Jami has PUPPIES!!

My very good friend, Jami Ramsey, had FOUR babies last night. Three were black and one was brown. Honestly, I didn't even know that she was preggers except that her ...uh.....er.....let's put it this way: She needed a quadruple doggie bra with large cups. Oh...I am sooo excited. I wonder if she'll let me be their "dogmother"?

The babies' father is Jami's adopted half brother Louie. I've got a video of him on my blog here somewhere back a few months. Ah yes. Here he is:



Louie is black, too, so three of the puppies look like him. Uncle Fidel says he's going to "take care of Jami" so she won't have any more worries about unwanted pregnancy after this. I think it would be very hard to have babies and have to give them up. I don't know how Jami does it.

I'll see if I can get my Uncle Fidel to take some pictures of them so we can see Jami's babies before they get adopted. Did I mention that Louie and Jami are both Chihuahuas?

That's my news for this morning.

Mary-Margaret O'Brien for Channel MMOB.

Back to teaching again!

One of our new clients was babysitting his son's new pup, "Coco". She is 3/4 Chow and 1/4 Akita or Shar Pei or something. You'll see how cute she is in the next picture. And she's kind of shy. That's our client trying to get her to come out an play with me.



Our client gave up, but I didn't. I even brought Coco toys and tried to share with her. She came out from under the desk everly so slowly, but still...finally, I got her out. I was just so patient and kind. Our client even told Mom that he never met a pup who wanted to share her toys before. I find that hard to believe. Isn't sharing something you do with friends just naturally?



She's pretty much a Grandpa's girl, though. A lot like me, I guess. I'm a "Grandpa's Girl", too. She's going to be pretty big. Already she's bigger than me, and she was only born seven weeks ago. I am almost 3 1/2 years old. She was a very good girl today, and now she calls me "Ma'am". I think I like that almost as much as "Miss O'Brien". I do so love being back in the classroom again.

Love,

Miss Mary-Margaret O'Brien

Catchin' up!

Mom was busy catchin' up on stuff. Finally, she had a day where she could think herself hear. Or is it hear herself think? Either way, she kept herself busy and I visited a lot.

We had people in for a notary and I made really good friends with the man. He gave me lots of belly rubs and snuggles. A couple of ladies came in with papers for us to serve and I got even more back rubs than I ever could have hoped for.

At the end of the day, my Auntie Linda (the one who calls me PooPoo-LaLa) came by to visit me (not Mom), and then my very good friend, Robert (the handyman) came to see me, too.

When we left the building we ran into Debbie from downstairs. She and her hubby have a hobby shop and they specialize in old train sets, like Lionel and American Flyer. I said "Hello" to her, too, and she asked Mom if I could have a treat. OHMYGAWSH...they were SOOOO good. Like little hot dogs in buns. I'll have to look for them at the market.

Then, at the market, Mom asked for some "tropical waldorf", and they were out of it. But I got a slice of ham for a treat. I always get treats from the people in the Deli section. Sometimes turkey, sometimes beef, sometimes ham. I like them all.

We came home and I went out to check for cats. Mom called me into the house for dinner and, as usual, I ignored her. She didn't get all stressed, though. She absolutely ignored me and that was NO FUN AT ALL. So I came inside and had roast chicken with duck kibble. And some yellow cake (no frosting) for dessert.

See why I had the everly most best day in the world? Yup. Food, friends, and fun. What pup could ask for anything more?

Love and hugs to everyone....

Mary-Margaret

On A Clear Day....

....I can see FOREVER!! We're on the 3rd floor of our office building in Old Town Temecula. I can see over the top of Sweet Lumpy's Bar-B-Q, and over the top of the Fire Station, and the place where they have the Flea Market (not that I can figure why anyone would want to buy fleas, though!), and all the way to the 15 freeway. I can even see the mountains way far away and sometimes there's snow on them.

We got our windows washed today and...well, honestly? It's impossible to have a conversation with a window washer when I'm on the floor inside, and he's on the roof outside. I made a lot of noise and paced a lot, which got my mom's attention. She picked me up and said "Oh, here! Say Hello and be done with it!". So I did. And then me and the window washer kept eye-balling each other and laughing. It was everly so much fun.

After the window washer man left, the windows were really clean and I could see VERY well. So I stayed put until we left for our appointment at 2:00PM. I was there for maybe an hour or so. I wish Mom had gotten a picture of my new friend. Darn!

Anyway, I think I'll spend more time up here. Life is pretty interesting on the main drag in downtown Old Town Temecula.

Love, Mary-Margaret

PS - Did you know that Harley-Davidson bikers like to get together at the Temecula Beer and Wine Garden across the street? And that Thursday through Sunday bands play there? A lot of old time stuff that I don't hear on the radio today from back in the 60's and 70's, my mom says. Did you know that Buffalo Springfield is a rock band, and not a meadow where buffalos graze?

Siesta Day!

Here's what I did mostly today. Yup. I practice at the office during the week and I've got it down pretty well.

We were in our office at home. I was snoozing. Mom was messing around with the computer. She happened to glance over at her cartridge of correction tape and noticed something moving inside. Huh? (she thinks) And she looks closer. It's a little white spider. I guess if I wanted to be technically correct, I'd say it was an ecru spider, about maybe 1/4" in diameter including legs.

She shook the little cartridge and the spider fell out. As it was getting used to the idea of not being confined and was stretching it's little legs a bit, Mom squished it into smithereens. We have maybe 3 legs left that we have to sweep up still. Little legs they are, too.

The cartridge is a Tombow mono correction tape 4mm x 10 m and was made in Thailand. We're trying to figure out if the spider came from Thailand inside the cartridge, or if it's a local Southern California spider that had the misfortune of wandering onto our desk and into the tape thingy. One of life's little mysteries that will probably never be solved.

'Scuse me. Back to napping, and I'll catch you later.

(zzzzzzznnnnoooorkkkkkkzzzzzz)

Mary-Margaret

PS - Did you notice I went to my stylist, Miss Marilyn, yesterday? Yup. Sort of a pinkish-purplish bow. One of my favorites.

Driving Mom Crazy 101

This lesson is entitled "Now you see me, Now you don't!". Here's how it works. On your last "out" before bed, you hop out your little doggie door and as soon as your mom turns her back, you v-e-r-r-r-r-y quietly hop back in and tippie-toe onto the carpet. You scrunch down...and shhhh...don't let anyone hear you.

I did this tonight, and a couple of minutes later, my mom pokes her head out back and says, "OK, Bed-time! Come in, please!". (I'm still really quiet and I don't even giggle). Then she says, "Where ARE you? Get in here!". THEN she gets all nutsy and starts to yell "You get IN here, Mary-Margaret! It's COLD out there!". (and I skwunch even further down behind the big leather chair!)

"IT'S BEDTIME...GET IN HERE...NOW!!!" (and she's really getting ticked, but that's the fun part). Next thing you know, she slams the slider shut, turns off the light and she thinks I don't know she's standing right by the door waiting for me to panic and come running. Nope. Not a peep from me. And it gets even better.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGH!", she says and opens the door again, and she starts to go upstairs. Just as she passes my hiding place I jump out and go "BOO!!".

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!", she squeals, and says stuff like ...well, you wouldn't really want me to write it here...not really! Then she scowls and says "Real funny, Mary-Margaret!" (and all the time I'm having a hard time keeping a straight face! I think I'm going to pop!). She scoops me up and goes to close the door and turn out all the lights.

"Gosh darn you, Mary-Margaret!", she scolds as we get all ready for bed. And I'm just busting out laughing and enjoying every moment. This is SOOOO much fun. Hmmm! That'll teach her to tell me to "Make it snappy!".

Us Yorkies have a pretty good sense of humor, and we just LOVE practical jokes. Let me know if you try this and how it turns out for you. My mom gets her new glasses in a couple of weeks, and I think it's going to be a lot harder to put one over on her then. But I'll keep thinking up stuff. I just love to toy with her. Yup! I do.

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret "The Joker" O'Brien

Salmon for Supper!!

Oh yessssssssssss! I made it perfectly clear that I really REALLY like salmon. There's only so much a Yorkette can do to get her point across but I guess I did. Last night we had poached salmon, cooked in lemon juice, butter and dill weed. OH MY GAWSH..I thought I fainted and went to heaven. I had about 1/4 of the filet, crumbled up (so I wouldn't get any bones) and mixed with my duck kibble and about 2 TBSp of warm water. I LOVE LOVE LOVE salmon.

Tonight, I had fresh chopped chicken with duck kibble. Mom's such a good cook. Ok...more like a good food artist or something. She doesn't cook, exactly, but she sure knows what I like and how I like it.

Nothing like good ol' home food assembly, I tell YOUUUUUUU!

Love, Mary-Margaret

Me? A "Time Out"??

Here's how it goes. We get home from work (on a SUNDAY, mind you) and it's maybe 6:15PM, dark outside. I'm hungry and bored. I hop out my little personal door and the yard is absolutely full of different smells. I'm just taking my time when I hear "Mary-Margaret....Dinner is ready!".

Well, rats. OK...OK, just a second (I say). Hang on a bit. Next thing you know, it's "Mary-Margaret? Where ARE you?". (grumble...gripe) I am BUSY (I say in my head) and I just ignore her. Well, crud. I hear the car door open, and then she comes back into the house, and out the back door with a flashlight. Not just a flashlight, but a Super Dooper Mag lite that could stop a deer in it's tracks! I dodge a bit...duck under a bush...dart behind the bird bath...you get the idea, right?

Then she REALLY gets mad and it's like I'm in one of those German war camp escape dramas with the searchlights. The only thing missing was sirens. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaack.....!! She spotted me. I started to run the other way, zigging and zagging, and then she yells, "STOP!". Oh shucks...that's the magic word. I freeze and she scoops me up, yapping at me all the way into the house.

I am having chicken...she's having salmon. Hello? I would rather have salmon! "GET OFF ME!!", she says. Bite me, (I say), and I dig my nails into her leg. "GET O-F-F ME!!!", she says, so I hop onto the arm of the chair and wait for freebies to fall. I get a few tasty little morsels when she's done with her dinner, but that's not quite what I had in mind. I snorfle into the chair cushion on both sides making as much noise as possible. She says I sound like a little piglet. As long as she feels the guilt is all I care about.

I ask to go out again, and you'd think we were entering into an international treaty. "Promise me you'll make it snappy!", she says. Yeah yeah, (I say), just open that door. She picks me up and stares me straight in the eyeball. "YOU PROMISE!!". OK..OK... whatever! But I take just a brief moment to check the yard for cats, and then I hop back inside. I haven't forgotten the day I was accidently left in the yard for a couple of hours. Nope. That's not happening again.

My bowl of freshly chopped roast chicken is waiting for me. It's actually pretty good and I ate the WHOLE thing. Knowing there's no possibility of any more salmon makes chicken taste everly so much better.

I'm in trouble and having a "time out" in my kennel. I guess I'm lucky she's even letting me dictate to her.

Sometimes I just gotta be free to be meeeeeeee!!!

Mary-Margaret "Flower Child" O'Brien

Mary-Margaret here, just checking in!

Hello! I'm here. My secretary isn't doing too well, though. Not running on all four legs, metaphorically speaking. Some sort of tummy problems but she's keeping a stiff upper lip and tells me not to worry. Still, I look after her anyway. Grandpapa and I both insisted she contact her doctor. She sent him an email last night to keep us quiet. We'll see what he says.

Jennifer is back at school in Alabama; Cheryl is working her new job with the great title but has offered to come back at nights or on weekends; Debbie-across-the-hall is doing some proofing for us. Yesterday we got a call from a lady who's coming in today to see about working for us, too. That'll take some pressure off me and I can go back to napping full time.

We're getting calls almost daily from "process servers" who want to work for us. No registration, no bonds. Oh, I take that back. We had one guy who said he had a bond for over a year but never got around to getting registered. Most don't have any experience, either, and they want us to teach them. Oh, there's a thought. We could become "educators". I have experience in that from when I mentored at "Puppy School". Yup. I could do that. Like when someone gets aggressive you just flip on your back and flash your belly.

Oh, enough for now. We've got to get to the office. I need to start nudging my Mom toward the shower.

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret "The Mentor" O'Brien

And now, the future!

And just as we lose one bright shining star, another emerges. Mom and spent most of this morning listening to some home-made videos.



Click on Thia Megia and enjoy. She just turned 13 years old. We think she has a great future, don't you??

You go, Miss Thia. We expect really BIG things from you.

And here's Connie Talbot from England. She's only six.



She'll be another bright shining star on the rise.

Cheers.

Mary-Margaret "The Talent Scout" O'Brien

PS - Not much about me. Mom took my measurements for maybe a new dress from MaryElizabeth and Corinne at Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue. I'm one of their models, you know. Super Model Mary-Margaret. (ahem? ahem?) Anyway....I've got a perfect figure. Yup. 16-17-16. Mom says that instead of an "hour glass", I've got an old fashioned alarm clock shape. (Should I be offended??)

Meeska Mooska Mouseketeer

My mom is sad today. Cheryl Holdridge died. I never knew her but I know that my mom just loved her when she was a little girl. She even wished she could be her (or just like her). Cheryl was her everly most favorite Mouseketeer. Mom liked watching other shows when Cheryl was on, too. Like "Leave it to Beaver" (where she played Wally's girlfriend). She had the most beautiful smile and always seemed so happy and so nice.

Cheryl grew up and got married in 1964 to Lance Reventlow, the son of Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress. It was like a real life fairy tale with the beautiful blonde princess marrying the heir to the throne. Her husband was killed in a plane crash just eight years later. Mom felt really bad about that. Seems like when someone has everything to live for, something really awful happens.

Princess Diana was like Cheryl Holdridge. She just made the world a brighter place for being in it. Lots of people would have liked to have had Princess Diana's life, too. She also died way too young.

I just tell Mom that the most important thing anybody can do is leave the world a better place than it was when they got there. That's my philosophy, anyway. I am who I am and I don't wish for anything more than I have. I tell Mom that I bet Cheryl Holdridge and Princess Diana would trade places with Mom in a heartbeat, if only they knew back then what we know now.

God bless Cheryl Holdridge (and Princess Diana) for being who they were, and setting an example for all of us to be the best that we can with what God gave us, while we can.

Mary-Margaret "The Philosopher" O'Brien

Mary-Margaret, Pin Up Girl

This is what my very good friends Carolina and Lucie in Venezuela made for me and my mom. You know what else? They said I could share it with ALL my friends. And my "fambly", too. I'm everly so honored.



If you double-click on the calendar it will be big enough to print out and hang on your wall ...... or your dog house ...... or ...... someplace really special?

Thank you, Lucie and Carolina. I never thought myself as being on a par with Betty Grable or Gretchen Mol or Giselle Bundchen (blushing with pride.

PS: If you want your very own calendar with YOUR picture on it, contact professional photographer Carolina Herrera. I'm thinking next year maybe I'll be in a bikini? Naw, that might be a tad awkward! I would need at least four tops and only one bottom. Maybe a one-piece? Yup. That would work, I think. Oh, and that really pretty pup on Carolina's page is my VERY good friend, Lucie. She barks in several languages, you know.











PS - This is what I did today mostly.

Love,

Mary-Margaret "Pin-up Girl" O'Brien

For service of process in Temecula or Murrieta see RASCAL. Going on our 32nd year in business!

A New Year - A New Friend

This is my new friend, Max. We saw him and his nanny taking a walk in our neighborhood so we stopped the car. Me and Max nuzzled and visited for a bit. Isn't he everly so handsome? Gosh....I wish my mom would take me for walks like that. Or maybe get me a nanny, too?

Anyway, I talked to Max while Mom tried to talk to the Nanny. Hello? Mom doesn't speak Spanish OR Dog. Max and I spoke "Dog" while Mom and the nanny each spoke English and Spanish, respectively. Nanny didn't speak English or Dog either. Everybody got along really well, though. We don't seem to have much of a problem with that.

Pretty soon it was time to say "arf weinerschnitzle" (which is Dachshund for "catch you later, dude!").

Happy New Year, Everyone.

Love, Mary-Margaret

A VERY Important Lesson!!

Do not ever think you have even a second to hop out your little personal door before your mom leaves the house. Nope. I learned the hard way yesterday.

I'm having my late early-morning nap and Mom says "See you later...I'm going to breakfast with Margie!". Hmmmmm? Oh...ok...bye (I say), and as she's walking downstairs I think "It's now or never". So I race down the stairs and hop out my little door, sniff and squat, and.....uh oh! Is that the sound of a slider being closed? I freeze...and I listen.

Mom yells up the stairs "I'll be back in a couple of hours!", and I'm saying NO NO NO NO NO...I'm not UP there! I hear the garage door open, and the car starts up. Can this be true? She backs out and closes the garage, and I hear her drive away.

Well, Doggie-doo!! It's cold and wet and lonely out here. I entertain myself by making some mud pies and sticking my nose under the fence. Can't see much that way, so I go back and sit in what little sunshine there is. And I cry. (sniffle....waaaah!) I am alone...abandoned.....I shall probably starve and wither away into nothingness. I lay down on the wet lawn and sob for a bit.

Hello? What's that I hear? The gate is opening? Ohhhhhhhhhhh....it's Adan, our gardener. I'm so happy to see him. I usually give him a few barks, but today I just run up to him and sniffle and sob. "M...m....Mom L...L...LEFT m...m..eeee!", I say. He lets me watch while he mows and stuff.

He hangs with me for a while and holds me at arm's length. Like maybe he's never seen a wet puppy before? Ok....granted, there was a bit of mud and maybe a couple of dead yard bugs on me, but geez. Not like he doesn't see that stuff all day.

"Mary-Margaret? Where ARE you?". Finally, after a gazillion hours, I hear a familiar voice inside my house. HAH. She's starting to worry about me. She can't find me any place. "Shhhh!", I tell Adan. "Let her suffer a bit!". Ah. She spots Adan out back and asks if he's seen me. He starts laughing and I absolutely LEAP out of his arms and run into the house. "Mom..Mom...Mom!", I say. "Don't ever leave me like that again!". She laughs and cuddles me (again at arm's length while she dries me off with a dish towel). "I'm SOOOOOO sorry. Poor Mary-Margaret!", and this time she just wraps her arms around me and gives me the biggest kiss ever.

I think she's learned to check my whereabouts before she leaves. I think I've learned to forego the lawn in exchange for piddle pads if she's about to go someplace. And we've both learned how much we love each other. Yup. Better to be safe than soggy, I always say.

Love,

Mary-Margaret "Soggy Doggy" O'Brien