Dog on the move...living among the Amish

Well, I don't quite understand the whole thing, but it seems like we're living in a new place. We are spending most of our time in this new house that doesn't really have any steps. Everything is spread out, and the floor is really comfortable. I can even sleep on the floor. It's rather cozy. This house also has a real big room where they put my house (crate), and it has this big giant, noisy door that goes up and down. We have a big cornfield out back, that's kind of interesting, and the neighbors all seem real nice. I also like the fact that Tom takes me for a walk around the block almost every night. Most of the time we just walk up to the corner, though, and he gets a bunch of papers and letter out of this big, funny looking metal box thing-a-ma-jig. Things are a little different here, but it seems to be okay, overall. I miss my neighbors, "Eddie" and "Max." Eddie was the quiet older Golden Retriever that lived next door, and Max was the always yapping black cockerpoo that lived across the street. As far as our car, "Valentine," I am not sure what happened to her. She mentioned to me to me that she knew something was up, that Tom and Donna were thinking about moving, and she told me, "I'm outta here!" That's the last I really saw her. Tom & I took a walk over at the development up the street, and we saw her strutting around over there. I guess she decided to stay put. People look a little different in these parts. Lots of guys in black suits and beards. The ladies where a lot of hats and bonnets around here, too! Horses, cows, pigs.... I thought the chickens we had were cool. Tom takes me back to the old place once in awhile. Still smells the same. Haven't found any of my old bones that I buried there, though. Well, time for another of my much needed naps. Wait a minute! I smell something. Smells like hamburgers. i better go check it out! Maybe I can snatch one when they're not looking! Woof! Woof! Stanley

Farewell to Rocky

It's been exciting around here lately. Tom's been busy making pierogies, and there hasn't been much time for me, but I get the sense it's winding down. We haven't taken a decent walk for weeks! This week, however, he threw me a bone. Tom took a quick run up to the Turkey Hill for coffee, and we did a quick 10 minute trip to the soccer field. At least i got to run around a bit. But as they say on Action News, the big story is a visit from a raccoon. One morning when Tom took me out, he noticed a big furry ball behind the bushes on the side of the house. It turned out to be a raccoon. We named him "Rocky." He spent most of the day behind the bushes. When pushed into it, he would move from one end of the house to the other, but he wasn't very aggressive, and not to anxious to go anywhere. The next day, Donna called the local police and an officer came out to investigate. He said he could shoot him or try to push him into our live trap. Tom elected to try the second idea, and with a couple of brooms he was in the trap. Tom noted that he wasn't very mobile. Upon checking the next morning, Tom sadly reported that Rocky had passed away. By Friday, a small memorial service had taken place, including the playing of The Beatles tune, "Rocky Raccoon." Donna also noted that Rocky had passed at the same spot her Golden Retriever, the beloved "Kelsey," had also passed. Perhaps, the laundry room door is a portal for animals to make their way to the Rainbow Bridge. Either way, I sorta miss that bandit-faced rascal. Hope he's okay! Well, I'm tired. Time for a nap. First, I'll bug Tom to take me out, then, hittem' up for a bone. Ruff! Ruff! Stanley

I missed my birthday!

Would you believe that it's been so long since I had a chance to write, that I failed to mention my own birthday? Well, it's true. I turned two back in August, and while I have calmed down considerably, I still manage to get myself in trouble from time to time. Recently, I have grown accustomed to sleeping on the sofa. I got this great thing worked out. I beg Tom to go up to bed with my evening bone. Then, after I am done with that, and things have settled down, I figured out how to get the bedroom door open. From there, it's just a tip-toe down the stairs, and I get a nice, comfy, restful sleep on the sofa. So far, it has worked out well. Tom hasn't been taking me on walks nearly as much as he used to. I am not sure if he's busy these days, or lazy. Either way, it's bad for me. They don't seem to get it when I try to tell them I need something. Therefore, I just have to take matter into my own paws, and really get their attention. That usually means grabbing something in my mouth like one of the kid's toys, or some important paper, or something. That usually let's them know I mean business. Valentine is still a little nasty and snooty. I tell you I fall for it every time. When I see her I run over to her, wag my tail, get all happy, and she just lifts her nose, and runs off, or finds a way to get me in trouble. When will I learn that cats don't make good pals? Well, once again, I am getting a little tired. I guess it's time for a nap. See ya! Woof! Woof! Stanley

More fun with turtles...

Like I said earlier, with the weather being nicer, Tom has been taking for walks more often.

The problem is, he has this new found fascination with turtles. We have been tip-toeing down to these two ponds at Nolde Forest. One is called the "Painted Turtle Pond," and the other is called the "North Pond."

Both have quite a few turtles in them, but Tom keeps telling me "to be quiet." I hate that. If I had my way, I'd be in that pond and chasing down those turtles. The same goes for the geese. What's the big deal?

Finally, after snapping a few of his precious photos, I get to run around and snoop around the forest a little for myself.

If you ask me, that new camera he got has gone to his head. He's thinks he's a hot shot photographer or something.

Hopefully, it's a phase he's going through, and he'll get over it eventually. He doesn't even take that many pictures of me any more. If he did, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Nothing else new, I guess. I just want to go on one of those long hikes where I can really scope things out. Besides, I need the exercise. I have to be able to get down to my swimming weight for the summer. Maybe we'll even go visit that hot girl dog, Abbey, over at the horse farm. There we can run around to our hearts content.

Oh well, time for another nap. I think I'll go dream about Abbey......


Woof! Woof!
Stanley

Stop and smell the roses...

Bow Wow! It's been a long time since I wrote my blog. Tom has been so busy, you know. If it's not making pierogies, it's some other thing.

I must say, he has been taking me on walks more often, these days. I don't know if he has more time, or if it's just because the weather has been nicer.

Most of the time, we go to our favorite spot, Nolde Forest. The other day we saw a bunch of turtles at the Painted Turtle Pond, there. We saw loads of them. Tom wouldn't let me go in the water, though. I don't know why not?

A few times we have gone to the park over in Wyomissing. That place is pretty huge also. It's a lot different than Nolde. I really have to be on my leash there. They have signs, you know. I hate that. I can really sniff to my heart's content when I can roam on my own.

Tom was watching some dog program on TV the other day, and I heard the guy say that when us dogs hang our heads out the window of a car we are looking at the entire world through our nose. That's true, you know. I love to take in all the different smells.

When Tom takes me out in the yard I could just stand there an smell and smell and smell. Actually, sometimes I do. I think it annoys him.

I smell the grass. I smell the flowers. I smell the fence where the neighbor's dog, Eddy, took a pee. I smell for old bones I buried. I smell this. I smell that. I smell everything. They say our sense of smell is 80 times greater than a human's. That can be quite a skill.

Along the trail sniffing and smelling can really come in handy. I can smell when a field mouse or squirrel has been by lately, or whether a Spaniel or a Great Dane has passed through.

They also say that our ancestors, the wolves, have been known to mark a territory from 100 to 300 square miles. That's a lot of turf!

Tom also gets mad when I roll in something I've found on the ground. In case you didn't know it, that's to pick-up a scent that let's other dogs know where I've been. Bet you didn't know that!

My advice to you, stop and smell the roses, or anything else for that matter.

Well, I think I hear the vacuum cleaner running, so, I think I'll go take it's head off. I hate that thing! Grrrrrrrrrr! Grrrrrrrrrrr!

See ya later!
Ruff! Ruff!
Stanley

My Spring Update...

Well, it's been a long time since I had a chance to blog. It has been a busy Winter and Tom doesn't let me on the computer.

We took a few walks at Nolde Forest. I love that place. There are just so many sights and smells around that place, and the trails are so interesting.

We don't go to the soccer fields as much any more. I am not sure why.

It is amazing how much devastation has taken place in the forest from all the storms. There are so many trees down. It is unbelievable. They have done a pretty good job of cleaning things up, though. And now that things are starting to green-up it doesn't look so bad.

What does look bad, however, is that big swath they cut through the woods at Nolde for that pipeline. That looks ugly! With a capital "U."

Tom took me to a new place a few times. It's a big park over by the Reading Museum. That place goes on forever. We went there one day with Kim, Noah and Luke. That was fun.

Tom, Donna and I also went there one day. It's good for a change of pace, but not as much fun because they are really strict about being on a leash.

I haven't gotten into too much trouble, lately. I'll keep you posted if I do. You know I will!

Ruff! Ruff!
Stanley

Just beggin' for a day out...

It's been a long time since I've been out on a real walk. Tom says he's been real busy lately. Yeh! What about me?

Oh, we took a few spins around the soccer fields, but I hardly even got my nose warmed up for that.

On a recent trip to the soccer fields, we saw a bunch of hawks flying overhead. They seemed very noisy, and kept an eye on us initially, but after awhile, they seemed to disappear.

On another occasion, I went there with Tom and Dylan. That was kind of fun. He has a lot of energy, and we ran up and down the hills a few times. Tom just kinda walks around the place.

When it's cold out, it's a little harder to pick up smells, and I sure can't roll around in anything. That bums me out a lot. I love smelly stuff.


Tom and Donna went to New York City, I heard them say. They showed me some photos they took while there. There was a photo of the stable in St. Patrick's Cathedral, and believe it or not, there's a dog that looks just like me in the stable.

If you look close you can see it's not me. My nose is a brownish-pink. The dog in the photo definitely has a black nose.

I think he is actually by 45 great-grandfather, Samuel.

There is a legend that one of the shepherds brought a sheepskin to the Christ Child, and during the night the cover kept slipping off, and Samuel kept pulling the cover back up to keep him warm.

There's another part of the legend we don't talk about often, though. Joseph sat a hunk of goat cheese down that was also given to him by one of the other shepherds, and Samuel snatched it!

Joseph and the others chased after him, and tried to get him to drop it, but when he stepped in a pile of dog poop he gave up the chase.

That is so nasty in those sandals, you know!

Oh well, I guess that's why you don't see too many dogs in other manger scenes.

All this storytelling has tired me out. Time for a nap. See ya!

Woof! Woof!
Stanley