I have a new sister!

Mom saw her picture in the Reminder and said she could not resist those sad sad eyes. Madeline, she's going to go by Maddy, is a senior citizen Pug-mix. I have to admit she's pretty cute and we get along great. She has really REALLY short legs though and she can't run as fast as I can! ha ha ha...

Uncle Keith came up from South Carolina for Thanksgiving. He brought my new cousin Buster with him. Buster is quite the character and he isn't afraid of dogs either.

A Night Visitor

We've been feeding a stray cat, Buddy, on the porch since last Fall. We knew someone else was eating his food. Mom calls this visitor Rosie although we don't know if it is a boy or a girl!

Sand Hill Cranes

Hundreds of them gather every fall as they migrate south for winter. We were working in the shop and heard them - so loud and such an awful sound they make. I think its scary and I'm glad my mom was with me. She said they don't eat little dogs, but I'm not going to take any chances!

My new wagon

Mom found this really cool folding wagon at Bass Pro Shops on her way home from Milwaukee. There wasn't room in the car so she called them and ordered one. It is for the big rally in PA. I like it. It's very comfy and Mom says I can ride in it. I didn't tell her, but I can also sleep in it because it's very big. It will even hold my Scotty (dog) friends Emma and Amy too.

Another new cousin!

My new cousin Jasper. He's pretty cute but he's pretty scary too. He keeps trying to attack me. Mom says he'll get used to me soon. I hope so. He's almost as big as I am and he's very fast.

Fall is here

It has been cold and raining and the leaves are changing. Mom and I walked out on the bogwalk. It's very pretty right now with all the colored leaves in the water and on the walkway. There's a lot of Michigan Holly with pretty red berries too. And, I'm in my favorite clothing - Fido Fleece. Warm and snuggy and what more could a girl want?

SURVIVOR is on again

It's Mom and my second favorite show. Our favorite show is Amazing Race and that starts TOMORROW. YAY. You can bet I'm on Mom's lap watching BOTH of them. Here I am watching Survivor on Thursday.

Oliver and the new door

Well, Mom and I knew it would happen. Oliver and stray cat "Buddy", facing off at the new door. Mom feeds Buddy just outside the door and now Oliver stares at him and watches him eat. And when he's finished eating, Buddy comes and stares at Oliver.

I got a new door!

Mom bought me a new door! YAY. I had to jump really really high to see out the windows in our old door, but now I don't have to jump at all! The new door has windows that are all the way down by the floor. I will really like this new door.

Mom said she'll really like the new door too, because instead of barking when I "think" someone is here, I can run and look outside and see if anyone's here before I bark! Not that I bark a lot. Just sometimes. When I think someone is here...

Oliver likes the new door too. Now he can watch for our stray cat Buddy, who Mom has been feeding for the past year. Oliver doesn't like Buddy and Buddy doesn't like Oliver. He likes to come and sit outside the windows and watch Oliver because he knows Oliver can't get outside. Mom says he's tormenting Oliver. Just like the squirrels at Tahquamenon Falls Campground tormented me. I don't like squirrels. They're sassy-mouths.

We still have to finish the trim on the new door but its a job well done. We'd hoped to work on our Scotty this weekend, but that's probably not gonna happen.

I crossed the Mighty Mac

And went camping. FOUR days in the UP (that's Upper Peninsula for you folks who don't live in Michigan). We camped at the River Mouth Campground of the Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Aunt Dawn and Amy and Emma camped next to us. We saved a spot by Aunt Dawn for Uncle Eric and Aunt Nicole but they thought we were at the Lower Falls Campground and they camped there instead.

I got to eat a Yooper double-cheeseburger from McDonalds. And hey, they can make them just as good as the trolls (that's anyone in the lower peninsula, i.e. under the bridge) can! That gave me enough stamina for the hike up to the Upper Falls.

The trip wasn't all work though. Emma, Amy and I had a little party of our own. Boy were Mom and Aunt Dawn surprised! ;-)

Cousin Beth and Cousin Charles are HERE!

Cousin Beth, who just graduated from Ohio State came to visit with Cousin Charles. It was good to see them again but I was afraid of Cousin Charles (again) at first. He's so big and he's very handsome.

Mom worked all day on getting the Boler ready for our trip. She got the bed made and the couch all set up and okay, it's cute and I like it. And the bed is comfy and the blankets are soft. I think I'm going to have fun. I just hope crossing the Mighty Mac isn't scary.

Muddy Dog Roasted Corn Grits

YUM-O. We discovered Muddy Dog Coffee when we flew to Raleigh to visit Aunt DeeAnn. Since we visited, Muddy Dog has added Roasted Corn Grits! We love grits so of course we had to try them. They are the BEST. Mom's ordered seven pounds of them so far, because we're mailing them to other people to try too, not because Mom and I are eating *that* many of them. This morning though, I cooked some for Mom before she starts working on the Boler, the '69 Scotty and the '59 Scotty. Wow, Mom's BUSY.

I cook them in the microwave in fat-free half and half. Then I add some butter and some shredded Mexican-style cheeses. We love them that way. If you want to check out Muddy Dog, go to http://www.muddydogcoffee.com/

Fall is HERE!

Geez, I was out helping Mom put away the 100 board feet (whatever that is) of cherry that she and Grandpa drove to Grand Rapids today and bought when I looked up and saw a whole bunch of birds sitting on the powerline. AND the trees are already turning red! We didn't even have SUMMER here yet!

But I'm going camping! WOO HOO! Mom and I are taking the boler (boo) to Mackinaw City on Thursday and meeting Aunt Dawn and my Scotty dog cousins Amy and Emma (yay) and we're going to cross the Mackinaw Bridge together (Mom said that *might* be scary). Then we go up to Tahquamenon Falls campground and we'll meet up with Uncle Eric and Aunt Nicole. We're going to be there FOUR days. YAY. And Mom says I get to eat my first Pastie. I don't know what it is, but Mom's excited about it, so it must be good! We're going to see a lot of cool things and have lots of fun. I'll be blogging when I get back - count on it!

We sold the Scotty!

Mom finally got around to finishing cleaning out the purple Scotty, Sadie Belle, after the big rally. Then she put it up for sale in the Tin Can Tourist site and a week later someone had bought it. I LOVE this Scotty and will be sorry to see her go on Monday. She's not moving very far though, only to Auburn, IN. Mom says there's a really great museum there - Auburn and Cord cars. Mom said she always wanted an Auburn Boat-tailed Speedster when she was young. I wonder if Sadie's new Dad will take her to the museum...

Buckwheat Pancakes!

We haven't worked on the Rear Door Scotty since JUNE. JUNE! We've been very busy getting stuff ready for the rally and then after the rally, we had to edit over 1000 pictures from the rally and make the slideshow CDs that we send to everyone who came to our rally.

We had a lot of fun, as always, but today we get back to work on Rudy, the Rear Door. I made mom buckwheat pancakes and bacon for breakfast today to celebrate. And, she better hurry up and finish eating them and GET TO WORK MOM!

We got our car back!

Yay, last night, FINALLY, we got our car back. And it looks great. Dan at the Delton Body Shop does great work and mom says he's a heck of a nice guy too. Not sure if I blogged it, but back in mid-July some old guy saw a yard sale sign and turned right into my mom when she was passing him (legally passing him too, the police officer said). $5,641 worth of damage and they almost totalled our Aztek.

I'm really happy because I got my new car seat back! Mom had just bought me this car seat right before the accident. It's a lot nicer than my old ones were. Lots more room and I'll be more comfy on our trips with the Scotty. We're going to Florida in December and New Mexico in the spring. More room + comfy = better = happy camper!

Scottys at the Car Show

Mom and I visited Aunt Dawn and her Scotty (dog) girls at the Gilmore Red Barn Spectacular on Saturday. It was vintage cars, boats, and trailers. WAY COOL. I took my Scotty and then Amy and Emma and I got to ride in it. There wasn't much room for me because they're bigger than I am. It was my first time meeting them and we had fun. I like them. Aunt Dawn says they may come to New Mexico with us and our Scotty trailers in the spring.

Amy liked my Scotty so much she sat in it ALL DAY. But that was okay, because I liked her chair and I sat in it ALL DAY!

We saw a lot of really neat trailers and a lot of cool boats and really cool cars. We liked the 1942 Chrysler Town and Country Woody Station wagon the best. It was solid wood, not a tin woody. Mom says next year we can come with Rudy, our Rear Door Scotty and stay all night. We already told Aunt Dawn to save a spot for us next to her if she gets there first. But it's only 5 miles from our house so I think we might get there before she does and we'll save her a spot.

There's a new dog in town!

Well, actually, she's in Cartersville, GA and her name is Chou Chou. She came to the rally and even I have to admit. She's cute. She's very cute. She's even very very cute. I sent her all my aqua and purple Rally clothes and she sent me back a picture in one of the dresses. She also sent me some pupcakes - which I'm sharing with Maggie Fisk (who's also cute) because she's visiting me this week. So Chou Chou is not only cute, she's thoughtful too. So just saying HEY Chou Chou! My mom says maybe I'll see her in Savannah in December.

National Scotty Rally

I haven't blogged in a while because I was gone! I went to Pennsylvania with my mom and our Scotty Sadie Belle to the National Scotty Rally. Mom and I wound up going a day earlier than we thought we would because Aunt Gail called and said the campground is empty come on! That was nice. We left at 2 a.m. on Monday and got there at 9:30 a.m. We had time to set up our camp and relax and the next morning, Aunt Gail, Maggie, Mom and I hit the shops of Volant. Maggie and I had to stay in the car, but we got ice cream on the way back!

We also stopped and looked at some Amish farm horses. Boy, they are BIG. And, SCAREY! I was afraid they would bite me, but Mom held me really close and they didn't.

Uncle Ace had his tv there and we got to watch the new RV Adventure show. It's kind of like Amazing Race (our favorite) but with RVs and in America.

There's a new puppy in our NSSO family and her name is Chou Chou. She's really cute, but boy is she a PEST! I told her I would give her my pink rally chair AFTER the rally, but she wanted it NOW. Mom and I went on a walk with Aunt Gail and Maggie and I found a really cool hiding spot in case Chou Chou is pestering me. Don't tell anyone, but I really did like her. She's probably going to be about my size when she's done growing and there's not a lot of dogs our size at the rally. Most of them are BIG dogs.

Oh ya, I almost forgot. The rally theme this year was favorite holidays and I got to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap! YAY. We did Halloween and I was a spider and gave out trick-or-treat bags to the 2-legged and the 4-legged kids. It was fun, but I'm not posting me as a spider. Spider's are SCAREY and I don't like them.

4th of July!

I know, I know, I've not blogged in a while, but Mom and I have been very very busy getting ready to go to our big Scotty Rally in Pennsylvania. It takes a lot of work to get ready but it is a lot of fun.

Today is the 4th of July though and we live on Wall Lake. They have a boat parade and we headed - no make that waded - out the bogwalk to watch it. Frankly, it wasn't much to look at and I don't know that we'll wade out ever again to see it. Just a bunch of pontoon boats following each other and honking their horns and people yelling.

Speaking of wading. At the end of the week before last we had torrential rain storms and the swamp/bog flooded again. All the weight of the water on our shelter roof out on the lakeside deck crushed the steel framing. Oh no! We loved our shelter and now its a wreck.

Well, probably my last blog until I get back from the rally. I'll post some pics when I get back! Have a Happy Independence Day everyone and stay safe!

I have a new cousin Julius!

Okay, I admit it. I'm a cat person. My Mom had 12 cats when she got me and I was raised by them. So, when I saw these pics of my new cousin Julius on my cousin Kara's Facebook page, and she's looking for a babysitter while she goes camping, I asked if I could babysit. Mom reminded me that Kara (and Julius) live in Colorado. So I guess it's out of the picture. But hey, what a cutie, eh?

Yippee - I'm going to Florida!

I'm wearing my camping shirt (it glows in the dark) this morning because I'm so excited about a camping trip my mom planned yesterday! We're driving down to Raleigh first to spend Christmas with Aunt DeeAnn and Uncle Don (and cousins Hannah and Emma), then we drive down to Savannah and camp for 2 days there and then THEN we head down to St. Augustine, FL to spend 3 days. Steve and Jenna from Ashville, NC will be there, Uncle Gary who lives in St. Augustine will be visiting, and I GET TO MEET MY BUDDY HARTMAN! Yes, Uncle Alex and Aunt Marlene will come up from Weeki Wachi with Hartman to visit. Now if Uncle Dom and Uncle Ray and my buddy Marlee could drive up too, it would be perfect.

Enough Already!

It was bad enough my mom made me share my new camp chair, but she's making me share my cool car seat with Sophie too! I'm so glad grandpa and grandma will be home from Georgia tomorrow and Sophie will go home! I love Sophie, but I like being an only dog better!

At least mom didn't make me share my robe!

New (OLD) Camp Chair

My mom went to her first Tin Can Tourist Rally - the 12th annual spring fling, last weekend. She didn't take me because she didn't know what to expect. She said it was really cool though and I get to go next year and take my Scotty too! While she was there she saw lots and lots of really cool old trailers and some really cool old camp chairs. She found one for me on Ebay. I LOVE it. I hope though that I don't have to share it with anyone. But my good Ovenette cooking buddy Marlee can come and sit with me at the big Rally in Slippery Rock, PA in July!

Aunt Lin and my cousins came over

Aunt Lin is living back in Delton now and so are my cousins Circe, Paris and Caesar. Today they came down to run at our house. We went out on the bogwalk too. We had over 4" of rain the past week or so and it is way way under water. I even fell off into the swamp because I was walking too close to my mom and couldn't see the walk. We had lots of fun playing together. Caesar is a swamp rat - he loves running in the swamp and got all mucky so Aunt Lin had to hose him off before he could get back in her car. Paris is funny, he likes to drink from the hose. Aunt Lin said he taught himself how to do that. Brrrrrrr, not for me. I'll drink out of a dish, thank you very much!

A Butterfly!

We went outside the other day and found this HUGE butterfly. Mom wanted me to have my picture taken with it but no way - it was so big it scared me! I was glad when mom put her finger down and the butterfly climbed on and then flew away! We thought it was too early for butterflies, I guess spring is really here!

New Scotty friends and a cute cabin too!

Mom and I got asked to go over and give some Scotty advice to some new friends. It was storming today so we couldn't get as much done on our Scottys as we wanted to so off we went. They have a very cute cabin. Its a lot like the one Mom and I want to build at our house. And, nice dogs too. Tucker, the lab, looks a lot like my cousin Emma, except Tucker's a BOY. And Ginger is very pretty. I hope we get to go camping with them sometime.

p.s. there's a picture of me with Mike and Luann and their Scotty, but Mom says that will be in the Scotty Newsletter next week.

Cousins, cousins, and more cousins

My big cousin Darron stopped by while we were at Aunt DeeAnn's and he had his kids, Maya, Kira, and Gabe with him. I haven't seen them in three years and boy, did they ever get BIG! Mom got a picture of all of us together. We fit on one couch, but barely.

In the other picture, Emma, Hannah and I are watching Uncle Don eat. We wanted to make sure nothing fell on the couch or floor. I think we made Uncle Don feel guilty for eating in front of us because he shared the burger and it was YUM-O! Thanks Uncle Don!