Performance Evaluation

Okay, my personal assistant has recognized the error of her ways, has done her penance (in the form of feeding me some beefy strips last night), and has corrected her sub-standard behavior. So, I'll keep her on a probationary basis; if she continues to improve, I may take her off probation, but we'll see. As my granny says, "You can always lighten up, but you can't tighten up." In her day, Granny was Quite the Fearsome School Teacher. She could freeze kids in their tracks with her evil eye steely glance.

So um. I think I'll exit that topic gracefully.

On to the important stuff: SWIMMING!!!!

We went back to the park today (being dogs full of vim and vigor, Abby and I are much in need of daily physical activity, and it certainly doesn't hurt Mom and Dad to get off their lazy butts get outside and enjoy the good weather, so we go to the park pretty much every day).

I instructed my assistant that there was no need to take pictures of the walk, as pictures of our walk to the park can be found here and here if you have short-term memory loss. Instead, I felt that she should focus on the whole swimming thing.

We got to the park and headed to the pond. Here we are, waiting for Dad to throw the ball!

Alrighty! Let's get this show on the road!

Note how I have dashed right in, while Abby is wait for me to get the ball. Did I mention that she's still just a wader?


Got it!

Throw it again, Dad!


See how Abby stays in the shallows while I SWIM out to the ball?


Got it again! This swimming stuff is fun. Why didn't Mom and Dad let me do this sooner?!?


Heh. See how my little mutant puppy sister has to wait for me to bring the ball back because she hasn't figured out this swimming thing yet?


She wants the ball, she just hasn't quite made the 'leap of faith' yet.

But she's getting close. I think that a few more days of peer pressure and she'll be right there with me!


But for the moment, I rule the water!

Heehee. This is SO MUCH FUN!!!!


While we were at the park, we met another goldendoodle.

His name is Astro and he hasn't quite figured out the swimming thing, but he was interested.


And yes, he is a goldendoodle, despite his black color - Mom and Dad have met Astro's biological mother - he comes from very handsome parentage!

So it was a most excellent day, and I haven't fired Mom. Yet.

I can't wait to go back tomorrow!!!!

*kissey face*
-Fiona the Olympic Swimmer and Abby the Mutant Wading Puppy

This and That

First, I would like to say that I have been swimming!!! Like feet off the bottom of the pond and actually swimming!!!! In all fairness, the first time it happened, Dad had thrown the ball out Just Far Enough that I couldn't reach it just by standing on my tippy-toes. I took the next step, my head sort of went under the water - and I could hear Mom wondering whether she was going to have to jump in after me.... thanks for your faith in me, Mom... - and then it dawned on me that they didn't call it 'doggy paddle' for no reason, and so I started paddling. Just. Like. That!

But, my assistant failed to bring the camera with us for my maiden voyage, and today? Today I went swimming again (and while my pesky little sister hasn't actually been swimming yet, she's been wading in deeper and deeper because she wants MY ball; the nerve! But I bet she'll be swimming soon, too!), and did Mom have the camera?

Well, do you see any pictures of me in a pond? Yeah. Um. Mom charged the batteries on the camera, and then left it on the kitchen counter. It is Really Tough to find good help. You'd think in this economy personal assistants would be a bit more, ah, detailed-oriented if they wanted to stay employed. I'm just saying... Maybe a reprimand letter in her Permanent File would get her more organized?

So, just take my word for it. I've been swimming, and Abby the Pest is wading deeper and deeper into the pond in an attempt to steal my tennis ball. My personal assistant PROMISES she will get pictures. Let's just say that she's not getting her next pay check until I see some swimming pictures.

But, enough of that. While I'm not quite Olympic Champion level yet, I'm liking this frolicking in the water thing. And since I am WAY more interested in my ball than other doggies, Mom and Dad have decided to let me (and Abby the Pest, since she is also WAY too interested in my ball to notice anything else) off the leash, so I am free to frolic. Pretty cool stuff! And if I had some pictures, you could see how totally cool it is. *ahem* And for the record, I am pretty good off-leash; there have been other doggies around, and while I have been known to go investigate, I come running right back to my ball (and Mom and Dad).

I don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but the pond is over 2 miles from where we park the Box on Wheels, so we get a good walk going out, then Abby and I have the chance to get all nice and wet and possibly a wee bit muddy, and then we've got the entire walk back to dry off and de-mudify, so by the time we get back to the Box on Wheels we are all dry and clean, and we have the double bonus of a long walk and water frolicking. I ask you, can life get any better? Other than having pictures of it all, that is. I thought not!

Since I have no swimming pictures (and consequently, no hiking pictures), I am forced to show you what is going on at the House of Fiona. Mom and Dad are getting ready to put a new roof on the house. Don't ask me why, other than that bits of it keep ending up on the lawn, and apparently this is a Bad Thing. I guess it also has something to do with the fact that we have a wood shake roof, and since we live in a relatively high fire-risk area, Mom and Dad would like something that is a wee bit less flammable. Or something.

Anyhoo, before the roof work starts in earnest, some work had to be done to our chimney, so Uncle Larry has been making all sorts of noises in the back yard, and on the roof.


Here is the naked chimney - there was something 'not right' with the top bricks, so they had to all be taken off, and the chimney rebuilt up.

Here is Uncle Larry stomping all over the roof and making Much Noise for us doggies who would rather be napping.

See how tough it is to get comfortable when Uncle Larry is making all sorts of noises on the roof?!?

And do you see all these noise makers? Eeesh.


Seriously, you have No Idea how noisy it has become! But, the chimney looks much less naked now.


Much less exciting than pictures of us frolicking in the water, huh?

On that note, I'll leave you with a slightly blurry picture of me and the Mutant Puppy going at it...

*kissey face*
-Fiona the Swimmer and Abby the Mutant Puppy

Zoomies

Sorry for those of you who don't have the bandwidth to view video....
It's been really hot here (for us.... 90+ degrees in the mountains is HOT - especially when you don't have air conditioning, because, well, we live in the mountains), so Abby and I have been confining our zoomies to the hours when the sun is behind the mountains...



And for those of you who don't have video, here is a picture of my mutant puppy sister sucking up to the camera....

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Mutant Puppy

Wordless Wednesday: Bitey-Face Part #34,737

*kissey, erm bitey-face*
-Fiona and Abby the Mutant Puppy

PeeEss: Gah! Did I just share credit for this bloggie with my evil twin/mutant puppy sister? Arrrrrrgh!

PeePeeEss: I'm the one in the light blue collar, while my evil sister's collar is dark blue/black (quite befitting an Evil Twin, eh?), just in case you can't tell us apart any more. In some of these pictures, even I'm having a hard time picking myself out....

Birthday Walkies and Things

Okay, so my birthday was sort of low-key. Sort of. Mostly because I didn't want Mom to try to stick a party hat on my head... But.... My granny and grandpa sent me a gift certificate to Drs. Foster and Smith (which I was supposed to share with my mutant puppy sister... Umm. Yeah. I did. Sure. *nudge*nudge*wink*wink*) and Mom and I spent a fair amount of time doing some online birthday present shopping. So when my birthday presents show up, I will post pictures.

But, for my birthday, we did go on a walk...

C'mon Mom. Let's GO!

It's HOT. Let's keep moving.

When we got to the park, Mom and Dad thought that it might be day that I'd actually start swimming.

I have a 30-foot lead on because the park requires you to be on a leash, and because Mom and Dad weren't really certain how I'd take to the swimming thing...

I got brave for a while...

But that was as brave as I got. The lure of the tennis ball was not enough to convince me to take my feet off the bottom of the pond...

So, I kindly left the tennis ball for some other lucky (swimming) doggie.

Hey, I tried!

Who is that evil twin mutant puppy next to me?!?

In Fi's defense, we might have thrown the ball a little far out for her. We've got a ball on a string (so we can retrieve it, in case Ms. Half-Retriever opts not to), and we'll start her out with shorter throws and see if we can entice her into the water. Also in Fi's defense, Abby showed the same amount of interest in the water - she waded, but never quite swam.

Anyhoo, after our walk, there was much snoozling and my goofy sister took it upon herself to look goofy.


On Sunday, Mom and Dad had Another Car Race. It was about eleventy-billion degrees down in Salt Lake, so Abby and I stayed home with Jessi (The Woman Who is Teaching Mom to Feed Us Turkey Hotdogs) while Mom and Dad drove a Miata around a parking lot and failed to take any pictures.

Abby and I had WAY more fun. (Well, Mom and Dad seemed to have fun, but seriously. A parking lot? When it's a million degrees out? What-ever.)

Jessi brought along one of her doggies, a Bug (yes, a Bug - yes, that would be a Pug/Boston Terrier mix) named Lulu with her. We've met Lulu before, and despite being a very diminutive 10 lbs (seriously - she's all eyeballs) she has no problem getting into the fray with us. Mom didn't leave the camera, and so Jessi was only able to get one picture with her phone. Here Lulu has stolen one of our toys and is playing keep-away on the stairs before she sticks it under the kitchen table (where we can't get to it because both of us have surpassed the 50lb mark and are n0 longer squeeze-into-small-spots-to-get-things doggies...).

From Drop Box

It is always fun when Lulu is here, and so when Mom and Dad got home we were mostly worn out. Which was good, because Mom and Dad were really worn out from the sun, and from, uh, whatever it is that they do at these autocross events that wears them out so much...

Speaking of dogs squeezing under things, you might remember when my mutant puppy sister could squeeze under the bed:

She was doing this at 40+ lbs, and Mom and Dad were certain she was going to get stuck under there one day, so Mom bought some of those under-the-bed storage thingys so Abby couldn't get under the bed any more (and Mom miraculously found more closet space!). After a day or two of pouting, Abby got over it, and sleeps on top of the Big Dog Bed like a normal dog now (and hogs the pillows and blankets).

Anyhoo... In all of the excitement of swimming, and Lulu, and Mom and Dad car racing (with no pictures), Abby and I have still found much time for bitey-face.


Although, wow, the mutant puppy monster is getting BIG.

Can you believe that we came from the same parents? *sheesh*

But as the older, wiser, more beautiful sister, I will always have the psychological advantage!!!

I hope.

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Mutant Puppy

The Almost-Birthday Girl

So, guess what?!?

Tomorrow (Saturday) is my birthday!!! I'll be two whole years old! Two? When did that happen? Last time I checked, I was still a young pup.

Oh. Wait. You say I am a young pup, still? Okay. I can live with that.

At least Mom isn't going to try to stick a party hat on my head, like she did last year.

It didn't work out very well, I might add..

And thank heavens she's not going to get me a birthday cake. (This one looked pretty, but, uh, it sort of tasted like dirt. And while my mutant puppy sister might like eating rocks, I'm not so keen on the dirt-flavored thing...)

It was a nice idea, but, well, the execution part didn't work out so well. Here I am, passing judgment on the cake...


I actually preferred this cake much more....

It pretty much tasted like my 'real' birthday cake, but this one had a squeaker in it...

And I did get some pretty good loot last year.

Mom is saying something about me going 'swimming' tomorrow. I don't know about this swimming thing... I think Mom is feeling optimistic after my foray into the water a month ago

I did make an additional foray into the water today, so Mom thinks I'm ready to "make the leap" so to speak. Uh. Yeah. I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I'm going to get some pre-celebration beauty rest so I'm at my best for whatever Mom has (or doesn't have) planned!

*kissey face*
-Fiona, the Almost Birthday Girl (and Abby the Mutant Puppy)