Greetings from MHC. It is hot, humid and we are certainly in the dog days of summer here. I stall as long as I can each day before I finally give up and turn on the air conditioner. Me + humidity = crabby, irritated and congested.
Speaking of dog days, Don and I were in Woodstock yesterday. You might remember I was going to hear him perform? (He was wonderful, by the way.) Our trip kept us out a bit past Mr. Riley’s dinner hour. Maybe an hour. Not hours. When we walked up to the side door, I spied this on the floor in front of the refrigerator. (This has been restaged. I was so dumbfounded at the time that I didn’t think of taking a photo.)
There were many torn pieces of paper and bookcover strewn everywhere. I ask you to imagine these extras. Riley had eaten my bird identification book.
When he was a newly rescued dog, he would get into things due to separation anxiety. Once he tore open Don’s backpack and ate a bunch of gum. He chewed up one of my McCoy identification books. We learned to put everything away that he might get into before we left the house. He hasn’t done anything like that in a long time. Until yesterday. He has always had a liking for books. When you or I like them, we read them. When Riley likes them, he eats them. I will occasionally catch him putting his teeth around the edge of a book as if to imagine what it might taste like. I always issue a sharp “NO!” and move the book out of the way. It seems that I somehow missed the foreshadowing of yesterday’s feast. Now we are back to putting everything up and out of the way when we leave. He knew he was a bad boy. At least he got some roughage in his diet.
I am in the midst of some new designs on the blog. Check out my new button on the sidebar. Mine doesn’t have code so if you want to add it to your blog, just take the jpeg. My banner will be changing, too. I thought it was time for an update. This is all being done by my friend Mandy of a la parisienne. She designed my sidebar labels, remember? I hope you enjoy it when it is all installed.
Oh, I was kept awake for hours last night with an itchy ankle from that darn yellowjacket. I thought I would go mad. Stay away from me bees, you hear?
Have a wonderful day!
Oh, Claudia, it’s so blessed hot here, too! Mid to high 90’s and humidity through the roof!
Did you take pix at Woodstock? How FUN!!! Maybe we’ll see a blogpost about it :)
Oh my, Mr. Riley!! LOL I must say, he does have good taste in books! (no pun intended!)
Keep cool, my friend!
Donna @ An Enchanted Cottage
Hi Claudia :)
Ugh… we have a few dogs issues ourselves, but instead of eating books they like to use the kitchen as a bathroom. We have a doggie door, but I guess Mini is just too lazy… double ugh.
It’s unbearably hot here in Ohio too. I can’t wait for fall :)
rue
Ah, poor Riley. THANKFULLY he doesn’t chew on furniture. He’s lucky to have very understanding, caring and loving skin parents :)
I hope you get some relief soon for the heat and your bee stings!
I am liking your new look!! I noticed the new banner right away. Very bright and cheerful!
Hugs,
Marsha
My first thought is am I in the right place. Love your new look gorgeous flowers although I loved your china pieces too.
Sounds like you had a nice day at Woodstock but what a surprise that Reily was hungry to read a book. LOL
Hot hot hot here too but I am having a giveaway so pop over if you have a moment to spare.
Uh oh…bad dog! They are so naughty, but life would be so dull without them! ;)
m ^..^
Hi Claudia,
It’s hot here too but I can’t complain about humidity. How could you leave poor Riley all alone with nothing to eat but a book on birds? Zeke once gnawed on the corner of one of my decorating books… just on the back corner – guess he didn’t like the taste as much as Riley did ;)
Your blog looking great, I’ll have to come back later this week and see what other changes you’ve made.
Happy week!
xo~Tracie
Claudia, your new blog design is beautiful . . . of course the old one was too! Love it!
Poor Riley . . . perhaps he meant to chew up the phone book and perhaps order delivery while he was at it? LOL!
Those darn wasps . . . they’re absolutely crazy this year and they seem to be so huge! I have to be very careful to the point of carrying around an antihistamine with me . . . one sting and I’m swollen like a watermelon!
Take care,
Teresa
Riley just wants to keep his Mom and Dad on their toes. He is a very sweet boy and I love him. Tell him his Aunt Mere will be there in a few weeks and I will read to him!
Love the new look of the blog.
OOOPPPSSS! I Hope you have forgiven them! Your new header is awesome by the way!!
Hugs, Lisa
Hi ~ I am a new blogger and really enjoying it! I think I am going to have to put the timer on so I don’t spend too many hours on it and let other thing go by the wayside. I love you banner and name of your cottage. I think I could easily live in your home and enjoy the yard. My daughter has two golden retievers and they have separation anxity when they are left home alone and go even crazier if there is thunder. They go wild and have totally remodled the house!!! Eek.
Riley wanted to go to Woodstock! He was gettin’ even with you! Can’t wait to see your new look.
Claudia ~ At least Mr. Riley is intellectual! We had a dog (not Noodle) that had separation anxiety. We had to leave the radio on for her – not music, it had to be hard core talk radio! It helped. I guess she thought someone was around.
I was all excited thinking you were returning to Woodstock for the 40th anniversary—maybe in hippie clothes, a flower in your hair, etc. However it is pretty exciting that Don was playing!
Love your new blog design and header, Claudia! Beautiful, I say!
Thanks for your visits. I always read and enjoy your comments. I really appreciate them.
Blessings til I return.
Donna
Hi Claudia i just discovered your blog. I love it! your Riley cracked me up! I’am a bog dog lover! We have three dogs. My yellow lab is notorious for eating underwear and socks. We have to make sure we pick up all undergarments. Have a fabulous day! Traci
I am in the blessed air conditioning of the south. We don’t have any in VT so it is good to know I will be missing the heat and humidity today.
Have you tried a Benadryl itch stick? I never needed it before the northeast bugs found me. Now it goes with me everywhere!
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I think your blog is looking very nice Claudia.
It is interesting for me to see the book after Mr. Riley has had his way with it. Lstely, my Miss Luna has been doing something simlar with the books and magazines that I leave to the side of my bed, when she thinks that I’ve been slow to respond to her need for a certain kind of attention. Isn’t that funny? That they can perceive what will catch our attention in such a way?
I’ve had Woodstock on my mind lately, and watched a good show on NBC lately. I learned some things that I didn’t know about it. Certainly, it was an expression of a time that is not easily forgotten. The draft, I think, made such a difference to how people thought about war, and peace.