We’ve been home from our trip for over a week now. Sometimes I think about the fun I had, especially playing with Ella. Mommy made me a card with special effects, ’cause Ella is a special girl.
She’s my new BFF. Sometimes I hear noises so I look out in the yard to see if she has come to visit, but it is always a bird or a squirrel or a rabbit. Occasionally, a cat has the nerve to cross through my property without permission! I always let Mom know when that happens.
Mom hasn’t been going to work at all, so Xena and I have been getting more walks around the neighbor-hood. Sometimes we see people on our walks and I start to wiggle all over. Mom explains that I love people and asks them if they would pet me. They always say yes, and I get to make new friends. When the X dog stops barking her fool head off, they sometimes pet her too. Back home, Mom takes off our leashes and let us run zoomies in the front yard. I guess we aren’t grounded anymore. (So does that mean h-e-double hockey sticks froze over?)
I discovered a large gray cat sunning himself in the driveway of a house we always pass. I don’t usually pull on the leash, but that time I had to show Mom how much I wanted to go say hi. Mom just said, “No, Lucy,” and kept walking. Now, every time we pass that house, I look for the cat. Sometimes I pretend I am just reading pee mail in the grass, but I am actually scanning the yard and porch and driveway for the cat.
Speaking of cats, do you remember Oscar who lives with my Grandma in Ill in noise? It seems like he is still there and taking advantage of my Grandma.
I said FASTER, Slave!
Well, it’s been nice not having to share the blog with my pesky little sis. but that’s all I have to tell you today.
Wiggles and licks, Lucy
Meanwhile:
Has anyone seen my girlfriend? The pretty little schnauzer girl?
Shhh, I’m hiding. Don’t anyone tell him my address!
He didn’t look so big from up here in my Daddy’s arms. Really, all I could think about was why my dinner was so late.
Did Lucy bribe you to keep my cornered here? You’d better move along before me and my shadow go all schnauzer warrior princess on you.
Yes, it’s me, Xena the Schnauzer Warrior Princess, and I’ll warrior all over you if you don’t get your nose out of my bee hind.
Now what do you want, big dog? No, I won’t be your girlfriend.
You promise to stop bugging me if I what?! Well, OK, maybe just one quick kiss.
That was a mistake, ’cause then what I think I overheard Achilles say to my Daddy was, “Mr. Jeff, can I marry your daughter, the little one, the pretty one?” 
After Daddy said no, Achilles settled for a taste of Daddy’s coffee.
Mommy, do we really have to leave now? When can we come back and visit our new cousins?
Dad and Mom packed me and Xena in the backseat of the car like so much luggage and took off down the road. Uh oh, Mom’s giving me the stink-eye. Well, it’s true. We didn’t get any snacks or Netflix to watch or toys to play with. So. Luggage, right?
By Saturday the peeps were all more comfortable letting us play together with minimal supervision. Ella and I remembered each other and played together.
Here we are smiling and getting ready to play .
Ella is a good player and I don’t have to be gentle with her like with my little sister. In the meantime, Achilles was still busy trying to 
When they went out on Saturday Ella and I had the house to ourselves. 
I don’t know why…I could have given them some good whines for free, he,he! In the front is my Auntie Jen, then Uncle Bill, then Dad and Mom.
Here, Dad is waving the smells from the pan into his nose. How silly! I could smell it from across the room and knew it was just right! Needless to say, I didn’t get any.
He is a big boy, though – 70 pounds to my 50 – so sometimes his Dad had to hold him and let Xena play with me and Ella. (You can just ignore the peep’s talking – if you want.) 
I told her about playing with the toys. And guarding the house, and playing with Ella.
I think I’m winning my new family over!
Hi, I’m Achilles. And yeah, yeah, you can hold the heel jokes, I’ve heard them all. I was named after a powerful Greek hero, and that’s better than any defect I might have, and I really don’t think I have any. Never mind that, it isn’t what I’m here to tell you. First, I want to say hey, and more importantly, I want to tell you my story, starting with just before Angel Piper got sick unto death, as they say in the Good Book. I was happy living with my Dad, who is a war hero (at least to me he is a war hero). When he came home from fighting overseas, things kinda fell apart with him and Mom and he had to move to an apartment where they only allow one big dog. He had his military service dog, and he couldn’t try to find him somewhere else to live for lots of reasons.
I went outside and kept an eye on Ella. She’s been taking care of Piper for so long, I thought maybe she needed someone to take care of her for a while. 
And when Ella succumbed to depression, I was there for her.
So here I am where I’m supposed to be. And it’s good. Even though the grief is still heavy, there’s a lot of love. My New sister Ella is also my new best friend, and I hear rumors about New cousins coming to visit soon. I got word from up high that it’s OK for me to be on Angel Lexi’s blog, so I’ll come back from time to time to catch y’all up on what’s happening around here.
