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

I didn’t sleep well Friday night and neither did my husband.  We talked about it Saturday morning and knew it was because we had listened to the news about the school shootings for most of the night.  Every one of these recent shootings has been hard to hear about and almost impossible for us to wrap our heads around these senseless killings.  Sometimes when you hear about stuff like this in the news it seems so far away and you can convince yourself that you are safe where you live. …

The other day I was talking to my mother on the phone and out of the blue she said she was talking about my dogs at the dinner table and told everyone that even though I won’t admit it, Vern is my favorite.  Her statement really made me mad and I told her that was simply not true and I feel just about the same way I would if she said I was playing favorites with my daughters.   My youngest daughter gets mad at me when I tell Fudge she is my favorite brown dog and always makes me add…

I am going out this morning to buy supplies to board up my house.  I haven’t decided if I just need brown paper to cover the windows or if I need actual boards and large nails, but I do know I need to make it so two Doodles cannot look out of the foyer windows.  

Curtains could work, too, but would be far less dramatic. I also know I need plenty of Sharpies to write…

I have two OLDER sisters.  They love to travel.  I have two dogs and my sisters have none and I often wonder if therein lies the difference between our adventurous spirits.  I am perfectly content to stay home with my dogs and have no real desire to see the Seven Wonders of the World. Based on the definition of wonder in the dictionary, One that arouses awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration; a marvel…The emotion aroused by something awe-inspiring, astounding, or marvelous…An event…

My mom was visiting for Thanksgiving.  She arrived on the Monday before Turkey Day.  I picked her up from the airport in my van and she hadn’t been in the car five minutes when she announced my van smelled like dog.  She didn’t say it in a nice way either like, “the smell is lovely inside your van.”  Nope, she screwed up her nose and went on to add, I guess for emphasis, that it smelled badly like pigs and she felt like she needed to take a bath. …

I like contests.  We all know how competitive I am.  We are now having our own contest called, “Which Doodle is More Annoying?”  Let me assure you, it is a very close race and we may have to have a third party tally the votes.  Could the winner be Vern who got me up three times last night to go out?  Or could it be Fudge who got up with Vern each of those times and then came back to bed with me swinging her paws in the air repeatedly to let John know she was waiting for her belly rubs?  In…

My dogs need to be groomed.  They have an appointment next week and if I thought my groomer had a drop box I would have left them there last night.   I leave my car at the mechanic’s the night before an appointment with a note stating what needs to be done, so why can’t my groomer be as accommodating.  I have thought about tying them up outside her grooming salon so she finds them in the morning with a note around their necks that reads, “Mom says we can’t come home until we are clean.” The…

It is that time of year in our household again.  Let me be the first to say, if you are one of those people who gets disgusted every year by the way the retail world rushes the holidays, this blog might not be for you.  Every year I have a cookie party and lots of company on Thanksgiving and because of all the hustle and bustle, I like to get my Christmas decorating done early.  This year, we opted not to have the Cookie party, which I have hosted for more years than I can remember, mainly…

Yesterday was one of those days.  I am going to out myself as the worst dog trainer ever in the history of dog trainers.  Something is happening with my Vern.  It all started with the lifting his leg to pee incident.  I have noticed he now likes to go over the spot where Fudge goes and today, for the first time ever, he backpedaled after he went to cover the spot.  Unfortunately, since it was his first time, his timing was a little off and he almost did a face plant in the process. …

Recently, I have diagnosed myself with a disorder called Obsessive Compulsive Forgetfulness.  This is a condition that occurs in many women around menopause age and people with this disorder have unwanted and recurring thoughts that compel them to search out things daily that they have misplaced.  Every day, I spend at least one hour searching for…

About a month ago, Camilla (and Darwin) did a blog in the Photography Group and gave us instructions about how to take your own family photo.  Camilla is a fabulous photographer and I knew if I followed her instructions to a T, I was going to get a great picture for our Christmas cards.  Now, technically I was supposed to be taking our pictures, but as some of you may recall, I have a photographer daughter that can be bribed and threatened into helping.  So, I guess you can say I followed…

This spring when we were checking out our local garden shop for plants and flowers to plant, I spied a 5 foot metal Rooster that I fell in love with and wanted to bring home.  It was right around Mother’s Day and my Birthday and when I asked the man the price and he told me how expensive it was, I told him to hold on because I was sure when I went inside and located John and described the gift I had picked out for myself, he would run right out and snatch it up for me.  “Yes, John, it is a 5…

It occurred to me recently that I have been sitting on a gold mine idea for a very long time for saving for any big vacation.  I guess the 2013 Cruise "jarred" my memory. For years, when someone in our family or circle of friends got married, I have given them a wedding saving’s jar along with a letter I have written.  Since I would hate to have the newly married couple say, “Are you kidding me with this gift? All we are getting is a letter and a jar?” we also include a check to get the…

In another life, I think I was probably a reporter, so I took notes on the Doodle Cruise so I could report back the facts to all those unable to attend the First Annual Doodle Cruise starring Fudge and Vern.  I uncovered some things we never knew about our DK members and luckily I was not sworn to secrecy.  I urge you to remember drinks were flowing freely.  I would also like to note it has taken me an entire week to blog because I knew it was important to say everything…

Something is terrible wrong in my household. Everything is topsy-turvy.  It all started the other week when my daughter and I were going out shopping and to lunch.  We had a wonderful time and because I was on a shopping high, I looked over at her in the car and said,  “We are just like best friends!”  You would have thought since she’d already suckered me into buying her some new clothes that she would have smiled and just said yes in response.  Instead she flashed a little grin and said,…

Yesterday while driving, I was listening to Pink’s new CD and knew instantly in one of the songs, she must be singing about her husband.  The song talked about how she loved him, but wanted to slap him sometimes.  Now, mind you, I don’t condone violence in a marriage, but I definitely understand what she was trying to say.  Last night, was one of those “I really want to slap you,” nights.   Vern is back to his old habits, getting me up at night to go out and go potty.  He goes in…

Maybe Labradoodles are not often thought of when people say they want a good watchdog, but all that is going to change when I tell you about my Vern.  I knew shortly after I brought him home that he was special.  I could tell by the way he barked at the dog in the mirror and once peed on the floor at the vet’s office when he caught a glimpse of this adorable cream-colored Doodle in their mirror on the way out the door.  Sometimes, he even went on high alert when he felt something wagging off…

Recently, my oldest sister wrote an email to me and told me the next time I make it to Indiana I should bring Fudge and Vern.  These are words I never thought I would ever hear from my sister.  Somehow, in a family of three girls I am the only one that ended up being dog crazy.  My parents never wanted a dog either, so it was a mystery to all why I ended up loving dogs, but for as long as I can remember I have adored dogs.  My oldest sister married a wonderful man who was raised in the…

The other day we were all on the boat and my husband looked over and said the F word and directed it right at my sweet Vern.  Vern was just sitting there minding his own business and taking in the sights all around him when John said that word.  If I had known what was coming, I would have run over and covered his ears.  It just happened so fast!  One minute we were talking about what happened to all the geese and the next minute John looked over at Vern and said, “I think Vern is getting…

We see it all the time on the front page!  People want to know how to go about picking a puppy by coat type, color, or sex.  As far as I am concerned, they are going about it all wrong, and based on my vast experience of picking two dogs out over the Internet and asking all the wrong questions, I want to help others learn from my mistakes. I fell in love with Fudge from a picture and knew she was meant to be my dog. …