You want me to WHAT?

Well, the other day, Daddy was telling me that sometimes, at werk, they get a phone call and they have to go to the docker and pee in a cup. He said they were just "ran-dumb" but I don't really know what that means. He said that it's cuz the bosses want to make sure they haven't gotten ahold of something bad. (I wonder if he eats kleenex too?)

Guess what! It happened to ME! My number came up!

I just got home from my annual visit to my favorite docker. She didn't make me take any shots, but they stuck me with a needle to get blood to check it, and then she tole my mom to make me PEE IN A CUP!

So I started thinkin' about Daddy and how people at his werk have to pee in a cup. Now I'm scared I'll lose my license to do pet therapy! I hope it turns out ok.

PS. I sent an email to Daddy at werk, and he said I'd better just go ahead and do it. He said I could lose my license if I refused!

Ricky's latest photo chute

Hi everyone! Mom's friend Debbie Klecan invited me to come over and pose for her again. This time I wore my swim trunks and goggles cuz it was a beach party! If you ever need yer pitcher taken, she is a reel gude photo-taker. She has treets and noisemakers too that make it even more fun. Mom and I had a great time at Aunt Debbie's studio.

Ricky drives the fire truck!

Yesterday I had a real fun time! Mom took me to the FIRE STATION! It's not too far from our house, and she knows the loo-tenant there. Christine was in mom's chemistry class a while back, and so I wanted to go meet her. I never saw a fire truck before, but I can hear it sometimes when they run the siren when they are going to a fire.

So Christine said I could drive, but mom would have to run the pedals for me. And wow it's a big thing, brand new this year, and very pretty. I even had my fire chief hat to wear. Christine also showed me all the controls on the pumper, and showed me all their gear all ready to go.


But the neatest part about Christine is that she is a paramedic, and got to go to Haiti to help the earthquake victims. She went during the chemistry class, so mom had to help her compensate for being gone all that time. Christine had to take a lot of shots so she wouldn't get sick from being there, and she told the class about her trip while she was gone. Mom was really glad to be able to send Christine to help, since we couldn't go there ourselves to help. Really I think they could have used some therapy dogs, but I didn't want to take all those shots. Christine gave mom a souvenir commemorative coin that is really special too. It has a picture of Haiti on it. I don't really understand the other stuff. But it helps people remember.
So thanks for a great time at the fire station, Christine!

Possum Stew

Well, I tried to help my mom make possum stew. We went to Joplin in August to dog-sit for Aunt Dianne and Uncle Jim while they went on a vacation. So me and mom went (oops that should be "my mom and I"--Aunt Dianne is trying to help me with my grammar) without Daddy and we had a little vacation too. I'm learning to be a farm dog. Mindy and Lilbit are bichon freezays and I like to stay at their house cuz they have a doggie-door. I'm kinda big for it, but I can hunker down and get right through it real quick-like.

So Mom was on the phone with Daddy, the first night we were all there alone, and it was gittin' kinda dark-like, and I spied something out by the fence. I went out and barked like Lilbit taught me, and she came along too for moral support. Mom came out too, and she was real surprised at what we found!

It was a possum right inside our fence! Lilbit was barking her lil head off, right in that possum's ear! I really didn't know what it was, but it was hissing like a cat, and I knew it didn't have any business being inside our fence. Mom picked up the lil dogs, one under eat arm, and made me come with her too, and we had to go inside. I didn't know it, but mom locked the doggie door! And then I tried to go out, and I needed aspirin cuz I had a headache! That door had never been locked before! Well, at least not when I had been there. The lil dogs seemed to know why it didn't work.

So mom consulted with Dad, and she went and found a broom thinkin she could just shoo that possum out the gate. WRONG! That possum was playin possum, and didn't want to move. So she kinda rolled him out the gate with the broom. It was kinda like a lead bowling ball, she said! It was a long ways to the gate, but she got it out and closed the gate. Whew, that was a real scary thing in our yard! They had been eating the cantaloupe that Aunt Dianne had planted this summer so they were not very popular wildlife. If mom wouldda had a gun, she said she wouldda made us some possum stew!