Happy Holidays!

I know, I know, I know. Too long between posts. It's not my fault I swear! Although I will admit that I have been having way too much fun while away. See as astronomers, N & J periodically have to travel. When this happens, I get to go on what they call a puppy vacation. What this means is that I get to stay at Country Paws boarding. So this is what happened. At the end of November, J went to Victoria to go observing (or at last try to, the weather didn't cooperate, but that is an entirely different story) and N went to Japan for a conference.

It is a lot of fun at Country Paws. I get to play with all the other dogs and they take me on long walks and N&J usually get me a couple yogurrz while I am there...mmmm peanut butter banana yogurrz....Huh?! Wha?... Oh sorry, I was drooling over the yogurrz. I asked N if they miss me when I am there, and she said yes, but she also said that she gets to see pics of me on Facebook, so it helps. I wondered what happened to those! I hope they got pictures of my good side!

So, ya while I was having fun on my vaca, N got to see Mount Fugi.

She also said that she ate a black egg. When I had said she was nuts, she said that only the shell was black. The inside was fine. Apparently it is hard boiled in the sulphur hot springs which causes the shell to turn black. She also said that the lore says that if you eat it your life is extended by 7 years. I asked her what it would be for dogs but she was not sure. Ah well.  Probably wouldn't eat it anyway!...who wants to eat and egg that kind of smells like rotten eggs. That would be so confusing!

Anyways, technically when this is posted I will be back on puppy vacation while N&J go visiting their parent for the holidays. So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everybody out there, and I hope your 2013 is all you want it to be.

How to apply for post docs: the puppy way.

Ya, I know, my posts have been a little sparse as of late. You can blame that on N and the fact that I can't really type well with my paws. If I tried I'm sure you would just get "dfjlwtoig" etc all over the page which is definitely not readable. So I guess we just get to blame N. But not too much, because she has actually been really busy.

It is currently post doc fellowship application season. Apparently, getting a post doc position requires applying for fellowships a year in advance. I told her that she should just send them all peanut butter banana cookies but she said it doesn't work that way. I don't know why. If I got peanut butter banana cookies I would totally hire her, but I guess I am just a bit biased...and or in love with peanut butter and bananas. She says that they like to see papers and such which I think is silly since paper does not taste good at all. I tried to read N's first paper but I didn't get past the first sentence. It has some pretty line drawings but unfortunately no pretty pictures of galaxies. I asked her why and she said that since she is not an observer she can't just put random pretty pictures in. Which brings me back to peanut butter and bananas.

In other news, it seems that J has been told that he has enough to make a thesis right now and as such he will be graduating a semester early. Therefore he too is also looking into post doc positions. Maybe he will listen to my peanut butter banana cookie suggestion.

So long story short, there may be a bit more time between my posts, but I will try to prod N more often, or perhaps work on that typing. Maybe if I had a really big keyboard it could work...

Small Pup on Campus

Last week I got to see where N and J go during the day when they go to work. They had to go in to do some work in the evening and rather than leave me at home they decided to take me with. I had no idea what was going on of course. I thought we were just going for our regular walk. Boy was I wrong.

The trip started with a car ride. That was when I knew something was off. It was walk time...and we were going in the car...and the destination was one that I didn't know. We parked in a parking lot across the way and then the walk started. We first went through at tunnel to get to the other side. The tunnel was kinda cool. I had never walked through a tunnel before. On the other side there was a bunch of really large buildings and sidewalk as far as the eye could see. I felt like a small pup on campus for sure. After crossing what seemed like miles of concrete and the longest crosswalk ever (that doesn't even cross a road, rather a parking area) we finally found some grass and trees. Sooo much grass on a hill that I would have liked to run down as fast as I could if they had let me.

After walking around a bit they took me inside to see their office (well, J's office now, N has moved up two floors now that the building renos are almost done). Man, their office is BORING. All they did was work on the computer and they wouldn't let me explore the entire office. Something about cords and dirt. They had brought some food and water and a toy and blanket for me but I just wanted to explore. Ah well,  I did get to do something important though. N was resubmitting her paper to the journal and I got to press the mouse button at the final step. Yup, I may be a small pup on campus, but I help out!

Perils of Bandanas

Oi...I tell ya, sometimes the most benign things become the most perilous. Take bandanas for example. I have been wearing the one that I got from my grooming the other week with no problems and then bam!, this morning it becomes a problem.

It all started when J got up. I emerged from under N's side table and noticed that something was wrong, but I knew that J was getting cereal and had to get to the kitchen. I only made it as far as the bedroom door. My paw was tangled in the bandana and I couldn't get it out!. Not knowing how to get it out, I did the next best thing. I whined. It took a bit but N came over and helped me stand up. She couldn't see that my paw was tangled in the bandana, so when I was having issues staying up she picked me up and brought me out to J....who instantly saw that I had a paw issue! He said that I had a sling. I guess that is what the bandana had become. Once they saw that, they took the bandana off and I was free.

I must say though, I have seen things on tv of dogs with only three legs...or less, who can still walk and everything. With my brief experience of effectively having three legs, I commend those dogs and their ability to adapt. When N was helping me stand up, I was having some serious issues. I had to widen the stance on my back legs, which is what I think had N worried enough to pick me up and carry me out to J. Hopefully I don't have to experience that again!

Puppy Spa Day

Ah...puppy spa day. I love puppy spa day. It is the day where I get pampered and primped and all purdied up. My latest spa day was on Thursday. I usually have one every two months. Helps keep me cool during the summer. This spa day was much like the others. I usually don't know that I am going to the spa until we get there...it is at pet smart so I can never be sure why we are there, spa day or just a regular perusal of the aisles. I enjoy the entire process but I don't like the fur dryer thing. It blows in my face and it's just uncomfortable. Usually at home I get to just run around to dry off and air dry, but they have a schedule to keep thus the blow dryer. The best part of the spa treatment of course is showing off my new look.

I think it look pretty good, what do you think :)
Did I mention that puppy spa days usually take alot out of me? So yes, this is the obligatory post spa nap.

Caught in the rain

That weather, I tell ya, sometimes it just messes things up. It has been raining here off and on for the past couple of days and, yes the grass needs it and the trees do too, but it messes up my walks! If it is pouring out, J and N won't take me on my walk. I guess it is a blessing in disguise because then I don't have to wear my raincoat, but the down side is I don't get to see what is up in the neighbourhood. Not to mention it throws my day totally out of whack. I have a strict sleeping, eating, playing, walking regimen that I must stick to. It is in the puppy code of course.

Anyway, today was another one of those days. After N and J got up, it was raining and they could not take me on my walk right away. J decided he was going to stay home today but N wanted to go in so we gave N a ride to school. I hate it when the three of us go out in the car and only two of us come back. I always vocalize this displeasure to the person who is left with me, but they never seem to go back and pick the other one up. So this time, it was N who left and J who drove away. Maybe one of these days it will work. I know it did with my walk the other day. J had left to go out and shortly later N took me on my walk. Well, I was determined to find him. I could smell the scent he had left in the hall and down the stairs. I practically had to drag N along so I could follow the smell. I lost it somewhere in the building parking lot so I decided to continue on the walk. We ended up going along a route that I had never been before. New smells were abound and I was so engrossed in them that I barely noticed how far we had walked. Twice N was talking to herself...or maybe it was to J on those weird communication devices they have. They sometimes try to get me to talk to people on them but I never know what to say.

Anyway, after the second time that N was talking to herself, I noticed that we were far from home and N just kept going. Just when I was wondering when I would get home, I looked up and saw a car approaching and stop next to us. Before I knew it, N had scooped me up and gotten into the car. I was confused at what was happening until I saw J also in the car. I had found him!

But I digress. I was talking about today. Once we got home J took me on my walk. It was a lovely walk until just after I was done doing my business, the sky opened up and in five seconds, J and I were totally soaked. J started to run for cover but I wanted to play in the rain and resisted, but eventually I gave in and we scurried home. After we dried ourselves off as much as we could, I curled up on J's lap while he watched Olympics and drifted of to sleep; dreaming about meadows and sunshine.

Puppy on Mars?

All the news today is about Rover landing on Mars. At first I was kinda excited and worried about Rover. I wondered how he would survive on Mars. Would he be cold? Would he miss his owners, would he be able to get food and walks? When I asked N these questions she laughed and explained that Rover was not a puppy as I had thought, but rather a robot that they have sent to Mars to explore the planet.

Oops! I really thought it was a puppy. I think the should have sent a puppy... They would have been much better scientists than a robot, but that's just my opinion ;)

After she had stopped giggling, I asked N what she thought about it. She said that she thought it was cool and a great feat for the scientists that were involved, but overall she said that it was not something that she lost sleep over. Literally. The Mars rover was supposed to land at 1:30 in the morning here, but instead of watching as most would expect, we were all snug in our beds asleep or close to it.

Astronomy is a very vast discipline ranging from what is going on close to home in the solar system to the very far away in the rest of the Galaxy and other galaxies. Just as people have different interests when it comes to entertainment and careers, the same goes for within astronomy (and other disciplines as well). So don't assume that all astronomers know everything about space (or even care to).  My astronomers know a lot about spectra and peculiar stars and star formation and bubbles, but if you ask them about the constellations or stuff closer to home, they will usually shrug and say "I don't know" or "meh". It's just not their cup of tea! For N, this is just one of those things.

And now I think I will go back to sleep and dream about puppies on Mars.

Socks

I like socks. I don't think I mentioned them in my post about my favorite things, but if I did I say it again. I like socks.

J and N have very different kinds of socks. J's socks are really long and fun to drag around. Some times they are too long and I get them caught in my feet as I am running away with them (more on that in a bit). N's socks are mostly fuzzy and soft. I like to steal her socks more than J's (the softness is really nice and reminds me of my toys) but really I will take any sock I can find.

The key to stealing socks is to be stealthy and get them when nobody is looking. I remember one time N was packing for one of the trips that she was going on. She had every thing in her suitcase, including socks and then she left the room; leaving the suitcase open. I, as the ever diligent pup had been watching where everything had gone. When she left, I stretched over to the suitcase, nosed my way under the clothes on top and extracted my prize...a pair of socks. As I was munching on them (lightly...I don't tear their socks, I just drool on them mostly), N came back in and caught me.

The result of being found out Is always the same...the socks get taken away. The expediency of this happening depends on my mood or how engrossed I am in the sock. If I don't feel like running, or they get the jump on me, I usually lose the sock right away. However, if I feel energetic, then the chase is on!

To try to get the sock back they will try many things. Most often they will try to come right at me and grab it quickly before I can move, but I will generally jump just out of reach and they end up landing on the bed while I taunt them with the sock. The chase will then begin around and over the bed. I tend to be able to stay out of N's reach for quite awhile, but then if she can't get the sock away from me in a timely manner, she will call for J's help. It's harder to stay out of his reach since it is so much longer. Either way, at the end of the day I always lose the sock, but that is ok...there are always other socks to steal...

Helping out

As a puppy I believe it is important to help out around the house where I can. As such I have taken on many jobs around the house. I am the self appointed doorpup that greets guests and scares away the noises in the hall. I am the food vacuum for when they drop cereal on the floor, or accidentally get peanut butter on their fingers. However, my most important job is helping out with making the bed. So here is my guide to fellow puppies on how to help make the bed.

When you hear pillows and whatever else may be on the bed getting thrown on the floor, make sure to make a beeline for the bedroom where this is occurring and immediately hop on to the bed. The stage of bed making and degree of bed messiness dictates the next step. 

If the bed is relatively neat, or if you were a little slow to arrive such that bed making has already commenced, hop on to the top cover and find a comfy place to settle down. When I do this, N continues to make the bed and I end up getting pulled along for the ride as she pulls the sheets up. This is fun :)

If you are on the ball and arrive early, or the bed was particularly messy, you have a very important job...to be a lump! All properly made beds need a lump. To do this, stake out a spot such that you end up under the covers. When I do this, N continues to make the bed and I end up in a nice cozy tent. 

Below is the result of my help. I was on the ball that day. Can you see me?

Sometimes if I am late in arriving, I can still end up in a cozy tent by positioning myself on the bed such that I end up under the covers on the end of the bed.

 

Here I am in my cozy tent.

And here I am making my escape!

I hope this guide has been helpful. Remember, your bed may be made differently than mine is. If unsure, take one day to observe the process and then jump in the next day. If done right, you will fulfill your duty of being a lump. Enjoy the time you get as a lump. It is fleeting.

Puplympics

J and N have been watching a lot of the Olympics since they started yesterday. They tell me that during the winter Olympics two years ago, I spent time hiding under the couch during the gold medal hockey game and didn't come out until they were cheering and I had to see what was going on. I don't really remember this but I guess I was only 4 months old.

Watching the coverage has gotten me thinking that there should be a summer puplympics. There are so many events that I could compete in. I think I would be a natural in the 100 meter dash, and hurdles would be no problem. I practice those during my puppy burns by running around the bed room and jumping over the bed (well almost over, but since the hurdles are so much smaller than the bed, I could totally get over them). I think I would make a good goalie for a scaled down puppy soccer team. I am pretty good at making sure the ball doesn't go past me when they throw it at me. I'm also sure I could come up with routine for rhythmic gymnastics that would wow the judges. I would not do so well in any of the water events given my dislike of being in it, but I would win the face licking competitions for sure.

Of course the reward would have to be different for first, second and third place finishes. None of these silly medals. Third place would be rewarded with a cheese treat, second with a banana treat and first with a peanut butter treat. Of course the size of the treat would be bigger the better you do ;)

The things I do for my walk...

I tell ya, the things I have to put up with to go for a walk sometimes. Today it is raining out...and apparently that means this:

 

My rain coat. J and N think that it is cute and I do admit that the ducky on the back is cute...

  but then they go and do this:

 Sigh...sometimes I don't know what to do with them. The sad thing is, by the time we got out there it wasn't even raining anymore!

N would like me to add that they did not leave the hood on like that (thank god), but just had to get a photo of me "in da hood" as she says.

Running like the wind

J has gotten into a bit of a fitness kick lately. He has started running. Sometimes he brings me along. I love to run. I feel so free while doing it. The feel of the wind in my face, my ears flying behind me, the world rushing by, details smeared into a blur. Running with J is fun but hard. By the time I get home I am pooped! I usually end up just plopping down in the corner and falling asleep. He is getting better at it though...perhaps I will too!

Sometimes when I fall asleep, I have dreams that I am running. J and N say that they can tell because my legs will twitch and I will make little noises in my sleep. They also tell me that I snore sometimes....but they do too so it's okay. Sometimes I have bad dreams, but usually N will reach down (or up when I'm being a hat on her pillow) and pet me to comfort me. That always makes the bad dreams go away. I love running into either J or N's arms when they come home, so I think my ultimate dream while sleeping would be to run across a huge meadow into either of their arms. Too cliche? Not to me...I am a puppy after all!

Vacuum vs Vacuum

I have heard that it is really quiet in space. N says that is because space is a near vacuum. When I looked at her kinda funny she elaborated. She said that a vacuum in space means that there are no particles at all. She also said that the reason it is quiet is because sound waves travel by compressing particles against each other to pass on the information. With no particles, or lots of space between particles the sound cannot be transmitted, and thus it is quiet. That made a lot more sense. I was totally imagining a giant vacuum cleaner in space, which as we all know is very loud...but I guess even in space it would be quiet. I wish that J and N could vacuum within a vacuum when they vacuum the carpets. Then it would be quieter....but I guess if it was in a vacuum then there wouldn't be anything to vacuum anyway since there has to be little to no particles for it to be a vacuum. Oi..my puppy brain hurts. I think that what I can conclude from this is that I hate vacuums either way!

Puppy Park and a Picnic

Today was so much fun. J and N took me to the puppy park. I had no idea that we were going. All I knew was that N had packed a mysterious bag, and that we were going somewhere. Once we got outside, I knew that we were going in the car because they were walking closer to the building rather than going to the other side where we start our walks. Also, I had just had a walk a couple hours earlier, so I figured it would be strange to have another one so soon.

I like car rides. Sometimes N lets me sit on her lap during the ride, but mostly I am in the back. I have my own harness which straps me into the weird contraption that prevents me from moving around to much. I would complain more, but J and N also wear them, so they must be alright. Recently I have figured out that if I twist myself just right, I can lie down across the entire seat (well as much of it as I take up) rather than having to lie forwards. I have certainly come a long way since my first long car trip when I threw up on J.

Anyway, I was enjoying the car ride when all to soon we had arrived at our destination. I hopped out of the car and saw that we were at the dog park. I love going to the dog park. There are always so many new friends to meet...two and four legged! We started out in the big area, but quickly determined that the area for small dogs was where it was at today. Once we got to the little dog area, I was free! First I went and checked out the congregation around one of the tables. There were four people and just as many dogs. I then went to the other table to scope out the other dogs. Soon more dogs arrived and I started a game of chase. I ran like the wind and they tried to catch me. Two laps around the yard and they still couldn't catch me, so I decided to stop. The others couldn't react fast enough and they ended up flying right past me. Too funny. After that I was tired so J and N decided it was time to go.

We went back to the car, but instead of getting back in, they got the mysterious bag and we went over to sit under a nice shady tree. The first thing that was pulled out of the bag was my extra long leash which they tied to the tree. Second was my bowl and third was some water. I was so thirsty that I tried to drink water out of the bowl before there was any there. This made N laugh. She then poured water into the bowl and I drank from the stream! N then proceeded to take out a bunch of containers which all contained food. I got a bit of cheese from both J and N and then a bit of the banana bread that N had made last night. Not long after we were back in the car and driving home where I got a bath and then fell asleep on J's lap under my new blanket they brought back from Victoria.

What is so peculiar about stars?

I have heard J talk about his research a lot and even tried to help him out when he is working on the couch. So, as such I deem myself a puppy expert on his field of research. Perhaps the only puppy expert in his field. I will try to explain his research in a way that any puppy can understand.

J looks at squiggly lines and tries to fit other squiggly lines to them to see how much of a certain element exists in the atmosphere of the star. He says they are called spectra but they are just squiggly lines to me. He even claims to know what some of the especially deep troughs are due to but I don't think he has it quite right. He calls a lot of them Iron, or Chromium or Helium, but I know better. The ones that he calls Iron are actually banana lines, Helium is Peanut butter lines and Chromium is cheddar cheese lines. J looks at peculiar A type stars. He is trying to determine the abundance of different elements compared to the Sun. Apparently these stars are over abundant in banana and cheddar cheese compared to the Sun while there is an under abundance of peanut butter...booo!

He also says that these stars have really strong magnetic fields. Apparently these fields can lock in the banana and cheese and all the other yummy things into certain patches within the atmosphere of the star. By observing different phases he can apparently figure out where these patches are and what the field strength of the magnetic field is.

So there you go! The strong magnetic field and the over/under abundance of certain elements as compared to the Sun is what makes these stars peculiar. Personally I think the fact that they have banana, peanut butter and cheese in their atmospheres is pretty peculiar. Tee Hee.

The Smell of Space

N was surfing the net today and found an interesting article. She told me that different molecules in space would give off different smells and that my sniffer would probably be able to detect them better than hers. I do pride myself on having a really good sniffer, that is for sure. I can smell peanut butter from across the room. Anyway, after she told me about this, it got me thinking about what I think certain things in space should smell like.

Earth is easy (obviously). It smells like grass and people and sometimes like rain (like it does today). I have heard that there is cheese on the moon, although J said that is totally not true, but I still like to think there is. I think it would have to be some sort of white cheese since the moon is not orange! So perhaps mozzarella or maybe one of those extra stinky cheeses. Mars is red and dusty, but the rocks remind me of really large bacon bits so I think Mars would smell like bacon. N says that Venus would smell like rotten eggs due to the sulfuric acid in the clouds. Venus and Mars would have gone so well together if the eggs were not rotten.

What I really would like to find is a planet that smelled like peanut butter and banana. That would be the best. Then I could just rub myself on the ground and smell like peanut butter and banana all the time.

The hunt

It was a typical morning several months ago. J and N were getting ready for school; running here and there to make this or pack that or whatever else it is they do. I usually watch them but today was different. Today was the day I earned one of my middle names.

I was passing through the kitchen when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It was a little thing hiding in the little area under the cupboards. You know where I am talking about. The place where human feet fit nicely and so too do the little pieces of food that they accidentally drop and can't seem to find. But I can find them...those yummy little morsels of food....mmmm. Anyway, I saw this little thing and thought to myself "ooo, snack!". I placed my nose under the cupboard to sniff at it and to my surprise, it moved! It scuttled away, staying in the safety of the under cupboard area. The hunt was on! Every time I got close, it would scuttle away, but I kept after it. Even through the jungle of legs.

"What are you doing" N asked me but I was too intent on tracking this thing. "She's chasing a spider" I hear N say to J. Ah ha! It has a name. Spider. At this point it has reached the dishwasher and has no where to go. I have it blocked at the rear and so it darts out into the middle of the kitchen. I pounce and scoop it up into my mouth.

Have you ever had a spider in your mouth? All those legs flailing every which way. It was all I could do to spit it out. As J held me up, N inspected the spider. It was all curled up and thus declared dead. As J said, I learned that day that Spiders do not play well. And thus the name spider-eater was appended to my name: Snowy Thumper Spider-Eater Bailey.

Where does the Thumper come from you ask? Well that  story isn't quite as epic. When I was younger, and smaller, my paw would thump against the floor when I would scratch my ear. It apparently reminded J and N of a certain Disney character and thus the Thumper was the first middle name to be added. I have had other middle names as well, but they seem to forget what they are, so at the moment, I just have the two.

...and one plain Timbit.

I love it when we are in the car and I hear J say those magic words. This happened the other day when we were coming back from...I don't know where we had gone but J drove into the car portal and talked to the static person trapped in the small box. I don't always get one when they go through that portal, but that time I did. Mmmm Timbits. For those of you who may not know what a Timbit is, it is the middle part of the donut. I think they may be called donut holes in other places but here they are Timbits because they come from Tim Hortons.

They are so good. I could gobble it down in one bite I'm sure, just like I see J and N do, but I never get the chance. They always give it to me in 4 or 5 smaller chunks. I guess that is a good thing because I get to enjoy it longer. Sometimes they even surprise me with a Timbit if they have gone through the portal when they have been out without me.

Oh on a side note I got to try the banana treats they got the other day. Mmmm...now to just slather them in peanut butter....

Special Day

Today is a special day. It is J and N's first year anniversary. It has been one year since all the craziness of wedding planning (and procrastinating) has stopped. To be honest they didn't seem any different after the wedding to before, and they are still the same now.

However, today being a special day meant that I got to spend extra time in the crate while they went out for dinner. J said he wanted to bring me along but they don't allow puppies at The Keg. I can't imagine how good it could be if they don't allow puppies, but it must have been really good because J was really happy when he came home. Apparently the meal started off on a good paw with free bread. I think the rest of the dinner could have been sub par and J would have still loved it because of the bread. It's like me and peanut butter...mmm. I digress. The meals were really good (J had a steak and N had some salmon. I didn't know she was a cat. I thought only cats ate fish..ah I digress again). The topper was the free cake with a candle. J was all ready to look at the dessert menu and choose the most decadent thing there when the waitress came to the table with a piece of ice cream cake with a candle in it. J was super impressed and talked about it all during our walk. I still think they should have allowed puppies but ah well, there is always next year's anniversary!

Burst Water Tank + Fire Bells = Petsmart + Treats?

I am no math wiz, but even I know that those things don't equal. However, that is what happened today. No it was not our water tank that burst but apparently one 10 floors above us.

We were watching tv while Jeff and Nicole were finishing dinner, when this loud piercing sound started. My poor ears! I didn't know what it was but Jeff and Nicole did. Within a minute, they had gathered up some of their important stuff, me being on the top of the list, put on shoes, put on my leash and rushed outside. There were many other people out there that I wanted to visit with but J & N (that is what I am going to shorten them to...takes to much to type their full names, especially with these paws of mine) would not let me go see them.

We were waiting at the back of the parking lot when giant red trucks making their own loud sounds came rushing up and deposited bulky people with boots and hats who went inside to check things out. There where four trucks altogether. J commented on how fast they had gotten here. I was wondering if they were spacemen and whether they would possibly give me a treat.

After awhile, the piercing sound stopped and two of the big red trucks left (sadly, no treats were had at this point) so J & N decided to go back inside. On the way up we ran into Zacky...he is the dog that lives below us. His owner calls me his girlfriend, but I don't know about that. I have too much to do to be tied down in a relationship. Anyway, we found out that the fire alarm was somehow due to a water tank that had burst on the 12th floor. After some sniffs and some pets we went back upstairs to our own apartment. We had barely gotten back in the door when that piercing sound started again. Frustrated, J & N grabbed everything again and we headed back down.

This time the piercing stopped shortly after we got outside...but that didn't matter since we were going for a car ride to let everything get sorted out without having to listen to that awful noise. After clipping me into my car harness, we were off. I'm not sure if they had a firm place that they wanted to go to, but we ended up at Petsmart.

I LOVE Petsmart. I get to go into the store with them and there are usually other puppies in the store. Today was no different. Right upon entering we ran into a smaller puppy. We were allowed to say hi to each other and then I moved on. J & N then got me to try sitting in a little carrier. I think it is supposed to let me go on an airplane, but I am not sure. Then we went down one of my favorite aisles...the treat aisle. There were some nice bones there but J & N would not get any of those, they said they were too big. I did get a nice raw hide bone though. AND they found some banana treats. I totally love banana. J is nice enough to give me the ends of his bananas so I am looking forward to trying these new treats. I also met another large puppy that I was able to say hi to. It was only 8 months old and already big enough that I could have walked underneath her if I wanted to!

The other reason I love Petsmart is that I get a treat when they buy something. I think it is a thank you for bringing in your puppy treat, but I could be wrong. The girl that gave me the treat was really nice and I got some pets as well.

After Petsmart we went back home and I finally got to dive into working on that raw hide bone. It was so hard not eat it right when they were going to get it. I had to wait the WHOLE car ride home! So that is how a burst water tank and fire bells turned into a trip to Petsmart and a rawhide bone for me. Now if you excuse me, the rest of that bone is calling my name!

My Favorite Things

Since the astronomers are kinda boring right now; they just got back from a trip and I am trying to get them back into my routine of walks, meals and belly rubs, I figured I would tell you all a little more about myself. More specifically, my favorite things. I already mentioned three of them in the above sentence. Oh walks. When I hear that word "walk" I can't help it but get excited. As soon as they say that magic word, my tail starts wagging and I can hardly contain myself. The problem is that they say the word walk and then take what seems like forever to actually get ready. They have to put these weird things on their feet, I think they call them shoes, and sometimes a coat if it is cold. I know what a coat is because sometimes they also put one on me when it is cold or wet out, but right now it is really hot so no coats for any of us. Also, they can't seem to open a door unless I sit. I wonder if it some sort of ritual that requires a dog to sit before a door can open. They really need to look into better ways of getting outside. Makes me wonder how they got anywhere without me. Anyway, once we get out there, it is glorious. So much freedom (well within the length of my leash anyway) and so many smells. Every tree is a story and there is never enough time to digest it all. Some of the trees on our route have been cut down though. I am not sure why but I heard Nicole talk about some sort of bugs that required them to be cut down. New ones seem to be growing now though so hopefully the news returns to that part of the street.

I also like to play with my toys. I love it when Jeff and Nicole come home with new toys. My most recent acquisition is a pink elephant. I think it is supposed to replace the blue dog with all the squeakers that I accidentally chewed the ear off of. There is that chewing again. What can I say, I have always been a nibbler. Some of my toys seem to last a long time while others do not. If they can't stand up to my nibble test, they are taken away. I have lost many a friend to this: Mrs. Prickles, Legs, the original Pinky, Pig (he lasted less than a day!). But others have stood the test of time: Cow, Moose, Pinky (the elephant), Mr. Prickles, and many others but those four are my favorite of the bunch. My most favorite toy however is the tennis ball I got for my last birthday. I don't play with it all the time; only when Jeff or Nicole decide to throw it for me.That ball is so much fun. When it bounces off of things I can only guess where it is going to go. Sometimes my hind legs don't get the message to turn soon enough and I end up sprawled on the floor as the bright yellow ball rolls just out of reach, taunting me. I blame the wood floor. I can't get traction (that's a word I have learned from the astronomers) when I have to turn quickly. But I get that ball every time and bring it back so it can be thrown again.

My final favorite thing (well for this post, I have many more but I don't want to take up all your time) is sleeping on the big bed. I have the right side of the bed. Nicole thinks that is her side, but I know better. She doesn't take up all the room like Jeff does therefore, it is free for the taking. I especially like to steal her pillow. She just got a new one and it is so comfy. When I do that she calls me her hat. I have been doing that since I can remember. Sometimes Nicole and Jeff switch sides, but I have staked my claim and am not going to move...and so sometimes I am his hat instead. The rest of the time I sprawl out at the end of the bed. A girl has got to have her space!

And now I must go for today, it is my bath time!

Hello World

Hello everybody! My name is Snowy. If you have not figured it out by the name or my picture, I am a puppy...well not really... I'm 2 and a half but my owners still call me a puppy. I think I will always be the puppy they found chewing on a plastic zip tie in amongst my brothers and sisters, but that is another story.

Where was I. Ah yes, my owners. Jeff and Nicole. Currently they are both working on their PhDs in Astronomy. I am not quite sure what exactly astronomy is but I hear them talk about stars and gas and spectra and telescopes. Not sure what all those things are either, but I know that they find them interesting.

And so, I welcome you to my blog; a chronicle of life living with astronomers, from the perspective of a puppy.