Mystery and Adventure

Well, the CJ "stalking" mystery is solved! She hasn't "lost her marbles" as my mom so delicately put it. THERE REALLY IS A MOUSE!!!!! For four days we've been making cracks about it here at HOSE, and tonight she ran into the living room with a live MOUSE in her mouth! She dropped it and I helped her corner it, but then it got away before my mom could put the trash can over it and trap it.
Now of course, the humans are looking back in hindsight. My aunt heard scratching behind her desk and my one mom heard it too, now that you mention it....DUH... And my aunt kept telling me to go away because I sensed there was something back there. The humans were perturbed with us because we were agitated by all this. I have to admit that I wasn't sure CJ was all there. So I am publicly apologizing to CJ here and now. And I am including a photo of what I am getting her for Christmas as a reward. Batman has the Batmobile. Well CJ's gonna have the CATMOBILE. My aunt took the picture when she and aunt Pat were in Memphis a few years ago. It was parked outside the world-famous Peabody Hotel (that's a whole different story I can tell 'ya) so she snapped it. Supposedly it's the Meow Mix car, but it's gonna be CJ's Catmobile. I am also including a photo of CJ exhausted after proving she really WAS stalking something!

Sorry CJ
Your friend,
Molly

Remember the Pets with Lavish Gifts

Well, here it is. My first annual holiday giving suggestions. I have scoured magazines and web sites and have come up with great things your pooch will love. Several of the web sites mentioned are Canadian, but they ship to the US.

Well - one of my very favorite sites is for a company in California called SIGNAFUR (www.signafur.com).
They have SO many cool things ...I absolutely LOVE collars, and they have a jingle bell collar that is just so cute. Also a beautiful pink and purple leather collar they call the "coach" model. They have cool clothes, a great pet bowl mat, nice travel bags, cool toys and SPA PRODUCTS!!! Pal Dog brand beauty potions look especially nice.

If you can believe it, right around this neck of the woods - in Monroe Twp NJ - there's a company called italTrend that makes faux fur coats for dogs! (www.italTrend.us)
They also have fancy dog sculptures and DOG MANNEQUINS! A bit too fou fou for me, but I thought I needed to mention it.

CHI-CHI COUTURE (www.chi-chicouture.com) is one of my favorite companies. I actually OWN one of their products - my Halloween "skulls" party collar that my aunt brought me from Atlantic City. They have all kinds of coll party/holiday collars and other neat stuff. Jakes also carries their things.

DJ PETS (www.djpets.com) has a wonderful selection of designer furniture (yes, furniture for us to sit in and watch the stupid videos you're going to leave us with) for dogs and cats. Chairs and chaises lounges. Very nice, very elegant, very practical.

That's it for now, I might have a few more later. Til next time,
Your friend,
Molly

The Year of the Dog

Before I get to the post about my Christmas gift suggestions, I'd like to let everyone know that On January 30, 2006 (Chinese New Year), The Year of the Dog begins! And it's about time I would say! So, it's gonna be a great year for me, Molly. And maybe for you if you were born in one of the "dog" years. I will mention the years and the types of dogs - if you were born in one of these years, you'll know what kind of dog you are.
Fire dogs - 1946, 2006
Water dogs - 1922,1982
Wood dogs - 1934, 1994
Earth dogs - 1958,2018
Metal dogs - 1910,1970
Also, don't know if you know this, but those born under the sign of the dog make ideal secret agents and business people. This is great news for me! I am very good at snooping, and it looks like my coffee shop in Vegas will be a success! Some say that the best way to achieve happiness in a dog year is to spend more time with your family and that includes - PETS!

So, it's never too early to prepare for the upcoming Chinese New Year! Chinatown here we come!!!

Your friend,
Molly

Bah, Humbug

See what I put up with ???

Weekend Musings

Well! LOTS of activities around here this weekend. Yesterday my aunt picked up my cousin John at Penn where he goes to school. I heard her telling my moms that they had cheesesteaks at Rick's and then went to buy Amish chicken wings from Diener's. My aunt loves that place. Then they went to the French creperie and had sweet crepes for dessert - John had banana and Nutella and the aunt had strawberries and Nutella. Sounds good, but notice I haven't mentioned that she brought me anything good to eat. Oh, no-o-o-o-o...she felt she had to bring me a Santa Claus hat to put on me and make me look ridiculous. I guess she was going to make a picture for her Christmas cards at MY expense. Well I did everything I possibly could to make it impossible for her. I think she managed to snap a few. She better be giving me something for Christmas and it better be nice. Sheesh. I am always a good sport when they are trying to dress me in things and stuff, but this one was really testing my patience.
So we all watched "Hannah and Her Sisters" last night, one of my aunt's favorite movies. Woody Allen might be a perv, he might not be, but he is a genius of film and he always films his New York films with such love for the city. Anyway, it was my first time seeing it and it was good. C.J., of course, was in and out because she INSISTS on stalking the invisible thing in the kitchen. She was there again today. I will never understand cats.
By the way, yesterday was also my friend Churchill's 2nd birthday! Happy birthday, Churchill! I am sure it was very festive with the Moorestown NJ Doggie Playgroup people.
Today is quite the crazy day! I wouldn't go to the Einstein Bagel Park with my mom. It is too slippery out and I wouldn't get in the car. I don't want a concussion. So she went to Einstein's without me and brought back bagels for the household. My aunt usually goes out for breakfast, but as a result, she stayed in and made a big pot of coffee. She said her goal was to stay in her pajamas all day, and so far she's still in them.
Everyone in the House of the Self Employed is hard at work with the holiday spirit. Mom Bobbie has been making and decoupaging Christmas stuff all day, Mom Laurina has been baking 9 dozen cookies (very delicious ginger molasses ones she won't let me have any of) all day for her book group tomorrow night, and my aunt has been making a box set of holiday music cd's - a three cd set called A Sallynoggin Christmas or something. Very mixed - Peggy Lee, Death Cab for Cutie, The Roches, George Strait, George Winston and everyone in between. Everyone is in a good mood and laughing and making jokes. My moms are both feeling better and it shows. Everyone is happy. Mom Bobbie and my aunt are bugging my other mom for cookies.
So who knows what will be going on around here tonight. Right now we are listening to the Sallynoggin Christmas cd's - while the baking, crafting and typing is going on.
In my next column I will be giving suggestions for holiday gifts for your canine (oh, ok and maybe a few feline) friends, along with some good magazines and web sites and my personal Christmas gift wish list.

Until next time,
Your friend,
Molly

How to Play in the Leaves.......

Here he is, the lovable Churchill, having his version of a good time

A Quiet Day

Well yet another "Storm of the Century" has come and gone. This morning was a mess around here. My moms had to go out and do something which was making them leave the house at 7:00 and my aunt was leaving early too. So I had to be taken out a little earlier than usual and boy was it nasty! I'm not happy with all the heavy wet slush and stuff that was around this morning. I get things caught between my toes and it doesn't feel nice. My mom Bobbie did not seem very sympathetic, either, I can tell you. I heard her making fun of me to my aunt when we got back, something about acting like I was dying so I could get the attention, etc. Let me tell you, you try walking around in that stuff in your bare feet and see how YOU like it!
My aunt cancelled her appointment and came back home and hung out with me and CJ. Well, rather, we all kind of snoozed together on the couch. She said she couldn't sleep last night because she had a Coke Icee very late and that was a very bad idea. Who would drink that fluffy looking stuff anyway. It's weird looking. But my moms had to go to NJ and it took them an hour and a half! It was very icy and the roads weren't properly taken care of, and the rain made it worse. But hadn't they been talking about this thing for a week? Weren't the salt trucks parked near the airport since last night? My moms report that NJ DOT took much better care of the roads than PennDOT, that 295 was nothing compared to how bad 95 was. I say Gov Rendell ought to pay more attention to that stuff than pontificating about the Eagles on tv.
Then all of a sudden the sun came out and the sky got blue. It's a quiet day here. My mom and my aunt had Nanny's world famous Sloppy Joes for lunch, and they were oohing and aaahing again. I don't know if I'll have another walk or not, but I don't really care today. It's still very icky outside.
I promised you a picture of my good friend Churchill playing in the leaves, so I am going to post them here. He is so cute. I heard my mom call him "fatso" again....not nice, mom....

Your friend,
Molly

The cousin pictures

The top picture is the "after" (4 hour grooming session) and the bottom one is the "before" (4 years of NO grooming)

And more dogs............

I'm back. I mentioned in an earlier post that I have a new cousin. Her name is Hershey and she is a 140 pound brown Newfoundland. She lives with my Uncle Griff and his family in suburban DC. She's four years old and was kinda neglected by her previous owner. She's in a good home, now. She hadn't been groomed in ages and I don't think she ever had a bath. My aunt took lots of photos of her over the Thanksgiving holiday pre-grooming, and then Nanny (my aunt's mom) emailed a few post-grooming. AND she got a bath! Boy, I bet that was a lot of splashing.
My aunt told me that I am still #1 in her heart. She gets to see me every day and I am too smart and charming (and cute!) for her to forsake me. I hope to someday meet my new cousin.
I was one lucky dog today, boy. Mom Laurina took me for a BIG walk this morning, we both got good workouts and it was a good long one. Then this afternoon I got another great one. It was a beautiful day and I was happy to be out and about.
CJ spent the better part of an hour this afternoon in stalking mode. She would not move from a spot in the kitchen, following some imaginary something with intense slinking, stalking body language. We all looked and couldn't see a darn thing, but she wouldn't move or chage her fixed gaze. Sometimes CJ is just plain weird. But I am not complaining, she is still hanging out with me and she plays with me once in awhile. The other night, my aunt was on the couch reading, I was curled around her legs and CJ was nestled in right between us. It was SO cozy. But then the whole next day, CJ acted like she didn't know me and couldn't stand me. Boy, cats are just plain crazy.
The holidays are coming. I hope everyone is busy buying collars, treats, luxurious beds and blankets and such for the beloved canine companions. I don't know if Santa Dog is coming to the Household of the Self Employed, but I'll keep my paws crossed. CJ says she knows Kitty Claus is coming so leaver her alone. Sheesh.
Well, it is dinner time and whatever my mom is making smells delicious. I hope I'll get to lick at least one plate.

Your friend,
Molly

Today's Post..................Dogs, Dogs, Dogs

Today the world has been remembering the fact that 25 years ago today, a creep killed John Lennon. Of course I wasn't around, but I know, as a history and pop culture buff, not to mention a major music fan, that it was a shocking and tragic event and it made a great musical icon go away before his time. My aunt listens to Irish radio stations streaming over the internet every day and today one of her favorite Irish musicians, Sharon Shannon, was live in the studio with a band. One of the songs they played was an amazing version of Norwegian Wood and they dedicated it to John. It was wonderful.
I would like to mention a beautiful dog that recently left us. Our household has Mary Chapin Carpenter fanatics living in it. Well, a few weeks back, on my aunt's birthday as a matter of fact, one of MCC's most famous dogs, Cal, joined his little brother Reilly romping through endless space. Mom Bobbie and my aunt met Cal on many summer days and nights on many of their famous road trips following the band. On one occasion in upstate New York, before a concert in Lewiston, the two of them were camped out in the afternoon relaxing near the backstage area. Cal was out for a run and went over to play with them. Before you knew it, Cal grabbed one of my mom's sneakers, which she had removed, and ran off with it in his mouth. He was a very playful Golden Retriever who lived a long good life. I like to think of him where he is now, instead of how he was at the end - 13, deaf, almost blind, unable to get around and enjoy the farm.
Rest peacefully, Cal -
Your friend,
Molly

Cats and Puppies

I have BIG news!!! CJ (my aunt's cat who barely tolerated me) and I are hangin' out!!!!! For the last few days, she's been very friendly and we trot around the house together, get underfoot in the kitchen together and play. Yesterday she was lying on the rug in the office and I was standing right next to her and she didn't hiss or shoo me away or anything. She was lying on her back, very submissive. At least she knows who the Alpha Dog is around here! Anyway, last night we were also playing this game in the kitchen where we play and then I trap her under the kitchen chair like she's in jail. I'm not sure she likes the game, but we've been playing it. We were playing with a rubber band and having just a wonderful time (especially CJ), but my aunt spoiled it and made my mom take it away. Ever since some cat in her family named Sweetie Pie ate ropes of tinsel garland years ago, she is very protective of kitties playing with the most fun toys. I heard her whispering to CJ earlier today she might be getting some fresh catnip for Christmas. Great, just when the cat was starting to play, she's gonna be zonked out all the time.
I have so many pictures to share with you, I don't know where to start, but since I mentioned in my last post about the visit to Moorestown to see River and her puppies, I'll post some of them here. They ARE pretty cute, aren't they?

Talk to you later -
Your friend,
Molly

Finally back in business..............

Well, I tried to show you two pictures from Las Vegas yesterday and I couldn't get them uploaded no matter what I tried. One was a sign from my new business out there that my friend is running for me. This is disappointing, becuase with my blog, the visuals are very important. I have SO many pictures to share with you, too, including NEW pictures of Rivers puppies, who were visited recently and boy! have they grown up! They are running everywhere including underfoot. They live with their mother and grandmother in Moorestown. Oh, yes and with Lini and her mom, who was a gracious hostess the day of the visit. They are so darn cute. The grandma dog wasn't real friendly, though. She seems to like her turf - a lot. Aunt Pat took my aunt to visit. I also want to share, when this stupid issue works itself out, a new picture of my friend Churchill playing in the leaves AND the biggest news of all - my new cousin Hershey, a 4 year old, 140 pound brown Newfoundland. She lives with my uncle Griff's family in Maryland.
I also have to catch you up more on what I have been up to, including a traumatic experience I had in the creek at the park. Sheesh. I was scared.

OK OK OK - now we are back in business with the photos. P-h-e-w!

If you or a friend are ever in Vegas, please patronize your independent local coffee shop

Your friend
Molly

I'm Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I know that this hasn't been updated in more than six weeks. I apologize, but I have been very busy, and my moms and my aunt have been very busy. I can only post when my aunt can type for me, and she's been a real pain!
Anyway, a lot has happened, and I will try very hard to get you caught up - AND I will try to STAY caught up.
First of all, my mom Bobbie and my aunt went to Las Vegas at the end of October. They were there during my aunt's birthday, the end of the "44-55" year (inside joke). When they weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing there, they ran all over the place and took lots of pictures. They went to Hoover Dam and the Red Rocks Canyon, and when they were in town they went all over the world - Paris, Rome (Caesar's), New York New York, Venice (Venetian), Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Hard Rock, and the beautiful JW Marriott Resort up in the hills. They went downtown to the old part, which includes the Neon Museum - my aunt is crazy for neon signs and so is my mom. They took millions of pictures. I will include some of them here. They played Roulette and Slots and Draw Poker (machines). They didn't do too badly, my aunt came out a little ahead, apparently. They celebrated the birthday at the Border Grill, owned by the Two Hot Tamales (they went, along with Aunt Pat, to the original one in Santa Monica one time). They also had In-And-Out Burger (yum!!!) and my mom dressed as a worker from there for Halloween, complete with the paper hat the workers wear!
One downside of their trip, though, was they discovered a little secret of mine. I own a business there, and I was really hoping they wouldn't discover it. Through a friend out west, I opened a little coffee shop. nothing fancy, but it's mine. It's hard being an absentee owner, but a German Shepherd I know manages it perfectly and sends me a weekly deposit. Needless to say, it opens and closes on time.
Speaking of Halloween, we had a little party at my house for Halloween. My other mom Laurina was dressed as a spelunker, my aunt was a Phillie, my aunt and uncle, Jean and Bob, came over, and my cousin Kyra was the prettiest cowgirl I ever saw! I wore my fluffy skulls collar my aunt brought me from Atlantic City. We seem to like Day of the Dead a lot in my house, so skulls and skeletons are huge here. I will end this post here, and start a new one with more updates.

Back in a minute,
Your friend,
Molly

Hump day

Well they always say Wednesday is "hump day" - the work week being half over. I've been working hard today, keeping my aunt company while she slept, not feeling too well. Then my moms took me for a couple of walks. There were outside meetings and doctors appointments and all kinds of activities today. My moms also went to a movie.
This morning my aunt was saying not-so-nice things to the coffee maker. Yesterday, Mom Laurina was sorta doing the same thing. My aunt got fed up and tonight they went shopping to Target and Bed Bath & Beyond. They came home with a new tripod for the aunt, and a cool new coffee maker that doesn't use a pot. Hmmm. Mom played with the new coffee machine while auntie played with the tripod. She is ALWAYS taking pictures of all of us. Sheesh. Well, perhaps I will be famous someday, you just never know.
I also forgot to mention the very BIG NEWS in my aunt's life. The wedding to uncle Blake is off! She is citing fraud, just like that movie star that married the country singer. Turns out it was only going to be a marriage of convenience so she could get an Irish passport. You can only get one if your parents or grandparents were born on the Emerald Isle, and both of his were.
There is one little irritating detail, though. They were born on the part of the island that is BRITISH - the NORTH! I am still going to think of him as Uncle Blake though, and he is a big big dog lover. But now the search must begin anew. The landlord said no, his sister is married and the waiter in Provincetown was gay. I say three strikes and you are out, personally. I don't want her to move over there anyway. If she wants Bewley's coffee so badly, Mrs Turner (more on HER at another time) says you can get it at Wegman's when it opens. I hope so, I'm sick of hearing about Bewley's. I would like to visit Ireland someday, and see all my sheep herding cousins. My Irish name is Molly O'Cashin after my Irish-American mom.
I think to make the NJ dog people happy, I will post a picture two of my Aunt Pat's pets-
Ringo, who you haven't seen yet - he's a Labradoodle - and her cat, Boots. This is one of the cutest pictures ever.
My other mom and my aunt are getting really excited about their trip to Las Vegas. Maybe when they come home having hit the jackpot, I will get some new digs. Or at least treats.

Catch you later -
Your Friend
Molly