Tag: dog blog

We’re Asleep, Santa Paws

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia28 Comments

You can come, now, Santa Paws. We’ve been very good all year. Please leave our pressies in front of the fireplace so we can find them. Mom didn’t put up a tree this year.

Xena, running upstairs to Lucy: Do you think it worked?

Lucy: I don’t know. It’s still daylight out, and you were down in your office bed, not in your usual night time bed.

Xena: OK, we’ll just try to stay awake tonight and be real quiet to try to catch Santa Paws in the house.

Lucy: What if he’s reading this?

silence…

Both: Just kidding, Santa Paws!

Love and Merry Christmas from the good dogs Lucy and Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess

Aww, Poor Lucy

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia44 Comments

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

A quick forward from the Mom. Lucy was caught eating poop out in the yard in the morning. Later in the afternoon there were very stinky, steamy brown puddles throughout the house to be cleaned up. My money was on Lucy. Then she urgently signaled she had to go out and my suspicions were confirmed. To give her digestive system a rest, she had to go help her Dad do his video work while her sister got fed.

Animal Personality Types

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia29 Comments

Lucy: We recently came across articles about personality types. It’s geared toward what animal personality type a person has. But why couldn’t this also apply to us pups and cats and birds and other anipals?

Xena: But we already have our own personality type. It’s called “dog.”

Lucy: Just go with this for a minute, Xena. Let’s take a look at our choices.
Personality Types: Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, and Beaver

Xena: I bet all the dogs at Three Pups and a Couple of Kitties have Golden Retriever personalities, BOL!

Lucy: Probably. But continuing, here’s a very brief summary of each type.

Lions: Strengths— Visionary, practical, productive, strong-willed, independent, decisive, leader
Weaknesses— Cold, domineering, unemotional self-sufficient, unforgiving, sarcastic, cruel

Otters: Strengths— Outgoing, responsive, warm, friendly, talkative, enthusiastic, compassionate
Weaknesses— Undisciplined, unproductive, exaggerates, egocentric, unstable

Golden Retrievers: Strengths— Calm, easy-going, dependable, quiet, objective, diplomatic, humorous
Weaknesses— Selfish, stingy, procrastinator, unmotivated, indecisive, fearful, worrier

Beavers: Strengths— Analytical, self-disciplined, industrious, organized, aesthetic, sacrificing
Weaknesses— Moody, self-centered, touchy, negative, unsociable, critical, revengeful

Lucy: Hmm, I wonder which one I am. Let’s see…I’m easily frightened, very friendly, love people, easy-going and compliant with the rules. I will run and play with other dogs, but I won’t play ball or other games, and I won’t do stuff like Freestyle or Agility. I don’t bark much and I’m sure not an alpha. I think maybe I’m a Golden Retriever.

Xena: I’m whichever one is loud, busy, in charge and always ready to do anything. I love to play and work at my Freestyle and cuddle with my Mommy. I think maybe I’m a Lion (without the weaknesses part, of course).

Which one are you? Here’s a link to read more about the types. You peeps can play along too. We’d love to know which animal personality types our friends have!

XOX Lucy and Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess

Chloe and Chaz Visit

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia34 Comments

Lucy here with a different kind of report today.

First, Riley has been here with us for about a week. At first he missed his Dad a lot, but he’s settled in and plays with me and adjusted to our “sleep all night” and “regular feeding times” routine.

Riley: My bowl’s empty Mom Amy. I think I could eat a little more.
Lucy: His bowl’s empty Mom, and come to think of it, so is mine.

Do you remember Chloe and Chaz who come to get groomed? They’ve been coming for so long, you probably don’t. So let me re-introduce you to them, which won’t be hard since they are staying here with us while their Mom and Dad run off to Gatlinburg to have a jolly good time. Let’s start with the fast and easy one. This is Chloe.

Where you see her is where she stays. The door’s always open, but she only comes out to go potty (sometimes even outside). Her Mom thinks she was abused as a very young puppy and has never gotten over it. Her dogtor even thought one of her ribs might have been broken. She lets Mom reach in and lift her out and hold her and doesn’t even seem to mind Mom grooming her.
Riley stuck his head in to say hello and you shoulda heard her growl at him. He just laughed and left her alone, which is what she wanted anyhow. This morning Xena stuck her head in Chloe’s kennel (I think she was checking for food). Xexe has learned to back fast and far in her Freestyle training, and she put it to good use this morning when Chloe growled at her!
The other thing about Chloe is she wouldn’t eat her first supper and breakfast here. Mom tried cooked chicken, her dry food, and Riley’s canned food. No luck.

So last night Mom cooked up some hamburger and Chloe ate it all. Here’s her and her brother’s breakfast this morning. Chicken, ground beef and canned dog food.

They both cleaned their plates. Their folks are coming to get them after lunch today. I guess that’s why Chazie got a bath.

Chaz is an outgoing and friendly little guy. He walked in our house like he owned the place. From the start, he wasn’t even afraid of giant Riley or mouthy Xena. He never causes trouble either, he just wants to get along and do whatever the rest of us are doing. So of course, we’ve all treated him proper, just like one of the pack. Riley’s even careful not to step on him, BOL. Chaz does have to wear his belly band all the time in the house or he will “mark” everywhere.

Chaz loves my Dad. He calls him Big Jeff. If Dad, er, Big Jeff is sitting down, Chaz is in his lap. You can see from this picture just how tiny Chaz is.
When Dad’s not available, Chaz hangs out with Mom. On the left, he stole my office dog bed. He stayed right there with Mom all day, helping her with her office work. She said he did a great job, especially in the “staying out of the way” and “lending moral support” categories. On the right, he has crashed with Mom in front of the TV while she watched another episode of Netflix’s Call the Midwives.
Chaz and Xe teamed up to beg for more food. They are both terriers, you know. Chaz recently lost most of the teeth – well, he didn’t exactly lose them – the dogtor pulled them during his teeth cleaning. Boy oh boy was his Mom ever upset! Our Mom would have been furious too. She is never ever, not ever going back to that vet, and said she might try our dogtor. So on the right, Chaz is watching Xena get her teeth brushed. It was his turn next, but there was almost nothing left to brush. Poor puppy. Now we know why he isn’t eating his dry food.

Well, we just heard from their Mom that they are leaving soon for home and will be here after lunch. We’ll end today’s report with this picture that she included with her text.

Bye, bye Chaz and Chloe. I think I might actually miss you!
Love and kisses, Lucy

Nature Friday in my Hoodie (Pththth)

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia33 Comments

We are joining Arty, Jakey, Rosy and Sunny of the LLB Gang with much thanks for hosting Nature Friday.

Xena: Since the weather has gotten a bit colder Mommy insists I wear my jammies at night and my hoodie on our walks. Now, while I would like to honor my Angel Piper – it was his hoodie — I would much rather not wear it. Why, you ask. Because Angel Lexi taught me that clothes are like a punishment and now I. Hate. Clothes. Sure, I used to wear them and look pretty darned cute when I was a puppy. But I’m a big girl now (I’m 3 whole years old) and I am just fine without them thank you very much. Anyhoo, this is what happened when Mommy first put the R2D2 hoodie on me.

Help! I’ve been blinded. Everything has gone dark!
How can I go for a walk if I can’t see!!

This is simply un-nature-all. I’m not going anywhere looking like this.
Moments later…

Hey Lucy, bet I can walk faster than you.

Lucy: You’re not walking, you’re trotting like you always do, Xena.

Xena: Haven’t you heard, Lucy? Trot is the new walk, BOL! Besides, when was the last time you actually saw me walk? My new motto: Why walk when you can trot?

Lucy: We’re supposed to be posting about nature, not racing.

Xena: Here’s some nature on the road – it’s called leaves. Dead leaves. Maybe we should look some more. I’m not done trotting.

Lucy: OK Xena, whatever you want, Miss Trot-about. Umm, there’s a lot of leaves over there. And some sun, too. I think that counts.

Xena: Rrrrr. Why am I having to pull so hard to trot?

Lucy: Mom’s yelling at you to “Heel,” and to “Walk with me!”

Xena: *grunt* This trotting fast is hard work when no one cooperates. Uh, did you or Mommy say something, Lucy?

Lucy and Xena the Trotting Schnauzer Warrior Princess wishing you a happy and natural weekend.

Grooming with Mom on Aww Monday: Oreo and Sunshine

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia25 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat today.

First up is Oreo, the eight-year-old brother of Cooper, who Mom groomed a few weeks ago. Y’all might remember Coop, the darling pomeranian who started out on the groom table with about 87 pounds of hair and ended up – per his Mom’s request – like this:

Cooper

Oreo is half pom and half chihuahua. Once again, Groomer Mom was neglectful in getting a “before” picture, but he looked so much like furry Cooper that she thought that was who his Mom had in her arms.

When Groomer Mom was trying to clean out Oreo’s ears, he grabbed her hand with his teeth and said, “I don’t like that!” Just to be safe, Groomer Mom slapped a muzzle on his face and finished his ears and nails. He figured out she wasn’t going to listen to him and there wasn’t anything he could do about it, so he sat still and let her do her thing. He ended up being a really nice – if kind of scared – pup, giving Mom hugs and kisses while she told him what a good boy he is. Here is the finished product, er, dog.

Oreo

Our second featured groom today is a precious 13-year-old who has been here once before. Groomer Mom neglected to even record the previous visit, although she remembers it well. Sunshine’s Mom is a new client who sees our grooming sign every time she drives through the neighborhood to her daughter’s house. She called Groomer Mom and explained she has a terrior mix who needed a bath and a few areas – such as face, paws and behind – trimmed. Mom says here’s a perfect example of ass-uming. She assumed this pup – Sunshine – had short hair and would take less than an hour. Boy, was she wrong. Here is Sunshine before her groom.

Sunshine is a Cairne terrier and beagle mix. She has lots and lots of thick undercoat (that’s a grooming term) that Mom spent at least a half hour just brushing. While under the dryer (another grooming phrase) Sunshine went wee-wee in the kennel and had to have a second bath. At this point Groomer Mom texted her next client and pushed the appointment back by a half hour. That was Sunshine’s first time here

This time Mom kept her on the table after her bath and gave her a blow-out (I think this is a hair-dresser’s term). Here is Sunshine after her trim, bath and blow-out.

Doesn’t she look happier? She even said, “Come closer and let me give you more kisses, Miss Amy.”

We join Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

This is Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off and wishing everyone a happy weekend.

Nature Friday: Bear Stuffies

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia27 Comments

We are joining Arty, Jakey, Rosy and Sunny of the LLB Gang with much thanks for hosting. Nature Friday.

So I’ve been thinking. Why does Nature Friday always have to be about plants? Aren’t we all part of nature? I know, deep thoughts for me…Angel Lexi must be haunting my dreams. So what about bears? And if bears, then why not my bear stuffies? I mean, they’ve got feelings too, right? At least I believe they do, so it must be true. I think that’s how it works. Wow, Angel Lexi really is around here somewhere.

Usually my bear stuffies are all hibernating by now – with the exception of Winter Bear who sticks around all year. I guess the warm weather has kept them active and still in the mood to play. Then, right after Thanksgiving, this happened.

Xena, we need to talk to you. We’ve been having lots of fun with you, even deep into our usual hibernation time. But since Riley’s been here, we’ve had to stay up out of his reach so that, well, you know. *shudder*

Anyhoo, we decided it’s time to go take our long winter nap. We love you and will see you in the spring.

Riley: You can stop talking trash about me. I’m right here, you know. I haven’t touched even one of y’all since I’ve been here.

That’s cause they’re right, Mommy did set all my stuffies up on top of the Victorola so that you wouldn’t hurt them. Stupid dog. Now they’re going away and I won’t see them for months!
Mommy, send Riley home so that my friends don’t have to go hibernate.

It’s OK Xexe, it’s just Nature. We’ll see you in the Spring. And thank you for the yummy berries on Thanksgiving. Those were a great treat, and it meant a lot to us that a schnauzer would share her food.

Love, Bears Sweetheart, Jen-Jen, Brownie, Rainbow and Lexi’s little bear.

Santa Paws Treats and Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia12 Comments

Thanks to Shoko and Tyebe of the Canadian Cats and Nelly and Phenny of Easy Blog for hosting In Purrsuit of Flavours.

Xena: It’s that time again! We get to share our favorite recipes and this month it’s all about color. But since me and Lucy, umm, I mean Lucy and I, didn’t get to give a doggie recipe last month, Mommy said we didn’t have to follow the rules (like we ever do)!

Lucy: I always follow the rules. Mom and Dad say I’m “compliant.”

Xena: OK then, Lucy, I’ll post our (my) recipe and you can help Mommy post hers. Mine has nuts and dried fruit in it, just like the fruitcakes that I hear are so famous at Christmastime. This recipe is called Santa Paws, BOL, and the picture is very “colorful”!

Lucy: Now that Xena has given you something yummy for your Moms or Dads to make for you for Christmas, here is something my Mom and Dad enjoy eating, and it’s bright red for the Christmas holidays. I think you could probably use ground chicken too. This week, Mom is going to find out if it is any good with her already cooked leftover turkey! Or you veggie terians can try something like tofu or whatever. I hope you like our recipe and it is yummy in your tummy.

Slow-Cooker Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Serving Size:6 (if you have lots to go with it, BOL)

Ingredients

  • 6 small red bell peppers 
  • 1 cup cauliflower rice (or use real rice)
  • 1 pound ground turkey (or use your food processor to chop fine your leftovers)
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 1 cup water

Instructions:
Cut off the stems from the peppers. Scoop out the seeds on the inside, leaving a hollow shell.
In a bowl, mix the ground turkey and spices. Stir in the cauliflower and coconut oil, then mix in the Monterey jack cheese.
Scoop up some of the turkey mixture and pack it into each pepper shell.
Place the stuffed peppers into a Crock-Pot and pour a cup of water into the bottom. Cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours. Top with a little extra cheese 10 minutes before they are done.

“The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of the human race than the discovery of a star.”
― Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

A Long Weekend without Our Folks

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia27 Comments

It sure is a long weekend without our Mommy and Daddy here. Our cousins are here and so is our dog and house sitter, Miss Christy. She’s really nice, but I still don’t like her much because it means my Mommy won’t be back for a while. But at least Miss Christy feeds me.

I keep looking for my Mommy. No one else seems to care.

Ella has stolen my chair. She has taken over my place as the official neighborhood lookout. Actually, I think she is watching for her Mom and Dad to come back, too.

Ella: “Look, Achilles, is that their car?”

Then there’s big, goofy Achilles. Him and Lucy, they keep licking each other in the mouth. It’s so gross. Hey, you two, get a room! Miss Christy thought it was too private of a moment to take pictures of them playing smoochie face. When Achilles isn’t playing house with Lucy he helps watch for all our folks to come back.

Achilles: “What, Lucy? You want me to sleep in the sun with you? OK, I’ll be there in a moment.”

Then there’s my very own sister Lucy, who only cares about her stupid boyfriend and her BFF and hogging Miss Christy’s lap.

Lucy: I’ll try to not fall asleep before you get over here, Achilles, honey.

I get mad when I come into the living room needing a little attention and there’s Lucy, in the person’s lap. Grr. I give them both a dirty look and lay down in the living room dog bed to wait them out. As soon as Lucy jumps down I forgive Miss Christy and get in her lap. She’s actually a really good petter, but shhh, don’t tell anyone I said that.

Does anyone know where my foks went and if when they’ll be home?

Xena Grruvah Schnauzer Warrior Princess

Riley plus a Thanksgiving Weekend Surprise

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia30 Comments

Riley spent the night with us again. His Dad gave him a bath, so at least he smelled good and didn’t have any fleas. It was kinda strange…he mostly ignored me and Lucy. When he wasn’t watching for his Dad to come back, he followed Mommy around wagging his tail.

Mommy even made up a song about it. Bet you know the tune!
If you’re happy and you know it wag your tail. *thump thump*
If you’re happy and you know it wag your tail. *thump thump*
If you’re happy and you know it then your tail will surely show it, if you’re happy and you know it wag your tail. *thump thump*
Oh, and you’re welcome for the ear worm BOL!

Riley was all feet on-board when he heard we were going to walk around the neighborhood.

Later that evening I ended up on the grooming table. Mommy explained that we were getting company. She didn’t know that Lucy had already gotten a message from her BFF and her Boyfriend.

“Hi girlfriend! We’ve got great news. We’re coming to stay with you all weekend over the Thanksgiving holiday!

Auntie Jen and Uncle Bill are coming with them. But then the B.A.D. news hit! The peeps are all going away right after Thanksgiving Day until Monday – yes, for 87 days! Yes, yes, I know our sitter Christy will be here, but I want to go with Mommy. Maybe she could take just me! Yes, that’s it, just me. I’ll be really, really good, Mommy! I promise! Please don’t leave me here all by myself!

I’m Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess, bravely fighting for the right to go with my Mommy.

Pee S. Happy Turkey Day

Xena’s Woes

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia30 Comments

It’s been kind of a rough few weeks. First, in wondering if the allergy sea rum injections were really helping me, Mommy contacted the allergist’s office. Let me tell you about them. They had an office here in town that they visited once every two weeks, which was quite enough. Then the vet who owned the office and used it the rest of the time decided the space needed remodeling, so the allergist couldn’t work there any more. Then the pandemic hit and, well, let’s not go into that. So Mom would have to drive a couple of hours north or west to get me to see the allergy dogtor. She said that was ok, but wanted to talk to the dogtor first. A few months ago she got into an e-mail war with someone who was supposed to be the dogtor, but Mommy believes it was an office worker who posed as the dogtor, ’cause no professional would have been so inaccurate, repetitive, and smart-alecky as this person was in their responses. This time she decided to call and keep calling until someone answered or returned her messages, but even a bull dog has their limit of how many times they can call and leave a message with no response. She finally used their website to send a message saying she wanted to talk with my dogtor about how I was doing, as I still itch – especially in the high allergy season – and if she should stop the shots and try something else. Actually, I didn’t mind the shots. I always got two big, high value treats – one before and one after the shot. Mom finally got a reply in the form of a text. They “fired” us! They said they couldn’t help me anymore and there were several dermatologists in our area! Seriously? Can a dogtor actually fire his patient?

I got fired.

Mommy’s pretty sure the dogtor never actually saw her message, and it was the evil staff person again. But what can you do when you can’t get past the rottweiller at the gate? I guess you just turn around and go somewhere else.

In the meantime, I’ve chewed the top of my front leg raw. Now I have to wear a shirt with sleeves that Mommy made me. I still try to get under there to lick the yummy coconut oil she puts on it!

I hate wearing clothes.

If that isn’t enough, I’ve started hopping on my back right leg when we go for walks. Trot trot trot hop, trot trot trot hop. I get a pretty good rhythm going with it. So I haven’t been allowed to go on walkies with Mommy and Lucy lately. When they get ready to go, I get my treat puzzle, like I’m supposed to ignore I’m getting left behind just because there are yummy dried beef heart pieces in the…wait, don’t you want to go for a walk, Lucy? Mommy’s been looking for a doggie chiropractor but the two who helped Angel Freda and Angel Lexi have retired. I hate to admit it, but resting my leg really has helped.

But wait! There’s more! Last time I was at Dr. Karen’s for my DNA HW test, she said I had yeast around my girl parts, so Mommy took care of it with coconut oil and some essential oils. Now Mommy thinks I might be a yeastie beastie, and that might be why I’m still itchy. She has stopped feeding me my probiotic sauerkraut at night and kefir for lunch. Grrr. She said fermented stuff feeds the yeast. She’s also washing me in a natural tea tree and peppermint essential oil shampoo from 4Legger.

Shania: Hi Miss Xena. I’m allowed out when you’re in the tub ’cause I’m “safe” then. I came to visit you while you soak in your anti-yeasty shampoo.

We don’t know where yet, but there are rumors that there is a holistic vet downtown. I may be paying him (or her) a visit.

I am Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess, aka Grruvah. (I answer to my new Hebrew name now!)

Grooming with Mom: Cassie

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia28 Comments

Today’s headline: Cassie gets her first groom!

Hello there, friends. I am Lucy, Ace Reporter, on the Groom Beat. Today I am here to tell you about our friend Anne’s new pup. You might remember her schnauzer, Maddie who has been here to be groomed.

Maddie’s Mom has taken over her grooming, and does a good job, too. We heard Maddie is almost white now!

Back in the spring, Maddie got a new little sister. Cassie is a cavapoo, and a delightful girl. Mom kept waiting and hoping Anne would bring Cassie soon for her first groom, as Mom was excited about meeting the new puppy. Cassie is nine months old now, and quite grown, but still a pup. Here she is prior to grooming.

The swirl of hair on top of her head absolutely had to stay. The Groomer did a “scissor cut” and, per client’s instructions, only cut a little off the subject’s ears and beard. Umm, I mean Mom gave her a pretty puppy groom with a warm, relaxing bath, and here she is afterwards.

Although Miss Anne will now take over Cassie’s grooming needs, they – and Maddie – are welcome back any time!

Lucy, signing off the Groom Beat, with wags and kisses.

Wordy Wednesday Skype-ing

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia22 Comments

Thanks to Comedy Plus 
for hosting the
Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

Since March of this year, so many folks who never “attended” an on-line meeting or used that type of media are now old hands at it. Our precious Angel Lexi, always a precocious schnauzer, was way ahead of the curve in her use of social media, and I don’t mean just blogging. It seems timely to revisit her skype call with her boyfriend Noodle. Be sure to hit the little square on the bottom right to go to full screen and have your sound on. You’ll probably have to watch it twice to catch the text portion as well as the video portion. (At least we had to, it goes by quicky.)
Lexi the Schnauzer and Noodle (of Noodle for President) talk about their Valentine’s date and future plans. Enjoy!

Sunday Selfie

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia24 Comments

We want to thank The Cat on My Head for hosting Sunday Selfies.

Hi friends. This is Lucy, and Mom said I could try my paw at doing a Sunday selfie. *paws crossed* that I do a good one. Oh, wait, I can’t take my selfie with my paws crossed! Anyhoo, here’s my first try.

I guess I was thinking about my paws instead of my face. Let me try again.

How’s this? Hmmm, I look way too serious. One more try.

I got a little bit of Mom and of Xena in this one, but that’s ok. They’re my pack.

Love and wiggles, Lucy

Nature Friday Around Our Neighborhood

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia28 Comments

Hi there! Mommy said if I want my picture taken with the mums (I still think that’s funny, they aren’t anyone’s “mum” that I know of) then I need to tell you about them. So here goes. She got the pot of flowers last year, set it out somewhere in the yard, the weather got cold, she stuck it somewhere else, found it this spring and dropped it pot and all in the hole in front of the house were she had dug out a bush and they’ve grown crazy big. There, I did it without even taking a breath.

She’s wondering if it will bloom again next year and if she should take it out of the pot and plant it in the ground now or in the spring or if she should just store the whole thing in the shed or what to do with it. I wonder if she wonders a bunch of stuff like that about me.

Then we all took a walk, and this is us turning the corner out of our driveway. Notice anything odd about our mailbox?

Daddy’s here, so I can’t tell you who backed our truck into it and then tried to straighten it back up and got it straight enough so it won’t fall over but it is still the leaning tower of mailbox. Mommy tried to push it but decided it must weigh about 87 tons.

A few houses up the road, we stopped to look at a pretty bug. I wonder if it tastes good.

Anyhoo, there were little bees trying to get the pollen out of the flowers there too, and the butterbug kept moving to a different flower when a bee would get too near. Smart bug!

At another neighbor’s, who we call the chicken people because they raise chickens, we got a picture of this tall plant. It has little purple flowers laid flat against the stem with white parts sticking out.

We’ve never seen a plant like this before and don’t know what it is (which isn’t unusual for us. Do you?

After a great walk on a beautiful, warm, sunny day, our schnauzer flag greets us home.

Do you see how it works for both Halloween and Thanksgiving?

If you’ll excuse me now, I have some running and playing to do with Lucy in our front yard before we go inside for an afternoon nap.

Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess

We are joining Arty, Jakey, Rosy and Sunny of the LLB Gang for Nature Friday, and thank them for hosting it.

In Purrsuit of Flavors Pot Pie Soup

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia23 Comments

Thanks to Shoko and Tyebe of the Canadian Cats and Nelly and Phenny of Easy Blog for hosting this yummy day.

A warm comfort food for a cold day!

Mom’s Vegetarian Pot Pie Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Total Time 55 minutes
4 big servings
NOTE: This would also be good with cooked chicken added.

Ingredients:
3 medium Yukon gold potatoes (or use sweet potatoes)
3 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 large onion finely chopped
6 medium carrots peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick (or get a bag of frozen, sliced carrots)
about 1 ½ cups+2 tablespoons unsalted butter
 ½ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups vegetable broth
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup white wine
3/4 cup frozen peas thawed

Instructions:
1. Pierce the potatoes several times with a fork or knife, and microwave until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes and the power of the microwave. Allow potatoes to cool slightly so that you can handle them, and chop into ½-inch to 1-inch dice. Transfer cubed potatoes to a large bowl, and set aside. (NOTE: I diced my raw sweet potatoes in my food processor and steamed them.)

2. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon oil. Once the oil is hot, sauté the onions until starting to brown and caramelize, about 15-20 minutes. Add the carrots to the onions, and continue to cook, and until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer cooked vegetables to the large bowl with the potatoes, and set aside.

3. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the butter and 2 tablespoons oil to the same pot. When the butter has melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Slowly and gradually stir the milk, broth, thyme, salt, and pepper into the flour mixture. Continue to stir constantly as the sauce thickens. Stir in the white wine, and cook for an additional minute.

4. Stir the cooked vegetables and the peas into the sauce, and cook on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot and enjoy!

Xena: Now that we got that over with, what about us?
Lucy: Mom said we don’t get a recipe this month.
Xena: Grrr. You know what that means...grrratuitous pictures of us!

Xexe: My Daddy would never tell me no.

Lucy: Will someone please rub my tummy?

We wish everyone around the world Peace today and every day.

Love, peace and hugs, Lucy (Ora) and Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princes (Grruvah) who is practicing peace today

Sunday Selfie by Riley

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia24 Comments


We’re joining The Cat on My Head for their Sunday Selfie blog hop.

I never get to steal use Lexi’s blog any more since I moved out of the house with my Dad Andrew. I got to thinking about it and asked my friend Lucy (who I knew would say yes, as opposed to Xena who would have woofed not just no, but heck no!)

My Dad brought me over to Lucy’s house to get a good flea bath. The funny part was that he was almost done with my bath before anyone realized we were even here. I don’t really like baths (who does?) but I know they get rid of fleas and make me feel better and less itchy, so I consent to them. I’m 70 pounds of (mostly) muscle, so consent is pretty high up on the list when trying to get me to do stuff. Now if Lucy’s Mom had given me the bath, she would have put me in the big tub where I slip around and can’t fight very much when she cuts my nails. Dad didn’t bother with that this time, and he got a gentle reprimand from Lucy’s (and his) Mom when she saw how long they are. Hey lady, if you don’t like it, just don’t look at them, right? There was even something about “for my own good” thrown in there. She’s a groomer, so she thinks she knows this stuff.

Don’t you think I’m a handsome nine-year-old? I wanted to make the picture bigger, but there was something about blowing up phones, and I’m not a terriorist.

Dad stayed and ate supper with his Mom, then he left to take me home to feed me since there’s no kibble or canned dog food in the house. I love my Dad and he loves me. I’m his heart dog. It’s good to be someone’s heart dog.

XOX Riley (thanks, Lucy)

Xena’s Story: Halloween in Paris

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia13 Comments

“I’m so glad my Mommy and your Sissy let us stay in Paris,” woofed Xe.
“Yep, even if Sho did send little Missy the mouse to keep an eye on us. As though we wouldn’t notice her hanging around, spying,” laughed Tye.
“I’m also glad Missy agreed to only send good news back to Sho and Mommy when we offered to include her in everything we did!” exclaimed Xe.

“Hey, Missy,” the pair yelled out together, as they were often wont to do. Let’s head on over to the river bank and see what’s going on. The café let us have the night off from tasting food, er, I mean waiting tables, and licking, er, I mean washing dishes so we could enjoy Halloween! They’re so nice there. They even said please, please take the night off, take several nights off. We can text Gigi on the way to meet us there,” finished Xexe.

A short while later, the foursome met up on the bank of the Seine.
“Look at that friendly pumpkin,” observed Tye. What fun we are going to have tonight! I bet we get lots of treats, too!” she added.
“Gigi, will you take a picture of the three of us?” implored Xe.

“This light is quite flattering,” observed Tye.
“Oh, my,” squeaked Missy, “I forgot to smile. And now Miss Mommy and Miss Sho will know I am in cahoots with you two. I’m sorry, Miss Mommy and Miss Sho!”

Later, after nightfall…

“Let’s go to Disneyland Paris,” suggested Gigi. “They always have a big blast for Halloween. It should be tons of fun. And *giggle* maybe we can sneak in like we did at the museum and all those other places we got thrown out of.”

“Poof” said Mickey the Magician. “You’ll disappear if you enter here.”
“Grrr,” growled the pumpkin. “Turn around or you’ll never be found.”
“Come closer,” enticed the witch. “Turn into wood, rot where you stood.”

“Well, we sure didn’t get very far,” grumped Xe. Who knew they would have this elaborate system set up to make you leave if you didn’t have a ticket!”
“Ooo, that was scary,” squeaked Missy the mouse.”
“Let’s go find somewhere better,” meowed Tye with disdain.

“I know,” said Gigi, trying to make up for the Disneyland failure. “Let’s go to the Eiffel Tower. It is never disappointing, and it is free.

The next morning…

“Wake up, my friends,” woofed Gigi. “It’s time to go home.”

“Where am I?” asked Tye. “I felt this terrible sleepiness overtake me and I laid down and fell soundly asleep.”
“We never made it to the Eiffel Tower,” Gigi answered. “You fell asleep, like you said, and Xe went into a stupor. I could not rouse either of you, so I sat here and watched over you both all night to make sure no one played a Halloween prank on you. It was very odd. It was like the pumpkins acted as the poppies did in the Wizard of Oz.”
“I dreamed I was wearing the Cone of Shame, and JenJen Bear came to comfort me,” said Xe.
“Well, I hate to tell you this,” laughed Tye. “Oh, never mind. You’ll realize it soon enough.”

“But I also had an even scarier dream,” said Xe as she began to shake with fear. “Angel Lexi came back as a Vampire Dog…”

“Bwah, ha, ha, ha. I have come… to suck…your blood.” Lexi’s voice could be heard in the distance, moving away from the four friends. “Man, I love Halloween and the Big Guy letting me come back to have some fun!”

As Gigi, Tye, Xe, with Missy riding on her back ran as fast as they could toward their Paris abodes, their screams reminded all of the terrors of All Saint’s Eve.