Laurie, Fudge, and Vern's Blog (342)

Recently someone asked the question if we would clone our dogs and the unanimous answer was a resounding no.  To me, it sounds a little creepy and far-fetched, but then again, when I was growing up I would have never believed that we would be listening to songs on a device no bigger than a credit card and would have the ability to see someone who lived halfway across the country on something called a computer.  It sounded just about as preposterous as Maxwell Smart’s shoe phone. …

Last year, around this time, I did a couple of blogs about my mother and her strong desire to see Neil Diamond in concert. 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/profiles/blogs/transport-needed-to-get-85-year-old-woman-across-two-states-for-a…

Do you ever wonder if dogs have the same problems that humans do in regards to where we fall in the pecking order due to our birth order?  There have been thousands of studies done about the influence of birth order on our personalities and how it affects our abilities to interact with others, as we get older. My sister just turned 60 and she loves to tell anyone about how the middle position in a household of three girls was the worst position ever allotted to one poor soul. …

Fudge has always been a very independent dog.  I like that trait about her, because I have had Velcro dogs in the past who plastered themselves to me and if I took one step and turned around, the odds of me tripping over a dog were very high.  In my relationship with Fudge I am the needy one, because it is usually me following her around and telling her to come back to bed with mommy so we can snuggle.  She mixes up her routine to keep me on my toes and one day she will want up on the bed…

Our house is under attack.  I can’t say for sure how many attackers are out there, but I am fairly certain there are at least two angry birds involved.  I am pretty sure I could identify them in a lineup, although one cardinal looks the same to me as another.  I just know that two of them would have ruffled feathers and blockheads. Every year, for as long as we have lived in this house, we have had one or two angry birds banging on our windows and it has got to stop.  A couple of years ago a…

I make a point of calling my mother almost every morning.  She is 86 and lives in an efficiency apartment in a Retirement Community.  She usually starts out our conversation by telling me she has been up since the crack of dawn trying to get all of her work done.  Right now she is going through pictures and despite the fact that all of her daughters have told her not to get rid of any pictures and to wait until we get home to help, I can just see her sitting in her chair chucking one after…

It is happening again.  I am finding myself caught up in something I can’t control and that is never good for the people in my life.  Years ago, my friend and I used to take our kids to family Bingo up at the local Catholic Church.  We went one time and I was hooked.  In fact, after the first visit, I went out and got myself a Bingo bag, magnetic chips, a magnetic wand, a holder that said, “I love Bingo,” for my tickets, and every color Bingo dauber for the specials that I could find. The…

The other night the dogs and I were in bed watching Criminal Minds and flipping channels to catch what we could of Modern Family.   I was also playing WWF and doing my normal computer stuff while watching television.  At some point, Vern got up and I had to stop what I was doing to rub him until he fell back asleep.  In the middle of all this, my husband walked into our bedroom and was ready to come to bed.  He took one look at Vern sprawled out in his spot with his head on…

Friday we were supposed to get snow.  In Pennsylvania when the weather forecasters call for snow, everyone and their mother runs to the store to buy milk, bread, and toilet paper.  I had an excuse, however, to be up at the store buying the same things and it had nothing to do with the weather.  I really was out of all three.  Trust me when I say if I thought I was going to be snowed in for a long period of time my grocery list would include ingredients for baking cookies, frozen pizzas, and…

I have never had any interest in photography.  When my kids were younger, I was the mother at every event that never had a camera.  I just always thought I would rather live the experience than see it through the viewfinder of a camera.  When our first daughter was born I did take lots of pictures of her, but by the time the second one came along it just seemed like there were not enough hours in the day to get everything done, let alone pull out the camera and snap pictures.  At some point,…

Several months ago I was minding my own business when Lynda Kamrath sent me a message asking me to send her some favorite photographs of my dogs taken by my daughter.  She was interested in seeing some of my daughter’s photographs, but I noticed immediately she did not ask to see any of my work.  She offered to print up our favorite photo as a giclee.  Even though I wasn’t sure what a giclee was, I knew I had to have one. …

A couple of months ago I made a HUGE announcement that our Vern was starting to lift his leg when he peed.  I was shocked that our big news was not met with more hoopla and congratulations, but instead the news was met with a couple of  “Big Whoops”, a few “Get a Life”, and one “Who Cares?” There were a few people who congratulated Vern on growing up, so I thought an update was in order. I am not going to say that Vern lifting his leg might have just been a fluke and my announcement may have…

A couple of months ago Julie, Boomer, and Milo, posted in the Photography Group that she was looking for photographers and doodles to model collars for her Etsy store.  All we had to do was be willing to photograph our doodles wearing her collars and the collar was free.  Well, several things convinced me I was the person for this job and that my doodles were perfect candidates for a modeling session, 1) the words free collar 2) I never miss an opportunity to exploit Fudge and Vern…

My daughter’s car broke down this week and because it could not get into the shop until Friday, she has had to enjoy some special mother/daughter time with me driving (a few days) her to and from work.  She works a long way from home and she would probably tell you it was hell.  Eventually, she found a co-worker a little closer to home and it shortened our drive, but not by much.  I have found when I have a member of my family in an enclosed space, with no way to escape, is when I can give…

New Year’s Eve was hard on Vern.  For the first time ever, he was frightened of the surrounding fireworks and guns going off all around us.  I hate to be a party pooper, but when something comes between my sleep and me I think it should be outlawed and the offenders cast off the island.  I actually read in the news recently that a costumed nine-year-old girl was accidentally shot by a relative who mistakenly took her for a skunk.  Police said this man had not been drinking, which makes it…

My daughter and son-in-law came home for the Holidays on Christmas Eve.  They left on December 23^rd and their flight was supposed to get into Dulles airport around 12:30 am, but instead was delayed until 4:00 am.  Since my husband and I were the picker uppers, we had little sleep that night since the airport is two hours from our house.  When we were younger we could operate on less sleep and used to even go to midnight movies.  Nowadays, the late show for us is anything after the…

Many things bug me in life.  Just ask my family.  I am very vocal about the things that irritate me and many of my family members can often be heard saying, “Give it a rest, grousemeister!”  Grouse isn’t really the word they use, but it sounds nicer than the actuality.  My mom also used to say, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all,” but I have found when I really get going when something bugs me, it wouldn’t be fair to my family to just clam up and keep my opinions to…

Twas the night before a fourth birthday, when all through the house

The only creature stirring was a very large VernMouse

The stockings were someplace, but we have no idea where

We have reverted to bags because St. Nicholas doesn’t care

Fudgie was snuggled all snug in her dog bed

While visions of rabbits danced in her head…

It seems like every year the month of December flies by in a whirl.  I always have high hopes that I am going to enjoy a Christmas movie every day and we are going to drive around and look at lights.  It never happens.  Usually, I am so busy trying to get everything done that I am cross and irritated.  Last night I yelled at Fudge and Vern because they were in my way as I was trying to frantically finish some last minute wrapping for gifts I need to distribute today.  Do you think Santa…

As many of you know I have a wonderful, NOT PHOTOSHOPPED, picture of me in an orange bikini.  Sure, I was struggling with some facial hair issues at the time the picture was snapped, but those have now been resolved with the correct hormone medication.

I also posted that I joined a gym and my trainer is a huge fan of burpees and those burpees are helping me maintain the…