Good Moen...Good Moen!!

Mom had to take a bath in our kitchen sink yesterday AND wash her hair there, too. We had NO hot water in either bath/shower. Nope! Icy cold. Finally, she gave up fiddling with the faucets and called "Manny the Plumber" who is really Quality Plumbing Solutions, LLC out of Leesport, PA. This happened once before when we were renting out our house to the Weegars and they highly recommended them.

What it was is something called a cartridge that has a flapper so when someone flushes a toilet or turns on another faucet somewhere the person in the shower doesn't get all scalded and red-looking. When the plumber said the word "Moen", Mom knew who to call. They have a life-time guarantee on all their parts. Good thing, too. That little cartridge costs $67.25. Not cheap but totally necessary. Moen is sending us the parts and they'll be here by Thursday.

Manny's brother George the Plumber fixed one of the tub/showers on the guest side of the house, and he'll come back on Friday and fix the one in our bathroom. He only had one cartridge with him and he was having problems getting the faucet off ours.

We sure love our house in the woods. It's so peaceful but it sure is expensive fixing all this stuff. If it's not one thing it's another. Still....gas here is average $3.85 a gallon, and we even saw one place that was having a sale at only $3.79 a gallon. And our cream cheese (8 oz) was $2.65, maybe a dollar or more less than it is in California.

Oh...and I found my rawhide chewy. YUM! Been playing with that for a couple of days now.

Love, Mary-Margaret

PS - Mom says I'm making her crazy just because I try to get comfortable at night and I keep digging at the sheets hoping to make the most everly perfect nest to settle into. Sheesh. Last night about 4:00AM...I guess that would make it this morning?....I even got yelled at. "You STOP that, Mary-Margaret!".....uh....sure, Mom. Whatever. And you don't fluff your pillow and squiggle down under the covers to get comfy? Hmmmmm? PPS - Ouch! Just got an estimate of our final bill. In my next life I want to be a plumber.

God bless Mr. Shaima!

My very good friend, Michael L. Shaima, Attorney at Law, passed on over to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. He'd been pretty sick and every time we thought he was getting better he'd get sicker again. For the past couple of weeks he'd just been resting, and yesterday morning at 11:30AM he went to be with God.

He was a nice man and gave me tummy rubs. When I'd get off the elevator on the third floor of his building I new right where to go. I would run ahead of Mom and scratch at his door until she'd open it for me. Sometimes there would be some goodies in their "kitchen" and I'd get a treat. I'd always run into his inner office to say "hello" and give him loving if he was in a good mood. Otherwise, I just dash in and wink at him and run right back out again. We had a special relationship.

Mr. Shaima's wife, Mary, worked with him and took really good care of him, both at the office and at home. She was holding him as he passed on, and she's taking care of winding up his business and personal affairs. She's a warm, strong and loving person. Together they made a really good team.

Dear God, please look after my friend, Michael Shaima, and help him get settled in his forever home. I will come visit him in a few years so we can get back to our licks and cuddles. Until then, Lord, please also watch over Mary and their son, Tim, who is going away to college.

I will really miss him a whole lot.....and so will my mom.

Blessings, and love...

Mary-Margaret

Horking on a Kibble

"Hork hork hork aaaaack!" Blegh! Kibble down the wrong way. Had to hack it back up again. "HORK HORK HORK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!" I hate that feeling.

Apparently my "associate" hates it, too. Next thing I hear is "We're going to the doctor!". What the heck? It's just a kibble. And a little allergy, maybe. Big deal. But I find out my everly most...er...one of my everly most....favorite doctors will be seeing me. It's Dr. Amy. My gosh, I've known her ever since I was a baby and she was a vet tech. Amazing what a few years will change.

Anyway, I am just fine. See? Just like I said....I was hacking up a stray kibble and maybe a little stuff from my allergy. We are told to get some "baby Benedryl". That doesn't sound too bad, does it?

OH MY STARS!! Mom is SUCH a nincompoop. Dr. Amy said 10 cc's but she did NOT say all at once. You know what happens when you give a pup 10 cc's of pink cherry syrup all at once? Hmmmmm??? Well, let me tell you that the kitchen counter, the walls, Mom and ME were covered in that stuff. I thought I was drowning. And then guess what goes down the wrong way? Yup!! Pink cherry syrup and I am coughing and spraying all over the place for the next hour. And my beautiful hair-do is now sticking straight out from my poor little body like a punker. I'm told I will get a bath in the morning.

Next time, I will eat my kibbles more slowly.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

PS - Isn't my Dr. Amy one of the prettiest veterinarians you ever saw? Mom says she looks like Princess Catherine, sort of. All I know is that she is really nice, gentle and gives me kisses. I forgive her for prescribing the Benedryl already.

Getting my Taxes Done

Here's me and my accountant, Doug MacRae. I just love him to pieces. I'm almost six and one half years old and I have never had to pay taxes yet. See how good he is? And he keeps a "cookie table" in his office. My personal favorites are the short breads. Mmmm-mmmm!!

Mostly he doesn't take appointments for the first two weeks in April. Mom was a little behind in setting things up. Then Marie (she does our payroll) asked if I was coming with Mom. Well....YEAH!! Of course I am, I said really loudly so Marie would hear. "Ok...we can get you in at 11:00 on Monday!", she said. When Doug saw me he said "Hello, Mary-Margaret!! How are you today?". Then Doug saw Mom and said "What are you doing here? I don't have appointments for these two weeks!". Mom explained that Marie said we could come if I came, too. "Oh!", he said. "Well, that's ok then!".

See how things are? Mom would be totally lost without me, I think. I have job security for as long as I want.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Go for the Gophers!!

Dear Diary & Grandpa (for March 19, 2012) -

First thing this morning, I got all cleaned up and ready for work. Then I raced downstairs and out my personal door to say "Hello!" to my new neighbors, the Gopher family.



"Hallooooooooooooooo??? Anybody home???"



I think I heard someone say "Come in, Mary-Margaret!" Their door is a bit small, dontcha think? Maybe I can help out a bit here. Just a little wider......??



Uh oh! I'm in trouble here. The doorway isn't getting any wider and my friends aren't coming out. And worse ever......Mom's calling me inside so we can leave for the office.



I get picked up and held way far from Mom, who is wrinkling up her nose and saying "EEEEYEEEEW!!!! And "Yuck!". This is SOOOO not fair. OK...my bow is soggy, my face is covered in dirt crumbles and my feet are wet and muddy. I am SORRY! I tried to stay clean. Really, I did. But a pup's gotta do what a pup's gotta do!! I have a life, you know.



Compromise - I get a shower with the spray faucet, dried with a dish towel and my bow gets trashed.

Some people take all the fun out of my morning!!

Phooey!!

Love, Mary-Margaret

Gopher??

As Shimon Peres said on March 4, 2012 when he was worried about being invaded by Iranian gophers: "Peace is always our first option. But if we are forced to fight, trust me - We SHALL prevail."

Shalom!!

Mary-Margaret "The Gophernator" O'Brien

Always Alert - Ever Vigilant

Dear Grandpa...

Mom talked to Melissa yesterday. She'd really like to talk to you. She sent you a letter a while back and asked you some questions. She wants to know what you remember about growing up...about your childhood and your memories. You are the last of a generation and our family history is very important to her and to her boys.

Thanks to Mila we have a lot of information but Melissa would like to know about YOU.

Please write her back.

ALSO - about your phone - Verizon says that they will be more than happy to bill you for your own account, but you PERSONALLY have to go into a Verizon store OR call them. They have to get a whole bunch of really personal information from you before they'll give you an account. Mom says you are much better off getting a pre-paid cell phone like we said before. She even emailed both Mike and Greg and asked them if they could please help out. Maybe they could even add you to their family plan, but that's just one idea. If you get a pre-paid phone it will be a whole lot cheaper than if you go on a contract.

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret, your ever lovin' Grand Doggy

About Grandpa's Cell Phone & Gophers

Dear Grandpa - Mom posted this picture for you. I had my hair done on Friday and then I worked all afternoon. By 5:00PM I was really ready to go home and relax. It's been a very busy week at the office.

Also we're letting you know that our contract for your cell phone is up next week and we think you'd be better off buying a pre-paid phone . Mike or Greg can help you with that since they live right by you instead of 100 or more miles away. According to our carrier you haven't used it at all other than accidentally (like maybe when you sat on it) in the past 4 years.

If you want to check into a prepaid phone try CVS Pharmacy . It's only $19.99 which is less than we've been paying every month for you. I think you'll be a lot happier and Lord knows the money we'll save on this end can buy a lot of kibble AND treats AND maybe even some new clothes for me every month.

We hope you understand and that you know we love you VERY VERY much.

PS - There's a new family that's moved into MY yard. Sort of brown furry things. They have made a couple of little mounds of dirt on MY hill. There's a hole in the ground and I have taken up sentry duty. I sit there and stare ...and stare....all afternoon. So far they haven't come out to meet me. HOW RUDE, I ask? They are trespassing in MY yard and they don't even introduce themselves? Mom says their name is "GOPHER", and she says she's going to call the EX...EX....you know....like the Schwartzenegger movie...."TERMINATOR"!!!



She doesn't want them hurt, though. Just MOVED!! Like Matthew did to our groundhogs back East. Loaded them up and drove them 30 miles south to Berneville and turned them loose. Yup. That's what I want done with my gophers. Except maybe turn them loose on the reservation south of Temecula instead where they can live a nice comfy life in the wilderness.

Your devoted Grand Doggie....

Mary-Margaret

Lunch with AthenaMaria Dugmore

AthenaMaria is my very BEST FEMALE FRIEND FOREVER. That's BFFF if you're texting, but I don't have a cell phone or thumbs so I don't have to abbreviate. We went out to lunch with our moms to South Coast Winery on Saturday.

That's AthenaMaria on the left with the blue wrap in her hair. Her mom puts wraps on to keep her from getting all tangled up. When she takes the wraps out and brushes AthenaMaria's hair it's really pretty and long and curly at first. I wish I had long hair (sometimes, except for when I'm chasing cats or digging in the garden) so I could have Princess-curls, too. It's just not to be, though. That's not how God made me. I am sturdy like a brick with legs (my mom says), and I'm patient and friendly and kind and I love everyone. I just don't have long, flowing tresses is all.

Like the song Katie Cruel says (tweaked a bit): "Oh that I was who I would be, Then I would be who I am not, Here I am where I must be, Go where I would, I can not!"

Or, as Popeye says "I YAM WHAT I YAM WHAT I YAM!".

Love and kisses.....

Mary-Margaret

My Uncle Rudy

My most beloved "Uncle Rudy" left for the Rainbow Bridge on January 11, 2012. He was more than seven years old, and probably more than eleven. Colleen and her family adopted him in 2004, from a family that had adopted him a few years earlier. His first Christian name was "Frank". Then he was re-christened "Sunshine" when Allie and her family in Las Vegas adopted him. When Allie's family moved to Hawaii they opted not to have him go through quarantine and he became my mom's beloved Grand-Dog, renamed "Rudy".

He was a brave little fellow and faced life with the spirit of a fighter. When he was younger he was attacked by big dogs and lost one eye in the battle. Another time, Rudy was on a walk just minding his own business when a German Shepherd chomped down on his thigh, necessitating a visit to the doctor for a deep puncture wound.

As Rudy aged, the sight in his remaining eye faded. He had his house mapped perfectly in his mind, though. He would go to the patio door and wait to be let out; he navigated the frequent changes of furniture positions in his living room with ease, almost as if he were equipped with the equivalent of sonar.

When he became older and lost some teeth and it became difficult for him to chew, his best buddy "Jack the Cat" would actually chew up his kibble and then place it in Rudy's mouth just like the momma birds do with their hatchlings. His family said their good-byes to him over the past couple of days as it became obvious that his quality of life had diminished greatly and he was in pain.

He took his last trip to his favorite doctor yesterday morning where everyone there loved on him until it was time for him to leave.

God bless "Uncle Rudy"! And thank you, Rudy, for the years of love and pleasure you gave to us all.

We will always love and remember you.

Mary-Margaret

Games Yorkies Play

I've been pretty tied up taking care of business for the last couple of months. However, I did find time to write my regular column in "The Yorkie Times" newsletter. Hope you enjoy.

Love and kisses......

Mary-Margaret

PS - Grandpa - just click on the pink link above and you'll go right to it.

Ode to a TURKEY

(sing to "Georgia on my Mind")

Tur-keeeeee, Tur-ur-ur-keeeeee
I sing the whole day through.....
Roast, fried or brined
I've got turkey on my mind
Oh, turkey.....I'm in LOVE with youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

Ear Doctor

Monday, November 28, 2011 @ 3:00PM

Sheldon Klausner, MD

2001 Santa Monica Blvd # 870W Santa Monica, CA 90404-2195
(310) 829-1703

To anyone else who reads this, ignore it. This is just a family thing and will be deleted as soon as my Grandpapa goes to the doctor.

Mary-Margaret

Grandpa's Ear Doctor Appointment

Mom called your doctor this morning and confirmed you have an appointment at 3:00PM today, Monday, November 21st. They are expecting you. Please take your "equipment" with you so he can replace the batteries.

Love,

Your dutiful Grand Dogger....

Mary-Margaret

Happy Birthday, GRANDPA!!!

Woo hoo! Put another candle on your birthday cake.....you're another year old today!! (Make sure you have some fire extinguishers or a bucket of water nearby, though! NINETY-ONE IS A WHOLE LOT OF CANDLES!!)

(ahem...ahem....) (mi...mi...mi......) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA!!!

Love, your most humble and faithful Grand Dogger ...

Mary-Margaret

Dear Grandpa - About your ears

Mom talked to your Ear Doctor's office today and they would like to see you on Monday. It's been 5 years since you've been there. Sudden loss of hearing in one ear could be ear wax, but it could also be something more important. Your doctor can't tell unless he sees you.

Please make the appointment or ask Mom to make it for you? We love you too much to just shrug our shoulders and say "it's probably just ear wax".

Love you....

Mary-Margaret

Validate your Defendant BEFORE You Sue!!

See VALIDATE BEFORE YOU SUE

Make sure you don't end up with a worthless judgment that's uncollectible because you didn't verify the defendant entity before you filed your claim!!


Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Vice President/Chief of Puplic Relations
RASCAL's Research & Location Services
CA PI #24790

My friend, Gigi Marie

We spotted each other right away as our moms were shopping at Natural Pet Foods on Winchester in Temecula. I always buy my kibble here. Oh sure, I might spend a few pennies more but the folks here remember me and they always give me treats. But I digress.....!

I was sitting in the little seat in the shopping cart and GigiMarie came right over, stood up and gave me a kiss. GigiMarie is a cream colored Bichon Frise type with bows over both her ears and she smiles all the time. I remember her from the vet's office and we start having some "girl talk". Our moms are like.."Huh?" "Who dat?" and stuff. So my mom goes "What's her name?" and her mom goes "Gigi...Gigi Marie! What's hers?", and my mom goes "Mary-Margaret!", and GigiMarie's mom goes "OH I REMEMBER MARY-MARGARET!".

Wow. Everybody is on board but my mom. "Where'd ....how'd....huh? You know Mary-Margaret?", and GigiMarie's mom says that we were visiting at my doctor's office a while back, and then says "I'd NEVER forget Mary-Margaret!", so we all had a good visit. Me and GigiMarie got some yummy treats....I think maybe turkey and apple flavored, so just right for Thanksgiving. I got my Core Wellness low calorie kibble with no wheat, corn or other stuff that aggravates a lot of pups. I love my kibble. Did I mention that? YUM!!

Anyway....as we're driving out the parking lot my mom looks over at me and says, "IS THERE ANYONE YOU DON'T KNOW IN THIS TOWN? HMMMM???"

I just laugh and ask quietly when my next driving lesson is.

Love, Mary-Margaret

My Driving Lesson at the Bank

Oh, don't worry, Grandpa. Mom only lets me steer while we're going through the drive-through at Chase Bank. I know all the tellers there and they know me. There's Nelda, and Candise and Osh and Tim and Brian. They always say "Hello, Mary-Margaret!" and "How are YOU, Mary-Margaret?!". Sometimes I blow them kisses. That's when I look at them and make a kiss at them from the car. It makes them happy. I just LOVE our banks.

Next week, I get to go visit my good friends at Bank of America. Gosh, I hope Lisa is there. She keeps cookies in her drawer for me. She has a Yorkster named "Einstein". The other ladies go out of their way to make me feel at home. I get petted a lot there. They let me sit on the counter and watch them make the deposit on their computer. I'm very observant in watching for mistakes. So far, they haven't made any that I can remember.

Kisses and snuzzles....

Mary-Margaret

Sharing Something Good!!

Sometimes you find something that just makes you happy all day!! Enjoy!!

Mary-Margaret