Thursday, July 29, 2010

Wuve Twoo Wuve!

I am in LOVE.
Hopelessly and completely in LOVE.
I can't EAT or SLEEP unless the object of my affection is at my side.
He is perfect in every way -
  • He is divinely soft
  • He is wonderfully squeaky
  • He is stinky in a good way

All this talk on the blogs lately about the SOCK MONKEY bed makes me ache with longing.

SIGH. . .

He is in every sense of the word - A MONKEY ON MY BACK!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Fashionplate

Modeling my Snuggie


Summer vacation is sometimes a little boring, don't you think? I mean I have a schedule and all - you know the kind
  •        Sleep in until 11am
  •        Eat
  •        Go outside and "pick" fruit
  •        Take a nap
  •        Beg for Food
  •       Watch TV
  •        Eat
But sometimes I want to do more. So yesterday I decided to change it up and dress up in my favorite clothes. The Snuggie (pictured above) is one of my favorite articles of clothing. It is so versatile you can use it as a blanket or a robe.And pink is really my color as it matches my pretty curly tongue.

A hat for all occasions
I also like to wear hats now and then. When one goes for a walk it provides a little shade AND style.


In the winter, the right hat can keep your ears warm when those wicked California winds whip up! You know as well as I do how chilly 60 degrees can be (I AM A CALIFORNIA PUG - that is cold to me!)

my favorite swim shirt
This swim shirt is very near and dear to my heart. It is stylish AND functional as my Mommy can get it wet and put it on me to cool me down. And you can't go wrong with tie-dye. It is the bestest.

My final ensemble for the day is a little number I like to call What The???? As in "What The" am I wearing this for? I can't imagine what I was thinking when I picked it out at the store.
What The????

Well, thanks for stopping by for my little fashion show. I enjoyed myself and it helped liven up my summer vacation as well.

To all of my new friends (Followers), Welcome to my world. It is a great place to share.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Buddy System

 

My human went to a sleepover the other night. It is not THAT unusual for her to go to sleepovers with her friends; but I was just feeling a little, you know, insecure about the whole thing. I decided she needed a BUDDY with her to comfort her in a strange bed and in a strange home. I really was not thinking of MYSELF! I was thinking of her and HER needs. It took a bit of maneuvering but I secured an invite for myself by almost knocking myself out furiously wagging my tail and staring longingly with my big lovely eyes. 
 
Oh yeah, it worked. 


Soon I was being packed into the car with MY overnight bag as well as hers. It was a lovely drive to a really nice house in the hills. Deer often graze nearby and I hear coyotes are not that uncommon either (although I did not see one). I had a lot of fun, too. There were 3 more kids to play with me and cuddle me on their laps. I ALMOST got a pancake for breakfast until someone realized the chocolate chips would probably not be good for me. The only downside was I had to stay in my crate more than I normally do. And despite being a new-to-me house with lots of new things to smell and check out, I was not allowed to just wander. But I certainly can't complain. How many dogs get to go to a sleepover - try on makeup - dress up - giggle and chit chat with her besties - ya know?

Best of all - I got to spend some good quality time with the person most important to me, MY BUDDY.

Monday, July 26, 2010

A Whale of a Good Time

If you recall, I went to the park last week. It was a very fun adventure but honestly, by the time we got there I was a little hot. And once I communicated with all those ducks and geeses, well, I was not in to mood for much of anything.
So I decided to chomp some tan bark.
I was immediately rounded up and told I needed to involve myself in something a little less dangerous than eating tan bark.
I thought - Hey! I'm in a playground. I should play. So I tried. First I went to the slide - BORING!!! Some human kid had thrown dirt all over it and I just couldn't get my footing to climb up it (see my video of my previous slide adventures).
Then I wandered to the tire swing. The swing listed quite alarmingly on my side and the Lil' One did NOT want to swing with me.
In my defense, I DO NOT think I weigh more than a 4 1/2 year old child. She sabotaged me somehow.
My mommy took me to the baby swings but I couldn't get comfortable in those bucket-y thingies.
I finally settled on the rocking whale. That was fun and I am amazingly good at it. I rode that whale until the cows came home (actually until we rode off for frozen yogurt).
Look out Paikea, I am the NEW WHALE RIDER!!!

My slide adventures, circa October 2009

Friday, July 23, 2010

The Grass is Always Greener



          Green, green - It's green they say               
          On the far side of the Hill.
          Green, green - I'm goin' away
          Where the grass is greener still

I love grass. It is cool. It is soft. It is green. It is good smelly.
AND
It is EATIBLE!!! Uh, EDIBLE!!

Yes, I admit it. I am a grassaholic.
This was true even when I was a widdle 'un. My mommy would take me outside to do my bid-ness and I would immediately run to the grass for a chew or two. My obsession has become so bad that at one point I would forget to do my bid-ness and then would have an accident in the house. This, as we all know, is unacceptable.

So I have entered a 12 Step Program to wean me off of my        
addiction to grass chawing.
  1. I admit that I am powerless over the allure of grass
  2. Listen to Mommy
  3. I am going to use grass only for what it is intended
  4. Uh . . . I uh . . .
Oh forget it and bring me another hank o' grass to chaw lil' darlin.'    

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Duck, duck . . . Goose, goose . . .

Way back when, when the weather was warm (last Sunday) my human following and I went on a bike ride to the park near our house. This is a great park with lots of walking paths, a playground (with tan bark which I wanna eat all the time but my human gets really peeved at me when I try), and a pond. In and on the pond are many many many ducks of an amazing variety.

I said "duck." and heard a "quack" in return. Then I got bolder - "DUCK" I yelled as mightily as my pug lungs would let me. A whole row of "ducklings" swam up to me singing "Cheep, cheep, cheep." I got so excited because all of these lil guys wanted to play with me. So I started strutting back and forth yelling "DUCK - DUCK - DUCK!!!!"

All of a sudden I heard this loud "HONK!" and I turned around and there was this massive mommy GOOSE. And she was wildly flapping her wings and running toward me! I mean RIGHT AT ME! She gathered in all the lil'uns, "Honk! Honk! Honk!"

How was I to know my new friends were goslings and not ducklings.

Thank goodness for the chain link fence separating us.
I apologized and left with a quiet "Goose."

From over my shoulder I heard "QUACK!"



It was nonetheless a lovely day at the park and it ended just wonderfully with a trip to the yogurt store.



Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Beauty Is As Beauty Does

Because I'm Beautiful
Beauty is as Beauty does
I really AM and always WAS
A pug, a wonderous sight to see
Warmth, love and fun emanate from me
Not everyone appreciates our smushed in mugs
And some simply aren't fans of pugs (I cannot fathom this)
But get to know me and you'll see
Why sooner or later EVERYONE falls in love with me.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Hide 'n' Seek

What can be better than a friendly game of Hide 'n' Seek? I LOVE to be invisible (altho' sometimes my humans look at me like they can still SEE me)!

I have a few favorite places to hide . . . like behind the honeysuckle bush in the yard . . . behind a basket of laundry upstairs . . . but my most favorite place to hide . . .?

Mommy #2's bedroom!

Shhhhhhh. Don't tell my humans because then they will know where to find me. I love going into my Mommy #2's room. She has a big bed that is high enough for me to crawl under and she has this blanket thing that goes all the way to the ground. No one can see me. And if I am really really really quiet . . .

HIDE 'n" SEEK!!!!!!

Mommy #1 and I like to play with the Lil' One outside. There are swings (kinda scary) and my swimming pool to play on. But most of all, she likes to play Hide 'n' Seek. Me too.I am  really good at hiding and I usually  help the SEEKER find the HIDER by being where the hider is in plain sight.

HIDE 'n' SEEK!

Huh???? Did you say I am doing it all wrong?

Uh-oh.

Guess I won't be asked to play anytime soon.

Monday, July 19, 2010

An Apple a Day

I am always looking for ways I can be a more responsible member of the family. It is the simple thing that makes the most difference, I believe. So when something spills on the kitchen floor, I am there to readily lick it up and save my humans the trouble of dragging out the mop and cleaning. When someone comes to the door, I bark to alert humans watching tv that their attention is needed elsewhere. And when my tummy rumbles at 5:30 am and I start to whimper for food every 10 minutes thereafter - well who needs to go to the expense of buying an alarm clock?

It is the same way in the yard. I do what I can to eliminate excess work for my humans. Lately I have discovered the zen-like task of picking apples. My humans have a tree just loaded with so many apples that the branches are hanging on the grass. Plus many fall on the grass and rot. So I pick them, carry them away to somewhere else in the yard, or eat them. Whatever I can do to help - it is all part of my spiritual journey.

When I am done I am overwhelmed by an satisfying sense of OM!!!

Excuse me while I meditate over this apple.

Om tastyapple . . . 
                    Omtastyapple . . .
                                        Omtastyapple . . .

Friday, July 16, 2010

Name Game


A Noodle by any other name . . .

Many many many people ask why am I called Noodles. After all it is an unusual (altho' increasingly popular) name for a dog. Not only that, given I am a pug AND born on the Fourth of July, one would imagine I would more likely be named Freedom, Liberty, or Puglet!

Well I am here to set the record straight.


 It is all so very simple, Grasshopper.
You see NOODLES  represent the eternal search for longevity and a long life. My human has long revered the more inherent properties of the noodle, especially the uncut
spaghetti style, as solid, unending, and nourishing.
So when she welcomed me into her home she wanted to bestow on me these same life-enhancing properties . . .

As was taught by the great Buddha himself . . .

JUST KIDDING


I was named for my human's favorite food. HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaHA!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Dem Barking Dogs

I LOVES me some feet. Not my own, although they are pretty special, if I do say so myself.
I Love love love to cuddle up to OR on my human's feet. When I am told "NO" I love to follow my mommy and snap at and hug her feet. I just love FEET.
But what I am really talkin' 'bout are human feet and those things that cover them . . .

 . . .uh . . . don't tell me . . .

I KNOW the word . . .

CHEWS!

I mean SHOES!

I love me some shoes, too. Flip flops, sneakers (the smellier the better), slippers (Auntie T's purple cat ones the MOST), muddy hiking boots, etc. I just love them all - oh, not new ones cuz they have no people smell.on them.
What do I do with these shoes? I sneak around, grab them and then DASH into the hallway, couch or dining room. Then I sniff them real good, give em a lick or two, and then start to gnaw. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
HEA-ven!
I usually don't get as far as copping a chew or two before my human runs after me in hot pursuit of the shoe I have pinched from her. Then she confiscates the shoe.
So I sneak back over . . .
grab the other shoe when she is not looking . . .
and make a run for it . . .

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Swimming against the Tide

It is Summertime, and the livin' is easy. My MAIN Human is home a lot which is so wonderful. For most of my life with my human family, I was alone a lot. But NOW my day usually goes like this - out for a walk around the yard (a-hem) and back inside. Out again for a little communication at the fence and back inside. Out again for a little fruit noshing (my humans grow the most delicious fruits) and back inside. Then I take a nap. By afternoon I am amped up and ready to explore MY WORLD! So I go out and quickly return. I do this a number of times, each time a little faster because it is getting HOT outside!

This brings me to a subject dear to my heart -   the heat of the day. As a pug, as you all know, I am prone to overheat and pant a lot if I get hot. By HOT I mean overheated because we all know I am one HOT PUG.

SO

Consider the swimming pool.
  • It is cool
  • It is wet
  • It is blue
  • It is round
In other words, it is the perfect place for me to cool my paws on those warm summer days. I just LOVE it so much. I do the little toe-dip a couple of times before I jump in with all paws. AHHHH! Sah-weeeeet!
I don't know who thought of the swimming pool but whoever you are I wanna THANK YOU! You have made one HOT PUG a COOL CUTIE.


 
I get choked up with happiness just thinking of my pool.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The Majorly Big Homecoming



My MAIN HUMAN came home from Lake Tahoe on Sunday. She was gone for 1 whole agonizing week. That is FOREVER when you are a little PUG. I was so excited when she came home that I was jumping around and giving my Mommy #1 a lot of kisses. I ran around in circles (and I almost tripped the Lil' Human). To tell you the truth, I almost peed because I was too excited. My owner wanted me to sit down with her and cuddle, but I was so excited I just couldn't - so I  ran and ran. 


During the LONG weekend when both my MAIN HUMAN and Mommy #2 were gone, I got a little pudgy from learning tricks and celebrating my FIRST birthday. I finally learned to "Lay Down," a trick we had been working on for months. When I do them (the tricks) I get treats. The problem is  I am a pug and that stands for PUDGE. As a result of all that learning and treating, I am on a TREAT diet and only get veggies when I am learning tricks. I get carrots, lettuce, and celery. Not ALL at once, though..

I performed for Mommy #1 AND  she was so proud of me. I am so glad that all my family is home together now.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Tale of Two Rockys

I put in MAJOR play time yesterday. First with Rocky and then with Rocky. Ha! That's confusing, huh?


My first play pal is my newest friend Rocky the Shih Tzu. He is almost 3 years old and all fuzzy.
After a shaky start (I hid behind Mommy 2's feet . .  no wait . . . don't get me wrong! Her feet are NOT that big . . . really, I just thought I was hidden. . . I really was not) we warmed up to each other and started dialogue -ing.

NOODLES: Hi, I'm a PUG are you?
ROCKY: Uh-uh.
NOODLES: You stink!
ROCKY: uh-uh.
NOODLES: I can run faster that you.
ROCKY: Uh-uh.
NOODLES: I'm WAY cuter than you.
ROCKY: Uh-uh.

Then the real fun began. I chased him around the coffee table around-around-around until you couldn't tell who was leading and who was following. It was too fun. Eventually I had to leave but not before we were both collapsed on the kitchen floor, panting.
I look forward to many more special play dates with Rocky the Shih Tzu.
The second play pal is my OLD (3 month old) friend Rocky Raccoon. He is also fuzzy and almost the same color as Rocky the Shih Tzu. We play for hours and hours every day. He is my BFF (Best Furry Friend). We sometimes dialogue when no on else is home. It goes like this -

NOODLES: I love you Rocky Raccoon.
ROCKY: Squeak!
NOODLES: What happens if I toss you in the air?
ROCKY: Squeak!
NOODLES: I am ready for a nap, how about you?
ROCKY: Squeak.

Hmmm. It seems the Rockys in my life are Rockys of few words.




Friday, July 9, 2010

Time Out


When Mommy #2 got home last night, I was on time out.
I was supposedly being naughty. Couldn't help it, to be honest. I just get so excited when I am with the lil' human in the house. She is closest to my size and easily matches me in energy. So, we were playing tag and I jumped on her shoulders (TAG) while she was walking, knocking her down, thus landing myself on time out.
 Time out for me is being put in my pen to PONDER my behavior and improve on it.


Newsflash humans! I am a dog. I ponder very few if any things.

Food - yes I ponder food a lot. I would venture to say I ponder food all of the time.
Smells - slightly related to food. I love to ponder smells.
Attention - I ponder attention almost as much as food. I love a good cuddle, a soft pet, a nice ear chuckle. . . I love attention.

So while I was on time out, I was thinking of all the things I did and how they were wrong and . . .

ISN'T IT DINNER TIME YET????

Like I said, I was . . . uh . . . Was that my tummy rumbling . . . uh . . .





Thursday, July 8, 2010

Pet Rocks

I went on a nice walk with my human mommy #2 (my human's mommy). We walked around the neighborhood - it was evening and the sun was making its way to the horizon so it was also not too hot or sunny. I was happy. We turn this corner and there, in front of this house that we have passed maybe a hundred times was something new. It was a river of rocks. . . or are they stones . . . or perhaps pebbles. . . Yikes! Does anyone know the difference? I sure don't. After all, this is America and we say ROCK for everything non organic, right? I gotta say, I love gnawing on a nice juicy rock now and then. It drives my human crazy.
Any ways, I decided to take a "dip" into the river of rocks. I walked back and forth. . .  back and forth. . . back and forth.
"Um, Noodles, do you think we can get on with this walk?" said my human.
Then I circled and circled back - two, maybe three times.
"Noodles! Let's go! Those rocks (See! She called them rocks too) can't be THAT interesting!"
I looked at her, cocked my head to one side as if pondering the full ramifications of what she was saying, and smiled.
Then I started walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth - real serious like.
"That is IT, dog!" she exclaimed angrily. "Let's get going, it is getting dark. What ARE you doing anyhow?"
Again I looked up at her, my big round eyes slightly glazed with glee, and smiled.
"Why," I thought, "Can't you see I am petting these rocks?"

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Hello Night By Noodles


I love to sing. Really I do.
My humans think I am just barking at the fence (or that yappy mutt on the other side of it) but in reality I am singing my NIGHT SONG. It goes something like this . . .

Hello Night, I am Noodles
I love to sing and play oodles.
I love to eat and it really doesn't matter
If it is kibble, chicken or veggie platter.
I chase a cat, her name's Sunshine.
She is really a friend of mine.
I have a family that I LUVso
They give me hugs and tickle my toes.
Hello Night, I am Noodles.

I think it is a winner - grammy maybe?

I have a lot on my mind lately because my MAIN HUMAN is away for a while - having fun in Tahoe while I remain here and mind the fort. I miss her so much because she always runs with me and takes me for walks. She makes sure my nose fold is clean is that my ears smell fresh. But most of all, she just loves me for me. Oh, I act all happy and energetic, but deep deep down I am like BB King . . . I gots the BLUES.

And when I gots the BLUES, I must sing about it.    

Do you have a night time song, too? If you don't, I highly recommend it.
I do this a couple of times before bedtime. It helps sort out my day, you know.


Tuesday, July 6, 2010

What? For Little Ol' Me?

 I couldn't believe all of the attention I received on Sunday, July 4, 2010, MY BIRTHDAY! I am truly humbled. Oh yes, my family made a big deal of it, of course. Auntie T gave me a lovely bath (like I NEEDED it), Cousins E & C made cupcakes (of which I ate NONE), and Auntie B handed out presents galore. But I was MOST impressed by the total strangers who helped celebrate my special day with grand fireworks displays, neighborhood sparklers and firecrackers, and marching bands playing John Philips Whosis - and all for LITTLE Ol' ME! And this was just the first of many more birthdays. Really, it was so wonderful - thanks to everyone.

Wha' did you say?

Independence day?

I'm sorry, I must have overlooked something - because according to MY world, July 4 is MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I know nothing about Independence and Patriotism and all that other stuff I heard about on the tv.
July 4 is MY day and it says so in this here calendar.

Sheesh!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

The Pout

It is very questionable that I did it. Pout, that is. Some vicious ugly rumor is going around that I act all princessy and pouty when I don't get my way - well I am here to say this is not at all true. I am always understanding and professional, even when things do not go my way.


Hmmmm!
I think I was framed.