Gracie the shih tzu was with us for almost a week and I was adjusting well to her living here. I had to make some changes, though. For example, when I would have normally jumped off the bed for the night, I would notice her sleeping on it and just stay put.
Where’s Gracie? She’s gone and so is her kennel.
She didn’t try to eat my food and sometimes let me eat hers. All good. Then Mom and I came home from work one day this week and poof! she was gone. I looked all around where her kennel had been. Not a sign of her or clue where she was. She disappeared as mysteriously as she appeared. It must be Halloween!
I think she loved me though – she left me her big bag of bacon treats!
Hmmm, first the disappearing TRICK, then the TREATS. It must be Halloween!
Mom ordered the spider on Amazon.com. She thought it would be bigger. Great, a bigger spider. (Yes, I understand sarcasm.)
We picked up The Boy and went to the church where we work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There was a Festival in the parking lot. The Boy had a lot of fun.
I was scheduled to be the prop in the truck bed at the Trunk or Treat. Mom was going to drape a big spider web and put me under it. Thankfully, she couldn’t find the web she wanted. Plus, she saw how much fun I was having at the Festival. So she had pitty on me and didn’t make me wear this dreadful thing. Instead, I got to lay in the truck with the spider and the candy. Everyone came by and said how pretty I was while they took away my candy, piece by piece.
At first I wasn’t too sure about this spider next to me. Hoping I wouldn’t end up wearing it.We made peace. It stays there and I stay here.
Apparently Mom forgets to lock the house door. We came home from work Wednesday and this was what was waiting for us:
“Gracie”
She is still here two days later. She was afraid of me even though I have been very nice. I even wagged my tail at her. She has slept in my our bed the last two nights. She drinks my special water. It is hard, but I am still being nice. She is starting to warm up to me, even to the point of invading my personal space…as in her nose in my face. I hope she leaves soon. I just get rid of one, and another appears. *sigh*
I was having a lovely day last Sunday at Rocktoberfest. Dad did NOT use me as a prop, the sun was shining and I was enjoying the music and attention of hundreds of tourists passing through. My Lion from the Wizard of Oz was there working — without the Lion costume — and he came over and took pictures of me to show to my last Dorothy. She also works there, but was off that weekend.
People-watching
Then this started happening:
And this:
Then someone spilled beer:
Tonight after work Mom groomed me and bathed me. Then she took me up to the big, heart-shaped tub in her bathroom and stood me in it. Then she plugged up the drain and turned on the water. It kept getting deeper and deeper. Finally, my feet floated off the bottom and I panicked. I tried to claw my way out – you should see Mom’s foot – while my heart was beating double-time.
“They drown old dogs!” I kept thinking as I kept trying to live. “Why didn’t anyone tell me that they drown old dogs?”
Finally, through the panic, I heard Mom using her soothing voice encouraging me to be calm and felt her hands holding me up. My heart rate started slowing back to normal and I found I could just barely touch the bottom. After I had settled down, Mom pushed a button that made the water swirl around me. “Hmmm,” I thought, “This feels pretty good with the water just warm enough that I can barely feel it except for it swirling around my body.”
We are hoping this will help my hip.
She told Dad she plans to do this again tomorrow. I hope I remember how good it felt and don’t get afraid again, especially now that I know that nobody is trying to drown me.
Does anyone remember my ex-brother-traitor-who-moved-away Riley? He was so persnickety that he wouldn’t walk in the grass when it was wet. He wouldn’t go into the dog lot because he thought it was too nasty. He spent hours grooming himself like a cat, chewing the hair from between his paw pads, licking every last bit of dirt from between his toes and gnawing his nails to a perfect length. His lick, lick, lick drove me to distraction. Now, he has moved to North Carolina and either discovered he is really a pig, decided to give up and just be a dog, or is trying to fit in with the pigs. I give up, you decide.
First, the half ton pig Tulip:
Now, Riley:
Whatever he is thinking, he sure does look happy! Way to go, bro!
At St. Timothy’s where Mom and I work three days a week there are a man, Joe, and his wonderful wife, Anne. Anne loves me and fusses over me every Wednesday when I see her after her yoga class. Joe used to be my friend. Then today happened. It started out innocent enough with him popping his head in my our office and saying, “Hey Amy – that’s my Mom’s other name – there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I had to coax Lexi to follow me back to the church the other day.” Now imagine Mom furrowing her brow and looking very puzzled. Joe continues, “I was working across the street and saw her hoofing down the sidewalk toward the rental house. She was even on the road for a bit. So I came over and got her to follow me back.” At this point imagine Mom aka Amy throwing her hand across her heart and gaping like a fish out of water. I have always had the run of the church so I can go visit whomever I want. Mom has only caught me outside once when the kitchen door got left open and I was sunning myself in the grass. Caught me is the operative phrase here. I think I am now on restriction, whatever that is. Who would have thought my ex-friend Joe was such a big snitch!
We left work early to go to my appointment at a new vet. Everyone was very nice to me there, and no one stuck a glass stick up my patootie. I’ve even lost a few more ounces. The vet’s name is Karen, which I found out when she came in the room and she and Mom started talking like old friends. I guess that is because they worked together long before I was born and were very glad to see each other again. The vet tech is Angela. I especially like Angela: she fed me tiny pieces of treats while I stood on the table. It was so great that I didn’t even notice what was happening to me.
Lexi the Pin Cushion I’m in a sticky situation here.
I know everyone has been waiting to find out how my weekend went after all the build-up. On Friday I discovered that the air vent under my kitchen chair tastes really good.
Yummy! I hope my tongue doesn’t get stuck.
It did rain on Saturday, so we slept in before going to my Auntie Jen’s to visit and help with the yard sale which was now a garage sale. Mom sold enough to cover the gas there and home, but that was all. The day was more about visiting with good friends. I was happy to see my schnauzer cousin Piper, my enthusiasm only dampened when we all got left while Mom and Auntie Jen went wedding dress shopping. Piper is going to have a new Daddy. I tried to tell him how great that is, but he insisted he already loved his Daddy-to-be and didn’t need to be told. I hate it when Piper acts like he knows as much as me.
Mommy couldn’t talk Dad out of helping with the preparations at church on Sunday, but they compromised. The Boy stayed overnight with us, and me and him and Mom met Dad down at the church so we could all go to Rocktoberfest together.
See Dad holding me? He used me for a prop during his first announcements. I get no respect. Hey, maybe this will be the picture for the billboards next year! The weather was perfect – no rain and temperatures in the high sixties and low seventies. I walked the trails and read everybody’s stories. We went really slow so that I didn’t have to miss much. Back at the pavilion I barked at Mom until she picked me up and danced with me. I love to dance, even if it is with Mom holding me in her arms. Lots of people spoke to me and pet me. I was very popular. I decided I didn’t want any beer today, but cleaned up all the food that got dropped on the floor and in the grass and bushes. I got a bit bored toward the end of the day so I decided to sing from the sidelines with the band. I would have joined them up front, except Mom had a good hold on my leash. When the song was done the band members tipped their hats and thanked me for the solo.
Because I had done such a good job singing, several children came over to pet me. One boy who was maybe seven or eight years old seemed hesitant to touch me. So what did I do? I climbed in his lap, pushed him over onto his back and stood on him. When he rolled to the side I climbed back on him. Then he rolled to the other side and I did the same thing. He was smiling and started laughing because he figured out I was playing a game with him. He was no longer afraid. Mission accomplished.
Yep it was a great end to a good day and a fun weekend. Tomorrow I am going to work with Mommy to the church on the hill. After that we are going to a different vet for a consultation. This vet practice does something called holistic medicine, stuff like cold laser therapy and acupuncture. I would be up for a nice massage…
It’s been a busy weekend and I am ready for my night-night treat and bed. Sweet dreams to all.
Me and Mom are home by ourselves, and not much is happening. My Dad plays in a big band called Sweet Georgia Sound. They are playing at Covenant College on Lookout Mountain tonight. It is Daddy’s favorite “gig.” He plays his sax, which Mom says is worth more than our car, but I’m not sure that is saying much. Sometimes he will know one of the ladies in the audience, and she will ask him to dance with her. That’s because he teaches ballroom dance and is a good dancer. I used to help teach too, but no one ever asks me to dance! I really need to get out more. It is all home or work for me.
Dad is in the front next to my friend Cathy (who has moved up North). He is the only one still wearing his tux coat.
Tomorrow Mommy is taking me to my bestest friend Jen’s house to see my schnauzer cousin Piper (and his adopted sister Ella) while she and Auntie Jen have a yard sale. It’s going to be a fun day. Then, if Mom can talk Dad into not going to his church to help the A/V team before he goes to Rock City on Sunday, we are going with him to Rocktober Fest. I love to go to Rocktober Fest. There is music and dancing and my favorite beer. Most of all there are lots of people who drop pieces of bratwurst and potatoes. There are trails to explore and so many smells to smell. Sometimes Mom picks me up and twirls me around the floor. Sometimes people come up and ask to pet me and I pretend that I like it so Mom and Dad will bring me back.
Daddy teaching polka. That’s my bestest friend Jen in the foreground holding some unknown child who is way too young to learn to dance. Jen is in costume, too.
Daddy’s picture was in the promotional material this year. I am going to ask Mommy to take lots of pictures of me at Rocktoberfest and maybe they will use my picture on the billboard next year.
Three years ago my-ex-brother who moved away and deserted us Riley usurped my place at Rocktoberfest. He met a girl whose name was – you guessed it – Riley. Her shirt says Smile and it looks like that’s what they are both doing.
Riley (L) and Riley (R)
Uh, oh, it just stared storming, so the yard sale may be off (again). They – and my bestest friend Jentry – have been trying to do this for three weeks. I might get to sleep in after all…
I am Lexi, the yard sale, polka dancing schnauzer.
My most wonderful boyfriend, Noodle, who is the handsomest Schnoodle in the world, nominated me for the Blogger Recognition Award. I love awards! Thank you, Noodle!
Now, according to the rules, I must explain how my blog started. Mom used to post stories of my life from time-to-time on the website Dogster. Dogster was then bought out by another company, who wanted to do away with all the blogs and just run articles and stuff like that. There was a huge uprising from both the Dogster and Catster communities and they eventually decided that was a very bad idea. In the meantime, Mom was afraid she would lose everything she had written, so she decided to download it all and turn it into a book, now available on Amazon. Then she thought, “Well, there’s still a lot going on, so I need to start a new blog just for Lexi.” That is when, with the help of my Dad, she created this blog.
I have made so many friends with my blog, I am very happy Mommy helps me with it. She went back and loaded all of my blogs from Dogster in chronological order and then started new entries. Noodle was my first new friend. He commented on my December 2014 blog. In February he asked me to be his Valentine and we have been a couple ever since. I so love to hear from all my other new friends too.
Now I need to nominate 15 other bloggers. Because so many of my friends were Noodle’s friends first, he has already nominated many who I would have chosen. So here goes:
That’s all the blogs I can think of that Mom and I read or follow, other than the ones Noodle already listed. Listing any more would be dishonest, so we are going with honest over following the rules. *sigh*
The rules also say I have to give advise to new bloggers. Pictures. Everyone loves pictures. What’s the saying? Oh yeah, a picture is worth a thousand words, that’s it, isn’t it? Pictures, yes.
Now for The Rules:
Select 15 other blogs you want to give the award to. Do some digging if you must! Find those blogs. You cannot nominate yourself or the person who has nominated you.
Write a post to show off your award! Give a brief story of how your blog got started, and give a piece or two of advice to new bloggers. Thank whoever nominated you, and provide a link to their blog. List who you’ve nominated in the post.
Make sure to also attach the award itself! (You can do this by right-clicking, saving, and uploading the image above).
Comment on each blog and let them know you’ve nominated them. Provide a link to the award post you created.
Provide a link to the original post on Edge of Night. That way, anyone can find the original guidelines and post if needed, and we can keep it from mutating and becoming confusing! (It happens LOL).
Note: You can decline the award if you don’t feel up to doing the above, but remember—you have to earn it by doing the work! 🙂
I was laying around the house thinking about all the fun I had as Lexi-Toto in the local productions of the Wizard of Oz. To kick things off, we all attended the Annie Awards (like the Oscars, only at our local theater) in 2006. This is where I first met lots of the people I would be working with. A couple of people asked why I (a dog) was there, but as soon as they heard I was going to play Toto, they welcomed me to their ranks. It was a formal affair, so Dad made me wear a tux collar and bow tie. It matched Mom’s red dress! Don’t they look like proud parents? I still had a few months before the play opened to grow out my hair for the Toto look.
Annie Awards Reception 2006
Here are pictures of me with my Dorothy from the first production in 2006 and the third one in 2014. You can probably see where I put on a pound or two in those eight years. Dorothy #3 used to grunt every time she picked me up. Mom said she was sorry about the extra weight, but that she wouldn’t be able to grunt like that during the live play. BOL
2006 with my first and favorite Dorothy2014 with my last Dorothy
I must admit, I do look and feel better since I recently lost some weight on my green bean and carrot diet.
There was a lot of publicity surrounding the production at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. Sometimes during our six weeks of rehearsals my Dorothy and I had to stop to have our pictures made for the newspaper and playbills.
Publicity shot 2006
For this picture, Mommy hid a piece of cake under my Dorothy’s right shoe. When she realized how focused I am when there is food involved, my Dorothy started rubbing hot dogs on her skin and hiding treats in her socks. See why I loved her so much? It certainly kept me with her – at least most of the time, as you will soon see.
The play ran for six weeks and I reported for duty every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon. I would arrive in time for warm ups. I would run to the room where I could hear everyone singing, “Doe, ray, me, fah, sew, lah, me, doe,” and scratch at the door until someone opened it and let me in. I would run to the front row and do warm ups with the cast. “Aroooo, arrrr, woof, woof!” I was so good that everyone would laugh with joy. Then we would all sing warm ups together again and everyone would laugh again. It was so much fun!
There were two distinct episodes when hot dogs in the socks did not keep me with my Dorothy. The first week on stage, I realized I could run down the stairs behind the good witch, Glenda, and visit with the audience. I had a limited amount of time so I visited quickly with just the first row, letting them know I was glad they had come. Then I tore up the opposite set of stairs and across the stage to stand next to my Dorothy in time for Glenda to point at me and ask, “Is this the witch?” Even though I never, ever missed my cue, this whole thing made Mom and my Dorothy a bit nervous, so Glenda started blocking my exit stairs with her big skirt. Drat.
A little further along into the production I realized the Wicked Witch of the West was sneaking across the back part of the stage while Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Lion were near the front of the stage, discussing which way to go. Since not much else was happening, I thought it would be great fun to chase and bark at the Wicked Witch. She kept waving her hand and stage-whispering, “Shoo, shoo” at me. Later I found out that my Dorothy and her friends weren’t supposed to know the Wicked Witch was there, which explained why they only looked from side to side while saying things like, “Is that Toto barking?” and “Where is Toto? Do you hear him?” The audience laughed so hard that I kept doing it every night.
I have lots more stories, but my brain is a bit tired from all this remembering, so I will share more next time. Is it supper time yet?
I ended up going back to see my doctor on Friday because my hip is still hurting a lot. I was sitting in the waiting room waiting for the inevitable torture when a dog at least twice my size ran out of an exam room, heading straight to me. I growled to say, “Stay out of my space,” and she growled back and jumped me. Mom risked life and limb to save me. Literally. She stuck her leg between us and broke up the fight. It took about two seconds for my adrenaline to drop back to normal and I started to shake. The dog’s name was Grace. I heard her people yelling, “Grace, Grace, stop!” My vet came over and sat down with me. She said it was her fault for opening the door and letting Grace loose. Mom looked at everybody and said, “Shame on you all for letting Grace loose in the waiting room.” Everyone sort of hung their heads and asked again about my welfare. Of course I was fine, just a bit shaken up, but feeling better now that Grace was in trouble, her people were in trouble, the vet was in trouble and I was being “poor babied.” Unfortunately it didn’t get me out of the vet appointment, but at least no one stuck a glass stick up my patootie this time.
The vet doubled up on my pain meds and prescribed an anti-inflammatory if I seem to be having an especially bad day. She also sent home with us some antibiotics to kill the bacteria in my mouth. Mom said my mouth was starting to smell like something had crawled in there and died. Eeww.
Mom asked about surgery on my hip, like a doggie hip replacement or something. Dr. Poston said she could do surgery on my femural head – I think that is the top of the bone going into my hip – but it should be a last resort. She did say my age would not be a factor, but she wants us to try everything else first, including chiropractics, cold laser therapy and herbal medicines. We know a vet in Chattanooga who does those things, except for the chiropractics. My chiro just retired, but Mom is going to beg her to treat me, even if she doesn’t want to treat people any more. I have one more shot of adequin for today and then no more for a month. That’s what they give race horses, you know. Mommy says I am special. Mommy also has to keep a diary of what she is doing to help me and if it is helping. I can only get or do one different thing at a time so we know what is helping – or not.
The good news is that I lost – two and a half pounds, that is. I owe it all to my green bean diet. No more canned dog food for me, huh uh! I get green beans with my kibble now, and I don’t care if they are from a can, I love them and I love the juice they are in! I only get the salt-free variety. I lick my bowl clean and then go back and lick it again to be sure. For treats I get fresh green beans. Today I helped Mom cook up carrot slices for my kibble topping. I ate the pointy ends of the fresh carrots. That’s helping, isn’t it?
I hang out a lot in the kitchen . I am a good helper.My medicines and special veggies and water. And my diary. And tooth cleaning thingies.
My days are rarely dull. Sometimes it is hard work to keep them interesting, but I give it my best shot. Historically, I stay home with Dad on Mondays, and I feel like he needs to use that time to interact with me. You know, leave his office and give me treats, let me out, let me in, feed me, give me treats, etcetera. (I just learned that word, etcetera, and think it is pretty nifty.) Unfortunately, Dad disagrees, and so has been begging politely asking Mom to take me with her on Mondays as well. This Monday I thought he was going to fall on his knees and actually beg. “Please, please take her,” he said. Etcetera. So she did. Staff lunch and meeting are on Mondays. Nobody saved me a chair. So I had to sit on the floor and complain. Arrrrr. Arrrr. Arurrr. Etcetera. Each time a little louder. Finally, Mom asked Philip if he was done with his salad. “That dog’s not going to eat salad,” he said with a bit of incredulity in his voice. “Watch,” said Mom. I ate most of it and licked the rest of the lettuce clean and left it on the floor. I guess Mom felt it fit within the limits of my diet. Speaking of diet, I have lost 1.5 pounds. I can’t feel proud of that, since it was through forced starvation. Etcetera.
That was Monday. Tuesday my peeps brother Andrew and Jentry and the boy and also Riley came over and ate pizza with us. Did I mention Jentry and the boy bought a house and moved out, mostly. Well, mostly because I still see them a lot and some of their stuff is still here. Riley came in and gave me a polite nose to nose touch. I didn’t realize at the time it was his way of saying goodbye. He and Andrew are moving to another state called North Carolina.
Wednesday held even more surprises. Mom helped me into the car to go to work – my hip is worse – and I found myself on a fancy-looking new seat cover. Mom said it is to help me not slide around like I do on the leather. The colors are so bright that they reflect on my hair. It was at this point that she also noticed that I needed a bath. Grrrr. Dad commented that he felt like we now owned a Gremlin. Huh?
So off we go to work – or so I thought. Instead, we pulled into the drive through at the drug store where Mom got medicine and I got a milk bone treat. Mom must have forgotten about my diet since she let me have it. Then it was off to work for real. As soon as we got there, Mom opened the pills she had just bought and gave me one tucked into my wet food that she had so thoughtfully brought along. The adequin shots haven’t helped yet and I can barely put any weight on my back left leg. She explained that the pill was to help with the pain in my hip. Mom texted Dad to inform him that I wouldn’t be driving today since the instructions on the medicine bottle said it could cause drowsiness and to refrain from driving. Dad answered that I shouldn’t be allowed to operate heavy equipment, either. “No problem,” Mom wrote back. “She never does.” Like she ever lets me drive, BOL! Drowsiness…
When I wasn’t engaging in power naps, I felt much more like my old self and ran around with that joie de vivre that marks my life in general. Zzzzzzz. Etcetera.
Two more surprises awaited me when we got home. Dad bought canned green beans just for me. Some of them along with their juice went on my kibble at dinner tonight. Now that’s a diet! Yum! Then I found out that Riley had been here while Andrew packed all his stuff into a big U-Haul truck. My dear little brother left me a goodbye present.
Can you see it, right there in the ray of sunshine on the carpet in the front room? He knows I used to steal them from him, and this time he gave it to me. Maybe he is a good dog after all. *wipes tear*
OH NO, Mom’s got the comb and I just heard the word bath. Gotta’ go!
Mommy loves September – it is her favorite month. She asked me to share some of the fun things that have happened in Septembers past. In pictures, here we go!
Mommy made a new outfit for Rocktober Fest and wanted a German dog in the picture to make it authentic. I don’t like being held, and I especially don’t like being hugged.Not to be outdone, Dad donned his authentic lederhosen AND held a schnauzer (me again).
I love staying at hotels. This one was on the way to Wisconsin. Dad was busy on the phone and not paying any attention to me.Once again I get picked up for a picture. We stayed at a B&B in Appleton, WI. Daddy used to own this house.
I liked walking down to the river at the B&B. I love all the new smells.
I hope you enjoyed my little trip down a September memory lane. What’s your favorite month?
Mom has decided that she is cutting back on Memory Mondays to be only the first Monday of the month. That was today. Dad was trying all day long to install a new solid state hard drive in Mom’s computer, so she couldn’t do anything on my blog. Long story short, her computer rejected the hard drive, so here we are, waiting for the poor old drive to fail. Maybe Mom could give it shots of adequin, like she puts in my leg. BOL!
We finally sold our house in Red Bank, TN last week. That means I don’t get to go over there and sniff all around the yard any more. I think I am going to miss it. I thought I would post some memories in the form of pictures about my life on De Fue Street.
This is me and my Dad on my birthday in 2008. I don’t know why he has such a funny look on his face.
This is me waiting for Christmas dinner, 2007.
I liked to sit in the chair on the front porch and watch everything happening in the neighborhood.
Mommy planted flowers in pots and made the porch pretty. Look at my crazy beard!
On cold winter nights I would lay on the ottoman in front of the fireplace. Mom used to say it was the most expensive dog bed she ever bought.
I would go out the back door into the great big fenced yard. My screen house was out there too, and I could duck under the screening if I wanted to be inside it.
A dog and her stick. Goodbye, sweet De Fue Street House.
Mommy was pulling weeds in my dog lot alongside the house this morning when she about “jumped out of her skin,” as she put it. Right over her head was a writing spider. Her first thought was to “whack” it, then she remembered Charlotte. It looked a lot like Charlotte, but too small.
Mini-Charlotte
So she left mini-Charlotte alone and got out the mower. Have I mentioned that it has both rained and sunned a lot here lately? The grass was so deep and thick that the mower barely got through it. Mom decided to call a neighbor who cuts grass to do the rest of the steeply-sloped yard. She took a picture partway through mowing in case anyone would like to see how tall the dog lot grass was.
Grass. You know, Mom, this is so boring.
We walked around the back of the house and lo and behold, there was Charlotte way down by Dad’s office window. She had built a big, new web and was patiently waiting for her next victim. Update #1, Charlotte is alive and well, and has apparently expanded her territory. Her old web is intact, too. Perhaps she is building a franchise.
This is Charlotte’s underside. I think she was busy sucking the juice out of something.
Update #2: Our BFF in PA is doing much better. Some of you may remember when we went up there earlier in the summer. The hospital bed is gone from the living room and she can walk with crutches now. Her leg is healing real good and she can even go up the stairs to her bedroom and bathroom. Next will be the repair on her hip, and I hope that means another trip for me and Mom. My away-from-home- dad, Buddy, misses me and I miss him too.
Now for the camouflage.
Can you find us? Hint: red dog on red sheets; black and gray dog on black and gray bed.
You may notice I was careful to only put my silver-colored paw on the gray part of the bed. Mom found us anyhow. I think the bow gave me away.
I am Lexi, the camouflage, spider-watching schnauzer.
Today I was thinking about elevators and how they have become a part of life. I ride an elevator at least twice every time I go to therapize the sick kids at the children’s hospital and even understand the etiquette of elevator riding: turn to face the front and be quiet.
Sometimes I rode the elevator when Mommy and I worked at St. Paul’s. One evening we were all there (Mom and Dad and me) teaching a ballroom dance class. There was a good mixture of parishioners and folks from the big band that my Dad plays in. They all know me and know enough about me to realize what a talented genius I am. We taught in a large room upstairs, with the elevator just outside the door. Eventually, I got bored and headed down the stairs, then down the long hallway to the kitchen, which was at the other end of the church. I thought maybe I could get a little snack before going back to help with the class. While I was gone, something made the elevator ding. The class stopped and, suddenly realizing I was gone, everyone looked questioningly out at the elevator. Finally, someone voiced what everyone there was thinking: did Lexi push the button and get on the elevator? BOL! I am not tall enough to push the buttons!
I want to share with you the story of my first elevator ride in today’s Memory Monday.
February 6, 2007
I had my first ride in an elevator. Mom carried me onto it. It started to go up and when she tried to put me down I clung onto her like crazy. No way was I going to stand on this thing that was moving under us. She caught me with her knee as I was sliding off her and she saved me. The doors of this elevator thing slid open and she carried me out into a hallway. Then I got to visit my Grandma in her new apartment. I was so excited to see her and she was excited to see me too. When we were done visiting Mom held me on the elevator ride back down.
A few days later I went back to see Grandma and had to go on this elevator thing again. Mom tricked me – just walked right onto it with me on my leash. I was looking at this person that I thought would pet me and wasn’t paying enough attention to where I was going. I could feel it begin to move, but I kept my eye on that bright metal circle in the middle. I think that was the thing making it all happen. We made it up OK and I was wiggly happy to see my Grandma again. Grandma had a piece of toast all ready just for me. Mom thought she tricked me again when we left, but I knew that as long as I watched that circle thing, it would be OK. I just wanted to share that with all of my friends so you would know to just watch that metal circle and you don’t need to be afraid to go on an elevator. The elevator will take you good places, like to see the people you love. I am Lexi, the brave elevator-riding schnauzer.
By the way, since I posted this eight years ago I have come to realize that not all elevators have metal circles in the middle and that isn’t what makes them work. I am older and wiser now!
Every night after we eat supper, Mommy and I take our fish oil pills. When Mom first hands it to me, I refuse it. Then she forgets which one is hers and sticks mine in her mouth. Every single time!!! Then she says, “Uh oh, this one is yours,” and gives it to me. I always take it then because I am afraid she will eat it if I don’t. Silly Mommy!
It’s Memory Monday time, and I’ve been thinking about my half sisters, Lily and Ivy, who have crossed the rainbow bridge. Ivy was my hero, everything I wanted to be. She taught me how to be a good leader.
Ivy, leader of the pack
They only lived with us every other week, and I was always testing Ivy to see if I could be in charge. I clearly remember the last time that happened. She decided not to put up with my insubordination any longer. Ivy put me on my back and stood over me, moving her open mouth back and forth in front of my face. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut so I couldn’t see myself die and started to scream. It took what seemed like an eternity (at least 2 seconds) for Mom to come running into the kitchen to rescue me. The rest of the account is from Mom, since I had my eyes closed and was making too much screamy noise to hear anything.
Lexi’s Mom here. I politely asked Ivy to move off of Lexi and she did. Lexi, still on her back, just kept on screaming. Ivy and I looked at each other and if a dog could shrug their shoulders, I would swear she did. We both looked at Lexi again and back at each other. I finally said, “Lexi, it’s over. You can stop screaming now.” Lexi peeked through her eyelashes and started the wind down screaming. It kept getting softer and slower until she finally stopped.
It’s me, Lexi, back to pick up the story. I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes. I was only two, so it didn’t take long. After the “incident” I made a wide berth around Ivy for a while, just to be sure. I never challenged her again.
Lily
Daddy was just leaving for vacation when a young orange-colored dog showed up at the house where he was living. He told her if she was still there when he got back that she could live with him. She conned different neighbors into feeding her until he got back and lived with him ever since.
Lily was usually everyone’s favorite because she was such a sweet and friendly girl. By “everyone” I mean anyone new who met them. Mommy said that she liked Ivy’s cocky attitude best from the moment she met her. One day Mom was laying on the couch feeling sick. Ivy curled up with her and Mommy almost instantly felt better. Dad said he had never seen Ivy take to someone like she did Mom. After that, he called her Mommy’s black healer.
Once in a while Lily would make a break for it. About a year or so ago, Riley unlatched the fence gate while Lily was out in the yard. When she got out and started running down the street Riley was smart enough to realize he had made a big mistake and took off after her. My BFF Jentry was in charge of the dogs when this happened. She quickly discovered the jailbreak and was about to start through the neighborhood in search of two red dogs when she saw them coming back down the road from the cul de sac. Riley – even though responsible for Lily’s escape – had been a good brother and stayed with her to be sure she was ok. Lily was about 16 years old at the time.
Sometimes Lily was a clown. This is a picture of her when she got a feather stuck on her nose.
Lily the clownLily in my kennel
Lily was terrified of thunderstorms. She would try to hide in the most ridiculous places, like in the 2 inch crack between the stove and counter. Here she is hiding in my kennel. It is a large kennel, so it was much more comfortable than in a crack. She got pretty deaf in her old age and that actually worked for her, as she couldn’t hear the thunder any more.
Ivy in our bed
In the summer Mommy would shave both Ivy and Lily. They were so much cooler without all that thick hair and undercoat, and it sure did stop the hair balls doing the tumbleweed dance around the house. As Ivy got older, she got to be more reclusive.
Lily the birthday girl
Lily was a real party girl and loved celebrating birthdays as much as I do. The difference is she didn’t mind sharing. Lily would be proud of me for sharing these memories with you. Ivy would have just said, “Whatever.”
Mom hates bugs of any kind. So when she investigated what Riley and I were staring at on the patio floor and found it was a small lizard caught by a spider’s web, she set the little guy free.
She then got her broom and started knocking down the many webs around the patio floor, furniture and ceiling, finally moving outside to get any there. Imagine her wide-eyed, try-to-hold-it-together, freeze-in-place look when she saw this creature under the house eaves just outside the screened patio.
Unidentified, scary spider
The markings on its back look white in the pic but are yellow. Notice the distinctive web design in the lower left of the bottom pic. It looks like a phone cord.
Can anyone tell us
What kind of spider this is and
If it is dangerous and
If Mom should kill it? (she is leaning toward death to all spiders)
I'm Dalton, a Rat terrier mix and I came here in Sept, 2017, I was rescued from Hurricane Harvey. My birthday is 8-20-2016. My Gotcha Day is 8-27-2017. And I am Benji, a terrier mix of unknown origin. MY Birthday is June 6, 2018, and my Gotcha Day is Dec 28, 2018. I also was a rescue from a different part of Texas. We also have Angel MrJackFreckles, (2-5-2018); and also we have Angel Minko, (6-18-2017); and Angel Pipo, (11-3-2020);There are also Angels Groucho, Simba, Suki, & Toki. We meezers used to be known as WeBeesSiameezers. We'e all from Michigan, Dalton and Benji both came here from Texas, as rescues..
Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess with Lucy and Chia 