Welcome (Almost) Home!

Groundy, Purrcy and Leroy are so excited for your return to the states!

We had a great time and loved looking at the facebook pictures to see what a great time you guys had.

We hope you have a safe and easy flight tomorrow and even though you'll be tired when you get home, G will have lots of kisses and sneezes for you.

Here is a review of our last six weeks:

Number of Days:45

Number of Hunted Presents from P:4 (including Green Bean)

Number of Bruster's Doggie Sundaes: 4 (including 2 homemade ones)

Number of Lulu and Groundy playdates: 7

Number of Collars for P: 3

Number of Pranks from Boo Hoo: 1

Number of Treats from Tammy: 6

Number of Cat/Trombone Fashion Shows: 1

Number of Scary Firework Nights: 3

We have had quite a terrific summer summer so far!

Thank you for letting me love your pets for you while you were away!

Love,
A

BREAKING NEWS!

What you can hardly see in this photo (camera phones do not a good picture take) is a robin's nest in the tree outside of J's bedroom window. I noticed it when G and Lu were playing. A mama robin was feeding at least two baby birds (you could only see the tippy tip of their tiny heads) and by the time I got back with my phone, she was gone. I will keep an eye out and try to get a better picture, but at the very least, it is something to look forward to when you get home!

Start thinking of some names!

Lulu's Last Day

Today is Lu's last full day here and I think she is really going to miss J's room. She loves all of the sunlight and new smells and funny stuffed animal shaped lumps under the quilt.

Remember when you thought she was going to get into J's t-shirt drawer? Well, she did. Here she is in this lovely green ensemble. I tried to tell her that it was a little too long in the sleeves, but she insisted that it was the perfect fit and then went slipping and tripping on by me.



Then........


Leroy thought he'd look much better in the t-shirt. So, I helped him try it on and I have to say, it's a pretty good fit! It looks extra nice with that soccer medal.

I left those two upstairs to fight over who looks better and went downstairs with G and P, also known as the "sane" ones.

Groundy just had her second bath and is showing off her lovely clean coat and Purrcy says that he wants nothing to do with these clothes and baths.

As for Lu's last day, I am going to give her a little bit of time with G later and then help her straighten out J's room a bit. She says that she wants to thank Juju for being such an excellent hostess and that she hopes J doesn't mind that she went snooping in the t-shirts. She just couldn't help herself!

Love,
A

Terrorfest 2011

What's that? You've never heard of Terrorfest 2011? No, it doesn't fall anywhere near Halloween. It's the new name for the Fourth of July...obviously.

We survived last night's "festivities" as you can see by the picture of G this morning, happy as can be!

Last night, shortly after I let P out for the evening to roam the neighborhood like the bravest animal in the universe (okay, maybe just the bravest one in the house) I embarked on the most pitiful evening there ever was.

I have no video to capture this because it was that pathetic. So, use your imaginations.

At around 7:30 I was going to go check out the fireworks, but first I thought I should go upstairs and check on Lu. Sure enough, she was under J's bed growling and crying. I shook the treat jar and got her to the edge of the bed where she cried and growled and ate a few treats.

Then the fireworks started...

G, whom I didn't realize had followed me upstairs, went crazy on J's door. I opened it to go downstairs, and instead, she came right in J's room, planted herself on the blue rug and commenced to shiver and pant.

I couldn't coax her out, and Lu didn't seem to mind at all, so I sat on J's bed and read my kindle. About twenty minutes in, as the fireworks were popping and fizzling quietly down the street, Groundy suddenly leapt onto the bed and pasted herself to my side, where she panted and shivered some more. Never one to be left out, Lulu jumped up and pasted herself to my other side, where she cried and growled some more. I swear that I couldn't make this stuff up.

Flanked by the warmest and most anxious animals in existence, I guess I fell asleep. Your parents called at 10 and left a message and I didn't even hear the phone ring!

I woke up around 3 and went to bed for real and both Lu and G were acting like nothing had happened.

In hindsight, this is very funny and I am glad that Lu and G get along so well, but I sincerely hope that there aren't too many leftover fireworks tonight.

Love,
A

Ps. How did you guys celebrate in the land of the redcoats?
Pps. Groundy got to see both your Grandma and Grandpa this morning and is the happiest dog in the world!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Look how happy Groundy is about it. That blur behind her head is her tail. (Also, I got her mid-yawn)

We hope you guys have a very nice day!

Love,
Groundy, Purrcy, Leroy and Lulu
(Also, Amanda)

Ps. I loved the punting pictures. Mostly because, even if I saw a demonstration, if someone were to hand me a paddle, I would always try to use it like I were paddling a canoe.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

We hope you guys are having your own special version of the holiday in Bath!

Last night there were no fireworks to terrify Miss G. Instead, we had a terrific thunderstorm that for a few minutes made us (me) nervously retreat to the basement. Here are G and P lying in the shadows and looking at each other like, "who is this neurotic lady who makes us hide from storms and when is our family coming home?"

And here are the beasts this morning. This is how they indicate to me that they want treats. Shortly after this photo I gave them each a treat and now they are being wacky and running all around the house.

You can be certain that there will be a special home made doggie sundae this evening and I will probably go check out the fireworks.


Purrcy is still exercising his freedom....from his collar.

Groundy is ready for this holiday to end already.

Lulu agrees.

Leroy thinks he can probably make louder noises than the fireworks.

Love
A

YAY AMERICA!

Pet Quiz

How does Groundy react to firework displays?

A: "Oooooooooh aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh" (like the people in the video)
B. She ignores them and goes to sleep
C. Sheer panic with her tail way down and worried/alert eyes





*If you answered "C" you are CORRECT!
(I would include a picture, but it is too sad)

I completely forgot how much this terrifies her. Unfortunately, the Fourth of July falls on a Monday this year and so she has a long weekend with fireworks every single night in her immediate future. Poor girl!

If I see any really cool displays, I will try get some video for people (like me) who like them. In the meantime I will give G some extra love to make up for the scary firework sounds.

By the way, answer "B" seems to apply to Purrcy, that brave little guy. Lu tends to react like G and plants herself under J's bed. Leroy thinks they are super cool. I get the sense that he likes loud noises very much.

Love
A

MISSING:

One blue collar with a shiny name tag attached

P came home this evening with a collar sized dent in the fur around his neck, but no collar in sight. I looked through your yard and a few neighboring yards with no luck. I think the great escape artist got his revenge for a week's worth of eye squishing and cherry flavored syrup.

Should I ground him until I get a replacement?

Look At How Far We've Come

Lulu and I have officially entered our final week here and I thought I would give you a video update and show you how far Lu and Groundy have come in their tolerance...dare I say "friendship"...with each other.

Groundy has been consistently sweet and patient and never tried to force her way into J's room. Lulu has been more hesitant and used to growl at the closed door while her dandruff flared.

Then they touched noses.

And now they seem like they could hang out. G clearly wants to get to know Lu better, unfortunately when she has company all she ever wants to do is eat (she's a "social" eater).

P has ignored her presence entirely and that's probably for the best. Though, I am a sure that when I move her home next Friday both G and P will have a lot of sniffing to do!

--------

On a more practical note, both G and P got their various flea and heart worm medicines again today, which means that every time P comes inside I have to harass him with some kind of medicine. He is still being totally sweet, but my guilt is rising.

Yesterday was my last evening of watering Jeff and Aline's plants and while they are BEAUTIFUL, I will not miss the mosquitoes one bit.

I am sure that I will have some stories about Marye and Lucinda Williams very soon. Marye (Pee Pee?) did have her first accident, but it was right next to the litter box, so I'm not sure it counts.

Love
A

PS. The Roald Dahl museum looks like the coolest place on the planet!

Freaky Fredericksburgians

Fredericksburgers? Fredericksburgans?

Anyway, I have no picture to accompany this post because it was too weird and freaky and I didn't want to prolong the company with the individual that I am about to describe.

Today was a lovely sunny and warm day with no humidity. We had a great storm last night which produced a GORGEOUS sunset. We really needed the rain.

Purrcy had finally forgiven me for my morning medication assault and was sleeping in his little spot and I figured it was time for Groundy and I to explore the town again.

We were stopped outside of Hyperion where I was remembering how much I hate to leave the dog attached to that post right by the street and figuring out how quickly I could get in and out with an iced coffee, when we met the weirdest man of all times.

He was an older man dressed in a suit who came up behind us quietly and had tears STREAMING down his face. He looked at me and then wrapped his arms around Groundy in a big hug while sobbing. Finally, he calmed down enough to explain that G reminded him of his old dog who had recently gone away. At this point, we're a little freaked out, but it was a sweet and mostly reasonable explanation.

He started asking me a lot of questions about G's breeding that I couldn't answer. (Mind you, the whole time his has his arms around her and she's looking at me like, "Seriously, a little help?")

Then things got weird as he told us about all of his past dogs. I find out that his dog didn't die (as was previously implied) but was "removed" from his home. Then he turns to Groundy one more time and says "KISSES" in a deep voice and tries to force G to kiss him on the mouth.

At this point, I am paralyzed and just going, "mhm" and "sure" and looking around at the people who should be helping me out, but aren't.

Then he asks if I want him to "watch her" while I go and get a coffee?!?!?!

I don't remember exacly how I said no to that terrible suggestion, but G and I decided our adventure was over and we took a loopy walk home just to make sure he wasn't following us.

He probably meant no harm, but I am certain he was not all there...if you know what I mean.

--------------

We are home again and all is well, but you can see why I there are no pictures.

Leroy, Lulu and P all laughed at our story and were glad they weren't there.

Groundy said that next time we should skip the coffee shop and head right for Brusters. I guess I see her point.

Ohhh Purrcy...(part 2)

Let me preface this post by saying that I have never had conjunctivitis and thus do not know why your pets get it when I pet sit.

Dear Mr. P has had quite a dramatic few days. First he gets a new collar and now he has goopy eye.

In this first picture where it looks like he's about to wink at you, he's not, it's the goop. I wiped all of it away because it was pretty gross.

Anyway, by now you know that yesterday I noticed that his eye was leaking and by mid afternoon he could barely open it. I was extra concerned because it was on the same side as his scratched ear.



So, I made an appointment and this morning we went to the vet. Here's the big man in the car. It is safe to say that he does not enjoy car trips nearly as much as Groundy.




And here he is at the vet's office. He really didn't want to get out of his crate. Once out, however, he was a little sweetheart. He stayed really close to me and purred the entire time.

The vet was very nice (as all vets are. Have you noticed this trend?) She dyed his eyeballs to see if there were any scratches and there weren't, which means that he has some kind of bacterial infection, probably from his scuffle. All I have to do is give him eye drops three times a day and cherry flavored (why they make it that particular flavor, I do not know) medicine once a day.

So far he takes it all like a champ. He's not as good as Groundy was, but still not as bad as Lu would be. He can even go outside just like before!

Fun Fact 1: The eyeball dye turned his tongue temporarily yellow.

Fun Fact 2: He weighs almost exactly half as much as Lulu.

Fun Fact 3: When I explained that I had been pet sitting for a long while the vet said that it's not unusual for pets to get weepy eyed when they are under different care...isn't that sweet? I thought so. The reason Purrcy's case was cause for concern is that his "weeping" was just in one eye and it was yellow.

Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go update my resume to include: "professional eye drop squisher-inner for pets of many kinds."

The Collar Chronicles

Remember on Groundy's birthday when we went to Petsmart and I got P a new collar? Well, I finally got around to replacing it.
I was a little nervous that it would be hard to remove the bell from the new one, but it was a cinch!

Here's the old icky collar. (Aren't you glad that I put it on your dining room table for this photoshoot?)






Here's the shiny new collar...













And here's a glamor shot of the little man showing off his new look!

He made it very easy. I think if I were to give Lulu a collar I'd just have to hold it out and hope she ran into it head first.

I don't think G is jealous, but I made sure to give her some treats and Leroy is still wearing his soccer medal which he thinks is far superior to any old cat collar.

Oh Purrcy...

So, this is P's left ear. I noticed this morning that he has a big ole' scratch. He doesn't seem bothered by it and even let me touch it to make sure it wasn't infected or anything.

Clearly, he's been doing battle in the neighborhood. It's hard to tell who he's been battling. It looks like probably it was another cat, but there was also a stray feather stuck to his tail.

All he'll say about the matter is: "You should see the other guy!"

Who knew this sweet little guy could be so tough?

Actually, I have noticed that when he and Groundy play, she always backs down first. Again, sweetest. dog. ever.

*In other-entirely unrelated and less important, but I wanted to tell you before I forgot again-news, I forgot to mention that last weekend I went with C to see a show called "The Flying Circus" on route 17. It was a funny and strange flight demonstration of old airplanes, including skydivers and wing-walkers. I think you guys would really like it and should check it out. They do a show every Sunday at 2 until October. I want to go back to take a ride in one of the planes; it started storming at the end of the show and they closed down the rides.

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY JULIA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!






HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!







HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR JUJU!







HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!




WE HOPE YOU HAVE A SUPER GREAT DAY AND WE ARE SENDING YOU TONS OF LOVE!

GROUNDY, PURRCY, AND LULU
(ALSO AMANDA)

*That's a picture of Purrcy singing to you!

These Are The Plants In Your Neighborhood

Hi,

I wanted to be sure to show you some neat plant life in your neighborhood. Just in case it's gone before you get home...

1. Name this plant! Okay, so you guys have this "thing" growing next to the hydrangeas...I am not sure what it is, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it is a weed. I have been watering it along with the other plants and thus it is hearty and flourishing. I am keeping this weed healthy-you're welcome!

2. Jeff and Aline have tons of great plants, but this sunflower is out of control! It is as tall as the roof and the stalk is as thick as an arm. People have been stopping by to take pictures of it all week long. I hope it doesn't break or blow over.

3. Check out these toadstools in your next door neighbor's front yard! I wish I had something next to them to show the scale, but trust me, they are huge! Earlier I was watering your garden and Purrcy was walking through them and he looked like he was walking through a gnome village.

Love,
A

And Now, A Few Words From Leroy

Statement Reads:

Dear members of the sixth grade band, Thank you so much for this great honor. I couldn't have done it without my best pal, Kirby. We had a great year and I hope that we get to make music together for a long, long time! Rock on, Leroy




*I told Leroy that he was wearing a soccer medal, but he said he didn't care and that he wanted to look, "festive"...his words, not mine.

Happy Birthday, Big Guy!

A BIG happy birthday goes out to our favorite raccoon, Big Guy!

Here you can see that he is getting some love from Groundy. (Clearly, I interrupted their birthday hug...check out G's eyes.)

After all of the birthday love, I put Big Guy carefully back to sleep under the blanket, just like K left him. He is excited for K to come back and give him some hugs too!

Best Dog Ever

Groundy FINALLY got her (much needed) bath!

The near constant rain, coupled with Claudia's travel schedule, mixed with my weird hesitancy to ask your other neighbors for help made poor Groundy's hygiene questionable.

A few days ago I decided to just give it a go and G could not have behaved better!

She stood still in the driveway and let me wash her without trying to struggle away, chase the water or lay down on her back (like she does when I brush her). She even moved a nice distance away to shake off the water when I was finished.

Here's a picture of her on the porch drying off just a little more before she came back inside.

I wanted to get some more pictures mid-bath, but I could tell that, that would result in a phone tragedy, what with my wet hands and all.

Now she looks and smells great!

P sat under the Scan Van for the duration of the bath and eyed us suspiciously and just a little bit smugly.

If there were a prize for the best dog in the world, Groundy would definitely get my vote.

HP and GB

This is just a short post but I wanted you to see this... if you haven't already. The newest Harry Potter movie trailer came out and it looks fantastic!

In other news, Green Bean finally found his way out of the sun porch. I was getting nervous and P was tired of being under house arrest. He is now outside in the trees seemingly unscathed.

Also, we found Steaky. He was in the pile of castle parts, just as predicted.

Breaking News:

Meet Green Bean!

Today, P decided that there simply weren't enough animals in the house and brought this fellow home. I figured since the last bird friend was dubbed 'Mushroom,' I'd stick to the veggie theme.

G and I were hanging around when we noticed a kerfuffle on the porch. Green Bean was on one of the beams and P was sitting on the weight bench trying to convince him to leap into his mouth. P is nothing if not optimistic!

I put P inside for a while (where he is still napping) and Green Bean starting flying at all of the screens, except for the door. I opened the screen door fully and decided to let him find his way out. He doesn't seem to be injured and is too frantic to try to catch.

I will let you know how long he remains a visitor...

The Case of the Well-Traveled Postcard

Just a quick note to say that I finally received the sweet kitty postcard that you mentioned in an earlier comment. I had been wondering about the delay, but what do I know about the mail? Not much.

The mystery was solved, however, when I noticed this blue stamp! How funny is that?

So, looks like this kitty and note have traveled far and wide to reach us, but we loved getting the message! I am delivering hugs to all the animals per your instructions.

Love,
A

The Rain Barrel Runneth Over

I am glad you all had a great time in London and a super huge CONGRATULATIONS to Kirby and Leroy! I am 99% certain that Leroy will have a written response soon...

So, maybe the rain can stop now. We have had rain for the past four days and even the plants are like, "okay, we're not thirsty anymore." According to the forecast it's not supposed to let up any time this week. We are getting creative. Groundy and I have a a pretty good afternoon play time routine, although Steaky the steak flavored rope is missing! Does Groundy have a hiding place where she stores important stuff? In any event, it is kind of cute that we have such similar (though seemingly warmer) weather!

I've attached the requested video of Lulu hanging out in J's room. You can tell it's a rainy morning because the video is so dark. Also, I added a still picture of her standing up and you can see why she's so hard to get pictures of. That girl has no sense of how to pose for a picture, unlike your photogenic pets :)

The Sunny Rainy Weekend

Hi Family!

We hope you had a very nice weekend in London.

We had a few really beautiful cool days late last week and some strange rainy sunny weather this weekend. Purrcy has been taking a lot of porch naps (like this one).

G and I have had to get creative. Although we are happy to have a few days break from watering the plants, we miss taking our longer walks. On Friday we went to Petsmart again. There was a dog training class going on in a little fenced in area and Groundy stopped to study them for a bit. She was very excited and whenever the trainer said "sit," she sat. The trainer was so impressed with her sitting skills that she threw at treat to her even though we weren't part of the class! You should be very proud of your smart puppy.

On Friday evening my friend Lizzie came for a visit and Groundy LOVED the extra belly rubs.

I will have some photos of Lulu very soon, but she can be sort of hard to photograph. Leroy thinks that he needs to be in more photos too, so I will make that happen.

XOXO
A

Purrcy Says Hello!

As requested, here is a short video with a good ole' Purrcy meow. It's surprisingly hard to get this on camera.

Purrcy: The Blooper Reel

So, here is one of a few videos where P was crying his heart out by the back door and just as soon as I turned on the camera to capture it, he immediately stopped and got all lovey dovey.

He is such a sweetheart and if you turn up the volume, you might be able to hear him purring as he nuzzles my phone. (hopefully my voice won't be too piercing.)

Love,
A

Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away...

Hi!

It looks like you all had a really good weekend!

We had a sleepy little weekend here. As I've mentioned (probably too many times) last week was really hot and it kind of seeped into the weekend. Every evening it looked like it was going to storm, the weather reports called for storms, you could even see lightening in the clouds, but not a drop of rain fell. It kept P inside a lot more and made G's walks substantially shorter.

BUT THEN

Last night we got rain! Lots of steady and cold rain for about 40 minutes. The sun even stayed out during this freaky little storm, though I couldn't find a rainbow. This morning was nice and cool and the plants look robust. P is crying to go back out even as I type this (his 5th trip in and out just this morning!)

I think that G and I will have some downtown adventures to make up for the lazy last few days. Also, G's going to get a bath VERY soon. She is getting stinky.

Lu is doing fine. She wasn't affected by the heat or the storm thanks to the safety of J's room.

Leroy feels similarly unaffected.

No new presents from P, though the other evening he was very loving. He was doing that thing cats do where they just want to rub their faces all over your ankles, even while you're walking! It was very sweet.

Thanks for sending us some rain and nice cool air!

Love,
A

Groundy's Birthday Ice Cream

Groundy's New Toy

Groundy in the Car

Groundy at Petsmart!

Groundhog's Birthday Extravaganza!

Hi!

I am so excited to get to celebrate this special day with Groundy!

So, even though it is still crazy hot outside (feels like 104 degrees) we had an afternoon packed with birthday adventures.

I tried to take some videos so that you can see us on the go. (I apologize for the shaky camera work.) You can see the videos as their own posts if you scroll up.They are in reverse chronological order starting at the top (still working out some kinks). For some reason I wasn't able to simply add them all to this post or even combine them as I would have liked. I might need to run into Jim Groom again.

First off, I am so glad you told me that today was her birthday (adoption birthday, anyhow).

Tammy came this morning and G was wiggling and whining as soon as we saw her blue van pull up. She got her treats, though I doubt she tasted them, she gobbled them so quickly.

Then, I decided that we needed to get out of the house, but a walk outside was out of the question. I loaded Miss G and myself into the car and we went to Petsmart. I don't have the words to describe her excitement at Petsmart, but I think it would sound something like this: ABBACASTICBLASTICKBLUBBLUBBLUB!

Once we got the boring shopping out of the way (litter and diet food for Lu, and a new blue collar for P) we went to the toy aisle and G got to pick out a birthday present (see photo above).

Everyone we passed said she looked like the happiest dog in the world and she was ecstatic on both car rides.

We got home and played with her new toy...she loves it.

Finally, to round out the birthday extravaganza, I made her my version of a Bruster's puppy sundae (thanks to your brilliant suggestion)! Just a scoop of vanilla with a Milkbone on the side.

The cats were about as enthusiastic as cats ever are, which is to say, not very.

Leroy wants to know if they (meaning K and Leroy) can try to play the birthday song for G when Kirby comes home with his mouth?

Love,
A

Good Morning!

Hi Again,

I am glad you liked the video! There will definitely be more to come...and I will try to catch the magic that is Lu and Groundy.

You expressed interest in our mornings, so I will share with you the crazy "routine" we've developed (with the promise that I will try to change this behavior before you all come home).

First, we do not get up at 3am...early? Yes. But not 3am. (And doesn't that make the raccoon thing even stranger?)

At around 5:15 I hear Lu start crying. I go into J's room where she is pacing melodramatically around the room. Does she want hugs? No. Is she ailing? No. Is her food dish empty? No. No no no, my neurotic little beast is nervous because her food dish is getting low. She has a tendency to panic when she can see the bottom of the dish...as though I've ever forgotten to feed her. My girl loves to eat.

At this point, Groundhog figures that it's time to embrace the day...as long as we're all awake and sunny. So, we go downstairs and let Purrcy in. I put on G's leash and then I let P out again. G and I go on our walk (where we might see some raccoons).

After we get back I feed G and let Purrcy back in. G finishes her breakfast and looks at me expectantly...for what? I'm still not sure. I let P back out again.

Then comes my favorite part of the morning where I sit down on the couch and take a nap...and then I let P in again and he stays in this time and all of us: P, G and L take a good nap! I call the time after the nap, "second morning."

I have to say, it was an adjustment at first, but now I kind of enjoy it. I get a lot accomplished, take a good nap and STILL have lots of day left.

Love,
A

Groundy and I Get Technological (Kinda)

Hi

I just realized that my phone can take videos and it is mighty easy!

This is just a little teaser of Groundy and I playing this afternoon.

Hope you guys had a good day!

Love,
A

Boring Day, But Beautiful Garden

Hi!

Today was an utterly uneventful day, but the yard was beautiful.

The lawn care people came and mowed the grass and I took these photos of the front yard and garden.

Sorry about the quality. The camera on my phone doesn't take the greatest photos and it is evening time so the sun is a little wonky. If you click on them, you can see them a little clearer and larger.

Everyone here is great! Claudia gave me a whole bunch of poetry to read and I've been reading some aloud to Groundy who sometimes perks her ears up like she's listening.

I saw your pictures of the Beatrix Potter museum (?) and it looked like a lot of fun and totally cute!

Also, I didn't know that raccoons are K's favorite animal! Not only did I see them in the tree, but that same morning G and I saw one on our walk. It was peeking its head out from a sewer and looking right at us! How bizarre is that? Clearly K's spirit animal is keeping his eye on us :)

Love,
A

Dog Days

Hi Again,

I hope you guys are having fun and settling into Bath.

We have mostly settled into a routine here.

The weather is a bit warmer, but still nice and the garden is flourishing (with more than a little help from your Grandma).

Yesterday we watched Griffin for a few hours while his family went to mass and their house was being shown. G and Griffin had an absolute blast! I was pre-warned about Griffin's penchant for peeing in the house, so they spent most of their playdate outside and on the back porch. At one point I went inside for a soda and when I went back out there were three dogs! Apparently, a dog from up the street, Laya, heard there was a party going on and decided to crash it. I called her owners and they came for her, but not before she had a good romp with Griffin and G.

During our evening walk we ran into Jim Groom (I didn't realize he still lived on this street?!?) and his kids gave Groundhog some kid love, which she sorely misses.

Purrcy was very bold and walked right through the dog party to come inside for a good nap.

In very special news: last night I opened the door to J's room and Lu peeked her head out and she and G touched noses. It was very calm and only lasted a second, but it was also super sweet. I think that they will be friends within the week!

Leroy is happy that everyone is getting along :)

Creature Count:

Bird: 1
Other: 1

Love,
A

HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY KIRBY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR KIRBY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUU.

LOTS AND LOTS OF LOVE, GROUNDHOG, PURRCY, LEROY AND LULU
(ALSO AMANDA).

*Hope you had an excellent day with lots of cake :)

The Morning of Many Visitors

This morning was downright chilly, but you won't hear us complaining!

We woke up bright and early (so early that it wasn't even that bright yet). Aline and Jeff were out front when G and I went out for our first walk and we got to see 2 raccoons in a neighbors' tree. It was pretty weird and funny. Both raccoons froze, as though if they were still enough we wouldn't be able to see them. I wish I had been able to take a picture, but the camera on my phone doesn't take great shots from far away and it was inside. If it happens again I will try to be better prepared.

When we got back, P was on the back porch with a new kind of present. Let's just say it was smaller than a raccoon and he only brought half of it....ew. Luckily I'm not squeamish about that stuff and P seemed so proud of himself.

Looking back, that's a lot of wild animal adventures for one morning!

Your grandma is coming this morning to work in the garden and Tammy is coming today as well, so G should get lots of extra treats and attention. As I wrote in a comment response, she gets so excited whenever we see kids downtown and I can tell she misses K and J and all of the energy they bring to the house. I think I will try to introduce her to Lu again later this afternoon to distract her.

I keep forgetting to mention that I finally got to see G's reaction to doorbell sounds. Last night I was watching some dumb show where they rang the doorbell many times in succession and G ran straight for the front door and went nuts, running around and barking--pretty funny stuff!

Love,
A

Ps. I really like this picture of G. She looks suspicious and a little like she's thinking, "please stop taking pictures of me."

Pps. After both Grandma and Tammy time G is totally blissed out!

Day...Something

Okay, I have officially lost track of the days...which I wasn't doing a great job of to start with, so from now on I will have to rely on "catchy" titles for each post...like this one.

Not to linger too long on the weather, but we finally got a cold front!!! HALLELUJAH!

Yesterday felt like a whopping 105 degrees and everyone was droopy and cranky. G may have even been a little hungover because I can't promise that she didn't drink a little bit of the ghost's floor wine. Even our early morning walk was pretty brutal and then we couldn't go on our evening walk because the sky looked stormy. Turns out it never did storm, but this morning was crisp and cool and today only reached 85 or so.

Both P and G were given their flea treatments with very little resistance (bribes may have been involved).

Lu switched her favorite places from the beanbag to the exact center of J's bed. She's a fickle little beast.

Leroy is keeping himself entertained in K's room.

Above is a very merry Groundhog enjoying her post-walk playtime (notice, I haven't made much progress on the castle).

And, the bird count is still at 1.

I hope you guys are having fun and staying warm! We will try to send some of this excess heat your way.

Love
A

A Ghost Story

Allow me to take a moment to tell you that the ghost struck again last night.

I woke up at 2 am to a kind of loud bump downstairs. I looked all around but nothing seemed off and so I went back to sleep.

This morning after Miss G and I went for our walk, I am feeding her and thinking, "gee the kitchen smells weird."

I take one step into the pantry and my foot lands in a puddle. At this point I am thinking, "crap! The fridge is leaking." (Can fridges leak? It seems like something they could do...)

I am wiping up the mess and find that the newly dry floor is really sticky and so I wash it off with some water and multi-surface cleaner and I keep checking the fridge and freezer whose contents are all appropriately cold and/or frozen (depending) and it is humming away like a working appliance should.

At this point, I feel something gently bump my toe. I look down and to my utter horror/relief there is a cork. (by look down, I actually mean jump back and scream a little)

I look up and there is an uncorked bottle on your wine rack. However, I am still thinking that maybe it's a sentimental bottle that you all kept for sentimental purposes, but I can't know for sure. So, I climb up the step ladder and, like a moron, I grab the open bottle and pull it to me so that the remainder of it's contents (maybe a third of the bottle) fall right on my face. Mmmm nothing like a good ole' wine bath in the morning!

Thus, I am sorry to inform you that you no longer have a bottle of Proseco, as the ghost decided that it really belonged on the pantry floor.

Now, I am open to the possibility that there is a scientific reason for this situation (heat?), and if you think there is one, should I move the rest of your bottles of wine to the cooler basement? I would hate for this to keep happening and wipe out your wine rack.

In any event, I am going to keep the cork to show you because frankly, there is nothing creepier than a bottle-less cork without a hole in it...who knew?

Love,
A

Day 5 (aka Doggy Love Connection)

Hi All,

Yesterday was a very good day for Miss G--I think she met her soul mate! My friend Sara brought Tucker down and it was love at first butt sniff. Despite the heat we went downtown. We stopped at Hyperion for some water (for the doggies) and iced tea (for the people) and then down to the river. We actually couldn't figure out how to get to the water, so we sat in the shade for a bit. Then we took a visit to Bruster's for some doggy sundaes and peach ice cream! It was a lovely afternoon...although, those dogs snarfed down the sundaes in no time and then spent almost twice as much time pushing the cups around trying to get every last drop. When we got back to the house both dogs were completely tuckered out (pun intended).

Purrcy, however, was not a fan. Tucker does not have good kitty manners like G. He ran right up to P and P had to teach him whose boss. There was a lot of hissing and spitting before we were able to separate them. P was relived when Tucker went home.

I had trouble getting any good pictures because both dogs were moving constantly, but Sara promises to bring him back for another visit.

In P's quest to be the most affectionate pet in this house he stayed in last night and "met" Lulu. Well, he smelled her from under the door anyway. Both cats were growling at each other from the crack under J's door, but they must have called a truce because it only lasted a little while.

Clearly this first week was full of fun! I hope you all are having fun and staying warm :)

Love,
A

Day 4

Happy (?) Memorial Day! Today we are well into the 90's but it will feel like 102....phew.

Well, as I predicted G was extremely excited to meet the various members of my family...in fact, excited might be the understatement of the year. She was particularly taken with my dad who, of course, doesn't like animals. He's not mean to them or anything, but prefers that they ignore him just as he ignores them. So, naturally, G went straight to him and put her sweet head on his lap and looked up at him with her big eyes whilst wagging her tail. She mostly ignored everyone else and showered him with affection. I can't say that he warmed to her, but he did pat her head a few times.

Speaking of affection, Purrcy LOVES me. I mean, I knew he was fond of me, but lately he's been spending more and more time inside and instead of napping on his perch, he snuggles on or next to my lap. I would be worried, but he is still eating a ton and going out from time to time. This also has the advantage of saving birds lives...if he's inside with me, he can't go hunting.

Lulu is still enjoying the comfort and privacy of J's room. She really loves all of the sunlight and has recently become a big fan of the bean bag chair! She's fully forgiven me for our time in the basement.

Finally, I had forgotten how much G snores! Leroy and I had a good laugh about it.

Time to get ready for our doggy date with Tucker...more soon...

Love
A

ps. If you hold a treat out for P you can get a great shot of his face. (okay, it's a little blurry, but it's hard to get a picture of him when he's not sleeping)

Day 3

Hi Again,

It is still pretty toasty in these parts, but we had a great storm last night that made for a nice and cool walk this morning for me and Groundhog (and also Purrcy who followed us for a bit).

I already told you about our basement adventures. Lulu still hasn't forgiven me and when I go to visit her she won't look at me. I think I will give her a break from the baby gate today and try and spoil her with treats.

We also had TWO visitors yesterday: Tammy and Claudia. G was equally thrilled by both, although I'm sure she enjoyed the pocket full of treats that Tammy had, more than Claudia's belly scratches. Also, Claudia offered to help me bathe G...so that's something I will be sure to get some pictures of.

Tonight my father, grandmother and sister are all coming down here to celebrate my dad's 50th birthday with a nice dinner, so tomorrow I will let you know how excited G was to meet them. I predict: very.

In other future news, my friend Sara is planning to come down on Monday with her dog, Tucker. We are setting up a fun doggy date to celebrate Memorial Day. Tucker is a gray terrier about G's size and just as friendly, so I am sure they are going to hit it off. I am thinking doggy sundaes, the park and maybe some naps in the sun.

Leroy was very brave during the storm. While the pets were either getting nervous or angry, he didn't even flinch.

Love,
Amanda

Ps. I attached a photo of Purrcy...he's been sleeping cozily all afternoon.