Long time, no blog!

First, we had to get ready for Pugapalooza. Then we did Pugapalooza. Then mom had to rest after Pugapalooza. That took up most of May. Then a crazy, whirlwind happened. 

Mom has a new job! She had to wait until today to let everyone know. She starts on June 17. It's the same pay, but different responsibilities and different people. The best part? It's a 3 minute commute! That means mom can come home for lunch to let us out and actually eat too! 

This is a great thing for mom. She's going to be a lot happier which is always good. 

We promise to blog about Pugapalooza soon. It was our best yet. 

Broccoli and cauliflower and carrots, oh my!

Mom got it together and planted a late winter garden this year. 

Thanks to the cool weather and oodles of rain, it's doing great!

It's just a little garden bed, 4'x4', but it's got some goodies in it. 

 There's carrots, those lacy looking leaves.

This is the spinach. 

 And broccoli! We even have little heads forming! 

PS. If you see those holes in your cole crops (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), look for little green worms. They will eat 100% of your plant. Pick them off or use an organic pesticide like Bt (bacillus thuringiensis) or neem oil. Safe for eating and doesn't kill birds or beneficial insects like bees. 

We also have potatoes and cauliflower growing. Hopefully in a few weeks, we'll have a nice harvest of broccoli and cauliflower. Carrots and potatoes will take a little longer. The spinach should be growing better, but there may be too much shade from the broccoli and cauliflower. 

When everything is done, mom will trade these out for some summer crops. We have a summer bed too with tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, zucchini and squash. Mom will plant the same thing in the winter bed so we have more produce all summer and into fall. 

Yay for fresh veggies!

And yes, that fence is up to keep us from helping ourselves to the produce.

Cuba

Cuba

Available for adoption through Pugs U Gotta Save.

Introducing Norfolk's first Canine Crusader!

It's Isabelle! And the competition was tough! It came down to two votes in the last hours! 

Pug power prevailed!

Riverfest is a celebration of the rivers in Norfolk and our area. In just our city, we have the Elizabeth and the Lafayette Rivers plus all the branches and creeks. We are surrounded by water. 

So it's important for all of us to be careful about what can go in the rivers, like dog poop or lawn chemicals. Sadly, it's not safe to swim or eat fish from these rivers right now.

So Riverfest was born to encourage people to learn more about the simple things that we can all do to make a difference. 

Here are Fergie and Sophie, two of our fellow finalists.

Sophie is a blue Great Dane.

Fergie was first runner up

 Here I am waiting to see who won. Mom even got me a new shirt that says Green Dog with the recycle logo on it. 

Here's me after I won!

 Me checking out the ground. No litter!

Check out this awesome basket I won! 

The awesome Muddy Paws of Norfolk provided all these goodies!

 Here's me enjoying the beautiful April sunshine after we got home. Being a celebrity is hard work!

A huge thank you to everyone who voted for Isabelle. We know that our friends Zoe, Peyton, Webster, Liberty, Whitney and Ms. Ellen voted a lot! And asked all their friends to vote too! We couldn't have it done it without you! Seriously, two votes! So thank you for helping us win!

Oyster shell or dirty looking?

Mom's creative but not artistic. What do you think? Any suggestions?

The transformation of the Dogger

So, the voting for Canine Crusader ended Friday. No peeps from anyone if Isabelle is in the top five, but we are believing in the power of pug people!

Mom started turning the Dogger into an oyster shell. It isn't finished yet, but it's getting there. 

The outer part is cream vinyl which is a pain in the behind to sew. 

It still needs tweaking on the fit, and the wrinkles have to be flattened out.

Mom's going to start painting tomorrow to make it look more like a shell.

Here's Isabelle being the pearl in the oyster shell! 

  

It will probably be Friday night before it's finished completely, but we'll post more pictures as it gets finished. 

It's here!

Look what came today! All the way from Canada!

This is the Cadillac of dog strollers! It took a ridiculously short amount of time to put this baby together.  Pop the three wheels on and you're done!

The rain cover was a bit of a challenge to figure out. It seems like it would fit either direction, but one way works better than the other. Mom is going to mark that side so she doesn't fight it every time it needs to go on. And she may change up the velcro to snaps to make it a little easier to get on in the rain.

Isabelle doesn't look too thrilled, but that's normal. She'll learn to love it!

It folds up pretty well for such a big stroller. Mom is sure it will fit in the trunk of her Focus. We'll test that soon. 

This is a seriously cool stroller. It seems really sturdy and rides so smoothly. This baby should hold up until Tallulah and Petunia need it in their golden years. And it has two straps to attach to a harness and plenty of room of two dogs. It turns on a dime, doing a 180 in the hallway!

Mom's making a pink cushion for the inside. It comes with one, in black, which would be sensible with a black pug. However, we are more about style! 

If you are thinking about getting one, definitely add the water bottle holder option. It snaps on and holds not only a bottle but has a covered pouch for your phone and keys. Plus there's storage underneath too! 

We have to wait until tomorrow to take it for a test drive. It's supposed to storm and mom has to make dog food tonight. Food comes first! 

The voting for Canine Crusader is coming down to the wire. Only 4 days left! Please remember to vote for Isabelle here. 

Our prayers go out to those affected by the terrible event in Boston today. Remember to tell your people you love them and be kind to strangers.