Petra Rocks

almost spring

2010-03-07T19:55:00.003-06:00

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

It's warming up, and I don't see a speck of snow on the ground.

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!

Come on spring!

wordless wed. a day late

2010-01-14T16:13:00.002-06:00

snow snow snow

2010-01-07T11:59:00.006-06:00

Snow started falling at 7:30 last night, and we woke up to see the deck covered in 4 inches of snow.

We sent Hannah out to shovel a path for us.
She worked really hard as the snow kept falling.
We took a deep breath and took a run for it before we lost our bravery. It was nasty out there!
The forecast calls for 8 inches of snow and winds of 35 mph starting tomorrow; I'm bummed already. I hope you are all staying safe and warm while this winter storm moves through the nation. Brrrrrrr!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T17:52:00.002-06:00

I know I'm early, but I don't want to be late, so I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year!

We've got some snow here, and we're supposed to get more, so my plan is to stay inside and take it easy as the New Year approaches.

christmas spirit

2009-12-27T18:37:00.009-06:00

Christmas Day!

I thought it would never come, but it did! And I was nice, all the way up to Christmas morning and even throughout the day.And so I got a present! Even though it was for me, I was good and shared with Fig and Tad.
The Santa was so much fun to chew. If you read Tad's blog, he'll say it was his gift, but it wasn't. It was mine, but I was good and let him think it was his.

Then this cute little girl came to visit, and I said it was okay for her to get in the crate.
She pretended to be a dog and said "woof" in a funny kind of way.
We had a little snow and I shared my pillow with Tad and my rug with Fig.
And I shared my love with my aunt. I snuggled in and let her hold me really tight. I hope you all had a very merry Christmas, too!

WE ARE FULL OF HOLIDAY CHEER

2009-12-23T20:46:00.002-06:00

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Fa la la la laaaa, la la LA LAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(singing at the piano)

December 21

2009-12-21T18:25:00.007-06:00

Hey! Are you guys as excited as me?

Presents are piling up under the tree, and I'm trying to figure out which ones are for me.

Team effort is required to read the tags, so Fig and Tad keep watch while I scope out what's way in the back.
What does this say? Better be good, better watch out, better be nice cause Santa is coming to town?

Yikes! I'm heading to the manger to take a nap and praying for a silent night. I can't blow it when Christmas is just 4 days away.

christmas time

2009-12-09T18:53:00.013-06:00

Christmas at our house means baking and frosting cookies.

These sugar cookies take TIME, and I mean lots and lots of time.

I used to get bored and take naps while baking was going on because I never get any cookies to eat, but this year things changed.

Thanks to Fig, I learned that food is available in places other than the kitchen.
Take a look at this tree. There are BERRIES to eat! And PINE CONES!

And GINGERBREAD boys!

We had a small problem, but it didn't take us long to solve it.

Fig can work miracles!

in hiding

2009-12-01T18:28:00.004-06:00

Can you see me? I love it here. It's Tad's crate, and it sits in the kitchen in direct sunlight.

Since T-Pole has some "naughty, bad dog" tricks, Motch is taking no chances. It's a new rule that came into effect when he moved in: when the last person leaves for the day, Tad goes to jail because Motch doesn't want any puddles and droppings in the house. (She says to thank you, Fleas Gang, for being concerned that I don't pick up his bad habits.) Tad doesn't think it's so bad to get locked up because he gets a carrot --- and then he doesn't howl.

But when he is free, it's my turn! I like it in here! Sometimes Fig and Tad are a bit too much for me, and I like my space. Before they came, I was alone for most of the day, and I liked it that way. So when I get the chance, I slip inside and enjoy the quiet and solitude.

Pretty perceptive on the part of Petra Pot Pie, wouldn't you say?

gone way and furever too long

2009-11-24T11:57:00.004-06:00

Oh my goodnes, I just don't know what to say. There is no excuse for being gone for so long. None whatsoever. No family crisis. No personal issues. Not a word to say. Motch has been lazy, lazy, lazy and that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

To catch you up on some news: my grandma is home from the nursing home and doing okay, except she's not as strong as she thought she'd be by now. She's kind of discouraged about that. She's coming to our house for Thanksgiving, and I think I'll let her share her food with me to cheer her up.

Speaking of home, that's an area that has expanded where I live. Hannah and Leah and FIG and TAD are ALL living with me right now! I'm learning new things from them; every so often you'll hear ME growl first when someone rings the doorbell.
I'm still the littlest one, and I'm learning to take care of myself. It's hard work, and I don't get as much sleep as I used to, so I walk around with droopy eyes alot. Both girls have both modified their beds so that I can climb up and down on them (they got tired of listening to me chirp when I was left behind). My appetite is growing, too, because if I don't eat my food, guess who will? So I eat twice a day now, really fast...food that I didn't like a month ago.

Anyway, enough rambling for now. I am happy, life is good, and I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

nightly walks

2009-08-12T09:09:00.010-05:00

My walks begin like this. I get carried across the prairie grass which grows taller than me and makes me itch. I know it doesn't look like much in this picture, but this photo is deceiving and it really is TALL grass.

Then I'm lowered to the ground and freedom rings!

This is Zoe, one of my new friends. He looks like an oreo cookie, and I'm trying to see if he smells like chocolate.

No, he's all dog, but he sure looks good enough to lick.

And this is Nugget. Doesn't he remind you of Paris Rains?

Nugget is a strange one. When his dad hits a ball into a hole, he just sits down beside him instead of chasing the ball. So although he looks like Paris, I don't think he acts like her. And then my walks end like this, where I collapse on the floor or in somebody's arms. Life is good!

leash rash

2009-08-06T08:42:00.004-05:00

I love my walks, and we take them almost every night. Usually they are happy and uneventful, but the other night, Motch felt the wrath of my leash. It looks a little nasty.

When I run in circles, she needs to stay out of the way. Maybe adding jumping rope to her exercise routine would help?

At least there are no red marks on ME!

first place

2009-08-05T12:05:00.002-05:00

YESIREEEEEEE! My Cubbies are in first place!

goodbye my friend

2009-07-28T08:41:00.008-05:00

Well, it is a sad day for me. My beloved chair is being removed from the bedroom and dragged into the front hall.

Its next stop with be on the curb, and I really don't understand why. It is a tad bit frayed, but I spent many months pulling each thread with love and affection. With intention. On purpose.

This chair is to me what Cowboy Pig is to Joe. Why can't Motch put it in a cupboard and pull it out on special occasions like Joey's mom does?

She has already replaced it with this old thing, and I'm not very happy about it.

therapy dogs

2009-07-23T11:45:00.004-05:00

We've been spending lots of time visiting Grammy, who is in rehab at the nursing home. She's working hard and enjoying her therapists, especially those cute ones.
When I was there the other day, I met some therapy dogs, but I can't remember their names. Do you see the treat on this one's paw? He didn't eat it until he was told he could. All of the dogs did tricks like this, and it made people smile.

No smiles from me, though. I wanted that thing!

happy friday!

2009-07-17T11:02:00.004-05:00

Hey Everybody! Look at the card Mack made for me! Isn't it PAWSOME?! Thank you, Mack! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Just 2-year-old Petra saying have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-07-14T11:41:00.015-05:00

Yes, today is the big day: my 2nd birthday! Can you believe I'm 2 already?

Can you think of a better way to celebrate than with frosty paws?

With Fig and Tad?

Figgy ate hers so fast that she came and helped me finish mine.

I went to visit Grammy at the nursing home on this happy occasion, too.

She was happy to see me and happy that the Cubs split the series with the Cards over the weekend. She loves to display her W towel on her wheelchair. And just look at the lovely flowers that are stuck in the top of her wheelchair handle. Pretty cool, huh?!

Tad went with me and he had fun sniffing legs.

I liked sniffing cracker crumbs that fell to the floor.

There's no doubt that Grammy loves me!

And I love her! This is the first time she held me, last November, on my gotcha day.

And now I'm 2!

motch's favorites

2009-07-11T12:47:00.018-05:00

OK, bear with me. I'm being nice to Motchie in hopes that I'll get some special treats on my birthday which is Tuesday. With that in mind, I'm letting her post the last photos of Switzerland, then we'll get back to ME and what this blog is all about.

From Zurich, they went to St. Moritz and stopped at Fluela Pass for a photo shoot. The mountain's reflection in the water is pretty amazing!

Edelweiss grows high in the alps, so the only time they saw it was in village shops. The cost for this one was 38 swiss francs (about 38 dollars).

The snow was melting and flowing from the mountains to little streams in every town. It was moving fast and made a lot of noise.

You've already seen the Matterhorn, but this picture was taken early in the morning when it was more visible. There is a cemetary in Zermatt, the village where they stayed, honoring those who lost their lives when climbing this mountain.

While on their way to Geneva, they saw Byron's Castle of Chillon. Although it's pretty, it would have been a scary prison.

This is Chapel Bridge in Lucerne. They spent a lot of time exploring this old city and shopping for watches and swiss chocolates (which, by the way, are already gone and not a morsel dropped into my mouth).

In Geneva, they took a boat ride to Yvoire, France, and then explored this quaint little village. You can see how steep and winding the roads were!

Motch snapped picture after picture of houses like this. Flower boxes filled with geraniums were the standard, and most of the geraniums were red like the swiss flag. The country was clean and quiet.

From Lucerne, they took a train to Rothrist, a small little town where Motch's grandpa was born. He was just 2 when his mom died, and she was buried in the cemetary at this church. I'm sure I could have climbed the steps much faster than Motch to get to the top.

But here's proof that she made it!
All of the cities and small towns had places where you could fill your water bottles or just take a drink. This water fountain is in Lugano. Motch thought she was in Italy when she was here because everyone spoke Italian and the structure of the buildings and city lay-out was Italian. And yes, she even had gelato ice cream here (several times) but I'm not letting her post a picture because it makes me hungry.

All good things must come to an end, and so did her vacation in Switzerland. She felt right at home at O'Hare and reminded herself that it was good to be back on U.S. soil.
I was glad to have the wanderers home, but I can't say I was too bored or missed them too much. Leah took excellent care of me and even held me tight when I quivered through the thunderstorm and fireworks!

So ends the tour of Switzerland, and that's fine with me because now we can focus on the next important event which occurs on July 14, my 2nd birthday!

favorite pics of switzerland

2009-07-10T19:06:00.011-05:00

Motch and P.A. are back from Switzerland and life is returning to normal. I thought I'd take a few minutes and share some of my favorite pictures of Switzerland with you. This is a little red train that took them through the Bernina Pass so that they could see the Alps up close.
Everywhere they looked they saw mountain streams and lakes and waterfalls. The snow at the tip of the Alps met the clouds and they kind of melted together.

Cows grazed on the countryside throughout the land. It's kind of hard to see, but they all wore cowbells.

They visited a rural community in a horse drawn carriage and listened to yodeling music as they rode along. One of the highlights of their trip was taking the train to a small town called Rothrist where Motch's grandpa was born and where his mom died and was buried.

They visited big cities, too, and this is Berne. It means "bear" in German, so I like this town. They usually have bears that live in a zoo-like setting called the bear pits, but it is being remodeled right now so Motch didn't see any bears.

But they did see a dog playing with a stick. It went too far down stream and he couldn't swim back to his owner because the current was too strong. Pretty soon his owner rescued him and pulled him out of the water with the stick.

Then he took the stick and swam with it in his mouth to the steps, where he carried it to the top. Then his owner took it and threw it in the water again and again. He was having fun!

They took a cable car to the Matterhorn which is the highest mountain in Switzerland (can you see it in the background?), and then they got their picture taken with Heidi and Minnie! After the pictures were taken, the dogs got treats. Motch loved these guys because they were so sweet and gentle.

They sure look like good rescue dogs, don't they?

While they were walking the streets of St. Moritz, Motch said hi to these dogs and their owner asked if she wanted to take a picture. He was especially proud of this dog because he has blue eyes. Motch couldn't understand the dog's name. What do you think we should call him? Fritz?

OK, that's all I have time for right now. I'll let Motch share some of her favorite pictures next.

Happy Birthday Grammy!

2009-07-07T22:53:00.005-05:00

There will be a post about Switzerland coming soon, but I need to make an important announcement first. Today was Grammy's birthday! Leah's is coming up too, so we continued our tradition of celebrating both of them together.

I went to visit Grammy later tonight and she shared some of her birthday cookies with me!

I wouldn't give her kisses at first because I was too distracted, but then she came up with an ingenious plan where we could share kisses and cookies at the same time!

She's the best! Happy birthday, Grammy!

grammy

2009-07-03T15:34:00.021-05:00

Hi everybody! Sorry I haven't updated, but Leah was here with me this week. Motch will get back soon and should be back to blogging for me by Monday. We have good news though - Grammy's back surgery went "perfect" according to the surgeon! She is now rehab'ing in a nursing home, where she's been since Monday. And guess who went to visit her today?Whaaaaaaaaaaattssssuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuppppppppp?!??!?!??

At first I wasn't sure about the place. I wouldn't walk in all by myself and had to be carried because it was kinda scary.

I was so happy to see Grammy! I haven't gotten to see her for a while now.
She gave me treats,
I gave her kisses,
we posed for the camera,
and we cuddled...

Then I got to go back with Grammy when she did some of her therapy! Here I am with her in the therapy room, giving her some much-needed support and distraction and cuteness...
She gets little electric shocks into her back, so I'm glad I was there to help her with that.
I also walked down the halls with her. She's making excellent progress and walked farther today than she ever has before! But all that hard work gets really tiring....

I needed a break. One of my favorite things about visiting Grammy there is that there is a trail that runs right by the building! It's perfect for mini-walks when I need a little potty break.
There are lots of bikers on the trail though, unlike my golf course trail I usually walk on. They were pretty scary so I kept to the areas where I could check my pee-mail.
I wanted to keep walking but we had to obey the sign so we stopped and turned around and went back and resumed our visit.
I made tons of new friends - especially people who had Bostons at one time. One of them even took pictures of me and wanted to make sure I came to see her again before she leaves next Saturday!

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts and prayers. Grammy is doing incredibly well and we're all so proud of her!

And I almost forgot - Happy 4th of July! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

busy busy

2009-06-25T10:22:00.006-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BOY!We celebrated last night, and all I've got to say is that Fig took matters into her own hands to make sure she was happy on his special day. Tadpole and I were thoroughly impressed.

Grammy couldn't come to the party because she's not feeling well. She has spinal stenosis and her lower back is causing her so much pain that she can't walk without a walker and is on pain meds 24/7. She is having back surgery tomorrow, so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. I hope she gets well soon so I can play with her and chew the giant rawhide that's waiting for me at her house.

Motch's grandpa and grandma were born in Switzerland and sailed across the ocean to come live in America. My grandpa (Motch's dad) always wanted to go there to visit but never made it. So guess who is going instead? Motch and P.A.! I'm not as lucky as Asta, who got to go to Rome; I have to stay home, but I can't complain because....

LEAH IS STAYING WITH ME! I'm going to be a good girl for her and not bother her too much and let her sleep till noon and not beg for treats or whine or complain when she ignores me and sleep under the covers on top of her at night and give her a zillion kisses and let her take me on walks and all kinds of other stuff. Wooooo!

bouncing along

2009-06-23T09:19:00.006-05:00

A new ball to play with!

Notice how quickly I pull the squeaker out of the ball and spit it on the rug.

Oh happy day!

nightly walk

2009-06-17T14:12:00.012-05:00

About 7 PM, I get to go on my nightly walk. We walk on the path in the golf course behind my house because by that time, the golfers are gone.

If we go too early, I might get hit by a white flying ball, and that would be bad.

It usually takes half an hour to make the big loop, but here is where we start.

This is our first stop on hot days because I can rest in the shade. You can tell it's hot because my head is drooping like a wilted flower.

Sometimes I find bugs to eat at this rest stop. Protein helps keep my energy level up for these stenuous walks.

And when the golfers aren't looking, I can sneak a cool, refreshing drink of water.

It tastes mighty good on a hot day.

And then I'm ready to go again! Last night the Cubs were playing so I didn't get to take a long walk; instead, I had to take a shortcut. That means we make the loop shorter by walking on the sidewalk back to my house instead of walking on the golf course.

The best thing about the shortcut is that I can check my peemail on the way home. I love summer and walkies!

frolicking in the yard

2009-06-16T09:42:00.013-05:00

We planted some flowers and a plant in our yard last weekend. Come with me and I"ll show you, but hang onto your hats because this will be quick. Ready...set...GO!

This is a burning bush that will grow to be bigger than me but for now it's little and has to wear a cage so the rabbits don't eat it. That's me in the right corner, moving to the next object of interest.

This is a moonbeam coreopsis flower that Motch likes and it will produce these yellow flowers all summer long.

OK, that's it! We're done; let's get outa here!

Hahahaha! This is so much fun!

And I'm such a good girl.

saturday

2009-06-13T14:44:00.004-05:00

Just checking in to say hi! I hope you're enjoying the weekend. I'm watching the Cubs lose right now. After that, I hope to go for a walk to relieve the stress.

scruffy dog collar

2009-06-11T08:45:00.008-05:00

Whoopeeeeee! A package came in the mail for ME, Miss Petra Pot Pie! Tibby and her mom are making collars, so I decided I needed a couple. It took awhile to figure out the fabric I wanted because there are so many to choose from, but I knew for sure that I wanted a pink clasp.
I really wanted to play with the collars because they are one of my favorite chew toys, but this little tuggie game didn't last long.
While PA adjusted the length, I did a little dance and tried to help.
And then I held still and was very quiet while he put it on. That was hard work, but I did a good job and got a treat afterwards.

What do you think? How do I look in this collar?

And this one? They are pretty snazzy, aren't they? Check out Tibby's collars yourselves; you'll be glad you did!

http://www.scruffydogcollars.blogspot.com/

the yogurt experiment

2009-06-08T15:37:00.006-05:00

So it was time to eat again and the food was put on the floor. Dull, dry, boring kibbles.I didn't know how I could make it more plain to Motch that I don't like this stuff! After a few minutes of standing like a statue, Motch remembered your advice on how to spruce up the kibbles, so she took my bowl and went to the refrigerator.

I'm telling you, the food looked like an ice cream sundae with that white, lush yogurt running all over, under and through the kibbles. One bite and I was hooked!

It was so good...to the very last slurp!

Thanks so much for the suggestion, pals. I'll never eat plain kibbles again!

LOST MY FRIENDS!

2009-06-05T11:51:00.002-05:00

I can't believe this. Motch was messing around with my blog and accidently deleted my friends list. I will patiently wait while she tries to correct the problem. Geesch!

friday!

2009-06-05T08:29:00.008-05:00

It's Friday, which means the weekend is almost here! That also means I'll have more time to be outside and soak up the sun.

Time to wander around the yard and supplement my diet with fiber.

You all know how I feel about my kibble, but grass is another story, and I LOVE it!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

yucky food

2009-06-01T09:02:00.005-05:00

I'm really not a picky eater, it's just that I don't like my kibbles. Sam's Yams and treats and carrots and peanut butter make me happy.
When Fig and Tad come over, I immediately eat the food in my dish because if I don't, they will. Occasionally my dish is moved to the living room because a change in scenery sometimes helps improve my appetite.

Yesterday I had a picnic on my deck, just to see if the food tasted better outside.

And it didn't. Eating outside calls for wallymellon and frosty paws, certainly not kibbles! Yuck.

i love bugs

2009-05-26T12:59:00.005-05:00

Look very closely. Do you see it?

It's small and black and protein supreme.

What do you think? Should I go for it? I mean, really?

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

grammy is sweet

2009-05-20T09:17:00.006-05:00

Roses are red, violets are blue, Rawhides are sweet, and Grammy is, too!

Can you believe the size of this thing? It's almost as big as me! It took me so long to lick the pink stuff off of it that I didn't have time to play with Grammy's bear collection, which just happens to be the most fun thing to do at her house.

If I ever doubted it before, I know for certain now that Grammy is the BEST!

wordless wednesday

2009-05-13T11:50:00.002-05:00

happy mother's day

2009-05-08T14:36:00.003-05:00

To all the mothers out there, furry or furless, here's a BIG KISS!

Happy Mother's Day on Sunday!

spring routine

2009-05-06T09:09:00.006-05:00

Oh, how I love the warm sunny weather.

The perfect place to nap is on the deck. The rays feel so good as they warm my body.

Sometimes I have to stretch to see who is in the back yard.

And I check on the rabbit under the deck to see how he is doing. I jump between the slats and then beg to get picked up since I can't jump back up.
And then it's time to come inside for another nap.

Yawn...see ya later!

will work for food

2009-05-01T08:34:00.011-05:00

Some of you were asking if I got a bite of the birthday cookie. The answer is NO, I did not.

I got no closer to the food than this. Nobody was willing to share, and it's not because there wasn't enough food. So......Fig, Tad and I came up with a plan.

We decided to go all out and work for food.

Fig went to work first, and it took a lot of concentration for her to lay still on her back in such a vulnerable position.

Tadpole went next, and he had a harder time.

PPP was number 3, and with great effort, I focused on relaxing in Hannah's arms.

All of this work, and none of us got a nibble of the birthday cookie and even worse, not a smidgen of Grammy's strawberry pie.

Next time we're going to steal for food.

ppp in disguise?

2009-04-29T15:35:00.006-05:00

Question: does this pup look like me with dyed, longer hair and floppy ears? I think so, too, but it's not me. It's CUBBIE (Motch's pekingese). He came after her monkey, and in my opinion, was a big improvement because he wasn't wild and also and more importantly because his nose was smashed like mine.
But I'm still cuter, don't you think?

happy birthday pa!

2009-04-28T08:44:00.007-05:00

Happy Birthday to PA today!

Figgy and I paid homage to this wonderful man in our lives, one who is worthy of our full attention.

He is one special guy. There is no one else in the world like him. He is kind, tenderhearted, merciful. He is compassionate towards the hungry and needy.

We repeat: he is merciful to the hungry and needy. The HUNGRY and needy.

Unfortunately, due to his age, he must be losing his hearing and probably needs an eye exam.

happy birthday motch!

2009-04-24T16:50:00.005-05:00

Happy birthday TODAY to Motch! I woke her up early and let her take me for a walk on this bright sunny day.

Grandpa always said the best time of the day is early in the morning, and I believe him!

He built lots of birdhouses and this one in our back yard has some birds building nests in it. If I were just a little taller, I'd pay them a visit.

After all the fuss of shopping for a present, I ended up getting her some flowers and a cookie.

Then, because I'm so loving and affectionate (not), I gave her a big birthday hug!

And then she took off with PA to spend the day shopping with Grammy and Leah. And left me behind. All alone. They came back and I had to listen all about their fun day, and how good the strawberry pie was that Grammy made for Motch.

In a few minutes, Tad and Fig and Hannah and Aunt Kay and Uncle Bob are coming over so we're gonna have fun. I MIGHT just get a bite of the cookie if I'm lucky...if someone (Grammy) accidently (!) drops some crumbs on the floor.

birthday shopping

2009-04-22T12:14:00.010-05:00

We have a birthday on Friday, and this special day belongs to Motch!

I asked Leah to take me shopping, so we jumped in the car and drove to a store not far from my house.

I wanted to find the perfect gift, and I thought I found it right away. We have one of these living under my deck. Why not have one inside, too? I was almost ready to make my purchase, but then I saw this fellow.

He was really cute, and he wasn't even afraid of me. I opened my wallet to see if I had enough money to buy him, too, when something moving behind me caught my eye.

Take a look! Little miniature bass fish like PA just caught! If I bought one, PA wouldn't have to go looking for fish anymore! And his birthday is just 4 days after Motch's. Hummmm.....

As I tried to decide what to do, I glanced across the aisle and found all of these toys. Another possibility...
As I was deep in thought about the birthday gift, I turned around and looked up at a giant 3 ft beefy joystick. Forget the living things, food always takes priority. Wouldn't Motch just love these?

I just couldn't decide what to do.

I hate to admit it, but I shopped till I dropped and went home with nothing. No problem, though, her birthday isn't until Friday.

something's fishy

2009-04-21T08:17:00.011-05:00

Take a look. This is me in PA's boat.

I don't spend much time in it; it just takes up space in our garage.

The other day, though, PA took it away, and when it came back, it smelled fishy.

I took a stroll to try to figure out where the smell was coming from.

And look what I found! PA said it was a big old 6 pound bass!

He was so proud of his catch! It was about as big as me. He decided to take it to a pond close to our house so that other people could have fun catching it, too. I was just glad it didn't wiggle around when it was being measured.

Now this is something that can't be measured: the love my grandma has for my grandpa! Today would have been my their 63rd wedding anniversary. This is their engagement picture. Aren't they cute?
Here is their wedding picture and their 60th wedding anniversary picture. I know this will be a sad day for grandma, but she was sure lucky to have him in her life for so many years!

petra's bug

2009-04-17T08:14:00.008-05:00

Sometimes my toys end up under the couch, and then I cry and whine. Eventually someone lifts the couch so I can crawl under it to get back what belongs to me.

But today I struck gold!

Black gold!

Oh my dogness, it was so much fun to pick up the bug, roll around, spit him out ~~ and do it again and again and again and again!

And then I just couldn't resist letting him slide down my throat.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

making grammy smile

2009-04-15T08:05:00.006-05:00

This was our first holiday to spend without my grandpa, and grammy came for lunch. She said when she tried to eat, there was a lump in her throat, but I'm not sure what she meant. I had a lump in my throat once because a piece of rawhide got stuck, but she wasn't eating rawhide.

We tried to cheer her up by being loving and kind. Tadpole sat on her lap and gave her a kiss. His hidden motive was to take a slurp of her coffee, but unfortunately for TP, it didn't work.

Figgy's kisses made her smile.

Then it was my turn to snuggle up, and I lovingly gave her a big kiss.

And because I'm such a good girl, I gave her a nice hug, too. We hope we made the holiday a little happier for her because we sure love her alot!

easter surprise

2009-04-13T08:48:00.008-05:00

I hope you all had a happy Easter!
This is the best Motch could come up with for my Easter picture. I was not having it.

On Friday night, Timmy came to visit! He is a little 5 month old Bichon-Poo, and his owner said he needed a new home because he was too much work, so Hannah and Motch brought him to our house.

When he saw me, his tail wagged and we had lots of fun playing together.

He was pretty quick, but not as fast as me!

He went to visit Grammy because we thought she might like to adopt him. She liked him,and quickly changed his name to Teddy because she thought he looked like a teddy bear. He was cuddly and slept on her lap.

But the next day, his owner called and was crying and wanted him back. She said they would try to get him housebroken and spend more time with him. I guess having him gone overnight made them realize they didn't want to part with him.

So ends my story. I have my paws crossed that they will take good care of him because he deserves a good home.

spring? really?

2009-04-07T08:32:00.009-05:00

YEA! The Cubbies won yesterday, with the blast of a homerun from Soriano to start off the game!

It was a great way to end the day, especially when it started out like this. At first I thought I saw a blanket of cotton from the Easter bunny, but one step outside brought me to my senses. Don't my pawprints look BIG?

The snow shovel is back in the garage because we're not supposed to have snow in spring, so Motch didn't even shovel a path for me when I went to the rocks to go potty.

No trips to the far back yard in weather like this. I came back in a hurry.

I decided that the best thing to do on a day like this was to go back to bed...

and dream of better days to come.

springtime

2009-04-02T10:09:00.009-05:00

Spring means flowers blooming and trees budding. Warm breezes and sunshine. Longer days and shorter nights. Walks. Birds singing and green grass. All of the things I love.

And one of my loves is baseball! Opening day is Monday ~~~ GO CUBS!

There are so many things to do and enjoy, and life is more fun when it's shared with friends.
Nottie Scottie just sent me this beautiful friendship rose award and I love it! Thank you, Scottie my friend! I'm passing it on to Lady Kaos and Ozzie and Rocky.

moneky business

2009-03-31T13:44:00.009-05:00

Joey and Tanner's dad's first pet was a dog named Fairbanks and he was such a good pet that their dad loved dogs ever since. Guess what Motch's first pet was?

He was a squirrel monkey named Tony! That's Motch holding him, sitting with my grandpa and my aunt. Motch is making that scrunchy face because he was a WILD monkey and didn't like to cuddle or sit and he never behaved.

I'm glad he wasn't a good pet; otherwise, she might have stuck to monkeys and never moved on to dogs like me. Just look how cuddly I am and how I make her smile!

basketball madness

2009-03-29T15:34:00.004-05:00

Yes, March madness is happening, and for those of you who don't care, that's probably a good thing.

I'm trying to comfort my family members whose teams are losing by cuddling up to them but they just ignore me.

There are more frowns than smiles at my house this weekend. Don't tell anybody, but I'll be glad when they go back to work tomorrow and this madness is OVER!

march madness

2009-03-27T10:44:00.006-05:00

March madness basketball will be on the tv screen at my house this weekend. Once again. The only good thing about it is that fericious Fig and Tad terrific might come over to play.

It won't take long for Tad to jump on someone's lap and take a nap.

Eventually, Fig will follow.

And even I, yes, persistant Petra Pot Pie, will settle down as the sound of squeaky shoes lulls us all to sleep.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

dessert

2009-03-26T09:11:00.003-05:00

Our plants and flowers are just beginning to pop up here in central Illinois, and you never know what you might find in them. They definitely have to be inspected.

But there's nothing like some good old grass to settle one's stomach after chewing on twigs and other spring delights. Yum!

ah...springtime!

2009-03-24T10:00:00.007-05:00

Warmer weather is here, and I love to go outside. I usually have to be tied up because I have a tendency to run to the far back yard where there's flying birds and sometimes golf balls.

But even when restrained, I can entertain myself.

Take, for example, the remains of a geranium from last year. The twigs are fun to snatch and bring into the house, but when I'm being closely monitored, my plans are spoiled.

Notice the open door? I definitely prefer it to be open so I can come and go as I please. Branches make nutritious snacks, wouldn't you agree?

spring has sprung!

2009-03-20T11:57:00.003-05:00

It's a special day, first of all because it's my Aunt Kay's birthday and then because it's the first day of spring! I've already been outside exploring and am happy to tell you that I've found some new sticks to chew. It looks like the snow and cold weather didn't scare away the rabbit who lives under our deck; I've seen him a few times and am waiting for him to come play with me.

Happy springtime, everyone! May the sunshine smile upon you!

almost spring

2009-03-18T10:00:00.004-05:00

Spring is coming and do you know how I can tell?

My Bears collar was replaced with this one. I would prefer a Cubs collar but PA is a Cardinal fan and he says "NO WAY".

Now that my grandpa is gone, we are all helping to take care of grammy. She loves the Cubs and this is a picture of the last time she went to Wrigley Field (note: she carefully avoided being hit by a foul ball). More trips are planned this year! Since I'm not allowed in the park, maybe they can bring me back a souvenir. Maybe a collar that has Cubs written in tiny letters so PA won't notice?

he is in heaven

2009-03-15T13:50:00.009-05:00

It still seems like a dream, but he really is gone. At 11:12 PM on March 7, my dad passed from this life to the next, surrounded by my mom and eleven family members. He lived a full life and made every day of his 90 years count. He was dearly loved and will be greatly missed.

Thank you, friends, for every prayer, thought, action and word that was sent our way during the past 6 weeks. Now my focus turns to mom and making sure she takes care of herself as she adjusts to life without dad at her side.

I love you dad. You fought a good fight and kept the faith. I'll see you later.

Your little margie (and petra pot pie, too)

i miss him already

2009-03-05T17:15:00.002-06:00

I have some sad news. My grandpa has been taken to the hospital and he's not coming home. He is very sick and by this time next week, he will probably have left us for the heavenly land. We pray that his passing will be peaceful, and while we will miss him with all of our hearts, we know he will be free from pain and suffering and that he will be much happier in just a little while.

another confession

2009-03-01T17:18:00.002-06:00

I'm tired of this cold weather and I'M READY FOR SPRING!

guilty

2009-02-27T09:32:00.005-06:00

I tried to play dumb and distance myself from the evidence.

But Fig and Tad weren't here, and the only other cohort in crime could have been the boy. But Motch didn't think he'd entertain himself ripping my toy; his idea of entertainment is battling it out in some war game on the computer.

So I confessed because I've been told that confession is good for the soul.

So do you think she'll buy me another one?

figgy fun

2009-02-24T08:12:00.005-06:00

Last night my niece and nephew came to see me and when I asked if they wanted to play, Fig said yes and Tad walked away.
Fig is bigger and stronger than me, but she's smart and knows how to play even.

Sometimes she just stands and braces herself and I twist back and forth with the rag in my mouth. Other times she shakes her head and sends me flying!

This niece of mine makes me feel good all over, and I love her alot.

monday morning blahs

2009-02-23T09:40:00.006-06:00

Aren't mornings the worst?!

It takes awhile to get going.

I'm sad to report that I have been denied the privilege of going to visit my grandpa. I've been told that he sleeps most of the time and sometimes barely wakes up to eat, so Motch is afraid my high energy might scare him or something.

I think she is wrong, but I can't convince her that my kisses would be useful in waking him up and making him smile.

I might just go back to bed and hide under the covers.

therapy dog

2009-02-16T14:46:00.005-06:00

My grandpa isn't doing as well as we wish he would be. Sometimes his words don't make sense, he sleeps alot, he's very weak, he sits in a wheelchair and has a hard time feeding himself.

Maybe I should go see him in the nursing home. I could run around the wheelchairs and eat the food that falls on the floor and liven things up a bit. What do you think? Should I go for it?

love love love

2009-02-12T09:34:00.006-06:00

Thanks so much, everybody, for your kinds words, thoughts and prayers for my granpda. He will stay in the nursing home until March 1, then he'll have to move to another one because of insurance issues. Things could be better and could be worse, so I guess things are okay with him.

Things are very okay at home because Fig and Tad have been coming to visit me. See how nice Fig is? She let me take the nylabone and chew it right next to her and didn't yell (bark) at me to go away.

And since valentine's day is just around the corner, I'm wishing you all a happy valentine's day just a little early.

And happy anniversary to Motch and PA who were married on valentine's day 33 years ago!

life's little blessings

2009-02-06T10:54:00.004-06:00

Note from Motch: My dad has trouble sleeping at night in the hospital so we've been staying with him to try to keep him relaxed. I got home last night around 1 AM and who came bounding out to see me, her little tail wagging as much as it can for a boston, her ears way back and her little body wiggling all over? Little Miss Petra Pot Pie!She washed my face with kisses and made me smile...and it made me realize how blessed I am to have this little girl to help ease the stress when life gets hard. Can you relate?!

ups and downs

2009-02-02T14:47:00.003-06:00

Both my grandpa and grandma visited the ER room in the hospital over the weekend.Grandma is okay but Grandpa might have to go to a nursing home because he's dizzy and can't walk. Sometimes being 90 years old slows you down a bit. Anyway, the family is very busy helping Grandma make decisions, so we may not be blogging much. Say a prayer for my grandparents, would you? Thanks everybody!

vacation pics

2009-01-29T06:53:00.012-06:00

Finally and at last I am back! I had a great time with Leah last week.The weather was cold and I wore my sweater to go outside. Leah only had to shovel the deck once for me due to the snow that scares me and blocks my path to the rocks to do my business.
Motch and PA were in Puerto Rico where they didn't have to wear sweaters or shovel snow.They drove all around the island, up and down and through the mountains.One of the roads led them to a coffee farm where they spent time walking through the coffee plants and learning how coffee grows. Aren't the red cherries pretty? This is how they look when they're ready to be picked.
This is Kurt, who owns the coffee farm. He also grows bananas and oranges, and he gave Motch a cinnamon banana. I wish I could have been there to try one.
Each town they drove through had a square and this is the one in Ponce.Dogs were everywhere in Puerto Rico. They didn't have to wear collars and made themselves at home wherever they went (in the restaurants, on the streets, in the stores, on the farms and in the squares).
Motch's favorite food was rice and beans. She liked tostones, too, which are green bananas (called plantains) that are smashed and deep fried. They kind of taste like french fries. Yum!

Too bad she didn't bring any good food home for me. When she got back, her mind was still on vacation. Can you believe she had the audacity to dish up my food and put in on the floor? Yes -- the floor.

I prefer dining on the coffee counter, thank you!

playing

2009-01-22T14:41:00.002-06:00

I love playing, but sometimes I forget to bring back the toy after it's thrown.

I think I prefer to play with Fig...

brilliant play scheme

2009-01-20T23:54:00.008-06:00

OK everydog this is the greatest story ever! And guess who it involves? I'll give you two hints:

If you guessed my NIECE and NEPHEW you are RIGHT! Listen to this one!

Today Leah (who is staying with me for this week) had to run over to her apartment. While she was there she took Fig and Tad outside so they could pee and poo and bark at our new boxer puppy neighbor. Anyway, when she was ready to leave and come back to see me she put them in their crates and gave them treats and guess what Fig did? BARKED REALLY LOUD! Now mind you, this is something neither of them never ever do! But Fig was so mad at her for not letting her come see ME! So Leah let them out a little longer, figuring Fig just wanted to stay out of her crate and get more exercise. So after a bit she put them back and started to leave and guess what? Fig barked even LOUDER! And then Tad started his shrieky-howl-thing he does (which the neighbors used to complain about and which gets him in big-time trouble!). But she IGNORED them because she thought the first time she just rewarded them for their barking by letting them out. Since Tad was shrieking, though, she stood outside and waited to see if they stopped. But they got LOUDER!!!! HAHAHAHAHA! She couldn’t just leave them there and risk having people call and complain and maybe get fined, so guess who spent the afternoon with me?!?!?!???!!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHA WOOOOOO HOOOOOO! Leah wasn’t very happy but WE WERE! They are soooooooo smart! Aren’t they the best?!

I always knew that Fig was the smartest and bestest and coolest dog in the whole world, but Tad is starting to come around, even if he does eat his own poo.

I had such a fun time but I got so tired because I usually sleep all afternoon. In fact, after they left I had dinner, then ate dessert (a celery-bone),

licked my paws,

and then around 6pm I was zonked out for the entire night!

Let's do it again!!!

vacaaaaaaaaation!

2009-01-16T15:56:00.003-06:00

Wooooooooo! Things are rocking around here in spite of the freezing, ridiculously cold weather. On Sunday, LEAH is coming to stay with me while Motch and PA leave for a week.I am soooooooooooooooooooooo excited! Take a good look at us now, because we probably won't have much time to blog (or visit your blogs, unfortunately) because we'll be making many merry memories!

below zero

2009-01-15T08:54:00.002-06:00

Brrrrr! Again! Still! The wind chill is 30 below today. That's COLD! Cold enough to close the university, so Motch gets to spend the day with me. Woooooooooooooo!I'm not going out there today.

Thanks Mack!

2009-01-14T10:56:00.005-06:00

I was one of the lucky winners of Mack's stain contest, and so I got to choose a charity and Mack made a donation in my name as my prize. Isn't he just the best?! I chose World Vision http://meero.worldvision.org/ because we sponsor a little boy who lives in Africa through their organization. So thank you very much, Mackie!

It snowed here again last night so I watched at 4:30 AM as Motch shoveled the snow from our deck so that I could go potty (hee! hee!). I'm sorry she was too tired to take a picture because the snow was pretty. The winds are supposed to pick up tonight and sub-zero weather is in the forecast. Brrrrr! I'm planning to sleep all day and have a treat when Motch gets home. What are you guys up to today?

delays

2009-01-13T08:16:00.006-06:00

So Motch is back at work and is supposed to be blogging for me but what happens? The semester starts, students are back at school and she has to help them and doesn't have time for ME! What's a pup to do? Enough complaining, though. Here's my news: I got a new treat, some kind of rawhide alternative.

It didn't take long to decide that I liked it, but it took awhile to find the perfect place to eat it. Yum! It was almost as good as the pudding I had the other day!

holidaze visit

2009-01-09T09:29:00.008-06:00

Hey, friends, I've been reading your blogs and noticed that some of you got to take trips to visit family and friends over the holidays, and I'm especially glad to hear reports of having fun on these outings. I got to jump in the car and take a little trip one day, too.
I met this very nice lady who gave me pudding to eat, and it was yummy and tasted like figgy pudding. I didn't get to eat much of it, though, before some man came in and broke up our party.
He put me on the table looked at my ears ~~ and had to audacity to tell me they were dirty and poked around until my lovely bat ears met his approval.

He checked my eyes and teeth, and if I hadn't been shaking so badly (and if she hadn't been holding my mouth shut), I might have tried to snap at him.
My heart was racing and I thought I was having a heart attack, so I was glad to hear him say that it was fine. After half an hour of poking and prodding (thank you Motch for not taking pictures of the needle), I finally got to leave and thanked my lucky stars that I didn't have to visit anyone else during the holidaze. May 2009 bring happier times.

test page

2009-01-07T23:31:00.001-06:00

We had a little glitch in the system. For some reason unbeknownst to Motch, the layout on my blog got messed up and she couldn't fix it. A quick email to Leah solved the problem, so now I can really get serious about blogging.

Much thanks to Leah!

back at it!

2009-01-06T08:21:00.007-06:00

Finally Motch is back at work, and that means she's back to blogging for me, too. Her job at the university requires her to sit behind a computer and help students, but she's free to do what she wants when no one is there ~~~ so that's when she works on her favorite job, my blog.

When she works at home, I watch what she says and correct her mistakes and stuff.

But after awhile, the tap-tap-tap of her fingers on the keyboard lulls me to sleep. It's much better for her to work on my blog when she's gone and play with me when she's home so woohoo for work!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T17:07:00.003-06:00

Hey everybody ~~~ Happy New Year!Christmas is over and we're into the new year already. Motch says time flies; do you think she's right? She goes back to work on January 5, so each day she's home I whine and get rewarded with in-between-meal-treats. I can't complain about that!

I can, however, voice my frustration over the fact that she's been neglecting my blog and I MISS YOU GUYS! We'll catch up with all of you as soon as we settle into our normal routine.

Happy 2009 one and all!

Christmas Rocks

2008-12-29T15:13:00.022-06:00

It's hard to believe that Christmas came and went already!

We started celebrating on Christmas Eve with lasagna to eat. Lasanga for the humans and dog food for the rest of us. When Motch made the salad, I got a few bites of cucumber that fell to the floor, and I really liked it.

The meal ended with lots of cookies and candy, and I probably don't have to tell you that we didn't get any of that, either.

I was pretty happy in this picture, but Leah wasn't. She said my cucumber gas got stuck to her jeans and the smell made her sick. She actually changed clothes and threw her jeans in the wash machine. Bah hum bug to her!

It was a pretty tiring day for Tadpole.
And forFiggy.

And for me.

But then Christmas morning came and we were revived and tore into our presents!
Fig and I played tug of war and proceeded to completely ruin our new toys.

Expending so much energy wore us out.

Lots of family pictures were taken, but I won't bore you with them. I must show you this one, though; isn't just marvelous?
Food is good, presents are fun, family is entertaining, but one of the best things about Christmas is cuddly naps!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T18:30:00.007-06:00

It's almost here! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!

It sure takes a lot of work to prepare for this holiday. Here at our house, presents are wrapped, cookies are baked, and the baby Jesus is asleep on the hay.

Like the shepherds who came to see Him, I've been watching him since he's come to our house and because of my constant guard, all is calm and all is bright with the tiny babe. I'm so glad he came so that we can celebrate his birthday and give presents to each other!

Very, very soon we'll open presents. I wonder what I'll get?

Last year I got a Santa Paws hat, and I hope Santa brings me another one this year.

However you celebrate the holiday, I hope it will be merry and bright for you! Merry Christmas from my house to yours!

way too cold

2008-12-22T10:50:00.007-06:00

It's way too cold here and the wind chill factor yesterday was 30 below. Our power went our for a couple of hours, and I snuggled in a blanket to stay warm. So what would cause Motch and PA to load me in the car and drive off in this weather?
A trip to Petco, they said, to buy me a sweater. I'd been going outside naked and was just MISERABLE. I'm kind of hard to fit because of my smaller size, but Motch slipped a white sweater over my head. I begged to have it taken off but PA said no.

I usually don't walk when I have to wear clothes but Motch gave me TREATS to get my mind off the sweater, and I hardly remembered it was on.

When we got home, I got some Pegetables. Have you guys tried them?

I couldn't decide which peggie I wanted, but I decided on the celery.

I must admit that the sweater felt good when I went outside to go potty. I just hope they don't try to make me wear shoes next.

lots of ice

2008-12-19T10:06:00.010-06:00

Yesterday the weather forecast called for bad weather, and we believed it was coming, so Hannah and Leah and FIG AND TAD came and spent the night with us! Figgy even slept in my bed, so we kept Motch warm when the power went off in the middle of the night.

We were happy to hear the furnace turn on this morning, and this is what we saw when we looked outside.Lots of ice!

Everywhere!

It looks pretty but it's no fun to drive or walk on, so Motch took the day off work.

I slipped my way off the deck and down the steps to do my duty regardless of the weather.

Fig had to think twice before she came outside, but she joined me. You can probably guess what Tad did. He did it under Hannah's bed this time, but she cleaned it up before he ate it.Motch was going to take this cake to work today for a Christmas party, but since she didn't go to work, she had a piece for breakfast.

And me? I went back to bed.

For those of you who are experiencing this storm, too, how are you doing?

whew!

2008-12-18T08:24:00.005-06:00

Here lies the babe in a manger, not in a stable but under my tree.Is he wearing socks? Is he?

Upon closer examination, I say no. And I promise, I didn't take them! He didn't have them on in the first place. Really!! Santa watches everything and he knows when you are sleeping and knows when you're awake and knows when you've been bad or good and he is my witness. I'm innocent.

one for me?

2008-12-17T10:00:00.005-06:00

I'm keeping my eye on the tree.
And to be more specific, what's under the tree. This gift has Leah's name on it.

From what I can tell, none of these say "Petra".

Is it time to start worrying?

naughty not nice

2008-12-15T10:45:00.005-06:00

Ok, I repent in sackcloth and ashes for having destroyed the Christmas stocking and confess my sin for the whole world to hear. But it sure was fun anyway.

Some strange creatures have come to visit. A camel and a cow and a donkey and some sheep.

And some little shepherds made their way into my house, too. They said they lived in the fields nearby and while they were keeping watch over their flocks, an angel of the Lord appeared to them and they were terrified. But the angel told them not to be afraid because he was bringing good news of great joy for all the people.

A Savior had been born in Bethlehem, so they hurried off and found him. He was lying in a manger, just like the angel said. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, too, which means he wasn't wearing socks.

That's a good thing, because if I stole his stocking and chewed it up, I'd really be in trouble.

simply have a wonderful christmas time

2008-12-12T10:05:00.003-06:00

Are you guys like me? Does music help put you in the right frame of mind for Christmas? Ding dong ding dong...ding dong ding dong...

The mood is right. The spirits up. We're here tonight. And that's enough.

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time!

oh ho!

2008-12-10T12:07:00.006-06:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! The tree is up, the stockings are hung, the lights outside are strung over the bushes, shopping has started, presents are beginning to appear under the tree, cards are waiting to be addressed, and Christmas music is blaring away.

And Motch started baking. Yummmmmm! I stood faithfully by her side as she worked in the kitchen and was careful to avoid being stepped on. Hour after hour, I stood at attention and found my reward in a few pretzels and some chex mix that fell to the floor.

The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is beginning to wear me out!

the rawhide challenge

2008-12-09T10:06:00.006-06:00

When Tad and Fig come over, toys get picked up so Fig won't destroy them and rawhides are moved so Tad won't eat them and irritate his angry pancreas.On the dresser lies a very small piece of rawhide, which all three of us wanted.

When I want something, I cry/whine/chirp, so I gave it a shot.

When that didn't work, Tad scruffed up the covers on the bed and danced around.

But just look at Fig! She actually stood on the bed AND the dresser in her attempt to reach the elusive rawhide. When I grow up, I hope to be as smart and as brave as she is.

poop in the house

2008-12-05T14:45:00.009-06:00

Last night Fig and Tad came over. All was well until Motch saw me coming down the stairs ~~~ and then she went up to investigate.

This is what she found in Leah's room. And what did she do? She assumed that I left the poop on the floor and started saying things like, "Petra, you're a BAAAAAD girl....you're a NAUGHTY girl....you don't got potty in the house, Petra...you're a BAAAAD girl."I just looked at her and didn't say a word. Her voiced was louder than usual so everybody came upstairs to see what was going on. Upon examining the poo, Hannah said she didn't think it was mine. Thank you, Hannah.

And she said it wasn't Fig's.Tad just jumped on the bed and pretended like he didn't understand English when she said it belonged to him.

Hannah cleaned up the poo and threw it in the toilet before he could eat it.

He never said he was sorry that I got blamed. He just sat there and tried to look innocent.

Eduardo gave me this award because it snowed. It means twice as much to me now because Tad dumped on me, too. Kind of. You know what I mean.

snow!

2008-12-02T14:58:00.006-06:00

Whoa! Look what I woke up to!

I forgot what snow was, so I ran out the door like a bandit.

And then I immediately turned around and came back.

Even though it was early in the morning, Motch showed mercy and shoveled a path to the steps while I patiently waited inside.

And lucky for me, the snow hadn't yet made its way to the side of our house.I wasn't happy, but at least I found a spot to do my business, and then I hurried inside and stayed there.

I really don't like this white stuff, but Merry Christmas anyway.

thanksgiving pie

2008-11-29T18:02:00.004-06:00

My Thanksgiving in pictures (with captions):

(pumpkin pie)

(eating pumpkin pie - thanks Grammy!)

(throwing up pumpkin pie)

my very own stain

2008-11-25T09:19:00.005-06:00

Thanksgiving is coming, and my aunt and uncle are spending Wednesday night with us. They sleep on a hide-a-bed but it has pokey springs in it, so Motch puts a sleeping bag under the sheet to give it more cushion.

She pulled it from the closet, and I found its straps and had lots of fun unraveling the bag. Motch was busy with other things, but suddenly I heard her say "PETRA! NOOOOOOO!"

I sensed that I was in trouble. But the only reason I peed on it was because Sadie used to pee on this sleeping bag, and I just couldn't resist the urge to follow in her footsteps. No doubt she was watching me from Rainbow Bridge saying "Atta girl, PPP!"

Did I do good enough to earn an award, Joe?

Motch will be working at home tomorrow getting ready for company and she won't be on the computer, so I just want to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!

1st post anniversary

2008-11-24T10:21:00.005-06:00

I've heard it said that time passes quickly, and I'm starting to believe it. A year ago I made my first post on this blog, and the year has flown by!
This was my first picture. I'm standing on the blanket that was wrapped around me when I sat in Motch's lap on the drive to my new home. I haven't even torn this one apart!

Here I am now, looking much older and wiser. The crate has been moved to the laundry room because I don't stay in it very much anymore, much to my delight and pleasure.Thank you all for being my friends and coming to visit me and letting me visit you on your blogs. Next to my family, you are on the top of my list of thanksgiving blessings!

celebrate defense

2008-11-21T14:02:00.009-06:00

We had a fun time at Grammy's house last night when we celebrated Leah's Defense.

Unfortunately, this was as close to the cake as I got. No ice cream or cake for Petra, nuh-uh. So Tad and I played with Grammy's bears ~~ unsupervised ~~ because everyone else was eating, and Fig stayed under the table to eat crumbs.

But then a funny thing happened. Tad decided to poop in the hallway! And he didn't even say he was sorry.

He didn't even get in trouble, probably because it was a night of food and laughter and hugs and smiles.

And when it came time to get up morning, I said no.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and for those of you who have company coming for Thanksgiving, don't work too hard and don't step on any paws!

defense successful!

2008-11-20T16:35:00.010-06:00

I'm so proud of Leah! She took her stand and stood firm and WON! Now she has her master's degree, so do I call her Master Leah instead of Sister Leah?
All of the hours we spent working together on her thesis paid off, and I know she's thankful for the help I offered as we labored together night and day, month after month. Since Motch works at the university, she took time off to stand with Leah. Except she had to sit and not talk (Leah's rules). She left her building and walked to the meeting.

Leah didn't know she brought her camera, but I asked her to take it so I could see pictures since I couldn't go. Anyway, Motch tried to take a picture of Leah leaving her office but Leah said "NO" and got mad. So Motch put the camera away and tried to obey the rules so she wouldn't get kicked out of the defense.

After 45 minutes, the decision was made and Leah was told she passed! She was so happy that she let Motch take her picture with the Chair of her committee and another committee member who was present via phone.

Thus ends a happy day. Now we're going to my grandma's for pizza and cake, and I hope I get some food to help celebrate.

new collar

2008-11-19T08:55:00.010-06:00

My neck is sensitive and it broke out in a rash (again) for no apparent reason. When this happens, we go through a regular routine: my neck itches, I scratch it, the collar comes off and medicine goes on. This time when the collar came off, Motch thought it was time for a new one, so we went shopping. She wanted a collar with flowers on it but she couldn't find a flowery one that wouldn't irritate my small and sensitive neck.

We ended up with beary nice one...and then Motch wanted to get a picture of it. You wouldn't believe how many pictures she took just trying to get ONE. I'm not to blame because I'm a perfect model; she is just a lousy photographer.

I had to turn my back on the camera, which was hard for me to do.

And I didn't want to face the camera, either.

This went on forever, and I tried napping during the photo shoot.
I ended up getting treats which helped alot, and here I am ~~ totally focused on what was about to enter my mouth.
All in all, the treats made up for all of the pictures I had to endure, and I survived another photo session. Now get me outa here.

awardsand friends

2008-11-18T10:30:00.008-06:00

It's almost Thanksgiving, and one of the things I'm thankful for is all of YOU, my friends at DWB. You are all so nice to me! Look what I just got:

This came from Poppy! Thank you, Poppy! I love your blog, too ~~~ and now I'm passing it on to Ozzie and Rocky. And then Scooter the Cuter gave me this butterfly award award, and I'm giving it to The Puppies.So thank you! It is with deep humility that I accept these awards.
And here is a big smoochy kiss to all you who live near or far, at home or abroad, you who are my cirlce of friends!

defending her stand

2008-11-17T12:14:00.006-06:00

Hear ye! Hear ye! I have an important announcement to make.In just three short days, a stand must be made.

This girl is defending her thesis on Thursday, so Fig and I are hanging out with her to help her relax.

Cross your paws for Leah!

a time for everything

2008-11-14T08:33:00.004-06:00

A very wise man once said there is a time for everything. He said there is a time to plant and a time to uproot.

I've given this some serious thought. Today the sun isn't shining and rain is falling from the sky. On this dreary day, it seems to be the time to plant.

I'm going to plant myself right inside of this blanket that I uprooted yesterday.

Happy Friday, Almost The Weekend, everyone!

the purpose of blankets

2008-11-13T10:20:00.007-06:00

So Tad comes over to my house, and I assume he wants to do what I want to do~~ you know, play and have fun.

So I jump on the couch and invite him to join me, but what does he do?

He just ignores me and sniffs the blanket. I was afraid he was going to curl up in it and take a nap.

Listen up, Tad: blankets are not to sleep in, but to conquer!

Do I hear some amens out there?

adoption day!

2008-11-11T08:01:00.011-06:00

Guess what happened a year ago today? Cinderella was adopted, came to live in corn country, and was given the name of PETRA!

This is the very first picture that was ever taken of me. When Motch walked into the house, Leah snapped a picture. Everyone looked at me and held me and said I was cute.
When I met Fig, I didn't know what to think of her and she didn't know what to think of me, but it didn't take long before we became friends. I'd show you a picture of Tadpole and me, but he never came close enough to get a picture of us together. I still haven't figured out if he was afraid or just didn't like me, but when he looked my way, his tail was down instead of up.

Alot has happened in a year! I've grown up, and Tad has even become my friend. In honor of my adoption, we had a party, complete with a band.
Tad said he wanted to be the drummer but changed his mind because the drums hurt his ears.

He decided it was safer under the blankets, so Leah played the drums while Hannah and Josiah played the guitars.

Fig and I danced along with the music! Wooooooo!

I had to take a break and catch a few winks after all of the celebrating. Adoptions days are as much fun as birthdays!

Saturday

2008-11-08T15:42:00.004-06:00

I hope you are enjoying your weekend, friends. It's cold here. Cold enough for me to shiver when I go outside (and cold enough for some of you to wear your coats out there). At least it's not snowing yet, but it's windy and cold.

Motch went to the grocery store this morning and then came home and cleaned the house. Maybe "straightend out" the house is a better word. I stayed out of her way when she brought out the noisy machine and made sure it didn't suck up my toys.
When I knew that all was well, I found a blanket and a quiet spot to rest.

I hope your weekend is as peaceful as mine!

climbing the mountain

2008-11-06T16:53:00.009-06:00

My friend Dawson climbs Mt. Pappy, and I thought that was so cool that I decided to learn to climb my own Mt. Pappy. I've got it down pretty good, Dawson!

Every night when my dad watches TV, I climb the mountain.I stretch out really f--a--r to steady myself and then I give him kisses so that he'll notice me.

Then we have a stare-down. Well, it's not really quite like that because he doesn't look at me. He stretches his neck to look around me and watch that silly TV.

Then I have to talk to him to get his attention. Eventually, he notices me, but can you believe he asks for a KISS in the middle of our conversation? Warning: you will hear a weird sound in the video. It's coming from my dad who is drumming his fingers on the end table when I talk to him. I don't know why he does that, and it's kind of an annoying habit.

Sometimes I get treats of dog snackies and sometimes I get cheese and sometimes I get a bone in the cupboard. I'm not picky about what reward I get, as long as I get something.