Happy Memorial Day!

Me: Cody, wish everyone a Happy Memorial day!

Cody: Why am I dressed in this silly hat again?

Me: Because it's Memorial day, time to let your peeps see you in your all-American hat.

Cody: (pug snort) I'm missing out on good tanning minutes for this? This is prime sunshine hours for me!

Me: Well go ahead wish your peeps a Happy Memorial Day and you'll be on your way.

Cody: Um, why doesn't the cat have to do this? Why is she somewhere laughing in a corner at me?

Me: She's not laughing in a corner. But the hat doesn't fit her as well as it fits you.

Cody: I think that's your polite way of telling me I have a big head.

Me:  Oh Cody-man! No your head isn't that big. It's perfect!

Cody: Are you trying to butter me up?

Me: Not exactly. But to further explain, your sis has ears that stand on top of her head so the hat is not a good fit for her. You need to take one for the team today, show off the hat with pride. Now go ahead wish the peeps a great Memorial Day.

Cody:  I'm not sure but I think you just described Piper as more of a bunny than a cat? Maybe she should be insulted?

Me:  Cody, come on Cody...stay focused!

Cody: Oh yeah, since the cat can't fulfill this obligation. Happy Memorial Day to all my peeps! Lick an ice cream cone for me, my peeps! Cody is out! Now take this silly hate off me....PPPPPLEASE!

TX and AZ

Oh man, typing that last paragraph in the previous post made another little story pop into my head. Therefore, I had to write another brief post. However, I question whether or not I should tell this story. Oh well, here it goes, it's another TX vs AZ type of story. The first time Brad and I ever visited AZ together, we drove to Phx, as soon as we crossed the border into AZ from New Mexico, he looked at me and asked, "Are we still in America?" LOL! I couldn't help but laugh as I responded. He followed up my response by asking me a second time if I was sure we were still in America. Again, my answer was, "Um, yep!"

Brad really could not get passed how different it feels in AZ than TX. To him it is very different. After our first AZ visit he struggled to understand how I could adjust to TX so quickly after seeing AZ. The only answer I have to that is the fact I was super ready to leave AZ and I had experience in leaving AZ. Seattle is quite different too.

The other time we visited AZ was in June of 2012. The smoldering heat nearly did him in during that trip. Sweet Texas boys can't take that dry desert heat, they melt! Gotta get them home quick to their Dallas Cowboys, BBQ, and iced sweet tea! LOL!

Before I end this I'll put myself on blast a bit! One thing that has changed the most for me since leaving AZ, is my tolerance for Mexican food. Man, if people knew what a wimp I am when it comes to salsas or spices now, I'd never be invited to visit. Yep, that Tex-Mex flavor now rules my palette. Red sauce? No way! Green sauce? Nope! Show me the sour cream sauce please! Here's another admission from me, the only hot sauce ever purchased in our household is "extra mild". I know...I know...shameful for a born and raised Zonie. My mom just read that line and lowered her head in shame! Believe me!!! 

Holiday Hours?

Well Brad and I have been enjoying an extra long weekend, or a "mini vacay" as I have termed it. Brad took Friday off in an effort to maximize this holiday weekend. He has taken the Friday before Memorial day off the last few years.

I went to the grocery store early this morning. Well it wasn't that early. Should have been earlier but I got delayed getting out of the house. Anyway, I was expecting it to be busy since it's a long weekend, people want to get the shopping done before their Sunday or Monday cookouts. As I'm walking out of the store to leave I happen to notice a sign on the door that reads, "Holiday Hours". This struck me as odd since I don't think of Memorial day as a holiday that stores close for. I had a perplexed look that quickly occupied my face. But apparently that's not the case in this area of town...welcome to Fort Worth! LOL! Perhaps I'm mistaken but the previous area of town we lived in will not have any store closures on Monday. They want to stay open to maximize any potential profit. Not lose out on people trying to have a cookout on Monday but forgot to buy hamburger buns. Perhaps that was too Zonie of me, to say "hamburger buns"?  I mean baked beans or deli coleslaw.

Let me explain that further...Brad and I have compared notes, Texas vs. Arizona. In Arizona, during my growing up years it was about hot dogs, hamburgers, and such for Memorial day. In Texas it's all about barbecue. Barbecue ribs, brisket, chicken, sausages...name a meat! Trust me they'll smoke just about anything here. And they'll slather just about anything in barbecue sauce. :)

An absolute requirement according to my Texas born husband is to enjoy something slathered in barbecue sauce on Memorial day weekend or it doesn't count. My thing is a good hamburger and fries or else there's something wrong and we are not doing Memorial day weekend justice! Slight difference in opinion in our household. We agree on 4th of July food!

I remember my first Memorial day in Texas, I was a little surprised at the food choices. I moved to Texas in early May so Memorial day came quick after our move, ("our" meaning Cody, Simon, and myself). Upon going to the grocery store there were meat smokers set up outside the store and long lines of people waiting to buy barbecued smoked meats. Zonies don't know much about smoking meat.;) Yes, there are barbecue places in Phx, don't get it twisted. My point is that it's not "a way of life" as it is here. Hands down, Mexican food is much more prevalent than barbecuing and meat smoking in AZ. As for here in Texas, it would be hard to find an apartment complex that doesn't have a meat smoker for residents to use. On the flipside meat smokers being featured at an apartment complex in AZ would cause residents to scratch their heads in wonderment. That's the difference!

Huge admission on my part....wait to be floored....I never knew what a meat smoker looked like until I moved to Texas. Nope, sorry folks! Not a clue what one looked like. Big eye opener when I moved here and backyard grills sit right next to big ol' meat smokers at apartment complexes or even at the local Target or Walmart on the sales floor. But hey, I left AZ 8 years ago so maybe smokers are becoming more prevalent. Doubt it though!

Quick Snap Sunday

 

 

Cody Works Out

 

This is Cody during his early morning workout. He was fierce today, bringing the heat. Look at that form! Solidly balancing on the large exercise ball. Man, I wish I could do as well.

 

In all seriousness Cody has always had good balance. He's loved walking on narrow curbs his whole life. I've often been impressed with his ability to curb walk! However, balancing on a ball such as the one above, he requires a little added assistance. ;) 

 

 

 

Just a small disclaimer, in an effort to keep my email from being swamped later on with random people feeling the need to send me a message regarding such a pic...my husband has a good hold of Cody. He was not about to let go of him. Cody was not harmed in any way during this simple quick snap photo shoot. Any regular reader of this blog should very well understand I would NEVER allow the boys or our little cat-daughter to be in harms way. A simple pic meant to amuse...Cody hopes all that see it were amused! :) 

One Year Ago

The anniversary of when we lost little Stormer-boo was yesterday, the 18th. Never an easy day for Brad. We both miss that little furry. Although Piper has been a great addition, there will never be another Storm! Brad recently couldn't handle seeing pics of Simon and also a few pics of Storm around our place. Temporarily Storm's pics have been moved out of sight. When I noticed Brad had moved Storm's pics I asked why? He said he knew he couldn't ask me to move Simon's pics out of sight but he couldn't handle looking at both of them right now. So he decided to move Storm's pics, leaving Simon's pics untouched. I realize no one else might understand that, but to me it was obviously a sad admission from him yet it was somewhat sweet and endearing in a way too. My dad and my grandma(Pete) had to hide pics of people that had passed on so I understand. It's a coping mechanism for many.

As for a happier anniversary...let's talk momma's baby girl...my Piper-Pie! One year ago yesterday I was terrified we were going to lose our newest cat on the very same day Storm left this earth. A year ago Piper was in grave danger. Yes, it's been a year! One year later she is happy and shows no ill effects from her health scare. I still can't believe she was so sick so suddenly. I can't believe we actually made the decision to take her out of the vet's care and let her come home to die with us around her. Once she got home though I was quite the freak, I was determined she was going to live. I had charts I carried all over the house with me. I used them to record every med, every drop of water, every morsel of food I attempted to give her. I stayed up with her all night the first night she got home. I stayed up late and got up early the rest of the days during her first week home. I mean I even burped her, folks. Yes, I burped our cat. She had pneumonia and cat's don't cough so you have to "burp" them essentially to help break up the stuff in their lungs. As I previously stated, I was determined she was going to live. And she did! She likely used up a couple lives on that scare. Instead of 9, I think she has about 7 left. But hey, she's still with us. That's the important part.

Our Piper is...sweet, shy, well-behaved, mildly vocal, and frisky with some great "hops". She's also completely convinced she can get Cody to love her as much as Simon did. Plus she has her daddy wrapped around her paw. As for her biggest secret, she's a momma's girl. Sorry honey, but's it's true, although she tries hard to not play favorites when it comes to her human parents. Well, Piper without a doubt we are so glad you pulled through and continue to be part of our little fur baby duo!

 

 

 

Quick Snap Sunday

Double Stack

 

Two beds is always better than one bed right Piper? She certainly agrees. When I'm vacuuming the beds gets stacked up. Piper is now the first in line to occupy a double stacked bed. She's got it all in this pic, Simon's bed, her bed, and Simon's blanket. As it should be Pipe!

 

I shouldn't do it, but I'm going to add a bonus pic today. Yes, it's been featured before, it's a repost. A throwback pic from the days of my Simmie-boo-boo. Chillin' out on a few beds! Yep, Piper picked up a few of his traits. More than a few, truth be told!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there. Whether you are a mom to a human or a mom to a fur-baby. Enjoy the day!

Hopefully, there's no extra mess to clean up! That's usually my luck when it comes to any holiday. I can count on an extra mess! But hopefully, you have better luck than I. LOL!

Walking My Cody

This morning while out walking Cody. Hold up, let me say this first. It doesn't matter how late I stay up with my husband on a Friday or Saturday night. My eyes still pop open completely unassisted by an alarm clock at about the same time every morning, give or take a minute or two. I never set an alarm...never! Is there anyone else like that out there? Where are my no need for an alarm clock peeps? LOL! As for the first thought that runs through my mind EVERY morning...can you guess?Anyone that reads this blog on a semi-regular basis should have an idea, my first thought every morning is of course, "Time to get up and walk Cody. He's waiting for you." Although that's not exactly true. Simon was always waiting for me. Simon was like living with a rooster until my body adjusted to his predetermined time schedule. LOL! As for Cody, I actually wake him up every morning to take him out for the walk. He's the night-owl that stays up with Brad. He likes sleeping in. Perhaps it sounds slightly cruel to wake him up for his morning walk but there's a schedule I like to keep. Besides he should be used to it by now. Piper is not a night owl. She got used to going to bed at the same time with Simon. She continues on that way!

So this morning while walking Cody what do we see? A huge turtle. HUGE! This property is rather large featuring lots of walking trails and plenty of mature trees and open grassy areas. There's also 2 ponds in different areas of the property, one of those ponds is surrounded by the community dog park. There's also basketball courts, beach volleyball court, and likely the prettiest pool I've seen at an apartment complex. It's a lagoon style pool. Those look slightly different and in my opinion have a little more, shall I term it, "character" than most other pools. Anyway my point is that this turtle had managed somehow to rise up out of the pond, walk up the embankment, then walk through the dog park, and then make his way up a small hill to the walking trail Cody and I use every morning. Amazing! He covered a lot of ground! He was pointed in the direction of the pool. Perhaps, he wanted to test out the pool, see if it's as good as the pond he likely lives in.

We see lots of creatures around here. From possums, to armadillos, to frogs. Let me just say this about frogs...I have to listen to them every night as they "ribbit" all night long. Which doesn't bother me, but I'm sorry folks, it doesn't sound like "ribbit" to my ears. Maybe there's something wrong with me but that's not the sound that my ears are hearing. It sounds different than "ribbit". But then again, I've been the proud human mommie to Piper for 3 years, I disagree on the sound that cats make too. Nope, it doesn't sound like "meow" to me. See folks I am crazy or I have issues. One or the other, maybe both is true! 

Quick Snap Sunday

Pug In A Blanket!

Now that title is funny, right? Got to love my lame play on words of an appetizer. I'm not a fan of the "pig in a blanket" app, but I'm a super huge fan of this little guy pictured above. Cody's human mommie is his biggest #1 fan!!!

This pic was taken immediately following bath time. He's super clean and smelling great. Although the latest shampoo I bought him is not my fave scent. Won't buy again. It's a honeydew scent. Bought it because it was a 2-in-1, shampoo-conditioner combo.

A friend of mine often makes fun of me for the scents I put on Cody and Piper. I've been known to buy shampoos that's cupcake scented! She thinks it's ridiculous to have a cupcake scented pug. I think it's rather appropriately delish! LOL!

The Moment

Simon waited for a particular moment to happen for years and years. He hoped. He likely prayed. And he likely prayed hard. Year after year he wished for mommie to drop the entire container of dog food all over the floor. Well the moment Simon likely wished for the most happened tonight while trying to feed the fur baby duo.

Oh my, what a mess! I just cleaned the house today too. Don't you hate that? Something goes all over the floor or your husband decides to cut the strings out of a tennis racquet on the same day you cleaned the entire house. For those unaware when cutting strings out of a tennis racquet to prep it to be restrung with new string little bits of the old string fly all over. Which means I can plan on vacuuming again the next day! LOL!

Simon taught Piper well. She was an excellent pupil of his. I think she was valedictorian! LOL! Despite the fact it was Cody's dog food that fell to the floor, she was unfazed. She dug right in. Cody on one side of the pile of food and Piper on the other. I was in the middle scooping food with my hands while lovingly trying to get the "hungry-hungry hippos" to move back and stop eating. They were in full on munch mode like the game Hungry Hungry Hippos. My efforts to remove them from the situation were not very successful.

After getting things cleaned up and the right food poured into each fur baby's bowl I of course had Simon thoughts rolling through my mind. Simon's happy little face popped into my head! If that little man was looking down from heaven while sitting next to his grandpa Pete(my dad) at that exact moment, then without question he immediately sprang to his 4 feet and began cheering on his siblings the moment the food container hit the floor! Oh dear sweet Simmie! 


p.s. What's today?...8 years! Eight years ago today I moved my little puggies to TX! That day I unknowingly glanced over at my future husband as he sat in his new office at the apartment complex the boys and I were moving into.  

With Cody Along

We happen to live in one of the buildings on a small hill within our complex community. It's not a big hill but it does have a retaining wall built around the front of the building to disguise the height of the hill slightly. There are steps that are built into the retaining wall which lead up the front of the building and to the main walkways of the individual apartments. Those steps by the retaining wall I make Cody do on his own except for late at night. Otherwise he's carried up and down the flight of stairs that leads to our actual apartment. His royal pug feet have never touched a single step. Can you say spoiled? Can you say aging pug?

Anyway, today there's a lot of puzzled looks displayed across the faces of people walking up to our building. Because the steps in the front of our building that lead to the main walkways is under construction. People notice the crew working on the steps and immediately try to figure out how are they going to get up the building? Scale the retaining wall? Walk up the hill on the side of the building then walk on the edge of the retaining wall around the front? Big choice! Even Brad said he stood in front of our building at lunchtime trying to survey his options as he had to consider the fact he was in work attire. Well I've managed to get myself and Cody in and out of our building twice so far today with this extra challenge. Since I have to carry Cody in my arms the whole time, scaling the retaining wall isn't happening. Option 2 of walking up the hill on the side of the building then walking on edge of retaining wall around to the front of the building has been my game plan. :)

As evening rolls around I'm slightly nervous how to get Cody out for his last walk of the day in the dark. I'll figure it out. But it will be an interesting and small challenge. Perhaps after today Cody will be able to add hiking up a hill and balancing along a retaining wall to his pug tricks. Never mind the fact it's really his mommie doing all the work with him in tow!:)