Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Fi-ster!

Or Happy Easter, if you prefer!

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Another Funballs Weekend!

Before I get into our weekend adventures, I just want to let everyone know that we got some more snow this week (much to Mom's dismay - she, apparently, is "getting sick of winter driving conditions").  While Mom was griping, Abby and I took full advantage of the new snow.

Decisions, decisions!




But yeah, yeah, yeah.  We do the frisbee thing all the time. 

We had another super funballs doggie class this weekend.  If you recall, last weekend we did all sorts of stuff involving ladders, shopping carts other crazy stuff.  This weekend, we did MORE crazy stuff.

Last weekend, I was not super excited about the ladder portion of class.  However, I ate my Wheaties this weekend, and was So Ready to take on the ladder.




"Hi Mom!"
Yuh.  I totally ROCKED the ladder!

"Oh.  You want me to get down, too?"
"Piece o' cake!"
After the ladder, we moved on the step stools.  Why?  Well, our buddy Garth Riley is a super master trick dog, and he had some pictures of him being a tricky like.  Mom thought it would be cool if we could do something like that, and enlisted the services of Jessi (the turkey hotdog lady).

After trying several different ways to get us up on the stool, and discovering that the stools were not the most stable things in the world, Jessi decided a different approach - get us on the stools, and then have us sit.  We'll work on standing on the stools by ourselves when we find some stools that don't rock so much; Mom and Jessi wanted to keep this fun and positive.

Which meant that we got air lifted into position.

Jessi wore her back brace for moving the Hippobottomus!  Heehee!  Just Kidding!


"You want me to just sit here?  Next week I'll start juggling chainsaws, right?"
Once it was clear it could be done, I wanted to show I could do it, too!

First, Jessi wanted to show Riley, her dog-trainer-in-training, the appropriate way to pick up a doggie.

Then I got air-lifted down.

"See how high I can hold up my feet?  Heehee!"
But then I got down to business and sat on the stool, like my sister.

"Hi Mom!  Lookit me!"
THEN, Mom and Jessi thought it would be Super Cool if Abby and I would pose together on the stools.   You know how Archimedes thought he could move the world if he had a big enough lever?  Well, Abby and I can sit on stools together if we have enough cheese.

"Ahh!  The power of cheese!"
So yuh, we totally killed that trick!

Since we had a little time left in class, and our mentals weren't totally fried, Jessi brought out the flat bed trolley, thinking that Mom could drive us around the store again.  But then Mom mentioned how she would have to bring beads next time so Abby and I could start practicing for next year's Mardi Gras celebrations.  With a wicked giggle, Jessi dashed off while Abby and I hopped up on the cart like pros.

When Jessi came back, and we saw what she had in her hands, we demanded more cheese.

"Really, Jessi?  Bunny ears?  Really?!?"

"Psst. Hey, um, Fi.  How long do we have to wear these things?"
"If we look enthused, they'll take them off sooner!"
"Just keep that cheese coming!"
Yep, it's me, the Fi-ster Bunny!  (You might want to read that one out loud to get the joke...)  And my faithful sidekide the Fluffy Bunny!   The Easter Bunny brings colored eggs and chocolate and stuff, but the Fi-ster Bunny brings turkey hotdogs and bully sticks to all the good doggies of the world!

Heehee!

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus

Sunday, March 17, 2013

All Sorts of Excitement!

Oooh!  We had Such A Busy Weekend!  But first, as CFO (Chief Furry Officer) of Air Fiona, I am proud to announce that Air Fiona has doubled its fleet!  We have been waiting patiently for the delivery of our Boeing 787 Dreamliner for Quite Some Time, and finally we gave up.  Apparently Emirates Airlines takes precedent.  Something to do with them paying with real money, and me only offering bully sticks, stock options and slightly used squeaky toys.  However, being the creative CFO that I am, I looked for other ways to expand our fleet.  I am thrilled to present the newest member of our fleet!

Due to inclement weather, AirFi didn't get a bath before this photoThe executive in charge of plane washing (aka Mom) has been reprimanded.  AirFi will handle the commuter routes, while the flagship will continue to rescue snowless doggies and bring them to more desirable snow conditions.

The flagship of Air Fiona.  We don't need no stinkin' Boeing 787!

Upgrades to our flagship include a more heavy-duty rubber band and reinforced cardboard for the wings.  Air Fiona is truly the only way to fly!

We tested out AirFi this weekend as we returned to doggie classes for yet more edjumacation.  Apparently this series of doggie classes is "Circus Tricks for Beginners."  Heehee.

Jessi (the Turkey Hotdog Lady) thought it would be 'fun' for us to try some new stuff.  Always being game for new adventures,  Abby and I were all over it.  The first adventure was riding a flatbed trolley.

So you feed us treats while your assistant keeps the cart steady and Mom takes pictures?  Piece o' cake!
Once we got comfortable on the cart, Mom took us on a little ride around the store.




We're practicing for next year's Mardi Gras festivities.  We have no doubt we'll be taught how to throw beads at the drunken masses at some point!

For those of you who wonder if this exercise has any value beyond providing photo opportunities, we can assure you that it does; we are working on becoming more comfortable in unusual situations.  Which will come in handy when Mom decides to sneak us in to work with her!
 
After having mastered the flatbed cart, we moved on to more exciting things!  Standing on chairs! 


Things on the kitchen counter that might have been out of reach at one time are now within reach!  This doggie class is AWESOME!!! 

Heehee!



After mastering the chairs, Jessi thought we were ready to move on to Advanced Circus Tricks.

When she led us to the ladder, I was a bit reticent, but Abby will do just about anything when cheese is involved.

Me...

"I can get plenty of cheese from here, thankyouverymuch!"
Abby...

"Cheese?"

"Ahh!  The power of cheese!"

"It's true!  With cheese, you can do ANYTHING!"

This photo was included so you'd know Abby got back down safely, too!
Okay, so the ladder wasn't my thing.  Like Mom, I'm a bit of a chicken.  But when we moved on to the NEXT circus trick, I ROCKED it!

Shopping cart?  You betcha!
 Abby was not as excited about getting underneath the shopping cart, so she was assisted into the basket.  (She was probably full from all the cheese tidbits she got for climbing the ladder!)

"Okay!  Let's get this show on the road!  Let's go shopping!"
"Hey, Mom.  You might need to get a second cart to carry our purchases.  This cart seems to be occupied!"
Heehee.  I know, you see little doggies in carts all the time, but how often do you see big doggies such as ourselves being pushed around the store?  And how often do you see doggies willingly climbing on to the bottom of the cart, as yours truly did?

This was really a Most Pawsome doggie class!  We can't wait to go back next week!

In other excitement, other weather has been unseasonably warm, and our snow is rapidly retreating toward the polar regions.  However, we got a dusting of snow this morning, so we'll have even more mud when this snow melts and we can have fun in any weather conditions! 




We hope you had a good weekend, too!

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus

Monday, March 11, 2013

The Death of a Frisbee

Well, okay, it didn't really die.  But I loved the title.  So there.  For the record, the frisbee was retired, it was not torn apart like a criminal in the Colosseum.  Now there's a lovely simile.  Blame Mom, the Roman history buff.

This frisbee isn't dying; it's just well ventilated.

Ok.  So maybe the criminals in the arena image wasn't so far off.  *sheesh*
Mom decided to retire the frisbee before we completely disemboweled it.  (Is it possible to disembowel a frisbee?  Do they have guts?  Or is Mom just using literary license?  And if so, wouldn't it be more appropriate to defenestrate a frisbee?  Heehee.)

Anyway, between establishing the tensile strength of one frisbee and Abby losing yet another one mysteriously disappearing into the snow, Mom decided it was time for a few new toys.

First we tested out the 'flying squirrel'.

1.  Creates twisty-doodle?  Check.

2. No funny taste?  Check.

3.  Tensile strength?  So far, check.
4. Easily transportable?  Check.

Because the flying squirrel is shaped a less like a frisbee and a bit like road kill (Mom is really on tonight with the similes... blame it on the steroids she's taking for her sinus problems...), and the corners are all weighted, it has a loopy flight, rather than a straight flight like a frisbee.  Which means more action shots!


The flying squirrel also allows Abby more time to throw herself in the air like she was launched from a trebuchet.

Sisterly squirrel chasing.

Is it me, or does Abby look like she's doing the Time Warp?

Okay.  This is a pretty nifty picture.  I give Abby a 9 out of 10 for style. For full marks she should be up higher on her hind legs.  But her visual focus is impressive!
Mom also got us a plain old frisbee, on the off-chance we wouldn't be impressed with the flying road kill.

Works just like the old frisbee, without the ventilation!

Is it me, or does Miss Springs-For-Legs look like a porpoise here?

Oh yeah!  I can do this frisbee thing!



Crazy frisbee doodle.
So, when it is all said and one, I think the new toys are a success!

And they are Mine!  All MINE!  Bwahahaha!  Okay.  I'm kidding.  I always share with my sister.
Share and share alike!
To celebrate our new toys, we got in a couple rounds of bitey-face.



Unlike the angsty ending of Arthur Miller's drama, Death of a Frisbee had a happy ending all the way around, even for the frisbee, which was retired before it met an untimely death!

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus