MI Part Five

Sorry it's taken me a few days to finish this last post for you.  I'm actually writing this in between my very long naps.  I have so much sleep to get caught up on!

On Friday, we started our day with another walk along the bay.  Thankfully Mom had no strict instructions for me and I could basically do my own thing..except when it came to picking up seagull bones.  After that the people talked while I basked in the wonderful sun.

After a while, we headed out in the car and Hubby and I enjoyed a picnic lunch...until the water sprinklers were turned on.  I high-tailed it while Hubby continued to get blasted while he picked up all of his things.  That was a surprise!

After a looooong drive, I got to meet Tucker!  I was so excited to see him I couldn't contain myself and he and I got to playing right away.  I was so glad to finally play with a dog!  Later, Mom even let me tear through the house with him.  Wow!

During a break in our play, Mom took me outside and I heard this awful, loud noise and then a huge train came right next to the yard.  I started having flashbacks from the other day and I couldn't handle it.  Mom wrapped me up in my Thunder Shirt and I settled again inside.

Mom decided to take me on the boat (figured out what that large "car" was called!) with Uncle Larry and Aunt Peggy and all of the cousins.  I wasn't too nervous and the smells of the lake air kept me pretty occupied.  I didn't mind at all when little Hannah pulled my ear or when Charlotte gave me gentle pets on the head.

At night I was pretty tired so I willingly crawled into my crate.  But after just a few hours I woke up and knew Mom and Dad were upstairs without me.  They threw me in the car for a little while until they came back and we drove off.  It was a very long drive again, but once the car stopped, I knew right away we were home!  It was a little confusing to run inside and not find any of my cats, though!  Mom says we'll pick them up in a few hours.  Yeah!  It's pretty boring here without them to chase.

Well, back to bed I go.

WOOF!
Remy

MI Part Four

Man, am I glad to be "home!"  Yesterday was a terrible day and I have no idea what Mom and Dad were thinking when they dragged me along!

In the morning, I was happy as a clam, hopping into Dad's car to go for another drive.  Little did I know that they were going to put me in a huge "car" that was so loud and noisy and moved back and forth and was surrounded by water that was attacking me!  I was so nervous.  I was panting and shaking and my eyes got huge.  Mom tried wrapping me up in her shirt but was really unsuccessful with that and I was still really nervous.

When the ride was over, I was so happy...until we came out from under the tunnel into this weird world full of tons of people, ginormous horses pulling huge "cars", a few dogs and loud noises like cannons, rifles, boat horns, bicycle bells and God knows what else.  I freaked out, tucked my tail under and would have loved to have high-tailed it out of there, except that I was surrounded by water on all sides!

I could tell Mom and Dad were looking out for me when they found some bikes and they let me sprint down the street at full speed for about a half mile.  Mom reigned me in after a while and asked to run like a normal dog and I did the best I could.  After about three miles I started to relax a tiny bit because we were running on this trail that was free from all of that noise.  There was a nice breeze from the water and the sun shining down on me.  Every once and a while Mom and Dad stopped and tried to get me to drink water (which I really didn't have time to do since I was so worried) or they walked me into the water (OK with me as long as the water wasn't attacking me) or they threw water on me (not a fan).

After that nice long break from the crazies, would you believe that we went right back to where we started?  And they made me get in the huge "car" again?  I panicked and tried curling up as small as I could in these really big bushes.  It was too much.  Unfortunately, Mom dragged me out.  She wrapped me up again in her's and Dad's shirt and I felt a little bit better.  I sat on the floor of the big "car" and this time Mom held me close and since I was so tired that I just kind of passed out.  After I nearly fell over, Mom lifted me in her lap and I went out like a light until the "car" stopped.  I got off and I knew right away that we were safe again.  My tail wagged and I was ready to start my day over!

Mom and Dad were relieved by the way I recovered so quickly, and we walked through town and I even got to go in some stores (...until I started barking at another dog that I saw in the store.  Mom threw me out with Dad and she kept shopping!).  Thankfully my day was finally turning around!

We took another long drive and then Mom and Dad left me in the car.  Not sure where they went but I kept on the look-out for them, despite being so tired.  I did take a few short power naps in between my watch duty.  After FOREVER they returned and then we went "home" to my bed where I slept for a very long time.  Dad said I never moved a muscle last night!  This morning after a short walk by the water, I came back and went right back to bed.

WOOF!
Remy

MI Part Three

Well, I'm back and it was quite early in the morning that Mom and Dad kicked me out of bed, so I figured I'd write this post while they're busy getting ready.

Yesterday I had a great time outside all day!  We drove (again!) to what I understand to be a place with lots and lots of special dirt called sand. It was a little hot to walk on for a long time but the trails we visited had lots of great smells and the air was so fresh. We started out on a short hike but Dad ran down this huge hill all by himself. It seemed like FOREVER until he came back so I had to do some sunbathing, stick chewing, and socializing while he was gone.

 

Once he got back we continued our hike and we got in and out of the car a lot of times. Each time I had to wear that stupid thing around my face that I hate!  I saw some dogs on the trail and I tried to explain how crazy the blasted thing was but they didn't quite understand.   The views were really awesome!  On one of the trails you looked out and it was completely blue. If you looked down there was a ton of the sand and it was a really steep drop. I wasn't too scared but I heard Mom and Dad talking about going down it. Mom was a little bit nervous and they weren't sure if I would make it. Pfft!

Once we finished hiking Mom and Dad forced me into the freezing cold water that I was absolutely not a fan of. First of all they put this bulky contraption on me and then Mom literally lifted me up into the water which was already trying to attack me. Like I said - not a fan. After some convincing Mom finally gave up on that tactic and I got back to digging in the sand. It was difficult to sniff in the sand and I had to keep sneezing. As fun as it was I think I'll be sneezing for a week!

 

In the evening I met these kids and would you know one of them has the same name as Dad?  They were so much fun and Zach and I really hit it off. I did all my tricks for him when he asked me to - even crawling!  Then Mom let him run with me all over the beach and even on the playground!  I wasn't quite sure what we were doing at first but once I climbed the tired and crossed the swinging bridge a couple of times I figured it out. Oh, and when Aunt Pam wanted to take a group picture, a squirrel decided to run past me and I had to take care of him. Man, Grandma was really surprised that I could bark so loudly and for such a long time!  Ha!  If only she knew the things I did before I met Mom and Dad!

That about sums up my day yesterday. Mom and Dad says I'll be taking a boat ride today. Not quite sure what that means!

WOOF!
Remy

MI Part Two

**Sorry, but I forgot to publish this last night...I kind of started to fall asleep!  WOOF!**

Phewy!  I'm pooped!  You wouldn't believe the excitement around here.  Yesterday after another looooooooong drive I met two new dogs.  They're both black and seem really cool.  It's taken a while to get settled in, but so far Fiddler and I get along fine.  Macy's a little bit difficult for me to understand, but I think we made a little progress this evening after snoozing together on the couch.

So where am I?  Well, there is a lot of water all around...with lots and lots of new smells.  Love it!!!  This time I'm picking up on squirrels, ducks, squirrels, geese, squirrels, skunks, squirrels....and did I mention squirrels???? Would you believe the squirrels here are black?  They are so weird!

Oh sorry...you were wondering where we are.  We are in Traverse City, where Grandma Rosemary and Aunt Pam and Uncle Greg live.  On Monday night I met Grandma Rosemary at a cafe for dinner.  She smells so sweet!  She said she doesn't really like dogs, but that I was a good dog and I didn't bark.  (I'm really doing good at fooling everyone!)  She thought I was smart, too, and when she said my name and asked me to sit, I did it right away!  After dinner, Dad and I walked around the town and he was showing me all sorts of smelly spots, including the big bay.

Today we were really busy.  We started with a long run to stretch my legs after so much driving yesterday.  It felt so good to feel the cool air in the morning!  I had extra energy and kept Mom going at a good clip for the entire four miles!  After that, Dad, Mom and I went to the bay and I had so much fun trotting through the shallow water!  Mom and Dad were surprised that I went right in.  After that, Macy and I went for a little stroll together and we were able to do a few nose to nose sniffs.  I really wish she would let me play with her! We'd have sooooooooooooo much crazy fun!

Then after all that exercise, we picked up Grandma and we took a really slow walk down a bike trail while she sat in some sort of contraption that Mom pushed.  I kept having to check on Mom to make sure she was OK!  After that we drove some more and visited another area called Sutton's Bay.  I got to do some sunbathing while they chowed down on lunch.  It was so comfy there in the sun and I fell fast asleep!   We went shopping for a little bit.  It wasn't my favorite part of the day, except when I got to go into a store and sniff some dog toys.  Mom wouldn't let me pick them up and she said something about them being for babies...not sure what that meant...I was a little confused.



Well after all that, I was pooped and fell soundly asleep on the car ride home, resting my head in Dad's hand, at just the right level.  He's so good at making me comfortable when I snooze.  I love cuddling up close to him!

Once we got home, I realized that Mom and Dad weren't with me and Aunt Pam was trying to get me to stay in my crate all alone.  I wasn't having any of that, so I convinced them to let me out and that's when Macy and I got to sawing the logs together on the couch.  After FOREVER, Mom and Dad got home and now I'm cuddled up with them in bed, writing this really long post for you.

WOOF!
Remy

MI Part One Pictures

Squirrel Duty

Maybe if I stayed longer, I could take care of the squirrel population for Grandma and she wouldn't have to sweep the driveway every day.

Thanks for letting us stay with you, Grandma!

MI Part One

Hello from MI!  My mom asked me to update this "blog" so everyone would know what we've been up to. On Saturday, we set off for a long ride.  Mom and Dad made me a nice comfy spot in my dad's car and then we drove....and drove....and drove. I didn't mind the ride.  I just curled up in my bed and snoozed away.  We made one stop and I saw some other dogs but they didn't really bother me (Mom seemed happy about that!).  I was too busy sniffing, trying to figure out where we were.  Anyway, once it got dark my mom and dad said that we were in MI and that we would soon get to meet Grandma.  Mom sounded excited so I figured I should be too!

Grandma's REALLY nice and she kept saying I was such a good dog!  I really liked that...and the buttons on her robe...and the fleece blanket that she uses to keep warm....and her bed.  But let me tell you the absolute best part of her house - the SQUIRRELS!  Oh my they are everywhere!  In her yard, the neighbors' yards, on our walk, and would you know that Aunt Jeannie even FEEDS them!  Heaven!

Yesterday we went on a long walk and I got to wear my backpack.  I'm not sure why I need it but I don't mind.  Everyone that saw me thought I looked cute. I know that already but I still like the compliments!  I met Aunt Jeannie (the one who feeds the squirrels) and then Mom and Dad left. I didn't realize they had gone since I was occupied with my delicious kong until the neighbor stopped by and said they had a flat tire, whatever that is.  Anyway, Grandma and I got along fine. She and I snoozed for a couple of hours and then Mom and Dad got home.  They said something about Ford and lots of planes, trains, and automobiles, but I'm not sure what that means either.  I just wanted them to let me outside to sniff Grandma's yard. I can't believe how many squirrel trails there are here!

Last night I also got to meet Aunt Stella. And boy, she's really nice.  She even let me give her a kiss.  Now usually my kisses are reserved for Dad but Aunt Stella had such a sweet voice and some new smells for me, so I obliged to her request.  I heard her say she had a dog too. One of those hot dogs. It would have been nice to meet her because the stories Aunt Stella shared sounded really nice.

Well, this update has taken quite a long time to finish and I'm pooped. I have this awesome sleeping spot here. Grandma had a HUGE window that goes all the way down to the floor and my bed is right there. I can keep an eye out on everything or snooze in comfort.

WOOF!

Remy

P.S.  Mom said there are picture to add to this post, but I can't figure out how to do that.  She'll have to do that for me later tonight.

Sewing for Babies Part 2

So getting back to my second baby shower gift...

Annie's expecting a baby boy, so I chose a really cute elephant fabric and coordinating fleece to make this Snuggie.  The fabrics are so soft that I'm almost tempted to make one for myself!  Just kidding.  Do you like my model?  It's hard to whip up these baby clothes without any personal  knowledge of baby sizes or baby experience, but I digress...

Gardens

Here are my gardens!  I've had some success and some failure.

Out front, I have not really attended to the gardens at all since the beginning of the season and they're doing alright.  On the right, the Russian Sage is growing like crazy!  The yellow flowers at each end (forget the name) haven't prospered quite as well as last year, but I blame that on our clogged, over-flowing gutters and my neglect in setting up the water timer.

The fig tree out front had issues at the beginning of the year, so I basically just pruned it back.  Since then, it's flourished and already had a few figs growing.  It's still seems to be quite stunned in height, but that may because of my inexperience in pruning!

On the left, everything's coming up great.  The sedum and coral bells are quite happy over here!  The disappointment in this bed is the lack of black-eyed susans.  They had kind of gotten out of control last year, so I thinned them out, moving many of them to the backyard garden.  Unfortunately, none of them grew back this year, so I have a hole in the back, near the windows.

My vegetable garden has been quite a flop.  It started out great, with multiple zucchini plants (8 or 10, if I recall) and some perennial herbs that came back great.  Well, the first round of zucchini plants failed, so I quickly set out another and they came in fine, forming nice flowers, but never got to the point of growing a fruit.  Then, they just kind of died - all of them.  The tomatoes that I planted never really looked good after planting and they just kind of died, too.  Then I set out corn and the first round only yielded about three stalks, so I planted more.  They all grew and I had ears on each of the first stalks, but the day that I went to pick the corn, the stalks had disappeared.  Yes - something ate the darn things and ran off with them.  A few days later, a squirrel was spotted carrying a corn stalk across the backyard.  Seriously?  So, needless to say, corn also failed.

As you can see, I have a mass of green beans growing, but would you know that I have not had a SINGLE bean hanging from it?  I have no idea why, except that I may have used a seed packet from last year.  My ONLY success in the veggie department is the basil that grew with some extra TLC and several replantings.  I know, a measly success, but in the face of such disappointment, I'll take it! 

The tall perennial garden by the deck is doing great.  I admit a bit of neglect recently since the cone flowers have some weakened stems with all of the torrential rains we've had lately.  I haven't had an opportunity to provide them the support they need.  Otherwise, I'm pleased with this garden.

The new garden in the middle of the yard is also doing well.  The butterfly bush was a late bloomer, but the butterflies enjoy it!  Just this morning I have a sunflower in bloom from the seeds I put in the bird feeder.