Category: Inspirational

For anyone out there who has that ONE favorite snack, you know, the one that you can devour with absolute abandon… ya, you know who you are…

I Salute you!

It takes a great athlete, to eat through a package of pure sugar (basically), and come out the other side alive! Not just alive, but ready to do it all again!

It takes much training, as well as dedication to the sport (addictive candy habit), to withstand the possibility of foundering on our favorite treat!

For all great athlete’s, the winning secret is a back-up buddy… yes folks, it is that easy! My back-up buddy is my husband, who always has my back… seriously… if he didn’t, I would quite possibly eat so much licorice, that my teeth would simply fall out! Seriously, I have absolutely no will power, when it comes to my Twizzler Pull a parts! If they ever stop making them, it will be me on the evening news, seen picketing in front of the Twizzler Plant… trust me, they will want to start that old candy machine up… right fast and in a hurry!

If it were up to me, we would be homeless with a cart full of candy. That is where my back-up buddy comes to the rescue… both, by lovingly ripping the poor candy bag from my sticky fingers, and distracting me with sweet talk, while he hides the bag. He has no choice… that candy has to last… and he prefers my smile with teeth still intact! Besides, can you believe how expensive candy has gotten? Yeesh!

Once in a while, when there is extra cash… he buys me a bag… and pretends he does not notice me eat the WHOLE bag!

My advice to you is… Back-up Buddies… get one if you don’t already have one… but get your own… you can’t have mine!

He is so darn cute!!!

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Melancholy Girl…

Part 2 of 3 …

Remember me talking about the differences between my twin pugs Harley and Busa?  Here is the point in time where the tale between two brothers, comes to an end… but NOT a sad one, so no panicking…

While the differences between the twins, seemed minor for a number of years, as the boys matured, the disputes over mom began to erode the love they had for each other.  We could tell that the boys were becoming more unhappy as time moved forward, so when a little neighbor girl fell in love with Busa, we knew!  Those two became more inseparable with each day, and Busa even went for multiple sleepovers.  We eventually went to the family and gifted Busa to the child.  Both the little girl and the dog were so happy, it never even made me overly sad to let him go… honestly, I was relieved to see him become happy, finally.

Harley became a different dog after that, as well, relaxing for the first time in his little life.  Not long after, we made the decision to go on the road.  My husband bought a Semi and began a trucking business.  Yes folks, I am a Bonafede Nagavator… I have a hat to prove it!

  The best thing about that Freightliner, was the little window down at my passenger side door… the perfect vantage for Harley!  He thrived in the new digs, getting to go wherever we went.  When we would get out to fuel up, he would jump into the driver seat and stand on the horn, beeping at us until we would wave at him.  Other drivers that walked by would laugh and wave at him too, just to see if he would do it again.  Other times, we were not very appreciated in the truck lot, as Harley would lay on the horn for nearly the entirety of our shower/laundry time inside the Truck Stop. 

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There was also the issue with the sneeze marks all over the driver side window, which my husband was none too happy about.  Pugs have a thing for sneezing … when they are happy, sad, or offended… take your pick.  But the tradeoff was well worth it!  Harley left an impression wherever we went.  We lived this way for almost 5 years, only taking time off for family affairs, and so on.  He was such a good dog, and everyone loved him, though sometimes he left something behind, not so pleasant.

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Once, when we stayed with my in-laws, there was a bit of an incident!  Harley was never allowed on the first floor of the home, so he always, obediently, stayed right at the top of the stairs; careful not to enter the forbidden zone.  He would always do this during the whole visit like such a good boy, except once!  Christmas of 08…  It was late, long after the stockings had been filled, and everything for the morning had been prepared…  He waited for us all to be asleep, and escaped the room… peeing strategically all over the house… first the Christmas tree, and then on to the dining room, to mark each of the six chairs that surrounded the table…  I think he was mad at all of us for celebrating the holiday dinner, while he had to be kenneled.  It’s just a guess, though. 

Sshhhh… I cleaned it up and never told my mother in law.

Let us never forget the park incident, either.  This time, though, it was not his fault, poor guy.  It so happened, on another of our occasional breaks from the road, I received an invitation to support my friend, as she gave birth to her first son.  I nicknamed the little tyke Peapod, and I call him that even now… anyway, both Harley and I went to stay with my friend for a bit, after the baby arrived.  She had two of the most adorable little Yorkies, Oliver and Kyra, who was still a pup at that time.  For the most part, Harley was just chillin with Oliver, while Kyra behaved more like the annoying little sister of the group. 

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One afternoon we decided to take the all the doggies to the park, to break their cabin fever that had been suffered, during our 24/7 new baby lifestyle. 

As soon as we closed the gate to the puppy park, we unleashed the hounds, and off they went like a shot… Harley doing his pugtona, while Oliver chased close on his heels with sheer abandon.  In the excitement, poor little Kyra did not know what to do first, chase one dog or the other.  Just about the time she thought the rules of the game were clear, and began to run toward the boys, Harley rounded and came running back toward her in excitement… both running headlong into one another, but with Harley being the big oaf that he was, he bulldozed the tiny Yorkie… sending her flying through the air. 

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By the caterwauling that she put on, one would have thought Kyra was dying, and half the park came alive with lookie loos.  Harley stood there with a lost look on his face, and I think Oliver took it upon himself to go pee on several bushes.  Once we put her in the back of the stroller she shut right up and went into feel sorry for herself mode…

Never fear, Kyra turned out to be just fine, but it took another week of her limping when she thought you were watching.  At first, we fell for it hook, line and sinker… but after a week of it, we took her to the vet to be sure, and she was given the all clear.  After that, she only gave Harley dirty looks, but stopped the limping and shaking… I think going to the vet called her bluff, and she didn’t want to go back there again.  After our little adventure in babe land, our gang was back on the road again.

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… to be continued…

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Can you believe it! I found this picture of Harley from when he was so widdle…

Don’t be sad, ok? I will be here tomorrow to tell the rest of the story. Here are some chocolates for you (not our furry friends) …

Bone Aaa-puh-tee-tay!

…I think it is proven that chocolate makes us feel good…

Part 1 of 3…  Melancholy Girl…    

I have been suffering, of late, from a condition that I refer to as Flurrbyitis. 

Flurrbyitis – The recurring desire to have ones RV become the home of a furry baby and all its’ toys.  The only remedy to this condition is to put oneself up for Furdoption.

When I get to feelin this way, I start thinking of Harley!  I get to missin my Boy!  He was my buddy, my pal, my ole man…

Harley was not just any Pug; he was a pug with my personality!  Funny, a bit stressed out, crazy lookin, and talked all the time… yup, me!  To tell you the story of him, I have to tell it all the way from before he and I met. 

My first pug, Oliver, was stolen right off my porch 2 years prior.  It crushed my heart when I could not find my baby, and I searched for him for a year, with no success.  We then spent another year searching for a new puppy.  When my husband mentioned an ad in the paper, I was not impressed, because my original pug was from Champion bloodlines.  My man always thought outside the box though, so I took his lead, and off we went to look.

Never did I think that I would be encountering Ollie (my first pug) in another’s face, but here we were!  Harley!  But Harley had a brother, a twin in fact, and his name was Busa!  From the moment we saw them, my husband knew I would not be capable of choosing between them.  So, he did the only thing that made sense.  While I sat on the floor in a pug pile, he ran to the nearest ATM.  My man bought both puppies when he got back, taking immediate possession of one, dubbing him Hayabusa, Busa for short.  Their names should show clearly that I love the big loud bikes, and my husband likes to go go go super fast.

It’s funny to remember our boys as the little wrinkled fatso’s that they were in the beginning.  I loved watching them doing pugtonas all over the house, snorting and circling the couch with tongues hanging out… and their sneezes are too just water, so that is my story and I am sticking to it.  If pugs sneeze on you don’t be grossed out… k?  As the boys grew older, it was easier to tell them apart, as Harley had a big fat head, and Busa always ran around with his tail uncurled… the lazy little sod.  Rather than a nice curl on the back, it always looked like a cinnamon roll half way undone, hanging off his hip. 

Harley’s face looked stressed and a bit crazy, while Busa looked high…  all the time…  For twins, these guys were polar opposites!  ADHD vs POTHEAD… Different in all ways, except one… Me! 

Wherever I was, they both needed to be.  The sun, moon, and stars rose and fell on Yours Truly, and I loved it!  When I would sit down, no matter where, these two would go into King of the Mountain mode… literally butt swinging to knock their opponent off my lap.  I became a bedtime burrito, with one fat roll on either side of me (the dogs, not mine), while I slept.

… to be continued… check back tomorrow.

Remember I said that this was a long memory. Well the pug stops here, for today. I did leave some biscuits for you all…

Admit it, you’re not really sure if these are for dogs, or for people… I’ll never tell.