The Holidays are HERE!

I got my first Holiday card yesterday. It was addressed to "Mary-Margaret O'Brien and Michele Dawn". I noticed whose name was first but I was polite enough not to mention it out loud. It was from my friends, Abbey Mia, Harper and Piper Leshnower in Brighton, New York. And from their Mom, Elaine.

When Mom helped open the envelope she didn't even have to read it to me. I recognized the "writing" right away and grabbed it. "Mine, Mine, MINE!" (I said) and I carried it all around our office.

It's so nice to have friends who take the time to sent unexpected greeting cards that just brighten up our days.

Thank you, Leshnowers!

Love,

Mary-Margaret

PS: Mom says "Thanks!" too.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!!

Acktchully, it was yesterday. He is NINETY years old now. We first went to Sears to get him some trousers but didn't guess his size right. And he didn't like the material so we had to take them back. We also got him a sweater vest, and personally....I thought he looked rather snazzy in an argyle knit but he says he prefers plain things. So that went back too.



Me and Mom took him to the Enterprise Fish Company for dinner. Now I can tell you first hand that they make a really great steak. I don't eat prawns but I'm told those were really good, too. We got a really nice picture of my Grandpa. He sure doesn't look ninety to me. FYI, that's 630 in dog years.

We went back to his apartment and his good friend Elizabeth (who gets called "Honey") brought him some yummy looking stuff on a skewer. I think it was strawberries and brownies. And she brought him a card. She's everly so nice to him. We're glad he has such a good friend living next door to him. And my Auntie "C" called to wish him a happy birthday while we were there. His family means a whole lot to him and he's really happy to know that he's cared about.

Then we went to my Uncle Mike and Aunt Janet's in Beverly Hills. We got to see pictures of their trip to Humboldt and it's just beautiful. I'd like to go there someday. Mom and Aunt Janet kept yawning but not from the pictures. They both had a long day. So everybody went to bed and it rained pretty hard on and off through the night.

This morning Uncle Mike and Aunt Janet took me and Mom to Starbuck's in Culver City. There's a lot of fine looking pups around there. One chihuahua kept scoping me out but I stayed pretty aloof. I'm not looking for love, just so you know.

We drove home and got there about 1:45PM, after checking our mail boxes in Murrieta and Temecula. Then we went to our house and got comfy and napped. I am pretty adept at napping by design; Mom just dozes off without planning to. She needs more practice.

Happy Day after your birthday, Grandpa! I love you!!

Mary-Margaret

Dear Grandpa...

Today Mom finally fixed her tool drawer. It was the bottom drawer in a stack of four on the left of her dishwasher. After maybe FOURTEEN YEARS, she took all the stuff out of it, and set it up on the counter, and completely took it apart into five pieces: The front, the back, two sides and a bottom. She got out her hammer and the glue, and started straightening nails, banging on it and gluing it and taping it and .....ta daaaa....it's like new.

You ask how it got broken in the first place? Hmmmmmmm? Well, it's like this. When a six year old kid wants to climb up to a high cupboard and he's not the kind of kid that asks for help, he gets creative and makes stairs out of drawers. I wasn't born yet, and she won't tell me which kid it was, but....if it was 14 years ago and the kid was 6 at the time, that would make him 20 now. Recognize anyone, Mr. Randy Roo?

Oops...I wasn't supposed to tell you.

Oh well...

Love,

Mary-Margaret

National Debt Clock

Visit the U.S. National Debt Clock


Mom was talking to Melissa's friend Theresa tonight and they were trying to figure out the National Debt and exactly WHO we owed it to. I just shrugged my shoulders and went back to sleep. I don't count dollars and cents. I count kibbles and chicken parts. For me there's nothing else.

If you keep refreshing the page the debt figures change. Scary, huh? We go deeper in debt by $4.15 billion a day. Man, what I could do with $$ like that. I'd put all the Puppy Mills out of business and make sure every fur baby had a good home. And a Frisbee in every dog house. That's what I'd do.

Kisses...

Mary-Margaret

Ups 'n Downs

A couple of days ago I was "arfing" at the door. I heard people go by and I wanted to be polite and say "Hello! Please come in and make yourselves at home!". By the time pokey Mom got to the door they were just leaving the hallway. I raced down the hall as fast as I could and darted out the door.

"YOU GET BACK HERE!", I hear my roommate/partner/mom yell. You'd think she'd know that does no good by now, but she tries. She's running down the hall and gets out the double doors just as the elevator door starts to close. Yup! That's me in the elevator, just sitting there alongside a lady I hadn't met yet. Well, you know what they say...a friend is just a stranger you haven't been introduced to yet!

The lady says "Hey!". I look up at her and smile. She says "You don't belong in here!". Oh yes I do (I thought) and stood my ground. Meanwhile, the "momster" is saying "Get out of there!" and I'm not budging. I know my rights.

Bottom line - between the two ladies I am no longer on the elevator and I'm being scooped up and carried back to my office. So NOT fair, I think. But it's not over yet.

We get almost back to the office and we hear the phone ring. By this time I'm back on the ground walking along, sniffing here and there. Mom throws open the door and dives for the phone thinking I'm right there. (hehehhehe!)

A while later, Hector and his pup, Maxie, walk into the office. I'm happily playing with Maya and mentoring her on how to get along with others. Mom's still yakking on the phone so Hector just waits. Mom hangs up and thanks him for dropping by. He looks at her sort of funny and says that he didn't mind at all. He just wanted to let me into our office since he didn't think I was supposed to be outside our door.



This is my friend Maxie!!

"OHMYGAWSH!", says my mom. Then she narrows her eyes at me and says "You little stinker!". I just give her my everly most winning smile. What can I say at this point? I love adventure. She is (in my opinion), overprotective and stifling. I am (in HER opinion) an unruly teenager.

Yeah yeah (I think). "What-everrrrrrrr!!"

Kisses and hugs...

Mary-Margaret

Monday Morning Meeting

My very good friend, Kitty, was waiting for me at his usual spot. Mom rolled down my window so we could visit.

I spent a long time "talking" to him, telling him the news of our neighborhood, and about my new neighbor. Kitty was very polite and just listened without interrupting.

We've known each other for a very long time...like maybe years. Nothing like having good friends around.

Have a great week, everybody.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Friday Fun!

I have been VERY good ever since my adventure last Wednesday. Really, I have. So I got to go see the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile this afternoon. It looks like a very big hot dog on wheels. They wanted to let me go ON the thing but I was just as happy looking at it. Mom got a picture of me and two weenie elves or whatever they're called. They were very nice but honestly, can you imagine? There were NO treats at all. Not one teenie weenie weinie. And I apologize. That's not one of my most flattering poses. If you double click on the picture you'll see what I mean. How unladylike, I ask you? Arrggghh!



In the market I saw some of my old friends. One of them even got a pup after finding out that we can be helper dogs, too. She got herself a Papillon named "Elvis" and she's absolutely over the moon in love with him. Most impressive was that she remembered my name...sort of. She called me "Margaret", which is better than most people do. And there was another helper dog in the market who was a puffy white toy Poodle. We're everywhere.

We're glad it's Friday. Mom says she's sick of tests. Next time the doctor asks her how she feels, she'll just say "Fine!" and that'll be it. Yup!

Love and schlurps...

Mary-Margaret

Mary-Margaret's Excellent Adventure!

Mom went to the dentist this morning and I was NOT invited. The NERVE, I say. She was only gone for maybe an hour and I didn't have much time to express my feelings anywhere in the house(darn, darn....double DARN!).

She says we have to go to work but first she's going to take out the trash. She told me to "Stay, Mary-Margaret!", which I usually do but ...like, she didn't deserve any consideration from me. She opened the door, I ducked under the big, black trash bag (while she thought I was still sitting in the kitchen), and then I made a run for it.

Out the open garage door, down the driveway, and down the sidewalk. Mom dumped the garbage into the can and took off after me, huffing and puffing and yelling "YOU STOP!", "SIT!", "STAY". I'd let her get about 10 feet from me and then I'd give her a big grin and keep on going. Wheeeee! This is fun, I said. I do so love the game of "chase". Well? I get bored all by myself, you know!

We did that a few times and she finally (DOH!!) got the message. Yelling at me and calling me "Little Stinker", and "Shithead" is NOT going to bring me back. About 2 houses down, just past our mailbox on a post, she stops and sort of squats down. This is unexpected, so I hear her out.

"Good puppy!", she says. "Mommy LOVES you!" and "Do you want a treat? Or maybe some scratchies?". Hmmmmmm (I say). "Scratchies" does sound good. So I start walking very slowly back to her. She gets up and slowly starts walking back to me. I let her pick me up and we giver each other kisses.

There's some old saying about catching more flies with honey, and I think that applies here in my case. The idea of scratchies and treats was a lot more appealing than being yelled at, don't you think?

PS - I don't think I've EVER called her "Shithead" in either English OR Doglish. How rude, huh? Next time, I might go all the way to the corner and see how she likes it.

Love,

Mary-Margaret