reality check

If you thinking having Monday off makes you confused about what day it is in a week, try having Tuesday off too. And, right about now you're thinking "boo hoo, it must have been awful to have a 6-day weekend." But back to my point, I was home Tuesday—the hottest day so far this year (don't quote me on that). Without AC, my house was sweltering. I actually contemplated going to the office just for relief from the 90-degree temps. If you can't tell from my whining, I'm not a fan of the heat and either are the animals (except for Monkey who is a heat whore). If it wasn't for the occasional bug in the basement, I'd be sleeping downstairs with Basement Cat, who has the coolest spot in the house. Thankfully, a thunderstorm rolled in and brought cooler temps. But that one day, made me dread July and August...

I'm definitely using a few bucks from tomorrow's paycheck to buy Pooch a Kool Collar. (And at this point, Kool Collar should pay be for how many times I've mentioned them on this blog!)

happy memorial day weekend!

Chris and I are heading to western Pa for the weekend, so that means Fletcher is off to my parents. He'll have tons of fun running around the yard with Lucy, my parent's smaller and better behaved chocolate lab. With the temperatures rising this weekend, I'm sure they'll both be spending time in the small pond that is in one of my parent's flower beds. (I don't think the fish will like that though!)

Oh and the cats...well they enjoy a nice quiet weekend without Fletchie in the house.

Have a great long weekend!

my grandmom would have totally rocked these sneaks

No explanation needed for these canvas sneakers from The Bradford Exchange.

color fun!

I instantly knew what this dog had been up to when I saw this photo on Dog-Milk. He ran The Color Run! I'm signed up to run the 5k with my sister on September 9, in Washington, D.C. Should be lots of fun. Sadly, I won't be bringing Fletcher.

*photo by Dabito - see more on his blog Old Brand New

dog as cargo

Finally, people are thinking about big dogs! At least in my mind that is the only reason why the Madsen Cycles kg271/Bucket model bike would exist. It has a 40 gallon passenger bucket—big enough to haul around a 100 lb. chocolate lab! Okay, they didn't specifically say that, but they do show people toting around large dogs and up to 4 kids (there are seat belts)! If there was even a chance that Fletcher would stay in the bucket, I would figure out how to come up with the $1,650 for the bike in yellow. (The pink version is only $1,350 but I despise the color pink and I don't think Fletcher would approve either.)

I wonder how easy it is to get up a hill with a 100 lbs. of cargo...

just as fab as fab.com

I'm super excited about lelepets.com. It's like fab.com but for pet products. (And I love, love, love fab.com.)

Left: Atomic Attic upcycled vintage pet bed - apple computer bed on sale through lelepets.com but only for a limited time!

random thought

If I ever get a black cat, I might name it Bat. Or a gray cat named Squirrel.

I think it's funny when animals are named after other animals—such as my cat, Monkey. It cracks me up!

it's vintage (aka awesome!)

Who on earth would buy this dog tin? This girl, that's who! I like it—in a this will sure to be a conversation starter if sitting on my coffee table—kind of way. Of course, I couldn't really put it on the coffee table because the dog would probably knock it off or the cats would chew it. Before you know it, the Scottie would be missing an ear. It's like one of those awesome old treasures that you find hidden in your grandparents' basements or the back of closets. The website says it's vintage. I wonder how vintage—like 1940s vintage or 1970s vintage?

But for $135, it isn't going to happen. Sigh. I guess it's not meant to be.

beat the heat

I'm hoping to buy Fletcher a Kool Collar in the next couple of weeks.

Several years ago, I bought him a cooling pet bed but it was a disaster. You had to fill it with water and once filled it felt like it weighed 100 pounds. It was impossible to move around easily. It's much easier to let him go into the cooler basement than it is to deal with the mess of the cooling bed.

nagging feeling

Stopped at a light on the way home from yoga today, I saw a dog wandering down the sidewalk on his own. I could see he had a collar with tags. I contemplated pulling over to see where he belonged but the logistics of crossing three lanes of traffic so I could get in the opposite direction seemed too much of a hassle. I'm disappointed in my decision and I've had a nagging feeling about it all day.

I've helped many lost or stray animals. The two stray cats that found their way to my door became part of our family. Olga, the German Shepard, that Chris and I found exhausted and covered in mud wandering down a dangerous highway. Frankie, the pudgy Chihuahua, I found a few weeks ago while running. The two labs that I chased through Baltimore after my sister and I saw one of them get hit by a car. (Unfortunately, they were too fast for me and I lost them. I hope they found their way home.)

When helping those animals, the inconvenience-factor never occurred to me. I hope it never does again. To the doggie I saw wandering today, I hope you made it home safely.

shifty eyebrows

dogs have more than 100 facial expressions, most made with their ears.

Fletcher's are made with his eyebrows. My friend Brandon really gets a kick out of how Fletcher moves his eyebrows. After he pointed it out, I watched Fletcher for a bit and it is pretty funny how animated his eyebrows are.

reading material

Yep, I'm a nerd.

p.s. I have this thing about treating cats and dogs equally. I couldn't just read the dog book because in my mind that would be unfair to cats. Crazy, yes. Will I stop? Probably not. So that means both of these are on my book pile!

watch kitty

Monkey is keeping watch for the birds.

Well, even if a single bird never sits on this bird feeder, the cats have been entertained just by it hanging there.

p.s. isn't he handsome?

there's no shame in loving cats

Seriously contemplating buying this shirt for the boyfriend.

Now, if he'll wear it is undetermined...

doggie cupcakes? yes please

One of my favorite online sites for pretty human things, shopruche.com, posted this doggy peanut butter cupcake recipe. While you're there, check out their new pet collection.

sprucing up the outdoors

Today I bought a bird feeder. But not for the birds—as entertainment for my cats. That's normal, right?

Don't answer that. I know the answer.