The Weather Outside IS Frightful

Oh such dramatic weather we are having!

I know that I have posted snow pictures before, but really, and inch or two is all we EVER get, if we get anything here. Even in Colorado over Thanksgiving the snow was nothing like this. Frank had a bit of trouble navigating at first...



but he very quickly warmed up and became quite nimble and quick indeed:



Oh Frank! You are so very adaptable! (I particularly enjoy the back leg bunny hop) Who says that natural selection would have wiped out the pug?

Well, I am sad to say that we are preparing to leave Frank for 3 nights. We are off to Omaha in the VERY early AM, IF we actually get out, and it is too many hours in the travel house for a wee pug - very sad, he would love to visit his other grandparents! Perhaps someday there will be a direct flight!

We would however, like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holiday !


Oh Frank, you don't look pleased at all for such a handsome reindeer.

Frank the Sloth

Since Frank and I are assuming that anyone who visits this blog must surly enjoy things that are small, furry, and handsome, we felt that each and every visitor would very much enjoy this clip (sent from a delightful work colleague who is, I believe in my heart, quite a fan of Frank).

It is hard to believe that this originally came from a website called cutethingsfallingasleep.org. Yes. That is, in fact, a real website. However, since the delightful video that Frank wishes for you to see is no longer the first on the page (replaced by some baby, who is NOT furry) we are linking you directly to the youtube video... I highly recommend watching the full minute and 16 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUKDEYc665s

Once you have watched the video, Frank would like you to remember that he too can fall asleep like a baby sloth:
And yes, that is a spot of Frank drool on my shirt.

A Guilty Party

Oh hey! Hey, why are you looking at me?

Have I seen the what? What whipped cream?


Oh Frank, if only your tongue licked down as well as up...

From Russia with Love

Babushka (as defined by Merriam-Webster online): an elderly Russian woman, often portrayed wearing a kerchief or headscarf.

Oh my.
I think we may have found Frank's Halloween costume for next year. We don't even need to paint on any wrinkles. Though technically that is a leg warmer, not a kerchief...

The Holiday Blues

It's that time again!

Time to bring out the Christmas decorations at home!
The first thing out of the box were Frank's Christmas toys which are tucked away each year so as to trick Frank into thinking that they are brand new the next year. I must admit that Frank does not look very convinced. Or pleased.
Perhaps this is because, in truth, he is rather depressed. After spending just over a week at his vacation home with constant large amounts of people, walks in the park off leash, food falling on the floor, a place at the table, and toasty fires in the fireplace, it is fairly safe to say that this small pug is displeased to be home...

This has been his regular position:

...sulking oh so dramatically in front of the space heater. Every so often he peers up at me in order to remind us that CLEARLY this is a completely unacceptable substitution.

Yes Frank, I know. Your life is very hard.
(Please note in picture: 3 people, toasty fire, warm carpet, happy pug)

In an effort to cheer Frank up, I purchased him a festive new holiday collar; you may have enjoyed noticing this in the earlier pictures.


Oh FRANK! Stylish and festive indeed!
Though this purchase warms the cockles of my heart, I am pretty sure that Frank has remained unimpressed.

In another effort to cure Frank's depression, we did spend much of the evening last night at home with him decorating our very small tree (we will be in Omaha for Christmas, so needed only a wee version. Sadly, though invited, Frank will be here with the tree and a delightful pug sitter as the flight to Omaha is 2 planes and would mean about 10 hours in the travel house.)

Alas, Frank was less than enthused about the tree as well.

But Frank! You are so well represented this year!


Please note that the giver of this delightful ornament took it into her creative hands to Sharpie out one of the eyes so as to make a most accurate representation:




Frank, it seemed, remained unmoved...


Oh dear... perhaps some eggnog latte would cheer him up and on...

A Very Helpful Pug....

With Thanksgiving over and Christmas on the way it was with much delight that Frank and I awoke to a thin layer of snow on the ground! We don't get a whole lot of snow in our corner of the country, sadly, so this was rather exciting for all parties involved. Or at least it was exciting for Frank. And for me.

To celebrate the Winter Wonderland, the family decided that it was time to break out the Christmas decorations. Frank eagerly accompanied us to the nursery where we picked up the garland, and when we got home he was very instrumental in observing the first chapter of the decorating...

Now Frank! No one likes to work under the pressure of such a scrutinizing eye!

Once the garland was satisfactorily in place, Frank felt free to enjoy the snow. First he tried, as any true pug would, to see if it was delicious and to ingest as much as possible....

Oh Frank! So delicious and refreshing!

He then attempted to run at pug mock ten in circles around the yard which resulted in a rather catastrophic wipe out...

Oh my, well at least it was on the right side of his face. No one enjoys frostbite on their only eyeball.

And then! It was time for Frank's new favorite game: "Wherever did the ball go?"

(I may recommend that you turn off the volume for this as there is rather constant commentary from the family about nothing in particular going on for it's full duration, loudly, in the background, and I can not for the life of me figure out how to edit the frickin' thing)



Now, being that Frank is so young, handsome, and bright, he did eventually figure out the mystery of the snowball, at which point, again with true pug delight, he proceeded to consume as much as possible. (Again, I apologize for the shoddy camera work and the fact I that could not edit these cinematic masterpieces down a bit. Try not to get motion sick.)

Oh so tasty!

After his most exhausting and rugged day in the outdoors, Frank was ever so worn out and chilled that he was forced to find the warmest place possible for the rest of the night.

(Please note the large pile of new Colorado toys under the chair)
Oh Frank. It is very hard indeed to be you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Everyone deserves a place at the table for a Thanksgiving feast!

Before:

and After:

Oh Frank! Delicious!

The Well Traveled Pug

Well, Frank and I have had a very busy day packing for our trip.

Below we see pictured all of the necessary elements required for satisfactory pug travel:

• 1 large bag of kibble. Frank's grandmother has kibble for him, but I failed to mention to her that during this fall's "why is Frank so itchy" episode, we switched from Original Formula to Venison and Sweet Potato Wheat Free Hypoallergenic Formula. You may be assuming from the title that his was not the most economic choice to make, and I would like to assure you that your assumption is correct. Also, the flight will be crossing over Frank's dinner time, and I think we can safely say that no one enjoys a hungry pug sulking very loudly under the seat.
  

• 1 delicious cow hock for subtle chewing under the seat of the airplane - yum, yum!

• 1 travel certificate from the vet. Frank's dad insists that I could just use the same one over and over, but Frank feels it is rather important to play by the rules... Oh Frank! How well behaved you are!
  

• A travel water container with an Oh Frank sticker on it. This is to fill up once we are through security, we then pour the water into the ...

• ...small Tupperware water container for in flight hydration.

• Headless Turtle. We don't like to travel without Headless Turtle these days, Frank has taken to searching for both HT and Gentle Pig at night.
  

• A very deceptive $50 dollar bill. One actually needs 4 of these. Wait, no, 5. One for the health certificate, 2 for the trip out, and 2 for the trip back. Having a handsome pug by your side, it turns out, is not really a bargain. And FYI, my paltry human airfare was only 22$ more.
  

• Baggies - no explanation needed. We rather hope that we will never need these during a flight, but no need to court disaster just in case!
  

• Two prescription eye drops. These will, of course, have to make the journey along with all of my lip gloss in my one quart plastic baggie.
  

• One yellow doggie parka, represented by the hood here as the coat is in the wash so as to be sparkly and clean upon departure.

• Gentle Pig. We do NOT leave home overnight without gentle pig; Frank will wander about at night for hours looking for him, no matter where we are.
  

• 1 pug sized travel house - regulation size of course, to fit under the airplane seat.

and last but most decidedly not least:

• 1 small furry pug - though I must admit, he is looking rather less small these days. Hmm. perhaps it is that Sweet Potato and Venison diet..
  

Oh Frank! What a handsome ready traveller you are!

The Holidays Are Here! Well. Almost...

...and someone is ever so eager!

Today it was time to get down Frank's "travel house". Frank loves his travel house because whenever he gets zipped into it he takes a warm 3 hour nap then wakes up at his vacation home where Grandma R has all sorts of toys and treats just waiting for him! Today was no exception; the house came down and Frank jumped expectantly inside.

I made him get back out so that we could illustrate the eagerness with which he enters his bag, but you may want to turn your volume down first, there is a rather high pitched Frank yelp of joy...



Frank refused to move out of his bag for the rest of the day, so after I found him shivering in it right by the door, the bag was relocated next to Franks favorite warm space heater....


Yep. Life is pretty tough when you are Frank....

Sick Day!

Frank was delighted yesterday when I woke up feeling quite ill and announced that it was a Sick Day. A Sick Day for Frank is much the same as a Snow Day for a kiddie, meaning that the strenuous work of the day (sitting at the window observing the world, and sometimes being left alone) is cancelled out by the possibility of a nonstop warm place to snuggle in. Let us take a peek at the harrowing progression of Frank's sick day....

8:00 am - I dared to get up to take some Advil and wonder whether coffee would help or hinder the healing process...Frank, as you can see, waited very patiently for my return...

10:00 am - Coffee did not, in fact, help to make anyone feel better; turns out snoozing was the order of the day, much to the delight of a pug...

12:00 - I dared to disturb the pug in order to take a brief spin in the tub. Fortunately the heat was blowing so Frank did not have to suffer too much the loss of his warm lap...

Oh Frank! I'm sorry, did I disturb you? How very rude of me....

2:00 A little time for the news (translation: our snoozing moved to the couch)...

4:00 - Back to bed. Frank does enjoy burrowing into a flannel sheet! So warm and snug...

And finally, after a very long, hard day of being a pugly companion, it was time for bed with Gentle Pig. Frank was quite exhausted.

Oh Frank, if only every day were a sick day.

What did I do?

What we have here is a rather delightful picture of Frank on pumpkin carving night.
The small piece of pumpkin on his lip is leftover from the gerbil sized piece that he discovered in the pink bowl in the background, which he subsequently tried to swallow whole. I then had the pleasure of fishing it out of his throat whilst he was gagging and choking....

Oh Frank... no one enjoys a glutton.

Happy Day After the Election!

Well, it must be said that Frank tries very hard to be a nonpartisan pug. He feels that everyone's opinion should be heard and he knows that there are many, many perspectives from which each situation can, and must, be viewed.

However, that being said, he does look mighty handsome in his new glasses and is VERY eager to support his new president!!!

Welcome to the White House President (Elect) Obama!!!

Pumpkins!

Oh Frank! You are looking rather displeased with your ears all at funny angles. Is it possible that you ate to many pumpkin seeds?

Last night was a night of joyous times for Frank as he was invited to his Godmother's house for a pumpkin carving party! For 5 hours he prowled about eating pumpkin innards and seeds - delicious! Frank does enjoy a party! (Sadly, I left my camera with its fresh new batteries on the table at home, but as pictures trickle in from others I will post them along!)

Here are some highlights for now:

One of the delightful neighbors, J, who must also be thanked for the pictures in this blog!, brought over a stencil or two for the pumpkins. Now, being a traditionalist I was a wee bit skeptical, but...

pretty good, I have to say!

J then printed out the MOST enjoyable stencil idea:


Oh Frank!
Of course we had to hand it over to BSS as the rest of us were rather daunted by the task.

OH MY!!!!!


Oh Frank! Look at that! A Jack - O - Lantern just for you!!!! Whoever could believe it!

Thank you again to BSS and his remarkable artistic talents! For those of you who might not live in the area, you may not be aware of the DELIGHTFUL and quite remarkable stickers of Frank also made by BSS, allow me to share:

Oh Frank! You ARE so handsome!

After the pumpkins were all carved up and put away Frank changed his hunting pattern...

Oh Frank, however can you have any room left in your little belly? That tasty pumpkin ale is not for you...

PS - if any of you are curious about the history of the jack-o-lantern here is a link!
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/facts/jack.htm

Did Someone Say MORE Cake?!!!

OH FRANK! I do believe it's time to break out your bow tie!

Well, Frank is extremely delighted to announce that today the MOST delightful boyfriend of his favorite, and only, aunt, would officially be joining the family as the father of Gusaroo! And not only will Frank be gaining a MOST delightful uncle, but the proposal was EVEN carried out with the aide of Gusaroo! OH we DO enjoy! What a lucky bird dog Gus is to be gaining such a fine new father!!!

Frank, as you can see, is very fond of a snuggle with his uncle to be...

Oh Frank! What a comfy warm lap you have there!

You may recall how much Frank enjoyed a taste of cake at our wedding almost 2 years ago:

Oh Frank, so gentle and polite...

and SO handsome and demure....

Oh my. Well. We may have to do a little bit of brushing up before the celebration!

(Oh Frank you look so ferocious! Really this was Frank trying desperately to catch a crumb as it fell towards the ground!)

Welcome to the family Uncle Ben!

Happy Birthday!

Did someone say cake?

Happy Birthday Grandma Railey!

Frank was very eager this morning when he heard the word birthday, since in the past this delightful word has either been accompanied by cake (his parent's birthdays) or a can of tuna (his birthday).

Oh Frank! You do look so hopeful! I am sad to say that your grandmother is all the way in Colorado and there is no cake to be had...

A Change of Plan

Oh Frank! Look at how stylish you are in your Fall jacket that matches the leaves! Even if the sunshine is too bright to open your eye!

It has to be said that we have been having a lovely Fall these last 2 weeks. However, much to Frank's dismay, they have been rather busy weeks at work and we have not spent as much time in the sunshine as a small pug would like. So today I was quite eager to make it up to Frank with a long walk and lots of pug friendly outdoor errands.
We suited Frank up in his handsome yellow coat (also known as his rain coat with the hood unsnapped) and headed out the door....

...to be greeted with a rather sudden downpour. This did not please Frank. After coaxing him for a very brief walk we returned home where we tried to entertain ourselves. I am sad to say for Frank's waist line that this mainly included cleaning the house and sharing some snacks...

First we enjoyed some grapes that were almost the size of Frank's head. I was rather concerned that he might choke on them, so I made sure to have a firm hold...

Oh Yum Yum!

We then discovered that there was very little else to eat in the house and so moved on to what I like to call the time for the store noodles and butter dish. Frank enjoys a noodle, though it appears that the camera was sideways and I don't know how to flip the video about. Never the less you can still hone in on the wee pug's noodle hunting technique (just turn your head to the side a little....).

Oh Frank! So many talents you have in that little pug frame!

Perhaps the sun will be out tomorrow...

A DELIGHTFUL New Discovery!

Oh FRANK! Whatever is that delicious treat that has you digging your nose ever so far into the container?

This past week (which has been rather busy, I do apologize that there have been so very few posts!) I introduced Frank to my new favorite snack; a new, very tasty Greek yogurt that is not ONLY fat free, but is ALSO creamy and delicious!

Of course, having made this discovery for myself, it would have been very inconsiderate and rude not to share. As you can see above the container was clearly designed in a thoughtful manner so that a handsome pug snout could not only fit neatly inside, but could ALSO reach all the way to the bottom of the cup with an eagerly lapping tongue.

Oh Frank! It seems that the new treat so delicious that you decided to save a wee bit on your face for later!

Perhaps you should become the furry and oh so charming poster child for this delicious and nutritious new product!