Good Friends

Hello humans and most others,

Here are some pictures of Missy Ryley and Mr. Nelson getting to know each other. Notice that Missy Ryley is all "dressed" and ready to go "out" at a moment's notice.

Cesar Millan says that the best way to get close to a dog is to walk together. These pictures were taken not very long after Missy Ryley and Mr. Nelson got back from their walk together. Missy Ryley was playing blocks and Mr. Nelson came over and started playing with her so she gave him some treats. Mr. Nelson would get a couple of these blocks to play with even before he played with Missy Ryley. He retrieved a couple of them from the container the first day he was here and put them in his bed to sleep with. He is glad to finally know how to build things with them!

I am happy that my new friend Mr. Nelson likes my friend Missy Ryley so that we can all have a good time together. Maybe Missy Ryley and I can dress up Mr. Nelson sometime soon! I think that he would love to walk around the neighborhood with her, both in their best finery, don't you?

Has anyone spotted any of those "green deer" yet?

Not on the Upswing

Greetings humans and most others,

Well, it appears that Mr. Nick has finally gotten enough medicine into himself for the poison ivy outbreak to stop spreading. While he is savvy about what is going to happen to him once the process begins, it is hard to make a doctor who hasn't dealt with him before understand what is going to take place. He finally got a good enough dose on Saturday after he awakened to find that he was breaking out on his back, legs and stomach. It is a bad sign for it to still be spreading after one round of medicine and a week's passing, although it is not unusual for it to keep cropping up after only a week. This is the first time that Missy Lesley has seen a full blown attack because Mr. Nick has learned to be super vigilant when he is outside. Somehow, he missed this batch.

Missy Linda told me, and people can verify this, that when he was a kid, Mr. Nick got it one time just walking from the car to the house without touching anything. It's like Mr. Nick said, "If someone has never had back trouble, depression or bad poison ivy, it is impossible for them to truly understand it." That may be true.

It seems that Missy Linda's job hunt results are not on the upswing either. She had an interview yesterday, but she knows that she won't get that job, she says. They have already interviewed applicants for a whole week, and they have another week's worth to do. She knows that a lot of people in a group that size are going to have better experience than she does. She also knows that she didn't really do a very good job when she was talking to the people. She would love to have that job though. She can hardly even envision a job with free medical insurance after three months! Better luck next time, I suppose. Right?

BTW, have any of you all seen any of these green deer? (See ads.)

Guess What's At New House!

Greetings humans and most others,

I am referring to the new house of Missy Lesley and Mr. Nick, of course. Some of you may be able to guess what was discovered if you know Mr. Nick very well. It is not a tiny village of cute, sweet bunnies to delight Missy Ryley and Missy Emma. It is not a buried treasure chest full of gold coins. It is not a wildcatters dream come true of a somehow previously unknown geologic formation spitting out crude oil. It is not a secret garden of pot---nor even a long-forgotten bucket of tennis balls for Owen and Annie.

It is, however, the nemesis of Mr. Nick that seems to stalk him wherever he goes. It is that horrible, sometimes invisible to the naked eye, noxious devil of a plant that seems to thrive just to get him. Even the government assists in the plot by ordering the discontinuation of the manufacture of the only vaccine that ever helped at all.

Any of you all who know Mr. Nick will know what kind of a festering, oozing, itchy, miserable shell of a person he turns into when he is exposed to poison ivy---for a minimum of a couple of weeks! Fortunately, he has learned to never touch his face when he is outside in any kind of a wooded area so this time it is only on his arms and chest. He has been wearing long-sleeved shirts to work with bandages covering the affected areas so that his shirt won't stick to him.

Even though some doctors have told him that the oozing rash won't affect any place that was not touched by the oil in the plant, his personal experience has taught him otherwise. He has discovered that the bandages also help keep the rash from spreading quite as far as it might have otherwise.

Missy Ryley told him that he looks very brave!

First Camp

Hello there humans and most others,

This week Missy Maitlyn is at her first sleep-over camp. She went yesterday and will be there until Saturday. That seems like a long time for someone as young as she is. I guess I'm not much of a valid judge of things like that since I am an inanimate being, huh?

Missy Linda looked at some pictures that the camp posts on the internet every day, and many of the kids look even younger than Missy Maitlyn. We don't doubt that she will have a great time as I heard that her both her parents would stay gone nearly all summer going to various camps- - -as many as they could sign up for! Perhaps it is in her genes.

The whole family goes "real" camping with just the "Boy Scout" type essentials, so this will seem like a luxury hotel to Missy Maitlyn. Of course, she is one of those girls who loves to do all kinds of projects and things like that so she is all set for fun. Have a fun week, Missy Maitlyn!

Foiled Again!

Greetings humans and most others,

Well, here we go again! Friday, Missy Ryley walked Nelson for more than a half mile around the neighborhood. Missy Emma pushed a stroller with a teddy bear in it right behind them. Missy Linda, after they got home, said, "Oh, Juana, I'm so sorry. Missy Emma could have pushed you in the stroller rather than that teddy bear. I didn't even think of that until now!"

Great! As usual, what good does that do me? She always thinks of me when it is too late to do anything about it. I would like to know what is in that big ol' head of hers. I think it must be a huge mess of something, maybe like a spaghetti squash.

I know! I think I should have a contest, "What Do You Think is Inside Missy Linda's Head?" I am going to get right to work on that. I'll need some posters and some TV commercials and I don't know what else. Oh, and I suppose I will have to come up with some prizes---even though my prize will be to see what really is in there! What do you think about that?

Busy Day

Greetings humans and most others,

Well, today Missy Ryley and Missy Emma are coming over to play because their parents are busy doing paperwork and stuff to move into their new house. They are just moving into another house in town. Thank goodness, they are not moving far away. I wouldn't have any little girls to play with very often if they did that! This is the second day this week that they have come to stay with us because of the move. That's good with me because all the little girls love me.

The only problem is that they are getting to know Nelson, and I am feeling a little left out. By the time they left the other day, he and the girls were good friends. I guess that's all right, as long as I am not left out of the equation, right?

I think that we are going to take Nelson for a walk since it is not blazing hot yet. I am thinking that I could ride in a little wagon that Missy Linda has for the kids to play with. Isn't that a great idea?

Even the Squirrels

Hello there humans and most others,

Well, it is way over a hundred degrees outside our house today. It is so hot that even the squirrels are staying in their homes or have gone on vacation or something. We haven't seen even one so far today, and we saw only a couple the last two days. Nelson is getting very bored because he has now been put in charge of chasing away the squirrels. It gives him a job to do, and it saves Missy Linda lots of money when only birds eat the bird seed.

Nelson is very enthusiastic about his new chore! You know, Shelties are very responsible dogs. He has almost perfected his jumping from where the yard makes a steep slope into the fence. Sometimes he lands with all fours on the fence, and sometimes he lands with two feet on the ground and two on the fence. He patrols the fence and checks up in the trees for a long time to make certain that the perpetrators are gone. He gets very angry when the squirrels chatter at him from up in the trees, and he definitely doesn't like it when they laugh at him! They will get theirs some day.

Missy Linda says she heard the other day that there are millions of flat squirrels out there on the roads who couldn't make up their minds. She tells that to Nelson to help him feel better.

Back to Normal?

Greetings humans and most others,

Well, I am wondering when things around here are going to get back to normal for me! Did you notice that we did not celebrate any holidays this year? I did not get a new dress or even get to wear my old dress (not to mention my fabulous Marie Antoinette wig!!!) for Bastille Day! I did not have a Chinese New Year or Cinco de Mayo party this year nor any other kinds of parties (except for my birthday, which is probably not even real).

If Missy Linda doesn't get herself into gear, we might as well just turn into hermits around here. I am sick to death of her obsession with getting a job, aren't you? I am not sure exactly why she needs a job because no one has ever explained the reasoning to me personally, but I am tired of this whining! She was so happy last Friday because she actually got an interview rather than just sending something by email, but she won't know anything about that job until later this week. If she doesn't get this one, I want to come and visit someone out there for a couple of months, OK?

Good Job

Greetings humans and most others,

I just wanted to show everyone that Missy Maitlyn got her hair cut to send to Locks of Love. She decided a while back that she would wait to cut her hair until it was long enough to send in to this charity. She did it!

This organization makes wigs for sick children who otherwise would have to do without the normalizing feeling of having hair if they have lost their hair due to illness or treatment for an illness. These hand made human hair wigs would be cost prohibitive, especially added to the cost of medical treatment for a child who is seriously ill. I would do it if I could, but my hair is a little too petroleum-based for their needs. Also, my hair doesn't really grow very fast, if at all.

Anyway, good job, Missy Maitlyn.

Enough, Already!

Hello humans and most others,

Well, I am sick to death of hearing about Michael Jackson, are you? I know he was an innovative musician and dancer. I am aware that he integrated MTV. I heard that he found the cure for cancer - - - oops! That's not right! I heard he had a foolproof plan for peace in the mideast. No? OK, let's try this: He was within a week of finding a cure for AIDS. No, again? Well, then I don't really get it, I suppose. I think maybe you people have your priorities all wheee-whaaaed.

You humans could say that I would be naturally jealous of anyone who had feet and legs to dance like he danced, but that is not entirely true. I would love to be able to dance, but I am not jealous of MJ. Who could possibly be jealous of him? As rich as he was, he had money problems. As talented as he was, he seemed very obsessive/compulsive about his work. As inspirational and gifted as he was originally, he destroyed himself. I would not want that for anyone.

Well, anyway, too much about that already. I am just hoping that I don't have to listen to too much more of this after today, are you?

Mr. Nosy

Hello humans and most others,

Well, Mr. Nelson, or Mr. Nosy, as we sometimes call him, is doing well. He is ready to go for his walk every day now. When Missy Linda gets the harness and leash, he waits by the door to have it put on him. He is enjoying getting out and seeing the big world now.

Yesterday morning, Missy Linda left her coffee sitting on a table by her big chair. Well, it wasn't but a minute until she saw Mr. Nelson up there with his pointy little nose right there investigating. It was too hot for him to take a lick, though.

Mr. Nosy will stick right next to Missy Linda when she is working in the yard. That is exactly the kind of companion she likes---someone to be there, but not interfere except in an entertaining way. It seems that Mr. Nosy especially likes to smell and lick the dirt that has been dug or moved around. This encourages Missy Linda to get outside and get a lot more yard work done than she usually does because he makes it fun. They have cleaned out some flower beds and trimmed some trees and even cut down some small trees that were growing in inappropriate places.

Little Mr. Nelson is doing Missy Linda a world of good. She would recommend pets to everyone.

Downs and Ups

Greetings humans and most others,

We have had such a strange few days around here. Thursday night sometime, Missy Carol had a major heart attack in her sleep! She is on vacation in California visiting with her daughter and family. You remember Missy Carol, don't you? She has been in a lot of my party pictures and adventure pictures. She is Missy Linda's cousin. The more they have gotten to know each other these last few years, the more they find that they have in common. Of course, their fathers were twin brothers, so that might explain it.

Anyway, Missy Carol had to be resuscitated by her son-in-law so it was a very big deal! None of us could believe it! Missy Linda says that she is doing well now, and the doctors expect her to make a full recovery after she has blockages fixed in two more blood vessels. She got three stints in one artery this time, but she is in a facility that is not equipped to do any more. We are all so extremely relieved that she should be all right. She still has a long row to hoe to get there though. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers along with us because she needs to stay here with us a lot longer. She is that person that most people might call feisty. I would call her that, for sure. The slumber parties that the ladies have once a month would not be nearly as much fun without Missy Carol. She brings a lot to my life and to Missy Linda's life and to Missy Barb's life, and they have just gotten to know each other the last few years.

GET WELL SOON, MISSY CAROL! WE NEED YOU!