A new perch!

We didn't think the staff would let us go without a place to nap, but we were unprepared for the way-cool pillow they brought us. It has a warm side and a cool one. It's fat and feels firm on our backs. It's Great!
We slept for 3 straight hours on it just to make sure it was the right one. We still miss Green Pillow's homey smell, but we'll get this one just right over time. Oh yeah.

R.I.P. Green Pillow

So this is how it ends.
We run into the room, and it's gone. Our dear Green Pillow.

It's true. It had lost its padding, cushioning for our backs. But it was still our safe place to run when we were in trouble. The staff always promised we'd never suffer consequences of our mischief if we ran to Green Pillow and stayed for a bit. We used it well.
The round mound has been our spot to view the world: We've welcomed new kittens, old friends and good parties. From there, we've cheered the Heels to championships, the Cardinals to the World Series and watched Serena take on Venus and line judges.
It's a warm place where we've snoozed for many, many hours on cold, rainy days.
And best of all, nothing in this world smelled like our friend, Green Pillow. And that is probably why it is now gone.

Rest in peace, Green Pillow.

Home again, and the truth about Kitten

Whew.
It's been a wild week or so, and we're happy to be home with Green Pillow and our fave food bowls. It was a nice time, though. We met a new puppy friend, Gilmour. Our staff spent a bit more time than we thought was appropriate, but he did seem sweet enough.

When we got home, we found Kitten had just taken over.
He's a pain in our hides, and we're really very tired of his getting to be anywhere he wants and going places we're never allowed. We're posting a couple examples to prove the situation.

1- The Christmas tree. Yes, it was supposed to stand upright, and yes, the staff did decorate it. Staffer Mom was not amused.
2- Kitten in OUR laundry room. Note to selves: Find a way to get Staffer Dad to shut the lid. Even if we're too short to turn on the washer, he can sit in there for a bit and reflect on his behavior.

Thanksgiving reading

We've been doing a lot of reading this weekend -- Grandma was here, and she played with us a lot, but she also was gone shopping a lot, too. The blogosphere is amazing right now. Our buddies Joey and Maggie over at The Long and Short of It are posting terrific stuff constantly. Who knew Gypsy Rose Lee had a dachshund? We were thrilled to find out!
They also posted the classic scene -- Staffer Dad's absolute fave -- from Pink Panther..."Does your dog bite?" If you've seen it, you know. And the Dachshund Dude's Twitter feed keeps us hopping! If you tweet, check him out.

We found this blog, too. It seems appropriate, and we feel like turkeys for not mentioning Thanksgiving. We're thankful for a lot of stuff, and we should say it.

We're thankful for Staffers Mom and Dad, Grandma, moles, green pillow, popcorn, our great aunts and uncles, Ernie (not Kitten), computers, our blogger buddies, plastic monkey, warm blankies and snackies.
It's time we said it.

This has to stop

With the racing season over, we're back to our normal lives -- or what used to be normal before the kitten came.
He's growing up and thinks he one of us. It's a real pain. He's everywhere.
Last night, he slept between us on our blankies in the bedroom, and now he's trying to take over green pillow in the den. He has tons of toys all over the house, and now this.

How do we convince him he's got to earn a spot with us? Any suggestions? We don't want to resort to biting.

Saturday notes

(sing along with us....) IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE -- we don't wear any clothes: Summer heat is here, and we've been stuck in the Stupid Pen most of the day. Staffer Mom got out the pressure washer again to wash the porch, so we were probably safer there anyway. She did manage to get Green Pillow wet, so we're sitting on a damp nest.

GRIPE SOMEWHERE ELSE: We are slightly annoyed at all the folks who complain about the weather -- specifically the warm temperatures. We have fur, and we don't gripe about it. The humans had a choice. If they don't like it here, they should just move to Alaska or somewhere. If you move to Savannah, you're just asking for heat and humidity.

GOOD AND BAD NEWS: From Aunt Laurie: Yuki the Dalmation has graduated from kindergarten. We're pretty impressed with that. Apparently she got a diploma for her wall (Yuki, not Aunt Laurie) and some special treats. As for the bad news: Cool cat Xerxes, at right, died this week. He'd been with Aunt Laurie since he was found trying to rob a Long Beach ATM back in 1993. Oh wait....Staffer Mom says he wasn't trying to rob an ATM, he was only trying to find an owner with cash. ....Anyway, he was a fierce cat who fought bigger animals and his own diabetes for years. He was a good friend to his staffers. We know he'll be missed here on Earth.

BIG BROWN MISSES A DELIVERY: We watched the Belmont today and we were very sad Big Brown didn't win. However, the shameless pitching for UPS drove us nuts -- we know the delivery service or someone close to it has financial interest in the horse, but it was way too much. Next thing you know, they'll be shipping him in a cardboard box for fun. Is it possible the horse got tired of it, too, and said "I'll deliver when I get good and ready, and dang, it's hot out here. Let's go in and get a beer..."?? Horses are smart that way....

WE'VE BEEN BANNED: We mentioned that Staffer Mom has been washing the porch. She's planning on painting it tomorrow, and we've been banned from playing out there for now. Staffer Dad can't go out there, either, so we aren't taking it personally, but we think he might be. We'll let you know how that goes. We have a bad feeling the new porch paint may get a few foot and paw prints before it's over.

Nap time

From Bandit: We are firm believers that naps are often very good things, especially after a big mole-trail excavation or a run in sand. Naps keep you happy, healthy and help you renew for the rest of the day. Aunt Allison recommends taking time out in her blog, and she's usually right about things like that.

As careful readers know, we went to the beach last weekend and played very hard. It was warm, and we took lots of walks every day. The pavement was hot, but we liked the soft sand. We got tired, but a great nap on green pillow was all we needed.
Here's a picture of Maggie's great nap after a long walk.

Let's all take a few minutes to chill out and just go mellow. It's good for you.