Unusual Happenings ... Some of Them Good!

Things simply aren't typical around here
(whatever typical is)

Moma's not helped us spend much time at all on the computer.
(We hope you haven't given up on us!)

Fergi hasn't even been able to thank her friends for all her Tenth Barkday wishes.

Or for the nice cards she received
from her sissie Asta and lots of her friends.

Or for the pressies that she was given.

Her Barkday was a good day.

AND

She is BEGINNING to "play" with a toy.
One that Lacie and Scruffy and Stanley sent her.

A fuzzy hedgehog.

Filled with squeaky "eggs".

(Check out that dude's eye.  I think he's watching for me!)

But what Fergi likes

is that Moma puts little treats in the hedgehog's belly

to entice her to get them out.

AND IT'S WORKING!

Watch!

(Sorry it's a bit dark.)

She's learning to play!
That hedgehog has been licked and sucked on like nothing else so far!
Yay!  My sissie is learning new things every day!

But ever since Fergi's birthday, things have otherwise
been getting all mixed up around our house.

Stuff is piled up all over.

Not that that is unusual.

But this stuff is in all the wrong places.

Furniture in NinaGirl's room is pushed away from the wall.

And I'm finding new things and new places to smell.

There's an especially good side to this.

I'm discovering treasures behind furniture that have been missing for years.

But now the gate is up and we can't get in to our Girl's bed.

Usually we're trapped in a room.  Not out.

What's with this?

We're even trapped IN the house.

And things look strange looking out.

My tree is in the wrong place.

And it is tipped over.

(Those birds might fall out!  It's worrying me.)

Begging to go out doesn't seem to work.

(So I peed on the rug by the front door.

Stoopid Moma.

I tried to tell her.)

Once she did let us out for a couple minutes, we found the deck bare.

And remarkably clean.
It was a great dance floor.
For as long as that lasted.

So tell us.

What's up?
Huh?

Even Fergi wants to know.

She's sniffing something in that can.

(Bad dog! Don't you know that'll make you crazy in the head?)

And the deck is slowly taking on a new look.

So's NinaGirl's bedroom,

but we've not been allowed to see it yet.

(Somehow it seems brighter.  And whiter.)

To pass the time

Fergi hides away on the big bed, with her Hedgehog

(Which seems to disappear whenever I know it's out

It's a very smart hedgehog.)

And I wait.

As patiently as a dog can.

Not very happily.

But confident things will get back to normal.

Probably about mid-August.

(At least that's what Moma says.)

Happy Days!!!

To say we've been busy would be an understatement.

To say that it has been an exciting weekend

would be an even greater understatement. 

This has been a Super Happy Super Special Weekend

for lots and lots of reasons. 

And it has been a very special girlie sort of weekend.

It started with a very fancy dress

and one very happy Girl.

Our Girl.

On her way to something she called her Senior Prom.

I thought she looked beautiful.

We all thought she looked beautiful

(and Moma got a little teary eyed)

Then the next night she got all dressed up again.

This time she went to something called a Gala.

Something to do with a benefit for the Outdoor Education Lab School

where she's been spending all her time these past few months.

I didn't really understand

but I liked to watch and learn from all the primping and fussing

to get beautiful.

Next thing I knew

Butchy arrived in his purple airplane to take Jake and me to his house

because it was time

to welcome KatiePup to her new home!

Isn't she just the cutest sweet purtiest puppy you've ever seen?

We were so happy to be able to welcome her to her new home

with Butchy and the catses.

(If you haven't already seen her, be sure to go visit here

and you'll ooo and awww just like we have been doing.)

It was a fun party of our own in Iowa.

(I am beginning to get the hang of fun celebrations.)

We played in the koi pond

and I even wore a purty swimsuit.

(Khyra didn't.  But I did.)

AND

I had the nicest surprise!

Baby KatiePup baked ME a cake

(She is so talented ... I think she has good jeans)

She made me a very special Barkday Cake

'Cause today was my tenth birthday

(And I'm not even beginning to feel like an oldie

Quite the contrary

I just keep feeling better and better.)

Everyone sang ♪♪ Happy Birthday ♪♪

and let me celebrate right along with the very special

Welcome Home Katie Celebration.

That made me feel very privileged and very happy.

The day didn't end there.

When I got home

There was another celebration waiting for me.

Jake helped put it all together.

Including a very special "cake"

(Toast with marmite ... my newfound passion, thanks to Winston.)

And a purty Birthday Balloon.

There were pressies ... and my family knows me well.

They were almost all the edible sort.

Including a shiny red apple

and a bag of treats

The stuffie was okay, but I shared it with Jake

(He thought it was pretty special.  A pink pig.  That oinks.)

He deserved it.

He wasn't too happy

'Cause he had to stay outside on the deck the whole time I was partying

(He wanted my apple.  Bad.)

Moma and OurGirl took lots of pictures.

You can see more and some videos, too, if you haven't seen enough.

It was a super great day.

A super great weekend.

In so many ways.

I'm liking life.

A lot.

Learning New Things, at a Good Pace

We're keeping good to our promise.

And it's been good.

Reading, Relaxing, Regrouping.

And, as Siku, White Dog suggested

Reuniting, reinvigorating and ready for anything.

Our new buddies Darcy and Baily's moma

Just so happens to be an expert on the best parks and trails near where we live

and thanks to her

We've been exploring new territory.

And with that comes new opportunities to

... ta taa ta taaaaaa ....

HUNT!

Or at least begin to hunt.

Some of you will be proud to know

I'm starting to show some beginning Earth Dog Tendencies!

But

So far

My favorite is still to spot the Birds and Ducks.

And to wade in after them

as far as the leash (and Moma) will let me go.

It's a Good Life.
We're liking it.

Meanwhile
at home

Fergi is doing her own sort of hunting.

Remember this mini-me?
The feltie on the right?
The very first feltie Moma ever made?

Well.
It is no longer.

But we're Happy.

It never would've gotten ripped apart
If Fergs hadn't gotten up the confidence to nab it
after the wind blew if off of the counter
and take it in on her Big Bed
and quietly gum it and decapitate it and amputate a few legs.

She didn't even get scolded.

In fact
She pretty much got praised.

Bit by Bit
We are both learning new things.
And there is good cause for celebration!

So.
We're here.
Doing good stuff.
Including reading our pals blogs.
We haven't forgotten you.
In fact,
You make our days really good.

We'll be back soon!

The Three Rs

Relaxing

Reading

Regrouping

We'll be back soon

We promise

Some Special Traditions ... and Scruffs

This Easter is a special Easter for us. You know why?  Because this year both the Western Christians and the Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on the same Sunday. That means we'll be celebrating on the same weekend as our Girl's birth family in Russia! Moma has tried hard, with our Girl, to keep some of the traditions alive. And Easter is a time when we really like to do that. That means that the week before Easter, Moma and Our  Girl try to do some special spring cleaning. (Hahaha! Like. Really!)  Which means that maybe, just maybe some long lost stuffies and balls will re-emerge. That's always a good thing.

It's also a tradition to bake sweet Easter bread, pashka, on the Saturday before Easter. We've made a Smilebox of our process for both the bread (baked in a large tin can) and the kulich (a sweet soft cheese) molded in cheesecloth in a large flower pot. WE - as in Jake and Fergi - are the expert supervisors and taste testers. And we love our job. (That's the only time we get to try the kulich, 'cause it has raisins added after our bowl-licking.)

On the Thursday before Easter, Russians paint eggs using a traditional method of boiling onion peels and scraps of silk together with the eggs. In Russia painted eggs have a lot of significance. Why? Because Russian Easter eggs are thought to possess magical powers. (Sort of like the purple eggs of Lacie and Butchy.) Some believe they can protect crops; others believe they can ward off evil spirits. Some people even hide an Easter egg in the foundation of their home, believing that it will bring prosperity.

Us?

We think the eggs taste good.
And we like to help hunt for them.
The dyed ones.And the plastic onesthat are filled with doggie treats.(Maybe this year Fergi won't be so scared of them.)

After Easter breakfast, Russian people go out to visit friends and neighbors, bringing with them baskets of painted eggs and Easter breads to exchange. An old Russian fable tells that an Easter egg given from the heart will never spoil. We believe that. But we vary the tradition a bit by taking Easter treats to the neighborhood dogs. That makes us happy. Very happy.

And we think it makes the neighborhood dogs happy, too.

We are falling behind in our blogging again.
And it frustrates the @#$% outta Moma.
But we're gonna spend the day with our family and friends
and then try to catch up again next week.

So.
We wish every one a wonderful and blessed Easter
and a joyful ending to Passover
and whatever other special Spring celebrations may be going on.
It is a pawsome time of year.

We'll be back sometime next week.

In the meantime
Don't forget to go to Eric's blog
and see what's going on at Scruffs
The Wheelie Important Wheelie Dog Show.

And be sure and VOTE while you are there
in both the family and individual entries.

(Some of our wheeled - and once was wheeled - family is there.
Tell 'em "hi" for us when you see them.)