Griffie World Happenings » 1-Misfit McCabe

The New Summer Game

Phoenix — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:26:58 +0000

All of a sudden, summer is definitely here. Let me tell you that wearing black fur in the summertime is not fun. Fortunately for me, my fur isn’t thick like Gryphon’s or I’d be panting all the time. Elsa has thicker fur than I do too, so she gets hot pretty easily as well. Fortunately we live with Mama who gets hot before anyone else I know, so she’s always devising new ways of keeping cool.

This weekend, when the summer furnace got turned on in earnest, Gryphon and Elsa were getting pretty uncomfortable, and we needed some fresh water. Mama filled our water bowl and then brought in a chunk of ice. I like ice cubes to lick. Mama usually gives me one that’s a nice size and I keep licking it until it’s gone. Elsa had never been given ice before, but of course, she was right in there because she thought it might be food. The term food hound was made for Elsa, I swear. Gryphon wasn’t interested in ice because she drank half the bowl of water before Mama brought it in.

Once she got her tongue on the ice, Elsa decided she really liked it, and kept licking away. Well, Mama didn’t want to stand there with a chunk of ice melting in her hand, so she broke Elsa off a piece and put the rest into the water bowl. Elsa’s ears sure pricked up with that. She hopped over to the bowl and licked the ice chunk. She didn’t want the small piece Mama had given her, she wanted the big chunk. Then she tried to bite off a piece for herself. It was funny to watch her trying to curl her lips back to bite the ice without getting her nose in the water. Then, since that wasn’t working, she plunged her whole face in the bowl. When she came up, she had an ice cube between her teeth. Victory. I thought Mama might fall on the floor she was laughing so hard. Not only that, but then Elsa spied another piece she wanted and did it again. So the game of bobbing for ice cubes was born.

I will say one thing for that pup, she’s pretty smart for being so young. She even knew to blow out through her nose while it was underwater so the water didn’t get up her nose. Papa was out with Grandpuppaw when Elsa was bobbing for ice cubes, so Mama told him what he missed. He couldn’t wait until he could try it, so he grabbed a chunk of ice and put it in the water. Elsa was after it in ticks of a puppy dog’s tail. She gets absolutely soaked in the process and then shakes herself which sprays the rest of us with ice cold water…which during this heat is not a bad thing.

All for now. Until next time. Paws Up!

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix

When Is It My Turn?

Phoenix — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:05:11 +0000

I usually don’t complain about much (except for when Mama gets an idea to put a hat on my head), I go amiably along with what my family is doing. I even wrestle with Elsa from time to time to keep her happy. I sit on Papa’s lap when he’s watching TV, and keep his chair warm when he goes to get something to eat, or play with his airsoft gun. I sit beside Mama when she’s working on her books, so I can offer some suggestions to help keep the story flowing. But, now, I’ve had enough.

Mama got a Kindle 2 and she hasn’t let me even put a paw on it yet. The K2 is so cute – sleek and petite, just like me. It looks really easy to operate, but I haven’t been given a chance yet. Think how much easier it would be for me to turn the pages. I could even use my nose if necessary. She’s had it for weeks now, and has been reading story after story on the K2, but I get bupkiss. Last night, I crawled into her arms while she was reading, just so I could get a closer look at the screen. It was wonderful. Nice easy to read font, easy to turn pages, and especially nice for me, you can set the cursor next to a word you don’t know and have the definition pop up at the bottom. I was enthralled. Now, I’m really itching to get my paws on it. So the big question is, Mama, when is it my turn?

All for now. Until next time. Paws Up!

PS – If she lets Elsa touch it before me, I’m going to sit on Elsa’s head.

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
_____________________________________________________________________

Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:

Beating the Heat

Phoenix — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:00:29 +0000

I’m going to write this early before the heat of the day hits. I usually like the heat because I get cold easily, but the past couple of days have been just awful. Muggy heat is the worst. I am so glad that Mama insisted on our summer cuts now. I thought she might be a little premature when we got them, but I realize now, in this household, Mama Knows Best! I think the weather is supposed to be cooling again for which I am very thankful. If this is what we have in store for us around the corner in summer, it’s going to be a long road.

For all you young pups out there, listen up! Here are some tips to help you beat the heat.

Stay indoors as much as possible. I know that some of your people may not think about this, but every opportunity you get, try to sneak in the house if you’re an outdoor dog.

Whine until someone turns on a fan or air conditioning. Your people are only human, so they don’t understand the importance of cooling you down. After all, dogs are not supposed to sweat. So we have to cool down in some way. I know they can not understand your words, so whine as much as you can. Eventually, they’ll get the idea or you’ll drive them crazy in the meantime. Gryphon, Elsa and I have it good in that respect because Mama is very hot natured, so by the time we’re thinking about being hot, Mama is turning on the air. Bless you, and your hot genes, Mama!

Drink lots of water.

This is the most important tip!

I can not emphasize enough that your key to survival during this heat wave is to keep yourself hydrated. This is the tip that can help you beat the heat, especially if your people don’t get tips number one and two.

Stay cool, baby. Until next time. Paws Up!

Copyright 2009 © Phoenix with a helping paw from Gryphon and a distracting paw from Elsa

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
_____________________________________________________________________

Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:

Change in the Weather

Phoenix — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:47:13 +0000

Yesterday I thought it was time that we got our summer hair cuts. The sun was shining and the heat continued to rise to the point that it got hot. Every year, at least once during the warmer months, Mama and Papa take us to the groomers and get our hair clipped short. This is something that is definitely necessary for Gryphon because her hair is thick and wiry and she gets hot easily. Now, I’m a little different because my hair is ultra fine and silky, just as a princesses hair should be, and I stay cooler than Gryphon. Even so, I still enjoy my summer cut because it helps me to look like a young and vibrant pup (people always mistake me for being a puppy).

Well, today I’m glad that I still have every hair on my body because it is a much cooler day. I don’t know why the weather has to change so drastically in the space of one day, but really, it was warm enough to make me hot yesterday, so Gryphon and Elsa were over-hot. At least we didn’t have snow, like some areas of the country. I definitely could not be a cold weather pup. Just the thought of having to put my dainty toes into ice cold snow…brrrr!! (I just shook my whole body). I think I would absolutely have to insist upon boots for going outside, as well as a heater lamp in the area where I do my business. To all you dogs out there with owners who don’t understand what it’s like, perhaps you could convince them to put their heiny down on the cold, snow-covered ground and hover for a few moments, and then they might treat you a little nicer and get a heater or create nice indoor yard for you.

We will have to get our summer cuts soon though. After all, this is California and the weather just doesn’t get really cold here anyway (for which I am eternally thankful). It’ll be fun to listen to Elsa scream, because this will be her first cut. My prediction is that once we are through, she’ll be glued to Mama’s side and won’t leave her alone. Mama will get upset because she says she can’t type with a puppy laying on her hands. He he he – I’ll be laughing behind my paw.

All for now. Until next time. Paws Up!

Copyright 2009 © Phoenix with a helping paw from Gryphon and a distracting paw from Elsa

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
_____________________________________________________________________

Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:
Visit us at Griffie World
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit:
Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe in an instant.
For other ebook formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Gardner-Griffie, visit: The Lulu Book Review

Loving My Walks

Phoenix — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 05:21:49 +0000

Hurrah for Mama! She has finally convinced Papa to take Gryphon, Elsa, and I on a daily walk since he has more time in the mornings. We are definitely loving it. Elsa is so excited, she hops around like a deranged bunny rabbit while she is waiting for Papa to get his act together and put her harness on. Then she likes to race ahead and Gryphon tries to keep up with her. Gryph got a little tired on our walk today because she pushed herself too much. Papa ended up carrying her the rest of the way home (she only couldn’t go the last half block). Mama suggested that Papa wear the pouch and when Gryphon gets tired, he can just pop her in the pouch and continue on.

What’s a pouch? Well, it’s something that I initially didn’t like. It works kind of like a back pack, only the bag is on the front and has a mesh like top. Mama or Papa just put us in the pouch (the bag part), cinch it up, so we’re nice and snug and won’t fall out. You can even be hooked to the inside of the bag as there is a clip. I figured out the pouch was actually a good thing when Mama was working so much on Misfit McCabe and I wanted her to hold me. We compromised and I sat in the pouch and she could keep working and everyone was happy (Gryphon got to sleep on her feet and Elsa wasn’t born yet.) So, pouches are good things. Ask for a pouch – you can go more places that way too.

All for now. Until next time. Paws Up!

Copyright 2009 © Phoenix with a helping paw from Gryphon and a distracting paw from Elsa

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
_____________________________________________________________________

Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:
Visit us at Griffie World
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit:
Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe in an instant.
For other ebook formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Gardner-Griffie, visit: The Lulu Book Review

Paw Princess on the Move

Phoenix — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:19:35 +0000

I feel like fireworks are going off. I finally convinced Mama to integrate The Paw Princess Diary into Griffie World Happenings. Do you know how I did it? I kept asking her to post a blog entry and since with my blog on Blogger she has to log out of Gmail so I can log on to post an item, she didn’t want to do it. I was biding my time and making suggestions about the website and how she really should start integrating all of the aspects of it, so that it is seemless to anyone trying to find out information about her stuff.

Things have been moving slowly because she has been so busy with writing the sequel to Misfit McCabe. She is calling it Nowhere Feels Like Home, and I think it’s a lovely title. She finished up the creative process and is now procrastinating about completing the editing on it. I saw my moment to strike. What really helped me out was that for work she had to upgrade her laptop and wouldn’t have Microsoft Front Page anymore, so she has decided to upgrade her website (and she thinks it’s all her own idea – he he he).

She knows that she can’t do the complete revamp of the entire website until after she finishes editing, but the idea of resturcturing has been driving her crazy, and I again brought up integrating my blog, so that when she is away for a few minutes fixing dinner, or taking a little break, I can pop on and post something without having to log her out of anything.

I am happy to say that we have completed the cut over of all of my posts from Blogger to Griffie World Happenings, and although Mama won’t let me post to the main blog page, she’s set me up with my own page that will have a tab at the top. I’m tired with all of the encouraging I’ve had to do. Plus, I had to keep Elsa from laying her head on the laptop, so have had to keep that little whip entertained so Mama could get everything set up right.

Oh, for those of you who are concerned that Mama is shirking the editing, you have nothing to worry about. Mama fights against doing the editing and then will sit down and have it done before you know it. In fact, by letting her get at least a couple of integration items out of the way, she’s feeling happier about the blog, and the traveling book site (check out the WITW is MMC tab at the top of the page)

All for now. Until next time. Paws Up!

Copyright 2009 © Phoenix with a helping paw from Gryphon and a distracting paw from Elsa

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
_____________________________________________________________________

Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:
Visit us at Griffie World
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit:
Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe in an instant.
For other ebook formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Gardner-Griffie, visit: The Lulu Book Review

Over the Hump

Phoenix — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:27:19 +0000

Not much to say today, except that it was too hot. I’m a black dog, so heat gets to me quickly. It was Wednesday, not St. Patrick’s Day, and I just wanted to find a nice cool spot to curl up and take a nap in. We’re officially on the downhill slide toward the weekend.

I only took the time to post this because Mama took a moment to go get some tea, and I have to start reasserting my control over the laptop, or I’ll lose it forever.

Until next time. Paws Up!

Copyright 2009 © Phoenix with a helping paw from Gryphon and a distracting paw from Elsa

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
_____________________________________________________________________

Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:
Visit us at Griffie World
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit:
Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe in an instant.
For other ebook formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Gardner-Griffie, visit: The Lulu Book Review

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Phoenix — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:36:42 +0000

I had to sneak in and quickly boot up the computer while Mama was making dinner so I could wish you all a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. (Mama has been completely hogging the laptop and working on her sequel, which actually has a name now of Nowhere Feels Like Home. She’s really cramping my online style.

This is from all of us. . .Gryphon, Phoenix and Elsa.

Until next time. Paws Up!

Copyright 2009 © Phoenix with a helping paw from Gryphon and a distracting paw from Elsa

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
_____________________________________________________________________

Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:
Visit us at Griffie World
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit:
Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe in an instant.
For other ebook formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Gardner-Griffie, visit: The Lulu Book Review

Stop Barking Already

Phoenix — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:25:10 +0000

For all you dog parents out there, listen up! Dogs bark. . .and we get mighty tired of trying to tell you something only to hear, “Will you stop barking already?” Barking is a dog’s form of communication. It allows us to alert you to when we feel that danger might be present, or when we need something to help our lives be a little more comfortable. Think about it – have you ever had your dog give you the “I’m hungry” bark, or how about the popular “I need to go out” bark. Sometimes it’s more of a growl or a groan, but let’s not digress into tone quality or semantics.

We don’t just bark to hear ourselves bark (unlike some people I know), so the quickest way to stop our barking is to figure out what we’re trying to tell you. You expect us to learn what your commands are in people language, so why shouldn’t we expect you to learn a little dog? Communication is a two way street people!

So, the next time you get ready to tell us to stop barking, think about how you would like to be told to stop talking.

Until next time. Paws Up!

Copyright 2009 © Phoenix with a helping paw from Gryphon and a distracting paw from Elsa

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
_____________________________________________________________________

Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:
Visit us at Griffie World
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit:
Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe in an instant.
For other ebook formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Gardner-Griffie, visit: The Lulu Book Review

During a Break in Writing

Phoenix — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:22:07 +0000

I only have a few moments to post something because Mama is going to be back shortly and want to use the laptop again. She’s in the middle of writing the sequel to Misfit McCabe and when she’s in this mode I usually have to keep my paws off the laptop. Well, I just wanted to make a comment to all you dogs out there who have owners that are writers. I know that it can be a little troublesome when they get into that writing zone, because the ability to keep track of time ceases to exist for them. Plus, they just keep writing and forget to give us kibble or water until they come out of the writing zone. Just remember that your job is to love your owner unconditionally and if it means sitting right by their side while they are working through some sticky plot point, then so be it.

Gryphon, Elsa and I all got paw print fleece blankets for Christmas (Thank you Grammy) and so I make it my job to curl up on one of the blankets – we all share with each other, even though our names are on the blankets – and stay by Mama’s side until she takes the headphones out of her ears and quits typing. Elsa is still learning about how to behave with a writer in the house. She keeps trying to crawl up in Mama’s lap and in the process steps on the mouse or on the keyboard and Mama is scrambling to save her work.

So, all you young pups out there. . .until you know how to use a keyboard. Paws Off!

Until next time. Paws Up!

Copyright 2009 © Phoenix with a helping paw from Gryphon and a distracting paw from Elsa

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
_____________________________________________________________________

Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:
Visit us at Griffie World
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit:
Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe in an instant.
For other ebook formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Gardner-Griffie, visit: The Lulu Book Review