petra talk

Okay, it really annoys me when I talk to Motch and get ignored.

This happened just the other day when I needed something from this drawer. I couldn't open it myself, and I needed help.

And then of all things, she asked, "Petra, what's wrong?"

What's wrong?!

The drawer was stuck, shut tight, and I wanted it opened. How much plainer could I make it?

As you can see, I remained patient for quite some time, but eventually patience gave way to boredom (notice the yawn) and hunger, so I gnawed at a piece of wood and enjoyed the taste.

Guess I showed her.

summer and flowers

I've heard that exercise invigorates you, so I decided to take a walk outside and show you our flowers to get invigorated.This is a geranium. It's red. I like to poop beside it on the rocks. It looks like it needs more fertilizer, doesn't it?

And here is another geranium. It's not red and it doesn't need to be planted each year. Like magic, it just pops out of the ground when the weather warms up. It's beyond my reach so it's growing without my help. Imagine that!

On our deck sits this flower in a big pot. I like to chase the petals when the wind blows them off the plant.

This is Moose's favorite plant. The other day he came to see me and I walked over to say hi, and since he's so big, I walked under him. My timing was wrong. He lifted his leg and peed. On me. And then I was whisked into the house for a bath, and Motch was mad that she didn't have her camera to get a picture. Isn't she weird?

OK, the tour is over and so is my exercise for the day. Time for a nap!

happy birthday to josiah!

So my grandpa's birthday was last Saturday, and my boy's birthday is today!

I'm still trying to recover from the party last weekend, but I managed to give the birthday boy a snuggly hug, although I was too tired to smile.One thing I'm very thankful for is this: I'm glad he's not close to being 90 yet. I just couldn't take back-to-back parties like the one I just went through.

more party pictures

Here's a few more pictures of my grandpa's party. Everybody had jobs to do that day, and Leah's was to be the photographer while Hannah's job was to watch me. I was very cooperative while posing for this picture.

Note: this picture was taken before Hannah came. Leah let me take a closer look at the table (and I hate to admit that I wasn't quick enough to steal a piece of candy before I had to leave).

We hung out together and watched the beginning of the ballgame. Notice the grip Leah has on me; I am so loved! Then the party began and I was restricted to Hannah's side, and we even disappeared to the basement for awhile.

When the party was over, I got to play with Lenora. Just look how much she loves me. She is calling me and saying "Petra! I don't see you!" That's Fig coming up to say hi at the end of the video and do you know what she called Fig? She called Fig "the other Petra!" How cool is that? She's one smart little girl.

Then, when everyone went home, I found a quiet spot and rested my weary bones.

It just felt so good to lay my head on a pillow and enjoy a quiet moment.

90th birthday party

Well, the party is over, and it was a fun one, but it was hard on me. Over fifty people came to wish my grandpa a happy birthday, which means I had one hundred legs to walk around and in between.

When grandpa walked into the house, everybody sang to him!

When you're 90 year's old, you get three birthday cakes! That's my grandma telling my grandpa he only gets to eat one at a time, and he decided to eat this one first.

Grandpa's sisters came to celebrate with us. He is the oldest one in his family right now.

This is grandma again, and she's holding baby Adelia, who is the youngest in our family. She is little and very cute, and she didn't even notice me.

Speaking of noticing me....nobody did. I was monitored very closely all day by Hannah. She made sure everybody kept their shoes on their feet, and she didn't let me wander around and eat crumbs of cake on the floor.

After most of the people left, I got to play with Lenora. She is so fun! Lenora is almost 3 years old, and we played Strawberry Shortcake. I thought this game was about eating strawberries -- that's why I agreed to play -- but it wasn't.

All of the partying was too much for Adelia. She was sooooo tired. Believe you me, I know exactly how she felt.

This is me at the end of the day, being carried by Hannah, napping whenever and however I got the chance. I'm kind of glad that my grandpa will turn 90 just once in his life. It was a hard day for me.

My Grandpa's Birthday

Meet my Grandpa! He is turning 90 years old on Saturday! Can you believe that?! My mom and her brother and sisters are having a party for him, and around 60 people are coming to wish him a happy birthday. Here is a picture of him a l-o-n-g time ago. Isn't he cute?
And this is what he looks like today. He's still cute, and I love him alot.

Things are buzzing around here, and everybody is pitching in to help make this a special day for him. Leah gets to take pictures, but Hannah has a better job: she gets to watch me! I'm not sure what she'll watch me do, but with so many people coming, there's going to be lots of shoes around, and I love to eat shoes, whether people are wearing them or not. My new favorites are flip-flops because I can steal them right off of people's feet when they're sitting down. Woo! I can't wait for the party!

moments of joy

We just celebrated father's day, and as you know, I gave my dad a cookie and a card. They were wonderful gifts, especially that cookie.

Motch went shopping for my dad, too, and came home with two bags; one for her and one for him. They disappeared into the closet to work, but I didn't pay much attention to them because I was preoccupied on that lazy Sunday afternoon.

Oh, the pure delight of chewing a pair of leather boots! There's little in life that compares with it. And with a whole closet full of shoes at my pawtips, life was heavenly.
I am a pup of many talents (a musician and a cook, for starters) and now I've discovered another skill: I am a shoemaker. Notice the detail; what a masterpiece. Each shoe was given the same amount of attention as I slowly and carefully added my artistic touch. Magnificient, if I do say so myself.

Yes, life was good last Sunday afternoon, until I walked into the closet and found that all my shoes were gone. The floor was empty. Not a crumb of leather was left on the floor.
And then I looked up. That sneaky Motch and PA took my shoes and threw them in a bag and hung them on a wall.I saw PA take two pairs of his shoes and throw them in the garbage, but Motch kept her leather boots. She's a good mom; I can't wait to see her wear those in the snow next winter.

what we did on father's day

Besides that beautifully decorated cookie, I got P.A. a card. It made him smile when he opened it! I picked out this card by myself.

Don't you think the eye on the card looks like mine when I'm not sleeping?

And this is the inside of my "paws" card.

My mom bought my dad a bag that he hangs in the closet. He spent some time sorting through his shoes, and he even threw away two pairs because he said he couldn't wear them anymore. He wasn't too happy while he was working, and I stayed out of his way, but that's a story for another day.

happy father's day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! I hope you're having a fun day filled with happy things. Here is a picture of a cookie I gave to my dad. It's a little hard to read, but I think you can figure out what it says.

It looked good, but since it wasn't for me, I didn't get one little bite.

This is my dad, known as P.A., way back in November when I first came to live with him. He loves me alot, but sometimes he gets mad at me, like when I chew his leather shoes. It's a good thing I'm so cute, because he forgives me when I'm bad. I sure look innocent and sweet in that picture, don't I?

moving on

Thanks, everybody, for your words of encouragement and good advice. One of my wise friends asked if I ever heard of respecting my elders so that got me thinking. If an elder is someone who is older, then that would be Fig. But if an elder is someone who is higher in rank, then that would be me because I am the aunt. See?

I think the best solution to this problem is to show respect to Fig so that she will show respect to me. That sounds fair, doesn't it?

With this in mind, I, Petra Pot Pie, solemnly swear to let Fig eat her bones without trying to "share" them. That's my first step in showing respect.

That should be easy because I spend most of my time playing alone, anyway. Motch found a new toy for me at a garage sale and I love it, but I can't figure out what it is. It's fun to chew, though, and it won't be long until it joins my other oldies but goodies.

Socks, a Santa hat, and a beetle (now in 3 pieces). I've got some leather shoes that I'm working on, too, and I think you'll like the new and improved look. They need just a little more chewing and then I will show them to you.

come and listen to my story

Thank you, friends, for listening to my story. I am so glad that I can open my heart to you and share my deepest feelings, knowing you will understand. I can feel your sympathy as I look into your eyes during these trying times.

I hardly know what to say, or how to begin, so I'll just blurt it out. I'm very disappointed in Fig. Pure and simple --- that's it in a nutshell. Disappointed in Fig, my cohort in crime. Fig, the destroyer of couches. Fig, the daughter of Rowdy. Too often, she treats me like I'm a little sister. I feel disrespected as an aunt, but her aunt is who I am, and as such, I should be respected. True, I'm six years younger than her, but I'm still her aunt. No fault of my own, let me assure you; sometimes things just happen that way.

This video will explain what words cannot say. Please watch with me.

Fig needs to show respect to Aunt Petra by PLAYING. When she comes to my house, we play. We don't sit around and sleep, we play.

trying to stay cool

Remember my chewing stick? Guess what? It's not a stick at all. It's an umbrella. It's a lousy one, though, because it doesn't keep me dry when it rains. And it doesn't keep me cool in the sun, either, so it's really kind of useless (except for chewing on, I guess).Next to the umbrella, there is another worthless object. It's a drinking bowl, but I can't even reach it. You think someone woud be kind enough to put a chair or stool beside it so I could drink the water.
But oh, no. Motch just laughs at me and takes pictures while I'm trying to take care of my physical needs. I'm roasting in the heat and dying of thirst and what does she do? Snaps picture after picture.

I'm going to call the SSAP (or whoever) to file a complaint.

sleepy sunday

With temperatures in the 90's, P.A. and Motch didn't waste time getting our air conditioner fixed when it went out on Friday. The heat about did me in, so now I'm resting and enjoying the cool moment.

I hope you're all having a good weekend!

chewing tree

You'll never guess what stands outside my back door. It is a large stick stuck in the ground with a little nob poking out its side. I took a good look to make sure this was not a dream.And I took a little sniff. Just a little one.

Then I took a little bite and began to chew and chew and chew. This ranks as one of the best experiences of my life!

is summer here?

Wow -- it seems like we went from winter to summer. It's almost 90 degrees today, so I moved inside to cool off. You think we'd have the air conditioning on, but oh no, not yet.

At least I found something good to watch on tv: The Cubs!
They scored so many runs that I got bored, but I was lucky to find something to do for entertainment.

Look at those nails; are they pawsome or what?

Sleepy Sunday

Well, I did my part and didn't tell anybody about the wedding...and I must say, we sure surprised Joey and Tanner and everyone else who was there. They were happy to see us, though, and made us feel very welcome. There was plenty of food, and the cake was especially delicious. I ate way too much but enjoyed every bite. .

But now I'm back home, and the sun is shining, and it's nice and warm.

I can barely keep my eyes open...