Eau de Pug

Better late than never

2009-01-07T16:44:00.002-05:00

The pugs would like to share a few moments from their Christmas festivities...

Tyler finds the holidays an exhausting time of year!

Zoey and Lillie were eager to open gifts.

Flickr-holics Anonymous

2008-05-08T22:01:00.002-04:00

There's a reason I haven't posted in a long while.
It is an addiction called Flickr.
Really, it has gotten out of control.

It's been awhile

2008-02-04T19:29:00.000-05:00

Holy COW -- almost a YEAR has gone by! I am a bad blogger friend and do apologize for that. Hopefully next time it won't take quite as long to get around to posting again. It always helps for one to remember her password as well.

Tyler would say hello, but he's too busy having a cow.

Not enough junk in the trunk

2007-03-21T10:12:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. A bit going on right now, and part of that is the house is full of so much accumulated STUFF that it is overwhelming and just a big chaotic mess. Boxes, stacks, piles of STUFF everywhere! Most of this is STUFF that is covered in dust because I don't use it, and when I do need it, don't know where to find it!

A significant portion of the STUFF is clothing. After reading several articles, I feel past the stages of keeping things that are multiple sizes too small, hoping to fit into them again "one day." So the jeans from high school finally went on their merry way last summer. But...

I have the hardest time getting rid of STUFF for various reasons, especially sentimental ones. Like, there were several nightgowns that I occassionally wear, but they were full of holes and from 1994. I didn’t want to get rid of them because they were from my grandmother who passed away, but they were full of holes and all stretched out! So - those finally had to go.

Question for y'all: What do you do with old t-shirts that are very comfy and all stretched out that are only good for sleeping in? I keep them, of course! But how many of these does one need? Does a person really need a few dozen of them?! So I got rid of the most raggedy looking ones, and am hoping now I will wear the other ones more. I did find some new shirts that had been buried in the mess and forgotten about, so those can finally get some wear.

But it’s hard getting rid of even the old raggedy t-shirts, even knowing there is no worry about running out of stuff to sleep in. What about all those concert t-shirts that never get worn anymore because they are so long, yet seemingly too snug to be slept in? The t-shirt from the first Tori Amos concert I ever went to, which has yellow stains on the underarms and doesn't get worn... I just couldnt' get rid of it. Blah, blah blah, the list goes on and on! You would be ASHAMED if you saw the mess I kept. Only got rid of three bags full of clothes, and “bags” are those little handheld plastic ones like you get at the grocery store or Walmart. Maybe about 15 garments altogether going to Goodwill. And about 4 or 5 t-shirts with holes ended up in the trash. Not a very impressive spring cleaning, considering I spent an entire day on it.

Guess what we got yesterday

2007-01-19T12:59:00.000-05:00

First snow of this season!!!!! Yay!

Tyler's feet got a bit cold.

So did his cousin Zoey.

But that didn't stop them from leaving cute little prints all over the deck :-)

Tyler and me thank you

2007-01-05T13:41:00.000-05:00

Wow. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the purrrayers and good thoughts sent to Tyler. This means a lot to him and to me. It seems to be helping him also.

Tyler went for x-rays a couple days ago and nothing significant was found. The vet recommended we keep him on the anti-inflammatory med (Deramaxx) for a couple of weeks because he could have a sore muscle, nerve or joint which would not show up in an x-ray, and he didn't think the condition was urgent to warrant doing an MRI at this point.

The following morning, Tyler seemed a lot better. Normally when the medication wore off, he would stop walking. Now he seems okay when the meds have worn off. So that is progress, right? We have kept him on the medication a couple more days, but my husband wants to take him off the medicine. His theory is that Tyler doesn't need the meds any longer than absolutely necessary. I am not sure. It seems like the inflammation could return and stopping the meds now could be too soon. However, I am willing to give it a trial run this weekend, to see how Tyler acts without the med for a longer time frame, and also if he is *able* to feel pain, he might be less inclined to run and jump and damage whatever is healing.

What are your thoughts? Should anti-inflammatories be continued after the symptoms subside? Or should they be stopped as early as possible?

In the meantime, I went home for lunch yesterday and Tyler begged politely for food. When I finished eating, he brought a toy and wanted to be chased. The spring and curl are returning to his tail. Although I'm scared to say he's out of the woods, he definitely seems to be improving.

Your comments and prayers have meant so much. I cannot thank you enough! Any suggestions or advice about the meds or symptoms, if you have thoughts on this, would be welcomed too.

My sweet boy does not feel well...

2007-01-02T01:16:00.000-05:00

Tyler has been acting strangely since the end of last week. Thursday night he awoke and was pacing the floor. Friday morning, he did the same thing. Then he seemed fine for a bit, but when I came after work and tried walking him, he would barely move. He laid down in the road and huddled into a ball. He had to be carried home. When I brought him inside and called the vet, he crawled under our Christmas tree and laid down against the wall. He acts like he is in severe pain, and when he stands he arches his back and is afraid to move.

The vet saw him and gave him anti-inflammatory drugs, and said to give this ten days because he could have an injury or degeneration of a disc in his neck or upper back. The medicine works VERY well, but wears off hours before we can give another dose. During the 4- 5 hours he feels bad each day, he can barely move. He is clearly in pain. This is not like Tyler. It is heartbreaking to see him like this. I am worried to tears for him, and really scared of what this could be. It is like his spirit is completely broken when he is hurting.

Please send healing thoughts and/or prayers for Tyler. Hopefully it is something that can be treated. Thanks to much internet research and pondering of worst case scenarios, I have cried almost non-stop the past few hours, and a lot over the weekend and am pretty much a basketcase over this. Tyler is too young to have to deal with anything serious, and we haven't had nearly enough time with him. He has to be okay. Please let him be okay.

Merry Christmas to all

2006-12-26T16:27:00.000-05:00

I hope my friends and their loved ones had the merriest Christmas ever!

Hey, what's that in my stocking over there?!

Good day in the neighborhood!

2006-11-28T22:13:00.000-05:00

Y'all, this is Jules. She moved in to my neighborhood a few months ago and we have a slowly blossoming friendship. Jules is a pekingese, 8 years old, and kind of shy. She used to bark ferociously when Dad and me walked by her house, but we knew it was all a bluff. How did we know, you ask? Because when I took one step in her direction, she ran away and hid on her porch. (Heheh. All bark and no bite, baby!)

But it's okay because now she doesn't bark at me anymore, she just comes out to say hello.

- Tyler

I am thankful for...

2006-11-25T16:38:00.000-05:00

... the many, many times my good looks have saved me!

- Tyler

Am I supposed to be scary?

2006-11-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

This is what the folks made me wear this Halloween. As you can see, the cape is twisted from my futile efforts to remove it.

Lunch

2006-11-01T14:05:00.000-05:00

A bowl of potato chips and leftover cupcake that has been sitting on the cabinet at work since yesterday. How healthy and weight conscious is that?

Hope everyone is having a...

2006-10-31T22:29:00.000-05:00

Good Lookin'

2006-10-29T22:27:00.000-05:00

We went for a drive on the parkway this afternoon, and of course the handsome little man had to come along. We stopped several times where he stretched his legs, made a couple of friends, and drank some water.

Can you tell he had a good time?

Silver Medal

2006-10-21T22:57:00.000-04:00

A champion came home with us today!

Second place in the best pug trick contest.
Of course, he has always been a winner to us.

Quake

2006-10-18T09:31:00.000-04:00

Apparently I was in the shower or asleep, because I missed them all.

Sleep soundly, Gizmo

2006-10-10T23:00:00.000-04:00

Gizmo's mommy, daddy and brother lost a wonderful companion yesterday. He will always be with them in their hearts and memories, but he is so deeply missed. Please say a prayer or light a candle for little Gizmo and his folks.

The Summons

2006-10-10T20:05:00.000-04:00

Tonight my mom has PMS. So I'm summoning my Higher Power for the patience to tolerate her.

"Ebony and Ivy"

2006-10-10T00:19:00.000-04:00

D#MMIT!!!!!

2006-10-02T12:45:00.000-04:00

Okay. I am going to write more. Promise! That means keeping up with friends on here AND posting more entries. Things have been crazy hectic and some of that was wedding-related, some of it was house fixing-up related. Some of it is that I'm so far behind on posts that I don't know where to start, so am just going to take it from here and maybe not even go in the right order. So... that is where things stand.

My back "went out" about 20 minutes ago and I'm sitting here at work not able to do much about it because all sick days have been used for this year (thanks, wedding stress). I can function, just not without that knife-sticking-in-the-shoulder blade feeling. Of course, that feeling happens anytime I exhale, so might as well be doing something anyway, because "exhaling" is not a task that can be put off!

It's probably a pinched nerve. The gazillion mg. of ibuprofen I just took should help. Until then, if you hear someone swearing in the distance, that's probably me, trying (with little success) to lift a glass of water.

Less than a week to go

2006-08-13T04:06:00.000-04:00

Right on, Ella!

2006-08-01T23:43:00.000-04:00

It's too darn hot,It's too darn hot
I'd like to sup with my baby tonight
Refill the cup with my baby tonight.
I'd like to sup with my baby tonight
Refill the cup with my baby tonight,
But I ain't up to my baby tonight
'Cause it's too darn hot.

It's too darn hot,It's too darn hot
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight.
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight,
But brother you'll fight my baby tonight
'Cause it's too darn hot.It's too darn hot.

According to the Kinsey Report
Ev'ry average man you know
Much prefers his lovey dovey to court
When the temperature is low,
But when the thermometer goes 'way up
And the weather is sizzling hot,
Mr Pants, For romance,Is not.

'Cause it's too, tooToo darn hot
It's too darn hot,It's too darn hot.
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight.
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight,
But brother you'll fight my baby tonight
'Cause it's too darn hot.

According to the Kinsey Report
Ev'ry average man you know
Much prefers his lovey dovey to court
When the temperature is low.
But when the thermometer goes 'way up
And the weather is sizzling hot,
Mister God For his squad
A marine,For his queen,
A G.I.,For his cutey-pie
Is not.

'Cause it's too, tooToo darn hot
It's too darn hot,It's too darn hot.
It's too darn hot,It's too darn hot.

Endless Love

2006-07-20T23:55:00.000-04:00

This looks too real, y'all.

July 17, 1959

2006-07-18T00:05:00.000-04:00

At the age of 44, Billie Holiday breathed her last breath at Metropolitan Hospital of New York. She died under house arrest for drug possession, and had only $.70 in the bank.

But Billie left behind so much for the fans who would love her decades after her life ended, and for artists who would be inspired by her generations later. Her quivering, emotional voice haunts me on this night.

This is not only a tribute to Billie. It is also in memory of Puggy. Puggy was vocal about her musical preferences. Like the time she tried to sing along to Tom Petty's "Only a Broken Heart." She clearly loved Billie, as she would lie on my bed and smile blissfully when the crackling of a Billie cd started, and she stayed there until the last track had ended. She understood Billie's longing all too well when she sang "Give Me a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer." A steak and a wine cooler was more in Puggy's style, but the sentiment was the same.

Not to mention Billie's attitude. She didn't take crap off people. Puggy was sassy in much the same way. I often joked that Billie had reincarnated herself into Puggy. I wonder where Puggy's soul is now, more than a year after her passing. Is she a free spirit, drifting in the cosmos? Has she returned as an Outback employee, chowing down on ribeyes and porterhouses that customers couldn't quite finish?

One may never know, but her sweet smile and sassy snorts are right here with me always, even more so when Billie's voice rings through the speakers.

On that note, here's one that Billie has performed.

"Please don't talk about me when I'm gone
Oh honey, though our friendship ceases from now on
And listen, if you can't say anything real nice
It's better not to talk at all is my advice

We're parting, you go your way I'll go mine
It's best that we do
Here's a kiss I hope that this brings lots of luck to you
Oh makes no difference how I carry on
Remember, please don't talk about me when I'm gone

We're parting, you go your way I'll go mine
It's best that we do
Here's a kiss I hope that this brings lots of luck to you
Makes no difference how I carry on
Remember, please don't talk about me
Please don't talk about me
Please don't talk about me when I'm gone"

Free fur

2006-07-17T16:29:00.001-04:00

Friend from a pug list shared this today:

"I work at a pizza shop. I didn't know I had a pug hair on my shirt arm. This lady made this big fuss about what if it falls in her food. I told her I wouldn't charge extra!"