Nana is coming !!!!!!!

and Opa gets to bring her ... and something, something ... Harvest Tree ... something, something, something ... the deck ...

My Own Personal Rube Goldberg Solution ...

Just the other day, Mummy was bemoaning the condition of the carpet. Apparently, she felt it was beginning to look a little dingy. I think she may have discovered the cause of her lament.

You see, in my world there is the cold hard reality of the Scottie condition ...

There are the occasions when I could really use a napkin … after dinner, a drink, or rooting around in the back yard. But as I am devoid of thumbs, I’m at somewhat of a loss. Therefore, I have to be a bit more resourceful, hence the Goldberg reference. I have discovered that the dining room carpet has all the absorbent properties I require to meet my needs.

So with front legs folded and tush up in the air, I can propel myself forward like a front end loader. Add to that a sideways tilt of the head, and I am at just the proper angle to wipe my face. More recently, I have added a side-to-side sweeping maneuver to address my shaggy beard.

Problem solved …

Happy Halloween!!

After last year's Crocodile Dundee episode, Mother and I had a discussion about the lengths to which I will and will not participate in her fascination with All Hallows Eve...

This year I put my paw down ... no costumes! And so ... we compromised.

Here we are we've dressed up as Rich Uncle Pennybags and his trusty companion, Scottie.

The Scared Scots Project ...

Have you heard ???... The 'rents are leaving me alone ... all by myself ... outside my kennel ... all day! Sweet!'

The first couple of days, I played it pretty cool. I spent quite a bit of time, just hanging out, cooling my jets, when I hear the garage door open, that's my signal to head for the 'safety' and 'security of my kennel. Mom and Dad ... well, they pretty much think I've been there all day !


On Monday, first Mom, then Dad headed out the door, as usual, to do whatever it is they do all day ... Then it's my time to find whatever mischief suits my fancy. With Halloween approaching, I think I'll call this episode of the Naughty Scotty ... The Blair Witch Project. I created these heaps of twigs and left them in conspiculous places for the folks to find upon their return.





Unfortunately, I did not count on one teeny tiny detail ... Dad was still home. And he caught me ... red-pawed.


And now I'm in the corner ...

The New Adventures of Itchy and Scratchy

Oh ... Autumn !! As we discussed just a few weeks ago, I have terrible allergies. You've heard the adage that misery loves company ... So I am happy to report that my Pops, a fellow allergy sufferer, is as miserable, if not more so, than I.

It hasn't rained in a couple of weeks ... so the pollen is pretty bad. Dad says he feels like he's covered in a fine ... ahem ... coating. But seriously ... we are quite a pair ... sneezing ... scratching ... sniffling.

Mom likes to act like Nurse Ratchet as she stands in the kitchen and conducts roll call ... awaiting the imminent arrival of the Benadryl brothers ...

Something a Little Out of the Ordinary ...

** I took control of the keyboard from Cluny ... Tonight, I will be your guest poster **

Last week, Jeff and I decided that we were going to start transitioning Cluny from his kennel and allowing him a little latitude ... we thought we would turn him into sort of a 'free range' Scottie.

We thought we'd start small ... so when we ran out on a quick errand, we left the door to his kennel open. Upon our return, we found Cluny in his house ... just waiting for us.

So the next time we left him alone, it was the same story ... we came home to find him sitting in his kennel, waiting for us to tell him it was okay to come out. He's behaved this way over and over again.

This afternoon as I was preparing to leave, I gave Cluny a cookie and bade him farewell ... He just stood there in the kitchen with a look on his face that I can only describe as confused. Was he trying to tell me that I'd forgotten something? "Ahem ... Mother ... see me ... here in the kitchen ... not in my house ... In.The.Kitchen ..."

As I write this ... Cluny is lying next to me ... knocked out! Does this mean that he's been wide awake all day ... and therefore, missing the endless hours of sleep that he usually enjoys while we are away. Is he nervous and angsty because he thinks he has been unintentionally left unsupervised? Which got me to thinking ... what happens after I shut the garage door to go?

What I wouldn't give for a Cluny-Cam !

Stranger Danger

Mummy and I walk regularly … you’ll find us out and about in the evening, and more so these days, we make our way in the early morning. The smells of autumn are here … a collection of acorns on our path. There is nothing that I enjoy more than the cacophony of sights, smells, noises. The butterflies, bees and grasshoppers are plentiful this time of year and I can most certainly make the most of a romp through the tallest grasses or clearing a swath through the clover.

We rarely walk the same path every day, and although I’ve trod by the houses on either side of ours more times than I could recount, I always stop to smell a few of the choicest spots on this, the most regular part of our route. Fortunately, we like to mix it up, and the tangle of streets throughout our neighborhood provides a never ending array of options.

It’s the occasional passerby that will often cause me to literally stop in my tracks … bat ears perked up on high alert. Yesterday was one such occasion. Mom and I had set out on our walk right after she got home … (and by the way, where does she go all day? That’s probably a subject for another day …) … we’d made it three or four houses … when I saw another dog and his walker approach … so I sat down … which in turn causes mom to pull up short. Mom, in her effort to persuade me back up on my feet will give me a slight tug on the lead … I respond by taking one, yes, one step forward ... Mom gives me a another tug ... one more tiny step forward and then I will likely take my seat. No amount of coaxing and cajoling will make me move till I’m ready …

Once I do decide that the approaching stranger provides no imminent danger … I will approach quickly and then slowly and then quickly … like a preteen at their first dance. Other times, I prefer the view from the safe confines between mom’s ankles … and it’s from there, I will quickly dart forward and back ... coyly flirting but not quite giving in. It's usually a quick chuck under my chin and we are on our way ...