Thursday, December 17, 2020

Location, Location, Location


Our cat, Spunky Doodle, is 16 with arthritis.  Her long tunnel was in the living room and she generally hasn't used it for months.  Today, I thought I'd put it in the computer room instead where she pretty much hangs out all day.  Sure enough, she went right in shortly after I placed it under the piano bench.  I found the same happened when I moved her short tunnel below the computer desk.  Sometimes she at least settles in on top of it now.    

I suggest if you have pets and some toys they quit playing with, try moving them around and see if it doesn't spark their interest again.

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Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Happy Thanksgiving--Love These Decorations!


This is the best decorated house I found in our neighborhood for Thanksgiving.  This has been a tough year but I am so thankful I was retired all year and did not have the pressure of having to work from home.  We enjoyed the fitness classes, pinochle and shooting pool at the Sr. Center the first two and a half months of the year.  I was also off to a great start of strength training with our free membership at Planet Fitness, but since COVID, we just worked along with exercise videos at home.  

Also, thanks to being dog owners of a husky mix, we got lots of walking exercise in which I would not have done otherwise.  We were able to enjoy some fun days at the Metroparks with Roxy too.  This really kept me from becoming a couch potato watching TV all day long which I promised myself I would not do when I retired.  My goal is to keep active, so thanks, Roxy for helping me achieve that goal!

It was very strange not teaching Sunday School and attending church regularly this year.  Our church did stream online services so at least that was something.  I also enjoyed watching Dr. Charles Stanley's sermons on TV and our dog was very happy she did not have crate time every week when we went away.  We did not go away much.

I missed playing pickleball with 4 people but am thankful at least my husband and I got a lot of games in at our neighborhood court just playing against each other.  It was better than nothing and Roxy could come along to watch us.  She preferred that to staying home alone with Spunky Doodle who isn't much company for her.  

When my husband fell and broke his collarbone in August, I realized how much he actually did around the house.  We are thankful he did not need surgery and that it healed on its own in just four weeks instead of the six which was the estimated healing time. 

And finally, we are thankful that we both stayed healthy and did not get COVID.  We wear our masks in public when we can't stay 6 feet away and try to keep that 6-foot distance from others during our walks.  I do the food shopping with a mask once a week and made a few trips inside the library with my mask and successfully avoiding people.  I was able to attend an outside women's Bible Study 6 weeks during the summer with my mask.  Only 16 people attended so we could keep apart easily.

What are you thankful for in spite of or because of the changes this year?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and stay safe! 

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Sunday, November 8, 2020

My Favorite Fall Yard Decorations in Our Neighborhood

 


I like this the best because it's so cheery looking, colorful, cute and not just for Halloween.  Do you put up any fall yard decorations?  All we have is this:


 

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Saturday, November 7, 2020

Sprawling on the Couch by Roxy


What do you like to do after a two-hour walk?  I like to sprawl out on the couch!  Woof!

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Friday, November 6, 2020

The Beginning of My Morning Park Walk by Roxy

The above picture is of the short cut entrance to the park where I like to go every day.  We went a bit later this morning (7:30 a.m.) so the sun was up for some time already.  The leaves are very pretty right now.
 
Speaking of leaves, I love walking through all the leaves on the ground on the way in on the path by the woods.  The leaves are in the shade, but just up ahead you can see the sun shining on the beautiful trees.  I got in a good hour and a half walk this morning--it was so nice!

How much walking do you get in on a nice day like this?  I highly recommend you go outside and enjoy nature like I do and get away from the TV!

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Saturday, October 31, 2020

Morning Halloween Walk With Roxy

This senior maze was in the front yard of one of the streets we were on during our walk this morning.  I laughed out loud when I noticed it for the first time.


See the pretty colored leaves?
 


 Looks like we are at a standstill in this picture.  We are looking in opposite directions!


 Then we got it going right.

A few days ago Roxy plowed all the way through these leaves right down the middle of them.  Unfortunately, we did not have our camera with us so this morning we wanted her to do it again so we could get a picture.  Of course, she wouldn't do it when we had the camera.  I'm going to give it another try though.  I think she may have been too tired to bother because this was near the end of a 2-hour morning walk.

We went back in the afternoon, and sure enough, she enjoyed them then!  Watch this short video:


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Saturday, October 10, 2020

I'm at the Playground by Roxy

Usually I only walk around on the ground cutting through this playground at Veteran's Memorial Park on State Road, but today since we went very early in the morning before any kids were there, mom let me walk up to the top of the slide where there is a nice lookout deck for me to lay on and watch over the park!  It is a good rest spot for me because mom can sit on the ledge at the top of the slide while I lay down as long as I want.

The first time I went was actually yesterday, but mom didn't have her camera with her so we did it again today.  I also had a very long fun run in the outfield of a baseball field.  It felt so good to be able to run full speed with no leash holding me back!  Mom started running along with me but she couldn't keep up so let me go on my own, then was a bit worried when she realized the big opening with no fence at the side of the field, but no worries.  I just did one big run for probably less than a minute and came right back to her.  Next time she says we'll do it on a different field that is all fenced in except for two small gate openings.

I love going to State Road park!

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Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Like My Yard Sign

When on a walk with Roxy, I saw a cute Browns sign I had not seen before.  I really liked it and then saw two more similar ones on the other side of the street nearby.  I thought they were homemade so later that day I walked that way again to show my husband.  We picked one of the houses and I asked where they got their Browns sign from.  The lady said her son made it so I asked if he could make me one.  She said she would have him give me a call so I gave her my phone number.  Three days later I heard from him saying the sign was done and I could pick it up any time.  He only asked for $20 which I was more than happy to pay for it.  I picked it up this morning and put it in my yard.  I love it because it's so simple, easy to read, and yet conveys the dog pound with the bone shape. 

Do you have any Browns decorations in your yard?

 

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Friday, September 4, 2020

Zoo Outing With Masks - New Rhino Exhibit

Today we went to the zoo for the first time since COVID-19 hit.  We donned our masks and walked around much of the zoo.  Some of the buildings were closed, but we were able to see the kangaroos hopping around, the tiger up close and growling, and the new rhino exhibit including a couple rhinos.











We tried taking a selfie with the grizzly bear in the background, but couldn't get the bear in it.












The rhino exhibit is very large, but we didn't see any rhinos in it, until we moved to where some people were looking over the fence.  There it was, right against the wall where people could barely see it:





Right after I said it figures the rhino would go to the place where the people couldn't see it but then the rhino did get up and move around in its new exhibit that just opened this summer.


 Have you been to the zoo yet this year?

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Saturday, August 29, 2020

A New Place to Walk and Run by Roxy

Today I got to go to Parma Heights Baptist Church for a walk around the grounds and some great play time off leash at the fenced in playground!  It is the perfect place for me to do my zoomies and not get yelled at.  The video shows me in action and is very short because the Flip batteries died before I was through with my running.  It only shows the very beginning, but I ran lots more after that.

It was fun exploring the obstacles on the playground too.  I went inside one that looked like a big frog or alligator, not sure what it was and even found a big "bowl" of water because of the early rain that came last night and early this morning.



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Friday, August 28, 2020

Bible Study With Pets

I love it when my pets join me during my Bible study time.  I admit, I had to put Spunky Doodle on the table, but at least she stayed and settled in.  She was near the window but then moved right on my book!  Roxy came up on her own and sat next to me nice.

I am currently doing the Armor of God study by Priscilla Shirer along with some ladies from church.  The author was in the movie, War Room which I enjoyed very much.  Are you currently involved in a Bible study? 

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Wednesday, August 26, 2020

One Fall Changed Everything

Almost two weeks ago, my husband fell on an uneven sidewalk on our way to play Pickleball.   This time he broke his collarbone so no more walking the dog for at least six weeks.  When we do walk around the neighborhood, we leave Roxy (the dog) at home and I insist we hold hands because I'm afraid he might trip again and even do more damage.  I am trying to think of places he can walk where the ground is even, or on grass so it wouldn't hurt so much if he did fall.

Emergency told us it should heal on its own without surgery but would take about six weeks.  He has to keep that right arm still and cannot raise it at all which means he is stuck in that shirt (unless we cut it off), he can only do sponge baths (can't get the sling wet), and pretty much only has use of his left hand.  Even reading is difficult because turning the pages is not easy.  He came up with a great idea though--get some audio books on CDs from the library, which I did.  The first one he listened to and reviewed was Box of Butterflies by Roma Downey.

He wants very much to join Roxy and me on our walks, but I'm just not comfortable with that yet.  Our dog is very, very strong and unpredictable so holding hands with the leash in my other just doesn't work.  I feel bad for him though knowing how much he loves to walk, so I got him a Cubii.  I figure he can use that while I am out walking Roxy.  It didn't work with him sitting in the swivel rocking chair, or on the couch so we set it up in the basement where he can use it while sitting on a straight chair watching TV.   At least it gives his legs more exercise.  Hopefully I can get over my fear of him falling again enough to allow him to join us on a dog walk perhaps on our church grounds.

It's been so nice outside lately that I told him he could pull weeds if he wanted and he was thrilled with that idea.  He loves being active and that's something he could do I think without falling.  Then though, he wanted to do more and worked at trying to pull out some of the day lilies that are no longer good.

Poor guy.  Other things that have changed are as follows:
 I vacuum.  I wash the dishes.  I wash him.  I get him his meals.  I cut the grass.  I take out the garbage.  I clean the toilets. (He used to do all these things--I should dust too, but haven't gotten to that yet but I will one of these days.) 

I thank God that it happened in the summer so I don't mind walking the dog as much and that he can go outside without wearing a coat or boots and even sit on the porch to enjoy the fresh air.  I am thankful he isn't in the hospital and can be at home.  I'm thankful that I get the whole bed to myself because he is much more comfortable sleeping in the chair.  I'm thankful this is a temporary situation and that he will heal and recover from this.

Thanks to all who have been praying for us as we navigate through this tough time, adjusting to a new normal and figuring out the best way to do things.


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Sunday, August 9, 2020

Scary Trails at West Creek with Roxy (Part 2)

 

 

Boy, this was a bit scary!  We went to explore a new trail--the Grassroots Gorge Overlook Loop.  At first, I thought we were already on it but that was just the trail leading up to it.  There were signs at the beginning of the trail and a upper and a lower one.  I saw "Enter" with a big green arrow on the top trail and a big red "Wrong Way" sign on the bottom trail, so we went on the top trail.  As we were moving along nicely, we passed another walker coming in our direction so I told her she was going the wrong way, that there were signs at the beginning of the trail.  A bit later, two more ladies were coming toward us and when I told them they were going the wrong way, they said I was going the wrong way!  Oops.  They told us that the top trail was for the bikes and the bottom one was for the hikers.  I was really all one trail that made a loop.  The path was pretty narrow so it was already hard to keep the 6 ft. distance when passing someone.  I thought, wow, bikes come on this path!  That thought really scared me because some places were very narrow and there wasn't much space to move off the path, the hill was right there!  When we finished the loop, I checked those signs again and sure enough, there was a bike at the bottom of them.  The bike on the red wrong way sign had a line through it and a bit farther down, a sign read "Hiking only in this direction."

The next day, I wanted to go back and go the right way, so we did.  We went early on a Saturday morning and it was more crowded.  We saw a biker with a dog running along with him enter the loop so we waited for him to come out before going in.  I hate to think of what would happen if we were walking that loop with Roxy and the guy on the bike and his dog came at us from the other direction--very scary!  I can't even believe he would do that with his dog on such a narrow trail!  Anyhow, after they came out, we went in and did pass one biker coming at us.  There wasn't much space to go off the trail to let him through, but we managed.  It was a nice loop but we won't be doing that one again, at least not with Roxy.  

Then we continued on a path across from the Grassroots Gorge entrance and found the Little Loop (picture above).  At least there was no bike on that sign, just a one way directional sign so that's the way we went.  The trail went through the woods and was very narrow--not enough room to pass anyone so I was glad it was only one way and no one else came when we were on it.  There were quite steep drops on the sides and I was glad Roxy didn't pull me too much.  We saw a couple raccoons chasing each other about midway down the hill and fortunately, Roxy did not go after them!  In the picture it doesn't look too bad, but at some places, the hill was steep on both sides of the trail.

I was relieved when we went back down to the flat circle area.  We did take a little detour to do a little loop on flat ground through the tall flowers/grass.  Some of the grass was taller than Gerard!  Roxy liked it a lot though. 

We still have more trails to explore, but those are for another day!  

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Saturday, August 8, 2020

West Creek Park is HUGE! (Part 1) by Roxy

 I got to go to West Creek Park and WOW!  We couldn't even cover it in just one day so I am doing several blog posts about my outings there.  The video is a collection of several pics taken during my first two outings there.  I was so excited to actually be walking right in the woods and off the concrete paths.  They have actual dirt trails to walk on, some flat and some on hills.  

Plus, a lot of dogs come there to walk and explore.  Some I got to meet but some I just had to let go by.  They have trail signs, but sometimes my mom still gets confused.  My dad says it would be easy to get lost in the woods and they should have people stationed around to help with directions.  

So far I explored four different areas.  Our first stop was along the way to get to the main part where the big circle path is.  We explored in the woods on the Lookout Ridge trail first.  The picture to the left is of how excited I got running up the hill to dad.  I was moving so fast, he missed my head!

The main part with the big circle path at the bottom is where I was able to get a drink at the doggie fountain.  It also has benches for people to sit on.  My mom and dad were sitting on one near the end of our outing.  I spotted something move in the big high grass nearby and went to chase it.  My mom wasn't expecting that and tipped over, almost falling off the bench.  Too bad dad didn't get a picture of that!  It would have been a funny one.  To my credit though, I did stop when I heard her yell my name.  That was enough for one day--about an hour.

 On our second trip, we did three trails . . . sort of.  The first one we thought was going through the park, but it was the path that went along the main street next to the park.  My mom was disappointed we wasted time on that one.  

Then though, we followed two trails that went through the woods.  The first one we did was pretty narrow and long which led to the Skyline Overlook.  See picture to the right. we could actually see the Cleveland skyline above the treetops in the center of the tall buildings downtown from there but they didn't show up on the photo.  It was pretty cool though.

Lastly, we went on the Lookout Ridge Loop, but we backtracked to get back because we were getting tired by then and it seemed to be blocked to complete the loop.  Mom is still not sure how that trail goes.  We'll probably try it again another day to see if we can figure out the loop part.  

Next time we are going to check out some loop trails off the main circle path.  Those are really an adventure!  Be sure to look for that post (West Creek Park Adventure - Part 2)!

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Saturday, August 1, 2020

Snow Rd. Park with More Woods! by Roxy (Updated with pics on 8-3-20)



My first trip to Snow Road Park was so much fun!  It's even bigger and better than Fernhill with more opportunities to go off path and explore!  We only went on the main path today, but that means we have more areas to explore yet on future trips.  I really want to come back here again soon!  It's great for hot days because the woods path is mostly shade, unlike Fernhill that has more sunny places.  Between the two, I like this is my favorite.  Have you ever been here?

Trail to Greenbriar Commons
I see a pool and playground!
 









On our next outing, I got to explore a side trail that mostly goes uphill all the way.  There is a bridge and a bench along the way.  The first time we went on it, we only went as far as the bench, but the next time we went all the way to the top and discovered it connects with an area called Greenbriar Commons!  There was a pool, a library, a playground and pickleball and bocce ball courts up there.  My mom was very excited about that.  There was a nice breeze up there and a bench to rest at. 
  
Hey, that's that path down there we came up on before!
 On another visit, we discovered another way down on a trail through the woods that comes out just a little way past the bridge.  It's fun to discover new things!

Another day we explored the wide open space on the other side of the park from the trail.  There are some woods over there too, but no hiking paths.

Last time we went, mom led us off the cement trail along a dirt trail that followed along the creek.  That was the most fun yet even though it was mostly flat.  There were some very narrow spots and at one point a little ditch that dad crossed first, then I jumped over and mom had to let go of my leash because she couldn't go as fast as me.  Dad had a little freak out, but he was able to pick it up pretty quick.  Sorry no picture of that.

I love walking at the parks and look forward to exploring a place called West Creek!  I highly recommend going to the park!  Woof!  Woof!

It's hard to remember to take pictures when you are having so much fun!

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Sunday, July 26, 2020

If Only . . . Hindsight is 20/20!

Last night Roxy jumped up on the window sill of our bedroom window.  I heard a racket and saw she had knocked out the screen, accidentally of course!  I keep having to remind myself she did not do it on purpose to get us mad.  We have no idea why she did that.  It could have been a neighbor or an animal crossing our yard, who knows?  Unfortunately, she can't tell us.  So, at 2:00 a.m. I went outside and tried to push it back in with no success.  My husband woke up and wanted to know why I was up.  He yelled at the dog and went outside to see if he could push it back in but couldn't do it either.

During the day I noticed there was some space along the side of the screen and light was coming in.  The top and bottom were still in place though and I was able to pop it back in like it should be.  I thought I had fixed it.  This is the same window she broke her head through the screen the second day we had her, Aug. 11, 2019.  She was so excited to see us return home from church!  A friend replaced the screen then for us and we haven't had any more problem until now.  

If only I had got the full screens instead of half screens when I replaced our windows, we wouldn't have this problem.  At the time I didn't see any need for full screens so wanted to save a bit of money and went with half screens.  The window company we used are out of business so now the only option is to replace the whole window.  I think we'll open it from the top at night for now without a screen.  Birds don't generally fly around at night, do they?  Insects like bees and wasps sleep at night, right?

Oh well, live and learn. 

The good news is that when Window Nation came to give us a free estimate on Tuesday, July 28, they were able to take out the screen all the way and put it back in for us with no charge! He was very nice and saved us $1,000!

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Friday, July 17, 2020

Happy 16th Gotcha Day to Spunky Doodle! (Feline Friday Blog Hop)

Today my mom surprised me with two new things:  a new soft pink bed just for me and a cat scratcher wave which I had to try out right away!
It tips!

Ooh, this is good!



This is very comfy, so soft and just my size!

Thanks, mom.  Happy Gotha Day, Spunky!

I felt bad I didn't get her anything last year so got her two things this year.  We've had her since she was a tiny kitten.  She was born to a stray and started as an outdoor cat but is now only an indoor cat.  She adjusted just fine.

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Thursday, July 9, 2020

Fun Times During These Hot Days! by Roxy

I am the one on top of the obstacle.
It's been so hot lately, in the 90s every day this week, that my mom decided to take me to doggie day care so I can be more active.  Otherwise she figured I would just lay around the house
ALL day.  She takes me on an early morning walk and then drives me to doggie daycare.  I like it very much.  It's fun to be with so many other dogs and have a big place to walk and run around in (my house is quite small).  There are two big indoor spaces and the outside space has shade in the morning, an obstacle to climb on and a pool.  I have not gone into the pool yet but like watching some of the other dogs play in the water.  Although it is hot, I am definitely more active at doggie daycare than I would be if I were at home.  I am not big on walking outside when it is upper 70s or higher.

I recommend doggie daycare to all dogs.  Woof!  Woof!

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Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Roxy's 1st Trip to Fernhill Park


Yesterday Roxy spent all day at the vet for her dental cleaning, a couple vaccines and to get microchipped.  It was a good day for it since it mostly rained all day and cleared up for her evening walk.  Anyhow, I felt bad for her so wanted to make it up to her.  Today we took Roxy to the Fernhill picnic area off Snow Road for the first time and boy, did she enjoy it!  It was only 69 degrees so a very good day to go with her there.  She likes cooler weather.

She made this video so she could tell you all about it!  After we got back, it was time for lunch and then she came with us to watch us play Pickleball.  She actually got to watch four others play too who were on the next court.  They were very impressed with her!

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Sunday, June 21, 2020

The Sunday Crate Battle


In this video, you can see for yourself how easily Roxy goes into her crate for meals but when we need her to go in for a long time so we can go somewhere, she does not go in easily at all!  It took two of us to get her before we went to church this morning.  Since she chewed my slipper again when we left her free, we decided we can't trust her to be good while we are gone so need to crate her.  We now take her along with us when we go for an hour to play pickleball at our neighborhood courts.  She seems to prefer that even on hot days to being left alone in the crate.

We've been doing all her feeding in the crate so she associates it with good things; however, it does not seem to be working very well.  We took on on two walks not too long before trying to crate her in the hopes she would be tired enough to enjoy some down time.  Anyone have any suggestions to help us out with this?

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Monday, June 15, 2020

Where's Spunky Doodle?

Looking for me?
When I looked for Spunky in all her usual spots, I expanded my search and found her snoozing on Roxy's bed.  It's a little big for her.

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Thursday, June 11, 2020

Thankful Thursday: Watching Pickleball by Roxy

I am thankful that twice now mom and dad brought me along with them when they went to play pickleball near our house.  They used to leave me loose in the house, but since I chewed up the slipper last time they left me alone when they played, they decided to try taking me with them.  The alternative would be to be in my crate.

They brought along some water for me and tied my leash to the fence.  I had a ringside seat to watch them play and was happy to be with them.  There are lots of other things to see there too.  Sometimes there are kids playing hockey behind the pickleball courts, sometimes there are kids playing on the playground near by, today there was a man cutting the grass around the courts and sometimes other dogs go by.

Gerard seems to play better when I come along because mom's attention is divided.  She says I'm a bit of a distraction.  Both times I went, dad actually won a game!

This seems to work okay if it's not real hot out because there is no shade there for me to be in.  Where do you take your dog?

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Saturday, June 6, 2020

Hunting Success by Roxy

Image result for chipmunk images clip artMy mom calls me Wild Thing and Nutso sometimes when my wolflike-features arise.  I was so happy on my early walk yesterday and today because I finally actually caught my prey.  Yesterday I got hold of a chipmunk on the way to the park.  Mom was very mad that I went for the chipmunk even though I didn't actually kill it.  It ran away when I dropped it but mom said I was mean.  Then she reminded herself that God made me with these instincts and I was just doing what God made me to do.  I think she was mostly disappointed in herself for not protecting the little cute chipmunk better--after all, she was holding my leash.
I am so proud and happy!

I almost got a squirrel on the way home when I jumped up a tree at full height, but it managed to get higher before I got him.  Sorry no picture, mom didn't have her camera with her. 

Today, dad was holding the leash when I rummaged in the bushes and caught a sparrow!  That one I did kill.  Maybe I should be nicknamed killer, although I don't look mean, do I?

I felt like celebrating so when mom and dad went out for about an hour to play Pickleball, I went after mom's fury black slippers that were ontop of her dresser.  I had great fun tearing apart the one and was ready to start on the other when they came back and went crazy yelling at me calling me a very bad dog.  I didn't get pet by either one of them and both of them yelled at me and kept at it until dad finally decided to take me for a walk to the mailbox.  I am in big trouble now--I may need to find a new home.  Mom did say she was glad no screens were ruined, but that from now on I have to go in my den (cage) when they leave because I can't be trusted.

I only slipped up today.  She had those slippers there for a long time.  She got them after I tore up her other pair of slippers like these.  She mentioned something about them costing $70--they are Indian moccasins that she liked a lot.  I think she should let me have the other one too.  What good does just one slipper do her?

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Monday, June 1, 2020

Enjoying My Walk . . . and Rest Time by Roxy

 Some days we start off with a short early walk, but other days, daddy surprises me with either the 45-min. Snow Road walk or even the Veterans Memorial Park walk!  I am fresh early in the morning and like walking at that time the best.

On the way home, especially on warm days, I enjoy finding a nice shady spot with a breeze to rest for a bit.  Daddy is always eager to get going, but since I'm the boss, he'll wait until I'm ready.  My mom brings along my water bottle for me too which I appreciate. 

I am a happy doggie!
Enjoy your day.  Woof!  Woof!
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