

So I'm teaching my new pink dog Hamilton how to go on guard duty. I spend most of my afternoons on the back of the couch, watching the front yard, in case someone goes by on a skateboard, or with a baby carriage, or walking a dog, or if some cat comes into the garden. There's always something to be on alert for around here. So it's good to teach Hamilton the ropes, in case I fall asleep and need backup.
By the way, today is my Tia Candace's birthday. Feliz Cumpleanos!

Regalitos!

Last night there was a big heavy box sitting on our front porch, and it was full of presents from my Abuela in Albuquerque. It was very exciting! There was something for everyone, but my favorite gift was a giant pink stuffed dog that Mami and Papi named Hamilton. I carried him around all night, even though he is almost bigger than me, and I wrestled him to the ground and kissed his nose and hugged him and wrapped my paws around him on the couch. Lulu got a reddish kind of catnip mouse that she seemed to like to sniff, but she doesn't get excited about toys like I do. In fact, I may steal her mouse when she's not looking and add it to my collection.

Not getting up, not no way, not no how

I've had a really long weekend. I spent a lot of it outside, taking walks and running around in the back yard and digging in the flower beds while Mami was weeding. It got up to 80 degrees on Saturday, so hot that my nose got dry, and Sunday was cooler and cloudier but still good digging weather. That plus Mami and Papi took me for a walk Saturday night.
So this morning I didn't feel much like getting out of bed. Everyone else had to get up early for work, but I told them all to leave me alone. Besides, it's all rainy again and there's no sunshine to get up for.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to sleep.

Friends!

Dewey (my secret boyfriend) and his brother Yoshi came to visit Mami at work today. It is very sunny and beautiful outside so they hung out in the courtyard and lounged in the sun. As you can see, Yoshi bounces so it's kinda hard to take a good photo of him, but Dewey looks muy guapo, no?

Post berfday stuff

Hello everyone! This morning our world was busy because Mami and Papi had to get up early and run around collecting papers to do something boring called "taxes." Apparently that's a people thing. Not really sure of the point, but Mami said she thinks we'll have enough to make a pretty new fence around our house in the back. That sounds okay. As long as it's sniffable.
Anyway, last night on Papi's birthday, my Tia Lisa and Tio Tony sung him a very cool song about politics or something, and he really liked it. So here they are singing out in the cold night air under the big moon.

Feliz Cumpleanos Papi!

Today is my Papi's birthday and I am very excited. Last night Mami gave him the presents we wrapped when it turned midnight, because she couldn't wait. Also, today Papi is very busy with work things and maybe would not have time to open them, so it was good to get them done last night. We maybe will buy him a pumpkin pie tonight to eat when he gets home because that is his favorite.
Here is a picture of me and Papi when I was a baby and still had a pink belly.

Preparations

Tomorrow is Papi's birthday so this morning after he left for work, Mami and I went and wrapped his presents. As you can see here, I helped with the ribbon. It's very difficult work. I am not allowed to help with tape, because it sticks on my fur, and I can't use the scissors because I don't have thumbs. So the ribbon is my chore. It's very tangle-y.

Permission granted

I have been granted access to the couch again after Sunday's womiting incident. I have promised to cease all womiting, and so Mami said I can be back up here again. I didn't feel so hot yesterday, and I didn't want to eat my kibble or even snacks, but I didn't get sick again, and then last night I finally ate a little bit of pork rib off Mami's plate, and then afterward kibble started to look good. This morning my appetite is back to normal, and I'm feeling just fine.

Choodle woes

Yesterday morning, when I went outside for my morning constitutional, I found something tasty under the leaves, and ate it up before I could really tell what it was. Mami caught me at the last minute, and called me inside, but she couldn't tell what I ate either.
I was okay for awhile, but then around 1 p.m., I started feeling really funny while Mami was in the kitchen doing chores. Then the world got kinda blurry, and the next thing I knew, Mami was picking me up off the couch, and I realized that I had hurled all over one of the cushions.
Mami cleaned everything up, and got me all settled in again, but about an hour later, I did it again, this time on the afghan. Then I got really shaky, so after Mami put it in the laundry, she took me to bed, and made me a nest out of a polar fleece bathrobe, and she put me next to her so I could sleep.
After about two hours, I finally felt better and stopped shaking, and then a little bit after that, I felt like playing ball. Finally, when Papi got home and made dinner, I felt a lot better, and even ate some chips.
Now I feel fine, although really hungry because my tummy is a lot more empty than usual. I guess next time I should really think about the consequences before I eat things I find in the yard.

Ooh

Papi and Mami went up to the big city last night, and they found out that Papi's book is for sale on the shelves at Powell's City of Books! That is very exciting, especially because it's such a famous bookstore, and Mami has been going there ever since she was a little girl. They are back now, and Mami and I are doing a lot of Spring Cleaning because it is so rainy and miserable outside. We cleaned out the bedroom closet and the drawers and the pantry in the utility room and even the fridge, which was full of stinky old food. Now it is so clean and nice, and the windows are open to let the rain smells in. Its time to take a nap!

Un grito a mi tia

Today is my favorite Tia Chelsea's cumpleanos, I mean birthday. She is a very special tia and so I sent her a birthday message this morning in my fez, to show her that today I am going to be very festive in her honor. She will be coming to see me next month when it is Mami's turn to have a birthday. Mami and Tia Chelsea are nearly the same age, only Tia Chelsea gets there a little faster.

Another new amigo

This is Treble, a Hungarian sheepdog called a Pumi. There aren't many of them in the U.S., but seeing how cute this one is, I can imagine there's gonna be a growing demand. Treble is owned by a friend of my Tia Candace's. She knows all the cute dogs.

Amigos de amigos

So today my blog is about doggie friends of human friends I know. A lot of people send me photos of dogs they've met, so I thought I'd post a few throughout the day today.
This first photo was sent to me by my abuela in New Mexico. It is a Yorkie puppie that I think is named Buddie Bob, but I'm not sure. Anyway, he was adopted by my Abuela's good friend from work. He is cute, no? I wonder if he has my kind of accent since he was born in New Mexico too.

One of those mornings

I am really tired this morning. I can barely keep my head up to look out the window. Last night everyone went to bed early but I just wasn't tired, so after they turned out the lights, I just paced around the room, back and forth, trying to wear myself out. Finally I put myself to bed, but I still couldn't sleep, so I made a lot of loud sighing noises. I could hear Papi telling me to go to sleep but it just wasn't working. I kept thinking about April Fool's Day, and the trick Lulu played on me. It was night time and I had walked into the bedroom to look for one of my toys. What I didn't know is that Lulu came into the hallway behind me and hid herself behind the basket that has all the newspapers in it.
When I walked back out into the hallway, I stopped for a second to look around, and all of a sudden, Lulu leaped out from behind the basket. I jumped about a foot in the air! Then I tried to chase her, but she chased me instead, and I had to run and hide on Papi's lap, and he laughed and me and called me names. So I got mad and went to chase Lulu again, and she chased me AGAIN! So I had to run back on Papi, despite his meanness. It was a really rough night. I could hear Lulu laughing too, in her little cat way. I hate April Fool's Day.