Toys R Us Is Not Just For Kids

About  a week ago, "Aunt Lisa" bought her greyhounds a Toys R Us educational toy designed for dogs.  Mama had seen it at Petsmart but didn't think we would like it.  We have been quite bored though, so Mama decided to give it a try.

The object is to get the treats out of the compartment.

 

Scout says it is "Easy Peasy"!

Yep, pretty easy.

You just have to lift up the lid.  I usually use my nose, but the mouth works, too.

 

I'm smarter than I look.  BOL!

It can be adjusted to make it harder.  I think we are ready for that level.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is A Toys R Us Kid ~  BOL!

A Tale Of Two Dogs

It is a beautiful day here, but a little chilly in the shade for me. Scout never thinks it is chilly.

Joey,
The Greyhound Whose Sister Sunbathes Like No One Is Watching

The 45 mph Couch Potato

We were recently contacted and asked if we would like to do a book review.  Mama said the book is written by a retired racer like me.  I thought it sounded like fun, so I said "SURE".  The book arrived yesterday and it is autographed by Aggie herself!

The book is called The 45 mph Couch  Potato and it is written by Aggie (Bohemian Agile) and her Mom, Leslie Balcerak.

We were told the book was geared towards children, but Mama enjoyed it as much as we did.  Aggie talks about what her life was like when she was a puppy, a racer and then a pet.  I really enjoyed when she explained what it was like when she arrived in her new home with her parents.  Boy, that brought back a lot of memories for me.  I came straight from a kennel too and living in a home is so different from a kennel.

Aggie does a very good job explaining how greyhounds are different from other dogs with her stories.  There are lessons about bullying, not swimming alone, being polite and making new friends among others. The lessons are written so well into the story that you really don't realize they are lessons....very smart, Aggie.

The illustrations by Rosemary Orbegoso are great!

We really enjoyed the book. Mama calls it a "fun read". We read it in one evening and we didn't put it down until we finished it. 

Scout enjoyed the book too, but she is a little down.  You see, she found out that Aggie is her cousin (same grandfather) and Scout feels like she hasn't done anything big in her life like writing a book.  Silly girl!

If you are interested in ordering a copy for yourself, you can visit Aggie at her website, The 45 mph Couch Potato.  The book is also available through Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble.

On a sad note....Aggie was attacked by an unleashed dog on December 26th.  She received more than 40 stitches and is at home recovering.  This is the second time she has been attacked.  If you would like to send her a get well wish, her email is the45mphcouchpotato@gmail.com 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Hopes Aggie Heals Quickly

Galveston, Oh Galveston

The folks recently made a return visit to Galveston.  They decided to visit Bishop's Palace.  The house was built between 1887 and 1893 for lawyer and politician, Walter Gresham.  It survived the great hurricane of 1900 because it was built of stone and steel.  In 1923, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased the house and it served as the residence of Bishop Christopher E. Byrne who is from Missouri which is our home state.  The cost to built the house was $250,000. The value today is estimated to be over $5.5 million.

The home is quite impressive.  Home tours are given twice a day, but visitors are able to take an audio tour on their own and that is what the folks chose to do since they arrived 2.5 hours before the next tour.

We apologize for the crooked photos.  We fixed all of them, but the changes are not saving and we are tired of playing with it.

Bishop's Palace

Stained windows are throughout the house.

Tulip chandelier which hangs over the foyer.

Impressive fireplaces are located in every room.

The stairway.

 

The basket holds calling cards from guests.

Photos of the family were displayed in this.

Sitting area.

 

Ceiling of the above picture.

Kitchen

Dining Room

The wood carving is amazing.

View of windows on the second floor.

Bishop's bedroom.

Chapel across from Bishop's room.

View of staircase from second floor.

Mama said she enjoyed touring this house.  It was a little chilly even though the fireplaces were all running on gas. 

The folks visited a few other places, but we will save that for another day.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Thinking Of His Friends Who Are Having Bad Weather Today

New Year, New Look

No, we didn't change our look.  BOL!  We spruced up the motor home a little bit.  Mama has been wanting new rugs since we bought the rugs for this place last February.  She didn't have time to look for rugs because we needed them immediately.  I fell the first day in the motor home so rugs were urgent as far as Mama was concerned.  The folks were tired and only went to one store and bought what they had.  Mama thought she wanted color because the whole place is beige, but she quickly learned that color shows hair and lint....a lot.

This was our old rug.  We had 4 runners and one rug that was 5x7.

The rug only looked clean for about an hour after vacuuming.   We hate the vacuum, so we were not thrilled with the rugs either.

Mama looked for rugs while Dad was away, but couldn't find anything that she liked in her budget.  She only planned on replacing the 5x7 rug.  Dad told her that she wouldn't be happy just replacing the large rug, but she thought it would be fine.  After Dad got home, they looked for rugs together and finally found one that they liked. They brought it home and Mama decided the kitchen ones needed to replaced.  She then decided that the bedroom should also match.  BOL! Dad just laughed because he knew that is what was going to happen.  No, Mama did not stay within her budget.  Dad thought the budget was unrealistic anyway.

Ready to see our new look?

Scout approves.

Yep, the whole place is beige, but we like it.  The carpet does not show our hair at all.  We think it makes the place feel and look more cozy.  The only thing that looks out of place now is the rug that is under our food dish and the one at the door. Sounds like more shopping is necessary, doesn't it?  BOL!

Dad decided to make Mama a shelving unit for her laundry supplies. It turned out really nice.  It is in his closet.

It even has a spot for the ironing board that folds up.

We are really enjoying the new look of our home.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Happy That The Vacuum Is Not Being Used Every Day