chocolatepeanut.com

The holiday push is on!

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:30:00 +0000

Missed me? What a busy few months it's been. Last post we were busy just trying to organize and do a clean sweep, and then, boom! Mom got some freelance work that kept her on the computer all day and nights even. We couldn't get near her computer. Sometimes I thought about just sneaking on and punching a few keys just to say HI to everyone, but didn't want to upset the balance of things. Mom has been a busy bee, but I've often heard her say she felt bad for not blogging something for us.

In the last couple of weeks, I've been busy. I've been modeling for the chocolatepeanut.com holiday campaign. It's sell, sell, sell around here designing ads and marketing stuff, creating products and then mailing them. We are busy little elves. We're excited about the holidays this year, couldn't have come early enough it seems.

In these photos I'm wearing some cool digs that keep me warm. This green sweater is really neat, it looks like mom's old collage crew sweater, and I like my striped tube scarf too (we call them "toogz") since that was another one of Zoey's nicknames (a chocolate lab who was the chocolate peanut). Betty had a few photos taken of her too and she's also been sharing in the spotlight. The one of me wrapped in lights is the current facebook profile picture. Hopefully one or two of these items in the chocolatepeanut store will be added to your Christmas list this year.

Miles ^..^

Labor day musings

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:29:00 +0000

On this Labor Day, we did a whole bunch of things that may not have been defined as a productive day (and why should it? it's a holiday), but tomorrow will be more productive because I helped mom lay the groundwork for it today. We didn't really work today, we didn't sit at the computer or anything like that. Mom is checking some emails now, so she's finally getting to my blog. She knows she has a lot of projects to do, both work and personal, and she tends to stress over tackling them all. Today we made lists to alleviate the stress. But mostly we didn't do today what we'll have to do tomorrow.

I know I'm usually still passed out at 8am snoring and dreaming, and mom may lie in bed with one eye open, but both the left and right parts of her brain are fully functioning. The day starts with such promise, thinking of all the things that are going to get done, going over the list of things she says she's going to do while lying there in bed. She struggles to accomplish so many things during the first few hours after we get out of bed. We may be asleep, but once mom gets up, we're wide awake and ready to help her conquer the day. We make sure she doesn't lose sight of the accomplishments she's set for the day. We can see she may get tired around lunchtime and especially around 2pm, but still the day begs her to start what she has promised herself and us during the morning hours while we're trying to get that last dream in.

We challenge her to really finish all the things she's planned for the week. Most importantly though, to schedule some playtime with us without getting too distracted.

I'm already looking forward to the weekend,
Miles ^..^

Yay, my annual doctor visit!

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:29:00 +0000

This week I've been a busy girl. Mom decided she was going to hit the pavement this week. Not job searching, although it's always a good idea to be on the search for new opportunities and freelance work, but I mean literally as in putting on the running shoes. When she puts those on I go nuts. Knowing this, she's been outsmarting me. Before she puts on the shoes, she puts on my collar which does get me excited, but not so much when she puts it on and sits down like she's going to watch another episode of HOUSE or something. She doesn't let me see her put on the running shorts because she knows I know the difference between her regular shorts and the ones she wears when she runs. Her back isn't hurting anymore, which took awhile to get through. So, she's ready to get 'back' to working out, and I'm her right hand (wo)man—actually left hand since I heel on her left. I'm happy to see her on the pavement, and even though she gets a little discouraged when her run equals my walk at this point, it's still good to be back with her pounding it out on the road.

Also today there was another fun activity for me. No, it wasn't my birthday. It was vet day. I'm not crazy, I like going to the vet. Betty shivers when she goes. She has that face that sends shivers down all of our spines. Probably because she was there when she was really sick a few years ago and that was very traumatic for her, and scary for the rest of us too. I don't mind it so much. Sure there's a needle here and there, but the treats make me forget. Today the doctor tried to get blood out of my right front leg, but that leg wasn't cooperating, my left one was, so I'm a lefty. He told his assistant he wanted her to make sure my tail didn't stop wagging. He's so nice. He talked to mom for a while. Another assistant came in later to say that a patient had been waiting in another exam room. Then again, mom always has a lot of questions. You should see her with human doctors, she gets so frustrated though. They talked about mom's dad for a bit, his A-fib, the stroke, and the complications leading up to his death. My doctor said his mom also suffers from A-fib and how that makes a stroke a more likely event. He also said something that made mom wonder: Why are human doctors and pet doctors different? The bedside manner is a little different. For example, have you ever heard someone say, I wish the vet was my [human] doctor? Even though he brought up the question, he also said that's not a fair question. Mom tried to figure it out with him. We were quiet all the way home thinking about it. Why is that? It's a good discussion.

Whatever. When we got home, we took a one-hour run in the rain. Hurricane Earl isn't quite the monster we thought it might be.

Time for another nap,
Cali

Magnetic personality

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:22:00 +0000

While cooking in the kitchen, I channeled mom to move these magnets on the refrigerator to say something that perfectly describes me. I couldn't have said it better myself!

...and look at this link, mom took a paragraph of a blog post I wrote last year and her computer generated this pretty arrangement! It looks a lot like what she does with words in her design work.

Well, enough words for today,
Betty

The best laid plans...

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:41:00 +0000

This weekend we were part of a rather unsuccessful photoshoot. It didn't surprise any of us since it wasn't planned well. I say this because I sat around wearing a sweater on a hot evening waiting for mom to get situated. The shoot she visualized didn't really work the way she intended. Sometimes her vision isn't executed the way she wants and she gets frustrated.

We'll do another shoot in a few days and maybe she won't take on everything at one time. I mean, I think she needs to do some shots one place and other shots at another time because we tend to get bored just standing around. We're great models, no attitude, no fuss, but we do get sleepy. See, she's promoting the fall and winter dog sweaters and other gear for chocolatepeanut.com. There's also people stuff too that's really cool. She'll photograph and design this fall campaign and try to market it, hopefully with some success this year. We'll see. But we've got to get crackin'. Fall is just about here even though it's still hot out there. I think people are ready to put on a sweater and see colorful leaves again.

After the photoshoot, we got to lick leftover gargantuan Flintstone-era beef bones. We were treated to a bone of our own individually. Betty gets cross-eyed. Cali smiles when she eats hers, but she wasn't photographed. I was, but the pics were too blurry. I acted like I didn't know what to do with that big thing. In fact I didn't know where to start. Cookie was the funniest. She kept rotating her head around to get under the bone like the good stuff was on the other side. Looking at the pics with the bones, our bug-eyes were huge! The big girls wanted to take it out of her hands and walk off with it, but she doesn't let that happen being afraid of choking hazards and all. However, we were content to let her hold them for us so we could gnaw without getting too messy. We soon forgot about the photoshoot being a bust.

Ok, back to helping mom with her stuff, it's going to be a busy week.
Miles ^..^

Can I go?

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:01:00 +0000

When I learned of Cali's and Betty's escapades last Friday, I had mixed feelings. I wanted to go, but it was a girl thing. Just girls. I really think it was because mom can only handle so much at one time, like two dogs at a time. She tries to spread the fun, I mean, I get to do things with her that the others don't, and they get to do some things that I don't get to do. I guess it's fair. I think if mom had another person with her to help, then I would have gotten to go and I could've invited some of my buddies. But mom promised me she would take me to that beach or to the pond close to where I live.

Saturday came around and so did mom and the girls. She told dad before she got to the house that I was going to the pond Saturday evening, but it was starting to get gloomy outside, so it was postponed. I was all ready to go too. I had my beach towel that I was sitting on, and my snorkel and mask, just waiting for mom to get into the car. Sunday was a bust. It rained all day. Today I thought I'd try again and meet mom at the car with my gear even though it was still raining outside. I was in her seat and ready to go. But she said not today. Again. Heck, mom has gone swimming at the pond in the rain when she was training for her triathlon last year! That's alright though. I'll get to the water soon because my mom promised me.

Banana split dive!
Miles ^..^

Hey, let's go to the beach!

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:29:00 +0000

Today we were lounging around as she was at the computer working, and then she stood up and said, "let's go somewhere." But where? It's too hot out for walking. And then she said, "we're going to the beach!" The what? I'm not sure I've ever been there and Cali said she hasn't gone in years. Mom packed up a bag full of towels and water and things for us and a small bag for her. Plus she has a bucket of things for us in the car, so we're always prepared. Then she put on our leashes and we were in the car and on our way with hardly any traffic on a Friday afternoon. In less than 20 minutes we were at a beautiful house with a huge field in the back. There were some other well-behaved dogs in the distance. And on the horizon was a beautiful beach at the end of a long path. Breathtaking. So enjoy our pictures and our video! I think they say it all!

pee s...Cali feels better now...

Betty

Fetch those shoes, the running ones

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:22:00 +0000

I really think the flea issue is in control now. There may be a rogue flea hiding somewhere, but I don't have any on me today and no little black dots either. I'm getting used to the comb a little more each day. The other day mom was a hurricane spinning out of control shaking out beds, washing, sweeping, bathing, combing, and she wasn't even feeling all that great.

She's got way too much on her plate these days. She's been really busy in front of her computer or running errands, but she's been complaining that she hasn't worked out in a while. Worked out what, I don't know. Maybe it has to do with running down the street or swinging small heavy things around. Miles and I always bark at her when she swings those things around. They're balls with handles and she looks like a dork doing it, so we yell at her and tell her so. Cali runs with mom when it's not so hot outside, so they're looking forward to the fall months so they can get back into a running routine together. When mom runs alone she has white ear plugs with wires that go into her shirt...hhmm. Don't bother talking to her when she has those on, she can't hear. She says they make her run faster some days and farther other days. When Cali catches wind of mom putting on her special running clothes, she campaigns really hard, begging mom to take her too. Mom did a triathlon last year at this time, but I don't think she's in any shape to do that now, so I think I'll tell Cali to fetch her running shoes so she can get the hint. I wish she'd get back into some form of exercise though. She's even nicer.

There's also that thing she does in front of the TV where she stretches and gets into a pretzel. I even help her when she gets in some positions. I walk over and lick the sweat off. When she goes into a "down dog", I think she's wanting to play with me like she's talking my talk. Sometimes when she's struggling in one of those positions, I like to chew her big toe. And at the end, when she's lying on the floor dead, she grabs me and stretches my back legs on her stomach and my front legs on her chest and gives me a kiss on my nose. Doga is fun.

Do you help your human exercise? Well, time for my power nap.
Betty

Whose afraid of the silver?

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:40:00 +0000

Well she did it this time. She pulled out the silver. I don't know who to blame for bringing the little bloodsuckers into the house, but she's on a mission to get rid of them. I could even be the culprit, but I won't admit it. Some of them must have jumped onto our fur at the dog walk/bike path in the city.

Last week she had Betty in the usual spot (lap) and noticed something moving on her back tucked into her fur. Next thing I know Betty was getting a bath outside. For some reason, I had to get one too because she said, and get this, "You stink". I stink? Well, whatever, I felt pretty good after. I can handle the water. Poor Betty cries. The water is too cold coming out of the hose. Doesn't bother me much. I have thick skin. Today Betty couldn't handle the silver that she pulled out of a bag either. Betty did not like the comb...but you should've seen what was in the comb when she dragged it along Betty's back! It was almost like mom wanted to see results (fleas) after each stroke of the comb. She got obsessed. She knew they were in her fur, and she wanted them out. Betty looked afraid and then she went off to hide when she was done. Of course I was next. I'm always next in everything. I gotta admit, I'm not a fan of the comb either. I don't like that thing touching my skin. But at least she got them off of me and their little eggs too. We need to be used to the comb for the next few days. And baths.

Uh, what about Cali and Cookie? They what? Don't have any? Another result of being vertically challenged—fleas don't have far to jump.

Yours truly,
Fleabag ^..^

Purpose

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:29:00 +0000

Oh no, Cali's gonna be maaad at me when she sees today's blog. I mean she steps all over me and tosses me around enough during her fits of excitement like I'm not even there. I'm vertically challenged and all. It's not a vindictive thing. I just really want to talk about mom and how crafty she is. I've heard her say things like: "I want to do things on a larger scale", or "I need to get myself on the board", or "I need to take part in some effort", and "I can't even look at another big achiever or I feel like a dud".

Here's what I think of all that: Poo. I know there's a ton of people in the world and sometimes I bet you've even said there's too many, but I think we all play our part and get things done whether it's on a grand scale like heading some huge rescue effort to making something small like knitting a sweater that keeps even one dog warm. Or maybe it's just taking a recycled grocery bag and making a diaper because...well...Cali's in heat. SShhh. Mom doesn't want a bunch of stray dogs scratching at our door. But back to the bigger picture. We do important things all the time everyday, even if not a single person other than yourself knows what it is. We all have purpose and it doesn't take a huge effort and self-exploration to find it. Sometimes the answer is there and we don't realize it.

Mom creates brochures that are seen by a lot of people. The subject ranges from coral reef conservation, the lives of dolphins, or a new exhibit featuring some really exotic animals to visit. She even brought the idea of pet therapy to some people in the world when she published her documentary on the subject years ago. Today she had a deadline to finish a brochure about how cool dolphins are and how people can appreciate them and the oceans they live in. But first she realized she left Cali's diaper at my dad's house. So she searched everywhere for a piece of material or something as a temporary fix. She used a recycled grocery bag that was so beat up that she thought that would do. So how does all this relate to each other? All this sense of purpose and makeshift diapers? I don't know. I'm a dog!

Go make something of yourselves,
Betty

What would your human be?

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:24:00 +0000

Mom watches "True Blood" on Sunday nights on HBO. You can't even talk to her during the show, and unless you're curled up beside her before showtime, then you'll just have to lie on the floor. There's a character on there named Sam. He's what you call a shapeshifter. Shifters have a preferred shape that they can turn into or it can be of something they last saw. Sam's character on True Blood turns into a Collie as his preferred form or maybe it's because he has a painting of a Collie in his office.

So last night mom asked herself what animal would be her preferred form that she would shift into. Betty and I looked at her and winked thinking she'd say French bulldog. Cali pranced by her and then we were sure she'd pick German shorthair since she's so...uh...lean and pretty and fast. But then we wondered if we were jumping the gun, I mean she might want to shift into a horse—they're big, majestic, and can run fast. But dogs can run fast too, and they can get through small spaces and hide from danger and dogs are welcomed in places horses aren't. So if she preferred to turn into a dog, I wonder what breed she would turn into? A Labrador retriever? A furry dog? One with short hair? A big dog? Or small like me? Or maybe a mixed breed? She can't decide. What would your human want to shift into if he or she could?

Have fun with it,
Miles^..^

Birthday hangover

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 22:29:00 +0000

This photo pretty much sums up our day today...tired. We're suffering from birthday hangover. Mom worked at the computer most of the day and we just took advantage of it and slept. Even when she got up to take a break, we lifted our head up to see what she was up to and then flopped back into our beds. This evening, she drove us all back to Connecticut after the rush hour crowd was gone. We slept all the way. Country roads are quiet. Cali was in the backseat. Sometimes she stuck her head out the window when we crossed over a lake. Miles was riding shotgun conveniently positioned under mom's outstretched hand. Me, well I was passed out in mom's lap, sshhh, I know it's not the safest.

As we left the city, we could feel the breeze blowing when she opened the windows. As mom used to say when she was a kid, "We're going to the country!" Her dad used to take her to the land in North Carolina that he inherited from his family. It's nice that we can leave the city and enjoy a few days in the country sometimes. We savored the scent of campfires from distant campgrounds infused with the hint of cooking.

We're so tired we can hardly keep our eyes open. Miles keeps curling up close to mom as she tries to watch an old James Bond movie. As soon as I post this, I'm going to join him. Cali is outside hunting. I think Cookie liked being alone for a few days, like she was on vacation. But for now all we can do is sleep and look forward to the weekend. Mom said she might pull out the copper firepit and cook up some campfire goodies tomorrow night..or the next night. We can't wait!

See you after the weekend,
Betty

Birthday playdate

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:29:00 +0000

Today has been a busy day and I'm just now writing this most important of entries. Today is Cali's birthday and I'm finally sorting out the pictures I want to use. First there was the drop off this morning in Providence where I would hook up with my girls. Playdate! Then we went into town to mom's place and took our morning nap while she worked at her computer. Betty said the crate was hers since she always dashed into it first. Cali's spot was under the desk by mom's feet, and so I took the liberty to get into mom's lap and then stretched out on the floor when I got too hot. During work breaks, we all played together, then more napping, a potty break, then one more nap. Cali got a sheep toy for her gift, but I think she likes the hedgehog she got last week better.

Then we were off to the bike/walk path I've heard a lot about. That was fun, but I was waiting for a little rain to cool us off. The clouds overhead were dark and scary looking. We took a short walk, so that the girls could show me around. Then we were off to Chipotles, where mom dashed in and got a big, fat burrito to go. Luckily there was no one in line she said. Then it was off to McDonalds for our burgers and her large sweet tea. On the way back, the sky opened up and poured as we were driving. Mom had to go check her email, gggrrr, and then made a phone call. It was killing us as we stood at the table looking at those two bags knowing that one of them was for us. And then finally she focused on us. She opened the bag with the burgers and sang happy birthday to Cali as she fed us. We were stuffed and tired after that. She ate her burrito, but we weren't too tired to beg. Happy birthday big sista!

A round of sloppy kisses on the house,
Miles ^..^

Ladies luncheon

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:42:00 +0000

Today Cali and I were treated to a surprise. Mom had a few hours of work to do this morning at the computer. We napped in our usual spots by her desk. She has a stack of colorful papers with red writing all over them. So she makes sense of it and corrects all the things marked up in red. Sometimes she goes cross-eyed. This morning things got a little blurry and she had to leave the computer for a bit. She said her head hurt too. After a break, she sat down and worked a little more and then got ready to go somewhere. Of course we were very inquisitive about where she was going and why in the middle of the day.

And then she put our collars on and we were headed to the car. She said we were going to lunch at a nice dog-friendly restaurant where we could sit outside and people watch. She was meeting a friend, someone I'm sure we've met before. We parked in a shady spot by a nice park so the car would be somewhat cool when we returned. We went to a place called India in Providence. We sat in a nice cozy spot beside a bunch of flowers. We heard about a doggie menu, but that was quickly brushed aside when her friend arrived. They started blabbing as girls tend to do. They blabbed so much that the waiter came over several times to take their order and they hadn't even looked at the menu. I sat under the table and watched the whole thing go down. I'm sure Cali had fun poking her head out of the flower boxes to greet people as they walked by. We were glad to take another car trip and socialize out in the world—even though it's a little warm out there. Tomorrow I hear there's another surprise and I'm not sure what's on mom's mind either!

See you tomorrow,
Betty

The experiment

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:29:00 +0000

Today I got a taste of "tough love" and I'm not sure about it. Mom admits she showers me with attention because I have a terminal case of velcro-itis. She thinks it's because I push her gooey buttons, you know, the ones that make her go "aww, come here". When I give her the gooey look with my eyes or when I lightly put my paws on her leg when she's sitting in a chair and say, "pick me up", she always picks me up. Mom loves that I have velcro-itis, and because of that, I quite simply own her. You might say I'm spoiled, but I'm a good spoiled meaning when I get to go into dog-friendly places, I'm quiet, I stick close to mom, I don't make noise, and I don't sniff around. And I'm complimented for being good. I guess it's one thing to be good spoiled, but sometimes I'm bad spoiled, like when she leaves me and I scream from the bottom of my gut.

I know it sends shivers down her spine, and sometime she turns around and tries to figure out another method to get me to be quiet. Sometimes I get confused, so it doesn't work. Cali has a case of the velcro too. Cali likes to be all over her and lick her face and show off with her "heel" trick and her "fetch" trick. She sometimes goofs on the "stay" trick. But when mom leaves her, she starts to whine too. That also sends shivers down her spine. I've seen mom do the tough love thing with her, though. I guess because she's taller and crazier and so maybe needs more of a firm talking to. But today she said she was going to try an experiment. On Cali and me.

She put me in my nice comfy crate and shut me in it. I do find comfort in there, so I went along with it. She has my crate under her desk and I walk in and out of it at my leisure. She let Cali be free and then she walked out of her office and shut the door. Cali started to whine. I started to do the same. Before I could really let the pipes rip, she came back in the door and used her mean voice and said "shut up". Then she walked out again. We peeped. She came back in and made a really mad face and said the same thing. She left again. And stayed. Then she came back in and didn't really say anything. She put on some classical music for us which I thought was really nice. Then she left again. She was gone for at least 15 minutes. She must have snuck out and gone to that cool Thai market. She came back and opened the door and acted like she wasn't really happy to see us, but I could tell she was on the inside. Anyway, we ran to the kitchen and she unpacked a bag full of vegetables. Then we all went back into her office and Cali plopped on the floor under her desk. I looked up at her and said, "pick me up". And she said, "aww come here".

Until next post,
Betty

Sensory overload

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:29:00 +0000

It's Monday, and here I am. Although I wasn't sure I was going to make it back, since I've been busy today running errands. So many things to do such as going to the Post Office to mail some bills and then to drop off a bigger package into a FedEx box. That package will be in Florida by tomorrow—actually that's where I was born! The best part of the trip was saved for last. The feed store. When I walk into this place, I get the same feeling as when mom walks into a Whole Foods store. It's sensory overload.

There are rows and rows of collars and leashes, bags of dog food stacked almost to the ceiling, dog beauty products and accessories, dog snacks, and dog toys. We sure could spend a whole paycheck in here too. Mom drops the leash in the dog toy aisle so that I can take my time and decide what I want. I never can decide so she helps me. The best part is when people come over and talk to me. They actually kneel down and pet me. They tell mom how I make them laugh because of the way I sniff and snort and wiggle and make my alien noises. I always try to give a kiss, but I miss most of the time. I just get so carried away.

I'm really tired now, we all just ate, and I can only take so much excitement for one day. So it's nap time for me. I just wanted to let everyone see the wall of toys I was subjected to. How can I decide? Mom found a chew toy in the shape of a stegosaurus. But I think I might give it to Betty. She likes shiny new things. I have plenty of chew toys at home. Besides mom gave me some really yummy treats to eat while we were at the store. Instant gratification!

Later,
Miles ^..^

To sniff or not to sniff...

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:29:00 +0000

So this week has been a very busy week for us and our mom. I think we've been in the car more than we've been enjoying our beds. That's good though, we like being on the move. We've been to this new place that's quite different from what we're used to. A bike path. A walking path. A running path. But more importantly, a dog path. Every morning this week we've gotten in the car. And every morning it seems she's starting to get this dog walking thing figured out with each day. Everyday is an experiment she says.

It's been somewhat of an adventure. We get this great one-on-one time with her. Cali gets to sniff for wildlife, I get to see new people...and it gets better. This wonderful elderly couple has been on the path when we're there about the same time each day. And they love frenchies. That means attention. And treats. Mom likes them too, which is important. Interestingly, she decides who we get to talk to, and she doesn't use her nose. She even filters what dogs we sniff! I'm not really sure about her logic. It seems other dogs are connected to their humans' leashes in more ways than one, and we have no idea what that means. I think she senses the humans. Strange communication. City life.

It gets even more complicated in the blogosphere. On some dog blogs, dogs—or their humans—acknowledge us when we're allowed to sniff—uh, comment—and some don't. And that goes with our blog too. But, she really wants us to be social and make a connection with everyone, to be better bloggers. It's one big dog park, right? She loves it when dogs reach out to us, and we welcome all, and try to respond. At dog parks we hear the same thing goes, and we'll start to examine some next week here in the city. When you live in the country all your life, you get set in your ways and you just hang with your own pack. And when you start to explore a city, the whole dynamic changes (nice word mom). That's what the dog blog world feels like—it's all new area. Next week we'll have some more great pics from this concept known as social networking.

We'd like to know what you think about real dog parks, sniffing out new friends, and the virtual dog park known as the bloggiesphere?

Betty and Cali

Miles Daisies

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:46:00 +0000

I had a really relaxing weekend with the girls. It was hot and steamy outside during the days. Then on Saturday, there was a big thunderstorm in the afternoon that snuck up on us. Cali was ok though, she panted some. I think mom was on the panicky side this time and tried not to show it, but when the lightning and thunder happened at the same time and knocked the power out briefly, she bolted up from her chair and Cali saw that. I don't think mom wanted her to see that. In the cool of the evening after the storm had blown on by, I was outside chasing Cali and Cookie or getting chased by Betty.

We run so fast, it's a challenge to get us in focus, even the blurry photos show our speed. Then we'd pile up on the foof and relax to some cool jazzy music from Miles Davis. Cool name huh? Not sure if I was named after him or not. The highlight of my weekend wasn't going in the car—too hot, or getting into the little kiddie pool—too cold since she just filled it up Saturday morning. And nope, it wasn't even the bits of mom's grilled steak in my dinner Sunday night—although I love it when she does that.

The best part is when she takes me for a walk by ourselves. Just me and the big girl. There's several patches of daisies that we walk by. I like to hide in them and then poke my head through. That's one hide and seek game, mom doesn't mind so much. I bet you can't see me camouflaged in the flowers because I like to be one with nature. There's daisies everywhere. I'm always tempted to eat them, but I'm told I can't. What is a favorite thing your person does for you?

Stay cool!
Miles ^..^

Nap time

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:03:00 +0000

In the middle of the day, or pretty much all day long, we can be found napping. I like to lie in the big dog bed called the "foof" and next thing I know, there's a little one curling up beside me. The frenchies jump up on it like fleas it seems like, especially Betty. She leaves the floor from all four feet in one powerful leap. Mom wants to film it and play it back in slow motion. Everyone likes to be in the foof, even the humans, and we'll pile up on them—that's how big it is. It's going to be a lazy weekend around here. This post is fairly short since it's time for me to take a nap, but I just wanted to check in. Miles is looking forward to his post on Monday and so are we.

Have a good weekend,
Cali

Issues? Me?

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:29:00 +0000

So I have a couple of issues. My brother goes and rats on me this week on another blog saying I used to eat my own poop. Then yesterday mom took me on some errands. She quickly went into one store and had to leave me in the car. It was overcast and not hot, windows were open, and I didn't pant, but still she rushed in and out. Before we parked, this blond woman pulled up beside us in a big fat white truck. I heard mom say, "oh great" in her sarcastic tone which I totally picked up on. But still, I wondered what she meant by OH GREAT. Sometimes she doesn't like it when people park beside us or when people park at the same time as us because then she has to either make up some silly small talk with the person walking in the same general direction from car to store in the parking lot or either pretend she's walking into the store alone and doesn't really "see" the person, whichever is more appropriate for her. As for me, I see everybody and wiggle or bark to make my presence known. Mom is not like that.

So anyway mom comes back to the car and shoves me to the other seat after she tried to kiss me. And then she talked to me. I admit I didn't really act like I was super excited to see her when she put me up to her face. She said, "Betty you are so entitled aren't you?" She also said, "I can hear you wail at the top of your lungs from when I leave the car until I go into the store and THAT'S why I'm not thrilled for others to witness that." Then she tells me, "And here I'm back and you act like I'm supposed to be here so you're not happy to see me?" Apparently, that blond woman ratted on me in the store. Mom said she tried to avoid her in the store because she knew that woman heard me in the parking lot. Unfortunately, they ended up at the register together, and sure enough, that woman said, "your dog sounds like she's suffering some separation anxiety" and THEN asked if we've watched Cesar? So mom continues, "Yeah Betty, I told her that you have a serious case of velcro-itis." The woman sounded like she was kidding, but was she? Mom has told me that she loves that about me! I'm confused. I show her that wiggly gooey loving sometimes. You'd think I was a "guy" who doesn't show affection stuff all the time, yet freaks out when she walks 10 feet away or disappears out of sight if only for a minute.

All was fine when she took me into Lowes though. I love that store, everyone loves me and I turned it on for the woman at the register. I could tell she couldn't get enough of me. I'm still getting the feel of being in the push cart because when mom leaves me to walk over to an item, I get nervous even though she says she's not going far. So mom walks to the car and says to me, "Betty you sure turn it on for everyone else you don't know, but you definitely share a blood vessel with me because without me, you fall apart."

She's right I guess...the spooky thing is that when we got home and mom turned on the tv, you're not going to believe what was on...yep, Cesar.
Betty

Mondays with Miles

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:45:00 +0000

I've had this idea for awhile, and I thought I'd meet with mom and run the idea by her. I've waited for the perfect opportunity and thought I'd ask her this past weekend. A few days before I asked her I threw in a few of my adorable antics. I licked her legs, gave her kisses when she least expected them, followed her everywhere, sat next to her when she got cozy on the couch—the usual stuff, just heightened a bit. Her back has been feeling better and she's been progressing with projects, so I thought I'd hit her up with mine.

It was a closed-door meeting—just mom and me. I pitched my idea that I wanted my own blog. I wanted to go solo, you know, diversify, do a spin-off type thing. I see other dogs do it by themselves and thought I could too. My feelings were:

- I blog more than the girls do and blogging more might get more hits.
- Maybe my posts are more entertaining and would get more hits.
- I wanted to build a brand for myself and be a big hit.

She looked at me with her hand to her mouth, then she looked around, but I know her ears were tuned to me. She petted my head, stood up and walked around a little while complaining about her back (which made me feel an ounce of guilt), but all the while she carefully listened and digested my proposal even when she got fidgety. Then she waited a few minutes and sat back down and put me in her lap. Uh oh. She then asked me a series of questions:

- What about how the others might feel, since they enjoy blogging too?
- That it's a little extra work for her to create a new blog for me while maintaining one for them.
- That if we all pitch in and manage our schedules better we could blog more often.
- Would people look at yet another blog since there's so many good ones out there to read?
- And did I realize it would mean I'd have to take extra time from my naps to blog a lot more?
- She's trying to solidify a brand too—the chocolatepeanut one—and we ALL contribute to that.

She had some really good points. And so we talked a little more. She also added that the others like to be included in the things that I do because I'm just so cool, which is also true. Then she said, "Boy, let me think on it and maybe we can come up with a compromise." She gave me a treat and I went outside to play with Cali.

In the meantime she gave me this really cool squeezy heart that I thought was a sweet gesture while she mulled over the idea. I cherish it. I hold it in my mouth gently. I take it when others get near it and find a place where I can sit with it. Of course the other day Cali had to take a chunk out of it. Mom said, "Did she take a piece of your heart?" She laughed at her own joke, but now I won't let anyone mess with it anymore. It wasn't funny.

So this morning she met with me and we went over the new plan. I would be featured one day a week and we'd call it "Mondays with Miles". Clever. I really liked that idea. I could be a star one day a week with my own title and still let my girls blog on the days I don't feel like it (she's always looking out for me). She'd even let me have my photo big at the top with a fancy header. I even got to do a special photoshoot for my special Monday posts and picked out this sexy, yet demure photo of me at the top of my post. She said it could be big. So we agreed to let's go this route for awhile. So here we go! And off I go with my special rubber heart.

Enjoy!
Miles ^..^

What?

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:29:00 +0000

The past few mornings when I wake up my ears have been bothering me, especially my left ear, so I dig into them with my back foot. That drives mom crazy, especially when I start snorting, which means I'm really digging in there and probably causing more trouble. This morning I was really going at it, and I wish mom hadn't caught me. But my ear looked like it was falling off so I wasn't hiding it well. This morning I probably needed mom's help and since my one ear was red, she decided to fix it.

She woke up and started looking in cabinets. She gathered a handful of bottles, cotton balls, Qtips, and something from the refrigerator which wasn't ear drops (where are her readers?), instead found that bottle in her doctor bag. She took me outside and put me in her lap. First she took her liquid dispenser thing and put some of it in my ear, rubbed my ears to hear that liquidy sound, and then wiped out the excess. She carefully took the Qtips and found what looked like fudge in the caves. I couldn't believe I collected all that, but my ears are sorta big and can catch a lot of things. Then she put the medicine drops in and rubbed my ears again. She doesn't really like it when I shake my head since the liquid sprays out of my ears and onto her shirt and face. She kissed my face and let me go shake it all out. This picture of me doesn't really show what I look like when my ear is hanging halfway to the floor, but I can tell you, I'm not really happy in this photo.

My brother waddled around the yard eating grass and sniffing dirt, but kept a safe distance from me since he wanted no part of what was happening to me. Mom doesn't really like it when he goes sniffing around because he always shows up at her feet looking like this. I don't know why he does it because he really doesn't like it when mom puts the paper towel to his face. Boys are gross.

Have a good weekend,
Betty

Oh my aching back

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:29:00 +0000

That's me. Underneath that fur ball of sassy–um...sisterly love is sweet, loveable me. I'm a pushover. I get walked on, sat on, tripped over. It's ok with me, I do feel the love. Cali keeps my ears and face clean. My sister Betty, well, she licks my face, not to groom me, but to get any food bits after dinner. I see right through her. I haven't fully understood why she sits on top of me, but she does it all the time. I think because it's her way of being close to me, sure it may be because she wants to be warm, but it's the middle of summer and it's hot! So I think it's because deep down she wants to be close to me. Cookie acts like I'm not around, but she plays with me in the backyard by spinning around and barking, then she starts running knowing I'll chase her. If I don't, she stops and looks at me like "well"?

Which brings me to saying I feel kinda bad that we haven't been showing our love by blogging more. We need to fix that. I know people have wondered where we are lately. Mom has an achy back and she doesn't like sitting in front of the computer much this week, or last week. So we've all been resting lately during these warm days. She says it hurts her lower back to sit for a long time, and then when she stands up, she doesn't quite make it fully vertical. We feel her pain. Cali stands beside her and helps her stand up when she's sitting on the floor. Mom's been trying these yoga stretches to help her get flexible. We think it's working. She says her back is like the stock market, every few years it crashes. She's been through a lot lately. She also says her lower back is like a sponge—absorbs everything. She's also been lifting a lot of boxes up lots of stairs as well. I think she's admitted it's her fault, but she's been sad about her dad too, so I think it all adds up.

So anyway I've had an idea for a while now, and a couple weeks ago I wanted to bring it up to mom, but when she started complaining about her back, I decided not to ask. I'll wait a few days.

We've been trying to show our love by reading other blogs lately and hope that more of you will read and follow us. We think you'll have fun with us here.

feelin' the love,
Miles ^..^

Thunder and lightning is frightening oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:29:00 +0000

Last night we were fast asleep and then about 2am...POOOWWW! We must have jumped a foot out of the bed, but mom and Betty went back to sleep—or so they wished. This storm crept up on me as I sense a storm even before it gets to this state! So I started pacing and panting and shivering like I always do during storms. Everytime there was a flash of lightning, I tried to get close to mom, but she pushed me off the bed. "Go away," she said. "If I want to be in a vibrating bed, I'll go to a cheap motel." She sounded so angry at me. She does this tough love thing with me. She doesn't sit there beside me and hover over, rub me, and tell me it's going to be okay. She knows that only reinforces my craziness, or so she says. So she leaves me alone during a thunderstorm to stand there and be miserable. It's so unfair. She showers me with love at other times. I guess because I'm being "good" at other times. But when I'm afraid, why can't she hold me and tell me it will be okay? "I've tried that Cali," she says, "but it really doesn't help you understand. I want to praise you for your good behavior." I say, "I'm upset and worried, I can't help it." I want to add, "Ms. psychologist dog behaviorist answer me that!" But I could never say that to her.

She got up and turned on the light and Betty was lying in the middle of the bed out of it. Mom was grumbling as she tried to make a cushy place for me on the floor, but it didn't work. Then she went downstairs to the kitchen and I was all in between her legs and that made her even more angry. Betty got up and followed us downstairs, she gets away with being under mom's feet even if mom trips and falls over her, she laughs it off and says, "Watch out little Betty." Geez. Then Miles comes out of his pimped up crate downstairs with a big dog bed shoved inside. He should have his name in gold-plated letters over the entrance. Poor guy, he was suffering from birthday hangover and wondered what the heck was going on. Once in the kitchen she pulled out the magic little pill box. Last year she took me to the vet during a regular checkup and talked to him about my storm problem. He said that he had a magic little pill that would calm my anxiety and make me be good so that I can somehow show myself that I can be good during a storm and then mom can pet me. Fuzzy logic at first, but it does work. He said to give it to me 30 minutes before a storm hits, she does, and it does calm me down. I don't shiver, pant, and whine. I actually do manage to sit still so that mom can enjoy the storm and me. Last night though, she didn't care about timing. When we got to the kitchen, she popped that white pill into half a hotdog bun and I swallowed it whole.

We went back upstairs and she brought another dog bed up with her and told me to lie on that. She went back to sleep, and I got out of my bed and snuck over to hers so that I could be closer and I was very still. She somehow sensed that I was near and put her hand on me to see if I was okay since I was being calm. Or maybe because I was being good.

Sweet dreams,
Cali

Gee, I'm three!

noreply@blogger.com (renee e.) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:29:00 +0000

Na na na na na na na na today is my birthday! Mom had a lot of errands to run today and she left the little monster sister of mine AT HOME! She left Cali and Cookie too. Usually I'm the zookeeper and get the run of the house when she's gone, but today she held the door open for me, and I looked at her like "whaaa?" She had to say "come on, I want to go now!" I was out the door making a run for her car waiting for her. She asked me to come back so she could put my spike collar on. It's not really a spike collar since the spikes are glow-in-the-dark rubber cone things on a black rubber strap, so it enhances my bulliness in a cute and playful way, much like myself.

She took me into one of her favorite stores—Lowes. In fact, I went to two different locations. We went to one shopping plaza with a Lowes and I went into that one. Girls looked at me and smiled. Then we went to McDonalds and she let me have some fries and even some of her chicken sandwich. I take it so softly she said. She even said I was "perfect". She told me that she has a friend who has asked mom, "how can she live with such perfection?" Awww shucks this boy man says. So anyway, after we had driven out of the shopping center, she said she'd forgotten something, but we'd go to another Lowes closer to our destination. So later on we arrived at the other store and mom was looking for a fan because it's been hot lately. There were a couple of employees standing around a shopping cart, and the lady told mom to put me in the cart. I was like a dancing baby in a crib while everyone was looking down at me and smiling. I did my best dance and when mom said that I can make strange alien sounds, I performed some of those too. People do love me. I'm just cute is as cute does my mom says.

Then when I got back home, dad came in with the McDonalds bag—four hamburgers! I think I might have gotten one and a half. And mom teased him again about eating the pickles that rub next to the meat and he's a vegetarian! Now I'm stuffed and lying flat out on the floor with my plastic bone-in Tbone steak—a favorite. That and the white tube one with gook in it.

Until next post,
Miles ^..^