Rocky Mountain High

I was ready to get the heck out of Nebraska as soon as I woke up this morning. Being very low maintenance I didn't have to take a shower, fix my hair, shave, blah, blah, blah. I just wanted to hit the road because I had a big day planned and I couldn't wait to get it started.

I was a little bored during the car ride so Mom took out the iPad and let me watch Howie Pee's video. That Howie sure is hilarious!

Before I knew it we were in Colorado. Cue the John Denver music please! I couldn't see the mountains because it was very cloudy, but that didn't dampen my mood because I was on my way to see one of my best buddies.

As we pulled up to Emmitt's house I looked around thinking he would be outside waiting for me. He wasn't out there so I waited but he didn't come out of the house. Finally, I got out of the car and called out "Emmitt, it's me Stubby. I'm here little dude, all the way from Chicago!" but nothing happened. Emmitt cannot hear anymore so his lovely mom Melissa came out, scooped me up and took me in the house where Emmitt greeted me with some butt sniffs.

Emmitt showed me around his house and let me tell you it is very cool. There's pug stuff everywhere! And lots of pictures and artwork of Emmitt. It's like being in the Emmitt Langer museum!

Soon Emmitt's dad Fred came home and he immediately started giving me scratches. He scratched me behind my ears, on my back and all over my butt. I was loving it! I decided that I need a Fred back home.

But then the doorbell rang and it was Ingrid, Emmitt's masseuse. She comes over every Monday to give him an hour long massage. How cool is that? I wanted to see what this massage stuff was all about so I left Fred to check out Emmitt.

Emmitt wasn't oohing and ahhing over his massage because he was too busy eating a lamb's ear. He's constantly on the move and giving him a treat is the only way to get him to sit (or lay in his case) still.

Emmitt loved his massage and he totally loves Ingrid. I sure hope Mom was watching Ingrid closely because I would like a weekly massage. Maybe I need an Ingrid back home.

Of course we had to get some pictures of Emmitt and I with our moms. Us old guys rule!

Soon it was time to leave Emmitt's house and not a moment too soon. I fell asleep almost as soon as I walked into our hotel room. I was really beat and needed 40 winks before heading back to Emmitt's house for dinner.

We picked up some pizza for the peeps to eat but of course I knew I would get some so I waited very patiently while everyone ate. Emmitt doesn't like pizza (maybe it's because he's not from Chicago) but there was no way I was letting the peeps eat pizza without giving me some. Dad ordered pizza from a place called Double D's Sourdough Pizza and the boys got a Molto Di Carne pizza. This pizza was loaded up with marinara sauce, whole milk Mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Genoa salami, Canadian bacon, Andouille sausage, pork sausage, bacon, beef, and smoked Provolone cheese. Yikes! Talk about delicious. I think they should rename this pizza the Stubby Special. Maybe I need a Double D's back home.

Even though Emmitt doesn't like pizza doesn't mean he doesn't like dessert. He came over to me to tell me to ask for ice cream for dessert but I didn't want to look like a bad guest so I didn't do it.

We headed up to Emmitt's office to look at the pictures Fred took of us that afternoon. That Fred is so into photography. He has lots of cool programs that make even the bad pictures look good. I sure hope he can work his magic on the pictures of Mom because her hair was so frizzy. A bad fro on a good day is still a bad fro. Keep your paws crossed!

Soon it was time to leave because I was so tired. Emmitt could go all day and all night but I was dreaming about getting into bed. I had such a great time hanging out with Emmitt, Melissa and Fred today. Thank you guys for inviting us to your beautiful house and for spending the day with us. It was so awesome meeting you guys and I will never forget this day.

We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We are going to be in the car all day as we head west toward our next destination. I will probably spend most of the day sleeping because it's going to take me a whole day to recover from today's activities. Maybe it's the altitude or maybe it's just me but now I know what John Denver was talking about.

Am I A Cornhusker?

Do you know what a cornhusker is? Me neither but Mom says I'm one because I'm in Nebraska. After sitting in the car for for about 2,395 hours today we arrived at our first destination, North, Platte, Nebraska. If I'm a cornhusker then I demand some corn!

We left the house super early this morning. I was sound asleep, dreaming about food and friends when the alarm went off. I opened one eye and rolled over to go back to sleep. There was no way I was getting up before the sun so I hung out in bed while Mom and Dad ran around the house getting all my stuff ready for the road trip.

Mom had the bright idea to bring my bed (which I never sleep in) on the trip. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Dad didn't think it was a good idea but he went along with it anyway. He put the 40 of the 60/40 backseat down and then put my bed on top of it. It really wasn't so bad because I was up high and could see out the window but I hate not touching Mom. She says I'm getting very clingy in my old age and that I have to be next to her all the time. Duh!

I had never been on Interstate 88 and thought it was really cool that there were wind turbines near the city of DeKalb, home of Northern Illinois University. Mom was too busy oohing and ahhing over them to take any pictures but as soon as we crossed the Mississippi River, out came the phone and snap, snap, snap. Whatever.

As we cruised into Iowa I decided that I was over the bed and needed to be on the seat touching Mom. I cried and cried until she took me out of the bed, put the bed on top of the snack bags, pushed up the seat, and spread my blanket out. Ahhh. Now I was comfy and could take a nap.

We had to stop for fuel around lunchtime so why not also get some lunch? I was starving but didn't get to pick the lunch place. Mom always gets to pick because she has issues. Her choice? Panera Bread. I'm okay with Panera because Dad always gets a sandwich and I get part of it. Since we were on a tight schedule, Mom and I hung out on the patio while Dad went inside to order our food to go. I love eating in the car so this was perfect for me.

Mom drove while Dad ate in the back with me but once I the food was gone I started crying again. I wanted to sit in front with Mom but the front seat was full of stuff. I just couldn't get comfy in the back with Dad so Mom's turn as driver only lasted a few hours. I took my afternoon nap once Mom was back where she belonged.

We arrived in North Platte a little ahead of schedule which was a good thing because it was past my dinnertime. I had to inspect our hotel, the LaQuinta, to make sure it was dog friendly as advertised on their website and thankfully it was. I wanted to change the sign to Pug Friendly but Mom told me that she saw other dogs at the hotel. Cool!

I'm only going to be a cornhusker until tomorrow because we have to keep moving west. We are supposedly sleeping in tomorrow morning but I'll believe it when it happens. I'm off to bed because I have a big day planned for tomorrow.

Stubby's 2010 Summer Adventure!

Summer wouldn't be complete without a road trip and I'm leaving for mine bright and early tomorrow morning. While all you guys are sound asleep dreaming about breakfast, I'll be on the road enjoying the breaking dawn from the back seat of the car. I haven't gone on a road trip since I went to Barkwells last spring so I'm super excited.

This is the ultimate destination of the road trip, the Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay, California. Yep, we're going to California! Sing it Phantom Planet: California! California! Here we come!!!

We need to be in Half Moon Bay because Mom and Dad are attending a customer summit for Spigit. They are not customers but investors. Dad attended last year's summit while Mom and I stayed home, but this year Mom wanted to attend and the poodles didn't have any vacancy. So I talked Mom and Dad into driving to California so that I could go. I've never been to California but I've heard all about it from all my Cali friends.

I have to go to bed now because I need to get some sleep before the big trip. We will be driving west on I80 and you just never know who we might run into. Stayed tuned to read all about my travels!

Bark For Life

Mom found out about this cool event a few months ago and then forgot about it just as quickly. If she would have told me about it I wouldn't have forgotten and we would be attending this Sunday. But as luck would have it, I already have plans for Sunday so another year will pass without me taking part in this cool event.

Bark for Life is a Relay for Life fundraising event that honors the care-giving qualities of canine companions. This is one of those "Why didn't I think of this?" events. Dogs are not allowed at most Relay for Life events so a Pennsylvania woman named JoAnn McKiernan along with her dog Sassy started Bark for Life as a fundraiser to support their local Relay For Life event.

So if Bark For Life is a fundraiser, what happens to the funds that are raised? Well they don't go directly to fund cancer research for dogs but they do go directly to the American Cancer Society (ACS) for grants that benefit human research. The AKC provides grants that go directly to canine research with both organization funding research through the National Cancer Institute. I think it's so cool that human and canine cancer research trials have been combined in the past couple of years so we are benefiting along with our peeps.

This Sunday's event at Old School Forest Preserve in Libertyville is the second annual and is one of several taking place throughout the suburbs. Participants are encouraged to raise $100 in pledges and if they do, their dogs will receive a Bark For Life bandana. The one mile walk will be capped off with activities, games, and contests. I'm hoping there will be treats because after walking a mile I would be starving, not to mention thirsty. It's suppose to be 88 on Sunday and that is not really pug weather.

To find a Bark For Life event in your area or to start one, please click here. There's tons of information on the website if you are interested in starting your own event, from fundraising ideas to fundraising letters from us, the stars of the event! I am going to have Mom put next year's event on the calendar right now so that I can participate even if I have to do so in my buggy. And if you live in my area and would like to join me, we can start our own team. I know we can raise lots of money to fight cancer and save lives.

Great News Thanks To You!

Mom read me a Huffington Post article earlier this week about declining bottle water sales and hearing this news made me do my happy dance. I have all of you to thank for this shift towards a more sustainable future so please dance along with me, won't you?

Did you know that Americans drink nearly 30 gallons of bottled water per person every year? Yuk! That's an alarming figure considering it's an average. For every person that doesn't drink it, someone else is drinking their share thus consuming 60 gallons! This makes my head spin. I'm always curious to know why people drink it and Mom is always asking people who do. The worst answer you can give her? It's convenient. Nothing could be further from the truth!

The article Mom read me was "Popping The Bottled Water Bubble" by Peter Gleick. In the article, Mr. Gleick reveals that consumers are getting off the bottle and taking back the tap:

"Last week, new data released by the Beverage Marketing Council, which tracks bottled water statistics and sales, show that the unprecedented sales drop that started in 2008 continued - even accelerated - in 2009. According to the BMC, the volume of bottled water sold dropped by 2.5% in 2009 from 2008. Even more remarkable, revenues dropped faster, by over 5%, suggesting a growing price war among manufacturers for market share. Imports dropped even faster than domestic sales, which is a good thing given the vast energy costs of making and moving water. It is time for a "local water" movement."

YAY! All the campaigns against bottled water are working. People's perceptions about bottled water are changing and we are finally starting to see the results of all the hard work to change them.

Mr. Gleick has just released his latest book "Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water" and it's now on Mom's to-read list. As if she didn't have enough to read already! She is always reading books about the water crisis and this book is just going to add fuel to the fire.

I have to say that this news was the best I've had in a long time and I can't thank all of you enough. The word is getting out about bottled water and people are taking action. Together we are changing the world, one less bottle of water at a time.

Plastic Crap Wall of Shame

You guys know this woman, right? If you don't, where have you been? This is Beth Terry whose blog Fake Plastic Fish is one of the best eco blogs in the blogsphere. Beth is on a mission to eliminate plastic from her life and to educate others on how to do the same. Mom and I follow Beth's blog and Mom has recently starting following Beth's other project on Facebook. The project? The Plastic Crap Wall of Shame, a collection of photos uploaded by fans on Facebook. All it takes is one trip to any store to find lots of plastic crap and you'll be hooked. Mom sure is.

You can't help but be inundated by plastic every day. Even the computer I'm typing on right now contains lots of plastic! It's all around us and it's indestrucible. Think about this: every single item you've ever throw away that contained plastic is still with us today. It hasn't broken down to anything in the landfill and still looks much the same as it did when you placed it in the trash. It doesn't matter if you're 8 or 80 the story is still the same. Pretty scary, huh?

When Mom was in Target last week she couldn't help but notice this. Seems innocent enough, right? Wrong! Aluminum bottles are good because they are reusable, but do they have to be wrapped in plastic? Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that they're selling a two-pack of bottles but there must be a better way to package them without plastic. Plastic on the top and on the bottom? That's just wrong! The only good thing about the bottles is that they are so affordable. If you biggify the picture you'll see they cost $2.50. There's really no excuse to not own these.

Mom uploaded the photo on the Plastic Crap Wall of Shame Facebook page and Beth herself commented on it. And then Mom was hooked. She has always avoided plastic and any type of unnecessary packaging but never thought about taking pictures of products that were overly plasticized. But now that she has, she's on a mission to document the crap that she sees wherever she goes. Case in point, a trip to Fresh Market, a somewhat foo-foo grocery store to buy Dad some chocolate.

Most produce departments drive Mom crazy but Fresh Market's pushed her over the edge. It reminded her a lot of Trader Joe's where every produce item is wrapped in plastic. Maybe that's what Fresh Market is modeling itself after. Let's hope not.

Peppers wrapped in plastic? Are you kidding me? There's no excuse for this. None. You can cut up your own peppers because it takes only a few minutes to do so. This plastic wrap and it's equally horrible foam tray will live on forever. And that's not a good thing.

Mom had a hard time with the peppers and then saw this corn, all de-husked and ready to go. But why? Because it takes too long to remove the husks? Lots of people grill their corn with the husks on. But never mind that. Why can't you remove the husks yourself? Even if you put them in the garbage instead of a composter, that's still better throwing away all that plastic and foam.

Dad told me that Mom was shaking when she saw these green beans. She actually yelled in the store but I cannot repeat what she said because I'm trying to keep this post G rated. Maybe the beans are in the plastic bags to make them more desireable. People might see them and say "Don't those beans look cute in their own little bag? Oh I must have them!" Give me a break! It's a marketer's dream, don't you think?

By the time Mom saw these peaches she was ready to run out the door. Again with the silly marketing. But really people. Peaches are so portable. You have two hands so put one in each hand and skip the bag. The bag that will not decompose but will eventually leach all its toxins into your groundwater. Yuk!

Mom was beside herself when she saw this as Dad paid for his chocolate. In all fairness to Fresh Market, this was the backside of the display. They are trying to get people to purchase reusable bags and they even deduct five cents from your bill when you bring your own. A small deduction in money but a large one for the environment.

There are many people who feel that plastic is the problem but Mom believes the problems lie in how it's is manufactured, used, and disposed of. Let's face it, plastic is here to stay but we can be smart in how we use it. And manufacturers can do a better job of designing items and packaging that uses less plastic. Remember that everything that's made has a waste component to it too, so the end product you see in the store is only half the story. What happens to the waste at the factory? Hopefully manufacturers are working to reduce this waste as they reduce their energy use.

You have lots of power when you purchase items. You decide what you will and will not purchase and you speak volumes with your purchasing power. Items unnecessarily wrapped in plastic should be passed by in favor of items containing less packaging. These items are not always easy to find and the above pics show the most extreme excess packaging. But think about the everyday items you purchase and how re-thinking these items could save packaging. Toilet paper is a good item to look at. Most is heavily wrapped in plastic (for what reason, I don't know) but some companies don't wrap each roll individually. Does this make a difference? Absolutely. Think about how many rolls you use each year and it all adds up.

And don't forget about the disposal component of plastic. Lots of plastic is recyclable yet most doesn't get recycled. Is it a convenience thing? Are people just too lazy? Or are they unaware of what can and cannot be recycled? I think it's all of the above. I know all of you are increasing the amount of waste you recycle each day but I'd like you to think about how you will dispose of an item before even purchasing it. Turn over that package, bottle, container, or box of whatever to see if it can be recycled. If it can't, what will you do with it? Think about it.

Mom hasn't uploaded the Fresh Market pictures to the Facebook page yet because she can't decide which one is worse. But she will pick one and show the world what Fresh Market is doing to the environment in the name of convenience. Convenience? Not at all!

Oh The Places I Don't Go

Mom has been leaving me a lot this summer to visit this place. You read that right - leaving me. Can you believe that? Here I sit, with my angry disc and bad leg and Mom goes off traipsing through some crazy garden! What's a pug to do?

Mom once again left me on Monday to visit this garden place. It's really not one garden but many gardens. There are even some statues in the garden like this one of a very famous guy that I instantly recognized as Carl Linnaeous, the Father of Taxonomy. He developed a system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms that is still used today, some 232 years after his death. This cool statue is located in the Heritage Garden section which showcases flowers from every continent.

Mom visits the Garden to commune with nature but also to get exercise. There are great walking paths throughout the garden that wind through pine forests, waterways, and even an apple orchard but Mom's favorite place to hang out is Dixon Prairie. She has a thing for prairies and after viewing her pictures I can see why she loves them.

This is not a very good picture of milkweed but you get the picture, right? There are milkweed plants all over Dixon Prairie because milkweed is essential to a healthy prairie ecosystem. If you biggify the picture you will see a Monarch butterfly on one of the plants. Monarchs couldn't survive without milkweed because they lay their eggs on them. Once the eggs hatch revealing the beautiful yellow, black, and white striped caterpillars, the caterpillars go to work feeding voraciously on the milkweed, growing to 2,700 times their original size in just two weeks. How cool is that? Mom always sees lots of Monarchs all over the Garden and I sometimes even see them in my backyard.

It was super hot and humid on Monday, even for Mom. She was drawn to this sign on the Prairie because it so clearly described how prairie plants survive the heat. There are several educational signs like this one scattered all over the Prairie so there's a lot to learn at every turn.

The Garden is not only a great place to learn about plants but to learn about science as well. Bags like this one were placed over several plants on the Prairie months ago in an effort to learn about seed production. The Garden has a brand new science center where research is conducted year round on various plants from all over the world. One of the mottos of the Garden is "Plant science will save the planet" and I couldn't agree more.

Just as we need plants and animals, we need to understand the relationships that exist between them. Neither exists by itself and it's the work of plant scientists all over the world to determine how best to save what can still be saved. This is big picture stuff people and it's not so easy for a pug to understand but Mom dumbs it down for me. Anyone walking through the Prairie who sees the plants with the bags on them can read exactly why the bags are there. This gets people thinking, asking questions of themselves and of others, questions like "Who are the pollinators of this plant? Why are we comparing seed production? What type of results are we looking for? They're growing plants on the roof?" Things that get people thinking often lead to people acting and that's when positive change occurs.

Ahhh, the pretty Prairie. Can't you just heard the wind whistling through the petals of the regal sunflowers? The Prairie is never crowded because there's no shade, but Mom loves all the native plants and animals that call it home. This picture is reminiscent of what the entire area used to look like a few hundred years ago. Groups around the area are working hard to restore the prairies that still remain to their natural habitats and places like the Garden encourage people to plant native species in their gardens.

At the end/beginning of the Prairie trail are the water gardens. A little bridge brings you to the perfect place to rest your feet, sip some delicious water, and admire the lotus floating in the ponds. It's all nice and peaceful until

this guy shows up! Mom was just sitting there enjoying the silence when this guy decided to get out of the water and walk right up to her. It's hard to see in the picture but this is a male mallard, otherwise known as a drake. He's very drab, having lost his beautiful teal head feathers with the rest of his breeding plumage. He's done breeding for the year and is looking for a new woman. Or maybe he's just hungry. Mom thinks it's the latter.

I secretly downloaded an app onto Mom's phone so I could listen to her conversations. The app lets me listen to everything she says whether she's talking on the phone or not. I wasn't really surprised to hear her talking to the drake, but I was a little surprise at what she said:

"Now listen Mr. Drake, it's very nice of you to come visit me here but I don't have anything for you. No treats, no nothing. All my treats are for Stubby because he's getting very skinny. I think he may be starving and if I give you his treats he will surely perish. Please run along and find your own food just like your friends are doing." I love my mom!

Just on the other side of the water gardens is Evening Island. It's full of beautiful flowers like this hibiscus. The blossoms are as big as plates and so very colorful. They look very cheery, don't they? You can't be in a bad mood when you visit the Garden because it brings out the best in everyone.

Evening Island is also home to the Carillon. You can hear it's bells ring on the hour no matter where you are in the Garden. The sound is loud and powerful but soothing.

The Carillon is only open for tours on Monday evenings and Mom had to get home to me so no tour for her. She swears she's going to get a tour this summer or else!

The rose garden is pretty but not Mom's favorite because she just doesn't like roses that much. She loves the fountain in the garden and likes to walk through but that's it. There's also an english walled garden and a couple of weeks ago someone had their wedding reception in it.

But this is one of the biggest reasons Mom loves the Garden. You don't need to biggify the picture to get the message - they don't sell bottled water! Yahoo! Yippee! They stopped selling it a few years ago and Mom wishes more places would take the same stand against it.

There are water fountains throughout the Garden where you can fill up your reusable bottle and Mom knows where all of them are because she fills up quite frequently. Isn't it hard to believe that it takes 3 liters of fresh water to produce 1 liter of bottled water? What a waste of water and energy. What a waste of money, too! Save your money, save our precious resources and choose tap water. It does a body good!

I think I would love visiting the Garden but if I want to visit I have to wait until October 30 because that's the date of the Spooky Pooch Parade. Yes, for 2 hours once a year, dogs wearing Halloween costumes are allowed in the Garden. There's even a costume contest with awards. If I go I will be entered in the "Best Senior in Costume" which is for dogs over 10 years of age. I'm betting I could win this contest if I wear my Frankenpug costume!