What's Up With Mabel

Mom has redeemed herself

2012-01-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

Thank you whoever you are who let Mom know I expected more double cheeseburgers in lieu of me missing the trip Up North last weekend. Mom went to the International Auto Show in Grand Rapids yesterday and she came home with one. And I didn't even have to whine about it before she left me in Delton with Grandpa and Grandma. BIG SMILE!

And to top it all off...

2012-01-27T08:54:00.000-08:00

They went to the Blue Tractor for dinner. And Mom got their pulled pork quesadilla. I LOVE pulled pork quesadillas! And well okay, when Mom got home on Sunday, she had stopped at McDonalds and brought me home a double cheeseburger. Note I said double cheeseburger - that's TWO pieces of cheese. She didn't cheap out and get the McDouble with only ONE piece of cheese (I LOVE CHEESE).

But that is not nearly enough. I still have my McDonald's charge cards that my good camping buddy Marlee (and Uncle Dom) sent me. And I am thinking Mom better be planning on stopping TONIGHT, Friday, Jan. 27, and bring me home something good. Maybe even two something goods!

I missed the cool cabin decor store too???

2012-01-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

Not cool. Not cool at all. I am the decorator in this family. Nothing gets done here without my say so and approval. NOTHING. But they stopped at the cool cabin decor store in Traverse City without me anyway. And, saw Lake Michigan which is really pretty with all the snow and blue water.

More fun, and more importantly, FOOD, that I missed

2012-01-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

So Mom, Emily and Jeremie headed first to East Jordan where they got to tour Timeless Travel Vintage Camper Restorations. Hey Mom, did you forget that I LOVE VINTAGE TRAILERS??? Mom said it was really really cool and they got to see 25 vintage trailers, restored, being restored, or waiting to be restored. Me? I got to see nothing!

After the tour, they headed to Elk Rapids and ate at Pearl's a New Orleans cuisine restaurant. They'd never been but it will be a new must do place when heading up north from now on. Sigh... I guess I will never know how good it is, but it sure looks like fun and I am sure that I love New Orleans cuisine!

Really Mom? Really?

2012-01-27T08:38:00.000-08:00

So my Mom went up north again with my cousins Emily and Jeremie. She said I could not go because they were staying in a motel that didn't allow "pets". PETS? Is that what I am now? A "PET"? I think not. Then she tried to make me feel better by saying I wouldn't like to go anyway. SNORT. I guess I was supposed to feel better that she took a picture of the giant trout fountain in Kalkaska and the army tank in Mancelona. Not buying it Mom and it's gonna take way more than a McDonald's double-cheese burger to make it up to me!

Sigh...

2012-01-20T07:53:00.001-08:00

I thought when my sisters passed away that I would have more Mom time because it would just be me and my two brothers, Oliver and Henry. But oh no. Mom made arrangements to adopt a very lively boy who she named Caleb, not even a week after Abby passed. I have to admit, he is cute. And at least he is most active with Henry. Whew. Makes one's head spin sometimes. He seems to think that he's supposed to sleep right on top of me! Right now I don't mind because it's cold and it is like having my own personal heated blanket, but he better get over it before summer arrives!

Sad news

2012-01-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

Both of my sisters passed away in 2011. My sister Sophie, who was 19, died on September 26. My sister Abigail, who was 17, died on December 12. These are two of my favorite pictures of them. That's Sophie, the calico, sitting in Mom's favorite chair with my brother Oliver. And, that's Abby in my pink trailer. The one I said earlier that I thought she would like. She did. She loved it and you could almost always find her all snugged up there. Missing my sisters.

Pitcher Plants!

2011-03-27T14:22:00.001-07:00

Spring is here. We walked the bogwalk to the lake and found pitcher plants along the way. We didn't think we had any. All the ice is off the lake now too. WOO HOO.

Mom went to Traverse City and all I got was this possum!

2011-03-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

For the cabin. Mom named it Rosie because it reminds us of the one who eats the cat food we put out for Buddy and the other stray cats that hang around.

SPRING is here!

2011-03-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

Finally! We didn't get very much snow this winter. Mom only used the snowblower twice! Last year there were some days when she used it three times in one day. But it still felt like winter lasted forever this year and that spring was never going to come. On Thursday when we came home the yard was full of crocuses. Of course Mom made me sit in them for a picture!

Another New Trailer???

2011-03-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

Mom bought me a new trailer. Rather, someone told her about it and she called Aunt DeeAnn in Raleigh, NC and Aunt DeeAnn bought it because it was for sale at the Home Goods Store and we don't have one of those. Uncle Don just mailed it up to me. I'm not sure I like it but my fuzzy brother Henry loved it. I think I should give it to my sister Abigail because she likes small cuddly spaces.

2011-03-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

The biggest, and the WORST news is that my sister Maddy died. We knew when we adopted her that she'd not be with us for very long. She was very sick. Mom says we gave her the best year of her life though. We don't think she'd done much car riding and after living a year with me, she LOVED going anywhere and everywhere. And we're pretty sure she never camped before. She got to go camping in Savannah, GA, St. Augustine, FL and Sweetwater, TN. She had a blast. She may be gone but she is forever in our hearts. This is a picture of her camping in St. Augustine, Florida.

2011-03-19T16:57:00.001-07:00

So much has happened since I last posted. Our cabin was delivered on July 23. Mom has it mostly done now. I had a cook-out there with my big boy cousins Paris and Caesar last night. We cooked hotdogs. I had two. Paris and Caesar each had four but Caesar didn't eat his so Paris had EIGHT!

Mom Went to Shipshewana and all I Got was a WOLF!

2010-06-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

Mom and Grandma went to Shipshewana today. Mom needed some stuff for the National Scotty Rally that is in Pennsylvania in July. And she come home with a WOLF for ME! It is a life-sized wolf. I was a little big scared at first. Maddy wanted to bite it (she's good at that you know). After I checked it out I wasn't scared anymore. This wolf, which we are going to call a coyote, is going in Camp Mabel's Glade. Wow, Mabel's Glade is going to be so cool!

Back to Work

2010-05-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

The rally is over and we came home a day early because Mom got food poisoning. This weekend we have to work on getting the cabin site ready. Mom had the Bobcat guy who was digging out Aunt JimmieLou's new driveway pad come over and dig out our new cabin hole. Then she had 7 yards of crushed rock delivered up by the road. Cousin Justin is supposed to come out and move it. Maddy and I did the inspection first. All ready Justin. You can come out anytime.... Justin?

Heading to Tin Can Tourists

2010-05-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

YAY! Last year mom went by herself to the big Tin Can Tourists Rally at Camp Dearborn in Milford, MI. This year I get to go and I get to take my Scotty too! I just put a new memory foam mattress in it and I added a third seatbelt so my good friends and Scotty dogs, Amy and Emma can ride with me. We will have so MUCH fun! Thanks mom for letting me go!

Porkys in the Outhouse!

2010-05-12T16:24:00.001-07:00

Mom said when she was a girl up at the cabin, the first person in the outhouse in the morning usually had to chase out a porcupine. So, we ordered a plush porky to go in our new outhouse and we ordered a custom made toilet seat with a porky on it too. Now we just need to wait until after July 19 to get the outhouse to put them in!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

I cooked Mother's Day Dinner for my mom! I made Indian Fry Bread Tacos and Pear Cobbler. YUM YUM YUM. It was great. I found the Indian Fry Bread mix online at an Indian store out west. It was really easy to make and it was really really good. The pear cobbler I made using my award-winning Ovenette recipe. That is ALWAYS good!

Mom said the leftovers the next day were even better than the first day. I have to take her word on that. She didn't share! It's nice to share Mom!

Final Inspection

2010-04-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

Mom got Justin to come back out and finish moving the 12 yards of top soil. When it was done, I had to inspect the job he did. Kudos Justin - it passed my rigorous inspection! I'll keep you in mind when I need the several yards of crushed rock moved for the cabin bed.

Sox Gets to Ride on the Motorcycle

2010-04-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have my go kart anymore, I gave my cousin Sox my old Doggles. He's going to ride on his Dad's (my cousin Nate) motorcycle with him. We got cousin Nate a really cool backpack dog carrier to thank him for all the nice stuff he does for us. I think Sox likes it too! He sure looks cuter in those Doggles than I ever did. He's pretty cool...for a BOY!

The Boler Moves to Mabel's Glade

2010-04-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

We're getting my glade ready for the new cabin! Mom ordered it last weekend - woo hoo! Anyway, I helped Mom move the Boler down there. I think it looks really cute sitting there. Grandpa and Grandma will probably come and camp in it after our cabin arrives. We might move the rest of our trailers down there too. Mom says she's going to build a deck in front of the Boler, with a roof on it, kind of like a porch. AND, she's going to build a firepit too so we can roast hot dogs! YUMMY. I love hot dogs. So does Maddy.

Sophie is EIGHTEEN

2010-04-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

Mom took a picture of our oldest cat Sophie. She's EIGHTEEN. WOW, she sure doesn't look it. We thought she looked so pretty sitting in our favorite (and prettiest) twig chair. Mom got this chair at the Art Fair in Kalamazoo.

Spring is here and Mom uncovered Rudy!

2010-04-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

We'll be camping for the first time this year in May, at the Tin Can Tourist event at Camp Dearborn in Milford, MI. I didn't get to go last year but this year Mom's taking me. And, I even get to take MY Scotty! Yippee Yay!

Supervising Justin

2010-04-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

Mom just had 12 yards of top soil delivered. She tried to move it herself but knocked her back out. Cousin Justin came out to work on it and I'm watching to make sure he does it right. So far, so good!

BEAR Crossing????

2010-01-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

Eeeeeek!

Bears are scary. I'm glad I didn't go if there were bears around.

Mom said she only saw this sign, on M115 between Buckley and Cadillac. She didn't see any bears!

Whew...

World's Biggest Cherry Pie

2010-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

I think I would like cherry pie!

The world's largest cherry pie was made up north, near Traverse City, cherry capital of the world. Mom got to see the memorial for it. Next time I will make her take MY picture in front of it.

Because DARN IT MOM - I WANT TO GO UP NORTH TOO!

The 45th Parallel

2010-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

Sigh...

Another cool thing my Mom went and did without ME! The 45th parallel, which is half way between the equator and the north pole, crosses 31 between Elk Rapids and Charlevoix. Mom stopped and got a picture.

Actually, I don't know why I care because I don't know what the equator even is and why would anyone care about a pole in the north???

Lake Michigan

2010-01-24T15:35:00.001-08:00

The last time Mom went to Lake Michigan, in September, she let me go too. This time she didn't. I wanted to go for all the good eats up there, but BRRRRRRR, Lake Michigan looks way too cold for me.

Cousin Bill's Park

2010-01-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

I know, I haven't posted in a long time. But I've been very busy finishing up the Scotty and taking 11 days off to go all the way down to Florida and back again.

This weekend my mom left me with Grandpa and Grandma and headed up north with Cousin Emily and b/f Jeremie.

That sucks! I wanted to go too.

Here's a picture of mom at Cousin Bill (Leonard)'s roadside park. Bill was an engineer for the Dept. of Transportation and when he retired, they named this park for him. It is on 31, north of Elk Rapids, MI. YAY Cousin Bill. Maybe next time *I* can see the park too!

I have a new sister!

2009-12-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-11-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-21T05:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-21T05:13:00.001-08:00

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

2009-10-26T16:15:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-10-26T16:13:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-07T14:10:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-05-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

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!

Running with the BIG dogs!

2009-04-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Aunt DeeAnn and Uncle Don live on Falls Lake in Raleigh. There are great hiking trails all around the lake and Aunt DeeAnn, Mom, Hannah, Emma, Cousin Ashton and I went for a hike down to the water. It was FUN. Going down to the lake I stuck with my Mom, but going back, I ran and ran and ran - really really FAST, with Emma and Hannah.

Emma went swimming because she likes to retrieve sticks. My Mom put me in the water too, but I only swam 3 feet. I didn't have my life jacket on and I'm not sure I like to swim anyway. But it was hot so the water did feel very refreshing so I wasn't mad at Mom for putting me in the water.

Mom and I visited Dan and Tammy Hellier the day before the hike and they were going to be out on Falls Lake in their big boat. We looked for them, but we didn't see them. I had my picture taken with Dan and Tammy and Mom will have that in the Scotty Newsletter for May. We had a lot of fun at their house looking at their BIG Scotty and their even bigger not-a-Scotty trailer.

Southern Pines

2009-04-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Mom and Aunt DeeAnn drove down to Southern Pines to go shopping and I went with them. Southern Pines is really really pretty and has cute shops. I even got to go into one of the shops and the lady there took my picture and said she would put it on the wall with all the other dog pictures she has there. She gave me a treat too and she had a big bowl of water and I drank and drank and drank. Shopping is really hard work when you have short legs like I do.

The flowers were all blooming and Mom got a picture of me sitting in front of some azaleas. The other picture is me sitting in the driving seat of Aunt DeeAnn's Mercedes. We were waiting for her to come out of the big new TJ Maxx store in Southern Pines. Mom was in there too, but she shops a LOT faster than Aunt DeeAnn!

Cousin Emma

2009-04-24T10:15:00.001-07:00

This was the first time I got a chance to meet Cousin Emma. She is a BIG BIG girl. Aunt DeeAnn has been telling me how bad Emma is, but I didn't think so. I LOVE my cousin Hannah. She's the first dog I saw besides my (dog) mom and dad and brothers and sisters. I was born in Fuquay Varina, NC and my (real) Mom adopted me when she was at Aunt DeeAnn and Uncle Don's for Christmas in 2003. I just didn't think another lab, like Hannah, could be a bad dog.

I brought Emma a really pretty purple bunny for a surprise. Aunt DeeAnn loves bunnies and purple is my favorite color. Emma loved the bunny. But 10 minutes later, it was only a pelt! Bad bad Emma.

Seriously, I love my Cousin Emma and I think she will be a very nice girl when she's not a puppy anymore.

Feeding stations for my cousins Hannah and Emma

2009-04-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Mom and I were really busy before we flew to North Carolina. We were supposed to have gotten these feeding stations done for Hannah and Emma's Christmas presents but we were just too busy working on our Scotty.

We got them done in time to have them UPS'd down to arrive when we were there. I told Aunt DeeAnn do NOT let Emma open the packages until I arrive.

Hannah and Emma LOVE them. Mom put water in the water bowls right away and they started using them immediately. We think they look really nice on Aunt DeeAnn's sun porch too!

I FLEW to North Carolina!

2009-04-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

If you've wondered why I've not blogged lately, it is because I FLEW to North Carolina with my mom for a 5-day weekend getaway. I had a blast but Mom says I probably can't fly anymore since the airline (Delta) raised my price from $75 one way to $150 one way. Mom said that's more than her ticket cost! And bad bad bad Delta - they raised the price AFTER our trip started.

In the first picture, I'm sitting in my flight carry-on bag. You'd think for $300 that I could have my own seat, but NO, I have to ride in my bag UNDER the seat. How rude! But Mom unzippered me when we were at the layover in Cincinnati and I even sang for the people waiting for their planes.

In the next two pictures, I'm at the Cincinnati airport. It was raining there and we saw a rainbow. It was very pretty. I'm glad Mom got a picture of it because about 10 minutes later it was gone.

TWENTY-TWO Swans!

2009-04-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Mom and I walked out to the lake. Bogwalk is still under water but at least the ice is gone. There were TWENTY-TWO swans swimming out from our dock. WOW. I've seen six before but never twenty-two of them all at once. Mom went back and got her camera. She couldn't get all 22 of them in one pic but there are 16 of them altogether.

Coming back, we found daffodils and a pretty blue flower blooming. All the snow from earlier in the week is melted now too. We think spring may be almost here.

Still working on my Scotty

2009-04-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged about it lately, but I'm still busy helping Mom rebuild our 1960 Rear Door Scotty. We just got the lower kitchen cabinet frame done and over to Grandpa's shop. He's building the new drawers for us. Mom bought a nice drawer bit for our routers and Grandpa is really putting it to good use. Twelve drawers on this Scotty! Whoa. Glad he's making them and not ME!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-03-23T12:12:00.001-07:00

It's my mom's birthday and my cousin Emily made her the coolest coffee mug. Well, actually, it could be cooler. It has cats on it and it doesn't have ME on it (thanks Emily!). Mom loves it and it is really BIG too.

YAY, my car seat's back!

2009-03-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

My mom put my car seat up for the winter because she was covering me up with my heated car blankie and it wouldn't work in the seat. I like, no LOVE my heated car blankie, but I really LOVE my car seat too. Now I can see out the windows again. Squirrels. They're everywhere.

SPRING is coming!

2009-03-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I said this before! But today when Mom and I got home, it was 73 out and there were crocuses blooming in the yard. Purple ones. They matched the light-weight hoodie I wore today. Mom insisted on taking a picture for me to blog. Sadly, it is supposed to rain the next FIVE days. Darnit. We are supposed to haul our purple Scotty out to be weighed, but can't do it when its wet since we live on a dirt road and Mom doesn't want mud splashed up under it, and the yard has to be firm so we don't put trenches in it with the car. But the sun was shining, the sky was blue and SEVENTY-THREE and flowers in the yard! Can Spring be far away now?

The Ice is GONE!

2009-03-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

It was in the 60s today so Mom and I decided to check out the bogwalk again. We discovered the walk was floating on top of the water but when Mom walked on it, it sank way way down - sorry Mom, but I think *someone* has some weight to lose, besides ME! Most of it was underwater all the way out to the lake. Mom says she has NEVER seen the water this high before. EVER. Our zen bench, halfway out went through the winter fine. It was nice to take a little break on it and soak up some sun. Then we waded the rest of the way out to our lakeside deck. My lounge chair was a great place to sit and soak up some more sun while Mom waded out to the end of the walkway to get a picture of the lake. While we were sitting out there, we heard two pileated woodpeckers. We started back and stopped at the zen bench for a while, hoping we could get a picture of them, but they were flying deeper into the swamp and we didn't see them. We listened to them for a long long time. They are noisy birds! We just got back to the house when Aunt Lana dropped by and we talked to her for a while. This was a wonderful weekend, but Mom didn't get very much done on the Rear Door. Shame on her, I guess I better put on my work belt and get her back in gear.

Shipshewana, part II

2009-03-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Aunt Julie sat in the car with me when Mom and cousins Em & Jer went into the giant red barn antique mall (Mom bought some bears!). She just e-mailed these pictures to Mom. In the first ones, I'm resting while waiting for mom. Then, I think I hear her coming, but nope, it wasn't her.

Wish I had some more of that BACON!

Shipshewana and I went too!

2009-03-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

Today Mom took cousin Emily, cousin Jeremie and Aunt Julie from work to Shipshewana. Since Grandpa and Grandma are in South Carolina, I got to go too! YAY. Mom goes a lot and I never get to go with her. She always comes back with really cool stuff too so I really was looking forward to this trip. The first picture is me in the car. I got to ride on top of my heated car bankie so I stayed warm and comfy even though it was pouring rain all the way down. 3" of rain today! Then I found out why Mom doesn't usually let me come. Shopping is really boring. I got to sit on this bench in front of the store while we were waiting for everyone to come back so we could drive to the next store. Shipshewana is an Amish town in Indiana. We saw lots and lots of horses and buggys and wagons. Pretty neat but horses scare me. A LOT! It was all worth it though, because I got BACON. BACON BACON BACON! Yum-O - Amish bacon is the BEST! Next time I hope Grandpa and Grandma are home so I can hang out with them.

I love my mom!

2009-03-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

Today it is supposed to be really warm here in SW Michigan (it was still 56 when we got up) so Mom took the day off to work on the Rear Door. I got up and made my mom pancakes and sausage for breakfast. I LOVE my mom! She always makes sure I have the latest fashions to wear. She bought me the heated blanket so I can stay warm in the car and she even repurposed the really cool chest my great-great-great-grandfather built for my great-great-grandmother when she was a little girl, to keep her doll clothes in. We LOVE that chest, because, as woodworkers, we really appreciate fine woods and g-g-g-grandpa used all kinds of cool woods - tiger maple, birdseye maple, quilted maple, etc. and then he really had an eye for putting them together. See what you think - I took a picture of it. As soon as we finish our pancakes and sausage, we're off to the shop to work on RD. Mom's got lots of oak boards to plane so no time to waste on the computer (ahem, MOM)!

Now this is embarassing!

2009-03-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

We're going to do the US12 Heritage Trail Garage Sale this summer with Aunt Gail and Grandpa and Grandma Kroes and cousin Sophie. Probably the two-legged gals will head out to the sales and the 4-legged gals (me and Sophie) will stay back at the campground with Grandpa. My mom didn't want me and Sophie roaming off if Grandpa snoozed so she bought a pen! A DOG PEN! It came today and she had me model it. It is pretty nice and it all folds flat and fits in its own carry case. It will be very handy for camping trips when Sophie comes along. She's the one who needs to be penned, NOT me!

As if I didn't have enough to do!

2009-03-04T14:44:00.000-08:00

Sheesh, my mom ran out at lunch with Uncle Ben and looked at granite and stuff for countertops. She picked out a piece of travertine for a new island countertop. And guess who gets to make the island to go under the travertine? Yup. ME! And she isn't even giving me creative license. I have to make it to match the cabinets mom made when she built our kitchen before I was even born! I do have to say, the travertine is very pretty, and the new island is where my special food and treats will be kept (oh, and my cat sisters' and brother's treats and special food too). And, I think the new island will be much nicer than the old one, but I'm not going to tell Mom that!

Spring IS coming!

2009-02-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

It was so nice out with the sun shining and much of the snow gone, that Mom and I decided to walk down and check out the dock. WHOA. Check out where the dock USED to be! It's way under water. My mom was wearing boots so she waded out and took some pictures. Me, I didn't have boots on, so I didn't wade out. The sun may have been shining, but that water was COLD! In the second picture you can see the dark shadow where the dock is. Mom said it is at least 6" under water and that she's NEVER seen the water this high.

My Cousin Charles

2009-02-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

This is my very handsome cousin Charles. I've only met him once and when I did, he really scared me at first because he's so much bigger than I am. I wish he lived closer or visited more often though, because he's a big sweetie pie! SMOOCH Cousin Charles!

McDonalds!

2009-02-26T05:19:00.001-08:00

My mom was having a guilt trip because she left me at Aunt Karin's and Uncle Craig's from Friday morning until Monday night. And then, Tuesday, she took the afternoon off and Aunt Karin wasn't home when she stopped by to pick me up and I had to spend the night there again (don't tell my mom, but really, I don't mind a bit. Aunt Karin got me this really great food, stuff like rotisserie chicken with vegies - YUM-O!). Anyway, when mom picked me up last night she started singing the McDonald's song and I knew what that meant... DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER! We stopped at the one in Richland (MI) and the lady there handed the bag right to me. I had to eat it really fast when I got home because sometimes my cat brother Oliver thinks my stuff is for him.

p.s. that picture of me in the car shows my heated car throw. They come in blue or scotty plaid. My mom chose scotty plaid, for obvious reasons! LOVE it!

Traverse City, but I had to stay home!

2009-02-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

My mom took cousins Emily and Jeremie up to Traverse City yesterday but she didn't let me go with them. They got to eat at North Peak Brewery and here's a picture of them with their North Peak brewed root beer floats. North Peak has the vanila malted ice cream custom made for them. Mom swears it is the best in the world, but I shall probably never know because it is so good that no one will ever share it with me, I'm sure. Mom told me the reason I couldn't go is because the weather was supposed to be so bad. She even took this picture of the blizzard up there. She says they got about 8" of snow while she was there and that I'm lucky I didn't have to drive in that mess. 175 miles of unplowed roads all the way home and it took about 2 1/2 hours longer than normal to make the drive. I say I would have been comfy and cozy in my heated car throw. But then she also took this picture of her with the giant bears and I probably wouldn't have liked those bears. I instead got to say with Aunt Karin and Uncle Craig and eat lots of treats and bark at Uncle Craig all bundled up plowing their driveway because all bundled up, Uncle Craig doesn't look like Uncle Craig!

Baby Pictures, part II

2009-02-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

My mom agrees but she says I was pretty cute too. Here's a picture of me at 6 weeks old. The sweater came off a small teddy bear that my mom bought to keep me company on the long ride from North Carolina to Michigan. She says I was a really good rider and that every time we stopped for a "potty break", I went outside just like a big girl. Mom laughs every time she tells me this though. I guess at one of our potty stops, she put me out on the grass to go and two women also at the rest area cracked up laughing at me. They thought my mom had a sweater on a Guinea Pig! I don't think I looked like a Guinea Pig!

Baby Pictures...

2009-02-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

My mom just told me that my buddy Hudson (he came to my house with his mom and dad when they bought our 1961 13' Scotty Front Kitchen) just got a new baby sister Phoebe. Here's a picture of them. Awwwww, they are so cute!

TREAT Time!

2009-02-18T05:37:00.001-08:00

Here I am sitting on cousin Justin's lap and we're getting the treats I brought in my backpack this morning. That's my cousin Chloe sitting on the couch with us and the big handsome boys are my cousins Paris and Caesar. They were rescued in the floods of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and my Aunt Lin adopted them from the Nevada SPCA in Las Vegas. They're staying with Aunt Karin and Uncle Craig right now too, until Aunt Lin gets a house where she lives now, in Madison, Wisconsin. There's a big rally every summer in Wisconsin and Mom wants to take our Scotty across Lake Michigan on one of the big ferries and go to it. I think that would be very very scarey (going across Lake Michigan on a boat)!

Supervising the Scotty Project

2009-02-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Mom and my cousin Jeremie have been working on my latest Scotty project. The rarest Scotty of them all, the Rear Door. Mom and I fell in love with the Scotty Rear Door when we saw "Uncle" Kevin's down in Arkansas 3 years ago. Mom bought this one in Massachusetts and she drove there and picked it up. She didn't let me go on that trip. Anyway, Jeremie just finished installing the new floor and I wanted to inspect it to see if it met with my high standards. It looks great. Good job Jeremie!

Winter is still here!

2009-02-17T19:29:00.001-08:00

Came home tonight and my new snowsuit had arrived. YAY. Because it's still winter in SW Michigan! Lots of snow and it's supposed to snow again tomorrow. I'm tired of winter but I love my new snowsuit. It's reversible too and it has a backpack. I'm taking treats in to my cousins in the morning. The other side of the snowsuit is orange and has safety stripes on it. Mom says I'll be ready in case I have to direct traffic in the dark.

Hanging with Aunt Karin and my cousins...

2009-02-17T10:34:00.000-08:00

Normally I stay with my grandparents while my mom works. They headed south on Sunday though so until they get back, I'm staying with Aunt Karin and Uncle Craig and cousins Chloe, Paris, Caesar and Calvin. They're all way bigger than I am, but we have lots of fun. And, most importantly, there are lots of treats. LOTS OF TREATS! I almost didn't want to go home last night.

I have a nice warm coat, but my mom bought me the neatest thing. Its an electric blanket that plugs into the cigarette lighter and keeps me warm and snuggy all the way to Aunt Karin's house. And, on the way home too!

Today it begins...

2009-02-17T06:22:00.000-08:00

My mom has been asked to research what other schools (she's a webmaster at Western Michigan University) are doing for web sites for student organizations. She found some tell them to use blogs. She doesn't want one so she asked me to set one up. She says I have so much going on, I can certainly keep a blog busy.

So, today it begins...