March 30, 2013

A Limerick & *Another* High

I don't normally post on Saturdays, but I had to post today because I wanted to share that Rita had a special limerick written for her!

Oz the Terrier has been posting the cutest, funniest, most adorable doggy limericks all month long and Rita and I were a little worried that we weren't going to make the cut - but we did! We got the slot for today. Whoohoo! Check out Rita's limerick here. Thanks, Oz, for the great limerick! Anybody who knows Rita, Rita, gopher eate', knows how perfect it is for her!

Oz the Terrier

Also, remember the other day when I posted about the highs and lows of being a writer - the high being finding out someone wrote a lovely blog post about my book? Well, I'm on another high, since I found out Max, the Best Pup in the World, and his mom ALSO wrote a lovely post about my book. I had no idea they were going to do that! So sweet!

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

March 28, 2013

Mirth Watch Thursday: Peeps Show

Peeps. Would it really be Easter without them? No, not to eat - just to mess with. Or microwave. Or decorate with. Or make bunny ears for your dog.

March 27, 2013

Slightly-Less-Wordy Wednesday: Staycation

A couple of weeks ago, the hubs suddenly decided to take a week off. We didn't have time to plan much, and we had some things to do around the house, so we decided on a "staycation." We'd only done this once before, and the last time it was pretty much a disaster. We took off the week in 2003 when the massive "Cedar Fire" hit San Diego. The fire hit the second day of vacation, so we spent 3 1/2 days basically trapped in the house (because the sky was orange and the air unbreathable) while we watched the terrible, depressing news. (At one point we even had our cars packed and ready to evacuate.) Luckily this time was much more successful!

A staycation is pretty much ideal when you have a dog. (No worries about how the pooch will adapt to the new locale.) And we had fun being dorks and pretending we'd rented our house from VRBO. ("Can you believe these people left us all these projects to do? Jerks!")

We basically pretended we were retired. We slept in every morning, enjoyed our coffees, and then went for long walks on the beach with Rita:
Had the beach to ourselves!

March 25, 2013

Monday Mischief: Some Bunny Loves You

I can't resist a dog in bunny ears. You? (I've been known to "friend" total strangers on Goodreads simply because their avatar is a photo of his/her dog in bunny ears. It happens more than you'd think.)

March 21, 2013

Mirth Watch Thursday: Why I Want a Hippo

Remember when I wanted a penguin (that I could get a penguin backpack for and take along to the store)? I said it was one of my all-time favorite videos and that I had one other that I was saving for another time. So, here it is - my other favorite animal video: Jessica the Hippo.

Have you ever seen this? It's about a baby hippo in South Africa that washes up during a flood at this former game ranger's house and how she comes to be a member of the family. The video is short and adorable and talks about how she's lived with him and his wife for 7 years.


March 20, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: SPRING!

To celebrate the first day of spring, I thought I'd share pics I took of some of the beautiful flowers in our neighborhood on a recent walk with Rita. And... we have a winner in the What the Dog Ate's birthday giveaway!

But first... Spring has sprung:
A California poppy

March 18, 2013

Monday Mischief: Cozy Blankie!

We've discovered that Rita LOVES this faux-fur blankie we have on our sofa. Normally, it just drapes over the back of the couch, looking cozy. But one night, it was chilly so I grabbed the blankie and unfurled it to throw over the hubs and myself. Who was immediately right there wanting up for a snuggle with us? Miss Rita.
"Oh, I loooove this blankie, Momma."

March 14, 2013

Mirth Watch Thursday: 7 Smiles, 1 Scream & A Giveaway

A week or so ago, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal on the benefits of smiling. According to the article, "Researchers are finding that wearing a smile brings certain benefits, like slowing down the heart and reducing stress." One of the researchers added, "You can influence mental health by what you do with your face, whether you smile more or frown less."

So, bring your face over to Pooch Smooches and engage in some smiling. No, it's not just dorking around and a waste of time. You're reducing your stress levels!

In order to induce today's smiles, I give you: seven smiling dogs, one screaming pepper, and a chance to win fun stuff.

Seven Smilers
An adorable pup from the shelter where I volunteer. (He got adopted!)

March 13, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: To The Beach!

Snapped a few shots of Rita on the way to the beach the other day. These are taken after we turned on to the little one-way road that leads to Fiesta Island, or Disneyland for Dogs as I call it. I just held my camera over and snapped, without looking, but they still came out kinda cute.
This one is taken w/ window up, no flash

March 11, 2013

Monday Mischief: Helping *AGAIN*

I've been needing to paint our hallway ever since we moved in to this house over 2 years ago. I finally got my act together and painted it last week while the hubs was away on business.

Of course, my little helper was right there doing what she could to make the job go more quickly, as evidenced by the paint on her tail:

March 7, 2013

Mirth Watch Thursday: Rita's Rant

Hi everypawdy. Rita here. I have a bone to pick with the authors, illustrators, screen writers, directors, claymation-ers and muppeteers of this here world!

I want to know - where are the bitches that a little girl-pup like myself can look up to?
I beseech you. Seriously... what gives??

March 6, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Breakfast With a Side of Oxytocin

Unfortunately, my hubs has a very stressful job. He also has trouble managing his stress. Rita apparently knows this, since she suddenly decided she should sit between us while we eat breakfast on the sofa in front of the news. (Sorry about the picture quality - took it with my iPad, shooting in to the light. Should know by now to always have the camera handy.)
Administering the proper dosage of oxytocin
She's supposed to be over on "her" side of the sofa, on her towel. But since the hubs can use a dose of oxytocin before work, I don't mind a little dog hair. (Besides, our house is practically covered in it anyway.) You can read about dogs and oxytocin here, but here's a key nugget: "Oxytocin, which is sometimes dubbed 'the cuddle hormone,' helps reduce blood pressure and decreases levels of cortisol, a hormone related to stress and anxiety." Keep that stuff coming, Rita!

You might suspect that she only chose to sit there to have access to our breakfast of peanut butter toast and yogurt - but you'd actually be wrong. She's totally gone off peanut butter, and if I offer her a bite or my plate when I'm done with it, she turns her head and acts like I've put the most disgusting thing ever in front of her. As for the yogurt, she might lick a bit off a spoon when you're done, but she does NOT want to lick the cup. (She's so odd.)

Do you try to extract some cuddle hormone from your dog?

March 4, 2013

Monday Mischief: Such a Great Helper

I posted before about how "helpful" Rita is with projects around the house. This past week was no different, when I was doing some spring cleaning on our patio chairs. I laid the chair cushions out in a row so I could give them a quick scrubbing, and guess who immediately popped over to "help":
"Thanks, Momma! This is comfy."