Hi. It’s me again. Max

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It’s been a hectic time since I’ve had a chance to share ‘stuff’ with all of you. Until yesterday, things were pretty normal. Except for the cat. I don’t know why, but Louie seems to be growing on me a little and that’s disturbing. I’m a professional Cat Chaser and Louie just lays there. He won’t run anywhere except to get under the bed. That’s just no fun at all because I bump my head a lot when I run under there. I’m not as short as some people might think.

Then, the day before yesterday, my humans started packing things into the trailer they parked next to the garage. I’ve seen them do that before and it winds up with me stuck in this little basket they put on the center console between the buckets. They call it my throne. It’s not so bad, really, and it gives me an opportunity to get a lot of sleep unless we pass a herd of cows and one of them says “Look at the cows!” real loud. Of course, it scares me a little, jerks me awake and I can’t help but look out the window to find the cows. No matter how hard I try to ignore things like that, I always fall for it because I like finding cows on our trips. Squirrels are more fun, though.

Seeing what was going on, I figured I might as well get myself in the mood for another trip. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love trips. The alternative is to be left home. Alone. With Louie. The cat. I’ll take the trip every time.

The packing went well past noon so they decided to delay the departure until the next day. I overheard them say that they had originally planned to make it to Memaloose State Park off I-84 on the Columbia River. Instead, they decided to drive straight to Boardman RV Park which was supposed to be the second leg.

After digesting all of that, it makes me wonder why they plan things at all. Doing things when the mood strikes is more fun. There’s more mystery that way.

So, yesterday we got the trailer hooked up and I insisted that I be allowed to wait in the truck where I happily climbed into my Throne.

The trip was OK. They stopped in Scappoose, all of 8 miles away, for a dead chicken sandwich, then we headed east. All I got out of that was a couple of french fries.

The trip through the Columbia River Gorge was very interesting. There were lots of waterfalls that normally aren’t there. Seeing all that water cascading off the cliffs made me want to pee. A lot. Finally, they stopped at the Walmart in Hood River so I could unload. It was very gratifying.

We arrived around 4 pm. I didn’t get to go for a walk until everything was hooked up. Then I got a long one. My human is good about walking with me but he doesn’t keep up very well.

After the walk we ate, they watched TV, then we all went to bed. It was the 1st day and it was good.

Today I got another walk in the morning then they both left me alone for a few hours while they went somewhere else. I have no idea where. So, I curled up in my Serta Perfect Sleeper and stayed there all day. When they got back I was served dinner on the lawn next to the Columbia River. It was very romantic. Then I got another walk around the park. This time, however, I got to go play in the river! Then I ran a bunch of Zoomies at the end of my leash until I got dried off. It was a lot of fun. Not like Milton Creek, but fun anyway. When my toenails get ground off a little more I’ll be able to download some photos Dad (Jerrie) took of my swimming prowess. Right now they are just too pointy and would probably scratch his computer. A dead giveaway that I’ve been messing with his stuff.

I’m going to stop this now because it’s taken me 4 days to get this far and we’ve only covered 1 or 2 days.

Jeran Got His MDiv

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Jeran has been working hard at Corban University in Salem for the past five years to reach this day. Last year he graduated with his Bachelors degree then turned around, got back to work for his Masters of Divinity.

Now it’s done. He’s free! All he needs to worry about now is getting a job.

We’re very proud of him. So is everyone else in his family.

A happy guy with his proud siblings, Cedric and Lydia.

Me & Louie

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Hi there. It’s me, Max. I have a complaint.

My home has been invaded by a cat. His name is Louie. He’s a very friendly guy and I’d like to get to know him better but every time I try to get him to move, by lunging at him, he hides under the bed. He apparently doesn’t understand that I need him to run so I can chase him. That’s what cats and dogs do. The dog chases the cat until the cat’s had enough and simply stands his ground all humped up, ready for a battle. Louie doesn’t do that. He just gets out of the way.

I went to see my doctor the other day for my one year check up. Yup, I’ve lived in the same home for a whole year. It’s been pretty sweet. My humans told me my ‘Gotcha Day’ was February 14 last year. That was Mother’s Day in 2023. I know that’s true because I’ve heard them talking.

Going to the doctor is fun and I have a really good time there. I’ve noticed that most dogs that go there aren’t appreciative of the trip and the opportunity to collect a whole library of new smells. Sometimes my nose gets to going to hard it makes me sneeze. I guess that’s nature’s way of clearing my nasal passage, making room for me to collect new nose treats. I love those.

While waiting for the doctor, who I adore, I cleared the waiting room perimeter a couple of times then I waited longingly for her by the door. I don’t get to see her very often which means, I guess, that I’m in pretty good shape.

That’s my doctor on the left. She loves me and lets me lick her nose.

After a couple of shots I was dismissed and we departed the facility. I think one of the shots was for rabies which I needed so my humans can keep me legally licensed. It turns out that the shots knocked me down for a few days so I didn’t do much.

Now I’m back. So, keep an eye out on what’s been going on.

Max got a pedicure

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Hi. Max is back, again. Just a quickie to share the news that one of my primary humans scheduled a pedicure for me as a surprise. I would rather have known about it in advance, but I guess there wasn’t enough time to let me know, or I was asleep. One of those three.

Anyway, Bryanna and her partner showed up about 30 minutes ago to whittle my toenails right about the time I had decided to take the day off and spend it napping in the back yard while getting a little color on my belly.

I’ve had my toes done many times before, so the process isn’t new to me. Usually, however, I get a ride in the truck on the way to the appointment, but Bryanna is tricky and comes to the house. So, all I got was a quick walk to the back yard where Bryanna’s partner picked me up and massaged my chest while Bryanna ground down my nails with a Dremel tool. That was new. Kinda tickles

It was so relaxing that I’m afraid I just fell asleep in his arms. It was quite nice.

I was told that I have to wait for about two months for the next visit. I’m going to get a calendar and start marking off the days.

Max

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Just got my hair done and need an opinion about the style. I think it’s a little too curly for my rugged nature.

Found a new series on Paramount + that you might like. I plan to binge watch it the next time I’m left alone for a while. Of course, one of my humans will have to dial it up before they leave because I have a real problem with remotes – there are three of them. Maybe if I hold a pencil in my teeth, I could push just one button at a time. Yeah! That might work!

I can do this all day. She’ll cave and put the plate on the floor eventually.

I got to meet some new humans the other day, Brian, Kelly, and Annie. I think they’re related to my primaries in some way. They just showed up in our driveway the other day. I don’t know why, and no one told me they were coming. I’m apparently out of the loop about this stuff.

This is Brian, Kelly, and Me.

And this is Annie, and Diane. You already know Diane. She’s the other primary human I live with.

Sadly, my other primary human, who takes all the photos, didn’t put a lot of thought into getting a photo of all three of them together. How dumb is that? I think he’s getting really old. I heard the other day that he’s like 560 years old in dog years.

Maybe he’ll remember next time.

Max Goes Camping

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Hi! My name is Max and I’m the cutest dog in the world (according to my Humans). I suppose some of you might be surprised that a dog, such as I, can use a computer. Rest easy because I really can’t. I can’t type, because I don’t have opposing thumbs. Not having those limit me to mundane tasks like digging holes in the yard, holding treats awkwardly between my feet so I can take little bites instead of gobbling them like some critters do and that’s about it. I dig holes and hold treats. And walk. I walk a lot. So, in order to accomplish this amazing feat, I simply dictate what I’m thinking to Jerrie who can do all the hard stuff. In my spare time, I hunt squirrels.

At this moment in time I’m camping with my Humans, Diane and Jerrie, in the Keizer Elks Lodge RV park. We drove down a couple days ago. No, I didn’t get to drive. I wanted to but another deficiency nixed that … I’m too short. Can’t reach the pedals, can’t steer, and don’t understand the need for turn signals. If I want to turn, I turn. Pretty simple. But I understand that’s against the law. Oh, and I don’t have a license. Apparently, dogs aren’t allowed to drive vehicles on public roads. In a field, on a tractor, no problem.

Another limitation about not having opposable thumbs is that I can’t open a can of dog food. That’s really not a bad thing because canned dog food is disgusting. If you’ve ever taken a bite of that stuff, you know what I mean.

So far this has been a pretty relaxing trip. I get left alone in the trailer once in a while when the people go do things I can’t do. Like eat in a restaurant. I’d love to do that but they keep telling me I’m too short for that, too. And I can’t hold a fork. While I’m alone I practice holding a fork but it’s just beyond me. In frustration I usually wind up just licking all the utensils in the drawer. Yes, I can open the drawer. And until right now, they didn’t have a clue they were using tools covered in dried dog slobber.

I need to sign off on this post before I get into more trouble. Perhaps I’ll find a way to share more of my life with you when Jerrie’s not paying attention. Keep an eye out for me.

Camping Lessons

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We have a trailer so it’s really not ‘camping’. It’s more like RVing. Camping requires a tent. That’s my belief, anyway. Could be wrong, but I’ll stick with that belief until someone gives me empirical proof that I might be mistaken.

So, after getting home from our last getaway, I got a little eager about getting things put away and violated a prime directive about opening the refrigerator too quickly.

Yeah. That happened to me. Seventeen eggs fell and only two survived. Yup. Just two of them. All of that happened in slow motion for me. Kinda like when you fall? Time slows down so you can anticipate the impending pain longer.

This can also happen with cherry tomatoes. I have a photo of that one somewhere but can’t find it.

One thing I failed to mention while sharing Lydia’s birthday … Bob, Steffani, and Berke were visiting us so they also attended the party. This is them with Max.

Somewhere in there we also had a hail storm. I think ‘hail’ is an Indian word that means ‘bouncing rain’.

We also went to a concert by this guy. Luke Yates. Look him up. He tours the USA playing in small venues like our humble church in Warren, Oregon. The group he toured with was New Legacy Project, but they disbanded recently and Luke chose to honor his commitment for venues already scheduled by going solo. He is without a doubt the best piano player I’ve ever seen. He’s amazing.

I guess I kinda wandered off the title topic, huh? That’s just the way my mind works as most of you already know.

Better quit while I can. Is anyone watching the NCAA Ladies basketball games? I’m pulling for Iowa. Just watch UCONN take down USC. So, The final four should be lots of fun.

Lydia Claire Jean

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This young lady had a birthday party last Tuesday to commemorate her arrival at the Quarter Century point of her busy life. The family gathered at the Margarita Factory in a place called Beaverton. It’s rumored that the town was originally named Beavertown because there were Beavers everywhere but someone in the government got reckless with their typewriter and fumble-fingered the official document that locked the city’s name forever as Beaverton. It can’t be changed back to the original name because the government is ne3ver wrong. Right? Like I said. It’s a rumor.

There were 10 of us at the table. That’s Lydia in the green sweater. As you gaze upon the table you can see why the place is called Margarita Factory. They don’t serve small drinks. Perhaps you may be happy to know that I, Jerrie, did not partake of any alcohol. I drank water. That’s all I ever drink. I’m not bragging, it’s just my drink of choice. Alcohol and I just don’t get along very well.

The food was good. I think I ate a bunch of shrimp which, as I recall, were pretty good. But, they didn’t take the crunchy tails off of them. Once those were removed they were pretty good.

Now Lydia is working on her way toward the Half Century mark. We’ll be with her the entire way.

To the Beach & Back

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Here I am, sitting in my recliner, Max hanging out between my legs, watching an NCAA Men’s playoff game (Clemson vs. Alabama) while Diane watches a recorded episode of The Bachelor. Living the dream.

In case you missed it, Kelsey (sp) won and got a humungus ring. Also, Alabama won the game. I don’t know who they play next. The game I watched before that one was UCONN vs. Illinois. Quite an amazing game. When the score was tied 23-23 UCONN went on a 30-0 run which kinda sealed it for them.

Now I’m compelled to lean into the goofy side of my brain. You may stop reading at any time and use your time in a more constructive way. I won’t mind at all.

Recently, Diane and I, and Max, spent a few days at Cape Lookout State Park near Tillamook where we didn’t even take one walk on the beach as a complete family. Max and I got out because he made it very clear that if I didn’t take him out he was going to crap in the trailer. That would not have made Diane happy. The weather was crappy so it really wouldn’t have been upset. But, we walked on the beach numerous times to avoid an unwanted nature call on the couch. He’s never done that but sometimes it’s difficult to deny physical needs that are ignored for too long. So, we walked and played.

The tide was out most of the times we walked making the beach appear to be enormous.

I tried to get him to run in the waves, and he did for about 30 seconds before dragging me back to the high tide mark that was littered with thousands of dead velella. They were odiferous and Max found them to be very appealing to his sensitive nose.

Left to his own devices he did his best to roll his little body in the sweet perfume of dead sea creatures but I won that tussle. He still needed a bath which he got when we returned to the trailer.

Those things were everywhere amongst the rocks.

To make the trip a little more enjoyable, we came upon some waterfalls that dribbled themselves onto the beach. They were very pretty and I did my best to get Max under them be he wasn’t having any of that.

Instead of choosing to rinse under one of the waterfalls he wandered toward the incoming tide, climbed on a rock and was promptly washed off into a roiling spin bath. I wish I had had some soap with me. I would have taken a photo but didn’t want to take a chance of dropping my phone into the water. Just trust me when I say he was thoroughly soaked when I managed to get him back to dry ground.

Snowbird Wannabes

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After many years of sticking around town we’re planning trips south for next fall. We’ve discussed doing this for years, but events and family ‘things’ prohibited such a trip. Now we actually have reservations to get it going.

First stop will be Fiddlers Cove on Naval Base Coronado, CA. Our plan is to be there for a month then we’ll move on to the Boneyard Vista Park on Davis-Monthan AFB in Tuscon, AZ. We’ve stayed on many bases during our various trips around the country but rarely with our RV. The exception is NAS Fallon, NV that was a topic of discussion not long ago.

One of the decisions we had to make was whether or not to use the motorhome or the travel trailer. When we bought the trailer, our intention was to sell the motorhome. Our pickup is rigged to be dingy towed, but the truck is more useful while towing the trailer. I think we’ve agreed to take the trailer so in case any of you are interested, the motorhome is for sale.

No, it doesn’t come with the tow car. Since this picture was taken the car was totaled when it got rear-ended at a crosswalk. If the Neptune piques your interest, let me know at Jerrie.cate@gmail.com and I send you particulars.

Today, March 1st, 2024, I took Max for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood like normal and we wound up walking in snow the entire way. Sadly, I didn’t take pictures, but everyone knows what snow looks like. It was just a surprise. We’ve had lots of rain all up and down the Left Coast and the remnants continue on across the country making life miserable for pretty much everyone in different ways. In general, everyone got wet everywhere. Some got more wet than others. For us it means the little crick in our backyard, that normally makes its way in a leisurely manner to the Columbia River turns into a muddy torrent. There’s no danger of water getting to our house, but sometimes it makes us wonder.

Max would like the creek a little lower and slower so he can go wading, one of his favorite things to do.

Now I must go do something productive.