I’ve Been Thinking

Yeah, I know if I do too much thinking I could break something in my head, but sometimes I do it anyway.

This is what seems strange to me. Republicans, for the most part, claim to be the party of religion. They talk about it all the time, yet when someone is down and out, republicans fall back on the old saying of pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Democrats on the other paw, are the party of freedom of and from religion, yet they are the first ones to hold out a helping hand to someone in need. Kinda funny how that works, isn’t it?

Have a grand weekend and if you need a good laugh, watch that Bobby Jindal speech one more time.

Hug your sweetie for me.

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (The cat who loves you guys!)

Good Stuff!

Not much on my mind today. I’m still just basking in the happiness of hearing President Obama’s speech Tuesday night. Finally we have a President I feel we can trust and feel pride in once again. Damn, that feels good.

Also, I’m still laughing at the Jindal comedy show that followed President Obama’s great speech.

What a week! Something in the air just feels good, positive and very hopeful.

Our Spooky Night

When Mr. Pop is away on a trip he always calls from wherever he is each night just to check on me and tell me he loves me. Monday night was no different. He was up in the panhandle of Florida and he called about seven o’clock to check in. I told him all was well and that the homestead was in good shape. We said our usual good night and I love you and hung up the phone.

Just as I hung up the phone I heard sirens and they seemed to stop near our street. In a few minutes a sheriff’s helicopter was circling our area with the search light on shining all around the neighborhood. About this time Martini began walking around in the living room growling. The phrase, Oh shit!, kept cruising around in my head.

I called Mr.Pop back and told him what was happening. At that point it was all so bizarre that I couldn’t help but laugh. Mr. Pop asked if the house was locked, even though he knew that it was. He said just stay inside and if anything should happen call 9-11. I was way ahead of him on that plan. I was keeping my phone with me as I entered every room. There was one thing we both thought of at the same time, Martini was going to have to be taken outside before I could call it a night and it was too early for that. So once again we said our goodnights and hung up.

Thankfully the helicopter stopped circling and things calmed down. At ten I took Martini out and everything was fine.

I have no idea what was going on. Nothing in the paper yesterday morning so I’m guessing it wasn’t much. The funny part was when I was telling Mr. Pop about the mystery Monday night he said, “Well at least you have your dog with you”. I said, “My dog doesn’t even weigh seven pounds and is less than eleven inches tall, what am I going to do if someone tries to hurt me, throw him at them?” Mr. Pop hesitated a moment and said, “Good point!”

Republicans, what the hell are you doing?

I just have to wonder, what is the point of the Republicans fighting President Obama every step of the way? Would they rather see our country totally experience a financial meltdown than maybe just give a little and put their politics aside?

Seems to me they would want to be seen as people who helped plug the leak in the boat rather than the people who prevented the leak from ever being plugged. I don’t think they are helping their already damaged party’s reputation by just standing in the way of everything. Progress is never made by simply standing still.

A Moment with Martini

And I suppose your hair looks perfect when you wake up in the morning?

What is This Thing?

Well, the dust mop, sans handle, has been here two weeks. They still tell me that he’s a dog, but I’m not so sure and here’s why. When Pop has him in the yard on his leash, if he sees anything that seems strange to him he stands up on his back legs and just stands there. He isn’t tugging at the leash or anything, he just stands there only on his back legs. I think the little dude may be part Meerkat or something. That’s just the way he stands and look at the eyes and all…..ya gotta wonder.

Whatever he is, he doesn’t bother me and I don’t bother him. We both get tons of love and attention so it’s all good.

Have a great weekend and enjoy a sweet moment

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (The cat that loves you guys!)

I really should be ashamed, but honestly, I ‘m not

I haven’t been making the blog rounds for about a week or so now. I throw my post up for the day and swoosh, I’m gone from the computer for the greater part of the day. I just can’t concentrate on reading as of late. Maybe it has something to do with this little creature who is sitting here on the floor with a little pink pig toy in his mouth.

I have been thinking about things lately and I think I have come up with a rational reason for the amount of time I have spent on the computer for the past three plus years. The last two years of Murphy’s life I was more of a caregiver than anything else. Once he was settled in and sleeping in the mornings, I would escape in body and mind to the computer to avoid what I knew would one day be the inevitable. I knew it, I just didn’t want to watch him and be reminded of it all day each day. The computer took all those thoughts and hid them for a while. It covered the depression that I was feeling daily.

Then after Murphy’s death (it’s still difficult to write those four words) I came to the computer for almost a year, again as my friend who took my mind off thoughts I didn’t want to think. It was sort of like that commercial, “Calgon take me away”, and my computer did indeed take me away.

But now all that has changed. I have this sweet little creature who just wants to play and have fun all day long. He’s new life and a life that has a long happy future. I am a sucker for happiness. It’ll get me every time. I don’t want to miss a moment of this new happiness, not one moment of any of it.

So please forgive me for being selfish and pretty much ignoring my computer during the day, I just have new experiences to explore and relish right now. Oh sure, I’ll continue to post just as I always have, you just might not see my paw prints very much around the web for a little while.

(the photo above is courtesy of the rescue group)

They’re Just Jealous as Hell

We all know the Republicans in DC are dining day and night on sour grapes these days and I think I know the real reason. I think they are just plain jealous of our President and the Democratic party in general. We, along with some Republicans, elected an intelligent, well spoken, level headed, cool as hell guy. What do the Republicans have now? They have nothing and they know it. I tell ya, they are just plain jealous as hell and that’s making them all grumpy and grouchy. They can’t match President Obama so the only thing they know to do is try to destroy him. They’re really gonna be pissed when they find out they can’t do that either.

Martini’s Big Mystery

I still have some plush toys that I bought for Murphy, even when he was just too old to care about them. He never played with them and after his death I just couldn’t part with them.

Saturday, Mr. Pop was using this computer to catch up on some reports that were due for his lab. While he worked, I got out all those little plush toys and gave them to Martini. He sniffed them and just sort of looked at them. I tossed one and he quickly brought it back to me. Okay, he seemed to say, if they are retrievable, maybe they just might be fun.

He and I were playing with one toy and about the third time he bit into it to pick it up, he hit the squeaker in the toy. The toy squeaked. Martini dropped the toy, jumped back and his ears perked up big time. He apparently had never in his two years of life had a squeaky toy. He quickly turned the toy over looking for the origin of the sound. He moved the toy and looked where the toy had been. His own little self imposed duty was to find out what made that noise and where was it.

By this time Mr. Pop had taken a breather from his work and joined in the fun. While Martini was still searching the one toy for the squeaking sound, Mr. Pop picked up one of the other toys and made it squeak. Martini quickly turned around and looked at Mr. Pop in total little dog confusion. While that was going on, I took another of the toys and showed him that one squeaked too. All of a sudden the tiny little tail started wagging at top speed. He started pouncing from one toy to another making each one squeak. It reminded me of a scene from that Tom Hanks movie where he is dancing on giant piano keys.

While it was fun and funny to watch the little pouncing dog making all sorts of toys squeak, it was sad to me that a squeaky toy would be so foreign to a little two year old dog. That in my opinion should be a rule. Every little dog should have a squeaky toy every year of its life.

Big Republican Gamble

To hear some republicans yesterday morning, the stimulus package is already a total failure. Not even 48 hours had passed and the bill hasn’t even been signed into law, but according to them, it just won’t work.

In my opinion they took the mother of all gambles when they voted against this bill. Do they really think the public is so stupid that they won’t remember that at least President Obama attempted to do something? What have the republicans done over the last few years to try to avoid this financial collapse? This disaster didn’t just happen over night.

Jeez Louise!

What is all the excitement about. Pop brings in this dust mop without a handle and you would think the world has changed or something. I mean really, you call that little furry thing a dog? I’m pretty sure I have seen hairballs larger than that.

Okay, the little guy is kind of cute, but don’t ever let him know I said that. He is kind of fun to watch too. If I didn’t know better I would accuse him of being a windup toy. He’s just constantly curious about everything. He needs to take lessons from me and sleep more often. Take advantage of being a pet in this household, relax and let the humans wait on you hand and foot.

I know that soon Pop is going to want to take a picture of us together. I am not up for that. Share a picture frame with that little fur mobile? I don’t think so. Even a cat has his pride and dignity. If you knew how many shots Pop has to take of me to even get one good one, you would just laugh thinking about how many she would have to take to get a good one with both of us in the frame.

So now we are a balanced family once again. There’s a dog in the house along with a cat. You know what? It feels damned good!

Have a good weekend and see if you too might bring a new friend into your life.

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys!)

Thank You!

I bet you guys are glad I don’t have kids after all the dog posts and photos I have posted lately. A whole bunch of kid pictures would probably drive you over the edge. I promise to cut back on the Martini stories as time goes by.

I just want to thank everyone for all the sweet comments you have made this last week in regard to my little dog and our family in general. You guys were there for me as I tried and continued to fail in my dog search. Now you have been with me in my fun times and I just want to thank you from the very bottom of my heart.

My Martini, neither shaken nor stirred

Oh, what a little dog. He’s two years old, neutered, housebroken, already has learned his new name and is bilingual (understands commands in Spanish and English). What more could you want? Oh yeah, he’s gentle and sweet as can be. He weighs a hefty 6.8 pounds and is very easy going. He acts like he’s lived here all his life.

He ignores Fred the Cat and Fred the Cat ignores him. We have a peaceful kingdom here.

To make Martini’s day, just ask him to go get his toy ball. The little guy lives to chase that ball and bring it to you for you to throw it again. He brings the ball to you and politely sits while you take it and throw it. I think he would repeat this until he dropped.

There has been one problem. Remember how persnickety the foster mom was about being sure I could give him everything he needed, care for him and have the right home for him? She even inquired about how much Fred the Cat weighed. Our vet’s office told us when she called for references about us, she asked how Murphy was euthanized and why. The vet explained to her that he was about 16 years old, blind, deaf and had canine dementia. The exact same thing I had told the woman when I filled out the application to adopt a dog from her.

Well, after taking possession of Martini from the foster mom last Thursday afternoon, we discovered Saturday morning that he was loaded with ticks. Thankfully we could get in touch with Mr. Pop’s sister, who is a veterinarian, she told us to get a package of Frontline. We applied it according to directions and now hopefully we are on the track to tick-less-ness. The only ones we are finding are dead.

While the foster mom was so picky with me, I wonder if she was as picky with her own care of Martini? Perhaps she could be a little less persnickety and a little more responsible.

(this photo of Martini was captured from the foster group’s website)

Like a Breath of Fresh Air

Wasn’t that refreshing and welcomed yesterday to see our President appearing before an audience in Indiana that was not prescreened,taking questions that were not pre-scripted and from real people just like you and me?

I know the Republicans are desperate to appear relevant but do they really want to fight the President all the way on this stimulus/spending bill? I’m not sure the people of the United States have the stomach for political games right now. Plus, if the bill works and Americans regain their sense of job security, won’t the Republicans look peevish and childish for all of their blustering?

Beginning Year Four

Today marks the beginning of the fourth year of Morning Martini. These past three years have seen their share of tears and happiness here at the Pop home. Highlights and lowlights, for all of us I would suspect.

Here’s to another year of friendship and hopefully prosperity. I want to thank each and every person who has taken a few minutes out of their day to read my posts and share their thoughts with me. What friends you are, and oh, I do consider you my real friends even if you do exist somewhere out there in cyberspace. Sometimes I think cyberspace is one of the nicest places to live.

With that sweet little face, in the photo above, smiling at me each morning, along with Mr. Pop and Fred the Cat, how could I ever have anything to complain about? If there are such things as blessings, I sure do have my share.

New Martini this Morning

Yep, at last, he’s here!

If you don’t see me around the net for a little while, you’ll know why. I’ll be playing and snuggling with Martini. The rescue group gave him the name “Sully” while he was featured on their website, but henceforth his name is Martini.

Just try to wipe this smile off my face. You can’t, it’s here to stay.
Next Friday, I’ll let Fred the Cat give you his take on the new family member. So far it would seem that Fred thinks he’s boring.

As Fred would say, Have a great weekend and hug your honeys.

Sincerely,
Pop the blogger (the blogger who loves you guys!)

You may be able to uncross your paws today

This should be a big day here at the Pop home. Someone special is arriving this afternoon. If all goes well, instead of Fred the Cat posting tomorrow, I’ll have something special to show to you. That little bed in the picture might not be empty tonight.

Doggie Update

I talked to the little dog’s foster mom on Monday. She said the vet had administered some meds for him and had given him some special food that is supposed to calm an upset stomach. Of course none of this had time to make a difference yet at that point.

Tuesday morning she emailed me to tell me that there had been no accidents during the night and there seemed to be some improvement. Thank goodness for sweet favors.

Hopefully by this coming weekend he will be able to come home to his forever home. We sure are looking forward to his arrival. We have a new doggie bed waiting for him along with a toy, a new leash, a new nylon harness and even a little block of stairs that will aid him when he wants to get on our bed. He’s just so little and our bed is just so high, I want to teach him the ease of using his little stairs.

This little dog has caused me to go a long way in stimulating our sluggish national economy. If everyone got a new little pet and went shopping for toys and supplies, the economy would bounce back in a heartbeat. Are you listening President Obama?

A little Republican Hypocrisy?

Ya gotta love it. Today the Republicans are all so terribly concerned about the tax payers money and the national debt. Too bad they didn’t show that same concern when zillions of our dollars were going to contractors to rebuild Iraq. I think we all remember how well that worked out for us. Here’s a reminder in case you forgot. “Hard lesson: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience” a report on what went right and what went wrong in the reconstruction of Iraq.

More on this report, here from NY Times in December of 2008. The report has now been published.
“American-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts an effort crippled before the invasion by Pentagon planners who were hostile to the idea of rebuilding a foreign country, and then molded into a $100 billion failure by bureaucratic turf wars, spiraling violence and ignorance of the basic elements of Iraqi society and infrastructure.”

You can read the rest of the article here.

Were any Republicans paying attention at the time? Is anyone paying attention to this now? The reconstruction is still going on in Iraq and is there as much Republican oversight going on over that as is going on over this stimulus plan? I doubt it.

The Dog Saga Continues

Friday night the lady from the Yorkie Rescue called me. She had talked with all the people I had given as references, including the groomer who used to groom Murphy. She said she had never heard so many nice things about any couple who had applied to adopt one of their dogs. Without even yet seeing my home or anything she said, “This little dog is yours.” Well, I about exploded with excitement. At last I had a dog.

Saturday morning the same lady called to tell me the little dog was ill. She said he had diarrhea all during the night. She had fed him a new kind of food Friday night and attributed his upset stomach to that source. She was going to keep an eye on him and if his problems were over, she would bring him to me at two in the afternoon.

Later Saturday she called to say his problems continued and she would reschedule her delivery of him until Sunday at two. Sunday morning I received an email from her saying not only was the diarrhea continuing but now he was throwing up also. Her plan was to take him to the vet early this morning.

My heart is broken (again) because now the little dog that is mine is sick and I can’t take care of him. The lady said he can’t come to me until all is well with him. Of course I’m not unhappy that I’m not dealing with the unpleasant part of his problems but I just have a sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach that for whatever reason, this foster mother is so attached to the little dog that she may never let go.

More than anything, I want to be wrong.
***
Oh, and about the picture in my last post. Yes, it is the center of one of Mr. Pop’s orchids. You guys are such smarty-pants. I thought I could fool you. That time I really was wrong. Sometimes being wrong is a good thing.