Friday, November 4, 2005
The boys were starting to smell pretty “cheesy” so yesterday was a bath day for them and all of their beds and blankets. After two baths and two loads of laundry the boys and all their accoutrements were smelling fresh and clean. Of course, I didn’t remember to take any pictures during their bath, so I had them hop back in the tub this morning for a quick picture!
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Well, Sunday was supposed to be a very special day for the boys. We heard on the radio that the local Petco was having a Halloween costume contest for pets at 2 PM. So, we were getting ready and planned the day around the event. We wanted to make sure the boys were appropriately tired for the event so that they wouldn’t be jumping around like the little Mexican jumping beans they are. So, we took them for a nice long walk and then we took them in the car for a quick drive to McDonald’s so that we would be fed ourselves and able to go the contest with a “Zen” attitude. So, we ordered at the drive through speaker and when it came time to pay, we met a very sweet girl (the cashier) named Breeann. (I remember her name because I noticed it on her name tag and thinking what a lovely name.) Well, she commented on how cute the boys were and she gave them some cookies. She also told us that she has family in Vermont that have pugs, too. It is always fun to meet other pug lovers in our daily lives. Well, the boys shared one of the two packets of cookies that Breeann gave them and saved the other bag for later. Then we went home, ate and packed up the goodies we would need for the costume contest. Well, as you can see from the last blog posting that the boys are Batman and Robin this year for Halloween. We were anxious to arrive at Petco with all the other pets and to see what they would be this year for Halloween. (Last year’s winner at Petsmart was a bunny dressed up as a wizard and 2nd place went to 2 dancing poodles in hula skirts.) So, we knew we weren’t the only nuts to get excited over Halloween. A few minutes later we pull in to the Petco shopping center, dressed the boys and walked into Petco. It was about 2 minutes after 2 o’clock. There was a customer leaving the Petco asking if we were there for the costume contest and proudly we said “Yes.” Well, the wind was taken out of our sails when she said it was already over. Quickly I thought to myself, “Already? I know I had to sit that last light through 2 cycles but I am barely past 2:00.” Seeing the disappointment on my face she said, “They announced the winner at 2:00 but you had to be here at 1:00 for viewing by the judges.” “Oh,” I said. We went into the store anyway and walked around as the boys excitedly sniffed the bags of dog food and treats. Then we got back into the car and pouted the whole way home. I felt like the mother of the child that brought her kid too late to the birthday party and the clown was gone and the cake had been eaten. But then I noticed the other packet of cookies from Breeann from McDonald’s and that helped me to feel better. I realized that is what saved our day. The boys had another little bag of cookies to look forward to even if they missed out on the Petco party. So, that is how McDonald’s saved the day.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
The first year we had the boys we dressed them up as the devil (Benjamin) and a bat (Henry). The next year they were a firefighter (Benjamin) and a king (Henry). Their 3rd Halloween, Benjamin was a clown and Henry was a bumble bee. Well, I thought this year I would like to do something that really ties them together and represents their personalities a little more. I thought about and even dreamt about it. I had to wake up in the middle of the night and write down some thoughts because I thought I would forget. I wrote down tons of “couples.” I thought about ketchup & mustard, peas & carrots, the Jolly Green Giant & Little Sprout. Some of the other combinations were even more ridiculous. Then it came to me, duh: Batman & Robin. That really fits their personalities and the dynamic duo idea. Benjamin is actually the older one but we refer to him as “Baby Benny” often and Henry, well, he seems older and wiser and of course his mask is darker, so it really seemed to be the perfect costume. Now, the question was where can I find the costumes? I saw Batman costumes for big dogs but Robin, hmmm. So, of course, I went online where it seems anything you need you can find. So, I found 2 different websites with a couple different styles of Batman & Robin costumes. We decided on a set and waited a few days for the delivery. Finally, they arrived. The boys tried on their respective costumes. And of course, Benjamin’s “boy wonder” costume was too long in the legs. He is a short, stocky little thing. So, Robin’s tights had to be shortened. That was sort of an easier fix than I had first imagined. It only took a quick snip with some pinking sheers. So, here is the unveiling of this year’s costumes. I hope you chuckle as much as I do!
Friday, October 28, 2005
One more breakfast topic blog. Breakfast is a high point in the day for all of us. I eat my cheerios and O.J. and share a banana with the boys. Well, most often the boys are curled up on their doggie bed nearby until the banana cracks open but sometimes, Ben will come sit at the table. That’s right, he’ll pull up a chair of his own just across from mine. It is a pretty funny sight because the kitchen chair seat cushions are coated with Teflon so as to repel pet hair. Well, just like with cooking, Teflon is slippery which is why it repels the hair. In this case, sometimes it repels the dog. Benjamin will sit on the chair (waiting for the banana) but as he waits, he is constantly sliding out the back of the chair so he must readjust and scoot towards the front of the chair where he will start the slide all over again. It sort of looks like he is a child playing on a mini “people mover”. You know, those things that help you get through the airport quicker. He slides back and scoots forward. Rinse & repeat. (Well, he doesn’t really rinse. He just repeats.) I am waiting for the day that he actually falls out of the chair. So far he has proven to be a pug with good balance. As per usual, though, Henry, the smarter and more patient of the two, lingers on the doggie bed until the banana is peeled and then he moseys over to hang around for his few bites.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
So, here is the follow up to the bananas for breakfast scenario from yesterday. As many of you know from following the blog, the boys eat a special home cooked diet which consists of ground turkey, oatmeal, yogurt and pumpkin. Well, one of my favorite places to eat dinner out is Bob Evans. Now that it is the fall season, Bob Evans offers pumpkin bread with the meals. While pumpkin bread is one of my favorite holiday treats, I had plenty of dinner to eat and decided to take home leftovers (or a “doggie bag”). So, I brought home a slice of pumpkin bread. The bread was stored in a Ziploc baggie but that did not stop Benjamin from picking up the scent. Of course, Henry, knowing Benny’s nose is never wrong, trotted off to follow him. I unzipped the baggie and tore off a little piece for them to try. After one small bite it was as though their little expressions said, “Mama, our pumpkin never tasted like this before!” And of course, there went baby Benny into his up, down, up down. (You’d think he was doing calisthenics.) I gave them one more small piece apiece. (They are on a special diet to help keep them fit and because they have digestive issues, so they really shouldn’t even have table scraps but what can I say? I AM the weakest link.) Fortunately, for all of us, the pumpkin bread from Bob Evans is seasonal.
Monday, October 24, 2005
This is a pretty typical view of the morning’s daily events. The last thing I do in the morning is eat breakfast which usually consists of a bowl of cheerios, a banana and a glass of orange juice. Well, bananas are one of the boys’ favorite “table scraps”. So, each day, there stand Benjamin & Henry putting on their cutest “I’m starving” faces. (Henry demonstrates his below)
They don’t begin to stir until they hear the snapping sound of the opening of the banana. Sometimes, if I am feeling very generous, I will dip the banana in the cheerios and a few will stick to the banana so that they have a nice crunchy/mushy combination. It is a true testament to their different personalities, though. Henry will wait patiently but wide eyed for the next sliver of banana to come his way. But bouncy baby Benny will go from the sit position to having both front paws on my thigh in a split second and then repeat this process. Up, down, up, down. He is chock full of excited “I love banana” energy. And there sits Henry, still waiting. His eyes seem to pop out of his head, but he is still patient. Henry just sits waiting, waiting, waiting as Benjamin bounces and circles. I guess they can’t wait for their daily potassium intake. They just use their time differently while waiting. Tomorrow I will tell you about another special treat that they got for breakfast.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
I recently had an early morning flight and I had packed some Cheerios to snack on during my trip. I didn’t finish all of my Cheerios and I had forgotten that I left the leftovers in my bag.
My bag was laying in my office for just a short while before Benny began to circle it. After he got a good whiff of the Cheerios he began to paw and scratch at the bag until he managed to pull out the bag full of Cheerios. He pushed the bag around the room for a bit until he managed to put a small hole in the Ziploc bag. After he had punctured a small hole in the bag, he diligently worked to pull Cheerios out of the tiny hole. After about 15 minutes of hard work, he finally got his first Cheerio. He was so proud of himself.
Despite the fact that I found Benjamin rummaging through my things, I decided to reward his shenanigans by giving both Benjamin and Henry a handful of Cheerios. They were very pleased.
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