So it's an end of the year round up; what do you expect from a dog with a heart condition? Thanksgiving passed; I got my share of turkey; cool. Mom left for Canada; I stayed with Joe. Mom went to Seattle; I stayed with Joe. Sensing a trend here? Good thing Joe and his mom are liberal with the treats. I'm off to greet the new year with a snarky growl and a pawful of lasix. Enjoy.

A couple of disturbing things happened this week. First, we seem to have lost our car. I was very attached to that car, and I hope that mom can find it. Second, Halloween passed, and yet curiously there were no costumes (I did notice a lot of Sweetarts in the vicinity). Notaone. The only explanation is that mom is too tired to go on. I have to snap her out of it, because frankly this is no life for a fun-loving gal such as myself.

Okay, I am pretty sure we don't live in the same place. I can't be certain, cause everything seems pretty much the same, but at the same time, it seems to take just ages to get back to our place after a stroll round the hood, and I am so exhausted when we finally there. Not sure what gives.

Something is up. everything we own is in boxes. I can no longer seem to locate Heffner, let alone my split orange Ikea ball. What's a girl supposed to do with all the hours in the day if she doesn't have a few stuffed friends to kick around?

Yahoo! We made it to Maine. It was all lighthouses and beach. What a gas (and I am not just talking about Gidget's noxious cannon emissions).

Mom went off the Fire Island for the weekend. Too hot for me I guess. It's cool though; she left Brian here for my amusement (he also serves as me personal chef and masseur, which all in all seems like a pretty good gig for him).

Right. This would be me in the hospital AGAIN. What the heck is going on?! To boot, I think maybe ma is renting out my spot on the couch while I am away. Is there someone I can call about that?

Ummm. Greetings from me in the hospital again.

Back home and feeling much better. Well, I was feeling better until mom dropped the bomb on me; our Maine trip is el cancelado (my spanish is a little rusty - that just means SUCK).

Holy lights out. And here I was stuck at the hospital all on my own. Made two visits down before they admitted me for heart failure. Gulp. The worst was when they locked me in the glass cage without even a bone to keep a girl company. Creeps.

Saw the doctor last Tuesday; he said I was tip top. Saw the doctor AGAIN today; maybe I am not so tip top.

Dinner out for Big D's birthday. I wasn't invited, so who really cares. Come to think of it, not even an ort made it my way. What is this world coming to when a girl can't even count on a little doggy bag action at the end of a long week?

Went out to The Island - you know, the one they call long - and got to see Jess before he left for parts west. Mostly I wasn't feeling well. At least no one made fun of my bare patches. Then on Sunday there was this party at Brian's. Kids were chasing me everywhere. Random strangers rubbed my belly. I had chicken and hot dog and tomatoes for dinner. Then I puked. It was AMAZING!

I am being very finicky about when and what to eat. It's so unlike me. Sometimes I think I want to eat some chicken; then other times I think I want to eat some beef. I am almost always in the mood for an egg or two, but I just can't stomach anymore cheese (puleez!). Occasionally I crave tomato and cucumber, while other times I yearn for a good weiner. Last night I had a hankerin' for zuchinni, and it just so happens that is what ma cooked up for her dinner. Thanks for sharing ma!

What's to say? Feeling pretty cruddy. I am sick and mostly just have energy to sleep and pee. Sometimes I can muster enough strength to roll over for some belly rubs though.

Umm, excuse me Brian and ma. You packed up and headed to the lake, but you seem to have forgotton something very important - vital even - me! Hiking by the waterfalls, eh? Like I wouldn't be down for that. Rain shmain, just call my name and I am game! Heh heh. Pretty bad poetry.

I braced myself for the worst when the alarm rang off at 7 AM (!!?!). As luck would have it, I found myself sheparded into the car with Pidge and deposited smack in the middle of Harriman State Park (or as I refer to it more appropriately, paradise). Off we went on a 10-mile hike. There was plenty of open space, trees, streams and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for all! Did I mention the word paradise?

The Yankees lost to Texas in nine quick innings, which caused the following chain of events: Mom arrived home from the game at least two hours earlier than expected, rousted SD and the Pidge, and whisked us all off to the dog run for hours on end. Nice.

Mother's Day with mom's mom. There was french toast, there was fruit salad, there was bacon, there was Godiva chocolate, there was Gidget... what the! Is nothing sacred? Is there any place that runt doesn't turn up? Any length she won't go to to shadow me and sniff my bum? Any chance she isn't planning to bite my face and steal my ball? So not. Well, we had a good run around. Hey, if you can't beat 'em...

Mom's off to bike New York. Headed out in her biker get up early this morning. Brian's golfing. Hmmm, I guess I wasn't invited to join in on the whole golf outing thing since the urge to fetch the ball runs a wee bit strong in me blood. Rumor has it that SD is going to come and get me. Think I'll just lie here and try to forget the morning's traumatic sight of mom walking out the door - man does her ass look big in those shorts - until then.

Just when you think you're set for a good stretch, life creeps up and bites you in the rump. Hey! That's supposed to be my schtick. Anyway, I am not feeling well. Feeling real bad. Had to go to the vet where I was poked and prodded. Got some gooey, yellow medicine for my ear. Can't stand it, but the treat I get after the application is pure gold.

Back home for exactly two days and here's Brian again jiggling the car keys. Ordinarily, that kind of invitation speaks to me, but I have a sinking feeling that I am going for a long drive on a congested expressway... straight to my island prison. My mate, Gidget, is here. That can only mean extra face bites and sharing my spot in the car with her stinky fart cannon. Yippee.

Oh the humiliation of it all; dumped on LI AGAIN. Mom is sick like a, uh... dog, but she is going to Niagara Falls with Brian anyway. I hope it snows all over them and their barrel freezes up!

OMG! I just found out we're moving to Texas... where everything is bigger. Guess I better pork up y'all (more cookies for me please). Apparently the South calls; remember the Alamo and all that. Mom said she had an offer she couldn't refuse. Ha ha ha. April Fools. Bet I had some of you going good! Seriously, can you see me in Texas? Romping across a dusty plain in the 101 degree heat of the afternoon sun? Not. Check out my Maine pics. More my speed.

Been shipped off; got a ride out last night with Brian. Mom thought I might enjoy a stretch on Long Island, but it's all good, cause I reckon that I am - enjoying it that is. Gidget came along too (of course!). We're staying with Joe, who has a nice, roomy backyard with endless frolicking possibilities. Mostly we like to play sit on him though.

More snow in the forecast. Would be exciting if I didn't have a big cut on my toe. What is exciting is that I got the inside scoop on our annual winter trip to Maine; still some time to ski if we act fast. When's that you ask? I'll never teeeellll. Okay, okay, two weeks; better rest up so my paw heals in time.

Well, I cut my foot again. Doctor says I have "baby" paws -- no callous. Harumph! I clock more time on the asphalt than that yahoo of a vet does jabbing poor, innocent dogs with big needles. Anyway, I have been relegated to apartment and am mostly spending my time removing the bandage and booty mom rigs up for me every morning. That and sleeping. Doubt me? Check me out on the cam (yeah, ma, I know you set up a camera to keep an eye on me while you are at work; why do you think I've been so well-behaved recently!)

SNOW! It snowed. No, I mean it really snowed! Blizzard-like. Mom and Brian stayed home, and I got to romp it all day. First I went for a snowy walk. I wasn't supposed to go off leash, but mom figured 'what the heck; it's a snow day!', and I ran around like nuts in the streets (too snowy for cars). Then Gidge and I went to the small park and ran around until she couldn't hack it anymore (she's just little and gets all pink from the cold). Later we went for another walk, and then back to the park, looking for trouble. No such luck, we only found a noisy old dog with a shorty friend who wouldn't take his leash off. On my midnight walk mom threw me into the snow drifts, and I didn't mind at all :)

Geez Louise. Guess I have been busy. Or someone has. I am going to recap below, but before I do, I have news! Hal and Kipper moved out this morning. Not sure if it's because I ate there food again last week (yahoo for bright red poo!) or what, but mom packed them up in a canvas tote and headed out the door. I kinda miss the big orange fella... err... I mean good riddance!

Frigid. That about says it all. Missed out on a few good walks - more than a few I suspect - because of icy temps. Spent a lot of playtime inside with the pidge and Brian. Pidge likes to bite my face. Brian likes to hold her legs so she can't scramble around after me. It's so funny; he gets her all trussed up like a pig headed for the spit!

Click here to see what I got up to last year!