Dear Schip,

Things here are dull. I try looking outside for where the interesting people are, but I don't see them. At least the big bird is gone. I think. That might be her outside.



One bird is left though.



Mostly we sleep.





Although, sometimes Sam kicks people.


But I keep him under control.





Mike came over and played with paper. But he didn't share.



Heather hasn't been well.



You should come. Soon.



Love,
Scow

p.s. Bring chips.

Chippers...

I took this picture because Chip has been carefully removing the post-it flags off my notes with his little flea teeth and then putting them on his toys.
Right now he is playing with one of the kitties' jingly balls - he pounces it just like a cat. He has yet to destroy one so I haven't taken them away from him unless the noise just gets plain annoying.

Doing Good...

I check the blog a lot and decided that since I was sad it hadn't been updated I would do something about it. Chip and I are doing well! I was sick for the past two weeks so we haven't had any walkies adventures but Mr. Chippington did have some play dates to wear him out!
We did have an encouraging vet visit. He came home with 3 pill bottles and some fancy shampoo. I really wish my little hairless monkey would grow some of his fuzz back! He's SO itchy! I took him out to play with Oscar once and all he would do was snake through the grass on his belly - he tore it to pieces! Its all flaky and red and blistery looking now. Poor little man.
His Auntie Katie and Uncle Terry came in to town and we had a great time. It was good to see them! I have had Saturday, Sunday and today JUST to study and am not doing so hot. I'm still in the middle of the second lecture (of seven). Susie called me at 8:30 and I was kinda awake but now I am up and that is good. It's going to be a day of grinding. I may meet Mandy W. sometime today and let Chip meet Izzy. That'd be good. For now mr. man is passed out on the bed and I am just wishing I could join him!

Scaredy Cat

We were doing great on the "not being terrified of everything issue". Then the cats came into the picture.
They finally mowed our lawn today. The guy finished up by going up and down our sidewalk with a leaf blower. Chip and the kitties were sitting in the window watching him walk around. When the man came in front of our window everybody was fine until the last possible second when John decides to EXPLODE. This scares the crap out of the other cats and Chip who all land (it was one swift leap from the window) looking horrified in the kitchen. Chip runs and jumps in my lap and has NOT stopped staring out the window in fear yet. John is so in trouble. I opened the window all the way so they could see nothing is going on... unconvinced.

This is Chip convinced scary man is returning to make the cats explode and maybe even he will explode! Oh noes!:
This is John caring about the trouble he caused (not) and Chip still ever watchful:




A good 45 minutes later we resort to peanut butter kong time - a treatment that heals all woes...

Lolchips

And since we all know that anything I make will NEVER make it to cheezburger:

Home again

We are back and fairing well. Today Chip was the example dog for our introductory surgery lab. Our anesthesiology teacher recognized me from my interview (EEP!) enough to go "ah you are from Memphis and worked with... frogs...or amphibians of some sort, right?" (EEP!) so she asked if I had a dog and we got to use Chip as our example dog for filling out the paperwork. It's funny how that small a detail (most of it made up) can really make an experience better! Every time they said "now for Chip" little amounts of happy hormones spewed forth in my brain. Much easier to pay attention.
Chipper made a new friend just now. "Prize", who lives with Tasha a few apartments down, was running around like a maniac while Chip was doing the same. Prize is a very small terrier mix (7yo, ~5-7lbs) who is just as soft as she could be. They got along very well and it was nice to sit and chat while the babies played.

Calvin looks like a great lamp. Chip. Hiding. OMG.
I'm so glad Quality Cat is out and about. Almost as glad as I am that we now have a window AC unit. Actually, no where near as glad. It's ridiculous how pleased we are to be out of the upper 90s. Inside.


Our hero:


We're all out from hiding in dark places and feeling better:


We're getting back to regulation sleeping shapes.


There's less crabbiness all around:


Ah!

Pictures are worth a thousand words...

Ick. No AC is just miserable. I hope the night air finds you cooler. Chip and I had a short walk this morning due to time constrictions. To make up for it I took him for a puppy play date after class. It was very very cute. He's been WORN out ever since. I don't have much more in the way of word updates but here is a series of pictures that lets you know exactly what is up here:

Chip is very tired after is play date.

He is still VERY itchy.

Chip is also still interested in forming a relationship with scary kitty that still hates him.

When we say "scary kitty" we do indeed mean scary.

I wanted a picture of John. Which is apparently too much to ask.

Viva la poofy tail!!

too hot for a title...

ugh. Our A/C is still out, or something. It's moved into advanced stages of weird. The dogs are hiding in the dirt under the house, where I would be if not for my irrational policies about spiders. The air went out yesterday and dropped drama all over the house. Scout followed me around and alternated between licking my knees and stepping on my foot. Sam flamboyantly draped himself over the vent. Both of them watched me all day, like "Um.... shouldn't you make it cold?....um... how bout now?" Gracie, meanwhile, planted herself firmly in front of the tv and stretched as long as she possibly could and alternated between snoring and panting in my general direction all day. The birds were fine, if crabbier than usual. I brought in fans. Their placing was unfortunate-- which I realized after freaking out crabby Mitty with an offer of an orange (ORANGE, DANG MY SOUL!) pop. Two crosscurrents. Feathers EVERYWHERE.

hrm...

I think my small dog may have anxiety... Something about LARGE groups of people being around while we are out walking compels him to poo in front of everyone.
Also, he misses Frank. He is terrified of sorority girls but anyone over 6' is just the light of his life.

urgh

The bounce has gone from me bungee...
I woke up extremely tired this morning. We drove to South Farm instead of Park de Law and Order. It was safe and open but I was achy and not up for walkies so OF COURSE Chip was! He wanted to dash around and run and play, little fink. Whenever I want to do that he's all like "maybe that car will take me home".
Tonight I am going to try and bring a camera on our walkies. I wish I had one this morning. Somehow he managed to get muddy (? still a mystery) then he got TANGLED in his lead and instead of standing still so I could fix it - he flopped over and wallowed around like fish out of water. Sigh.

Post Walkies Pass Out

Something about me walking Chip just plain exhausts Calvin...
I think the mere thought of outside and walking is too much for a kitty.

Maybe we are walking too much? Here is Chip post evening walk:
Hrm... I'm getting sleepy too now... maybe we have a gas leak...zzzz....

Heather: check your email and post on here which lolchip you like (or make) from this pic of Chip:

stinging bugs stink

Hahahaha! Chip’s face is priceless! It reminds me of Scout’s “Is kissy-bunny a bad thing, Jessie?” face. Hahaha!
I am with Chip completely. It must stink to no end to be soaking wet and tied to a pole. You should get him a gameboy. Hopefully he’ll stop itching soon and begin to resemble a dog rather than a jelly belly.
Jon needs a hamster ball. Can you imagine the havoc he’d wreck? I’m glad his leg finally healed up. Gracie’s legs are doing very well. I think she’s 99% better. Currently, she’s using her legs to ball up quite small in the middle of the chair and a half. I think that’s her favorite spot because 1. I won’t allow her there and 2. it’s the darkest chair in the house and, as the white dog, she must feel an unbearable attraction to it.
Scout can relate to Chip in the stinging bug department. I think she took a hornet to the face. I learned that she is easiest to pill when surprised—though it did lead to a day of being watched suspiciously.
Sam is snoring as loudly as possible. I wonder if he can hear himself at all.
I am not quite used to this empty house of only five. I am still moving my computer chair as slowly as possible to avoid small paws.
I have no idea where to suggest you two walk in the morning, but I find it less than endearing that Chip likely witnessed his first drug buy. Mom and I drove through campus after we left you and it was surreal the amount of building that had occurred. Is there still a field behind the remains of the boomerang field? What about the soccer fields? Aren’t there also soccer fields nearer to your apartment?
I have Chip's 15 week photos on my camera and I will try to post them on Flickr later tonight.

Tube Sock

Chip is doing quite well with the move. Yesterday was our first day of experimental walkies. We had a great time. He has already learned that he needs to sit quietly in the back of the wagon. In the morning we went to McKee park and walked for about 30-40 minutes. He was a good boy on the leash and didn't grab it and growl and act like a fiend.
We had a half day of class so I thought I would pick back up our mange treatment and dip him behind our apartment. I tied his lead to a pole next to a power line - Chip wasn't very pleased with being tied to a pole in the yard still sopping wet. He yelped and I didn't know what was wrong with him until a GIANT wasp fell into the bucket of paramite and met a fitting end. Poor little mange mite got stung!! I think he was more upset that we had to sit outside until he air dried and I would not pick him up than he was about being bit.
That evening at about 8pm - when it had FINALLY cooled we went for a walk on campus. We found a very well lit spot and walked about 1.6 miles. Walking this much is new to both of us.
When he got tired of walking and would see a car he would sit down and look hopeful at it until it passed. I also forgot to bring either of us some water... oops! He was so tired after that he was extremely grateful to be put in his crate.

This morning I was eager to repeat our routine that had proved so effective the night before. We got up and he jumped right in the car and we were off the the park. After I had us both out of the car and we were walking up the path I noticed two parked silver cars way off on the other side of the park... I hoped they had just been left there from some activity the night before. Then I saw one of the car doors open. I decided to just stick to my side of the park and walk along the road we just drove in on. We were doing okay until an old green pickup truck drove in and slowed down to watch us... of course we were as far as possible from my car... The guy drove to the two silver cars and parked. One of the silver cars immediately started driving towards us. He could have made a right and exited the park but instead he made a left - into the dead end where we were parked and walking avidly to the car at this point. He drove extremely slow past us and nodded then circled around and went back to the other two cars. I was mildly freaking at this point and as soon as we made it back to our car I shoved Chipper in and sped off. SO forget McKee park!! I don't know where to walk him in the mornings now! I can go to South Farm - it's a really beautifully kept business area with nice sidewalks (it's where we used to take Hobbes so he could chase pine cones). It's just such a long drive and the drive time would shorten the time we could walk because 5:45 is as early as I am willing to wake!

Chip is extremely itchy today. A small part of me is clinging on to the hope that the intensity of his pruritis is up because mange mites can release an antigen when they die - heightening the irritation they cause. He's just really hurting himself chewing so I started him back on prednisone. I am going to try and limit his water intake because pred makes him so thirsty and I don't want to take any backward steps on his potty training.
I have also resorted to trying to limit his access to his poor belly:
He wears it quite well actually! He leaves it (and his near to bleeding stomach) alone. I think he must feel quite fashionable in it! He can have it - what to I need a little froofy top for anyway?

On a cat note: I cleaned John's little house and let him out for a while today. I rearranged a little, freshened his water and added cookies to his food. I get home and he has dumped the FULL bowl of water I just put in there all over his cage pad and his little round bed. He's in there yowling because I just got home and haven't cleaned it up yet... little brat. I hate it for him that he is confined but I must say it's almost nice to have one of the animals contained and taken care of (no escape attempts from the notorious open door bolter). He has all he needs in a small box. His little incision finally healed. It could have really used a stitch but the timing was all kinds of wrong for him. Poor Quality Cat!

How's Chip? Everything here was frantic by the time I got home. They seem to have forgotten that there ever was a puppy.