Frog Update

We thought this was all over and done with.

But it's not.

And we don't have any pictures to show for it. Because it all happens in the dark.

The DARK.

Frogs come out at night. At least around here. They chirp and bull and puff. Trying to get attention. They hop around on their little spongy toes and swell to unusual sizes to get attention...

The WRONG KIND OF ATTENTION.

Monkey has alerted us to the fact that our wee frog was not alone.

Oh, no.

He was part of an Army.

An Army poised to hop into our kitchen one at a time and gain our unopposed trust.

Rubber Turkey believed them. We thought they were feeble and weak.

But since we last updated you, Monkey has uncovered several buried frogs in our yard. Granted, some were dead, but some were just feigning death to gain mere passage to our home. They were hoping to outwit the feeble minded Monkey and hop their way into our kitchen for the usual errant fly.

Monkey has proved to be a fervent uncoverer of the truth. A warrior of undocumented dimension.

Thank you, Monkey. Thank you for killing unmercilessly those who do not deserve entry.

Your powers have not gone unnoticed. And you will be highly exalted.

Reckless Driving

It's been too long since we posted. Rubber Turkey will try to do better.




Can you tell what body of water that phone ended up in at the end? Yes, I know. Time to move the water bowl.

On Top Of Spaghetti

So Long, Kevin! We Miss You Already!

Fricano's Deli has lost a valuable employee.  

Kevin, pictured right, was punctual for work only three times.  He burned about $120 worth of chocolate chip cookies, and once baked a batch with salt instead of sugar.  

But to his credit, he did arrive at work once fifteen minutes early and helped me tremendously during a breakfast rush (Granted, it was a mistake.  He was staying at a friend's house and didn't realize how close his friend lived to the deli.)  Kevin also put up with all of our boisterous regulars with grace, and didn't seem to mind that Gil could only talk to him about all things Chinese, even though he is from Colorado.

Kevin took all of our abuse remarkably, and always made us smile.  We miss you, Kevin.  Good luck in the big city.  Don't let it chew you up and spit you out.

(For all of our New York readers, if you come upon this boy in the city, please treat him kindly. He's doing the best he can.)

Cheers, Kevin.  

Monkey Hair

You might notice that in this last shot, Mikah is trying to throw my keys into his playpen. Thank goodness I caught this action photo, or I might never have found them.

Shanghai Surprise

Stella, our babysitter, has been back home in Shanghai for family business. We miss her so much. But she sent these beautiful clothes to remind Mikah that she will be back soon. Thank you Stella!

A Passing (the latest, and seemingly last, Frog Update)

We haven't seen the frog in a few days. His appearances had been regular and, well... appreciated. I mean, it's weird to have a wild frog show up in your kitchen every now and then, but he was harmless. And when he wasn't in our house, he was waiting by our back door.

To make a long story short, Monkey started barking at something in the dirt. I walked over to check it all out. And there, half-covered by dusty Earth and belly-up, was our frog.

I feel strangely sad. He was a regular occurrence for a while. We will miss him.

Oh, I hope he didn't suffer. And I hope he didn't leave any helpless tadpoles behind. Which I doubt, because it's been dry.

We are starting a collection for poor Mrs. Frog. Checks payable to Fricano's Deli c/o Beloved Frog.

We (Might) Have A Winner

Last week I went to the city shelter. A kill-shelter. I found a beautiful dog named Frenchy. German Shepard mix, two years old, long sexy legs, and a silky black and chestnut coat. Oh, did I mention the sassy curly tail and the soulful chocolate eyes?

We passed the initial interview and our application was stamped approved. All that we had to do to take Frenchy home was introduce her to Lola.

A "Meet and Greet" on the grounds of the city shelter.

Now, Lola has issues. I mean, she was originally rescued from a junkyard in Brooklyn. She can be aggressive with other dogs, is abnormally protective of her people, and has a LOUD bark.

But she has had a whole bunch of doggy friends. Like, Hara the Rottweiler and Nova the Labrador. We know that she has social skills. Other dogs just have to get used to her. I was a little worried, but not too worried..

So this is how it went. I showed up at the shelter with Lola the Dog and Mikah the Baby. A young girl greeted us and explained that I would not be present for the meeting. I asked, "Are you serious?" and she said, "Yes."

She took Lola's leash and led us to another building. Lola was then taken to the "Meeting Room." Via another door, I saw Frenchy brought into the building and led to that same room.

Three minutes later, maybe less, Lola was marched back out to me. My heart sunk. I saw Frenchy leave through the same door she entered. Ugh.

The chick holding Lola's leash then explained that my dog didn't like their dog. Sorry. No doubt about it. This adoption wasn't going to happen. Good luck to you and your unworthy family. Good bye. And oh, yeah, we'll euthanize about twenty dogs before sundown. Cheers.

Can you say DE... VA... STATED?

Took me a few days do get over that one.

After a lot of griping, and cursing, and crying to Jamil, I pulled myself together. Started looking for an alternative. Because I'm not BUYING a puppy, and I know that we are a good home for some unwanted mutt.

Enter Rescue Foundations. Google "dog rescue" and the name of your home town, and be prepared to be amazed at the quanity of lonely dogs that really need you.

Here's one:



















He's three, he's nuetered, and he's a force to be reckoned with. Meet Sargeant Monkey Scruffles McShrimpToast.

He's spending a two-week trial period with us. We love him already.


































He bosses Lola around, sleeps in our bed, and sticks to me like glue. This little dude can hang.

Hot Day

Boy, is it hot in Texas! Not that we're complaining. We have a great yard and we love to hang in it.

Today we set up Mikah's little baby pool. Notice there is no baby in it.


















What was El Niño doing?



















Playing in the doggie water bowl. We had to insert that bowl into the frog to get Mikah interested in even getting near it.


















And then we had the best day ever.



















































Having a little shrimp around is a lot of fun.

Mikah's Busy

We Are Interviewing A Terrier Tomorrow

OK. We have dog adoption fever. We have been through several ups and downs in the last few days. Trials and tribulations.

But a little mutt is coming to our house tomorrow to meet our family. He has been rescued from the city's shelter, and is in foster care at the moment.

I will post more tomorrow. It's just too hard to give too many details right now because we have had several heartbreaks in the last few weeks, even in the last few days.

Wish us luck.

Scooter Update

The consensus amongst my friends and neighbors has been to liberate Scooter, preferably at night, and whisk him away to our new home when we move this summer. Or to call the Humane Society and tattle on his owners. However, after stalking his residence for the past five days, I don't really think that the kidnapping plan is realistic. It seems that there is always someone home at Scooter's house, and they stay up rather late. Maybe all night from what I can tell. And he lives with a giant black lab that acts as a watchdog and would certainly alert the little druggies to covert activities taking place in the yard.

I did drop by yesterday during daylight hours just to say "hi" to dear old Scooter. He was still wearing the collar that I bought him, and the kids that live in the house assured me that all of their fleabags have now been treated. So if they are making an effort to properly watch after their pack, I would feel really guilty turning them into the authorities.

I'm not saying I'm totally giving up. I mean, if his gate flies open again and I see him running straight into my arms, I certainly won't be returning him a second time. I will just dye him dark brown and give him some blue contacts. Maybe even teach him an accent.

For the full Scooter story, click here, then here.

Mimi and Grandpa and the Zilker Zephyr

So The Fleabag Has A Home

When he arrived at our fence, Lola chatted him up and kept him entertained for some time. We kept watching the strange dog at our gate thinking that his owner would call his name and retrieve him at any moment. Didn't happen.

According to our neighbors, he was running around the neighborhood all day. His collar was too tight and broken. No tags. His coat was matted and he was emaciated. Jamil and I thought this dog had been on the street for a while.

We let him into the yard an he and Lola hit it off like old school chums. But we didn't invite him in the house because he had about a gazillion fleas on him.

But what a sweet, gentle dog.

I took him to the vet and got him fixed up with all the goodies that a young fleabag could want. Hart guard, Advantix, flea bath... Then off to the pet store to get him a primo collar.

To make a long story very short, I never stopped looking for his owner. After everyone went to bed, I did every kind of Internet search that I could do on lost fleabags in Austin.

Bingo. Found a hit.

His name is Scooter and he belongs to some pot-smoking, patchouli wearing, faced-pierced twenty-somethings that live right down the street.

Awesome.

We returned him tonight. Guess what the reward is... a free tattoo. Yeah, I can't wait to redeem my free tattoo that will remind me for the rest of my life that I had to return a neglected animal to a bunch of idiots.

Even more awesome.

Here's the ad that made me cry:


Last night, our male German Shepherd/ Yellow Lab mix got out of our back yard and is missing!!! he is probably still in the area, and is not likely to stray very far.

PLEASE!!! if you have found this dog,or have seen him nearby, please call us at either (***) ***-**** or (***) ***-**** .

His name is Scooter, and is un-neutered. He has a hand made leather collar with spikes and O-rings, and has a scar across his nose. He also has distinct black spots on his face.
He is VERY playful and friendly, so if you spot him don't be afraid to pick him up and call us!!! He has no tags. Please call any time day or night!!! Thank you very much!!!!


If you return him to us, we will give you a free tattoo!!! We all work in a professional shop, and will give up to a $120 tattoo!

So This Fleabag Showed Up At Our House

He can read. I know this because he saw the big sign on our front door that says, "A Whole Bunch Of Suckers Live Here."

He has put life back into Lola, who has really been moping since Ginger's been gone.

They do this all day long.

He's handsome, smart, and interesting.


















Quite a catch. I hope we can't find his owner.

Frog Update

Is it the same one?

Frog was spotted in kitchen again. The one we found last night was promptly placed outside in the grass after the photo shoot.

Frog must be waiting by the kitchen door to sneak in when we have to run outside and yell at Lola to shut up when she sees a jogger run by, or a cyclist roll down the street, or a squirrel steal a nut, or a leaf blow in the wind.

I mean it's either that or there's a colony of frogs under the kitchen sink.

Frog On A Log On Our Blog (actually in our kitchen)

We found this guy hopping around the house. Or maybe it's a girl. Not sure.

Hi Stella! My Shirt Still Fits!

BFF

Mikah's First Cheeseburger (Certified Organic)