Birthday Weekend Recap

My birthday weekend is drawing to a close. But Mom says that there are some pressies for me “In The Mail”, so apparently my birthday isn’t quite over yet. I could really get into this Everlasting-Pressie-Delivery thing.

BTW, this post is very photo-intensive. Because Mom seems to REALLY like using the flashy box. (And this is only a mere fraction of the pictures she took.)

But it has been a Busy Weekend. When I last left you, TaiChi and I had foodables. Very tasty “Peanut Butter Banana Snaps”. I’ve already told Mom to order some more of these. Like yesterday. Because I think TaiChi might eat them all if I’m not paying attention. She’s like that – very single-minded when it comes to food….

Anyway, after the foodables yesterday, we went on a hike. TaiChi is too old and completely uninterested in the hiking thing. She is a princess, and princesses apparently don’t hike. They stroll.

It was a great hike, although Mom ‘rolled’ her ankle a bit (she’s fine), so she said that we’d take today off. Instead, she and Dad went off on their two-wheeled thingys. I still don’t get this, but whatever. And how, exactly does this celebrate my birthday? Well, Mom and Dad seem to be happier after they do this two-wheeled thing, and if they are happy then it means more celebrating for me.

So, when Mom and Dad got back, I got to go zoom around the backyard. (And as we all know, Zooms Are Good.)

Then, Mom decided it was time for Pressies. Finally! What does a girl have to do around here to get pressies? Apparently wait for Mom to decide that It Is Time.

Here they all are, lined up together: a fish, a squeaky hamburger, a ‘Squido’ and a stuffie piece of birthday cake.

The ‘Squido’ was my immediate favorite.

Although the cake toy was pretty cool, too!

nom, nom, nom

The Squido was my favorite, though, so it didn’t last all that long. Oh well. Toys are meant to be destroyed, right?

Then Mom said that it was time to have cake. Cake! But if I was going to get cake, I was going to have to at least TRY to wear my party hat. Given that I’m not Super Excited about having Things On My Head, this was a multi-person project.

I finally let them get one decent picture. Mostly because Mom wouldn't let me have cake until she got a picture of me with the party hat on....

And then immediately tried to hide my embarrassment. C’mon, guys! I’m a dignified dog – do I REALLY have to be subjected to this hat thing?!? Although Mom argued that if even Bufus would wear a hat – under protest though it was – that I should at least try… Yeah. Whatever. Let’s get to the cake.

The cake.

Note from Fi’s Mom: The cake was supposed to say ‘Happy Birthday Fiona’. In all fairness to Waggy Tail Treats, they got the cake to us on time, and had marked the box marked ‘Fragile’ in several spots. In equal fairness to the postperson who delivers our mail: if you have to wedge a box in the mailbox So Hard that you actually move the mailbox, The Box Probably Doesn’t Fit and should be delivered to the doorstep. Especially if it says ‘Fragile’ on it. I understand that this means that you actually have to get out of your car, but it’s not like it was raining. Or snowing. Or more than 70s degrees out. Would it have killed you? You DID, however, manage to knock most of the lettering off the cake. Good thing we know how to use our imaginations (and already knew what the cake was supposed to say….*ahem*

Okay, okay. Enough with the pictures. Let’s EAT!!!

nom, nom, nom!

So, for a recap: 1) I don’t like things on my head, 2) Bufus is far more tolerant than any cat should have to be, 3) TaiChi is a princess, and deserves to wear a tiara, 4) cake is still quite tasty, even if it doesn’t look right (and 4a – even if Mom and Dad think that the cake “tastes like dirt”), 5) since we dogs don’t get as many birthdays in our lifetimes, EVERY birthday should last for several days, and 6) birthdays are So Cool that we should get them every couple of months (although we could keep the party hat thing as a once-a-year, or possibly a once-in-a-lifetime event).

BTW, thanks Granny and Grandpa for the Drs. Foster and Smith gift certificate. I don’t really know what a gift certificate is, but Mom says “It has already been put to good use”. Whatever that means!

And thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes! And I’m going to adopt Petey’s motto: "You're only young once...but you can be immature for a lifetime!" I can totally be immature!

*big kissey face to EVERYONE who made my birthday weekend so spectacular (and special kissey faces to TaiChi and Bufus who celebrated along with me) Thank You!!!!!*

-Fiona, the Yearling

My Birthday Weekend - an Update

Just a quick update from Party Central.

After my Mom decided that we should have a Birthday Weekend, our first activity was a nap. Naps are good. Naps with Mom are even better!


Then, after the nap, we went on a hike.


Then, after the hike, Mom told me that a box arrive. A box For Meeee!


Of course, I had to investigate it immediately!
Do I look upside down to you there?!?

TaiChi and I investigated the contents, and found they met our approval.

These are Quite Yummy! Mom says that there are other 'things' for us, but she hasn't elaborated yet.

BTW, there have been some experiments with the Party Hat and the Tiara. So far? I'm not super excited about having things on my head, so Mom and Dad have had to ambush me.
Very sneaky of them...

TaiChi, however, has had no issues with the Tiara (I think it's because she's been certain of her status as Queen for the last 17 years....)

And Bufus? Well, he's been Very Tolerant. He doesn't like the Party Hat, but if this isn't proof of his love for Mom and Dad, then I don't know what is!

Does that look like a Happy Cat to you? Yeah, I didn't think so, either....

More later. Mom is mentioning something about pressies!

*kissey face*
-Fiona the Birthday Girl

A teaser

Fi's Mom here:

Our day did not start out as planned (and continued to go on not-as-planned) and so the big Birthday Bash may get postponed until tomorrow. Because I'd really like Fiona to have the full go-to-the-park, hike, cake (and Frosty Paws) experience - and to do that we have to start off fairly early. With all the stuff that lasted Much Longer than it should have this morning, it is now kind of hot and she'd rather nap than hike at the moment.

In the meantime... Here's a teaser for you...

TaiChi wanted to try on her party hat last night:


Fi here! Thank you all for all the kind birthday wishes!!! I know Mom has stuff for me, because I've been sniffing at boxes, and there are some goodies. But I need to nap before I can attack the goodies. Besides, I've decided that I will have a Birthday Weekend, rather than just one day. Why celebrate for one day, when you can celebrate for many, right?!? Besides, since we are going to celebrate TaiChi's birthday, too (Mom says she doesn't really know when it is), it should be a multi-day event!

*kissey face*
-Fiona the (not-so-subtle, but why should I be?) Birthday Girl

No adulthood for me!

Okay. My adoring public has spoken (thank you, adoring public!), and I am making it official. Even though I am turning 1 on Friday, I will not relinquish my puppyhood until I have to. Which means that until I have to become a Role Model (perish the thought!), I will remain a puppy. And even then, I’ll probably still be a puppy. But I’ll be a Role Model Puppy!

So, I have spoken.

None of this ‘adult’ stuff for me. That speaks too much of things like ‘responsibility’ and ‘good behavior’. Bah! Bah, I tell you! Bah!

So there.

I would have a longer post but my Mom has been ‘busy’ all day today on the computer. “Doing work,” she says. Looks like she’s been taking pictures of things (not Me, BTW!!!) and making lists. I’m not sure how this qualifies as work, but she thinks it is. Real work is chewing a hole in the comforter so you can let all the poor, trapped stuffings free. Or barking at delivery men. Or even protecting the Big Dog Bed from the cat (this is a really hard task, BTW!). That stuff is work. Playing on the computer? Not so much.

Mom only got a couple of pictures of me today. Hello?!? McFly! (Sorry… I like to watch old movies!) If you are using the flashy box all day, you’d think she could get more than one or two pictures of me. But no! The nerve!

She was upstairs most of the afternoon, and so she got pictures of Mr. Bufus. (Yes, he's picked the sunniest spot in the house!


So what is a girl (or girls) to do? What else can you do? Nap.

But Mom did take me on a hike yesterday. And she got new hiking shoes (she says her old ones are falling apart - it wasn't my fault - honest!) so she's promising me a hike tomorrow.

Come ON, Mom!

We went on a new (shorter *ahem*) trail yesterday.


Here I am, contemplating the route, because that sign told me that I'd have to use my AWD mode. (Again, Mom didn't get too many pictures. She's been bad about that. She PROMISES she'll get lots of pictures of my birthday tomorrow. Or maybe Saturday, since she wants to do my party right - and I'd rather wait a day and have a GOOD party, rather than a rushed affair tomorrow.)

So I'll leave you with me as the Eternal Puppy of Doom!


*kissey face*
-Fiona

Pee Ess: Thanks for all the birthday wishes - and thanks for letting me know that I don't have to give up Puppyhood! That is a relief!

Wordless Wednesday

 

*kissey face*
-Fiona

A Shameless Plug!

Can you believe that my Mom didn’t take ANY pictures on our hike yesterday?!? What Is Up With That?!? Hello? We hike, you take pictures, you post pictures. How difficult is this to understand? How can my adoring audience adore me with No Pictures?!?

Note from Fi’s Mom: It was the same hike we’ve done the last several days, and Fi was behind me the entire time, making it rather difficult for photo ops. However, I get the hint. More pictures. Got it.

Anyhoo, since Mom didn’t get any pictures of me, I’m going to do a shameless plug, instead.

Friday is my birthday. I’ll be a whole year old. Mom says that I will stop being a puppy and become an adult dog. I don’t get how one day I’m a puppy and the next day I’m an adult. It’s sort of like telling a human, “Okay, you’re 21, you are now an adult, go act like one.” Yeah. Right. So I doubt that I’m going to transmogrify into an Adult overnight. Besides, why would I want to?!?

Anyway, I hope Mom is planning a big party for me. Well, okay, maybe a small party. I don’t really have any doggie friends here locally (the two that I know are Really Badly Behaved, and Mom and Dad think they are Bad Influences on me), so I think my party should just be Me, Mom, Dad, TaiChi and Bufus. I also think my party should have cake, and party hats and pressies. Mom, are you taking notes? I think a crown (or a tiara) would also not be amiss. I think that my day should include lots of treats, time at The Park, a hike, and possibly even a ride in a car that lets the wind blow my ears around. And, lots of pampering, of course. And maybe a chance to sneak up to the cat’s room to snarf down his lunch! And, most importantly, it should include people taking Lots Of Pictures Of Meeee! Mom!!

Yeah. So. With no pictures, I guess I’ll have Mom dig up some puppy pictures to celebrate my last days of puppyhood.

This is when Mom and Dad first picked me up (in the Corvette! Heehee! Mom had a towel on her lap so I wouldn't accidentally piddle on her or the Big Yellow Car) - we stopped at a truck stop on the way home and Dad snapped a picture with Mom's phone (which is why it is so small).

All of these pictures are from my first week at home. Being a puppy is VERY hard work!

Can you believe that I was So Little that I couldn't even get up on the couch?!?

Here I am listening very closely as TaiChi tries to teach me the ropes. Can you believe that I was smaller than TaiChi?!? She's 18lbs, and in this picture, Mom says I'm like 10lbs. (I'm about 55lbs now.) I can't believe that I was EVER smaller than TaiChi. Wow.

This is my favorite picture of my as a Very Little Puppy. I'm with my Dad, and I'm Very Happy.

And just to give you some perspective, here's a picture of me and TaiChi a couple of months ago.

I'm all folded up there, and I'm still WAY bigger than she is! I can't believe How Little I Was!!!!

Anyway, I'll post more pictures of me from the last year in the next couple of days, all to celebrate my birthday! I still can't believe that I'm going to be an 'adult'. Hah!

*kissey face*

-Fiona, the almost-birthday-girl

Hikes and cars and stuff

No hike for me today. All because Mom and Dad went off to do the car racing thing. They were supposed to be gone all day (Uncle Larry came over and let me and TaiChi outside while Mom and Dad were gone), but they came back in the early afternoon. Apparently the car they were driving broke.

Mom says that it is NOT her fault, but cars seem to Mysteriously Break around here. Lessee. She was driving two separate cars when their respective clutches had to be replaced. She drove into a ‘pot hole’ (read: the Grand Canyon) that destroyed everything in the passenger-side wheel well (struts, axle, tire/wheel, etc.,etc.). Anyhoo, if Mom says that she didn’t break the car today, I’ll believe her. *wink*wink*

Note from Fi's Mom: It really wasn't my fault - the power steering system we have in the car has, uh, issues. I just had the bad luck to be in the middle of my run group when it went. At least I didn't lose the power steering (and dump the fluid on the ground) the middle of the course! That would have made a mess, and would have sucked to get the car back to the trailer.

Apparently it shouldn't be too hard to fix the car, but it did end their day early. Which meant that they had more time to spend with Meeeee!!! So how is this bad?!?

This is the car Mom broke (the picture is from a different race last year - when the car wasn't broken!).

Anyway, Mom and Dad were kind of bummed that they didn’t get to race all day. Dad and Uncle Charlie got in 4 runs, and Mom got in 2. Mom has been grumbling and muttering something about “Stock” cars all afternoon. She’s also been fixating on this picture. I think the color would clash with my magnificent coat.


And the backseat is non-existent. How am I supposed to stick my head out of the window when there is No Real Window in the backseat?!? And yet Mom is acting like this car is a ginormous bag of Pupperoni. Humans are weird. But don't worry, I'm sure I can talk her out of it!

BTW, Mom and Dad didn’t take the House With Wheels to the race because it was close, and just a one-day event. Which is why TaiChi and I stayed at home with the air conditioning. And toys, and chewies, and the Big Dog bed all to ourselves.

And since Mom and Dad were gone, we got the teevee controllers - and watched Animal Planet rather than that silly tennis and bicycling stuff!

I did however, get to go on hikes both Friday and Saturday. And mom is promising me that we will go out on a hike tomorrow. So I guess it is okay. Even if Mom did break the car….

A hike with a view!

Hopefully I'll have some other hiking pictures tomorrow!

*kissey face*
-Fiona

Ball Chasing for Dummies

(Or maybe just for poodles, who, erm, sometimes need a little instruction in the fine art of chasing bouncy squeaky things. Luckily I'm only half-poodle, and my Retriever side comes out when squeaky balls are being thrown.)

Anyway, on to the fool-proof* instructions.

First, show the ball thrower that you are well-behaved (at least temporarily) and can be trusted in the park.


Second, Keep Your Eye On The Ball


Third, a good launch is important

Although there is no one 'perfect launch'
Fourth, race after the ball with enthusiam

Fifth, remember to KEEP your eye on the ball



Because if you don't, well.... Sometimes you completely miss it... Which is kind of embarrassing... Especially when your Mom gets pictures of it...


If you are watching the ball, you can catch it out of the air (or at least try)!




Of course, once you've got it, it is equally important to go racing back to the ball-thrower. Ear-flappage, while not imperative, adds style points. As does using your tail as a rudder.

Because you want them to throw it again, right away!

And there you have it. Ball chasing made simple.

Did I mention that I went to The Park today? And that Dad can throw the ball a LONG way (whereas Mom tends to throw like, well, a girl...)? I really like this whole Park thing. And my Green Squeaky Ball? Best. Ball. Ever.

*I did mention that this might not work for poodles, right?!? ;-)

*kissey face*
-Fiona

Wordless Wednesday