New Friends!

Aaahhhhhhhhh, spring is in the air and mom is taking me for long walks again. High time too, but then, my paws would get cold about the time mom said it was time to turn around on our winter walks.

And you would not believe all the people! We hardly saw anybody for months, and now, well, it's not just the plants bursting out but the houses too! You can barely walk by them and someone's coming in or out or working in the yard or biking down the street. Wow! I forgot what our neighborhood is like when it's warm out! And best of all - THEY REMEMBER ME!!! When we see people they all call out 'Hi Moxie!' and some even come running over! Forget Mom, it's all about me! Well, you can imagine that I lived up to their expectations and performed all of my best tricks as fast as ever I could. Sure enough, Mom had treats to give them to give to me. Oh bliss!

Just this week we made three new friends too! Strawberry Girl, Jet Boy, and their mom. Oh my goodness, Strawberry Girl was just as sweet as could be. She knew how to introduce herself to me, admire me out loud, and stroke my fur just right. Jet Boy was much younger, so he has a few things to learn about making a dog happy, but with Strawberry Girl teaching him he should come along quickly. I can see that I'll have to be out and about a lot so he can practice!

Mom says I should thank the people who work to set up dog parks because they're the ones who created one close to my house! Mom takes me there a LOT, and even did when it was cold, and best of all when it was super muddy! Oh - I told you about that already. Anyway, no mud now, so no baths when we get home. That's a LOT more fun!

You can come see me there sometime if you want. I like to meet my cyber friends in person too! Mom says her fingers are tired cuz she had to type a lot at work this week, so I have to sign off. But know that I'm thinking of all you friends out there! Happy Dreams!

SNOW!

I know some of you won't agree with me, but I LIKE snow! It's nice and cold, easy to dig, and WONDERFUL to ROLL in! Mom says I'm making doggy snow angels, but I say it's my own version of twist and shout - I just don't need to bark because my whole body is dancing in the snow!

Now what I canNOT figure out is why Mom thinks I get all the exercise I need from being outside when she shovels and pushes that noisy machine around! We actually don't go for a walk after she's done that! She just says "That's enough Moxie, time to go in the house." and in we go! Maybe I HAVE relieved myself in every way possible, but that doesn't mean I got any EXERCISE! Let alone a chance to catch up on what the other pups in the neighborhood have been up to. Sheesh! Would someone please tell mom that I need to have my walks even when she shovels? Thank you.

Friday Night - Ahhhh

I guess Mom was listening when I dictated my blog last night, cuz here we are again! And I did want to sharehow much fun we had in the park this morning meeting two new friends! These guys liked me but totally respected my personal space, and you KNOW how important that is to me. I liked them right back, and so much that when Mom asked me to do my tricks I leaped to reply (pun intended!).

What? You don't get it? Haven't you seen my version of the Lambeau Leap? Well, all I can say is - words cannot do it justice. I am poetry in motion, even if I don't have gold pants and fans all around me.

It was a long day without Mom though. And seemed longer than usual. When she came home with lots of bags I knew - she ran errands on her way home. Harumph! But she did feed me right away AND then took me for a walk, so I guess I'll survive. Hope you will too!

Catch up 4

May I be honest? I HATE it when Mom doesn't translate for me for a while and then wants me to catch her up on what I want to say. Doesn't she know that dogs live in the moment? NOW is what counts! I don't remember what I would have asked her to write yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that....

Okay, so maybe I am more together than your average pup. I guess I can think back a few days at least.

OH - Of course! We met AC! AND went to a new dog park! There is nothing, absolutely nothing, as wonderful as being able to wander and sniff at my own pace OFF the leash! Well, riding in the car with my head out the window IS pretty terrific too. But back to AC. She is quite something. She respected my personal space right off the bat, which is tops in my book. I don't know if she was aware of it, but I was eavesdropping on her conversation with Mom, so I heard her admiring me and comparing me to her dog in a very nice way. When we got to the park, she continued to keep her distance. How did she KNOW? I think she just must have a good sense about animals. Anyway, she's aces in my book, and - wait! THAT'S a better name for her than AC - Ace! Okay Ace, we are now officially buddies!

That is absolutely ALL of note in the past several days, because Mom was gone A LOT. She says it's an exception. I sure hope so. *sigh* So long for now cyberfriends....

Wierd!

Just when you think you've seen it all, something comes along to surprise you. Mom and I were enjoying the true Wisconsin autumnal (isn't that a fun word?) weather, strolling through the neighborhood, checking in with our friends, and then running through the park. What did we come across? The weirdest thing! A man was sort of walking, but had to drag one leg because something had clamped on to it and wouldn't let go! We stopped, and the man was very nice, but the thing on his leg ducked away so we couldn't really tell what it was. And then it moved! I saw a little head, and put the rest together and thought it must be a little boy! But could it be? He dodged away from me - from ME Moxie T! I'm a kid-magnet! Whatever it was, it kind of rolled around the man's leg as we talked, and wanted nothing to do with either Mom or me. We enjoyed talking to the man, and suggested he go to our friends at Bark and Scratch to help him with the growth on his foot. I know they can help him, but I'm not sure how he'll be able to drive to get there...the thing was on his right foot, and from what I see Mom doing, humans need their right foot to drive. Good luck new friend!

A Day with Mom

What a lovely day. Mom was only gone for a little while, running errands for Castle Course. Castle Course is the name of her new business. She says it's because it's her castle, of course! That's why she's been gone so much and on the computer a lot when she comes home. I asked her about my books, and she said she has to talk to some people about illustrating them because she's decided to self-publish, whatever that means.

Anyway, we had a nice leisurely walk late this morning (I let Mom sleep in cuz she was really tired), then a nice long time relaxing in the yard - for me anyway - Mom was doing chores. And joy of joys, I was actually on the front lawn when I saw Mark, our terrific letter carrier, coming down the street! Mom didn't even holler much when I trit-trotted down to see him. It was a good thing I did - he gave me a biscuit for each house we visited!!! That's lots more than I usually get! He was all smiles too. I don't think he has too many pups who will walk with him so nicely. Of course, I am also pretty cute, which helps.

When we took our evening walk, we went south of Center and around the block there. We saw a mom and two pretty girls riding bikes up ahead of us, but I didn't think too much of it until we got to where they were putting their bikes away, and the little one saw me. I thought she looked familiar, and guess what? SHE CALLED ME BY NAME!!! "Moxie!!" she yelled. She was so excited to see me again! Gosh that felt good! What felt even better was when she and her sister stroked my fur and admired me while Mom and their mom talked. Mom told her about the terrific Enderis Park Halloween and to watch the website for other stuff. The girls will love it!

So now Mom is going back on the computer, and I'm snoozin'. Happy dreams friends!

FINALLY!

You'll never guess what FINALLY happened on our walk tonite!

Go ahead - guess!

Okay, I'll tell you. One of my friends saw us coming a half block away, and I heard her call out my name with great joy. (I LOVE it when they do that!) She was so happy to see me she did a cartwheel! A beautiful, graceful cartwheel! And she's just a young girl! And THEN guess what? It got even BETTER! Are you sitting down? SHE actually did tricks for ME!!!! For real and true! She did more cartwheels, the splits frontways and sideways, and something she called 'the bridge'. I'm going to call her GG from now on; GiGi if you prefer, for Graceful Gymnast.

I could not believe it. I just laid in the grass, and she did all of these tricks for mom and me. And THEN she came over and gave me a big hug! Wow. I can't wait to see what she learns to do next! What a great almost end to the day.

The nice little PS was that we walked down a block we don't visit often, and made two NEW friends. Lovely girls who thought I was way-cute. I thought they were too. The youngest was so funny - she kept running around me and then petting me just a bit, as though I might get upset with her or something. Of course I didn't. They were both really polite, and very nice. Their dad was great too. He came out of the backyard to see what they were up to, and said he was very pleased to meet me. (Well of course!) I didn't get to meet their mom, but those three were quite delightful enough.

My but I have some nice people to dream about tonite. Time to get to it......

Tuesday Night Baseball

Our evening routine is really quite wonderful! We head south to watch the kids play and learn softball at Roosevelt School, and meet such terrific people! Tonite there was a gentleman who truly knows how to make a dog happy. Scritchy scratches on my head, around my ears, down my back, and all around my neck. Ahhhhhh, they felt soooooo goooooooooooood! Then to find out that he's taught the young man with him how to do it too! We watched this boy really hit the ball and solidly run to first base - he was safe! And when we saw him after the game he came up to me slowly and asked mom if it was okay to pet me. When she said yes, he correctly moved slowly to me, extending his hand so I could check him out first, and then scratched the top of my head in a most satisfying fashion. So when he and the man were together, I got stereo scratches and was one happy pup! We GOTTA keep going to the ballfield!

Fabulous Friday Night!

Can you believe it? Mom and I were out in the neighborhood almost 2 hours tonite! And do you know why? PEOPLE who are now FRIENDS and FOOD.

We went away from the park first, and were lucky to find two of my little girl friends out in the yard. I haven't seen them for a while, but they remembered me! And what's best, is that they like to HUG me! Oh, can't you feel the love? First one, then the other, and then, oh my, both at once! Oh they made me sooooo happy! While all this was going on I think I heard mom talking about the book and my blog, and that the girls' mom was excited about it. I hope so - I'd love some new cyber-friends!

They finally had to go to dinner (and their dad invited us to stay - how's that for a gentleman?) but mom said maybe next time, and off we went. From there, the nieghborhood was really quiet for blocks and blocks, except for a couple of dogs in houses that had to warn us to stay away, or wanted us to come and play.

Then we rounded a corner and there was the Purple Princess! She wasn't in purple today, but I remembered her because she has a beautiful smile, and loves to run and play. Since I'd had plenty of attention from my two huggy girlfriends, I didn't mind. She has a little brother who got some help from dad in learning to pet me. That was very nice. I like helping people learn how to be around dogs. OH - the Purple Princess is going to ride her bike in the Enderis Park parade tomorrow morning! Her mom (would she be the Purple Queen?) was decorating it as we visited, and it looked really jazzy! I can't wait to see her tomorrow and bark as she rides by!

Even though we'd been out for a long time, mom thought we should go to the park. I agreed, and thank goodness I did! That's where we met the Huffmans! Oh my, they were so COOL! They thought I was so pretty and smart and nice and did they ever let me know it! They asked ALL sorts of questions about me and how mom and I met, and what we did together, and they said they could tell that mom has as much fun with me as I do with her. And then their kids and grandkids came over! You never saw such handsome boys and beautiful girls as this family! And I'm NOT just saying that cuz they shared their barbecue with mom and me (total YUM). They loved the fact that I'm in a book - even if it is about poop, and they're very excited for mom. What a night! And it wasn't over yet!

Just half a block from home these three gorgeous young women on hot bicycles came up to say hi and ask if we remembered them. Well, they'd grown up a lot, but we sure did! So we talked and mom told them to visit me online , and then one of our other neighbors came up on her spiffy scooter with a friend on HER scooter, and didn't they just look gorgeous too! I looked at mom and wondered why she doesn't dress up when we go for walks. I love her, but these 5 girls sure put her in the shade! And when we were talking our neighbor friend actually said that the book was good! I remember her saying she liked it, but to hear her tell other people that made mom and I just glow!

Whew. I was limping a little by then - my left front leg hurt a bit for some reason. Mom was worried, but I just walked on home. Then we sat in the yard until it got dark, talking about our Fabulous Friday Night. Thank you friends!

Walk Bonus!

Okay fellow pups, if you want to get as much outside time as possible, look for stuff in yards. I don't know what it is, but this morning we walked and all sorts of yards were filled with stuff. That's good because my mom stops to look at the stuff, talk to the people, and I get to sniff amazing smells! Some of the stuff has been places where it collected all sorts of wierd smells. And I get to wander around the yard if there aren't too many people there. Usually there are though, especially today, but that was okay because some of them really liked me! I got great back scratches from this wonderful boy who actually got out of his stroller to meet me, and scratched up and down my back with both hands. THANK YOU!!!!

[Note from mom: This is the annual Enderis Park Neighborhood Rummage Sale - a great reason to troll the area for bargains.]

Life is good

Ha! I FINALLY got mom to get up when I wanted her to, and it was BEFORE her alarm went off! The trick was to live up to my name and work my thunderpaws on the side of her bed! Hey, it worked, didn't it? And it meant that we got go to the park in the morning, AND got there in time to see some of my buddy pups. Okay, so I don't really play with them, but the point is to BE there when they are. There was one over-excited dog that I tried to teach how to be cool, but he just didn't get it. I pranced off with my head high and tail straight up in the air looking quite the thing, but I have a feeling he didn't appreciate it at all. Pity. I was quite stunning.

Friday Night

What a terrific walk tonight! Three wonderful kids scratched and petted me while I rolled in the grass in the park. Then, on our way home, we rounded a corner and a whole chorus of kids called my name and came to meet me! ME! MOXIE T! Best of all, mom took off my leash, so I could stroll around the kids and the one dog that was in the yard. He was totally into his ball, so didn't bother me at all. Mom was talking with the other grown-ups, so I snuck around the corner of a house into their backyard. HA! The motor mop in the next yard went nuts barking, which set off the big dog in one of the houses, and made the grown ups come running. I ran back to the front just as the motor mop got out of his backyard and we circled each other barking up a storm! WHEEEE, that was fun. I got bored with it before the little one did though.

Mom gave out business cards with my blog address. I sure hope they read this and know how much fun I had with them!

Tomorrow mom say's we're going to some big dog event at a Harley Davidson dealership. Thank goodness I heard her say we're not entering the costume contest! I look great as Princess Leia, but it's really hard to walk in, and they usually want you to strut your stuff in contests like that. I'll let you know in my next posting. Till then, enjoy!