Happy Tails Everyone - The End

We left Best Dump at 5 am on Wed and headed north.  We saw some white stuff on the ground about 8 am in Illinois.  Then we went by a town called Normal, IL.  For some reason, dada said mama could never live there.  We thought it looked ok.

Figuring out where to pee in this white stuff

Front of house - Feb 23, 2011

We ran into some freezing rain the first couple of hours on Wed. but luckily we drove out of it without any trouble.  It keeps getting colder as we go.  DeDe will probably have poop on her butt til spring.

Made it back to our house in MN at 6 pm, on the road a total of 28 hours, about 1750 miles one way.  We had pretty much smooth sailing all the way.  Left Tampa, up thru Atlanta, Nashville,  Chattanooga, Paducah KY, Bloomington IL, Madison WI, Eau Claire and Minneapolis.

House was all good, driveway plowed and heat on, lots of laundry, like poopy blankets. Dada was busy putting water on, mama was busy unloading the car, we were busy sniffing the white stuff.   We had a great time in Florida, love the area and look forward to our return.  Thanks to everyone for following our blog, we really had fun writing it and had lots of fun comments.

Once the blankets come out of the dryer, we'll be busy for the rest of the day.  Happy Tails, Mojo and DeDe

Its A Long Way Home

We closed our house up Monday afternoon and stayed at Cousin Mary and Pat's place overnite and headed out at 4 am Tuesday for MN.  When we left it was really dark and kind of foggy but we made pretty good time.  Its pretty boring sitting in the car all day but what else can we do?  I sleep most of the time and Mojo stares out the window.  She thinks she's a statute.

Relaxing on our bed

We finally stopped about 6 pm in West Frankfort, IL and found a motel called America's Best Value but dada called it America's Best Dump.  When mama woke up the clerk at check in, she asked if Mojo and I could be in the room. She said ok, charged more for the room and said we couldn't go on the bed.  Really?  What color is the sky in her world?

Mama took us out to potty in the freezing cold right before bed and I didn't quite finish and as we were all getting ready to sleep, dada smelled poop and sure enough, I left a little on my butt cause it was too cold to finish out there.  I was hoping no one would notice.  Its gonna take me some time to get used to pooping in the cold again, back in Florida, I could sniff around, stop sniff some more, do a couple turns and leisurely poop.  I guess those days are gone.

We're back in the car.  Ok Mojo, go stare out the back now.  Happy tails, DeDe

Some Before and After Photos

First Time We Saw Our New House - Front

Gary Starting to Cut Down Brush - Front of House

Front of House Now

Back of House 

Back of House Now

Here Comes the Snow

Today is kind of a sad day - we are packing up here and getting ready to head north.  Keep checking the weather, looks like snow in MN today so hoping we miss that and get back to South Haven before the next storm heads in.

Hard to figure out what to take back, I have my treats, food and blankets.  I think I'll leave a couple chewy toys here for when we get back in the fall.   That will give me something to look forward to but don't tell Mojo.

Its hard to believe we actually all slept on that air mattress when we first got here.  Most mornings we woke up on the floor because of a slow air leak.  We sleep really good on the bed we have now, there is plenty of room for all of us if mama and dada just hang off each side.  I need room to stretch and Mojo doesn't like anyone to touch her all nite, she has a nasty growl if you even come close.  Kind of like mama.  Happy tails, DeDe

Why Don't We Stay Just a Little Bit Longer????

We sure are liking the weather lately, everyday 80s and sunny, we usually go for our morning walk with mama and dada pretty early before it gets too hot.  I know I look good in fur but sometimes it can be a real downer.

After our walk yesterday, mama and dada decided it was beach day so we stayed home where it was cool and they went over to Sanibel and Capitiva Island which is about 15 miles away.  The water there is real purdy and there were lots of people hanging out but no food  until Joey came along in his boat and started serving people along the shore.  I wonder if he could use some more weiners on the boat.

The weather is looking iffy for our ride back to Minnesota so we are leaving a little earlier than planned, not happy about it but mama has to be back to work by March 1st so we'll be on our way early next week.  Dada is even working on putting stuff away now, mama is laying on the lounger outside.  Again.

We have some before and after pix to post just for fun.  Stay tuned for our ride home too, we'll be updating as we go, its a little harder to do in the car but we have a space in the backseat all to ourselves unless we have to help with the driving.  Its always something.  Happy tails, DeDe

Signs Signs Everywhere Signs

Life is a beach here in Florida. After getting the mulch down around all the palms in the back yard and putting in the new storm door, we all decided to take the day off and head to Fort Myers Beach.   The weather here is so nice, 80s and sunny, no wind and since we are winding down here, we decided to take some time off from working and have some fun.

When we got to the beach, we saw a sign that had a dog in a circle with a line thru it.  Mama and Dada thought that meant no dogs allowed but I think it meant don't bowl with dogs.  Anyway, we all pretended not to notice the sign and found a nice place to sit and people/dog watch. We did see other dogs there so the sign must mean no dog bowling. I was right.  Again.

Since there was lots of sand at the beach, DeDe decided she should practice getting thru it so she is ready for the snow when we get back to Minnesota in a couple weeks.  Maybe it will be gone when we get back.  I don't think DeDe will have a chance otherwise.

It seems funny to be thinking about coming back to Minnesota already. We like the beach and want to go back.  Hopefully we won't get hit with a bowling ball there.  Happy tails, Mojo

Attics, Plates and Popcorn

Fun and games are over for a while now and its go time.  Apparently, the attic needed insulation.  Dada does NOT like to go up there.  He took a bunch of boards up there before he started insulating so he could crawl around easier.  I never see him crawling around down here and I think that would be fun.  We could look into his eyes instead of his toes.  I'll talk to him about crawling when I get done with this.

He came down from putting the boards up there and he was drenched.  He must like the shower up there better.  So once the boards were set up and the materials and machine were here, they were able to get the attic insulated in about an hour.  It went great with mama down in the garage feeding the auger and dada with the hose up in the attic.  They hardly fought at all!!!

Mary and Pat came on Friday to deliver a bunch of flower plates to the art shop here so that meant Spike and Joey were along too.  They stayed for the nite, we all got along pretty good. After they left, mama mowed the lawn.  The lawn is mostly green weeds but when its mowed it almost looks like grass from a couple streets down.

After that, mama and dada decided to go to the movies.  After getting their senior discount, they got all set with their big bag of buttered popcorn and pop, watched 9 previews but no movie. Dada asked some usher WTF and they tried again so mama and dada continued eating all the popcorn only to watch the 9 previews all over again with no movie.  They got their money back and came home full of popcorn crumbs. That's good eating for us. There's always a silver lining.  Happy tails, DeDe

Jet Setting with Jan & Rudy

It seems whenever company comes, Mojo and I get kicked to the curb and sure enough, it happened again.  Rudy and Jan came to visit from Minnesota.   They showed up on Friday and it was go-time.   We were assigned the job of staying home and being watch dogs.  We don't even get paid.  I think there are laws about that.  First, they took off for a lunch at Cape Coral Beach and then out again Friday nite.  Doggie bags, nada.

Saturday, it was the Manatee Park but all the manatees were off on vacation so they didn't get to see any.  Then it was time for the Flea Market.  Did I mention they have lots of dog stuff there? After lots of walking, they decided to stop off at the Ford & Edison Estate which is a big attraction here.  Well wouldn't you know it but they were having a car show, all Fords, of course. Very old cars there, some even older than mama.  We didn't even know they had cars back then.  Of course, you can't come here without going to Fort Myers Beach and since the weather was so nice on Saturday, it was a late lunch on the water there.

Sunday morning we were in for a big surprise.  Mojo and I were shipped off to Kim the dog sitter's house so they could all go on the ferry to Key West.  We didn't like it at Kim's too much because we didn't know what the hell was going on but I guess they all had fun in Key West.   We're so happy for them.  Not.  Anyway, it was a very happy reunion Monday nite when they got back.  There's a picture of Jan having breakfast and her friend, Mr. Overalls. I think she wants Rudy to start wearing overalls now.

Right now, Jan and Rudy are boarding a plane back to the cold.  Of course, they couldn't leave without a trip to the Waffle House, another must-do when you're here.  No doggie bags came home.  Again.  Too bad they had to leave, we were just getting within 5 feet of them, another week and we might have let them pet us.  Happy Tails,  DeDe

Busted

Well this just takes the cake.  DeDe and I were home alone with mama this morning.  Dada had to go get another load of rock and he wanted to go early because it will be so hot here today.  Minnesota is -10 or so this morning, we'll be in the 80s.  I'm just saying.

Anyway, mama was filling up our little container of cookies.  She keeps a container on the counter so its handy. The big bag of cookies is in our dog cabinet with our food, stupid dog outfits, more treats, extra leashs, etc.  As you can see in the photo, it is very well organized.

So she's in the middle of filling up the container this morning and nature calls and she forgets to close the cabinet door.  Damn Fiber One. Well then she figured as long as she's in the bathroom, might as well take a shower.  That was her big mistake.  I tried to warn her by whining by the bathroom door but she ignored me as usual.  DeDe was being awfully quiet which is not her nature and she saw opportunity knocking.   By the time mama found her, most of the treats were gone and DeDe had to be rolled out of the cabinet.

Of course, being perfect, I did not partake in this wild behavior. Maybe my whining will be taken a little more seriously next time, ya think?  You would think I would get an extra treat for being good, but no, DeDe ate them all.  Can I ever catch a break around here?  Happy tails, Mojo

These Boots are Made for Walking - NOT

A great big truck with a big rolling thing on the back stopped at our house yesterday.  Dada had dug up a long strip of grass from the front yard to the back lanai and also a big spot out front.  He put boards around these dug out spots and we thought he was making a little swimming pool and river for us to play in.  I was so excited until this truck shows up and a couple of workers with wheelbarrows.

We watched from the front window and saw this gray stuff coming out of a shoot from the big truck into the wheelbarrows and these 2 guys were just running with the filled wheelbarrows.  It looked like a race so we wanted to see who would win.  Dada stood in the gray stuff  making it nice and smooth while the two guys ran around with the wheelbarrows full of the gray stuff.  The guy in the truck just sat there and pushed a button.  Mama was supervising the whole thing.  Why she let dada wear brand new WHITE boots in the gray stuff I'll never know. They were pretty much done with everything in about an hour.  We never did figure out who won and what the prize was.

So we woke up this morning and all the gray stuff was really hard and we could even walk on it.  Dada keeps talking about the sidewalk and patio, both places I was hoping to dive into.  But that dream is dead.  Maybe I'll go roll in some dirt, at least I can get a bath in the laundry tub.  Happy tails, DeDe  

Goodbyes are Always the Hardest Part...

We put Allen and Vanessa on the airplane back to the artic in Minnesota today.  It was hard to say goodbye but we sure did a lot of  fun stuff with them.  On Friday, we all went canoeing down the Estero River and got off just before it started to rain.  Then on Saturday, we headed over to Pine Island for the best seafood chowder made on earth.  At least that's what mama said, we weren't allowed inside the restaurant but the view from the car was nice, it was right on the ocean.

Then we all headed to see Spike and Joey in the Tampa area for fishing and football on Sunday.  Cousin Mary and Pat are from Illinois so we all had to root for the Bears.  They needed all the help they could get.  Didn't work.

On Monday, we stayed home while they went sailing out of Fort Myers Beach.  The beach was a favorite spot for the young folks and they spent a lot of time down there.  I think Allen might have been interested in looking for girls but why I don't know.  DeDe and I were around all the time just looking for attention.  Why go to a beach and look for girls?  Vanessa liked all the shopping.  She wanted to help the economy down here.

The weather was pretty nice, dada didn't work for a couple days and some of the neighbors were pretty worried about him, mama had fun planning activities and the kids saw all kinds of neat things down here.  We almost quit barking at them by Monday.  Happy tails, Mojo

The Kids are Alright

Allen and Vanessa are here for a visit and boy have they been busy.  We don't even see mama and dada anymore.  Its like we've moved down a couple of notches and we didn't even do anything.  But at least they are having fun.  They got here Tuesday and it was zero in MN when they left and about 80 when they arrived here so they were both smiling a lot when they got off the airplane.

Wed. morning they all left for a boat trip with Captain Ken to see manatees.  They saw some in the river and learned a lot about manatees.  At least they didn't bring one home. I guess it wouldn't fit in the trunk and when mama wouldn't give up her seat in the car, they decided against it. They can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes so giving them a bath could be tricky.  A couple of ladies on the tour  boat were even trying to put the moves on Captain Ken but he made it clear right up front he was married.  Put "captain" in front of your name and the ladies go nuts.

Then today they were off to the Everglades to see alligators and ride an airboat.  I guess mama was holding on so tight she bent the metal bar she was holding on to.  Captain Rob drove like a maniac and when mama asked him if he drives his car like that, he told them he doesn't even have a drivers' license.  But they had a blast, the weather was awesome, they saw lots of birds and alligators.  After the tour, they even got to hold an alligator named Buster.  Now I know I'm cuter than any alligator any day of the week but you should see all the pictures of Buster.  Big deal, you're an alligator. Anybody need a purse?  Happy tails, DeDe

To Tile or Not to Tile, That is the Question

What started out as a very quiet week quickly turned into a crazy week thanks to Pat and Cousin Mary.  They came up for part of the week to look at houses in the Cape Coral area and actually put a bid on a house that is about a mile away from us.  That just means one thing - we'll be seeing a lot more of Spike and Joey, the Boston Terrors.  We are all on pins and needles now to see if they actually get the house.  They looked at so many that Mary's head was spinning after looking all day.  Thank God for Aqua Net.

This was all going on as dada tried to get the lanai tiled.  As you can see, it was one-half green grass and one half cement.  I think we had to get rid of the grass inside cause the lawn mower wouldn't fit thru the door anymore.  So he had to put down tile instead.  That just makes sense.

Mama and dada found the tile in Fort Myers.  It is special nonskid tile so when it gets wet, mama won't go falling on her head and putting a dent in the floor.  Dada was worried about that.  It took two trips with the trailer to get the tile home cause it was so heavy and so that was two tolls they had to pay which didn't make mama very happy.

So now dada is out front digging the patio, I'm forced to go to the dog park, mama is on Craigs list again and DeDe is trying to bite me.  Gotta finish this blog and get an ad on Craigs List, "Free dog, annoying as hell..."  Happy tails, Mojo

You Say La-Nay, I Say La-Nie

The lanai out back was done yesterday.  Now some people call it a la-nay and others call it a la-nie. However mama and dada say it, most likely it will be wrong. Whatever, its a screened in patio which was doubled in size.  The three amigos who worked on it scared the heck out of me at first so I barked really loud at them. I kept an eye on them pretty much all day. Its what I do.

This morning mama took off for rummage sales and whatever she could find and left us at home to watch dada finish painting the outside of the house.  Not fun but the house looks good.

Then we were off to the Waggin Tails Dog Park, something mama insisted that we join even tho we hate it.  All these other dogs are very annoying, barking, pooping right in front of you, chasing you, smelling butts they don't even know.  Its insanity.  But she keeps taking us there and saying "play, play."   How can we play when we are constantly watching our butts and where we step?  After she tortured us there, she dragged us downtown to the Cape Coral Arts Festival. For some reason, dada didn't want to go.   And did we get the looks, especially Mojo, everybody asks, what is she, where did she get the spots, blah blah blah.  Hello? Am I invisible?   And then some guy says to mama that he has 5 mini doxies, that its like potato chips, you can't stop at one and I could just see the wheels spinning in mama's head, she got that crazy lady look, oh no, pretty soon we'll wake up and they'll be another one tormenting me.   But enough of my troubles, I have to go bite Mojo.  Happy tails, DeDe

Just Ask Gary (and Little Steve)

All I want is some peace and quiet but NOOOOOOOOOOO.  The last couple of days have been crazy here, there have been people going up into the attic and because we are so short we can't even get on a ladder to see what the heck is up there.  First dada was up there crawling around pulling wires, why he has to go in the attic to do that, I don't know.  He can pull wires right here and then he had to wrap some pipes.  I don't know who he is giving pipes to but it must be pretty secret since he has to hide up in the attic to wrap them and we don't even know anybody who smokes a pipe.

Then Gary and his brother Little Steve came over to tear out all the duct work and again, we didn't even know we had any up there, I never heard any quacking . They tore some fiberglass stuff out and did it stink.  That was worse than after bean burrito night around here.  Today they are putting all new stuff up there so we will have AC and heat, so far we haven't had either.

Gary and Little Steve do this work all over the area, Gary spends most of his time up in the attic and comes down all wet.  Nobody told us there was a shower up there too, what other secrets are these people keeping from us?  And Little Steve ain't so little, this makes absolutely no sense to us since he weighs around 350 pounds.

Maybe tomorrow they'll be done and we can close up the attic.  At least the ducts should be happy they have shower.   Happy tails, Mojo

Happy New Blog

Boy it has been busy around here, we had so many people here on Thursday I didn't know who to bark at first, it was very confusing, should I bark at Jack, the guy working on fixing the gutters that were wrecked by overgrown trees or at Kerry and Kerry, the guys who we found on Craigslist who came over to put in new doors.  The doors in the house were so ugly I threw up in my mouth a little bit when I looked at them.  Now we have nice white doors.  We had a new front door put on too.

Jack was a little skeptical about having his photo taken when mama asked him.  He said he was "wanted."  Who would want him I am not sure. He wore lots of necklaces with his sweat pants so I guess he was talking about the ladies wanting him.  I can see that.

Kerry and Kerry are a father/son team so it was easy keeping them straight.  They worked all day here so we got pretty used to them, we were even a little bored with them.

We have had really nice weather this week, dada has worked on sprinklers for over a week now.  They were a mess but he had holes all over the yard so we had some new places to sniff. He is slowly getting them to work so now we can take showers instead of baths.  Sometimes its just easier.

Happy tails and Happy 2011!!!  DeDe