Must beat the servants...

Excuse me for a moment while I beat my secretary for being such a slacker.

*thwack*thwack*

Ahem.

Mom has been “too busy” to post for me the last couple of days. What, you ask, is she “too busy” doing? You’re not going to believe this.

She’s being doing “cross-stitch.”

?!?

Yeah. That's what I thought, too. But here's part of what she has been working on:


You don't see all of it because it is on a big frame, and some of it is already rolled up. For reference, it's about 20 inches wide, and about 18 inches tall when unfurled. Apparently, "all" she has left to do is the little part in the bottom left corner that is white, and then she's got to wash it (because she's been working on it since we were in Arizona and it got a little dirty in spots because when she first started she didn't really think about covering her work when she was done each day and Arizona is a dusty state...), and then do back-stitching, so it will ultimately look like this (theoretically):

So, she's got a lot of work to do, still. BUT.... I have to admit (begrudgingly), that she's put a lot of work into it, and I think it will look pretty cool when it is clean, and finished, and Granny and Grandpa frame it.

Mom says once she's done with this one, she's got some more big ones to work on, but has a few Christmas presents that she wants to work on, but can't show because they are going to people who might read this blog. Although I don't know if they do or not, because they almost never comment! *ahem.

Since Mom has been working on this (because apparently she said she would feel bad if she had put in this much work and then never finished it), I'll have to amuse you with pictures of Little Green Riding Hood:


If you can't tell, the hoodie part of her current coat is a little big for her teeny head. (Sort of like Mom's teeny head! Heehee!)


BTW, her bladder infection seems to be all cured (yay! Mom was worried that it could have been something else), and her blood pressure is normal, so TaiChi is doing really well for being 1,000 years old!

More later!

*kissey face*
-Fiona

More snow!!!

So, there's more of this snow stuff falling. Actually, it didn't start off as snow. This morning when Mom finally woke up at 7:30 to take me out (she woke up in the night to take TaiChi out, but that doesn't count, as we just go on the porch, and I like to just sniff the fresh air at night) it was raining. Raining!!! This rain stuff is For. The. Birds. Or not, as they all seemed to be snuggifed up in their nests. Or have already gone to the Bahamas, or wherever birds go to get out of the cold.TaiChi stayed under the overhang the entire time. Me? I dashed out into the yard, did my business, and dashed back in, not even checking the usual squirrel hangouts.

Note from Fi's Mom: And then promptly tracked mud all over the kitchen floor and shook herself out all over me. Thanks, darling! But in all truth? It was pretty darn funny to see how fast Fi came dashing back inside.

Laugh all you want, Mom. If you recall, my formative years (okay, formative months) were spent in Arizona. And I didn't experience a lot of rain. So cut me some slack.

Anyway, since none of us (Mom and Dad included) are too keen on snow, we spent the morning snuggled in bed, with Dad doing work and half-watching football, while Mom decided to do a little more stitching on the Bayeux Tapestry. She's actually almost done with the regular stitching. Then she's going to wash it, and then has about 100 hours of back-stitching to do. It will probably take her a year to totally finish it, but I think she might actually do it!

By mid-day, the rain had turned to sleet, and Mom grumbled some more while TaiChi went on the porch (much of which is covered), while I insisted on going out back so I could track in more mud and get the blankies on the Big Dog Bed all wet. Heehee!

It was shortly after that that Mom decided to use the gift certificate that I got from Granny and Grandpa for my birthday to get me this:

Can you believe it? A rain coat?!?

Hmm. Maybe that's not such a bad idea. Because I'm wooly enough that I don't really get too cold (well, I haven't yet), but wet? Yeah, um. I actually don't like the rain. Did I mention that?

And since TaiChi wears her coat pretty much all the time now that it is cooler, Mom thought that she needed another one. Especially since her fleece coat that Granny and Grandpa made is still in the House With Wheels - nice going there, Mom!

So TaiChi got this:

And then Mom noted that neither she nor Dad has real rain coats. They've got lots of stuff for winter, and for cycling, but nothing for *ahem* walking dogs in the rain. I think Mom may have to remedy this situation. ASAP. Not that I necessarily want to go for a walk in the rain, but stranger things have happened.

I had watched the weather forecast the night before, and was certain that the sleet would turn to snow. So I paid very close attention to the weather.


Finally, the sleet turned into real snow. Kind of. It's still pretty wet and slippery underneath. And Mom had promised me that as soon as it was "real" snow, I could go out and get some zoomies in.

And did I ever get zoomies in!!!

Heehee! I look like I'm in 3-D!!!



TaiChi was just happy to have her coat on, and could come inside quickly.


But me? I got more zoomies in when we got Even. More. Snow.


OMD!!! This snow stuff is So Much Fun!!!!

And if it keeps snowing like this all night, tomorrow could be REALLY FUN!!!

*kissey face*
-Fiona

PeeEss: Mom wants me to advertise for her, so here goes: See the thingy at the bottom of this page? The thingy that says "Swagbucks"? It is a search engine, but if you shop at stores that you probably already shop at, but go through their site, you get points, and for every 45 points you get, you can get a $5 amazon.com gift card. (You can get a bunch of other stuff, too, but since Mom is an amazon junkie, that's the only thing she cares about.) There are tons of stores to shop at, like Petco.com, Drs. Foster and Smith, and eBags, and Sierra Trading Post, and pretty much any other kind of store you could think of. In short, you get points for shopping, and searching, and they have contests and stuff. If you are on the computer a lot, like Mom is, it's a good way to get amazon gift cards! Mom's gotten $20 in gift cards, and is about to cash in for another $20.

And if you sign up using a referral from Mom, she gets some points too. So everyone wins. (And if you get your friends to sign up, you get points. It's kind of like a pyramid scheme, except everyone gets points). And I guess the search engine is a Google/Ask.com combination, so it's not like it is some hole-in-the-wall search engine. Anyway, Christmas is coming up, and everyone needs amazon.com gift cards, right?!? Okay, I'm done advertising for Mom!

Oh, she says that if you've got any questions, pee-mail her (through my profile), and she'll answer them, because she thinks it's a pretty nifty thing.

So many exciting things happening here!!!

So much excitement, so little time! MOM! You need to type faster!!!

First. This snow stuff. SNOW!!! Wow. This stuff is totally cool. Heehee. Yes, I think I'm funny!


Mom says that when I was Very Little, I was in snow before. I don't believe her. I mean, this snow stuff? I would have TOTALLY remembered it. And I don't remember it. So there is no way that I have seen snow before.
Fi - I beg to differ. You saw snow last November.


Mom says this is me. There is No Way that I was EVER that little. Or that fluffy. But apparently other people have confirmed that this is me. I am trying to get Johnnie Cochran to confirm or deny (or deny that he can't confirm) that this is me. Because I just CANNOT believe that that little Fluff Muffin is me. No Way. No How. And most certainly this isn't me.

I was NEVER that goofy looking. Never. Not possible.

Regardless. Yesterday's snow? OMD!!! Most definitely the most awesome stuff EVER. Admittedly, it took me a couple of tries to shift from being a rear-wheel drive dog to an all-wheel drive dog. I think the button was stuck.

Trying to figure out the all-wheel drive feature!

Note from Fi's Mom: Fiona has these HUGE rear legs, and if we were talking cars, we'd be saying this girl has about 14 inch tires on the rear wheels, with about 600 HP to the rear wheels. However, she's also got some serious 'grippage' on the front paws, as well. And when she puts it all together? Wow. This girl has power. And traction. And yes. I must admit, she took to snow an AWFUL lot faster than she took to water. So I guess we've got a snow dog. She was definitely thrilled with the snow. Who am I to argue with her?


So this snow stuff? BRING. IT. ON!!!

2nd note from Fi's Mom: We live at 7000 feet, and always get an early snow like this, and then typically it warms up and drys out for a while, and then we'll get slammed. But given Fi's strength and enthusiasm, I think it's time to look into skijoring. All of you Huskies: can you give us some hints? Pretty please?!? I think you might have an honorary Husky out here!

TaiChi, however, is slightly less excited about the snow. But at least she's got her heavy winter coat on!


And more excitement that same day?!? Mom was making dinner, and I was barking away, being the good alarm dog that I am. She thought I was barking at squirrels (me?), but when I didn't stop barking, she decided to take a look. And SEE!!! I was alerting her to something INTERESTING!!!

A red fox! How cool is that?!?

Okay. Enough of that. Winter is cool. And Mom and I went on a walk today. The snow has melted on only the east side of things, and it is still cold and all, but it was good.

But then. After the walk?!? Mom did a Mango-esque ROTE. And I. got. to. go. along.!!!!


Unfortunately, unlike Mango's Running Of The Errands (or whatever ROTE stands for), I Did. Not. Get. A. Cookie. I think this is totally unfair.

But Mom says that it is because we only went to the Post Office, and they don't give out dog cookies. The nerve! No cookies at the Post Office! I'd vote for raising postal rates if it meant that they'd start giving out dog cookies.

But, I got to go ride in the silver box Jeep. And Mom promises that now that it is cooler I'll get to ride along more. But I may need to talk to her about her choice of music. 80s and AC/DC. Oh and lots of twangy stuff that Mom got from Grandpa.

Time for me to go see what I can do about mom's iPod.

*kissey face*
-Fiona

Wordless Wednesday: The First Snow of the Season

Last Night in Pocatello

I wrote this last night, but Mom's been too lazy tired to post it. So just pretend that it is still Sunday night.

You are getting sleepy.... You think it is Sunday night...

Our final night in the House With Wheels for a while, so I'm savoring my moments on the couch, watching teevee:

(note from Fi's Mom: yes that is an IV bag - TaiChi gets fluids under the skin so she doesn't get dehydrated; with the couch there, the kitchen cabinet is the best place to hang it), harassing TaiChi and making sneak attempts at stealing cat food (note from Fi's Mom: somewhat unsuccessfully, but not entirely).

This weekend was Octoberfast (yes, I KNOW it's September; but you know humans - they don't ever seem to be quite on the ball); which is apparently a big rivaly autocross race between the Utah and Eastern Idaho regions. It is held every year at the Pocatello regional airport (which means that sometimes they have to stop the race so a plane can taxi on the side of tarmac) where the races are held.


Mom and Dad went two years ago when they were racing the Mini Cooper, and it snowed!!!! Mom and Dad were VERY happy that the Mini had a roof, and a windshield, and, best of all - says Mom - heated seats! (Note from Fi's Mom: Yep. The heated seats were HEAVENLY!!! It was COLD then!)

Mom in the Mini two years ago. For the record, this was the first time Mom ever spun a car. A front-wheel drive car, at that! Additionally for the record, this weekend Mom spun a front wheel drive car both days! Must be something about Idaho! Heehee!

This weekend, however, was nothing like that. Instead of snow, it was sunny and warm, and beautiful!

We arrived in Pocatato on Friday in the House With Wheels, and Uncle Charlie and his kids arrived shortly after we did with the Corvette in the trailer. Mom wasn't feeling well (she had a cold - she's getting better now), so she decided to hang out in the motorhome with us while Dad and Uncle Charlie did a practice session in the Corvette. Apparently the tires were a little more worn than they had thought, so after the practice session the tires were getting "thin".

Because this event is a BIG rivalry between Utah and Eastern Idaho, there were a lot of Utah people here, including a couple (Ed and Carolyn, for reference) who had offered on multiple occasions to let Mom drive the wife's car, a Chevy Cobalt SS (apparently is it "super-charged"- whatever that means). Wanting to help save the tires so that "the boys" (as Mom calls Dad and Uncle Charlie) could get as many runs out of them as possible, Mom asked Carolyn if the offer to drive her car was still open, and the answer was a resounding yes.

So on Saturday morning, Mom found herself driving the Cobalt. The last time we were up here in Pocatato, this summer (for, you guessed it.... Summerfast), when the Miata (aka The Grenade) broke, she drove another Cobalt. So it wasn't like this was the FIRST time she had been in a front-wheel drive car since the Mini, but her experience was limited.

Anyhoo, it turns out that Mom was the more experienced driver of the two women. Really. Seriously. Mom is actually more experienced than someone. Yeah, I can't believe it, either. So she ended doing stuff. Like checking tire pressures. And adjusting tire pressures when she didn't think they were right. You have to understand that in the past, Mom would sometime checks tire pressures, but she checked them to be whatever level she was told they were supposed to be. But this weekend? Mom actually made Her Own Decisions about tire pressures in an attempt to make a car run more to her liking. My. Mom. (!!!) This is just groundbreaking stuff for her!

And Mom clearly had a ball. She was giggling and smiling, and very obviously very happy.

So, after the first day, Mom was all excited about changes that she was going to make on Sunday to make the Cobalt run even better. It's a stock car, so there is only so much she could do. Besides, her knowledge is pretty much limited to tire pressures! But after the first day, Dad and Uncle Charlie had pretty much run the life out of the tires on the Corvette, and they weren't sure what they were going to do.

Ed, Carolyn's husband, has a new model Corvette, and had offered to let Dad drive his Corvette.


Dad in another Big Yellow Car. What is with these people and Big Yellow Cars?!? Oh. Yeah. Corvettes are SUPPOSED to be yellow. Porsches are red.


So Dad took him up on the very generous offer, and Ed even offered his car to Uncle Charlie, as well. I guess there were some set-up issues with the Corvette, too, so Dad and Uncle Charlie worked with Ed to get his car running better. And at the end of the day? It sure seemed like everyone had a good time, and I know Mom was very excited about learning and being an "example" this weekend. And she still got to hit cones, so she was happy! *grin*

Me? I had a great time!!! Because we were at an airport that is (or maybe was) a military base of some sort, there are all these little streets with no houses, and Mom took me on lots of walks.


And there was lots of pee mail to check!


And we played tug-of-war with the leash. Mom said she had to take this picture specifically because she wanted to post it on the internet so all my friends could see that I look like a doofus. THANKS, Mom! (Don't be surprised if I leave a present for you some cold morning! Teehee!)

And I got to bark at cars, and people. This car (an A Mod, for those of you who might wonder) broke in the test and tune on Friday, but the owners were around all weekend, and I got to bark at them a few times, since they were parked right in my teevee.

And yes, we have a little trash can by our door. That's because we are "responsible". (That's what Mom says, at least...)

It was REALLY fun. I'm so glad we came.


And here is Mom, being all artistic like. The airport is also a military base (I think - there were a couple of Hueys that landed on the second day - Mom was working and didn't get pictures, but it was an impressive sight, if somewhat chilling for some of the racers who had seen similar helicopters in, ah, less congenial environments), hence the barbed wire.

But there were plenty of places for me to walk around, and I was Quite Happy.


And so now, rather than getting home in the dark, Mom and Dad decided to spend the night camped where we were all weekend, and we'll leave in the morning. Now I'm off to harass TaiChi!

*kissey face*
-Fiona, The Autocross Dog!

Pee Ess. We are home now, and TaiChi and Bufus and I are snoozling, as any hard traveling people should do. My stummy is much better - after I saw the vet on Wednesday, I took some pills (covered in peanut butter - thanks, Mom!), and I didn't throw up again after I saw Dr. McDonald. But thanks for all the comments. And so you know, TaiChi and Bufus are traveling pros; we are happy to be home, but we are all really happy that we get to go with Mom and Dad when they travel. There is nothing better!

Mom's BACK!!!

Hi everyone!!! I'm BA-ACK!!!

And no, Mango, I'm not drinking "too much" coffee. Why would you think such a thing?!? (Did you forget that I'm half retriever? I can't help being a little, erm, excitable. Heehee!)

Mom made it back yesterday. Finally. She flew through North Carolina (and waved to The Herd - and she says she heard the 'woos' in response!) and then landed in Atlanta, Georgia. And then, well, you know what they say about "the best laid plans," right? Apparently, the plane she was supposed to take back home had, um, problems. I guess the "hi-drawl-icks" in the wing flaps had leaks or something. If she had taken AirFiona, she wouldn't have had these problems. (Given that AirFiona is strictly a 'fixed wing' based organization, and all.)



Mom had actually placed the call to the flight supervisor for AirFiona, and I had the rubber band wound up it all fueled up, and my flight plan almost filed when the air traffic controllers at Atlanta told me that it would be DAYS before I could get a scheduled landing time. Days! Can you believe that?!? I think that Delta is just trying to squash competition from us smaller, more nimble airlines. And, Mom called and told me that she'd be coming home on her "scheduled" flight. Scheduled, schmeduled. Did I mention that we at AirFiona are a proud airline? Yeah, I didn't think it needed to be said, either!

Anyhoo, after many hours delay, and the wings NOT falling off her plane, she made it home. FINALLY!!! Not that Dad didn't do a great job, because he did. But it was really nice to see Mom, since she was gone for SO LONG!!! And to make sure Mom knew how much I missed her, I tried to knock her down when she can up the stairs.

Oh, and to also let her know how much I've missed her, I threw up at 4am. And then again at 8am. (And to make the point clear, I have thrown up the last couple of days, so Dad would KNOW how much I missed Mom.) But Mom was a little worried, so she took me to the vet this morning after I threw up the second time. But the vet isn't worried; he thinks I maybe just ate something and once my stummy was upset, it just sort of stayed upset. So he gave me a shot than stung, and some pills that I'm supposed to take so that I won't throw up. Because while I REALLY missed Mom, I am not sure that cleaning the carpets is exactly what Mom thinks of as a sign of my love for her.

I made Mom sit down today and tell me all about her trip. And apparently, I have some cousins.

Here's my cousin Galen. She's a labradoodle, but Mom says she's smaller than me by quite a bit, but apparently at least as goofy. So she was the surrogate me, because Mom was going through "adoodle withdrawals".



Which I can totally understand. Because how could you NOT miss me?!?



And here's my cousin Tango. She's an older cousin, and apparently knows a good steak when she smells one.



Especially when my uncle is grilling it.

And in that same picture is my other cousin, Meringue, the cat. Mom says she didn't really get to meet her because she's a pretty aloof kitteh.

I guess I've got some human cousins, too, but, well, no offense, human cousins, but I was more interested in my furry cousins. But Mom's got some pictures of them, too, that she'll send out to the humans.

Oh! Yeah! And one other thing! We are going in The House With Wheels this weekend! There is a car race up in Idaho that Mom and Dad have had planned for a couple of months (pretty much since we raced up there last time). So, we are going to head up on Friday, and Mom and Dad will race The Big Yellow Car. Of course, I'll see if I can get some pictures of Mom and Dad while we are up there. But.... (say it with me) House. With. Wheels.!!!! Yay!!!

I'll try to get Mom to catch up on bloggies, but she is going to be busy packing for Idaho, so I'll do the best I can.

*kissey face*
-Fiona

A Brief Update: All is Well! (But still Out of the Office!)

Thanks to everyone for all your comments/concerns about me getting fed. All is well; Mom has just been busy staying up all night talking to Granny and getting no sleep doing Family Stuff, and I have been busy taking care of things at home, so I haven't flown out to visit her.

Oh, and for the record? Mom wasn't able to take AirFiona when she went out to North Carolina, because when I was doing the pre-flight check I noticed that we were Completely Out of dry roasted peanuts (and dog biscuits), and as EVERYONE knows, no plane is allowed to take off without its required allotment of dry roasted peanuts. So... Mom had to fly Delta. And she said something about being in steerage, surrounded by pigs and chickens. Or something. Anyhoo, I am hoping that I can have AirFiona up and running to pick her up tomorrow. Otherwise she will be subjected to Purgatory the Atlanta airport. Again. So I've got to make this quick and go back to working on the plane. (Maybe I should just get a new sheet of paper and start over...)



But to put your mind at ease, Dad has been Very Good about following his day-by-day instructions, and there have been No Issues with me getting fed (and I haven't even had to work on my pathetic "Feed Me" face!), and TaiChi and Bufus are being well taken care of, too. So all is Very Well on this front.

Mom has called regularly, and apparently she misses us quite a bit, because she's been spending time with my cousin Galen, a small labradoodle gal. Somehow she's been bred to be small; she's only like 35 lbs. Teeny!


And I'm not in the least bit jealous, because I know Mom is just using Galen as a surrogate me! There will be more pictures when she gets home!

But I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm not wasting away, and that Dad is doing a Great Job taking care of us all. Although he's ready to have Mom take the 2am TaiChi shift... *grin.

But thanks for all the invites and offers of food. When I get AirFiona up and running, I will see about visiting people - because I'd really like to visit Pawsylvania! Although Mom says she'll wave to the Thundering Herd when she flies by (again, maybe we can come back for a visit!)

More later!

Oh, and in the meantime, we'll follow Mango's suggestion of the Out of Office sign...



*kissey face*
-Fiona

Firing up the Rubber Band on AirFiona Again

Mom has been Very Busy the last couple of days. Washing clothes and buying dog food, and all sorts of tasks that have kept her Very Busy.

"What gives," You ask? I asked that same question:

Well. Apparently, Mom is going to North Carolina to visit Granny and Grandpa, and my uncles and their families.

She is, of course, taking AirFiona. Note: this is an artist's rendition, as Mom hasn't actually gotten on the plane yet. But she insisted on driving the plane. (Little does she know that the steering wheel is just for show!)


Needless to say, TaiChi and Bufus and I are a Little Concerned about being left with just Dad to take care of us. (No offense, Dad, but, uh, Mom is the one who has been feeding us.) However, Mom has left Copious Notes, as well as a day-by-day instruction list for Dad (which does, I saw, when I was checking her work, include "Feed Dogs"). So I have faith that if Dad reads Mom's detailed, day-by-day instructions, All Will Be Fine. *paws crossed*

Because I have AirFiona, I will be popping back to North Carolina from time to time while she is gone (she leaves Very Late Tonight - or Very Very Early Tomorrow Morning, depending on your perpsective) so that I can keep you updated. And to make sure that I get fed! Kidding, Dad!

More later, as I must start my pre-flight check.

*kissey face*
-Fiona