Our Stockings Are UP and Ready

Dear Sandy Paws

Please don't forget the TREATS

HOP

Just LAME

This is what I think of the lack of KITTY posts on this here blog.

It is unacceptable.

I am telling Santa Claus and we'll see what happens next.

Noodles, don't be so sure there will be presents under the tree for you!

Love Sunshine the Cat

Santa Better Wear His Galoshes

It is raining here. That is a good thing, I know. We so desperately need the water that every little drop is very very important to us. But to be perfectly honest, I worry a lot when it rains. I worry about Mommy and my Aunties driving on slick wet roads. I worry about FURiends who have to WALK in the wet and cold. And I worry - especially this week - what might Santa Claus have to do to make all of those deliveries on Christmas Eve.
It keeps me up at night, HONESTLY!

• Does Santa have special protective gear he and the REINDEER wear so they don't become waterlogged?

• Does the sleigh have RAIN tires. . . or I guess you'd call them RAIN RUNNERS?

• Does Santa have special NAVIGATION tools to help him find his way through RAIN clouds?

I am serious! This is what keeps me up at night. And we are supposed to have a lot of rain between now and Christmas Day.

It's NOT that I am sooooo CONCERNED about my OWN presents, mind you. But rather, I am concerned for all of the children and pets in the world who are COUNTING on something under their tree on Christmas Day.

So my quandary is this:

DO I wish for CLEAR skies on Christmas so Santa can deliver all of those presents without a hitch?
Or do I WISH for more desperately needed rain from California and take my CHANCES?

I've got only THREE days to figure this out!!!

Star Wars Crazy

Anypuggy who knows my Mommy #2 KNOWS she is Star Wars CRAZY. She seems so normal and almost boring in her day to day persona - but get her talking Star Wars (or Star Trek) and her INNER NERD totally washes up to the surface.

I thought it had gone away - until last night when she went to see the NEW movie: Star Wars - The Force Awakens.

She loved it so much that all she can talk about it Star Wars this and Star Wars that. If our Christmas tree wasn't already up and decorated, it would totally be a Star Wars themed tree.

She loves the new characters as much as the old ones and is now talking about CHANGING my name to something Star Warsy and maybe a little more girly.

So Meet REY PUG

I think that lady has totally LOST her mind.

The Christmas Card Pose

Molly's First Christmas Card Pose

Look how much Molly has grown

May The Force Be With You. . . Star Wars Returns

Channeling My Inner Elf

I woke up this morning with a START! There are only 10 days until CHRISTMAS! That means there are only 9 shopping/wrapping days. Guess what? I have not even LOOKED at my list. This is my GIFTING list not my WISH list. That I turned in on THANKSGIVING DAY.

So how am I gonna get all that shopping done in just 9 days? I don't even have a car! I might make some of the gifts, I think I have time. THINK! Think! think!!! What to do?

I am open for suggestions.

In the meantime, I have been decorating like crazy.

Christmas Smelling

If there is one thing about the holidays that I love, it is the wonderful collection of smells. You know what I am talking about -

The Christmas Tree - except ours is FAKE. I do get to smell real pine trees sometimes when we go walking. And when we camped at Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe - OMP! It was heavenly with the smell of the trees and the snow that was still on the ground, and the crisp air. . . ahhhhhhhhhh.

The Christmas Meal - If you do the turkey, ham, prime rib thingy then you KNOW what I mean. Mouthwatering is an understatement. Since my Mommys and Aunties are vegetarian, we get very little of those kind of smells. But you know Butternut squash and Brussels Sprouts are pretty wonderful smelling as well. I think cooking food in general smells DELICIOUS.

Gingerbread - This is one of my favorites and the ONE my Mommy did this weekend. Can you STAND IT? The spiciness and richness of gingerbread dough is just about as perfect for the holiday as you can get. This coming weekend we are hosting a gingerbread decorating party at our house which is why Mommy made SIX batches of dough. She anticipates needing about 12 houses worth. Making the dough smells wonderful enough - but tonight she is BAKING the houses. She figures she can make 2-3 a night and more on Wednesday when she works from home. She should be able to have them baked and put together in time for the party.

Then the fun begins. Friends and their children come over for snacks and to decorate the houses. There is CANDY everywhere and laughter. A lot of laughter. It is so much fun.

I usually station myself under the tables because . . . you know. . . KIDS drop a LOT of stuff.

The best part of all of this? There are 2 FULL weeks of the fun and revelry.  I am lovin' every minute of it.

Day for Night and Night for Day

EDITOR'S NOTE: I wrote this last night but for some reason it did not publish. Did anypuggy notice I was missing yesterday?

YAWN!!!! I just woke up and noticed it was 8 O'Clock. So I wandered down to the computer to write my blog. OMP!!! It's NOT 8AM it is 8PM!! I slept away the whole day!

How could that happen? Best I can figure is the soft pitter patter of the rain this morning (that's right, folks, we had rain!) must have lulled me to sleep. And because it was dark from the storm clouds, I guess I just didn't realize it was daytime and not nighttime. So I slept. And Slept. AND SLEPT.

Finally I started to get a little hungry and had to do a little bidness as well. So I got out of bed, yawning and rubbing my eyes the whole way. I never really opened them until I sat down at the computer, turned it on and then, suppressing a huge yawn, I clicked it on and started to write my blog. 

THAT was when I opened my eyes completely and noticed there was no sun shining. . . and it was dark outside, not gray. OMP!!! I've lost a whole day and my blog never got written.

Sorry about that. YAWN! I guess I will have to start again. . . tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday Says It All

LAST YEAR. .  .when do I get to see him this year?

Something Came Up and I Changed My Mind

Howdy Peeps n Pups. I have a completely different post in mind for today. One that was light-hearted and pertinent to the season. But I simply cannot do it - I changed my mind when I got the news.

You see. . . Cheerio, my BF who I NEVER met and whose family I stayed with when my Mommys went away at Thanksgiving. . .well, sniff, he crossed the Rainbow Bridge this morning. He had a heart attack. My eyes are leaking just thinking about it.

Cheerio never got to make the trip to California as planned. He stayed behind in India with Auntie K's folks because he'd just had surgery for kidney stones. He wasn't particularly old - 8 years is all. I know Auntie K and her family are hurting a lot more than me and I am hurting a lot.

He was a good ol' boy and I know I will miss him lots.

RIP Cheerio. You will be so free over the Rainbow Bridge. And best of all - now you will be with your California family all the time now. . .

In their Hearts.

Hip Hoppin' on Her New Hip

This lady did so much for rescues.
We honor her memory today.

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Just kidding!

Auntie D is NOT doing any Hip Hopping on her new Hip.

 YET!

So Mommy FINALLY came home last night after spending Friday through Sunday with Auntie D. She said it was good she was there, especially the second day when the pain kinda hit. Plus, she said, Auntie D had to get used to using her cane and getting around without hurting her new joint. But now she is doing really well and managing her pain with simple stuff, like Tylenol. I am pretty sure Auntie D will be back dancing (she teaches ballet) before too long.

Thank you for all of the well wishes. I am POSITIVE those are the reason Auntie D is doing so well.

I was so happy when Mommy came home. Molly tried to muscle in on my welcoming and I let her know it was UNACCEPTABLE! She is MY MOMMY, after all.

Once she had dumped her bags and could focus on things, Mommy opened the mail that had been piling up. One was a box.. . . . a very special box . . .

And when she opened it, it had a very special message from Ms. Sydney. We loves loves loves Ms. Sydney and GUESS WHAT!!?? She loves us too and wanted to send us a HAPPY FALL gift.

Look at all that fun stuff! The big plush PUMPKIN has an awesome squeaker in it! The little pumpkins and leaves are just for show but I think they are so cute and festive. There is POO SPRAY so Sunshine's poop box smell can be masqued. Molly also said my bedroom could use a refreshment as well. Finally that big bag is BLUE BUFFALO Health Bars. They might be pumpkin flavor. . . I didn't look. I just begged until Mommy opened the bag and gave me one. I have been wanting to try those FOREVER!!!! And guess what - Mommy gave me a WHOLE BIG BAR for myself! Molly got one too! 

This is Molly and Me watching Mommy opening the Blue Buffalo Health Bar bag. Notice our intense concentration.

I highly recommend those treats if you can find them. They are simply delicious.

Thank you Ms. Sydney and Chewy.com for a very special surprise. We loved you a lot before. . . we love you more now.

Where'd Mommy Go This Time?

Last night Mommyy pulled out her small suitcase and proceeded to fill it with clothes and stuff. She did this last before Thanksgiving as well. I knew something was up. Later, when we sat cuddled together, I asked her. Well Noodles, she said, Auntie D is having an operation today and I told her I would stay with her until she could manage on her own. It should be one day - two at the most.

 I am sad about it but I know that's why good friends do. Plus, this time Mommy #1 will be home to snuggle with and keep me happy.

A Delicate Issue

I'm a PUG. And if any of you are familiar with PUGS, actually ARE pugs, or are OWNED by pugs, then you know all about the, um, BUTT problem.

No, no, no. . . . I am NOT talking about that exposed ORIFICE that seems to amuse so many non-pug people. THAT I am rather proud of, as a matter of fact. No, I am talking about that unpleasant GLAND problem that, while not exclusive to pugs seems to be associated with pugs. I am talking about BUTT juice or, as my Mommy calls it, STINK butt. It is often accompanied by itchiness which results in butt SCOOTING. It's the SCOOT which often cues a visit to the VET or the GROOMER for what is INDELICATELY called gland expression.

In my Mommy's mind, though, a better solution would be to work on the problem from the INSIDE rather than the unpleasant squeezing of the puggy backside. So she started investigating and came across this product called GLANDEX. Their advertising line is "Boot the Scoot!" Seemed like the right solution to Mommy and me. So she contacted the company and asked for a free sample to try. They said sure and sent her about a week's worth of product. Frankly Mommy says that is not really enough time to know if the product works and that is certainly true in my case. She caught me scooting across the foyer tile just days after beginning the trial. But she is not saying the product does not work - just not instantly. She plans to try it some more and see if she can get me to "Boot the Scoot."

Not sure why this is so important to her because frankly - I enjoy the feeling of scooting my backside across the cool tile. It unsettles the humans, though, sooooooooooooooooooo. . . 

Here's what she likes about GLANDEX:

1. Contains natural anti-inflammatories
2. Supports healthy anal gland and digestive function
3. Guaranteed results within 3-5 weeks (See what I mean about the trial size not being enough?)
4. Veterinarian formulated and approved
5. Great tasting and easy-to-use formula good for any size dog (It's a TREAT! Chewy and flavorful)
6. All-natural premium ingredients:Pumpkin seed powder, granulated pumpkin seed, apple pectin cellulose powder, quercetin dihydrate, lactobacillus acidophilus, bromelain, corn starch, dehydrated peanut butter, flaxseed oil, glycerin, mineral oil, peanut butter, rice bran, sorbic acid, sucrose, water. (That's all real food stuff, even the ones I cannot pronounce.)
7. Made in the USA

And guess what? She found out that Chewy.com sells it!!!! How perfect is that?

I am willing to try anything to avoid a trip to the vet and a gland squeeze. I like my vet but. . . well, you know. . . AND since it tastes good I am willing to give it more of a chance. We can all use a little more fiber in our diet, after all.

If you or a FURiend of yours has this same problem (and if you are a PUG, you probably do) then consider trying Glandex for yourself. Then let me know what you think about it. I am waiting by the computer to read what you have to say.

* This is just something I wanted to share. I was not paid to write this product review nor was I even asked to review it by anyone or any company.

Anatomy of a Nap - Wordless Wednesday Version

Hop Along Here

Marvelous Minion

I am one lucky PUG! Every Friday MODERN DOG MAGAZINE has Friday Freebies and I always enter for something. I don't often win but playing is half the fun.

Last month, around Halloween they were offering Minion Halloween Costumes. One was a GIRL Minion. I must confess, a lot of my Halloween Costumes are what would be generally considered BOY costumes. And, as all my FURiends know, I am a GIRL. So that is what I told the people at Modern Dog Magazine - that if I won the GIRL costume my Mommy would HAVE to stop dressing me up as a boy.

They BOUGHT IT!!!!! I won a Minion Costume and I was so happy I danced and danced and danced. As luck would have it, "Despicable Me" was on tv and I watched it with renewed interest because NOW I would be representing GIRL MINIONS everywhere.

The costume was provided by Rubie's Pet Shop, a division of Rubie's Costumes. Take a moment to check out their costumes. They have almost anything you can imagine and for really decent prices.

Not too much later, like a couple of weeks or less, after receiving the news I had won, I received an email from Erin at Rubie's Pet Shop Boutique. She asked the important stuff like SIZE and ADDRESS. I figured I was in for a long wait.

Not so long. The costume arrived while I was at Auntie K's cozy home. The minute I saw the box, I knew what it was and I was jumping for joy!!!

I have a lot of clothes - not as many as some, but probably more than average. I wear them when the mood strikes me or when Tiffy comes over to play. It's fun.

This Minion Costume is TOP QUALITY! I loves loves loves it so much that I think I will simply wear it JUST BECAUSE! It is made of soft flannel and is sized just right for my svelte PUG body. The hat is comfortable too and I didn't try to shake it off even once!

You can't really tell from this picture but the bottom has a skirt like attachment. I almost look girly in it.

I cannot wait to SHAKE MY TAIL at the next Pugoween. I am pretty sure I will TOTALLY win the BEST BOUGHT COSTUME contest.

Cuddle Time

Getting in all the cuddles I can before Mommy takes me to her friend's house.

Auntie B is unable to entertain me this time so Mommy's OTHER friend, Auntie K said she would.

If you recall me talking about my FURiend who I have never met, Cheerio, well this is his HUMOM. When they moved back to CALI from India, they had to leave Cheerio behind (with his grandparents) as he had kidney stones. They miss him a lot and asked that they be considered when we need pug sitting. Mommy said of course. I met them before Halloween and really really really liked them a lot. I MIGHT even have more fun than MY MOMMYS!

I'll let you know when I get back home.

Until then,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Why Does This Always Happen On The Holidays?

This was a weekend with a lot going on. My aunties and cousins were spending a lot of time doing laundry and collecting FOOD. I thought that was a little weird but HEY! They're HUMAN, after all. They are ALWAYS doing something I don't understand.

Then they pulled these out of the SHED

Now I KNEW something was afoot. They all stuffed these things FULL of clothes and put the FOOD in boxes and ice chests.

Saturday Auntie T drove off with her car loaded down - Sunday Auntie B and the cousins went to the AIRPORT and took off in a plane.

That leaves Mommys #1 and #2 here with Molly, Me, Sunshine and the birds. Normally I would be fine with it but. . . . a whole week with just the Mommys and us!!! Heaven!!!!

Then this happened

Cousin E's BF took a box of Molly's stuff to his house - including the POOCHIE BELLS (Molly is freaking out with out those bells to ring when she has to pee)!

THEN Mommy #2 started washing all of my bedding, including my crate pad.

THEN THIS HAPPENED

We had baths

Sunshine is All Like. . . I'm THE Cat in the House

Taken last week when it rained

Most of the time I like Sunshine the Cat. She is a good cuddle companion - sometimes. She is not obtrusive - usually. And she -mostly- does not INTRUDE on my TREATS.

Well that changed this month when SHE received the monthly REVIEW package from Chewy.com. You all KNOW how much I love the TREATS Chewy.com sends to me. And I share with Molly WITHOUT complaint (sorta). But due to some WEIGHT FLUCTUATIONS and the approaching holidays, Mommy convinced me to ALLOW Sunshine to review this month's treat. There were some AWESOME Cat selections: Natural Balance Perfect Bites; Johnny Cat Litter Box Liners (NOT edible);Orijen Original; and Purina Pro Plan True Nature Cat Treats. Admit it! Those are some wonderful choices.

Sunshine chose Orijen Original Cat treats as she knows that Orijen is a great company (from Canada) that really cares for pets and the environment. She reminded me that long ago she actually tried and reviewed their CAT FOOD. I had forgotten. She also bragged that Orijen only uses locally grown and captured food sources which makes their CARBON FOOTPRINT very low AND their control over quality HIGH. I can't argue with that logic. . . I just can't. If you would like more information about the company, and I highly encourage you to do so, CLICK HERE

Orijen treats are "Biologically appropriate" and in the case of FELINES, this means high in proteins. . . MEATS. Not pea protein. . . not other vegetable proteins. . . not peanut butter. . . REAL MEAT and REAL FISH is where the protein for Orijen food and treats comes from. Because Sunshine prefers Chicken to Fish, we chose the chicken treats. NOTE - I DID NOT say Flavored treats. That's because the flavor in these treats is from the MEAT AND FISH and not a flavor additive.

Orijen Original Cat treats are 100 PERCENT meat which is freeze dried. Period. No preservatives. . . no fillers. . . just high quality locally raised CHICKEN. 

Most importantly, how does Sunshine the Cat like Orijen Original treats? Well, let her tell you in her own words:

"I insist that from now on THIS CAT will no longer consider Orijen Original Cat treats a -TREAT! Instead, I decree that a few delicious pieces of freeze dried chicken be added to my meal EVERY TIME as an integral part of my meal."

She talks all snooty like that, you know.

So in summation, this is how Sunshine scored Orijen Original Cat treats:

• Flavor - Four dainty cat paws
• Appearance - Four dainty cat paws
• Nutrition - Four dainty cat paws
• Not having to SHARE with Pug and Dog - EIGHT dainty cat paws

Do yourself a favor - if you, the DOG of the house has a CAT also sharing space, do not. . . I repeat DO NOT let them know about Orijen Original Cat treats. They will only LORD it over you like, FOREVER. 

* We received (and very swiftly, I might add) one package of Orijen Original free of charge for the sole purpose of trying the product and reviewing it. We were not not have we ever been paid for our opinions. 

Could I Be Turning Frutarian?

fruit·ar·i·an

/ˌfro͞oˈterēən/ 

noun

1. a person who eats only fruit.

So lately I have been spending a lot of time in the yard. Even when it has been raining. (Yes, we have gotten some welcomed rain lately. I think El Nino has finally arrived.)

I wander here and there checking out the pee mail and smelling the air for news of the 'hood. It is my ME time. . . . my ALONE time. . . . my SNEAK FRUIT time. I have to confess, I LOVE FRUIT. And our yard is usually so BOUNTIFUL. But this year, the fourth year of the drought, our garden output was dismal. We had very few apricots and they were tasteless. We had no plums (the tree dried) and very few strawberries after Spring. The APPLE tree has fruit but it is small and grainy which the HUMANS do not care for. So they have been left on the tree to fall off.

FALL OFF????? Yes, that's right - fall off - and into my waiting MAW. OMP! It is an apple bonanza out there. I might be exaggerating a little since I already let you know there weren't too many. But even what grew was a lot of apples for this little PUG.

SO here's how it goes: I beg and beg to go out as if my bladder was bursting. Of course Mommys let me out because they don't want to clean up a pee mess. That is when I make my way to the tree and hide among the low branches so I cannot be seen. It is there that the yummiest apples fall. 

Heaven!

I hear Mommy calling me. . .  and calling me. . . and  calling me. . . I just choose to ignore her because I am in APPLE HEAVEN! I simply cannot get enough of them. I checked the tree the other day (easy to do as now the leaves are falling) and there are not too many apples left to fall. I best enjoy them while they last.

I was wandering the other side of the yard after the big wind hit (earlier this week we had winds so big they knocked our basketball net over onto Auntie T's sorta new car. She was not too happy, I can tell you) and under the MAGNOLIA tree leaves was something interesting, bright orange and globe shaped. It wasn't an ORANGE, I knew that. I like oranges to, by the way. It was kinda shiny and different. So I sniffed it and rolled it around with my nose. 

The most heavenly aroma wafted up to me. . . it was HONEY SWEET smelling but with a tartness to it. I grabbed it in my jaw to carry it to cleaner more open space. Just then I heard Mommy yelling for me (indicating this was not the first call) so I thought I had better answer. I took a chance hoping she would not be looking too closely at me and ran to the house with my prize still in my mouth.

Did not fool her one bit. "Noodles! What's in your mouth?" she said. My eyes told her "Nothing." So she grabbed at it. I know better than to snap at her or growl so I let her take the EXPOSED part thinking I could secret the rest away to eat in my BIG ROOM. She was having none of it. "DROP!" she said in that stern ALPHA voice. So I did. "Oh!" she said. "You have a persimmon. It must have somehow blown over from the Huangs next door."

 

Then she took all of the pieces I had carted in, washed the dirt off of them, and put them in my dish! I didn't even have to share with Molly.

Here is my new love

Wordless Wednesday and Blogpaws Blog Hop

Noodles: I wonder what THEY are looking at?

HOP!!!!

Gossamer, Glue and Gaffers

This was the weekend I was kind of dreading. It happens every year at about this time so you would think I would be used to it - SHOWCASE WEEKEND.

Showcase weekend is when my mommys spend Friday through Sunday at the theater building sets, rehearsing and performing for the ballet studio's yearly showcase. It is very tiring, from what I can see; and it requires them to be gone from early in the morning to late late late at night. Then they come home and fall straight into bed.

I snuggle very close to Mommy #2 then. VERY CLOSE. But she hardly notices as she is asleep almost as soon as the light goes out. I miss my Mommys very much on SHOWCASE WEEKEND.

This is some of the VOLUNTEERS who helped build sets this year. Mommy #2 (Mommy #1 was at school) said this year was GREAT because they had a lot of helpers and EVERYONE who came - came to WORK. There have been some years where it was just MOMMY #2, Auntie D the DIRECTOR of the ballet studio, and one or two volunteers. . . PERIOD! Those times made for very long SET BUILDING days and nights, to be sure.

Note the coffee in the foreground. This is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT tools they use on SHOWCASE WEEKEND! Mommy says she drinks more coffee that weekend than any other time of the year. I think she is exaggerating a little. . . on the other hand, those are BOTH her coffees and this was the FIRST DAY.

This is a view of some of the supplies they used for building the sets. It is really a lot of CARDBOARD, HOT GLUE, and LIGHTS but somehow they make magical settings that really tell the story of the show. Mommy also has a TOOL barrel with a hacksaw, screwdrivers, and lotsa of tape they call GAFFERS TAPE. It is the tape the light crew uses to tack down cords and things like that. It is like the DUCT TAPE of the light crew. But unlike DUCT TAPE, it is not quite so sticky and permanent. Guess what? Mommy also has white and gold duct tape in her barrel as well. You never know when you will need a touch of GOLD.

The components here are the TREES that will eventually fill the stage. . . actually UPSTAGE. DO you know what UPSTAGE means? It is the area to the BACK of the stage near the CYC (this is the cloth at the back wall of the stage which is illuminated or projected upon the create a background for the performance). 

Mommy and the rest of the set crew worked hard ALL DAY building 19 set pieces. The used some GOSSAMER to bring color to some pieces and wood or beans to give them stability. When they were completed, lights were added to them. 

Saturday was TECH and DRESS rehearsal. It was also the day the set was put into place and SPIKED (positions marked with colored GAFFERS TAPE). This is the LONGEST day of the WHOLE weekend. It starts early and goes until everything is ready for show day. TECH is the longest because each dance (there were 29 dances and an opening/closing dance) needs to have music and lighting cues coded into the system. That means the dancers are on stage posing for each dance ONE BY ONE. It takes a long time and sometimes things go wrong. After a quick dinner break, they do a DRESS REHEARSAL which is a run-through of the show beginning to end in order to time the show out AND make sure everyone knows what to do and when. It generally runs the length of the show which is 2 hours. Because TECH ran late, my Mommys did not get home until VERY LATE on Saturday.

Sunday was show day. There were THREE performances before pretty full houses.

This was the BEST picture Mommy could get of the sets onstage. She was really very busy all of the time so she just took a quick phone snap. The CYC is the light cloth on the right. The wrinkles were eventually straightened out so the cyc was a smooth surface. The black curtain on the left (looks like black space in this picture but is really a curtain) is called the TEASER. It reshapes the stage so it can look like a small room or a panorama. In the SHOWCASE this weekend, the GRAND CURTAIN (main curtain) broke and Mommy said they had to use the teaser to close off UPSTAGE to the audience while sets were moved on and off. All of the dances were started on a darkened stage with the Teaser open. It was challenging but they made the best of it. THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

The VERY LAST thing that Mommys #1 and #2 did was help STRIKE the SET. That is the OPPOSITE of building the set. They breaks down all of the sets, carefully roll and store lights and things that will be reused, and clean up the backstage area and dressing rooms. Because the theater does not belong to the studio, everyone's possessions need to be gathered and taken home. There are a lot of young children at the studio so there is always a LOT of lost and found stuff that needs to be gathered and taken to the studio for them to pick up.

Monday Mommys #1 and #2 stayed home from school and work to recuperate from all that activity. THAT was my favorite part of the whole weekend!

Sunshine Scores

We all know that Sunshine the Cat leads a charmed existence. She rarely does anything other than eat, sleep and poop. She MIGHT move from one pet bed to another - if she is so inclined. OR she will just stay in one spot all the day long. Yeah, she has a sense of entitlement like no other creature on earth.

And so it came time for the Chewy.com November newsletter - you know, the one with the list of treats to review? I live for that list - I dream about that list. I could just imagine all of the goodies that would be on that list. And I was not disappointed in the least. It contained so many MOUTHWATERING treat choices that I could hardly read the newsletter for all the tears in my eyes (from excitement) and drool flowing down my jowls.

Then, the unexpected happened. Mommy pulled me aside while giving me her "Now Noodles think about this. . ." look. That never bodes well for me. And she started right in with the good job on the diet. . . the VET was so happy I had lost. . . don't want to jeopardize. . . I think you know where she was going with this. In a NUTSHELL, she said no treats this MONTH. Zero - Zip - the big DONUT HOLE!!!! 

"But Mommy," I countered, Chewy.com is counting on us."

"I have thought about that Noodles," she said. "I think this would be a good time to give Sunshine the Cat a chance to review a treat. Look, they have some really great CAT options."

There was no arguing with her. She was not really giving me a choice at all. She was basically telling me Sunshine the Cat would be doing the review and for me to get used to ONE CARROT a day for a while.

I glanced over at Sunshine and she was attempting to be cool, all sitting there licking her paw over . . . and over. . . and over . . .

Then she hopped down from the shoji screen and sidled up to Mommy's leg. She started to rub all over that black pant leg like she was the most grateful cat in the world. Mommy totally bought it. She stopped just as suddenly, walked past me and gave me a smirk.

"It's about time this CAT got some attention," she meowed.