Hiz Honorz

MERCI: For the longest time we have been wanting to do some Funny Farmer interviews like the Funny Farmer Felines do on Mousebreath.

BUDDY: And it has finally happened. We just mentioned it to Murphy and Stanley ...

SAM: And the interview virtually wrote itself.

MARCUS: No, it did not write itself. I helped. And Hiz Honorz helped.

SAM:  Okay, so we all helped.  But it sounded funnier when it wrote itself.

FF:  Please introduce yourselves and your human.  And your cat, if you have one.

M: I am Murphy but mom calls me "Bug". I think that is short for Doodle Bug and Cuddle Bug. I am a mini-doodle and recently turned 3 years old. My mom is called mom but sometimes we hear dad call her Carol. She is a great mom. She is always telling me what a good boy I am. We do not have a cat cuz we bark at them (sorry Madi).

S: I am Stanley but sometimes mom calls me Sticks. She says that cuz my legs are so long, like long sticks. I am the same as Murphy cuz we were born at the same time. Well, I might have been a couple minutes ahead of him. We are litter mates but I am MUCH bigger than Murphy. Sometimes I think Murphy gets extra attention cuz everyone thinks he is younger. Anyway, my dad is called dad and other times we call him Pee Paw. Mom is always saying, "Go outside with your Pee Paw." Whenever we do training or walks or just stuffs, dad handles me and mom handles Murphy.

FF:  How did you come to live together? 

M: Me and Stanley have always been together. When I was 2 weeks old and on the very day my eyes opened for the furst time, our pawrents came to see us. Mom looked at me and said that very minute that I was her Murphy. So I always knew I would live with mom and dad.

S: But I did not know until I was 5 weeks old that I would go with Murphy furever. There was another brother and dad had to pick between me and my other brother. I REALLY wanted to stay with Murphy cuz he was always telling me how much fun it would be to live with our mom and dad. Besides, I am a little insecure if Murphy isn't around but I don't want him to know it.

FF:  You are Hiz Honors the Mayorz of Blogville, so you share the decisions and responsibilities of the office.  Do you pretty much think alike or are there some heated policy discussions around the office?

M: We think alike on many things but sometimes Stanley acts like a clown when we need to be serious about business. We think the same things are impawtent 'cept Stanley does NOT think that fetching is impawtent. Sometimes I have to bug Stanley to get him to wrestle. Oh, about our official pawsition . . . we reach a joint decision but I am usually the one who talks cuz I am more confident than Stanley. He gets his feelings hurt pretty easy.

S: I do not! It hurts my feelings that you would say such a thing about me! OK, we usually get along really well and are the BESTEST furends. Murphy makes good decisions and I usually go along with him. Murphy is level headed and sometimes I get kind of "wild with joy".

FF:  There were a few changes made when you took office.  A number of new positions were filled and some carried over from the prior administration.  Do you think Blogville has become a bit more cohesive with the larger cabinet?

M: Yes, we think that many bloggers are getting to know other bloggers because of their pawsitions on our cabinet. It is impawtent that everyone learns to work and play together.

S: Our biggest goal for our term as mayorz was to do things to help others stay in Blogville by having fun and connecting with the other blogs and bloggers.

FF:  As Mayorz, you have sponsored some popular events, such as the Mayorz Marathon.  Do you come up with these on your own or do you have a committee to help plan them? 

M: To be honest, when mom is in the shower these ideas pop in her head.

S: Then she gets out and yells, "Boys, come here, I had a thought!" So we discuss it and sometimes tweak it a bit and then before you know it we are off to a new adventure!

FF:  Do you have any advice for new residents of Blogville ... or even established residents?

M: My advice is to make your blog so it can be easily read. Use a font that is easy to see and post fairly often. Having fun is the most impawtent though.

S: My advice is to make sure you get to know those who visit your bloggy. With a larger following this is harder to do but it is impawtent to stop by and see others so you can learn about them too. Fun photos are nice too. Another thing is that they should not be scared to get involved with the adventures. If you aren't sure how to do something, just ask!

FF:  When you're not working, what kind of mischief do you prefer?

M: I prefer to fetch. I like to swim and a mud puddle is always nice but mostly I just like to fetch. Sometimes I like to act like a cat. I will stare at Stanley, then slowly creep up on him. It drives him crazy and he barks wildly when I do it.

S: I like to tear apart toys. Sometimes my pawrents call me "The Surgeon" cuz I am really skilled in squeaker removals. I really like to eat. I can hear dad peel a banana from a block away BOL! I also appreciate a good mud puddle and like to cool my belly off in the pool. But I really don't understand Murphy's obsession with fetching.

FF:  How long have you been blogging and what made you begin?

M: I have been blogging since I was born. Mom started when we were 3 weeks and then when we came to live with our pawrents at 7 weeks of age me and Stanley took it over.

S: Same here. I think the reason we started blogging was that we wanted to share our joy with others. Mom said she was so in love with us, even before we came here to live, that it had to be shared or she might pop. We'd hate for our mom to pop. No good can come from that.

FF:  If your mom were to describe what makes you special, what do you think she would say?

M: Mom would say that it is my gentleness. I like to cuddle and mom knows I will be gentle with every hooman or doggie I meet. Maybe not with kitties or birdies, but fur sure hoomans and doggies. I am very loving and like to cuddle.

S: Mom would say it is my joy. She and dad say I am dripping in joy. I think I am dripping from my water dish but I don't see joy flowing from my furs but I am still happy all the time. Actually, I manifest my every emotion. I am also very loving but I keep forgetting that hoomans don't want me to jump and claw them to give them a hug.

Thank you for interviewing us. We would like all the citizens of Blogville to know that we are trying to do our bestest job as their mayorz. And of course our door is always open!

FF:  Thank you, Yuz Honorz Murphy and Stanley.   We appreciate you taking the time to address your constitutionists ... uh, constituents?  You know, the citizens of Blogville.

From Foxy to Doxie

MERCI:  Hey, look what followed us home Sunday night.

SAM:  We're not joking.  This little doxie mix did follow Merci and I home when we walked Jan Sunday evening.

MERCI:  And we're not happy about it.  We recognize her.  Remember the mean territorial dog that has been coming after us on our walks?  We posted about him in Vinegar and Hot Pepper back in February.

SAM:  Well, shortly after that first encounter, a small doxie started running around there too, but that one was scared of everything and didn't bother us.  We did notice when the woman was leaving she would holler and a doxie would come running. 

MERCI:  Around here if a person is evicted or leaves things behind, it is piled out by the curb and people going by stop to pick through it and take what they want.  There was such a pile in front of that house Saturday morning.  That always makes Jan sad.

SAM:  I told this pup we didn't want her company but she ignored my growls and came anyway.  And Jan was worried about her having been left behind when the tenant moved.  There are at least one coyote and one fox in this area.  (We met Miss Fox Saturday evening and Mr. Coyote last summer.)

BUDDY:  Marcus and I weren't thrilled when this stranger walked in but she just wants to eat, play and feel secure so she doesn't bother me.

MARCUS:  Well, I don't like her!  I was locked in the crate when she came in, which was a bad start, and then she wanted to play while I was playing soccer.  When I tried to play with her, she'd run off screaming like I was killing her.

BUDDY:  Yes, she is afraid of everything but you didn't have to keep beating her up.  Now she's terrified of you.

MERCI:  Jan called around to try to find someone who could take the dog in overnight so she wouldn't have to be afraid or locked in a crate, but no one had any room.

SAM:  I don't want her here but I do feel kind of sorry for her.  Jan is going to have to call city Animal Control in the morning and send her to the shelter.  She will be safer there than on the streets.  Miss Peggy is already working to find a rescue to take her when her time will be up.

MERCI:  I spent some time in the shelter before I came to live here.  I hope this doxie finds a home right away.

SAM:  I wonder what happened to the mean, territorial dog?  Did they abandon him too?

UPDATE:  The sweet Miss Doxie is on her way to the shelter and hopefully to a better life!  

A Foxy Surprise

MARCUS:  This is so totally unfair.  I should have been there.  Why wasn't I invited?  

RUSTY:  Invited where?  Were you going on a trip?

MERCI:  No, he's upset he wasn't with us Saturday evening when Buddy, Sam and I walked Jan.

MICAH:  He's always upset about not being invited along.  What was so special about Saturday?

SAM:  Jan decided to leave the sidewalk to walk along the mill fence.  We reached the end just as a fox came trotting through an open gate.  It must have been on its way to the woods across the street.

CYNDI:  A real fox?  So that's what Jan was talking about when she came home saying she'd seen a beautiful animal. What happened?  Did it chase you?  Were you scared?  

BUDDY:  It was only about 4 yards away from us.  We all stopped dead and stared at each other until Sam got nervous and started making strange noises.  Then the fox turned and trotted back toward the mill.  First a  coyote, now a fox.  We hope there is not a bear living in the woods. 

PERCY:  We have Pixel, a ferocious 10-week old pup impersonating a wild animal, for today's Sunday Smile.  Watch how he ruthlessly chases off the family cat from his bed.

RUSTY:  Have you been drinking?  I didn't see anything ferocious about that pup.

PERCY:  I hope you're happy.  You just ruined my introduction.  Why don't we let our friends watch the video and decide for themselves!


If the video doesn't play,click here.

Breakout to Jail

RUSTY:  No, you are not seeing things.  That is a fence with a hole in it.  And you will be scratching your head when you see what crawled through that small opening.   

MARCUS:  Tuesday night between 9:30 and 10 PM, Jan let me outside and we heard strange noises.  Jan listened and then she went next door at that late hour to scare ... um, I mean to warn the neighbors that their dogs were trying to break out again.

MERCI:  At midnight, she opened the door for Marcus so he could have a last pee before bed.  Sam and I charged out the door with him.  We ran to the rear three panels of the pen and really checked them out.  Then Marcus started prancing up and down like a hero on steroids, chuffing and pounding his chest ... well, actually he was prancing and making strange noises so it's basically the same thing.

CYNDI:  He was pretending he was fearless but we all know he's afraid of his shadow.  Still, he can put on a good show.  The dogs didn't want to come in.  Something was going on again in the neighborhood and we'll never know what.

BUDDY:  The first thing Jan noticed the next morning was this hole in the fence.  It was way too small for the dogs to squeeze through.  And then the woman next door came over to say the dogs did indeed squeeze through that hole and asked could Jan keep an eye out for them.

SAM:  Jan waited to hear they were home again.  Thursday morning she was preparing for a meeting and, suddenly, she couldn't stand worrying any more about the dogs.  She went on Facebook and tagged a few ladies in the local Humane Society, asking if anyone had seen or heard of a black lab and a Weimaraner traveling or picked up together.

PERCY:  She also emailed the county shelter Animal Control guy.  When she returned to Facebook, there was this picture of the amazingly flexible escapees in their prison cell.  One of those she'd tagged, Miss Kay, shared the photo with her.  They'd been hanging around someone's yard the day before and were turned in to AC.

MICAH:  Jan called the woman.  There was barking in the background.  The couple had decided to check if the dogs had been picked up and the woman was at the shelter.  She later said it seemed like they were expecting her.  :-)

RUSTY:  Jan hung up and Miss Peggy (shelter volunteer who helps with rescues) called to tell her the dogs were at the shelter.  She had intended to call Jan to ask if she knew who owned them since the were found on the next street. 

MARCUS:  Miss Peggy said the dogs were so sweet she had a rescue already lined up for when their time was up.

CYNDI: Jan is still trying to figure out how those two dogs manged to get out through a hole barely big enough to fit a dog-size head through.

BUDDY:  Since Miss Peggy said it is okay to use her photo, we thought we would go ahead and use it for our weekend art.  We haven't done art posts in a long time.

MICAH:  This is our entry for the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl & Ethel. 

PERCY:  Hmmm, this one looks a little strange but interesting.  Oh, it's plastic wrap. We thought we would use this one for the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena.

SAM:  We thought we would toss in a black and white version too.  We just love the expression on the Weimaraner's face. Disbelief perhaps?