Sorry to hear you got left home on Thanksgiving. I on the other hand enjoyed 9 days with my family camping and being spoiled. Mom made a complete turkey dinner with all the fixings and camp smelled so good while the turkey was cooking on the spit. Dad and my big brother went out and found lots of wood so we could enjoy a nice warm fire after dinner, too bad there wasn’t a fire to warm up to after playing ball in the water and splashing around with my sister, but it was still fun. While dad and my brother were gone my big sister and mom prepared everything for our feast after spending some quality time with me. I get the pleasure of spending every thanksgiving this way since mom and dad adopted me 7 yrs ago. I even get to snuggle up with my brother and sister in the tent instead of getting stuck with mom and dad in the camper. We tell ghost stories and stay up late having fun.
I so love the holidays and for that matter anytime I get to have the undevided attention of my family for a few days without all the electronics to take attention away from me.

The dinner “Mommy Dearest” had out was lousy. Well, maybe not if what appeared to be pressed and processed road kill was served as turkey. The mashed potatoes no doubt would have been put to better use as wallpaper paste; what was called “gravy” was of questionable color and consistency; string beans more like overcooked spaghetti; “stuffing” was appropriately named; and the gosh-awful squished yams (not sweet potatoes) which I hate anyway were, as has become the procedure, all gooey with marshmallows. The upside, besides the company of my three companions, was the salad and “Mud Pie” for dessert.

What was especially funny was that at the time not one of the four us made a complaint. We were all being polite and maintaining the dutiful attitude of this celebratory event as being “Thankful” on Thanksgiving Day. It wasn’t until the following couple of days via phone conversations that we communicated our true feelings about the meal. And, just for the record, this restaurant was not in Sedona.

And so, the moral of my story is, it remains my suspicion that my angel, Harley McGuire, is possessed with magical powers that enabled him to inflict negative energy on the chef as he prepared the dinner. It would be interesting to know if the other dining patrons also had the same experience.

Lovingly,
Mommy Dearest

Dale leaves mom little gifts like that all the time. She hasn’t stepped on any yet.

So put on the big dog panties and adapt like a cat, we don’t get table food, so you were very lucky.

When mom has to go she has to go! Take a nap she’ll be back!

Love C&D

As for how to handle the future holiday disappearance of your mommy, my advice is : play sick. Lay on your back and howl loud. Guarantee it will work.

Your pal Blacky

We have met your Mommy and we like her – so that means we like you. While we were not left alone – we were religated to “outside” as our Mommy and her kids cooked all day and never offered us a treat. Oh, don’t get us wrong, she did feed us breakfast and finally dinner….we just didn’t get any of what they enjoyed…it smelled really great and we kept waiting.

We did have her Grandkids to play with and were happy to bark hello at all who kept coming and going…gosh, we even barked at the horses who came for the big weekend. If it makes you feel any better – the horses didn’t get any treats either. Like us they got breakfast and dinner and pats on the heads.

You should feel lucky your Mom took you for a walk cuz that shows she loves you. We had to just deal with being outside all day and half the night till they were finished eating the big dinner. Oh, Harley, when we were allowed to come back into the house – they did not even leave any scraps or drops on the floor! We were happy to be back in the warm house and the horses got their blankets put on them so they were warm too. (Harley, you now have 3 horse friends named Troubles, MJ, and Hudini)

You have a bobcat too? We have one in our neighborhood who really chewed on our cousin Hanna who lives down the road…so be careful. Hanna got lots of stiches and is gonna be OK.

Guess the bottom line is our Moms don’t always do what we want them to do – and we love them anyhow….and we don’t always do what our Moms want and they love us anyhow….I’m thinking our Moms are the luckest….yet we Know how lucky we are – all that love makes the world go round.

They didn’t have any guests as they just returned from Hawaii & our grandparents were still there. Also, mom & dad’s Gerber family were all up in San Francisco & since mom & dad just abandoned us for 11 days, they couldn’t abandon us again and go up north.

So they freaked us out as they vacuumed the house (we hid under the bed), but don’t know why they bothered since no one came, but I think they were waiting for some late night visitors to come by for a nightcap. All in all, it was the best Turkey day ever since we had our parents w/us & our little family (Ohana) was all together.

Sincerely, Bonnie (and Clyde)

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble… At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, ‘Excuse me, where are we?’

‘This is Heaven, sir,’ the man answered.. ‘Wow! Would you happen to have some water?’ the man asked.

Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up. ‘The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

‘Can my friend,’ gesturing toward his dog, ‘come in, too?’ the traveler asked.

‘I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.’

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

‘Excuse me!’ he called to the man. ‘Do you have any water?’

‘Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in.’

‘How about my friend here?’ the traveler gestured to the dog.

‘There should be a bowl by the pump.’

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

‘What do you call this place?’ the traveler asked.

‘This is Heaven,’ he answered.

‘Well, that’s confusing,’ the traveler said. ‘The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.’

‘Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s hell.’

‘Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?’

‘No, we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.’

This one’s for you Harley. Your pal, Cole Robertson (PS: I like it when my family leaves me alone. I crawl up on the family room couch, stretch out, snuggle in and sleep like a baby…a big NO NO in our house. No one ever catches me because I’m a light sleeper and they make LOTS of noise when they come through the front door! Try it and you’ll see that sleeping on the beds and couches when the family leaves you behind is worth it! Be sure to keep my secret about napping on the beds and furniture okay? It’s a “need to know” kind of thing the “two legs” don’t have to hear.)