Mary-Margaret's Diary

My Uncle Rudy

2012-01-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

My most beloved "Uncle Rudy" left for the Rainbow Bridge on January 11, 2012. He was more than seven years old, and probably more than eleven. Colleen and her family adopted him in 2004, from a family that had adopted him a few years earlier. His first Christian name was "Frank". Then he was re-christened "Sunshine" when Allie and her family in Las Vegas adopted him. When Allie's family moved to Hawaii they opted not to have him go through quarantine and he became my mom's beloved Grand-Dog, renamed "Rudy".

He was a brave little fellow and faced life with the spirit of a fighter. When he was younger he was attacked by big dogs and lost one eye in the battle. Another time, Rudy was on a walk just minding his own business when a German Shepherd chomped down on his thigh, necessitating a visit to the doctor for a deep puncture wound.

As Rudy aged, the sight in his remaining eye faded. He had his house mapped perfectly in his mind, though. He would go to the patio door and wait to be let out; he navigated the frequent changes of furniture positions in his living room with ease, almost as if he were equipped with the equivalent of sonar.

When he became older and lost some teeth and it became difficult for him to chew, his best buddy "Jack the Cat" would actually chew up his kibble and then place it in Rudy's mouth just like the momma birds do with their hatchlings. His family said their good-byes to him over the past couple of days as it became obvious that his quality of life had diminished greatly and he was in pain.

He took his last trip to his favorite doctor yesterday morning where everyone there loved on him until it was time for him to leave.

God bless "Uncle Rudy"! And thank you, Rudy, for the years of love and pleasure you gave to us all.

We will always love and remember you.

Mary-Margaret

Games Yorkies Play

2011-12-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty tied up taking care of business for the last couple of months. However, I did find time to write my regular column in "The Yorkie Times" newsletter. Hope you enjoy.

Love and kisses......

Mary-Margaret

PS - Grandpa - just click on the pink link above and you'll go right to it.

Ode to a TURKEY

2011-11-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

(sing to "Georgia on my Mind")

Tur-keeeeee, Tur-ur-ur-keeeeee
I sing the whole day through.....
Roast, fried or brined
I've got turkey on my mind
Oh, turkey.....I'm in LOVE with youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

Ear Doctor

2011-11-21T11:13:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 28, 2011 @ 3:00PM

Sheldon Klausner, MD

2001 Santa Monica Blvd # 870W Santa Monica, CA 90404-2195
(310) 829-1703

To anyone else who reads this, ignore it. This is just a family thing and will be deleted as soon as my Grandpapa goes to the doctor.

Mary-Margaret

Grandpa's Ear Doctor Appointment

2011-11-21T09:14:00.001-08:00

Mom called your doctor this morning and confirmed you have an appointment at 3:00PM today, Monday, November 21st. They are expecting you. Please take your "equipment" with you so he can replace the batteries.

Love,

Your dutiful Grand Dogger....

Mary-Margaret

Happy Birthday, GRANDPA!!!

2011-11-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! Put another candle on your birthday cake.....you're another year old today!! (Make sure you have some fire extinguishers or a bucket of water nearby, though! NINETY-ONE IS A WHOLE LOT OF CANDLES!!)

(ahem...ahem....) (mi...mi...mi......) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA!!!

Love, your most humble and faithful Grand Dogger ...

Mary-Margaret

Dear Grandpa - About your ears

2011-11-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

Mom talked to your Ear Doctor's office today and they would like to see you on Monday. It's been 5 years since you've been there. Sudden loss of hearing in one ear could be ear wax, but it could also be something more important. Your doctor can't tell unless he sees you.

Please make the appointment or ask Mom to make it for you? We love you too much to just shrug our shoulders and say "it's probably just ear wax".

Love you....

Mary-Margaret

Validate your Defendant BEFORE You Sue!!

2011-11-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

See VALIDATE BEFORE YOU SUE

Make sure you don't end up with a worthless judgment that's uncollectible because you didn't verify the defendant entity before you filed your claim!!

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Vice President/Chief of Puplic Relations
RASCAL's Research & Location Services
CA PI #24790

My friend, Gigi Marie

2011-11-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

We spotted each other right away as our moms were shopping at Natural Pet Foods on Winchester in Temecula. I always buy my kibble here. Oh sure, I might spend a few pennies more but the folks here remember me and they always give me treats. But I digress.....!

I was sitting in the little seat in the shopping cart and GigiMarie came right over, stood up and gave me a kiss. GigiMarie is a cream colored Bichon Frise type with bows over both her ears and she smiles all the time. I remember her from the vet's office and we start having some "girl talk". Our moms are like.."Huh?" "Who dat?" and stuff. So my mom goes "What's her name?" and her mom goes "Gigi...Gigi Marie! What's hers?", and my mom goes "Mary-Margaret!", and GigiMarie's mom goes "OH I REMEMBER MARY-MARGARET!".

Wow. Everybody is on board but my mom. "Where'd ....how'd....huh? You know Mary-Margaret?", and GigiMarie's mom says that we were visiting at my doctor's office a while back, and then says "I'd NEVER forget Mary-Margaret!", so we all had a good visit. Me and GigiMarie got some yummy treats....I think maybe turkey and apple flavored, so just right for Thanksgiving. I got my Core Wellness low calorie kibble with no wheat, corn or other stuff that aggravates a lot of pups. I love my kibble. Did I mention that? YUM!!

Anyway....as we're driving out the parking lot my mom looks over at me and says, "IS THERE ANYONE YOU DON'T KNOW IN THIS TOWN? HMMMM???"

I just laugh and ask quietly when my next driving lesson is.

Love, Mary-Margaret

My Driving Lesson at the Bank

2011-11-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

Oh, don't worry, Grandpa. Mom only lets me steer while we're going through the drive-through at Chase Bank. I know all the tellers there and they know me. There's Nelda, and Candise and Osh and Tim and Brian. They always say "Hello, Mary-Margaret!" and "How are YOU, Mary-Margaret?!". Sometimes I blow them kisses. That's when I look at them and make a kiss at them from the car. It makes them happy. I just LOVE our banks.

Next week, I get to go visit my good friends at Bank of America. Gosh, I hope Lisa is there. She keeps cookies in her drawer for me. She has a Yorkster named "Einstein". The other ladies go out of their way to make me feel at home. I get petted a lot there. They let me sit on the counter and watch them make the deposit on their computer. I'm very observant in watching for mistakes. So far, they haven't made any that I can remember.

Kisses and snuzzles....

Mary-Margaret

Sharing Something Good!!

2011-11-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you find something that just makes you happy all day!! Enjoy!!

Mary-Margaret

10/30/2011 - Surprise Field Trip

2011-10-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

(Another installment in Yorkie Brigade Chapel series)

The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, Russia

Good morning, all. So delighted to see you all again. Please join me in welcoming back our esteemed Assistant Pastor, Neeko S. Spaulding, Ecumenisist Extraordinaire.

Neeko has illustrated his sermon and we won't know until we deliver it if the drawings will show up, so please bear with us. The sermon itself is just as beautiful without the artwork so either way, you're in for a treat.

Please welcome Neeko to our pulpit. (applause applause cat calls...wolf whistles....and a few "wooos" from the Siberian Huskies)

(ahem.....)

The Cross

A young man was at the end of his rope.
Seeing no way out he dropped to his knees in prayer.
"Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."

The Lord replied,
"My son, if you can't bear its weight,
just place your cross inside this room.
Then open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."

The young man was filled with relief. "Thank you Lord," he sighed, and he did what he was told.
Upon entering the other door, he saw many other crosses, some so large the tops weren't even visible.
Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against the far wall. "I'd like that one Lord," he whispered.
And the Lord replied,
"My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

We all have our trials and tribulations, yet sometimes those
of others seem so much less troubling than our own.
Share this reminder with your friends and family of how
although times may seem to be hard,we have many blessings to be thankful for.

(Neeko says: "Thank you so much for having me back. I've missed you all and hope to spend even MORE time with you this winter.")

(Mary-Margaret approaches the podium)

Thank YOU, Neeko. You always make our gatherings even more joyful.

Now.....everyone........we have another field trip planned as a surprise today. We are going to...(drum roll, please?)....

ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA. It's a bit further away than some of our previous field trips so we need you to do a couple of things:

First, click on this link St Petersburg, Russia

We suggest you select the low resolution unless you have an amazingly fast internet connection. We're on DSL through TimeWarner and we still got the best results with the low resolution. NEXT, once it loads, in the upper left hand corner, select HIDE controls, and FULL SCREEN. It's absolutely the most marvelous tour we've been on yet.

Not only do we fly over the city on one of the most beautiful days in history, but if we click on the little helicopter icons on the horizon we'll be taken immediately by magic to a specific garden, palace, church, cathedral or other landmark. I could sit here for hours but my secretary had every intention of going to bed about an hour ago and I don't want to push my luck with her.

Now....quickly give your pew mates a hug, grab your belongings and race to the bus parked out by the purple fire hydrant. See you in St. Petersburg.

Have a wonderful time. Snacks provided on the bus by the newly formed Order of the Halter, comprised of members of our congregation who are also acting pastors, and who someday will wear the collar. We welcome Neeko, Buffie, Gizzie, Eleanor, AbbeyMia and ask that any others interested in our continuing bible study, please sign up on the bus.

Lord, help us to be as we wish others to be. Amen

Blessings....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Early snowfall in Lake Wynonah

2011-10-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Alex, for sending this. Wish my mom was there to help you knock the snow off the roof of your cat house. For those of you who don't know my next door neighbor, Alex, I should probably explain about her "cat house". She's into cat rescue and (at last count) had 32 of them. She's even built a separate house for some of them that shares a common wall with her house and she has little "cat runs" that go between her garage, some parts of her house and the cat house. She's a very good kitty mommy.

I might mention here that her pup, Onya, is the one I go swimming with off the "C" dock when I'm at the lake. Onya is a lot bigger than me, but since I'm smaller than most cats it doesn't seem to phase her much. Onya and I are very good friends and we hope very much to hang out again soon.

Love and schlurps...

Mary-Margaret

Sunday After the Ball - 10/23/2011

2011-10-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

(Another installment in the Yorkie Brigade Chapel series)

(Dress by Corrine Ellison)

Good morning, everyone. It's so nice to be back in the pulpit after our Ball in Nashville. I see a lot of you here today that I also had the pleasure of meeting at the Sheraton Music City.

First order of business is to thank the good Lord for allowing us all to travel both to and from the Ball safely. We are so very fortunate that so many of us had the opportunity to meet up, enjoy each other's company, and dine in good old fashioned Southern hospitality style.

Today, Buffy and Gizzie have again stepped up to our pulpit with some excellent inspirational thoughts to share with us. Please put your paws together for the Lentz kids.

(Buffy and Gizzie approach the pulpit and we hear applause, some whistles and a couple of wolf howls....ahem..ahem???)

Today, Buffy speaks:

I have a friend who was working in his home office one evening, trying to get some necessary paperwork done. His little girl, who was about 4 years old at the time, was playing around his desk, puttering about, moving objects here and there, pulling out drawers, and making a good deal of noise.

My friend endured the distraction with stoic patience until the child slammed a drawer on one of her fingers and screamed in pain. Reacting in exasperation he shouted, “"That’s it!",” as he escorted her out of the room and shut the door.
Later, her mother found her weeping in her bedroom and tried to comfort her.
"“Does your finger still hurt?",” she asked.
"“No",” the little girl sniffled. “
"Then why are you crying?",” her mother asked. “’"
'Cause",” she whimpered, "“when I pinched my finger, Papa didn’t say, ‘"Oh!’”" ".

Sometimes that’s all we need, isn’t it? Someone who cares and who will respond with kindness and compassion, someone who will say, "“Oh!". ” We have One named Lord who does that for us. God loves us, understands our sorrows, and gave Himself for us (Eph. 5:2). Now we are to “walk in love” and imitate Him.

Knowing God —what comfort there,
Drawn by His eternal care;
Love from God —what joy we share,
Drawn into His mercies rare.
(—Branon )

God’s whisper of comfort quiets the noise of our trials.

Thank you so very much, Buffy and Gizzie. This is surely something we can think on and reflect upon, as we begin this week. If we have a toothache or maybe we're a few dollars short when paying a bill, we may be frightened or in pain or perhaps just feeling lost and confused. A friend saying "I understand! I care!" or "How can I be of help!", is of greater comfort than someone minimizing your discomfort by either ignoring you, changing the subject, or suggesting "It'll all work out!". We all need validation, and we can show others what we need by first offering it to them.

The next time you feel someone in pain or trouble, reach out and offer solace. You don't have to solve the problem, but be empathetic and validate their feelings. It's true - what goes around, comes around. Be kind....be understanding....and be
the person you would like to be friends with. It will come back to you when you least expect it, but when you need it the most.

Please turn to your neighbors and offer your paws in peace. Wag your tails as a show of love. We are family here, and we love each other without condition or judgment, but with open hearts and minds.

The Ladies of the Leather Collar have been busy salting and drying the fish caught by the Knights of Pawlumbus on their retreat and I'm told it's ready to share on the goody table in the side garden. Yum. I can't wait to try it. I hear it's almost as delicious as that chicken breast in lemon butter sauce with capers that we had at the banquet on Saturday in Nashville. I can't stop thinking about it. If anyone has the recipe, please share?

Blessings to you all and may you have a wonderful, productive week.

Thank you, Lord, for bringing us together.

Amen

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

2011 Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue Ball

2011-10-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

(See photos at the end of today's diary!)

Good morning, everyone. I'm BAAA-AAAAACK!!! Oh, I feel just like Cinderella must have felt when she woke up missing a shoe. Was it real? Was it a dream? Was I really a princess for a day? Let me start at the beginning of my adventure.

Wednesday - October 12: My spa day. Bubble bath, shampoo, style, blow dry, bow AND play date. Miss Marilyn gave me a goldish orangish and black Halloweenish bow. Who would have thought it would be a perfect match to my ball gown two days later? While I was being pampered and primped, Mom was having a tooth pulled and a temporary bridge put in. She says "pulled" is like saying World War II was a back yard 4th of July celebration, though. I guess when the tooth is out and there's only deep roots left we get into drilling, blasting and tunneling. We don't need to go into detail here...this is about ME, not her!! Back to my adventure.

THURSDAY - wake up, pack, check packing, check house. Turn off air conditioning, check car...and away we go. They remember me at Aladdin parking and give us the top drawer treatment. At the airport, there's a line snaking all the way to Somalia at the Southwest counter so Mom caves in and asks for a wheelchair for the first time in her life. This is way cool, I think. I sit on her lap in my personal car seat and say "Hello!" to everyone I pass. Airports have the nicest people in them, for sure! When a human is in a wheelchair they get a full body pat down, and as I watch from my special vantage point, Mom gets the full Monty. About half-way through she asks her wheel chair driver if the TSA agent speaks English because she can't understand a word the lady says (which is why this is taking so long). The driver says the agent just has a very heavy accent but we still get an interpreter to translate, and things go a lot faster. I think that's the first time Mom got more petting than I did.

(Note: My water bottle slipped through inspection in San Diego despite all the TSA precautions - we just forgot it was in our stuff. Nashville, on the other hand, didn't even bother giving Mom a pat down when we departed.)

Thursday night - After landing and getting another wheel-chair ride to the Shuttle Shack, and discovering that the phone to the Sheraton isn't working, we luck out and the shuttle shows up anyway. Already I am greeted by lots of Southwest flight attendants, even from the other planes. "Hello! Are you Mary-Margaret?", they ask? I just smile and give them kisses. Southwest has the nicest flight attendants ever. When we get to the hotel, even the desk clerk says "Oh, THIS must be Mary-Margaret!". I'm flattered and my heart is so full of love. I give more kisses. We race to our room, drop off our stuff and race back out the door. We are going to Ruth Chris' Steakhouse in Nashville for Dinner.

Another first for me!! Dinner out with my very best friends, AthenaMaria and AbbeyMia. While the ladies and a couple of men are yakking, we three catch up on stuff that us Yorkettes really care about, like what are we wearing to the Ball. For supper I have the yummiest filet mignon ever. MaryElizabeth tells me it's so nice and tender because it's "prime", not like the stuff we buy in Albertson's or Von's. When we get back to the hotel we stop by MaryElizabeth's room to visit some more. I'm so tired but I don't want to go to bed either. This is the most exciting day ever.

MaryElizabeth holds out her glass with some golden liquid in it for me to smell and I'm intrigued. My tongue pops out like a Brazilian tree frog and I'm actually having my first taste ever of VSOP cognac. "Yikes", (I say) and scrunch up my face, wrinkle my nose and "blegh" my tongue. It sure doesn't taste like it smells (I say). The ladies get a big giggle over my obvious distress and discomfort and MaryElizabeth offers me another glass of (she says) "water". No thanks - Fool me once, shame on me. But it will be a long time before I stick my tongue into one of YOUR drinks again (I say). She apologizes over and over to me. She feels awful and had no idea I'd actually taste it. Well? This is ME - MARY-MARGARET! Of course, I'm going to try it. "Sheesh!" (I say). A minute or so later I figure I've laid enough guilt on the ladies and I drink about a half glass of water to get rid of that awful taste. Note to self: Lay off the after dinner drinks until you're 21 or maybe forever?.

FRIDAY - Up and at 'em. Mom throws on her t-shirt and shorts, grabs me and AbbeyMia and we go check out the lawn by the back parking lot. MMMM-mmmm! So many smells, so little time. This is amazing! I really don't want to go back in but humans are weird when they don't look "just so" or haven't brushed their teeth yet. On our way back to room 1067, we meet up with some Yorks and Yorkettes going into the "hospitality room". Their parents look pretty much like my Mom, like they just got out of bed, too! We go in and have some breakfast, check out the boutique, and I end up with a new coat, my ball gown, and two new dresses. All proceeds go to the Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue, too. FUN!

At 10:00AM I go to my first educational seminar by Arlene King, World Class Dog Trainer and AKC Judge. I am mesmerized. Her pups "Fergie" and "Sophie" show us what we can learn if we really apply ourselves. After a few minutes I figure "Well, heck! If that's all I have to do to get a treat, I'm in!", and I hop down and over to Arlene. Mom's yelling in a loud whisper - "Get back here, Mary-Margaret!" and I think....Treat? Or Mom? Give me a break - no contest there - and I keep going. Lucky for me Arlene is so nice and generous. I end up with a few munchies in my tummy before I go back to the sidelines.

We go back to the Hospitality Room for some sandwiches before moving on to the next seminar - "T Touch" (Tellington Touch), by Penny Case. It's like a soothing, healing holistic approach to health and happiness. It works on humans, too, if you want to know. Mom listens and I get the benefits. Ahhhhhhh!! I can live with this.

The "Hamburger Hop" is at 6:00PM. I'm asked to deliver a blessing. Considering my Mom gets stage fright and I need her to translate, I'm lucky she didn't really butcher what I was trying to say - just a word or two got jumbled, but generally she got the point across, I guess. I get to visit with my friends and the humans yak while having dinner. Mom snuck me a burger of my own which I enjoyed quietly under the table. After dinner, there is a "Best Photo" and "Best Costume" contest - we didn't enter, but we definitely enjoyed the show. My good friends Ashley and Kung Fu Kori tied for best photo with another pup I don't know. Muppet and Dixie dressed up as Dr. Seuss' "Thing #1" and "Thing #2" and they won first place in the Costume contest. (see pictures below)

After the contests we had the Fashion Show. There were some absolutely gorgeous outfits there, most (if not all) made by Corrine Ellison, a pup's answer to Vera Wang. In addition to gowns, there were pups in tuxedos, and the highlight of the show was Remi in her 2011 Wedding Gown with removable train (for dancing). She was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen.

SATURDAY - Up and out to the back parking lot, then to the hospitality suite for some breakfast. At 10:00AM we are downstairs and I'm taking the Canine equivalent of the SAT. What? Huh? I didn't even study (I say). Mom's telling me to just watch and pay attention and I'll do just fine. Oh, Lordy (I say)....and I spend the next five minutes watching AthenaMaria, taking notes, and praying. When it's my turn I go through my paces - sit, stop, down, heel, left turn, right turn, about face....oh, I can't remember it all. But I must have had an angel on my shoulder. I got it all right and I PASSED!!! I got an "A". Here's what I was graded on:

1) Accepting a friendly stranger; 2) Sitting politely for petting; 3) Appearance and grooming; 4) Out for a walk; 5) Walking through a crowd; 6) Sit and down on command/Staying in place; 7) coming when called; 8) Reaction to another dog; 9) Reaction to distractions; 10) Supervised separation (3 minutes) - I PASSED THEM ALL!! I think I will ask Mom to frame my certificate and hang it up in our office when I get it.

At 1:00PM we went to Rosemarie Cunningham's Grooming and Wrapping seminar. There's a lot to know about grooming and pawdicures and stuff. Most of the pups with really long hair got all involved. Me? Oh, well by this time it was nap time and all I wanted was a comfy place to lay down. I saw a possibility over by the water table and took full advantage. Pulling the table cloth corner down a bit, I scrunched it up and made a bed. We Yorkettes can be creative in a pinch!

THE BALL

Finally - the highlight of a Yorkie's social calendar - the Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue Ball. Everyone was dressed to the teeth! I wore my gold lame' gown and mingled with the other pups. I was asked to give the blessing again. Mom did her best, but she was glad to sit down again. I need to work with her some more on this. Neeko (our Assistant Pastor at Chapel) and I shared some alone time but he's really more a ladies' man and his dance card was full. His brother, Ray - a handsome long haired surfer type pup - was paying a lot of attention to me. I didn't mind it until he got a bit aggressive and I had to tell him that "I'm NOT that type of girl!". He apologized and said he respected me for that, and the rest of the evening went well.

For dinner, I had the best ever chicken breast (under the table again, though). After dinner there were some awards and entertainment.

My very good friend "Jilli Dog" and her human, Rick Caran, put on a show with Jilli's sister Ruby and her brother, Spidey (a chihuahua). Jilli and Ruby are the only poker playing pups I've ever met. Ruby can count money, too. Jilli is a published author and did a book signing after the show. I now have a personalized autographed copy of "Jilli Dog, The Little Dog That Made Mr Kranby Smile". I can count Jilli and Ruby as two of my VERY GOOD FRIENDS now, too!

DAN DUGMORE FAMILY BAND

We wound up the evening with some good old down home country music. Mom bounced me on her knee and I really enjoyed the band. Dan Dugmore is the winner of many awards including the ACM 2011 award for best Steel Guitar player of the Year.

Karen Dugmore, Danny Dugmore, Adam Dugmore all played with him in the band, along with some other very talented people. I wish my mom had written down their names (like I asked her to) but who listens to me? They are all accomplished musicians, especially little Adam who blew me away with his drums. I rocked out to the music until it was time to go to bed.

That's Rick Caran holding Ruby and Jilli Dog in the front of the band.

I didn't want the evening to end. This was the very best weekend of my entire life. I will never forget it. Thank you to all the good humans that made this possible for me, but most especially to MaryElizabeth Dugmore, the magic lady that makes it all happen for us Yorksters and Yorkettes. Because of her and the good deeds of Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue so many of us have found our "forever" homes; so many indigent pups have had medical treatment that has allowed them to live the best lives possible; and so many humans and pups now share lasting and unconditional love.

GOD BLESS YORKSHIRE TERRIER NATIONAL RESCUE !!

Love,

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

PS - The entire weekend including the Ball was live-streamed over the internet. There were people all over the world, including Australia and England who watched it. We were told this was the largest, most successful ball we've ever had.

(TH...TH....THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!!"

Photos:

1) Me wondering when dinner will be served
2) Wow....treats for MEEEE??
3) Dixie & Muppet (Thing #1 and Thing #2)
4) I just LOVE Airplanes.
5) Tina Ann Byers & Lucy (Lucy is 3 - she was only given 72 hours to live when she was born. Her head was separated from her spine and she WAS a quadraplegic. See what love and good medicine will do?)
6) Lucy on wheels - this is her second set of all terrain tires.
7) Jilli Dog
8) Me - waiting for dinner again!
9) Gown on and ready to boogie
10) Class (I already know this stuff, though!)
11) Tina Ann Byers and Liah (3 yrs old) - This is where Liah always sits.
12) Tina and Liah
13) Aida in her Wedding Gown
14) Tootsie Pop (Diane Cuomo's pup)
15) ??
16) ??
17) ??
18) ??
19) MaryElizabeth Dugmore
20) Karissa and Chiklet Cuomo
21) More "Class" pictures
22) AbbeyMia in denim ball gown
23) ??

St Peter's Basilica - Sunday, 10/9/11

2011-10-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today we have another field trip planned. Remember a few months ago we visited the Sistine Chapel? Today, we are visiting St. Peter's Basilica.

The buses are waiting and we have sack lunches and water bowls ready for you. Grab your jackets, your pups and your cameras. We are off to ROME again.

St Peter's Basilica Be sure to move your mouse around each location so you can see a 360 degree view of the sacred place. There are 10 locations you can visit.

Amazing to think that this was first built around 64 AD, pillaged by the Saracens in 845 and rebuilt again in the 16th Century by Michelangelo and his protege. With your sound turned up you'll tour this beautiful complex to the accompaniment of a heavenly choir.

If you're interested in a brief history of St. Peter's Basilica, you'll find it here. History of the Basilica in Brief

This time next week we'll be in Nashville for the Yorkie Ball. Hope to see you there. Since I won't be able to conduct services next Sunday, I'm hoping that Eleanor and her secretary, Patti, might be able to step in for us. We'd all love to hear more about Eleanor and her family.

Blessings to all.......

Mary-Margaret

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

My new harness!

2011-09-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

I got a present in the mail yesterday. It's a new beautiful black, bronze and gold step-in harness. It's gorgeous (picture to follow when we charge up our camera). I feel beautilicious in it!!

So it takes Mom a bit to figure out which end is up and what goes where. I "step in" (like I am told to do) and then we spend the next quarter hour adjusting the straps. "Ahhh...PERFECT!", says Mom, and I'm skootched out to the reception area to finish my nap.

You know (I think)...this really is comfy. When it's time to go home, I'm not interested in moving. Mom grabs the leash and pulls. "Fine...FINE!", I say, and I walk over to the door. Another yank, and I'm in the hallway. Mom's locking the door. She is holding my leash and starts to walk down the hall. "Hmmmm", she says, "This is awfully light!". She looks down and there is my harness on the end of the leash, but no ME!

"Mary-Margaret?", she says. "WHERE ARE YOU!!". Stifling a giggle (yes, Yorkies giggle), I poke my head around the corner. Someday, she'll learn who is the boss around here. Meanwhile, she picks me up and carries me to the car, muttering stuff to me all the way out. I don't even listen anymore. Like...it's always the same thing. "Mary-Margaret! You little stinker!" and "Mary-Margaret! What am I going to do with you?".

I'm thinking maybe tighten the straps a little more? Make it more of a challenge for me?

Until we meet again....

Mary-Margaret "Houdini" O'Brien

Surprise Play Date! Belle and Yogi

2011-09-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

We had a client come in the office today...sort of a drop in to get some docs notarized. That's not so unusual. Coming in with TWO Yorkies in her arms is. I was so excited. Two new friends. We all hit it off right away. Me and Belle and Yogi.

I guess it was about 1:00PM according to my rumbly tummy and I figured someone forgot about lunch. We had stopped off at Natural Pet Foods earlier to get my special kibble and we got a couple of free sample bags of something that looked pretty good. A pup can only wait so long before they take matters into their own paws. I went over to Mom's purse and pulled out one of the bags and started to open it. Our client was very impressed and even said so. "Huh?", said Mom, who was in never-never land trying to concentrate on her business. I had just started to tear off the corner of the bag when she snatched it away from me and handed it to Jennifer, asking Jenn to please give me my lunch. That stuff (whatever it was) was very good. All I know is it had some lamb in it because of the picture on the bag. I can't wait for lunch time today. YUM! Oh, but I digress.

Mom asked Eileen (Yogi & Belle's mom) if they were going to the Yorkie Ball in Nashville. Can you believe that some humans haven't even heard of it? Why, it's our highest social event of the season. Us Yorkettes even wear evening gowns and we meet Yorksters who are single, and we dance and mingle and exchange our steam iron numbers (Yorkie's version of the cell phone). There's a fashion show and a luncheon and even a special dinner. We gave Eileen the link so she could learn more about Yorkies and their high society.

Only two and one half weeks away. I am SOOOO looking forward to this. My everly first Ball. I feel like a Princess already.

Love and kisses....

Mary-Margaret

Hi, Grandpa!!

2011-09-20T20:01:00.001-07:00

It's getting to late for you to call, so we're going to bed. Also going to go watch TV with mom. "Glee" is back on the Fox Network and we just LOVE LOVE LOVE Glee.

Today, we got four new tires and new rear brakes. I said "hello" and "good-bye" to people, and did my little "happy dance" for them. I think maybe the mechanic's shop might offer me a job. They seemed pretty impressed with my ability.

We got to the office around noon and worked all day. Tonight Mom's throat was scratchy so I took her to Dairy Queen for a small vanilla cone. The girl at Dairy Queen gave me my very own little bowl for FREE. I think Mom's getting a cold or something yucky. I really need to take better care of her.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

NBC's "The Playboy Club"

2011-09-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

What planet did THIS club exist on? When my mom worked the Los Angeles/Hollywood club on Sunset 1965-66 there was no touching of Bunnies, no leaving the club in your uniform (even if you were disposing a dead body in a river), no smoking where anyone could see you, no dancing with the customers, no sitting down on the job (they "perched" on the backs of chairs). Bunnies didn't go into the "liquor room", and most definitely Bunnies didn't murder their customers with their stiletto heels even accidently. That would have been worth a gazillion demerits easily.

Bunnies were the squeaky clean fantasy girls-next-door. They could have been fired for behaving like the bunnies in the show. Whoever wrote this or was otherwise involved in the creative process is either an idiot or delusional. My mom was proud to be a Bunny. Now, in less than an hour, she feels sad and humiliated.

Back to "Castle" on Monday nights, I guess.

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
(Your roving entertainment reporter with all four feet on the ground!!)

Today I am SIX!!!

2011-09-19T20:07:00.001-07:00

I am SIX today! I am a big girl and I don't need a baby seat. Mom says we're not moving until I get into my carrier.

Um....Mom? Please? Just for today? After all, I am SIX now. I want to sit like a grown up. I promise I'll be still.

We get our oil changed and order our new tires. Everyone says "Happy Birthday, Mary-Margaret!". I like that a whole lot. Especially when they tell me how pretty I look with my pink bow. And all of my Facebook and Yorkie Spice friends said "Happy Birthday!" to me, too. I feel so loved!!

After we run errands, Mom takes me to lunch for my birthday. Woo hoo! I know where I want to go. "In-N-Out"!!! They make the BEST burger ever. YUM!! And Dr. V said I could go off my diet today because it's my BIRTHDAY!!

For me? Flowers? FOR MEEEEEE???? Oh my heart be still...I've NEVER ever gotten flowers in my whole life. Who would send me flowers? I'm trying to read the card but it's still inside the envelope. I need a little help here?

The minute the card came out of the envelope I knew. My very best "BFF" Athena Maria from Tennessee sent me flowers. THANK YOU THANK YOU, Athena Maria. I love you. I grabbed MY card and immediately tried to digest every word.

Then Mom grabbed the card (or what she could find of it) and tried to piece it back together so I could share the really nice message on it. I know she took a picture of it. I'm sure she did. Well, as soon as it turns up we'll post that, too.

(found it!)

Then tonight my Grandpa called me up and played "Happy Birthday!" on his harmonica for me. And then he played "For she's a jolly good fellow!". He does that for his fambly, and I am his "Grand Dogger"!

TODAY IS THE EVERLY BEST DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE.

TODAY I AM SIX!!!

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret

Buffie & Gizzie Save the Day! Sunday, 9-18-11

2011-09-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

(another installment in the Yorkie Brigade Chapel series)

Good morning, everyone. Again we have our guest speakers from Miami with us. Buffie and Gizzie save the day. We are so blessed to have them volunteer so willingly.

Buffie? Gizzie? Please take the podium. Thank you so much for helping out again.

(applause...applause...clap..clap....wolf whistles from the Rottweilers in the back pew....and gradually the noise dies down)

(Gizzie takes the microphone)

The Pearls

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy, can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere-Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.

One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess - the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."

"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's Daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.

Jenny's father is like our heavenly Father. He also is waiting for us to give up our dime store stuff and seek Him first... So He can fling open the windows of Heaven and pour us out such a blessing that we will not have room enough to hold it.

What are you hanging on to?

Thank you, Buffie and Gizzie for such words of wisdom. And thank you also to Merry, their secretary, for painstakingly translating this parable from Doglish to English for us. Please give them all a hand in appreciation.

Sam Press correctly guessed Fiji as the site of the retreat that the Ladies of the Leather Collar attended a couple of weeks ago. Well done, Sam!!

We are fortunate to have peanut butter and chicken cookies provided by the Kindergarten Pups at the back table, along with fresh streaming hose water running freely from the garden.

Please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails as a sign of peace and friendship. Remember to be as you wish others to be.

Blessings to all............................

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Dear Grandpa....

2011-09-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Mom asked me to write and say "Thank you!". She didn't tell me what for and I know better than to ask. Still...she said you'd know, and "Thank you!".

I love you, Grandpa. You are the BEST Grandpa in the whole wide world.

Kisses and Schnerfels....and some Schnoozles, too.

Your Grand Dogger...

Mary-Margaret

2009 Valentine's Day Dress - FINALLY

2011-09-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Guess what I finally got? Hmmmmmmm???

Now I'm not saying it's the fault of our fine United States Postal Service but....! We were looking for it every day back in 2009 and MaryElizabeth even called our post office saying we hadn't gotten it. They know who I am and told her "You DO know that Mary-Margaret O'Brien is a dog, don't you?". Well, of course she knows. Everyone knows. I'm not ashamed of my heritage or my ancestry. I'm proud and I stand up tall, head up and chin out. YES, I AM A YORKSHIRE TERRIER!!

Still.....No reason to take two years to get me my dress, is it? Hmmmm???? I do love it, too. Ruffles and all. Makes me feel everly so feminine!!

I might have grown a tad and maybe gained a little weight in two years. What do YOU think?

Love,

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

[[[[BONK!]]]

2011-09-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

Well, RATS!! Mom did it to me again. That's twice, now. She fell asleep in her chair and the phone rings. It takes her forever to answer it and so as long as she's up, she decides to shut the glass sliding door. My doggie door is in the sliding screen outside the glass door, so I don't know my access has been blocked. Who'd a thunk?

"Upstairs!", she says, and starts to climb the stairs. Hang on!(I say) Not everyone is in the house, but she can't hear me. She looks around and finally figures out I'm not there just as I dive through my doggie door. [[[[BONK]]]].....and OWWWWWWWWEEEEE!. Yes, I was OUTSIDE ENJOYING THE EVENING!! So much for relaxation before bed. I've really got to watch her these days. My nose is still a bit sore from that one. Maybe I should start testing my door with my paw before jumping through it.

Mary-Margaret "The Schnozz" O'Brien

The Yorkie Times - September 2011

2011-09-06T09:15:00.001-07:00

The new issue is out and I wanted to share it with you. Just click on this link: Yorkie Times Newsletter and scroll down about half-way to "Yorkie Times Newsletter" button to catch up on all of our Summer Social News and Events (just under "Smoky 2010 Awards").

Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue, Inc. is where people go to adopt a Yorkie. Their site is at Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue . Scroll down the page to find stories about kids who were adopted through YTNR. There is a boutique where you can help support YTNR, a link to kids who are available for adoption, and stories about the kids who were rescued and now have "forever" homes.

Hope you enjoy both the newsletter and the web site. Yorkies are very special, you know. Some say that we are God's special messengers on Earth, ergo the saying "From a Yorkie's lips to God's ear!".

Blessings...

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade

Play-Date with AthenaMaria Dugmore

2011-09-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

I had company today. Yup! Me and AthenaMaria Dugmore had a PLAY DATE!! Oh, we had SOOOO much fun. I showed her my back yard, and my upstairs, and my special window by the front door where I watch for cats.

Then Mom and MaryElizabeth and me and AthenaMaria went out to breakfast at "Simply Sharon's", a Creole down-home Louisiana type place where they serve chicken and waffles. The chicken is fried to order and it takes about 20 minutes to get served. The waffles are (I'm told) very yummy. They're thin and freshly made. MaryElizabeth had grits, too. And the waitress brought out tiny freshly made muffins - banana nut and poppy seed. I just napped in my carrier after we got seated, and so did AthenaMaria. We know how a pup is supposed to behave.

It's a pretty popular place. We had a really long wait before they gave us a table. That was ok, though. I was saying hello and good-bye to everyone. I think maybe I could get a job as a hostess....maybe?

Then we went to our office and checked the mail. AthenaMaria and I had a bit of lunch. I always share with my guests. I wait until they are finished eating before I have any. Even if they eat all the lunch, I know Mom keeps more for me. Sharing is very important in a friendship.

And THEN we went down to Old Town so MaryElizabeth could see the shops. And THEN the ladies stopped at JambaJuice and got something to drink. Mom says she's hooked on something called Orange Dream which tastes sort of like orange sherbert. MaryElizabeth likes the raspberry lemonade with a "shot" of something for immunity put into it.

THEN we went through Valle de los Caballos (Valley of the Horses), and then the vineyards, then home. Me and AthenaMaria took our afternoon naps and the ladies yakked. About 5:00PM they decided to go to Fish House Veracruz where they ordered abalone. I'm not sure exactly what happened because I was under the table where I always am at a restaurant, but the abalone wasn't tenderized and it was burned black and so there was a discussion with the manager who seemed sort of miffed that the ladies didn't want burned abalone. He eventually mellowed out and the ladies ordered Sea Bass and Halibut. It must have been ok because they quit griping. (NOTE - one doesn't have this problem with kibble!!)

Finally we came home and everybody said their goodbyes. I sure hope I get to see AthenaMaria and MaryElizabeth again soon. They are really fun people.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Dear Grandpa....

2011-08-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Our telephone AND internet weren't working. We had been on hold on our cell phone with Time Warner for 35 minutes when Mom noticed the time. She didn't want you to worry so she figured she had time to call you quickly and say "hello...I'll call you later". In that period of time, they must have answered and she lost the call. She was not very happy.

The phone and internet are back on now. You know the MOST annoying part? All the time she's on hold she has to listen to an advertisement about how GREAT Time Warner is with their phone and internet service.

Not very bright, if you ask me!!

Mary-Margaret

Good Friends and Bar-B-Q

2011-08-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here's me with one of my newest best friends, Athena Maria Dugmore and her mom, MaryElizabeth. We went to MaryElizabeth's mother's house yesterday for barbeque. Mostly I played with AthenaMaria. We played "chase", "sneaky pounce", and for a while we were explorers on an expedition into deepest darkest master bedroom. Lots of good stuff in there.

This is MaryElizabeth's mother, Connie. She's absolutely amazing. She's about 7 years older than my Grandpa. She tells funny stories, and she laughs a lot, and her family is from Lithuania. She and my mom had a lot of things in common that they either remembered or were told by their grandmothers and great grandmothers. One of the things they had for dinner was Lithuanian potato pancakes topped with sour cream. My mom said they were the best thing she's ever had. I passed on the pancakes but AthenaMaria and I did have a little rib-eye. Good stuff.

We hung out and visited some more before dessert. I was stuffed and so was Connie so we both passed on dessert, too, but Mom and MaryElizabeth had some fresh home made from SCRATCH apple pie with BaskinRobbins 31 flavors vanilla ice cream. Mom says that's the way vanilla ice cream is supposed to taste. She's been buying the frozen stuff out of the market freezer but they're either too sweet or too fatty tasting. This BaskinRobbins place makes it the way she remembers it from when she was little. I guess we'll be hunting for a 31 Flavors store now.

Thank you for having us over, MaryElizabeth. We had the BEST TIME EVER!!!

Love,

Mary-Margaret "See you at the Yorkie Ball" O'Brien

PS - The Yorkshire Terrier National Ball is in Nashville, TN on October 13-16, 2011. It's the annual charity event that caps off the Yorkie social season, and all proceeds go to Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue, Inc. Hope to see you all there. Scroll down the link to learn more about our Ball!!! (NOTE - This is the ONLY time you will EVER see MEEEEE in an evening gown!)

The Golden Rule - August 28, 2011

2011-08-28T08:11:00.001-07:00

(another installment in the Yorkie Brigade Chapel Series)

Welcome, everyone.

Before we start today, let's say a prayer for our dogthren and birdthren ...ok, and cathren, too....who are in the path of Hurricane Irene and who are in danger of losing their homes, their belongings, and for those who are afraid because they've never seen anything quite like this storm before. We ask that God hold their paws and talons and grant them peace and serenity so that they may get through this storm.

(a moment's silence)

Amen

Now...today we talk about the Golden Rule - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!". (My sister used to say it as "Do unto others before they do it to you" when she was really little and we still laugh about that). But seriously.....we want to treat other people they way we would like to be treated.

In the Bible, in Luke 6:27-36, it says:

[27] "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. [29] If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. [30] Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. [31] Do to others as you would have them do to you.

[32] "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. [33] And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. [34] And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. [35] But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. [36] Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

If you are invited to the dog park for a play date, it's ok to feel a little shy. But instead of thinking about how shy you are, concentrate on making the other pups feel welcome. I guarantee you that if you focus on showing the others a good time by sharing your ball or your frisbee or your treats, you will forget about yourself in no time at all. You will be having such a great time helping the other pups you'll stop thinking about how shy you are.

We teach our puppies that they must learn first to follow before they can be good leaders. Humans learn that they have to start at the bottom and learn their business before they can advance and be promoted. We show others how we expect to be treated in this world by example, and treating them the way we would like to be treated ourselves.

This week, let's all practice giving without expecting anything in return. I think you'll be unexpectedly surprised at all you will receive instead.

Now, let's turn to our neighbors and wag/fluff with all we've got to show our love and friendship. Cats who are currently shedding are excused today, and may simply lift a paw instead.

On your way out, please stop by the Kindergarten Puppies' table. They've been very busy dying cashews for their latest art project. We all love cashews (unsalted, of course) and we assure you that despite the bright colors, they are totally edible and safe. Spring water available from the garden hose if you get thirsty. The Ladies of the Leather Collar and the Knights of Pawlumbus should be back next week.

Blessings....and Nuts to You!

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Wall Street Journal on Playboy Bunnies

2011-08-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

WSJ on Playboy Bunnies

Why is it that when someone is interviewed, the quote is read back intact, and it STILL gets tweaked by the time it hits the news stand?? Mom said "customer's key", not "club card"! They didn't have cards back in those days!

Anyway....like Mom says...this isn't who she is, it's what she did for a year of her life and it was great fun. Don't believe a thing Gloria Steinem says. Bunnies were treated with great respect. And if anyone DARED to even "touch a Bunny", their key was confiscated and they were booted from the club. There were room directors and managers everywhere to keep the ladies safe, and the club had a direct line to the police department in case anyone really got out of hand. Bunnies performed charity work and entertained troops, appeared in parades and on television, too.

Gloria Steinem contributed a lot to Women's Liberation, but is totally delusional when it comes to Playboy and their treatment of the Bunnies.

PS - For the record, Playmates (girls in the magazine) are NOT the same as Bunnies who were the untouchable fantasy "girls next door".

Happy Weekend!

Mary-Margaret "Playboy Doggie" O'Brien

Toes and Bellies

2011-08-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

We went to see Miss Cathleen today. Mom's toes are now a lovely shade of lavender with an iridescent glow. (snort) Humans are weird. I went on a really long walk with Miss Cathleen and totally re-marked my territory. Then she gave me a nice bowl of cold water and I had a lovely afternoon nap. When it came time to leave, Mom walked over to the door and said "Come here, Mary-Margaret!".

Uh....I don't theeeenk so. Someone forgot part of my routine. I walked over to Miss Cathleen and stood by where she keeps her mango smelling lotion. All of a sudden the ladies said "Oh my goodness....we forgot your belly rub!". Miss Cathleen picked me up and flipped me over and I had the absolutely everly most SUMPTUOUS lotion filled belly rub ever.

I have my routine down pat even if the humans forget. I will remind them.

I smell absolutely odorificiously mangoish.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

Mary-Margaret

The Beauty of Mathematics

2011-08-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Grandpa - We thought you'd like this. Please watch it all the way through.

Love,

Your Grand Dogger....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

Smile and say "I Love You!" - August 21, 2011

2011-08-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome Welcome WELCOME!! I think we need to order more pews, and a couple of perches. I see a couple of parrots out there today.

Every Sunday we make a point of turning to our neighbors and wagging our tails as a sign of peace. Today I want to talk about showing signs of peace, love and friendship whenever we get an opportunity.

We went to MaryElizabeth's Dad's Memorial Mass on Friday morning. It was a solemn reminder of how unpredictable and fragile life is. We met Patti and Richard there - Eleanor's mom and dad. I have to say that they are just the nicest people, and Richard looks absolutely wonderful. He has twinkly eyes, and they both have the warmest smiles.

The church hall was packed with friends and family. FORTY-TWO of the people attending, I was told, were family and I know that's just those who made it to the West Coast to pay their respects. There was easily over a hundred people there...and two Yorkettes (who were both amazingly well behaved) – me and AthenaMaria Dugmore.

MaryElizabeth's nephew Zach (Zak? Zac?) created an absolutely beautiful montage of photographs tracing Bill's life from when he was a young man in the service, through his wedding, children, anniversaries.....all those important moments.....and we couldn't take our eyes away. Funerals are a celebration of life, and a reminder to us all that we are only on loan to each other for a brief moment in time. We all really belong to God.

Mom wept, laughed, smiled and hugged and for a couple of hours, feeling as if we were part of this wonderful loving family. They are all truly blessed to have each other. Mom then decided to and contact the members of our immediate family for positively no reason other than to say "I love you!". Who knows if those will be the last words she says to them?

She called two of her three brothers as she said she was going to do. The youngest one still had a message on his voice mail from last Tuesday. She left him a message saying that she just called to say she loved him. That should freak him out.

Then she called her other brother, the oldest of the three, and he immediately wanted to know what was wrong with her...or did she know something about him that she wasn't telling him about. "Nope...I just called to say I love you, because you never know if those will be the last words you say to someone!". And he started talking...and they actually had a conversation. He NEVER has a conversation. He's very cerebral and is a professor and ...well, he just doesn't talk much. Finally, his dinner was ready and he said he had to go. Before he hung up he said "I love you very much, too!". It made Mom a little tearful as neither of us remember hearing that before.

I'm glad she called them. The third brother, the middle one, has been sick and she’s been talking to him for the past few weeks on and off. She told him she loved him, too, a couple of days ago. He thought we should say that to each other more than once a year. I agree with him.

And finally, we got a nice email from my Aunt Jackie in response to our voice mail message to Mom’s youngest brother.. She and Mom talked a long time today and caught up on stuff, and when they were ready to hang up they both said “I love you!”.

All it takes is one person to smile and other people smile back. And it takes one person to say “I love you!” and pretty soon, every one else is saying it too. And it becomes easier and easier to say each time.

Now….turn to your neighbors and wag your tails as a sign of peace and friendship. We do this every Sunday and it’s becoming a habit. When you leave chapel, wherever you go……muster up the biggest smile you can and flash it to everyone you see. Your goal is to get them to smile back, and your hope is that they will pass that on to someone else.

On your way out, please help yourself to some Pupperoni rolls and Cheez-its. The scouts are away on a camp out and the Kindergarten pups are assisting in the pre-school class this morning. The Ladies of the Leather Collar and the Knights of Pawlumbus are away on retreat, so we just put out some snacks and you're all on the honor system today.

Blessings to you all

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Chaplain
Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"From a Yorkie's lips to God's ear"

Dear Grandpa....

2011-08-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Mom wanted to update you on Nick. We called him last night. He said he got out of the hospital a week ago Saturday and that he and Sharon were staying at a home in Templeton where they are babysitting some pups. He said he would go back to San Simeon tomorrow.

He also said that he's much better, even better than he was before he got so sick. He said his lymph nodes were shrinking and he was feeling much peppier. Maybe it's all for the best. At least that's what I tell people - that they should just let God handle this stuff and quit worrying about trying to control their lives.

Anyway...I'll talk to you tonight, or Mom will. I have trouble holding the receiver what with not having thumbs and all. I need to have it put on speaker phone for me.

Love and kisses...

Your Grand Dogger...

Mary-Margaret

"God's Will Be Done" - Sunday, 8/14/11

2011-08-14T10:56:00.001-07:00

(another installment in the Yorkie Brigade Chapel series)

Good Morning...Good Morning! Glad to see you all here dressed in your casual go-to-beach wear on this absolutely beautiful day. We have two very special guest speakers today - Gizzie and Buffie from Miami Beach:

Please welcome Gizzie and Buffie to the podium. They have a very inspirational message for us.

Gizzie? Buffie?

(applause...clap clap clap...."Woo Hoo"...."Quack quack"...."cluck...cluck" (Ah....I see Graham Quacker and Diana Duck are accompanied by a group of chickens today)....."arf arf"....)

(Gizzie and Buffie, after climbing the steps to the microphone, clear their throats and begin to speak in unison)

Toni was looking for what wasn't really lost, and she found what she wasn't looking for. As a result, a group of people got a spiritual boost they weren't expecting.

Toni, who conducts a Bible study in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic in Alaska, was looking for her husband’s missing driver’s license. As she retraced his steps from the previous day, she visited a hospital. The missing license wasn't there, but a Christian high school chorale was, and Toni was touched by their worshipful singing. She asked the director if the teens could sing for her Bible-study group that evening. They could, and they did, —bringing hope, joy, and God’s love through music and post-concert conversation to some folks trying to put their lives back together.

Oh, and that driver’s license? Toni found it on a chair when she got back home. Apparently, the only reason she went out that day was so God could direct her to hear a bunch of teens who could minister to her rehab group.

When God guides us (Prov. 16:9), He works in ways we can't predict. He can use even our inconveniences to bring honor to His name. When we face a seeming nuisance in our day, perhaps we should look not just for what we think we want but also for what God has for us that day.

Between the circumstance and me,
A Father’s loving hand
Is working all things for my good—
All moves at His command. —Anon

(Gizzie and Buffie nod their heads to the congregation indicating that their presentation is over)

(YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY..."Very well done"..........bark bark..woof...............QUACK!!!....cluck......a cacaphony of praises fill the chapel)

Thank you SOOO much, you two. You both always have something inspirational for us to think about.

Earlier today my Mom was talking to my oldest sister who was saying that time flies so quickly and she doesn't know if she'll have enough time to accomplish all the things she wants to do in the time given to her. I told my Mom to tell her that she will always have enough time to accomplish what God wants her to do.

God has a plan and, as Gizzie and Buffie illustrated, His plans will take precedence over ours 100% of the time.

We ask that you bow your heads and take a moment to remember the pups and humans that we have lost this past week, and that a prayer be said for the transition of their souls from this world to their forever home. We also pray for peace for those who are left behind, and we ask that the Lord help them find comfort and solace in his everlasting love.

(silence for a moment)

Amen

Bacon protein cheeseburger sliders on the patio with kibble salad and Spring water slurpees, all prepared by our Ladies of the Leather Collar and, at the barbeque, our Knights of Pawlumbus (formerly Clawumbus but too many of the Bulldogs, Pekinese and Boxers had trouble pronouncing it). Enjoy enjoy!!

Before you race out the door, please turn to your neighbors as wag your tails as a sign of peace, love and friendship. Despite any disagreements we may have with each other, we are first and foremost united in our love of Dognamity. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. We can't change the past but we can choose the path we will follow beginning today.

Blessings......................

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Sure Cure for the Oopsies!

2011-08-13T10:30:00.001-07:00

Ugh! All those turns and twisties in the road on Camp Pendleton. It's sure a pretty place with the hills, lakes and meadows but it's awful on a puppy's digestive tract. I made it all the way back to Fallbrook and then "kablooey". First off Mom noticed I was sitting upright and squished way into a corner of my carseat. Well, I didn't want to get any barf on MEEEE. What else would you do?

Mom pulled over and cleaned up my car seat, my jacket and my leash, gave me some water and some loving, and then we kept going. She'll need to take the car into the car wash later. It smells pretty much like doggie barf....and after a day in the heat, it's like pretty baked in, I think.

Here's me today. I have a slight headache so I cleared the couch of it's arrangement of cushions and crawled underneath a couple. It always helps to put a pillow on your head if you aren't feeling well.

After about an hour, I decided to see if it helped my tummy, too. Yup! It does. I think I'll feel much better tomorrow. Today I'm just going to take it easy.

PS - Grandpa - when I go play outside I get burrs...you know, little round stickers...in my fur. And then I get on the back of Mom's chair and those burrs sort of migrate into her hair. Lately there have been a lot of stickery things in the back yard so between plucking them off me and pulling them out of her hair, we're pretty busy before we go to bed. The word she was saying was "STICKERS".

Love,

Your Grand Dogger,

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

Two more installments in YBC

2011-08-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Oops...I forgot to post last Sunday's inspirational message in our Yorkie Brigade Chapel series. First, I'll post today's message:

Sunday - August 7, 2010 - "Mind Cleaning"

Good morning and Happy Sunday!! It's sure been a week, hasn't it? We have so many memories, thoughts and ideas floating around in our heads that it's time to do some "house cleaning".

Our guest speaker today is Aida Spaulding, our Assistant Pastor Neeko S Spaulding's little sister. Although she's pretty new to our Chapel and quite young, she's got a lot of wisdom that she'd like to share with us this morning.

So...without further ado (or adieu?), please allow me to introduce Miss Aida Spaulding. Aida?

(clap clap...applause..."Wooo wooo " (from the Siberian Huskies)...."YAYYYYY, Aida!"....and she steps to the microphone) and speaks:

Keeping only the good memories :o)

My name is Princess Aida Chi-Chi Spaulding and I'm so honored to be up here today speaking in front of this pawsome congregation. My brother Neeko's encouraging words convinced me that I can do this since I'm kind of a shy girl.

I moved in with my forever family on July 3rd of this year after being rescued by wonderful MaryElizabeth and being fostered by wonderful Mama Corrine. I'll forever be grateful for their unlimited kindness, for saving me and for giving me a second chance on life.

Many past memories understandably have a great influence on our lives and determine how we are feeling now. My past does not have many good memories and because of that, I'm still learning to trust Humans.
My pawsome brother Neeko told me that in life is very important to keep only the good memories and discard the bad ones. I have to admit that when I moved in with my new family, we were emptying the trash cans a lot... My new Pawrents were busy "cleaning" any lingering unwanted memories of mine.
God must love me very much though because He blessed me with a wonderful forever family. I feel loved, adored and respected and know that no matter what, they will forever be here for me.
Thank You dear Lord for my many blessings!

Well, good thing that I'm getting rid of all the unwanted memories because let me tell you... the pawsome ones are just pouring in. Now I understand why Neeko told me to keep only the good ones because in my new family, you need lots and lots of room for them :o)

I would like to conclude today with this quote that I thought was adequate:
“What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now.” ~ Author Unknown

Thank you all again for having me here and let us all remember not to dwell on the past and keep only the good memories :o)

Love,
Aida ♥

(applause applause - more whistles and "woos".....and the congregation rises to give a standing ovation...Aida blushes demurely and smiles....)

Thank you so very much for that, Miss Aida. Very wise words, indeed. Even Shakespawre wrote in his "Julius Ceasar" that "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones!". If we cast out the bad and the negative thoughts and do as you suggest, perhaps it will be the GOOD that will prevail instead.

Let's embrace each other in love and friendship today. Make room for the happy thoughts and squeeze out the others. We are gathered here today for positive inspiration. We should all make a vow to follow Aida's example - to "forgive and forget", and to move on with sunshine and smiles in our hearts.

Please take a moment to remember those of our parish who have passed on this last week, and pray that their lives will not be in vain. We pray for the families and friends of those they left behind, and ask that they all continue their quest to encourage and assist the humans who continue to look for reasons and cures for the horrible diseases that have befallen these members of our community.

Please turn to your neighbors and pew mates and wag your tails or fluff your feathers as a sign of your commitment to everlasting peace and love.

The Ladies of the Leather Collar and the Knights of Clawumbus have joined together today and they invite you to a noon-time barbeque of spare ribs (ones that weren't needed, apparently), and Boston bulldog baked beans ("The musical fruit - the more you eat, the more you toot!", according to our Kindergarten class, anyway)

And here is the one from last week. Gosh, Mom is such a ditz these days. And she keeps falling asleep at her desk, or in her big leather chair, and one time....even started snoozing at a traffic light. I've taking to talking to her to the point she'd like to throttle me. But if it keeps her awake, I guess it's good.

OK..enough about that. Here's last weeks:

"Funk Day" - July 31, 2011

Welcome, welcome everyone. Boy, that week went fast, didn’t it?

Today was our “Funk Day”. That means that we give ourselves permission to be introspective, feel sorry for ourselves, pout a little if we feel like it, and nap whenever we choose, or watch movies all day. I kinda like Funk Day. No pressure, no stress. Tomorrow we are programmed to un-Funk, and get back on track.

God made the whole universe in 6 days and on the 7th, even he rested. Following his example, we rested on the 7th day, too. There’s a lot of good stuff in the Bible like that.

My secretary is still resting and I’m not having much luck in firing her up to take dictation tonight. I’m going to use something that I personally find inspirational. The original author is unknown, but several have tweaked it a bit and tacked their name onto it. This version is still anonymous, as far as we know:

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, You will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, Someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, There may be jealousy;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, People will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, And it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see in the final analysis, It is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Today I’m told we have some caramel kibble clusters at the treat table in the garden. The Kindergarten Puppies assembled them during their cooking class. They would be here to serve you but it takes a lot of soap and warm water to get caramel out of fur so they asked the Fachsie Dachsie Brownie Troop #411 to stand in for them. They hope you like your treats and you forgive their absence.

Please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails or fluff your feathers as a sign of peace and love.

Thank you for your continued presence at our Sunday Inspirational Services.

(PS - since this appeared I've been told it's originally from Mother Theresa and not to worry about being sued or anything. Mother Theresa would be happy that we got her word out!)

Blessings.....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Dr V, Nicole and MEEEE

2011-08-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we went to see Dr. V about some unexplained bump on me. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE going to visit Dr. "V" (Melanie Verreault). She's been my doctor since I was just a little tyke of only 9 weeks old. We go waaaaaay back. Every time we pull into her parking lot I start hopping up and down. People in her waiting room are very surprised at how excited I am. They say that their pups cringe and try to hide. Not me! I LOVE IT HERE! I am waiting patiently for Dr. V to come and give me a check up.

I am very healthy. Round, but healthy. I do have some bumps but Dr. V says not to worry. They are non-contagious doggy warts. I have one on the base of my tail at the end of my spine, one on my neck and one on my upper thigh on my left leg. They don't bother me at all, but Mom was thinking about fussing with them. She doesn't like to see stuff that doesn't belong.

The scale weighed me in at eleven pounds. Aaaack. And I'm on diet food, too. Dr. V took me in the back and re-weighed me. Yup! Eleven on the first scale, and ten point eight on the 2nd. We decided to go with the second reading. I hadn't pooped yet, so I'm thinking there's another few ounces that will be gone in an hour or so.

We visited for a while and had a conversation. I really got into it, very serious and all, but mostly got laughed at. I WISH I could form my words more clearly. Dr. V did understand that I wanted some water, though. I said "Please?", so she brought me a bowl. She set it down and I sniffed it all over. "This is not my bowl!", I said. Dr. V said she washed it really good, but still...I could smell other pups on it. I don't LIKE drinking from community bowls. I was trying to make my point by attempting to flip it over but both Dr. V and Mom said "NO NO NO!", so I didn't. Sulking, I decided it was better to drink some water than to go thirsty, so I had a little. But just a little, to be polite!

Also, when I got there, Nicole (who loves me more than anything in the whole wide world and I love her, too!) had a bag of treats on her desk. She knows what a puppy likes and who am I to crush her spirit, hmmmmmm? That's got to count for an ounce or two.

Here's Nicole and me just loving on each other. It's what we do. When I was a little baby she used to put me on her shoulders and I'd nap while she did stuff on the computer.

Good news, too! Amy, who used to be a vet tech at the old place before the Hills sold it, is now a real full-fledged vet. She got hired at the old place where I still get my shots and my health certificate. Dr. Gindi isn't there any more. I wonder where she went? She was pretty cool. But I have to tell you I just can't wait to get another shot or something so I can see Amy, except now I have to call her DOCTOR Amy!

Stop, Drop and (look before you) Roll!

Arrgh. What's that smell? Yuck. I can't quite reach it and it won't go away. Pups like to go out in the morning and do their rounds, which sometimes includes rolling and squiggling on our backs on the fresh dewy lawn. Well, this morning it was "dewy" all right - spelled "doo-ey".

Mom noticed there was some gunk on my right shoulder and it STUNK.. STANK?.. STINKED?..to high heaven. I get a sponge bath in the sink but I still stink. "What the....?", she mutters as she notices my tags are glued together. Oh, yup...that's poop on my collar and in my tags....also in my toes. Collar and tags are washed, toes, and just about every thing else is scrubbed. I'm drying now, still somewhat a pariah in my own house. NOTE TO SELF: Look before rolling!!

Happy Monday!!

Love, Mary-Margaret
(They don't call me "Stinky" for nothing!)

Dear Grandpa - Update on Nick

2011-07-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

He's still in the hospital at Twin Cities Community in Templeton, CA. He's hoping to get out by Friday. They're giving him "platelets" and he's feeling a bit better. He was enjoying his dinner when I called tonight. Sharon and he were both having rice and some kind of orange pork. Sharon got some cobbler but Nick didn't. The hospital people are watching him carefully.

Twin Cities Community Hospital
1100 LAS TABLAS RD
TEMPLETON, CA 93465
Ph: 805-434-3500

Love,

Michele

PS - Sorry to barge in on Mary-Margaret's blog but this is the only way I can communicate effectively with my Dad who doesn't do email or hear very well. MD

To Grandpa from Mom

2011-07-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Grandpa - Sharon called back about 9:45PM last night. Nick had an adverse reaction to one or more of his meds from his chemotherapy treatments. He was in terrible pain and his white cell count "was down to two" according to Sharon. He's been on morphine - higher dose than he's used to - since he was admitted on Saturday. He's at Twin Cities hospital in Templeton in an isolation room due to his extremely low immune system's inability to counteract any infection.

Sharon has been staying at the hospital 24-7 with him. She doesn't know when he'll be released.

You now know as much as I do. You should have Sharon's cell phone number but if not, call me for it.

Love,

Michele

"Truth" - Sunday, July 24, 2011

2011-07-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

(Another installment in the Yorkie Brigade Chapel series)

Welcome to Chapel this BEE-YOO-TI-FULL Sunday. It's so nice to see you all again. Today we'll be talking about "Truth".

Sir Winston Churchill once said “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened “.

Two pups are discussing their view of the Grand Canyon. The first pup describes it as the biggest hole he’s ever seen and he hopes he doesn’t get blamed for it. The second pup describes it as a river surrounded by sheer rock walls all around, as high up as he can see. Both are describing the exact same scene but one is at the top of the canyon and the other is at the bottom. Both are telling the truth from their own point of view.

Last week, Mom saw me hunched over something and heard me barking like crazy. The something (actually a rat)ran over to the fence and I followed it. When we both reached the corner of the yard, the rat died and Mom assumed I killed it. Not wanting to burst her bubble I played along. That was her truth, and no harm was done. My truth, though, was that I had an encounter with a sick rat and I was comforting him. Everett, our exterminator, tends to side with me.

Seriously, folks, rats are nocturnal and this was in broad daylight. I still have the original squeakies in my baby toys. I’m just not a murderer. I barked for Mom to come fix him but she didn’t understand. I tried to help and I failed, so I prayed with him. I guess you could say I was giving him “last rites”?

The truth depends on perspective. One believes a truth based only on the information they have in their possession, but an entire truth consists of a kaleidoscope of facts, some requiring research and deep thought to understand.

“Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.”, said Benjamin Franklin. The vision of me sitting over a dead rat was only half the story. As Galileo said almost 400 years earlier, “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”.

Once the pieces of a story come together, the truth became apparent and is evidenced and proven by hard facts instead of by assumptions. “A lie told often enough becomes the truth”, as Lenin once said. Let us all be more like Diogenes of Sinope, one of the Cynic Philosphers (412BC to 323BC) and search to discover honesty and truth in it’s purest form.

Please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails (or fluff your feathers) as a sign ofpeace. Again, I am asking for volunteer speakers for upcoming Sundays. We want to hear from all of you about your history, your family, your lives and your loves. Email me privately if you are shy. I look forward to talking with you.

The Ladies of the Leather Collar have been experimenting with freeze dried salmon treats. Please stop by their table on your way out and let them know what you think.

Blessings……….

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade
"A dog has so many friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue!"

My Trophy is Missing!

2011-07-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Wow! Talk about depressing. We got home and Everett still hadn't called. Mom hooked me up to my leash (drat-double drat) and I dove out the doggie door without thinking about it. Ooops! We have a slight problem. Mom reels me back in like a trout on a line, and we start over again by opening the big door so we can BOTH go out at the same time.

My first stop was the grass and....oh, the joy of it! Sheer relief. I hadn't gone since about 8:30AM this morning. On top of that, I had a case of the ...er...squirts. That took a while to clean out so Mom patiently looked over the yard while I was taking care of my business. Nope! No rat. Everett must have come by and forgotten to call.

We walked over to the corner where we last saw the rat and it was most definitely gone. Not a hair...not a flea...Nothing!! Poof! Darn that Everett. I am totally depressed. I just lay on the patio gazing over my hunting ground and sighed.

After supper we get all relaxed and Mom puts on her nightgown around 7:30PM. Then the phone rings and it's Everett saying, "OK! I'm on my way over!".

"Very funny!", says Mom. "You've already been here!". He says he hasn't because he got called on an emergency in DeLuz, which is way up back in the hills and there's no cell signal there. "But the rat's gone!", she says.

Everett laughs and explains all about nature to her in 25 words or less, suggesting that maybe one of the feral cats from the hillside, or an owl or a bird or a squirrel or a possum or a.....(you get my drift, right?)...came and took care of the problem.
I guess I can't get mad at Mom for my trophy disappearing, or at Everett. But DARN those hill dwellers. DARN DARN DARN!! I am bummed.

We are getting sprayed tomorrow. The lawn, the garden (such that it is), and around the house. No more Mr. Spidey sneaking up on Mom or hiding behind our toilet. And then Everett will do some web removal. This makes me happy!

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret

PS - I also got my teeth brushed pretty good last night. I'm allowed to kiss my Mom again. :o)

Rat Update!

2011-07-20T14:25:00.001-07:00

First off, Mom called an exterminator but we got his voice mail. Then Mom called Riverside County Vector Control. They're the company that used to come out and place bait traps for rats in the old days. Mom was hoping that they'd remove the body and check for diseases, too. No such luck.

"We don't do rats!", was their response. Asked "Well, then, what DO you do?". She got put on hold and transferred to another person. That man person responded by confirming that they "don't do rats!". Instead, they "Comb through the fur of live squirrels looking for fleas, check the blood of the fleas for disease, and release the squirrels back into the wild!".

Last I heard her, she was grumbling something about "spending our tax dollars on the care and grooming of wild squirrels". Hmmmm...I wonder if they get pedicures, too??

Ah...! We just got a call back from the Everett of Rancho Pest Control. He said he remembered us and he'd go take care of the disposal of the body. I suppose taxidermy is out of the question? No Mounted Meese heads on my doggy house wall?

Darn!

Mary-Margaret

First Blood - The Mighty Hunter

2011-07-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

The back yard is getting more and more interesting every day. As I'm piddling around my plum tree I notice I'm not alone. "Hello?", I say. "Have we met?". Oh..apparently not, because I'm given a quick glance and then ignored. Someone is munching on MY plums without MY permission.

"Hello?", I say again. "Do you know that you're in MY yard?". Still nothing. So I launch into attack mode. I get the critter between my paws and I study it. It starts to run so I immediately go into "bark mode".

Mom comes to the back door and says, curiously, "What ARE you doing?". I'm busy so I ignore her. And then she sees a critter scampering toward the fence, with me in hot pursuit. I charge and then pull back...then charge again. By the time me and the strange critter get to the corner where the two fences meet, my mom is yelling her fool head off screaming "NONONONONONO...MARY-MARGARET! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Yuck...BAD!!". I'm still ignoring her, and by the time she gets her shoes on her feet my quarry is finished. I am declared the winner.

(Double click the picture to enlarge and see what I bagged on safari!)

Here comes my mom, camera and all, still not quite getting it. "ARRRRGGGH!!", she squeals. "A RAT!". Then comes a stream of NONONONO's and BLEGHs and YUCKS!! She takes the picture and then I get scooped up. There's some pink on my tummy and she checks me out. It's plum pulp and maybe a bit of juice. I'm sticky but fine.

Back in the house she tries to tempt me with my dinner but having tasted rat I'm not into chicken tonight. I go to the back door and squeak to go out. "In your DREAMS!", Mom says. "Not until the neighborhood cats take care of that RAT!!". Then she says (to no one in particular), "Tomorrow, I'm calling the exterminator!"

So far I haven't heard one "Thank you!" or "Nice job, Mary-Margaret!". Not one.

Hmmmph!

Love,

Mary-Margaret

PS - I don't think I'm getting kissed on the mouth tonight, either!

July 17, 2011 - "Be Careful What You Wish For"

2011-07-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Good Sabbath to you all, and welcome to Chapel this beautiful Sunday.

Today, I yield the floor to my mom. She got sidetracked today and totally forgot about my needing her services until almost 10:30PM our time. By then I was totally wiped out and I told her that SHE could be the guest speaker. I hope you don't mind, but honestly I think maybe this will teach her a lesson.

We were watching a movie on TV today and one of the moments that stuck with us was when someone said "People make plans and God laughs!". Turns out this is an old Jewish proverb. No matter how carefully we plan our lives or how fervently we wish for an event to occur that will (we think) change our lives forever, God knows exactly what is in store for us and he smiles. Personally, I think anyone that could make a duck billed platypus and keep a straight face has GOT to have a great sense of humor. But I digress....!

My mom is an Investigator. She used to actually have time to play Bunko with the girls once a month many years ago. One of the ladies in her Bunko group was going to be turning 30 years old in about six months. Several times she mentioned how she'd like to find her biological Dad before her birthday and she asked if Mom could help. All she she'd been told about him was that he was a Navy SEAL who had a one night stand with her mom, a dance teacher, the night before he was shipped off to Viet Nam during the war, and he never knew her mom was pregnant. Her mom knew him only by his nickname and his last name, but she had no idea where he was from nor anything about his family, or if he even had one.

Mom's Bunko buddy was a happily married, stay at home mom, with three kids, but this was her everly most heartfelt wish. Mom caved and said she'd see what she could do. After hunting high and low, she found that Spanky (name changed for privacy purposes) received a traffic ticket in Ventura County, CA several years earlier, and from there she got an address, then a SS#. She also found out he was driving a RV and had mailing addresses were that were campgrounds. At the last one she found the manager said Spanky was planning on driving up the 395. She called campgrounds going up the 395 and hit the jackpot. The heartwarming part is that this man had no idea he'd fathered a child, and the only other child he had and would ever have, had been recently killed in a car accident. He was absolutely stunned and delighted. He cried, his daughter cried and they both had a happy reunion!!

Not all stories maintain their happy ending, though. This particular "find" gave everyone chills when the daughter reunited with her birth father. She never thought it could happen based on the fragments of information her mother could provide. She had only hoped that maybe she could at least meet him by the time she turned 30, a few months away from her giving Mom the assignment. She and her father were both initially ecstatic.

They traveled back and forth several times hoping to establish some sort of bond. Spanky met his three grandchildren and it seemed like a miracle had taken place. Coincidentally, the husband of our client and Spanky had identical leopard tattoos on their forearms (same arm, too), smoked the same brand of cigarettes and drank the same kind of beer. Almost seems like heaven stepped in, doesn't it?

But a year or so after the initial reunion, the father and his newest wife went back to their vagabond ways. Although the lines of communication had been opened, they gradually fizzled out. The daughter, having had "closure", began to see that she wasn't "discarded" and "valueless". Her self esteem blossomed. She ended up taking a full time job, leaving her husband and three children, and taking off with a business man who was exactly the opposite from her father and husband. We lost all contact with her after that.

This definitely gives credence to the old saying "Be careful what you wish for!" She had what most would say was an ideal life, a happy marriage and three beautiful children. Within a year of her wish coming true, she lost it all and began a new life. Was this God's plan all along? Did Mom and the Bunko Buddy meet because it was destined to happen? Did the father find peace and closure knowing that he had a child that would carry on his bloodline? Did the end truly justify the path to get there? How many lives were shattered or redirected because of one innocent little wish coming true.

There's another saying we like and that's "Let Go, and Let God!". Have faith that your destiny is a given and you will be given choices to make as part of the journey toward the end. How you will be remembered will depend on the choices you made and the trust you placed in God. You can fight and argue and deny that which God has placed before you but ultimately you must trust in the Lord to show you the way.

Mom's mother-in-law (rest her soul), when confronted with a situation, would say "Is it my will or Thy will?". When the answer came to her, she knew what path she had to follow, and she did so in peace and confidence.

Thank you so much for letting my mom share. I edited a bit as she tends to ramble, but I think we got a pretty good inspirational message out there, don't you?

Before we go today, please take a moment to thank God for your friends, your family and the others in your life that provide you with love, comfort, and unconditional acceptance. Think about how you are all intertwined in your existence, and how grateful you are to have each other. Then, turn to your neighbors and wag your tails or fluff your feathers as a sign of peace.

We have a new member today. Her name is Amber from Hesperia. Please join me in welcoming Amber and her mother, Cynthia, to our Chapel. I hope we can talk Amber into telling us something about her life in the near future.

The Ladies of the Leather Collar have been experimenting with freeze dried beef and chicken treats. We've already had some of the liver variety and they are simply FABULOUS, and to die for.

Go in peace and let the Ladies know your thoughts on their new recipe before you leave. We are fortunate to have such creative ladies to provide refreshments while teaching the little ones some indispensable baking skills.

Blessings to you all... See you next Sunday

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

July 10, 2011 - "Discouragement"

2011-07-10T08:12:00.001-07:00

(Another installment in the series - "Yorkie Brigade Chapel")

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Chapel this 10th day of July 2011.

It's hard to believe we've been holding services for almost five months now, and our parish is growing. I'm sure you all remember the "pup tent" we started in, when we borrowed someone's water bowl for a Baptismal font. And here we are, all comfy cozy, in our permanent digs constructed with the vision and imagination of us all.

We have a couple of gardens, a parking lot, a church bus, a bright purple and yellow fire hydrant (thanks to our Kindergarten pups) out by the curb, and several active social groups in addition to our regular Thursday night bingo and potluck in the social hall. The Ladies of the Leather Collar and the Fachsie Dachsie Brownie Troop #411 have been working their little fingerettes to the bone to provide yummy goodies for you all after services. I sometimes shake my head and wonder what we will achieve in the next five months.

We have a special guest speaker today - Miss Buffie, who is Gizzie's two year old 2 pound 'sissie'. She is a very big help to her mom, Merry, especially when Merry is in pain and needing some comfort. Miss Buffie has prepared a special presentation on "Discouragement" and I'd like you all to give her a warm welcome.

(applause...applause....clap clap...."Welcome, Buffie!"...more applause)

(Buffie steps to the microphone and the parishioners gradually quiet down and all eyes are on Buffie!)

Do you feel stuck in discouragement? If so, you are not alone.

At some point everyone experiences dashed hopes. Disappointment—an emotional response to a failed expectation—is the normal initial reaction. But allowed to linger, it can turn into discouragement, which hovers like a dense cloud. When that's the case, there is no sense of joy or contentment, no matter what you do.

The circumstances that trigger these emotions may be unavoidable, but the way we respond is a choice. We can either let sadness overwhelm our souls or face the situation with courage and bring it before the One who can help us.

Living in discouragement will divide the mind, making it hard to focus on anything besides our pain. Then as anger becomes habitual, we'll look for someone to blame—whether God, people around us, or ourself.

Frustration that isn't handled well may develop into depression, which in turn can estrange us from others—people do not enjoy the company of someone who's bitter and defeated. This isolation leads to a low self-esteem. Finally, in a fog of discouragement, we can make poor decisions based on crushed emotions instead of truth. Obviously, choosing this self-destructive path is not God's best for our lives.

Though we'll all face disappointment from time to time, believers are not to wallow in it. Instead, God wants us to trust Him with everything—even our unmet expectations and deepest sadnesses. Remember, there is divine purpose for everything He allows to touch His children's lives (Rom. 8:28).

(the congregation is silent as they let Buffie's words sink in....and then gradual applause, some tears, and vigorous nods of enthusiasm and agreement. The parishioners rise to their feet - all four of them - and arf their appreciation and approval)

Thank you SOOOO much for that, Miss Buffie. Such wise words from such a young pup. You are an inspiration to us all. I hope you will stay for a while while we meet for Spring Water and Great Danish out in the garden. I know so many of us would like to speak to you in person.

Everyone is invited to be a guest speaker and we encourage you to volunteer. Just email me privately with your presentation and we will incorporate it into one of our Sunday's services.

Now please turn to your neighbors and wag your tail or fluff your feathers as a sign of peace and love. Remember to always be as you wish others to be.

Go in peace...

Blessings........
Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Little Boys times THREE

2011-07-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

First off, little boys have fathers. This one is one of my most favorite clients, Mr. B. He has THREE little boys: Kevin, Sean and Aiden. Aiden is too little to put on the ground but two out of three ain't bad, huh? Mr. B and Mrs B came to see Mom for a notary so that Kevin and Sean could travel. The boys are going to Hawaii with their grandparents.

Mom was telling them about there being no squirrels in Hawaii but there were "Mmmm...Mmmmm..." (and she couldn't remember the name of the animal). "I know it starts with an M", she said. And next thing, both Mom and Mr. B were looking it up on the internet. "MONGOOSE", said Mr. B. He won the race and Mom felt so silly not being able to say the word. I worry about her sometimes, you know. So if there is more than one mongoose, is it mongeese? Or mongooses?

This is Sean (on the left) and Kevin (on the right). I got them all to myself. I even got asked to babysit. Hah (I said) As if...? But they were very good. I figured out all I had to do was sit and stare at them and their eyes would say "Yes, Ma'am!", just like the little kids in Puppy School used to do when I mentored there.

What can I say? It's just my calling!

Blessings...

Mary-Margaret
Chaplain, Mentor and Babysitter

My Visit from Andrew

2011-07-07T11:51:00.001-07:00

I was totally stoked. Yup. Me! Andrew came back to visit MEEEEEEE! Remember last March 28th? When I told you about Ashton and Andrew, the little twin boys that I played with? Andrew remembered me and asked his dad to take him along when his dad came back to see Mom on business.

We had the best time. Andrew gives great belly rubs. That's Andrew on the left side (I think...hard to tell) and Ashton on the right. Andrew's dad even brought Mom a Starbucks mocha coconut with whipped cream. Andrew got a yogurt with fruit and granola, and he SHARED with MEEEEEEE. My first ever yogurt. YUM! Double YUMMM!!

So we played around for about an hour and a half, and I was everly so sad to see him go. He promised to come back though.

I just LOVE little boys.

Mary-Margaret

Sunday, July 3, 2011 - A Time for Remembering

2011-07-03T11:23:00.001-07:00

Good morning, everyone. It's nice to see so many here, especially on this holiday weekend.

Today, I'll make it short. This has been a weekend for remembering for us.

(Ludmila Safonova and George Safonov in approximately 1940)

Mom's Grandmother's birthday was on July 1st. She passed away about 28 years ago on July 26, 1983 but we still remember her. In that way, she lives on through our memories. We have her photograph on the wall to the right of our computer desk as she looked when she was about 30 or 40 years old. She was born into nobility on July 1, 1897 in Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution, married and had her first son before she had to flee with whatever she could carry to escape the slaughter.

She gave birth to my mom's father (my Grandpa George) in Basra, Iraq as they were traveling to India in order to board a ship for China, and from there they entered the United States on a Mexican visa, obtained through some friends who already resided here. It was in China that she and her two sons, ages 2 and 4, watched her husband, an officer in the Russian Imperial Navy, crash a plane that he was test piloting for the Chinese into the sea.

Alone, practically penniless and in a strange land, she prevailed and provided for her children. She had been taught five languages, she could sing and play musical instruments, and so at times she would make her living by interpreting or by singing. We remember her strength and courage, and her humility and kindness to all. She valued her family above all and did whatever she could to insure their education and eventual success at whatever their goals were.

One of my favorite bank tellers, Marilyn Burd, had been sick with pneumonia. She was born on 5/3/1948. She'd been with the bank for years, and then they closed her branch and she transferred to another one in town. But she got sick and took a couple of weeks off to get better. Every time we'd go to the bank, Mom would ask how she was and when she would be coming back. And every time the tellers would say "Next week...she'll be back next week!". Except for yesterday....we asked and they finally told us she passed away on May 27th. Mom started to cry in the drive-through line, and I felt very sad. We always appreciated her and told her so. We loved her very much because she was so bright and friendly and made us smile.

And today, little Timmy passed on to the Rainbow Bridge. He was a rescue but he knew he was very much loved when he finally left his forever home.

It's so important to let people and pups and ducks and ...well, whomever and whatever means something to you...how you feel about them. You never know when that will be your last words...your last hug and your last kiss. When we leave this world, love is all we have to take with us, and memories of our deeds and our kindnesses are really all that will remain behind.

Please take the time to tell your family, your pets, your friends and our service men and women that they are loved, they are appreciated and they matter to you. And now, please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails or fluff your feathers as a sign of peace and love.

Remember to be as you wish others to be.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July. Enjoy watching planned fireworks events from a distance or on television.

Blessings.......

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

My Fambly!

2011-06-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

My everly most favorite Uncle Michael. We truly have a special relationship. I think you can tell by the picture that we really REALLY love each other.

Love, Mary-Margaret

Happy Father's Day - June 19, 2011

2011-06-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

Good morning, everyone! To all of our fathers everywhere I wish a very special "Happy Father's Day"! This picture is for my Daddy in case he has internet access and this is me on my first birthday. I think he'd like this for his wallet, don't you?? If he had a wallet....or pockets?? No matter! It's the thought that counts, they say!

Today, we're going to keep services short and to the point! It's a special day for all of our fathers - our birth fathers, our adoptive fathers, our friends and relatives who are fathers..to ALL Fathers. Today should be about THEM!! So....instead of writing an inspirational message or a sermon, I wrote a tribute to my very own personal Dad, and I'd like to share it with you.

(ahem...coff coff.....stepping to microphone and unfolding paper)

To My Birth Father...
Dandy Agustus Bush,
On Father's Day 2011

Of Presidential quality
Was my dear old Dad.
He was the handsome sire of me,
The best that could be had.

Although we never really met
His genes make up my cells.
Whenever I think of Dear Old Dad
My little puppy heart swells.

I know if he were with me now
We'd take long, luxurious walks.
We'd toss the Frisbee, Roll the Ball
And have Father-Daughter Talks.

Before I go to sleep at night
As I wind up my day's affairs,
I rest my head against the bed
And name him in my prayers.

Dear Lord, I say, please bless my Dad
And (if you're not in an awful hurry)
Be sure to give my love and thanks
To Dandy Agustus Bush of Missouri!!

by his most loving daughter, Mary-Margaret O'Brien

(or, as he might remember me, ID number GF110958)

Thank you...thank you, everyone. I know that, at this moment, you are all thinking about your Dads, too. No matter whether we were part of a litter or a clutch, without our Dads we wouldn't be here today. And without our heavenly Father orchestrating events in the Universe, we wouldn't be in our forever homes with our adoptive parents, and we say "Thank You!" to Him, too!!

Today we are foregoing the usual treat table in the garden as I understand that the Ladies of the Leather Collar have a barbeque planned for later in the day. All are invited. Chicken and hamburgers will be provided. Please bring a side dish to serve eight if you'd like to participate in our "potlick".

Please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails or fluff your feathers as a sign of peace and love. Remember to always be as you wish others to be. As the famous poet, Rowlf Dingo Emerson, once said - "He who bites, picks fights!".

Go in peace...

Blessings....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

MY GRANDPA!!

(and PS - I'd like to take this moment to tell my Grandpa George that I really love him, too, and I thank him for loving me back! Every night he sends me a kiss and a hug and he calls me his "Grand Dogger". I love you so much, Grandpa!)

Shhhh! Dog at Work!

2011-06-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

SHHHH! DON'T BOTHER ME! I'M WORKING!!!

I've been everly so busy for the past few weeks. What, between my regular office job, my blog, my column in the Yorkie Times and my duties as Chaplain for the YorkieBrigade Chapel, I've just been swamped.

This week, Shannon is on vacation and Jennifer is helping us out again. It's been almost a year since she last filled in so I'm giving her a refresher course and she's having me check her work. She remembers quite a lot, actually, so my job is pretty easy.

I caught up on my responsibilities this weekend and I'm enjoying the comfort of Jennifer's lap. She also takes me wherever I want (mostly) when we go for a walk. Lots of sniffing to catch up on.

For the past four days I've been waking Mom up anywhere between 4:00AM and 6:00AM and I'm not her favorite person when I do that. Well? It's not easy to cover your business on a piddle pad no matter how hard you try. I end up squatting in a corner and then folding it over (think origami) so I don't accidently step in a wet spot. Still...I'd rather run in the dewy fresh morning grass before the sun comes up. What IS it with some people, anyway? What's so great about sleeping in??

Ta ta for now...

Mary-Margaret

June 5, 2011 - Pink Paper Umbrellas

2011-06-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, this glorious Sunday of June 5, 2011. It's so nice to be back from vacation and back with all of you. Truly, I've missed you all. I had a much needed time of relaxation and reflection, and I also learned a lot about enticement and temptation. For example, the prettier a drink is, the more dangerous is becomes.

I think that applies to a lot of things in life. Think about it. Even in nature the Lord has made some creatures absolutely irresistible in their beauty to attract the unwary. The songs of some are designed to lure the unwise. Let's talk about appearances and personalities. Appearances attract, but personalities will keep. We are enticed by the packaging but often disappointed by the contents.

The song of the Sirens lured sailors to their deaths in Ancient Greece. According to legend, Ulysses wanted so much to hear the Sirens song that he had all of his crew stuff their ears with wax and bind him to the mast of their ship. As they sailed by, the Sirens called to Ulysses in song but his crew followed their orders and kept right on sailing as they bound Ulysses even tighter to the mast. Legend has it that if even one ship were to pass the Sirens successfully without crashing into the rocks, then all three of the sisters would die, and according to legend, they did.

The Venus Fly-Trap lets out a sweet scent to attract insects and then, when two sensors are touched within 20 seconds, the leaf closes and the plant digests it's catch, to provide energy for the carnivorous plant to repeat it's procedure.

We walk into a Casino and we're immediately dazzled by the lights and the sounds of the bells and whistles of the jackpots. We sit at a slot machine and become almost addicted to the sensory rewards even more than a possible cash payout. We become bedazzled...and we're lulled into semi-hypnotic state as we feed coin after coin into these one-armed bandits. We're allowed a small win every so often, but ultimately the house takes our money and we walk away dazed and defeated and poorer than we were when we walked in.

Back to drinks with little umbrellas in them, my sweet parishioners. I remember so very little about my vacation in the Bahamas other than dancing in a Conga line with Julio (pronounced "Who-LEE-oh") and waking up in a palm tree with a prickly coconut. I was enticed to taste the sweetness of the tropics and I paid for it with a very bad hangover and a flight home on a bumpy cargo plane that I swear was simultaneously dusting crops as we winged back to the States. I was lured by the beauty of the Islands much as Pinocchio was lured by the Coachman to go to Pleasure Island (and he was almost turned into a donkey, while I merely made an ass of myself).

We learn to resist temptation. Yes....Temptation! That's what happens when we
see or hear or taste something wonderfully attractive and our conscience is drowned out by our desire. Jiminy Cricket was Pinocchio's "conscience", and he was explaining all about temptation to Pinocchio one day. This is what he said:

Jiminy Cricket:
Now, you see, the world is full of temptations.

Pinocchio:
Temptations?

Jiminy Cricket: Yep, temptations. They're the wrong things that seem right at the time... but... uh... even though the right things may seem wrong sometimes, or
sometimes the wrong things, [chuckles] may be right at the wrong time, or visa
versa. Understand?

Temptation is what we ask God to lead us not into, and we ask the Lord to remind us to take our time before we make decisions based on impulse. Perhaps counting to three slowly and saying a quiet prayer to ask for guidance in making our decision. Ask Is this what I really want? Can I afford it? Will my family and I be safe from harm? And if I choose not to follow this temptation, will any harm come from that?

Now.....I've talked enough about pink paper umbrellas. It's time to ask you all to turn to each other, grasp paws or talons or webbed-feet or....goodness, whatever you have will do, and wish peace upon your neighbors.

We have a table set up with coconut meat in the main lobby. I brought some home from my trip to share with you all. I've had lots of compliments on my shiny coat and I attribute all to coconut. We don't recommend eating the shells, though, so be careful.

Thank you to Neeko and AbbeyMia for filling in for me while I've been on vacation. I've heard glowing reports from the parishioners and I know they'll be wanting to hear from you again. Next week we will be hearing from Gizzie, an absolutely lovely pup with much to share.

Go now and spread peace and joy wherever you are. There's nothing like a puppy lick to brighten someone's day. In closing, I quote Barbara Woodhouse who says: "I have caught more ills from people sneezing over me and giving me virus infections than from kissing dogs."

Blessings to all....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue."
Anonymous

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mary-Margaret was the recipient of an all-expense paid vacation to the Bahamas with a group of single pups last week. It was rather last minute so she didn't have time to announce this to the group OR TO HER MOTHER!! She came back with a splitting headache, a hang-over, and the seed was planted for this week's Inspirational Message. And she still doesn't remember much about "Julio", or so she says.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

2011-05-22T07:41:00.001-07:00

Happy Sunday everyone! Today is Sunday, May 22, 2011 and we are HAPPY!! No more tornadoes, no more flooding. Things are getting back to normal and the good Lord has kept us all safe.

We wish every one adopted in the month of May a very Happy "GOTCHA DAY". How lucky we all are to have our families to love and support us. Home is where the heart is! No matter what the rest of the world is doing, we are safe in our forever homes.

Mom's taking a little vacation this weekend. She's absolutely exhausted and so she told me to rummage through my "quote box" and find something suitable. I like this pretty much. It fits just about everyone I know. I wish I knew who wrote it but I don't and it was submitted "author unknown". Still, it was obviously written by someone who loves dogs, and probably dogs love them, too!

(ahem....cough cough....and Mary-Margaret begins to recite!)

Why Own A Dog?

Why own a dog? There's a danger you know,
You can't own just one, for the craving will grow.
There's no doubt they're addictive, wherein lies the danger.
While living with lots, you'll grow poorer and stranger.

One dog is no trouble, and two are so funny.
The third one is easy, the fourth one's a honey.
The fifth one's delightful, the sixth one's a breeze,
You find you can live with a houseful of ease.

So how 'bout another? Would you really dare?
They're really quite easy but, oh, Lord the hair!
With dogs on the sofa and dogs on the bed,
And crates in the kitchen, it's no bother, you've said.

They're really no trouble, their manners are great.
What's one more dog and just one more crate?
The sofa is hairy, the windows are crusty,
The floor is all footprints, the furniture dusty.

The housekeeping suffers, but what do you care?
Who minds a few noseprints and a little more hair?
So let's keep a puppy, you can always find room,
And a little more time for the dust cloth and broom.

There's hardly a limit to the dogs you can add,
The thought of a cutback sure makes you sad.
Each one is so special, so useful, so funny.
The vet and food bills grows larger, you owe BIG money.

Your folks never visit, few friends come to stay,
Except other "dog folks" who live the same way.
Your lawn has now died, and your shrubs are dead too,
But your weekends are busy, you're off with your crew.

There's dog food and vitamins, training and shots.
And entries and travel and motels which cost lots.
Is it worth it you wonder? Are you caught in a trap?
Then that favorite one comes and climbs in your lap.

His look says you're special and you know that you will
Keep all of the critters in spite of the bill.
Some just for showing and some just to breed.
And some just for loving, they all fill a need.

God, winter's a hassle, the dogs hate it too.
But they must have their walks though they're numb and your blue.
Late evening is awful, you scream and you shout
At the dogs on the sofa who refuse to go out.

The dogs and the dog shows, the travel, the thrills,
The work and the worry, the pressure, the bills.
The whole thing seems worth it, the dogs are your life.
They're charming and funny and offset the strife.

Your life-style has changed. Things won't be the same.
Yes, those dogs are addictive and so is the dog game.

Written by "Unknown Poet"

Thank you, everyone. Thank you. Thank you for being here
faithfully every Sunday and for loving each other and everyone in
our church family, and for your postcards to Sister Chiquita in
the Amazon. She wrote back the other day and said your well
wishes are what keeps her and the girls going.

Bean sprouts, soybeans, biscuits and apples chunks are on the buffet table
today, courtesy of Fachsie Dachsie Brownie troop #411. They
prepared everything all by themselves, and they even washed their
paws first. Very colorful and tasty, I'm sure.

Please turn to your pew mates and wag your tails and fluff your feathers
as a sign of peace and love.

Dear Lord - Please help us to be as we wish others to be! Amen

Go and share your glow with others not quite so fortunate!

Blassings...

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

A Bunny Thing Happened: An Oral History of the Playboy Clubs Culture: vanityfair.com

2011-05-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

A Bunny Thing Happened: An Oral History of the Playboy Clubs Culture: vanityfair.com

Dear Grandpa - Mom says to click on this link so you can read the article. Mom even got quoted a whole THREE times, too. How come she got quoted is beyond me, though. With all the famous people associated with these clubs it's just surprising is all. On the other hand, maybe I should start listening to her instead of turning away every time she says something. Maybe I should give her more credit than I do?

Anyway....here you go. First time anyone that I know of personally ever got their name in an international magazine with over a million circulation.

Love you, Grandpa!

Your Grand Dogger....

Mary-Margaret

May 15, 2011 - Happy Sunday!

2011-05-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

Good Morning on this beautiful Sunday, May 15, 2011. Most everywhere the sun is shining and life is good. Our prayers are in force and the tornados have stopped. Unfortunately they were replaced by flooding, which in turn will cause many more problems. Before we get started with today's message, let's put our paws together and ask God for some relief from the flood waters, and ask for his help in the recovery of our economy. I know the Lord never gives us more than he thinks we can handle, but so many are at the breaking point, and so many souls have been lining up at Heaven's gate recently because of the tragedies in the South.

Please, Lord, we ask you, PLEASE help us get through these trying times and help us to see the way beyond. Amen.

Now...today's message is about "commitment". Yes, about taking personal responsibility for following through on your promises.

Let's talk about adopting a fur baby, for example. God made newborn fur babies so darn cute that they're hard to resist. We're little, cuddly, smell sweet and give tiny little kisses that are absolutely addictive to most humans. We are adopted and we become a part of a family. We learn, we love and we grow.

The first two parts are a given - we learn what the humans want from us and we try really hard to live up to their expectations. We also love our adoptive families unconditionally. We don't question our people when they put us outside and they go off for hours at a time because we trust they will always come back for us. Even if we get swatted for some minor "faux pas" (puddles, shredded toilet paper, a little brown pile on the carpet) we know that they will forget and they will hug us and forgive us and we will love them again as if nothing ever happened.

It's the last part - the growing - that some humans have trouble with. Hardly anyone of any species ever stays the same size. That's just life, guys. And when we start knocking over Aunt Grace's porcelain collection, or shedding on the couch, or eating bowls of kibble proportionate to our weight, some humans forget that we are family, and they forget their commitment that they made when we were babies. And some of us end up in the back yard or kennel for days instead of hours. We are fed and watered when someone remembers to do so. We get fleas and sores and no one cares. And finally, some of us end up at a shelter because our families no longer want a grown up dog. We are abandoned and left to our fate.

Rescue groups and shelters are full of residents that are grown. We have already learned and loved, but we are (pardon the expression) "dumped" because we grew. Many of us, but not all, get a second chance. That's when those second chancers will find their forever families. That's when our existence is truly validated and we know we are part of God's plan.

There are all kinds of commitments that humans make throughout their life. Commitments to each other, like "marriage", and a while into the relationship the reality of the commitment sets in and the humans forget their promise of "until death do us part".

Or promises to God - like saying "Dear Lord, if you just let Uncle Aloysius get better, I promise to quit smoking", but when God helps Uncle Aloysius walk again, the human who made the bargain with God in the first place celebrates by bumming a cigarette off the first smoker he sees.

Even our Inspirational Message for Chapel is a commitment that I've made to you all and I intend to keep. You are all part of my family and we never let our family down, no matter what.

I'm sure you each can think of promises that you or those close to you have made that are broken without another thought. Unless that promise was made by a dog (or a duck). And us pups ALWAYS keep our promises. Once we are part of a family we are a part of it forever. If you leave, we grieve. We find your scent and we follow you to the ends of the earth. If you see us years later we will remember you and love you with all our hearts as if you had never left us.

We wind up these inspirational messages with a couple of quotes: A quote from John Holmes: "A dog is not "almost human" and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such." and one from Robert Brault: "An old dog, even more than an old spouse, always feels like doing what you feel like doing."

Let us grow old with you and you will never be sorry.

Please put your paws together and bow your heads as we ask that our Lord or Higher Power help us to honor our commitments and fortify our resolve on a daily basis:

Dear Lord - we ask you to make us wise and alert in our duties. Help to keep us faithful in the time of routine; to be quick to make decisions; and and to be courageous to act in a time of crisis. Help us to always keep peaceful and focused in our minds and our hearts so that we can take care of our families and keep them from harm. Take care of our loved ones when we are separated. Help us honor our commitment and always keep us true to each other. If we have to be apart, help us to return to each other with safety and love. Amen.

(a moment's silence as our prayer fully sinks in....and then Mary-Margaret speaks!)

And now I ask that you turn to your neighbors and wag your tails or fluff your feathers as a sign of peace and love.

We still need volunteers to be guest speakers at Sunday services. Please PLEASE submit your stories so we can incorporate them into our messages. Mom says I'm going to have to start paying her if we don't get some outside help and ....well...collections have been pretty meager in the cyber basket.

We will be serving raw carrots and freshly picked green beans from our garden on the side of the church by the now-functioning fountain dedicated to our parish by the Sisters of St Francis. We have a new member to introduce to you: The Sangster family has adopted little Raffie (Prince Rafael Zane) and he will be in the nursery class for Preschool Puppies starting next Sunday. Congratulations Sangster family!! We also remind you that our Parish Library is open 24/7 if you would care to review our Parish Family Albums and get to know your church family members face to face.

A reminder to you all to pick up your tails, links and photos from our cloakroom on the way out. Our "lost and found" is getting a little cluttered, and those items left after Memorial Day will be auctioned off at our next yard sale, June 5th, with the proceeds going to our Summer Camp fund for Underprivileged Pups (SCUP).

Blessings to you all...

Have a wonderful day!!

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - YorkieBrigade

Bogart and Me at the Doctors!

2011-05-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

My new friend, Bogart. Isn't he cute? I mean, what you can see of him? He's sort of a golden blonde Maltese and he's only eight weeks old. He hit on me right away. Oh yes he did. At only EIGHT WEEKS he was right on my rear end, sniffing away and dodging my waggy little butt. He didn't know it but I was laughing at him. He tickled. He's way to little to get all serious, and every time he'd try to sniff my girlish charms, I'd knock him in the nose with my tail. It was pretty funny.

Mom wouldn't tell me what this said but the same sign was put out on two doors while were were waiting. You have to double-click the picture to see the writing on it. I'm pretty smart, though, and I have a good idea what's going on. I know it's a very sad thing because there were some ladies there who were crying a whole lot. I know I should mind my own business but when folks are in trouble and hurting in their hearts I think it's my job to comfort them. So I did. I just snuggled and kissed and loved all over them. I really think I helped, too. They didn't stop crying but they did smile through their tears for "Midnight", their pet. I didn't find out if Midnight was a cat or a dog or anything, but whoever it was they sure had a lot of love to take to the Rainbow Bridge with them.

God bless Midnight and those two ladies. Amen.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

My new friend, Chica!!

2011-05-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

This is my new friend, Chica. She lives across the street and she's about one and a half years old. Her mom is named Nancy. Today when we came home from working Nancy and Chica were outside and me and Chica said "Hi!". Our moms started talking and next thing I know is they're talking "play date". Oh this is SOOOO exciting.

I see Chica outside sometimes but I'm inside and I can only say "Hello!" through the window. Now we have sniffed each other and even gave kisses AND we will have a play date.

I might add that I need some friends my own age (and species) to play with. Today when we went to pick up at a client's office I got off the elevator on the wrong floor. Hey, what do I know? All the floors look alike but this one smelled different. So I said "Hello" to everyone on the floor before I'd get back on the elevator. That kinda made Mom mad and some guy was hollerin' "LET GO OF THE ELEVATOR!" on one of the other floors. Oooops (I said)...sorry!

Then when we got on the third floor where we were supposed to be our client wasn't there. The envelope was by the door. That was fine for Mom but I wanted to see our client. So I sat by the door and wouldn't budge. Again, the "momster" comes after me but I'm too fast for her. I duck and dodge and I'm having the best time with this game.

Pretty soon a lady comes over and says "Is that Mary-Margaret?". I guess I have a reputation in town. So Mom says "Yes! And I can't catch her!". The lady is very nice and I know I've met her before so I go over and flip on my back for belly rubs, sort of like a Shmoo in a frying pan (if you remember L'il Abner comic strips, anyway!). I get my belly rubbed and then I get scooped up and handed to Mom.

Sheesh! Can't trust anybody any more.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Happy Mother's Day - Sunday, May 8, 2011

2011-05-07T19:13:00.001-07:00

(It's Mother's Day already somewhere in the world - This is for Australia, New Zealand, India and Nepal and all those other places!)

Good morning everyone, and especially to all the "bee-yoo-ti-full" mothers, both present and departed. Today is Sunday, May 8th, 2011 and we are celebrating those who not only gave birth to us, but those who loved us enough to raise us and who raised us with the capacity to love unconditionally.

I barely remember my birth mother, Sissy's TooToo (by T and J), of Elkland, Missouri.
While I know my bloodlines by reading them off my "Birth Certificate" also known as a
"Certificate of Pedigree", I am who I am because of my adopted mother, Michele (by Ruth and George) of Temecula, California. At the tender age of nine weeks I had already been ripped from my birth family, shipped to California, undergone surgery for an inguinal hernia and tossed into a plexiglass box full of shredded newspaper in a local pet store. It was there that I first spotted my REAL mom and made it my business to leave that pet store with her, no matter how long it took.

She wasn't particularly impressive on the outside. She was a little older than the
other ladies who had come into the shop. She looked maybe a little sad and lonely, and she could stand to lose a few pounds, but I saw the beauty in her soul and the light in her eyes and I knew that we were destined to be a couple...a TEAM, if you will. I thought she was absolutely the most beautiful human being in the whole world. I could tell she only stopped in for a quick puppy kiss and to sniff the sweet milky smell us puppy kids have when we're babies. If I didn't act quickly, she'd walk right back out of my life forever.

Together, I knew we could handle anything that came our way. It took me two hours to talk the other pups into chewing on her shoes, barking incessantly, piddling in the middle of the playpen, etc. and otherwise make themselves totally unacceptable to her. Finally, at long last, it was just her and me..side by side on the little bench. Yup. Me and my "soon to be" Mom!

The sales lady, exhausted from bringing Mom pup after pup, finally asked us if we were
going home together. I saw the lady's lips moving slightly as if she were praying we'd say "Yes!". Mom paused for a moment and then asked "How much?". She just about
passed out when Ms. Saleslady quoted her a price, but I was negotiated for and finally
Mom whipped out a credit card. She looked at me, hugged me even closer and gave me a
big kiss, while saying "You can't put a price on love!". I totally agree with her on
that! Moms are just naturally beautiful that way. Truly!

Helen Keller once said "The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even
touched, they must be felt with the heart".

And Khalil Gibran, the Lebanese poet said, "Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart".

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was quoted to say, "People are like stained-glass windows. They
sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."

"You don't love your Mother because she is beautiful. She is beautiful because you love her!" (Mary-Margaret O'Brien)

And on that note, I know you are all anxious to celebrate this special day with your
beautiful mothers. We will be serving Pupcakes and Snausages in the Great Hall to give our special moms a day off from the feed bowl.

Special Announcement - Graham Quacker's family has adopted a baby chick with a
dislocated leg. We ask that you offer prayers for the baby's speedy recovery. Also Graham is now sharing his personal pond with a Red Slider turtle that heard that the Quacker home is a shelter for homeless critters of all shapes, sizes and species. We hope they will be coming to Chapel with Graham.

We are still recruiting volunteer speakers for future Sundays. Please let me know when you'll be available and we'll work your presentation into our Inspirational Message.

Before you leave, please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails (and fluff your
feathers) as a sign of peace and love. And wherever your Mom is, please take a moment
to silently thank her for being your Mom, and for giving you the opportunity and foundation to share your love with the rest of the world.

Blessings to you all....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

May Day - Sunday, 5-1-11

2011-04-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

Good morning, everyone. What a beautiful day it is today. May Day! Celebrated since pagan times by going out and gathering tree branches and twigs and flowers and decorating the houses or other buildings in town. The Roman Goddess of Spring, Flora, was celebrated from April 28 to May 3rd, and there have been numerous poems written about May Day, or "going a-Maying".

Here's one to think about from about 500 years ago:

- And furth goth all the Court, both most and lest
To feche the floures fressh, and braunch and blome
And namely, hawthorn brought both page and grome
With fresh garlandes, partie blewe and whyte …
(The Court of Love, first printed 1561, previously attributed to Chaucer)

So it is with joy and love in our hearts that we dedicate this day to the happy memories of those that have gone on to the bridge recently - To Cubby and Lexi and Lacey, and to Nickie (Nicholas, Duke of York). You may have other little ones that you want to send some happy thoughts along to brighten their day at the Rainbow Bridge.

Our guest speaker today is Sam Press who has composed a lovely eulogy to her beloved fur baby, Miss Sweet Pea Magnolia Press. Please welcome Miss Press to our podium. Sam?

(as Sam approaches the microphone there is a peaceful calm descending upon our congregation. A stillness prevails and sweet smiles are upon the faces of those present. They are thinking and remembering those they've lost, and they await the special tribute that Sam has prepared for Sweet Pea Magnolia)

Her name is Sweet Pea Magnolia Press. She was born on 7 May 1996 & it's been almost 15 years since this amazing ball of fluff entered my life. Sweet Pea was only 3 weeks old & weighed about 4 or 5 ounces when we first saw each other. 2 weeks later she came home with me to live.

Sweet Pea is my beloved Yorkshire Terrier. She arrived at a very sad time in my life...my oldest daughter had passed away & for over a year I'd felt numb. Sweet Pea had so much energy that soon she began to fill all the empty spots I had. Throughout the years, Sweet Pea taught me many things....but the most important was how unconditional love impacted all of our lives.

In happy times, sad times, good moods or not....Sweet Pea was always there with her wagging tail, endless kisses & "cuddle with me Mommie" attitude. Spoiling her was a natural thing to do. Than, one day, I noticed my precious Sweet Pea was not herself. It was then end of January, this year....just 2 days after my foot/ankle reconstructive surgery. Sweet Pea was very sick.....she had kidney failure. She looked up at me, while I was holding her, & asked me the only thing she had in 15 years....."Mommie love me enough to let me go...help me to Rainbow Bridge, it is time".

My beautiful Sweet Pea crossed to Rainbow Bridge the morning of 29 January 2011. She is back home with us now in a special Cedar chest & I talk to her everyday. This precious little girl helped me understand so much.....how to find joy all around, that we are all special in our own way & that we can get along with anyone if we really try. Thank you my darling Sweet Pea!

(warm applause fills the chapel, and some of the parishioners are sniffling or quacking quietly. Pawkerchiefs and tissues are passed, and slowly the attendees rise. A standing ovation is given to Miss Sam Press, and the warmth and love in the Chapel takes on a light of it's own)

(Mary-Margaret steps to the microphone and the parishioners take their seats)

Thank YOU, Sam, for that wonderful tribute to Sweet Pea Magnolia. I'm so glad you two had each other as long as you did. What better gift than the gift of love could you have given Sweet Pea Magnolia to carry with her on her trip to the bridge. Thank you again for sharing with us. What a wonderful way to celebrate today by giving us that "flower" of your memory. All of our happy and loving thoughts are like beautiful blooms to be gathered into everlasting bouquets, fragrant with love and kept alive in our hearts forever.

Please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails or fluff your feathers as a symbol of peace and love. Sister Chiquita and her troop of dancing Chihuahuas are still on a mission in the wilds of the Amazon and they expect to be gone until the end of summer. We will be enjoying Pupperoni and spring water in the beautiful flower garden today, courtesy of the Fachsie Dachsie Brownie troop #411. They have gone to great lengths to provide floral centerpieces on the serving tables to honor May Day with you.

Blessing to you all, and have a wonderful day remembering your special ones. Reflect on the joy that they brought into your life, and feel them dance in your heart today.

Thank you, Lord, for giving us the capacity and opportunity to love and to be loved.

Blessings......

Is that my friend, Lily?

2011-04-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Smack dab in the middle of my mid afternoon nap I sniffed a familiar scent. Is that my friend, Lily? (I asked) In MY office? I crawled out of my office bed and wandered into the main office. OHMYGAWSH! It's LILY! LILY! LILY!

Her mom came to see my mom and Lily came to see me. We started dancing in circles around each other. Then I sniffed her butt. And then we went into my office and I showed her all my toys. Then we ran back into the big office and she sniffed my rear end. THEN...she went into my Mom's inner office and pooped on the carpet.

EGADS! (I said) That's NOT acceptable to me. I walked into Mom's office and I stood there and just stared at the little dark brown pile. I wanted my mom to know that I didn't approve and I was NOT going to move until someone cleaned it up. Lily's mom asked for a tissue but she ended up going to the Ladies' room and getting some toilet paper. Once that little mound was disposed of, me and Lily went back to playing.

We had the everly bestest time. I just love it when friends come to visit me. Oh...and before I forget to tell you, our moms finally figured out where me and Lily knew each other from. We get our hair done at the same place - Miss Marilyn's Puppy Day Spa in Temecula (she calls it "Prime Cuts" but doesn't that sound more like a butcher shop to you? Hmmmm??). We both just LOVE Miss Marilyn to pieces. She really knows how to bring out the best in a pup.

Love and kisses....

Mary-Margaret

The Box with Many Buttons

2011-04-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

First off, let me apologize for not writing more in my diary. My "secretary" has been up to her eyeballs in other projects, including helping edit my Sunday Chapel messages. I forgive her for not having more hours in her day and I hope you do, too.

I'm also noticing that it's much harder to get her attention when I'm needing it most. We have supper, we start to watch some TV and I end up having to hop on her tummy to wake her up to go upstairs to bed. Once in bed, she's half asleep most of the time and belly rubs are the last thing on her mind.

Last week I discovered that the little box with all the buttons (she calls it a "remote") can be very useful. I accidentally rolled over on it and BINGO! The channel changes and she goes "Wha..? Huh...?" and grabs it back from me. "Darn you, Mary-Margaret!", she says. But then I get some scratchies and some belly rubs and things are good.

Last night I was sort of fooling around with this "remote" thing and pressed another button. We got a little message up on the TV screen saying to enter our pass code. Hee hee hee....and sure enough! She says "NOW WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?", and I just give her my most winning smile. She messes with the button box and gets things back to normal. And I get some more scratchies and belly rubs.

Mom's favorite saying is "Think outside the box!". Mine is "Think about the box!".

Life is good.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Easter Sunday - April 24, 2011

2011-04-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Good morning to you all on this absolutely BEE-YOO-TEE-FULL Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011. We are so blessed to continue to grow as a parish and as a chapel family. We welcome back Miss Merry and her crew who inadvertently got left at a rest stop on our way to Rome a couple of weeks. We are so happy to have them with us again.

We also have the honor of welcoming our first duck into our parish, Fr. Graham Quacker of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He is an Indian Runner duck known for his chocolate and marshmallow markings, and also for his unusual height. He's quite tall for a duck and writes very well.

Fr. Quacker (Fr. stand for "feathered", by the way)...Fr. Quacker has asked that his adoptive mother be allowed to tell his story for him. He's quite shy about his inability to enunciate the English language, and he hopes that you will extend a warm welcome to Miss Allie, Duck Rescuer Extraordinaire.

We received several submissions from our volunteers within the parish to deliver an Inspirational Message this Sunday, and rather than randomly select someone we decided to invite them to the podium in the order received. We will dedicate next Sunday's service to Sweet Pea Magnolia Press, and our speaker will be her adoptive mother, Sam.

Easter is a time of life renewed, of birth and rebirth. We are blessed with miracles every day that reinforce our unwaivering belief that there are powers or forces beyond us that illustrate the balance that exists in our universe. We witness random acts of kindness between species that confirm that we are one in our life spirit.

With that being said, please welcome Fr. Graham Quacker and his Speech Therapist, Miss Allie, to the podium!

(applause...clap.clap..."WELCOME"....excited mutterings...more applause...and as it dies down....Miss Allie steps to the microphone as Fr. Quacker signs to the congregation)

Allow me to begin with some background for this inspiring story about 2 old people and 2 faithful ducks who evidently, have a better memory than we supposed.

A couple of years ago, my son-in-law Tom's grandparents, Mel and Anne, were feeding some wild ducks in their yard in Mill Creek, WA. A pair of mallards would come often to eat. One day, they got a letter from the City of Mill Creek telling them that it was against the law to feed wild animals in the city limits and they must stop. So, sadly, they stopped feeding the ducks. The story made the rounds of the family and we all chuckled at the thought of Mel and Anne being arrested for feeding ducks in tiny Mill Creek.

A little over 1 year ago, they had a wonderful trip out here to meet Tom's fiancee and my daughter, Abby. Just after returning home, Tom's grandfather died suddenly. This was such a shock to the family. To give you an example of how close Tom was to his grandfather, he figured out a way to name his boat after him. "Mehem" Mel's initials - the initials written so that backwards or forwards it reads the same. Thus "Mehem" (pronounced "mayhem" was christened.)

Anne's health, not good anyway, began to decline further as time went by. It was touch and go whether she could even make the trip out here for Tom and Abby's wedding last June, but she was able to come and we were all so grateful for that.

Several months ago she had to have some surgery. There were complications and she needed another procedure done, but by this time she was too sick for any corrective surgery. They were able to get her strong enough to transfer to a Life Care facility nearby. After a few weeks, finally she got a little better and about 3 weeks ago had this second surgery. Tragically, an infection had set in near one of the drain tubes, seemed to infiltrate her entire body within minutes, and one day she "crashed" with Tom's mother right there to watch the terrifying scene of nurses and doctors trying to save her.

Finally, Tom's mother Julie said "STOP. Stop, she is suffering. You can't fix her back 100%, please just let her go. " So they made her comfortable and in a few hours, she passed away. Tom, who was extremely close to his grandparents while growing up, was devastated and everyone was very sad. Julie was exhausted and stressed from so many months of this emotional situation. Having to drive up to Seattle from Napa - back and forth every few days or weeks - not being able to work - had completed sapped her strength.

Julie's husband George, whose own mother is ill at the moment, immediately travelled up to Seattle to be with Julie. They were staying at the home where Ann and Mel had lived for so many years. Next day at the house, George was just so antsy he had to find something to do so like a typical man's man, he said "I'll go start Mel's truck and make sure it's okay". The truck was destined to be shipped to Hawaii and given to Tom. George went outside and started the truck, and puttered around a little. Julie came outside too, trying to relax for a few minutes. They both saw something out of the corner of their eyes, and they turned to see what it was.

Here, up the driveway they came - the pair of mallard ducks. In solemn, meaningful waddles they made it all they up to the door, looked inside the house, looked at each other, then turned around and went back down the driveway. Their statement seemed to be "Mission Accomplished".

Julie said "I know that my parents sent those ducks to tell us that they are together again, and that they are okay now". "If George wasn't here to witness it, I'm sure everyone would think I had lost my mind." Who ever imagined that 2 wild ducks would bear such a loving message in the most special and unique manner?

Tom and Abby flew out a few days ago to help and the ducks have been coming into the yard and resting. She has a picture of them. It's posted in my album in the Chapel Library for you to view.

I hope that the next owners of this home realize what a special place it is, full of the love that defined Anne and Mel's life!

(as Allie steps down, Fr. Quacker bows deeply in appreciation to the congregation to show his appreciation)

(we hear applause again, getting more enthusiastic and soon the audience is on their feet. Tissues and pawkerchiefs are taken out and eyes dried. Mary-Margaret joines Miss Allie at the podium and extends her paw!)

Thank you SOOOO much for that wonderful presentation, Feather Quacker and Miss Allie. This is truly an example of how every ending is also a new beginning. You've given us much to think about in this coming week.

Thank you....thank you.

And now, parishioners, please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails (and fluff your feathers) as a sign of peace and friendship. You humans are welcome to shake hands (paws, wings....whatever), too.

In this world we are not alone in our relationship to our God or our universe. Life itself is a gift that we share with all living creatures. We are grateful for our life, and we are respectful of all others, regardless of the genus, the species or the substance.

We honor this gift by showing our appreciation to others throughout this next week. Life as we know it is temporary, but the memories of your life, your love, your kindnesses and your deeds are carried on by innumerable generations to come. This is immortality. This is Easter.

Blessings to you all.

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Sunday's Message - April 17, 2011

2011-04-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning to you all on this beautiful day - Palm Sunday for those of you who will be celebrating Easter next week. My church secretary is a little incapacitated today and will be retiring early, so I've approved her sending this a few hours early. I hope you don't mind.

We do have a field trip planned for today and snacks will be served on the bus. I, your Chaplain, am pleased to be your guest speaker today.

(bewildered applause...some mumbling....puppies scrunching up in their seats to get comfortable...large Basset hound yawning noisily....)

(ahem!)

We think too small, said the Chinese leader Mao Tse-Tung, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view.

By putting ourselves into another's place we can see the world from an entirely
different perspective. We feel empathy for the other's situation or lot in life. We
see a homeless man standing on a highway asking for money, food, or work. So many of us automatically look the other way. If we don't see him, he doesn't exist. If he doesn't exist, then we have no responsibility to initiate a change.

When someone wants a dog, are they asking for a companion? A friend? Someone who will love them unconditionally and who will be grateful for the smallest scrap of food and a warm bed? Or are they asking for a cute little puppy - a live version of a stuffed toy, to nuzzle and play with until they become bored. Until there's a puddle that needs mopping, or a pile that needs picking up.....or a shoe that needs replacing, a hole in the backyard that needs filling, hair that needs brushing, fleas that need removal....and I could go on and on.

Our shelters and rescues are full of former "cute little puppies" who once filled an
immediate need and then somehow disappointed their owners. Abandoned by their families they now want only to love and be loved.

Do you live your life as if you were entitled to take from it what you can without
giving back? To cuddle a puppy until he becomes a dog? Are you the frog in the bottom of the well? Or do you look beyond your confines and ask what you can give back to the world - to humanity and doggonity? And to God? - for giving you the opportunity to make a difference to someone else's life?

Last week I asked for volunteer speakers and none came forward. I asked for ideas for
field trips and - thank you, Eleanor, for suggesting the Carmel Mission, or Lourdes, or that place in Colorado - I shall continue to look for either virtual tours or live
streaming tours to these places suitable to accomodate our entire cyber parish. All suggestions are welcomed.

Meanwhile, gentle Pups, our tour bus is waiting outside.

Today, as promised, we are visiting the Flying Skunk Chicken Farm located in Martha's
Vineyard. Imagine your life as a chicken (or a goat..there's goats there, too!)
outside all day and night, no matter what the weather. You have no name, and you don't know if you'll be contributing to Saturday's omelet, or if you'll be Sunday's main course.

For today, allow yourself to become a CHICKEN and to see the universe from a chicken's perspective.

Click on Flying Skunk Chickens

(I suggest you click on "full screen" to get the full effect)

It was raining pretty hard at 8:29PM EDT as we wrote this. Very wet, muddy, lightning
and thunder...and it looked pretty cold and windy. Oh, and watch out for raccoons,
skunks and weasels. They have to eat, too.

Thank you, Lord, for making me an instrument of your peace and giving me the opportunity to enrich the lives of others. For however long you allow me to be on this earth, I sincerely hope that I will have made this a better place.

Amen

Hurry now....bus is waiting!!!

Blessings...

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Sunday 4-10-11 Shadow Dancer & Surprise Field Trip

2011-04-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

Good MORNING! Good MORNING! It's so nice to see so many of you in Chapel this morning. Are you all ready for our "field trip"? (smiling) Anyone guessed yet where we're going? Ah....well, then. It will be a true surprise.

This morning's guest speaker is known by us all. He's from the State of Washington in the Pacific Northwest. His mother is Dee Davis, and his siblings are Kodie Blue and Cherokee Dawn. Shadow and his family are very active in rescue work, and they are truly an inspiration to us all. Shadow himself was once a rescue pup.

Shadow ......Thank you so much for volunteering today. We look forward to hearing
your interpretation of the Ten Commandments as they would apply to our humans.

Everyone...please welcome.......SHADOW DANCER!!!

(clap....clap....yayy...."Shh...Hush now!"...clap...)

(Shadow steps to the microphone and begins to speak)

A Yorkshire Terrier's 10 Commandments for Humans!

Someone has written these beautiful words. We must try to understand the deep meaning of it. They are like the Ten Commandments to follow in life all the time.

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a
"steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

2] So a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rear view Mirror is so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. So, Look Ahead and Move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to
write.

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well; enjoy it, they will not last
forever. If going wrong; don't worry, they can't last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't
solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye
sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's PEACE.

Thank you all for inviting me to be your guest speaker. I'm deeply honored.

(a brief silence as Mr. Dancer's words sink into the congregation, and then...)

(applause applause...yayyy, Shadow Dancer....woo wooo woooooo.....)

(Mary-Margaret steps forward to the podium and grasps Shadow's paw in hers)

Thank YOU, Shadow, for giving us all something so profound to think about while we are on....TA DAAAA....OUR ROAD TRIP!! I see you little puppies squirming in your pews. (laughing)

OK, everyone. Grab your sack lunches and your t-shirts. The bus is waiting outside by the Passionate Purple fire hydrant (I shall refrain from abbreviating and calling it the PP Hydrant for obvious reasons...LOL).

It's a fairly short ride. Anyone guess where we're off to today? Hmmmmmmm??

ROME...AND A PRIVATE TOUR OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL.

(gasps...."Oh DOGNESS!"...some cheering...."ARF...ARF...!!"

Once you are seated and safely belted in, click on this link.

THE SISTINE CHAPEL

See you there!

Have a wonderful time!! And you little ones...be sure to hold your parent's tail and bark quietly.

Blessings to all...and remember to BE as you wish OTHERS to be!!

*NOTE: THE SISTINE CHAPEL - VIRTUALLY: It's especially amazing if you have a large, high definition screen. The Chapel has been completely cleared for our visit and you're welcome to stay for as long as you like.

VIEW EVERY PART OF THE MICHAELANGELO'S MASTERPIECE JUST CLICK AND DRAG YOUR ARROW IN THE DIRECTION YOU WISH TO SEE. Up-Down-Right-Left and In the lower left, click on the plus (+) to move closer, on the minus (-) to move away as you wish.

The Choir is thrown in free - keep your volume at a comfortable level.

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Miss Dolly - Sunday's Guest Speaker

2011-04-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Goooooooooooooooood morning on the Sunday, April 3rd, 2011. So nice to see you all here today. Our very special speaker today is Dolly, who will be speaking on "A Christmas Gift from the Angels Above" to illustrate her special relationship with God. Please give her a big welcome....

DOLL-YYYYYYYY!!

(clap clap...applause....and then quiet)

(Dolly steps to the pulpit and speaks)

On Christmas Eve morning 2005 my mom was given what proved to be a very sick little doggy. She had to ride with Mom to deliver papers, and during the night she came across six puppy's behind the high school in the parking lot. Figuring they probably belonged at one of the houses, she went on to do her job but as it started to rain turning colder and sleeting, she came back to find them still there barking at her to help them.

As she drove in the lot, two ran away and could not be found but one came running to her, barking and the turning to run off, all the time looking back like she was trying to show her something. Realizing she wasn't a puppy but just a very small dog, Mom followed her to behind a tractor trailer and found me in a ice cold wet cage. She got me and my fur mom in the nice warm car where we found our sister Precious who had already been with Mom all night.

We waited in the warm car while she coaxed Tina,Rosie and Princess into the safety of her arms. My fur mom only lived a few days, though. The vet told mom she had a very bad heart and she had been bred every given chance through all her 14 years of life. She loved mommy a lot but her poor little heart couldn't handle the stress.

While mommy was at the vet she talked with a lady who came home with her and adopted my sister Princess. Princess was also taken to the vet and had a lot of money put into her health care and then wasn't picked up, so one of the workers there adopted Princess for his sister who loves her a lot.

Rosie, who had the same life, went to the bridge a few nights later. Mommy came home after a bad night at work full of thunderstorms just in time to say goodbye to Rosie. Precious made it a couple months while the vets were trying hard to figure out what was wrong with her. Finally the diagnoses was made and surgery was scheduled but the night before surgery she left us, too.

Mommy still cries about loosing them and the awful way she learned about puppy mills and Yorkie dogs but she always calls us a Christmas gift from the angels above and thanks the good Lord for helping her through the tuff times ahead.

Oh yes, My two brothers that Mommy couldn't catch that first night? They were caught later the next day and taken to a vet that adopted them out to Mommy's very best friend.

Thank you, Lord.

Photo of DOLLY - Last October 2010

PS: Mommy helped the police catch the man that had done this to us and 30 other little ones he dumped off all over north Alabama to avoid being caught.

[gasps from the audience and then....]

"Bravo"....."Yayyyyyy"....."Oh boy!"....(applause....and a standing ovation)

(Mary-Margaret steps to the pulpit again and licks Dolly's nose)

Thank you SOOO much for telling us your story, Dolly. I know how shy you were to begin with but I have to say that you are a very excellent story teller.

(MM turns to parishioners)

Isn't she, folks? Let's give Dolly another round of applause.

(clapping....applause....."woooos" from the Siberian Huskies in attendance....some sniffling and tissue passing...more applause)

We all survived April Fool's Day (no thanks to Rick Caran and Jilli Dog...nice one, guys! Telling us that Jilli needed a new home...INDEED!), and now we are only three weeks from Easter Sunday. For those Puppy Parents who plan on assisting the Easter Bunny by leaving hard-boiled eggs around your yard may I suggest that you make a map ahead of time so that you don't get a brightly colored and smelly surprise from one of your puppies later in the year?

Thank you again to Miss Dolly for the beautiful tribute to both her fur mom for her bravery, and to Susan for her loving care and devotion. Next Sunday we welcome Shadow Dancer to the pulpit as he gives us his version of the Ten Commandments.

Another announcement - one of our former parishioners, Miss Isabella, has won FIRST place in her division in her very first show in Las Vegas. Congratulations. We hope this is just the first of many blue ribbons for her kennel wall.

We now ask the Lord to bless both our fallen sister, Lacey, and her bereaved mother, Vickie. As most of you already know, Lacey ran into the street before her mom could put her leash on. Despite being a brave little fighter, God chose to take her home with him yesterday. Let us have a moment of silence as we communicate with the Lord on their behalf.

(silence.....more silence...and Mary-Margaret speaks again)

Amen!

Now, let us turn to each other and wag our tails as a show of love, friendship and always compassion for our litter mates in God.

"Lord make us an instrument of thy peace!", and please help us always be as we wish others to be.

Kibble-cake and water in the Chez de le Chien...and.....

(Pups and parents already noisily heading out the door for refreshments and so Mary-Margaret sighs....and says....)

Blessings to all in the upcoming week.

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Lazy Saturday!

2011-04-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here's me dictating my Sunday sermon to Mom. Actually, my very good friend Dolly will be our guest speaker so all I have to do is the introduction and the ending. Pretty cushy job this week, huh? Next week Shadow Dancer will be speaking so same thing again. I sure love having guest speakers. I think Mom does, too.

You might notice my eyes are a bit glassy. I have allergies and I just got some medicine put into my eyeballs. Gross and disgusting, but I feel better after.

Mom had a bad reaction to something she ate for lunch. You REALLY don't want me to go into the particulars. Suffice to say she's really being careful about what she's eating tonight. Her ankles are still sore and swollen, but better than they were. All in all, we'll just say we both had a "crappy" day (pardon the pun).

Sooo....tomorrow we'll go to the post office and our main office and pick up the mail. We'll probably do up a report and maybe audit last month's billing. We check everything before, during and after we bill because we absolutely HATE making mistakes. It's my job as Vice President of Public Relations to keep our customers happy.

Time for supper....

See you in chapel!

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Riverside County Process Server

2011-03-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

That would be my employer, Rancho Attorney Service of California, otherwise known as "RASCAL, Your Friendly Neighborhood Process Server". I've been working here since I was NINE weeks old. I'm now five and a half. I am the official receptionist and Vice President of Public Relations.

If you're looking for a Temecula Process Server or a Murrieta Process Server, or for one that works in those areas, please visit our website at Rancho Attorney Service. We're in the office Monday through Friday from 9:00AM until 4:00PM unless we're on an errand.

Should you call us at 951-693-0165 and get our voice mail, press 03 (that's zero three) during the message and you'll be connected to us immediately. We're on the job but probably just out for the moment.

(NOTE: If you're calling from New York, please remember that we're three hours behind you before you dial our number!)

See you later....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Vice President
Public Relations

BOR-ing!!!

2011-03-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year. Around tax time it always gets sort of slow. Mom figured it out that if a month is divisible by 4, it's a slow month. April = tax time; August = vacations; December = Christmas and Hanukkah. ALWAYS the same. Never fails.

So we did a little of this...a little of that. I even got to go on a long walk but I was so distracted I forgot why I went on the walk in the first place. It's ok. I can hold it for a long time. I've got a big tank!

So...we're home and Mom's got a stuffed pork chop in the oven. She's never made one before so she's guessing on how long to bake it for. 325° for an hour? We'll let you know. If that doesn't work I'll share my chicken with her. I have plenty.

Love you guys....

Mary-Margaret

(PS added 4/1/11 - FYI, I played it safe and had my usual chicken and kibble. But for the stuffed pork chop? 325° for 50 minutes worked really well. Next time, though, we'll have applesauce with it!!)

The BEST Day of My Life!!

2011-03-29T19:13:00.001-07:00

OHMYGAWSH!! We got to the bank this morning and all the ladies said "Look who's here, Mary-Margaret!".

"Huh?", I said? "Who?" And I saw this lady in jeans and sandals from the back and she sorta looks familiar and ....WHOOAAAA!!! My heart be still. It's GINA GINA GINA! She used to work here at the bank and she and I were very best friends. She used to bring me duck jerky, and bows and things. We even shared her water (although she started bringing it a bottle instead of having it in a cup by her work station after I helped myself one day!). I have MISSED her so much. I guess she missed me, too. We just ran into each others arms and started lovin' all over.

Mom said she wanted to get her cell phone with the camera so she started to leave. I just sat there on the floor with GINA and all my friends, and I said "Fine! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!", and I stayed. I didn't panic or anything. I was with GINA!! I think maybe I hurt Mom's feelings but....geez! It's GINA!!!

Mom did her banking stuff and said "Come on, Mary-Margaret! We have to go!". Nope! (I say) I'm not leaving Gina. I don't know when I'll ever get to see her again. I will stay here, thank you!

"Mary-Margaret! COME!", Mom says. Uh oh. I can tell the difference between her fun voice and her serious voice. Still...maybe I could squeeze a few more minutes out with Gina? Maybe? I mean, she gives the best belly rubs EVER!!

"Come on!", she says. "We have to go see Doug!". Oh well, then. I guess it's time to go. Doug is our accountant and he is another one of my VERY good friends.

I know exactly where his office is. As soon as we get inside the front door of the building Mom drops my leash and says "Go find Doug!". I skitter up the stairs and start to turn right on the landing and...(sniff sniff)...I smell CHILDREN! Making a quick "U" turn, I go to the left instead. When Mom gets to the top of the stairs she can't see me and hollers quietly "Where are you, Mary-Margaret?".

She hears some laughing from down the hall and starts heading that way. I'm visiting with the school secretary and some other ladies before I go hunting for children. Ooops. Here comes Mom. I dash off toward the classrooms.

"Get back here, young lady!", she says, and adds "We have to go see Doug!". Oh well, that's different. I forgot about that. So I go back down the hallway, poking my nose in all the classrooms, which seem to be empty for the moment, and I end up at Doug's door. One of his clients opens the door and I head for the cookie table. I've been coming here for about five years. I KNOW where the COOKIE table is.

Once we get into Doug's office I check the perimeter out. It's just what I do. I found another cookie but I think I've had my quota for the day. I go over to Doug and stand up tall between his legs so he'll know I want to get up. I have to check out his work and make sure all the numbers are right.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. I had some lunch and caught up on my napping.
The excitement of the morning was way more than I'm used to. I think I tired myself out. Seeing both GINA and DOUG in one day made this the absolutely everly BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Ashton and Andrew

2011-03-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! You KNOW how I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE little boys? Just having ONE all to myself for a while is heaven, but TWO? And they were exactly alike. Twins. Identical twins like maybe 3 or 4 years old. I wish Mom had thought to take a picture of us all playing together.

At first we were all sort of shy. Then we started playing peek-a-boo. Then we played a few rounds of "slap paw" (where they try to catch my paw and I pull it back really quick). Then we did "Now you kiss me, now you don't!". That's when one of us tries to kiss the other and then we jump back. We played and played until we started messing with Mom's chair's hydraulic lever. Then we had to move away from her desk and we just played the staring game for a while to see who looked away first.

Oh, we had SOOO many games. I can't wait until they come back. I know they will because their Dad was really happy with Mom's work, and said she found more on someone than a government agency did. And he rewarded her with a mocha frappacino and a gift card from Starbucks. She loves those. Oh, and he paid her, too. But truly I think she was really touched by the frappacino. I don't get any because (I'm told) "They're not good for dogs!".

The way I see it is ANYTHING that she wants to keep all to herself isn't "good for dogs". Like I believe that one? Uh uh...nope!

Soooo....that was the best part of my day. Oh, that...and going to serve a subpoena. That was a nice outing for an office-bound pup!

Time for supper...gotta run. Later, guys.

Love ya, Grandpa!

Mary-Margaret

What Goes Around, Comes Around!

2011-03-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

(reprint of sermon at Yorkie Brigade Chapel, Sunday - March 27, 2011)

Good morning! Welcome to Yorkie Brigade Chapel this absolutely fine and beautiful Sunday morning. In honor of our troops overseas, I'm wearing my battle gear. We salute you, defenders of human rights and protectors of democracy.

Today, our inspirational message will be about “Karma”, or “What goes around comes around!”, or some might say “Tit for Tat”. In all religions, since the beginning time, we see references to the Universe sort of balancing things out by giving back what one gives. In physics, it's "action = reaction". In life, it's "choices = consequences".

Joseph, for one example, was the 11th son of Jacob. He was his father’s most favorite son. He was treated especially well, he was given gifts that none of his brothers were, and he couldn’t wait to tell them all how special he was. He even had dreams where his parents and his brothers bowed to him and he blabbed about those to his big brothers, too. He was arrogant, self-absorbed and not very kind, and it’s not surprising that they didn’t like him very much.

One day, Jacob asked Joseph to go and check up on his brothers as they were out in the fields tending to their sheep. Joseph didn’t have to work like the others did, just adding to the resentment they felt. The brothers seriously thought about tossing Joseph into a pit and letting him rot there, but Reuben (the oldest) thought that was rather cruel and secretly planned to come back and rescue Joseph. When Reuben was away, though, the other nine brothers decided to sell Joseph into slavery and tell their Dad that Joseph was eaten by a wild animal.

Joseph eventually became a house slave for a wealthy merchant, Potiphar. He had plenty of time to think about his brothers and how wrong he was to treat them the way he did, so he worked really hard on being a good slave. Because of God’s grace and Joseph’s hard work and excellent ethics, he was promoted to head house slave. After a while, Potiphar’s wife decided that Joseph was pretty handsome and would make a good boyfriend. Joseph said “No, thank you!” because he knew God wouldn’t like that. So Mrs. Potiphar got mad and told her hubby that Joseph had taken advantage of her, and poor innocent Joseph ended up in jail.

While Joseph was in jail, he had a lot more time to think about things in general. He became even more obedient to God and was eventually promoted to head prisoner. He kept tabs on the other prisoners in case you were wondering what a head prisoner did. He happened to be pretty good at interpreting dreams, too. He even interpreted a dream for the Pharoah and kept Egypt free from famine. He was promoted again and made the Head of all the Land of Egypt by the Pharoah. He was a hero.

After ten years of being a slave, a prisoner and Head of all the Land, he reunited with his brothers and they worked out their differences. Joseph became very close to God during his trials, and he even looked upon those years as a BLESSING from God, rather than thinking about getting revenge on his brothers. Joseph was punished for being arrogant and obnoxious, and he was also rewarded for being honest and good.

(The whole story is found in Genesis 37-45 or thereabouts, if you want to read all the details. Or you could rent the movie musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, starring Donny Osmond.)

Another example of “Karma” is Saddam Hussein. Up until a few years ago, Saddam had amazing wealth and power but it was never enough. He wanted more. He didn’t care who he hurt or killed in order to get it. He was just plain mean. His sons were killed, his palaces were destroyed, and his people didn’t like him very much. But instead of re-thinking where his life was going, he just kept getting meaner. So this arrogant, selfish man who once had everything but wanted more, ended up as a filthy, dirty homeless man living in a hole in the ground. In the end, he became everything he detested and looked down upon. And he was executed, too.

And then there’s my own personal experience: Sometimes we (me and Mom) worry about how we’re going to buy groceries, let alone how we’re going to make the next house payment. But then we hear about some poor pup in need and we give some money to help out even if we really don’t have it. And you know what? The next day we’ll get a retainer for a job that just about covers what we needed at that moment in time. One day, the money that came in was almost exactly to the penny what we needed, and was actually NINE CENTS more. And last week we thought we were totally broke and when we balanced our checkbook we were totally surprised to see that we forgot to record a rather large deposit. And we paused and said “Thank you, Lord!”, because we know where it really came from.

St. Francis of Assisi said: “For it is in giving that we receive” and we completely agree. When you have only a little to give, the act of giving is everly so much greater than when you have plenty to spare.

This photograph from Mom's very good friend, Debbie Traynor, seemed a good way to illustrate both the beauty and love that God has for us, while he also has the power to change our lives through unexpected and powerful storms. We see simultaneously the two faces of God in this amazing photograph, illustrating both reward and punishment.

We’ve been asked about sending around a collection basket at “Chapel”, but we stand by our founding mission statement that we will not ask for money or donations, or solicit, or advertise for anything or anyone. Chapel is a place for us to relax and bask in the glory of our personal deity, regardless of our religious beliefs. Chapel is a time for us to be grateful for what we have and for what we can share with others.

Now, let’s turn to our neighbors and wag our tails as a sign of peace, and let’s also say “Thank you for being in my life! I truly appreciate you!”

If there’s anyone here who has a story to tell about their experiences with God and prayer, please PLEASE volunteer to be a guest speaker. We’ll be happy to schedule you at your convenience, and we’ll even help you edit, if you like. (“PRETTY PLEASE???”  from Church Secretary)

Green beans and carrots will be served in the front garden by the newly painted fire hydrant, an art project designed and executed by our kindergarten puppies. Be sure to compliment them on their choice of passionate purple and sunflower yellow with red and turquoise “accent-idental” splashes on the sidewalk. Also, the Fachsie Dachsie’s Troop #411 will be holding a kennel wash in the parking lot as their contribution to a more beautiful world.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace!”

Amen

Blessings…..

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt Chaplain - YorkieBrigade Chapel

Hello, Grandpa!

2011-03-24T18:29:00.001-07:00

Hello! We just got home from work. It's about 6:30PM now. Busy day...lots of work. I met a really nice Shih Tzu named "Brady" tonight. He belonged to someone we served. He most definitely liked me, too. We "talked" to each other through the car window.

I love to meet other pups. Even if I don't actually get to see them nose to nose, I can smell where they've been. Sometimes, even if I'm all by myself, I feel like I'm in the middle of a convention with all those smells just wafting around me. We had time to kill before our last job so I got really familiar with the territory and the pups that live in the neighborhood.

Note - Mom always carries a pink plastic bag with her when we go walking together. You never know when you're gonna have to pick up something warm and squishy!

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret

Mary-Margaret OBrien - Week 11 of 12

2011-03-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Mary-Margaret OBrien

Please vote? Yorkies are non-partisan so anybody is welcome to support us. We keep losing to blind or deformed cats. They must have a pretty strong backing out there in the land of "pawlitics".

Thank you.

Mary-Margaret

No spiders today!

2011-03-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

I went with Mom to get her car smog checked. I always go on "safari" there. Last time I found a big black spider in a corner. This time I found a red M&M and No! I wasn't allowed to eat it. Darn! I checked out every nook and cranny and there were NO spiders this time. Nope! None at all. Mission complete!

Earlier, we left the door to the office open all day until we left so I got to sit in the hall and greet people. I just LOVE greeting people. Some people laugh and tell me I'm very ferocious. I just laugh back. "Try me!", I say. "Make my day!". Then I flip over and get belly rubs.

Life doesn't get any better than that.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

"Wicked" Sunday

2011-03-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Auntie Leslie, for taking my mom to see "Wicked" yesterday. That was the absolutely nicest thing anyone has done for her EVER!! She kept flashing on the costumes, the songs and the story as she played the CD ALL THE WAY HOME!! She's all starry-eyed and still enveloped in the magic. She says she understands why you've seen the show 21 times and and you just keep on going.

I left her a message on the carpet. She didn't mention she'd be gone almost TEN hours. She leaves me kibble, water and piddle pads, but I need MORE!! I need COMPANY!!! Oh sure, I could have barked out the window to passers-by, but it was POURING RAIN! Who goes out walking in a downpour, I ask you? HMMMMMMMMM????

I simply said, as clearly and concisely as possible, that I totally support her efforts to "Live life as a participant instead of as a spectator!". Rather profound, don't you think? Too many people just watch and comment without doing anything. And when it's all over, what do they have? I am merely suggesting that she take me with her next time. I know I would have enjoyed the music just as much as she did.

Emphatically and dramatically yours....

Mary-Margaret

Sunday Message - March 13, 2011

2011-03-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Daylight Savings Time where ever you are!

Gooooood morning, everyone. Welcome to Chapel this 13th day of March, 2011. Yorkie Prayers have been in overdrive this past week and we've witnessed many miracles. We've seen Richard get well enough to go home to his Patti and Eleanor. We've seen Chi-Chi come back to her family with a good prognosis. Walter is as good as new and Esperansa had her 15th birthday yesterday - how many of you remember how hard we prayed when she had her mastectomy about a year ago?

We can ask God for little favors and we can ask God for miracles. He always answers our prayers in one way or the other. We don't always recognize an event as an answer to our prayer, but God is with us and we have to trust not only that he knows best, but that he also expects us to do our part, too!

This is an excellent example of how God works:

The Flood (author unknown)

The rain fell, the waters rose, and the river overflowed it's banks. Homes flooded and families began to evacuate. One man stopped at his neighbors house to offer aid. "Neighbor," he cried, "the waters are rising! Bring your family into my truck and I will take you to safety."

"No," replied his neighbor, "I will not go, for I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and He shall protect me and my family."

The rain still fell and the waters still rose. Soon the man and his family had to go to the second floor of the house to escape the water. An Emergency Rescue crew found the family, and said "The waters still rise. Get into our boat and we will take you to safety."

"No," said the man, "My faith is strong! God shall protect me and my family and we shall come to no harm."

The rain would not stop. The waters rushed higher. As the man and his family clung to the roof of their house a helicopter rescue team flew over and dropped them a ladder. Again the man refused. "I do not fear! I believe in God, and he shall protect us. We will not go."

The entire family drowned.

The man, who, in life, had been a goodly man, found himself before God. "God!" the man sobbed, "I believed in you, and trusted you to protect me and my family. How could you just let us die like that? Why did you not save us?"

And God replied: "I sent a truck, a boat, and a helicopter - what exactly were you waiting for?"

We have been brought together by our common desire to believe in the goodness of our fellow creatures, to trust in the Lord's way, and to desire to make the world a brighter, lighter and more peaceful place to live in.

Thank you, Lord, for providing this forum for us to share and to learn and to LOVE.

Amen!

Please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails as a sign of peace, and remember to BE what you wish OTHERS to BE!!

Instead of coffee and donuts in our newly constructed Chez de le Chien, we are serving Birthday Cake, made especially for Esperansa, and created by our Assistant Pastor, a dog of many talents......Neeko S. Spaulding, Phd AND...ta daaaa...PASTRY CHEF. I took a peek earlier and it's an absolute work of art. See?

Don't forget to pick up your personal items (links, photos, advertisements, solicitations, etc) on your way out.

Blessings to all....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel

Saturday, March 12, 2011

2011-03-12T15:10:00.001-08:00

Laura is our everly most FAVORITE person in the whole world, practically. She knows how to cut my mom's hair just right. We haven't visited her in maybe 1 1/2 years. Mom get all stubborn sometimes and figures that she can cut her own hair with sewing scissors or a machete or whatever is handy. AND...get this! She thinks she can color just as good as anyone with whatever is on sale at the supermarket. I'm the one that has to LOOK at her. It's MEEEEE that has to suffer.

Finally, today she says "I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!" and she tries to find Laura. Some investigator, I say. She gives up and looks under "chiropractor" for Laura's hubby Earl and asks HIM for Laura's number. An hour later we are at Laura's new place of business and we're ready to boogie.

I have not forgotten Laura. She's one of my really good friends. I saw her face and I went absolutely wild with joy. She got all lovey-dovey with me too. Mom grabbed her 'Droid and took our picture. Can't you just FEEL the LOVE???

Oh yeah...and it doesn't hurt my eyes so much to look at Mom anymore, either.

Yay!

Love,

Mary-Margaret

The Unseen Sea

2011-03-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

The Unseen Sea from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

We just thought this was pretty and wanted to share it with you. It's a time-lapse video of San Francisco over a year, with the mystical magical fog rolling in and out. That's all. Just sharing some beauty with you. No words are needed.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Sunday, March 6, 2011 - The Seed of Love

2011-03-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

(Sent out Sunday Morning at 12:30AM for any early rising members in Labrador, Greenland and Brazil)

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Chapel on this, our fifth week of Sunday Inspirational Messages. We have a return guest at the pulpit....you all know him as the dashing, the charming and the irrepressible Neeko. Today he speaks to us in his professional capacity as Neeko S. Spaulding, PhD. Please give him a warm welcome.....

DR. NEEKO S. SPAUUUUUUL....DING!!

(cheers, applause applause....excited whispers among the parishioners...gradually quieting down as Dr. Spaulding approaches the microphone)

Hello all :o)

Pawsome Thanks for having Meee as your guest speaker on this Blessed Sunday.

I would like to give gracious thanks to our wonderful Chaplain, Gorgeous Mary-Margaret, for making our beautiful gathering possible.

Today, I am going to share my thoughts about Love and I would like to start with a quote from the Bible:
“Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one.
Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and endurance. In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and Love; but the greatest of them all is Love.”

The way I see it, is that when we are born, God plants the seed of Love in our hearts.
For that seed to grow, it has to be nurtured.
I'm so blessed to have Pawrents, Family members and Friends that shower Meee with Love so my seed of Love grows with each passing day.
When one is showered with Love, one can return that Love into the lives of others making them feel important and special.
By doing this we can make our world a better place.

The magical thing about being Loved is that we can overcome anything that life "throws" our way.
You know you are Loved when no matter how many mistakes you may go thru, the person that Loves you the most is always there with encouraging wordsand positive attitude.

Some may think that nobody Loves them when all they need to know, is that God always Loves us unconditionally. He is our Creator and He is always by our side. The depth of God's Love cannot be measured.
The beauty of it is that God always sends the right people into our lives to shower us with His Love.
When we are Loved we have that inner peace that is so important in our lives. It gives us tranquility to feel that everything is going to be alright. It gives us the patience to understand why things are happening the way they do. It gives us the power to not take offense when somebody ishaving a bad day.

I would like to conclude with Don Juan de Marco's quote:
"There are four questions of value in life... What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only Love."

May you always feel Loved so your seed of Love never stops growing ♥

(more applause....respectful yet enthusiastic)

(Mary-Margaret approaches the pulpit and stops Dr. Spaulding before he can leave)

Thank you so much for your wonderful Inspirational Message, Dr. Spaulding.
The Ladies of the Leather Collar have voted to present you with this lovely engraved circular tag to be added to your neckpiece - the YorkieBrigade Chapel "Sit, Stay and Speak" award. Note that it's engraved with your name "Neeko S. Spaulding" on the back side. This is the first ever award of this kind commissioned by the Ladies of the Leather Collar and is quite an honor.

(Dr. Spaulding blushes and finds himself speechless, but the smile on his face says it all for him)

We truly appreciate you, Dr. Spaulding, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to address us, and to remind us what friendship and love are all about.

Coffee and Danish will be served in the garden in the Chez de le Chien, courtesy of the Fachsie Dachsie Brownie troop #411.

Please turn to your neighbors and wag your tails as a sign of peace.

Bingo and potluck in the community center Thursday at 7:00PM. Don't forget to set your clocks forward next weekend or you'll be late to Chapel.
Volunteer speakers are being recruited and everyone is encouraged to share their story or present us with an Inspirational Message. The more we give to our community, the more our community will give back.

The congregation that prays together, stays together.

Blessings and see you next Sunday....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Last Sunday's "Sermon" (better late than never)

2011-03-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

Dear friends, guests and others....

I usually post our Inspirational Message right away and because our "Church Secretary" had out of town guests, we are a little tardy. Tomorrow, we promise to be on time.

Reposting our message from Sunday, February 27, 2011:

Welcome, parishioners, to our Fourth Sunday in our Yorkie Brigade Chapel on this 27th day of February 2011. We have a new member that many of you will remember from The Battle of the Scottish Terriers, please welcome Colonel Minnie Mouse and her human, Carolyn.

Our special guest speaker for this morning is Madame Sausha Angel Johnson. She has volunteered to tell her story so that we may all come to understand and appreciate how fortunate we are to have found our "forever" homes, and to remind us that there are pups out there who are still looking for their families.

Please welcome to our pulpit........Mme SAUSHA ANGEL JOHNSON!!

(applause...clapping.......)

(Sausha steps to the microphone and speaks!)

For a time in my life, I had no idea what was happening to me or why. I tried to have faith but I felt it slipping away. I was in great pain and it seemed that I would have to complain to God because no one else could understand me anyway.

My people left me, shedding tears I didn’t understand. I was examined, poked, driven to a cold school, x-rayed, returned. And not fed. I was thirsty and no one heard my cry.

I tried not to despair; I thought a prayer; I hoped a prayer. I didn’t know my prayer was answered when a strange lady took me away with her. I was given food and water, petted and given a soft bed. I was alone in a strange place, but it was quiet and I could hear myself breathe. My prayers continued with less despair, more hope.

An event in a hospital terrified me but when I awoke, I was not in pain. The kind lady took me home with her again. Then within a month, she and her husband took me for a ride. They brought me to this place, and again I didn’t know my prayers were answered, but within a few weeks I knew I was at my last home.

And so I stand at this lectern to tell you, “Yes, Congregants and Canines, members of the Yorkie Brigade and guests, prayers ARE answered.” The smallest prayer is heard and answered; the most seemingly hopeless prayers are answered. Sometimes we do not understand when they are not answered in the way we wished.

For myself, I wanted to be returned to my first family and see their tears of sadness turned to tears of joy. Instead I live in a new world, but I know my prayers were answered because this is my family now.

Now I pray for others as I once prayed for myself. All of you here have it in your power to answer my new prayers: to live peacefully, to be kind to all animals and to each other, to give as you are able to save animals who, like me, were on the doorstep of death. We have many names: Piper, Walter, Gin-Gin.

I thank Mary-Margaret for asking me to speak to you today. Now I ask you, go in peace. And, if my most recent prayer is answered, cookies made by Corrine will be available to us in the social room.

(applause....applause......standing ovation.....)

(Mary-Margaret now returns to the pulpit)

Thank you, Madame Johnson. That was a wonderful reminder that we can't predict what the Lord has in store for us. We can only trust that things will be as they should be.

Before we break for our Sunday "Meet and Greet" in the Social Room (where we're serving calorie free cookies and milk this morning), please let me share a poem by a young man, Brennan Boyle, age 12. It's called

"Prayer for My Best Friend"

Bless his nose, so wet and cold
Bless his fur, so soft to hold.
Bless his tail, it wags so strong
When I tell him he may come along.
Bless those ears that stand so stout
Except when one’s turned inside out.
Bless those eyes so filled with love
That surely comes from God above.
For up in Heaven the Angels sing,
They fly with harps on silver wings.
But here on Earth there can be no doubt,
The Angels bark as they run about.

We would appreciate volunteers to share their words of inspiration with us on future Sundays. Please contact the church office or email me privately. Thank you all.

And now please turn to each other and wag your tails in friendship. Peace be with you all. Don't forget to pick up your photos and links on your way out.

Hope to see you in Chapel tomorrow, March 6, 2011. Neeko S. Spaulding PhD has volunteered to speak again. His topic will be "God Plants the Seed of Love in our Hearts". We are truly blessed to have such an inspirational speaker among us who so generously gives of his time. Thank you, Dr. Spaulding.

Blessedly yours,

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"PPS for People"

A day at the spa!

2011-03-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

This one's for you, Grandpa. We arrived at the "spa" at 9:00AM sharp and I was met at the door by my very good friend Madison. She's having a little set back with her disorderly nerves. I can't remember what it's called exactly, but she gets all loopy and sort of loses her balance. Her neurologist gives her some prednisone and other stuff to help her out. We thought she was getting better last month but she just started veering off to one side again and holding her head funny. Still, she's my VERY best friend and I give her lots of loving when I'm there. We both have peach colored bows today, thanks to Madison's mom.

When my mom went to pick me up she turned on her flasher showing that she was going left and as she started to turn some airhead coming the other way did a "U-ey" (u-turn) in the middle of the street and almost t-boned her. Mom squeaked like she does when she's rattled, and the other lady just glared at her like it was my mom's fault. It was most definitely NOT, but some people are just like that. The other lady was really snooty to Mom while she picked up her German Shepherd. That's so unnecessary. You'd think the lady would have just said "Sorry!" and let it go.

Oh well. See why I like being a dog? Hmmmmmm? I have a great life, no stress, regular meals, friends, treats, and I get to watch TV whenever I want. Oh...and now that Auntie Elaine has gone home, I have my very own comfy leather chair to sit in. See? Mom's even been muttering, "I wish I were like my dog!" a lot lately. Silly woman!!

Hope all is well in your world.

Smoochies and Scnoozles...

Mary-Margaret, your ever-lovin' Grand Doggie

Good-bye, Auntie Elaine!

2011-03-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

We picked up my Aunt Elaine at the airport on Thursday night. Boy, she was sure lucky to get out of New York before the storm hit. They had a whole bunch of snow the next day. We had rain and hail, and there was snow down to about 2000' so the mountains looked like they were dusted with powdered sugar. And it got pretty cold here, too.

This top picture was taken on Sunday at Richie's Diner in Temecula. They're famous for their freshly baked cinnamon buns hot out of the oven. See how BIG they are? That took two whole breakfasts for Aunt Elaine to finish!!

Notice the second picture? I know how to keep warm all by myself. Yup!

We drove around a lot and on Sunday, the skies were blue and clear and you could see a gazillion miles way back to the mountains, just like my Aunt MaryElizabeth said. It was BEEE-YOO-TEE-FULL!!!

Aunt Elaine likes to cook. First thing she noticed in our kitchen was a bunch of cookbooks. She dusted them off and started looking for tasty recipes. Saturday, she made us macaroni and cheese from SCRATCH!! Mom says it was excellent. I'll take her word for it. Nobody offered me any. That's ok, though. I got some left over hamburger meat from their lunch at Mad Madeleine's Grill on Front Street. Oh YUM!!

Sunday night, Mom and Aunt Elaine had an "Oscar Party". They watched the whole awards show all the way through and had the best of times. They even cracked open a can of cashews and shared some with me. I just LOVE cashews!

I will be rooming with Aunt Elaine and her pup, Abbey Mia, in October when we go to Nashville to the Yorkie Ball. It's put on every year by the Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue, Inc., our most favorite 501(c)(3) charity (that means you can deduct your donations on your tax return if you want!).

I can't wait!!!

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

PS - Seven weeks straight I got beat out by blind cats. I'm entered again in the Bissell Contest but I'm not holding my breath.

Auntie Elaine - Here tonight!

2011-02-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

Her plane lands about 9:00PM tonight. Can't wait. I only wish she'da brung my friends with her. You know...Abbey Mia, Harper and Piper! I'm told they're staying at a luxury hotel with room service so I guess it can't be too bad for them. I get to see them in October at the Yorkie Ball in Nashville, Tennessee. This is where all us Yorks and Yorkettes get to feel like real princesses and princes. Oh I'm SOOO excited.

Doesn't it look fun? Here's a slide show of some pictures from a previous Yorkie Ball. Just go to the page via the pink link and wait for it to start changing photos, like a real slide show.

Now I only need to find a gown and to go on a diet so I'll fit into it.

Excitedly yours,

Princess Mary-Margaret of Dawn

Dear Grandpa...

2011-02-23T20:11:00.000-08:00

If you needed a place to live, you could come live with us. If you needed some food, we'd make sure you had it. If you needed some money, even if we didn't have much, we'd share with you. And if you felt sad and just needed a hug, we'd be the first to give you one.

One of Mom's favorite sayings is "Lead, follow or get out of the way!". We had a situation today and we're taking proactive steps to resolve it. We don't have time to be distracted by miscellaneous words without understanding or empathy. In case you were wondering, we took the job tonight and resolved someone else's problem. By doing that, we helped resolve our own.

That being said....

We love you, too.

Your Grand Doggy,

Mary-Margaret

Mary-Margaret OBrien

2011-02-23T07:47:00.000-08:00

Please vote! Thank you!!

Mary-Margaret OBrien

Love and smoochies...

Mary-Margaret

The Advantages of MOEN Faucets

2011-02-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

This is our former kitchen faucet (RIP = Replacement in Progress)

We cleaned up the kitchen, started up the dishwasher and then went off to work. After picking up our mail and taking care of some stuff we went back home and Mom had her lunch. She went to rinse off her bowl and "snap" the handle to the kitchen faucet was no longer attached.

She couldn't believe her eyes. The metal that attached the handle to the base of the faucet just broke clean off. It took a while for her to process the projected enormity of this disaster, what with her friend from New York coming for a visit in just three days. Yegads...and NO kitchen water? Unthinkable!.

She called her favorite plumber who has literally bailed her out of all sorts of calamities (They're on a first name basis now!) and he immediately calmed her down. It's a MOEN (he said) and they have a lifetime warranty. Get them on the phone (tomorrow, because today is a holiday) and have them overnight the part to us and he'll come right over and fix it at no charge.

Woo hoo! So she goes to the MOEN website and finds out that our faucet is no longer being made. It's a single handle, low arc, polished chrome with a sprayer on the side..sort of like a "Legend", but the ones she finds don't have a sprayer. We have pictures to send MOEN, and we'll post them for you as soon as the "internet police" decide to let them go through. So far, it's been about an hour since we sent them.

MOEN will take good care of us. This is only the 2nd time in 23 years that we've had to call on our warranty. They make a good product.

That was our day, Grandpa!!

Love you...

Mary-Margaret

PS: Today - Tuesday - we called MOEN and they aren't sending us the broken handle. They're sending us a whole BRAND NEW FAUCET ASSEMBLY! We're getting "Chateau"!! Woo hoo! I just LOVE LOVE LOVE MOEN!!

Sunday, 2-20-11 Dr. Neeko S Spaulding, Phd

2011-02-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

(sent 12:30AM Sunday Halifax, San Juan and Santo Domingo times - 8:30PM Saturday PST)

Good Morning and Welcome to the YorkieBrigade Chapel on this, our fourth Sunday, February 20, 2011. This is a place where all are equally welcome; a place we can share our prayers and provide support and encouragement for each other.

Today, we have a very special guest speaker who will share his inspirational thoughts with you for today. He's a veteran of many personal trials and he's always landed on all four feet. Please welcome Dr. Neeko S. Spaulding, PhD*.

(applause applause applause) <-----relaxed, laid back chapel today

(Neeko steps to the microphone and Parishioners are re-seated)

Hello all :o)

First off (now that I made it to the pulpit without tripping), I would like to give gracious thanks to our Pawsome Chaplain, Gorgeous Mary-Margaret, for making our beautiful gathering possible.
Also humble thanks to everyone for giving Meee the honor of speaking in front of our wonderful family here today, at our packed Chapel :o)

I would like to start with the very profound poem,
Saint Theresa’s Prayer ~

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us. ~

I chose the topic "Everything Happens for a Reason in our Lives" because I'm a strong believer in the importance of trusting that our good God is always working behind the scenes on our behalf.
Indeed, at times that becomes very hard to follow. Even though we do not understand why things are happening the way they do at a particular moment, we have to remind ourselves that there is a Reason and we have to stay in faith.

Every Reason has a season in our Lives; some seasons are short, some are long and they feel like a gray winter but they all pass us by and when that Happens, we look back and realize the importance of each and every one. We realize the lessons we have learned and walk forward stronger and wiser.
Often we become irritated with the long, gray seasons and we feel that we are "stuck" and will never get out of the "rut".
God's time table is not in sync with our time table. That just means that God is preparing us for something grand. The magic of the long seasons is that the harder they are the bigger the reward.

There are times when we ask God for something to Happen in our lives and do not understand why our prayers are “not being heard”. God always hears our prayers but He is the one that knows our future and knows what’s best for us.
How many times have we asked God for something and later, down the road we looked back and said: “Thank God for not fulfilling that request; this is so much better than what I asked for”? Other times we look back and say: “Now I understand the Reason.”
With any adversity that we face, God gives us the opportunity to experience a greater peace, love and understanding.

Because of my very own experience with the Reason, I learned to just go with the flow.
When I was born, my future looked pretty gray. Today I look back and say: Thank You Lord for that gray winter season. Because of that Reason, I am here today, surrounded by so much Love, Pawsome Family and Friends!

Peace be with you and “May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.” Amen!

(applause applause ...some cheering.....more applause)

Thank you so much, Neeko. We can see why you are such a successful motivational speaker. You've definitely inspired us with your presentation today, and I hope you will accept our invitation to return whenever you like, even if it's just for coffee and donuts.

Which reminds me....refreshments are in the Great Hall today in order to accomodate all of our members and guests. Again, these are compliments of Sister Chiquita and her troop of Dancing Chihuahuas. However, they would be grateful for any contributions you might make of children's clothing and chew toys to their charity, The Dogwill Industries, to benefit Puppies without Parents. If you don't have any of the requested items with you, please feel free to drop them off at your local shelter anytime during the week.

Thank you again, to Dr. Neeko S Spaulding and his excellent staff, for the uplifting words this morning.

Bless us, Oh Lord, and help us to strive to live as St. Francis lived, and to remember to be as we wish others to be.

Amen. Go in peace.

Please remember to pick up your belongings from the cloakroom on your way out.

(PhD = *Pretty Happy Dog!)

Blessings.....

Mary-Margaret O'Brien
Lt. Chaplain - Yorkie Brigade Chapel
"Yorkie prayers are Angel's wishes!"
"Pups for PPL"
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." Anonymous

Ew...YUCK!...Blegh!!

2011-02-19T16:17:00.000-08:00

I started my licking thing this afternoon. We weren't doing anything in particular and so I started licking air. Mom calls it "thrusting my tongue". Well, anyway...next thing I know she's got her fingers in my mouth.

"Open up, Mary-Margaret. I want to see what you've got in there!". Ummm (I thought), that would be teeth, tongue and maybe a little piece of old kibble...LEAVE ME ALONE! (I said). The fingers go between my cheeks and my molars and then she pulls my cheek out so she can see all the way in the back. "Hmmmmm", she says. "How long has it been such you brushed?". (Well, that would be NEVER. I say, because I don't brush them, YOU DO!!).

She gets up from her desk chair and walks into the bathroom. I don't think I like where this is going. Out comes my shocking pink toothbrush and the poultry flavored toothpaste.

"OPEN WIDE!", she says. (Uh uh...I say...no way!). Next thing I know her finger is all the way inside my mouth and she's pinching my cheek while pulling it away from my teeth. "AHA!! You have some TARTAR in there!". (Oh boy....this is NOT how I want to spend my Saturdays!).

After a bit of brushing and scouring she says "Oh, that's MUCH better!", and she returns control of my cheeks to me. "Ew...YUCK..Blegh!", I say, as I hop down and get as far away from my toothbrush as I can without leaving home. One of my gums even bled a little bit, she told me, and that's not good. So maybe I was trying to clean my teeth from the inside out all by myself? That doesn't work, in case you're wondering.

Although.....I do have to admit my teeth feel much more silky now without that fuzz on them. Maybe this isn't such a bad thing after all?

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Mary-Margaret OBrien

2011-02-18T19:32:00.000-08:00

Mary-Margaret OBrien

The Bank and Me

2011-02-18T18:59:00.001-08:00

When Mom remembered that there was a holiday on Monday she decided to pay some bills early and we went back to the bank....again! This was our SECOND trip to the bank. First time, my very good friend Lisa was at lunch. Lisa is my friend Einie's mom (that's short for Einstein, you know!?)

I'm sitting very nicely in one of the customer chairs and waiting and watching for Lisa. Mom's waiting for the safe deposit box lady to get us our new box. Our old bank is closing their branch so we have to get all our stuff out of their branch and put it into a new box at one of our other banks.

This time, Lisa was on break. Exactly how long does one take on break, I ask you? Hmmmm? Maybe if I sit up higher I can see when she comes back better.

This is getting me all worried. What if she doesn't COME back? I'll just keep on staring until.....huh? Julie just came by where I was sitting and told me "Lisa is back!".

"Mom? Did you hear her?", I asked? "Hey...come on! This is why I go to the bank, dontcha know?". I started talking to Mom and to Julie. I'm saying "PICK ME UP AND TAKE ME TO LISA!", but all they hear is "wrrrf...wrrrr....rowrrr...ruff!". Silly women!! They really need to learn Doglish!!

Finally, we went to the merchant teller's booth and Lisa buzzed us in. I practically FLEW out of Mom's arms and into a humongous pile of rolled nickels. Lisa and me...we just started loving all over each other. I could have stayed there all afternoon. People knew I was going to be there for a while, so the safe deposit lady come over to us instead. She and Mom did all the paperwork in the Merchant booth while me and Lisa just snuggled and kissed. When we were all done, Lisa gave me a cookie and Mom got a new safe deposit box. It's all good!!

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret

Mary-Margaret OBrien

2011-02-13T14:26:00.000-08:00

Mary-Margaret OBrien

This is my entry for this week in the Bissell contest. The last four weeks the top winners have been blind cats. You think maybe if I wear sunglasses I might have a better chance??

Please vote for me. I really want to give my mom a Bissell carpet cleaner with 12 brushes. No....er...no particular reason, exactly (dum...de...dum....) It's just that I LOVE her so much.

Mary-Margaret

Sunday - February 13, 2011

2011-02-12T21:03:00.000-08:00

Good Morning and Welcome to the YorkieBrigade Chapel, a place where all are equally welcome; a place we can share our prayers and provide support and encouragement for each other.

This morning we will talk about religion in general, and how each religion is very similar despite it's differences. Through exploring our differences we find that we are very much alike after all, regardless of who or what we are or where we were born.

How old is religion? Older than we can even trace. Hinduism is probably the oldest documented religion, at least 5000 years old and some historians have it as old as 20,000 years. Hindus are known to show respect, even perform worship, to certain animals and things in nature (e.g. trees, rivers etc.), and they often practice vegetarianism by avoiding eating meat.

Gautama Siddhartha (a Hindu) became a Buddha in the 6th Century B.C. He founded a new religion called Buddhism that is derived from Hinduism

Buddhism looks upon life in the universe as a totality which has by itself a right to exist unhindered, with no threats of destruction from outside to serve the needs of any single person or group, whether they be under the direction of any human or divine authority.

Buddhism also offers definite and positive instructions with regard to the manner in which humans should develop universal loving kindness towards all living things that exist in the universe, whether in close proximity or at a distance, seen or unseen, large or small, fierce or timid.

Buddhism, in a book called the Manual of Good Living or Dhammapada, this idea is expressed as follows.

All living things fear being beaten with clubs.
All living things fear being put to death.
Putting oneself in the place of the other,
Let no one kill nor cause another to kill.
(Dhammapada verse no. 129)*

Judaism, founded by Abraham, is estimated to be approximately 4000 years old .

Christianity includes Judaism which started over 3000 BC so Christianity predates Buddhism by over 2500 years, however Buddha predates Christ by 500 years. Christianity is incomplete without the old testament, which was written by the Jews.

The Christian Bible (sometimes known as the Holy Bible) is divided into two parts. The first is called the Old Testament, containing the 39 books of Hebrew Scripture, and the second portion is called the New Testament, containing a set of 27 books.

Islam, which comes from an Arabic root word meaning "peace" and "submission", teaches that one can only find peace in one's life by submitting to Almighty God (Allah) in heart, soul and deed. The same Arabic root word gives us "Salaam alaykum," ("Peace be with you"), the universal Muslim greeting. ("Peace be with you" is also said in Christian practice). Islam began in the 7th Century with Muhammed. Muhammad did not claim to be the leader of a new religion. He said he was reviving an old and pure tradition that he believed that Christians and Jewish fell away from.

Hindus and Buddhists believe in reincarnation until they reach Nirvanah by living a perfect life; Christians, Jews and Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment and heaven and hell. All religions studied today believe that one should take responsibility for their actions and the consequences of same.

Organized religion, regardless of the label it wears, is a rule book for living. In each of the religions mentioned above we find the concept of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" a constant.

Here, in our Yorkie Brigade Chapel, we encourage all of our parishioners to follow this concept commonly known as "The Golden Rule". Whether Jewish or Christian, Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim...or even if one doesn't believe in a power higher than themselves, we all wish to be the best that we can be, and we encourage others to do the same. We all say to our neighbors "Peace be with you!", and respond by saying "And also with you!" Or as Buddha would say "May all beings be well and happy' [ Sabbe sattà bhavantu sukhitattà ].

Thank you, God, for bringing us together on this our third Sunday of Chapel. Thank you for continuing to provide us with inspiration to continue to come together with Prayer, Positivity and Love.

Amen

Go in peace, and remember "The Group that Prays Together, Stays Together!".

Please remember to pick up your personal belongings from the cloakroom as you leave. Coffee and donuts in the Great Hall graciously provided by The Dogters of the American Revolution in honor of our President's Day. Valentine's Day Sire-Puppy Sweetheart Square Dance tomorrow night also in the Great Hall. Wear your red and pink collars and get ready to Boogie!

Blessings,

Mary-Margaret
Lt. Chaplain - YorkieBrigade Chapel

*Provenance:
©1985 Buddhist Publication Society.
From The Dhammapada: The Buddha's Path of Wisdom, translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita, with an Introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1985). Transcribed from the print edition in 1996 by a volunteer under the auspices of the DharmaNet Transcription Project, with the kind permission of the BPS.
This Access to Insight edition is ©1996–2011.

Lunch with Mr. and Mrs. "S"

2011-02-09T17:34:00.000-08:00

On our way to the office we stopped by Mr. "S" office to pick something up. "Mmmm-mmm!", I said. "Something sure smells good!". Mrs. "S" said she was making sandwiches in the work room and I was welcome to watch. "Watch?", I commented? This isn't going well (I thought). They're having turkey and salami and chips and...they want ME to watch?

All turned out ok. I got some small (very small, mind you) pieces of turkey. Mom said ixnay on the salami for some reason. I don't think I've ever had salami before, but it did have a nice aroma. I didn't really want to leave, thinking that maybe I might get lucky and something would fall out of their sandwiches. Ahhh...no such luck.

When we left there was an overpowering smell of onions, though. We opened the door to the business across the hall from Mr. "S" and asked if Bella was there. Remember Bella? My friend, the chihuahua? Oh, well...anyway, she moved downstairs to suite 203, so visiting with her was out.

I was about to keel over from the smell of onions when Mom mentioned "Onions? Someone having onions?". I about died from embarrassment but the guys just laughed and said "Oh, you can smell them?". Well, duh.....aaaaack...and ...(tugging on her pant leg)...."Let's go before I pass out!" (I said).

We left and worked pretty hard the rest of the day. We got a lot done so we're feeling good about it. Friday is a holiday for us. Lincoln's birthday celebrated. Poor guy...doesn't even get to party on his own day anymore. He just get's acknowledged and then lumped into "President's Day" with George Washington the next week. So much for reverence.

Have a good night, everyone.

Love,

Mary-Margaret

Press Release - Mary-Margaret & Hashimoto

2011-02-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

Mary-Margaret O'Brien and her long-term fiance, Hashimoto of Lamanteer, have announced that they have decided to call off their engagement. They will remain the best of friends, according to Miss O'Brien's publicist, but they've decided to focus on their careers for the time being. Mary-Margaret is busy building her parish at The YorkieBrigade Chapel, where she acts as Chaplain, and Hashimoto is supervising the landscaping and installation of fencing at a new project in Hemet, California when he's not long-distance trucking across the United States.

They thank their fans for their continued support and ask that their privacy be respected.

Mom's Ratty Old Chair

2011-02-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Mom loves our ratty old leather chair, rips and all. It's the most comfortable thing we've ever owned, including our bed. We bought a new leather recliner/rocker because she was so embarrassed by the old one's appearance and she wanted to impress her friend, Elaine, who is coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. Elaine said not to worry but we did....a little, anyway.

Now Mom can't get rid of the old one. We will have 2 leather chairs when Elaine gets there now. Our ratty old one for me and Mom, and a brand new one for Elaine and other guests.

<-------(Brand New Chair)

Sorry...but we just can't get rid of something we love so much. The old chair is my special place for cat-watching, and keeping an eye on both the TV and the backyard at the same time. We're sure Elaine will understand. We KNOW my Grandpa will.

Love and kisses...

Mary-Margaret

Sunday Inspiration for the Day

2011-02-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Good morning. Welcome to the second celebration of our friendship and love for
each other and also the common love between all humans and their furbabies.

For today's inspiration I chose a piece written by Joanne Hirase-Stacey entitled
"Lessons". I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

If I greeted everyone happily
Instead of eyeing with distrust
If I didn't pass judgment
But accepted all
If I listened intently
With understanding in my eyes
If I brought comfort
All the time, no matter what
If I loved unconditionally
Without reservation
If I lived life more simply
Instead of worrying so much
If I played tirelessly
And didn't work so hard
If I made people smile
Just by my presence in the room
If I experienced true joy
At the little things in life
Then I'd be the perfect friend
Just like my dog.

Humans can learn a lot from their dog. Just for today...maybe just for a
moment....become your dog. See what we see and smell, and hear what we hear.
Feel what we feel and experience life from our perspective.

You tower over me and you have power over me. I am totally dependent on you for
food, shelter and warmth. I am happiest when you are happy; I'm at peace when
all is well in your world.

I listen for the gentle sound of my mother's voice. To me this means I am with
my family. She speaks softly and says she loves me. I know I am valued.

My mother's hands are gentle. She scratches my back and my belly and rubs my
shoulders. Her hands won't hurt me and I'm never afraid of her. I know I am safe.

I'm not perfect though I try hard to be. I'm rewarded with kindness and treats
when I remember my manners, and my transgressions are quietly overlooked and
forgiven.

You are the center of my life and I am most alive when you are at peace.

Thank you, Lord, for bringing us together again. We ask you, Lord, for a
special blessing for all the furbabies that have been lost or abandoned, and
that you help them find food, warmth, shelter and a forever family to love.

Amen

Thank you all for coming. Please don't forget to pick up your links and photos
on your way out. Coffee and doughnuts in the Chapel meeting room have been
provided courtesy of Sister Chiquita and her troop of Dancing Chihuahuas this
week.

Blessings....

Your Lt Chaplain,

Mary-Margaret O'Brien

The Importance of Clean Underwear

2011-02-05T09:34:00.001-08:00

Remember when your mom used to tell you to put on clean underwear every day "just in case"? Like maybe you'd get in an accident and the ambulance drivers were more interested in the state of your panties than in tending to your injuries? Mom says that when you get to be her age you're not as concerned with "panty pride" as you are with "hair care". Now, she says, it's more important to make sure your roots are the same color as the rest of your hair before you go out..."just in case".

Nobody wants their EMT's getting a pool going betting on the last time you updated your appearance. And what if (God forbid!) you should end up in a mortuary, dead as a doornail and your family wants an open casket ceremony? Wouldn't you at least want a say in what shade Marcel Beaubelle, the "dyer to the dead", colors your hair?

This is what the conversation in our household was like this morning. The color has to set for 25 minutes and I know when it's a good time for a nap. Maybe if she can't find me I don't have to listen?

No such luck. "Go AWAY!! I don't want to hear about it!! You look JUST fine to me!!" (You think I'd risk telling her what she really looks like? Her head reminds me of a Hershey bar that's been left in the sun too long! Shhhhh!)

(I said "SCRAM!!")

When this is over we go get our car fixed. We took it our regular mechanic yesterday since we had a "delivery" for them. We figured we'd get the serve done and ask about our car at the same time. Talk about coincidence, huh? Everything points to a bad "solenoid"(?) in the transmission thing-a-ma-bob!! Whatever! I like to go visit the people in the waiting room. Mom just takes a book.

Have a great day, everyone.

Mary-Margaret

The BEST day ever!

2011-02-04T16:12:00.001-08:00

Actually, I mostly have good days, but this one was special. You know my friend, Lizzie ? Her mom made an appointment to see Miss Marilyn today just because Lizzie and I are practically best friends. So it was me and Madison and Lizzie and a couple of other kids. We played and rested and then played some more.

We all got our hair done, and our nails. We got baths and massages. Ahhhhhhh....truly. I lead a blessed life.

Love,

Mary-Margaret