Hi Everyone. Silver here (I'm the Weimaraner that really runs the show around this house -- but I'm smart enough to let Mommy and Daddy think they are the ones in charge).
Since Mommy has been lazy about updating her blog, I decided to take matters into my own paws because there are some noteworthy things to mention about the past two months. To be fair to Mommy, she has been very busy at 'work' (I know this is their secret word for 'park' when they don't want me to go with them! so rude...) and she was also sick for a while... but we'll get to that.
First of all, we'll go all the way back to mid-July when Mommy had her birthday. She kept complaining about turning 29 and how this was the last year of her youth or something. Humans. Who understands them? Anyway, they went away to a place called The Mountains for a long weeked, and they actually had the nerve to leave me at home! Can you believe it? Well, I say they left me at home, but they didn't really. They took me to visit my Grandmommy and Granddaddy, and that's always fun because I get to spend time with them and be spoiled, and I also get to play with my other friends named Charlie, Rasta, and Millie (there's also another animal there called a "cat" named Caoilin but she swats my nose a lot. It's almost like she doesn't like me or something, but that can't be possible. I hear she does this a lot though, so I don't take it personally). I love spending time at their house because they have a huge yard and a swimming pool, even though I don't swim. But the best part is when Mommy and Daddy come to pick me up and they tell me all about their trip! 
Apparently while they were in The Mountains they stayed at a little log cabin called the Carolina Wren which was beautiful and very quiet. They also went to the Biltmore Estate and saw beautiful pieces of architecture, important pieces of art, and relaxing gardens. 
The food was pretty good too, so they say. Their favorite restaurant was actually at the Biltmore Village and it was called The Corner Kitchen. However, they didn't really have any bad meals there. They always talk about food when I'm around. It's not fair. They also drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while to enjoy the scenery. The Smokies aren't particuarly tall mountains, but they are very beautiful.
Apparently while they were in The Mountains they stayed at a little log cabin called the Carolina Wren which was beautiful and very quiet. They also went to the Biltmore Estate and saw beautiful pieces of architecture, important pieces of art, and relaxing gardens. The food was pretty good too, so they say. Their favorite restaurant was actually at the Biltmore Village and it was called The Corner Kitchen. However, they didn't really have any bad meals there. They always talk about food when I'm around. It's not fair. They also drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while to enjoy the scenery. The Smokies aren't particuarly tall mountains, but they are very beautiful.
Just two weeks after they got home from their "vacation" (I don't know how they can possibly have a vacation without me; I can't imagine that would be any fun for them at all), all of a sudden, with no warning to me at all, they traded me at some shopping mall and off I went home with Grandmommy and Granddaddy again before I even realized what was going on!!! That was sneaky! I thought I was smart but they really pulled the wool over my eyes on that one.Anyway, a few days later, I was returned to Mommy and Daddy, but it wasn't at my house. It was at a different house which had lots of strange smells, and also a lot of similar smells. I wasn't sure what to make of it all. After it became clear that we would not be leaving this place, I discovered that they had moved homes while I was with Grandmommy and Granddaddy. They weren't able to move directly from our old house into our new one, so they had to stay with a friend for a day or two, and they didn't want me to feel concerned about our lack of a house, so they sent me off for a while instead. I can understand their worry, but really, if they had just explained it to me, I would've been fine! But, what's done is done, and we're in this new place which is beautiful and it also has a nice fenced yard for me to play in. There are also a lot of cats in the neighborhood that I can look at! That's fun!
The only thing I don't like is the floor. It's so slippery. Mommy and Daddy call it "hardwood" and they seem to love it, but they don't go sliding around all over the place! it's also a lot closer to where they 'work' so I get more time with them at lunch. That's very nice!
In mid-August, my Granddaddy and my aunt Alix had a birthday party! I met her new boyfriend, Ian, and of course I saw all of my friends at Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house. That was a lot of fun. I missed Champ though. He wasn't around. That's too bad, because I like Champ!
A few weeks after we moved to the new place, Daddy's best friend from Italy, Valeria, came to visit for three weeks. She's working on finishing her PhD so it's sort of a working vacation for her. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of her yet because she bought a very fancy camera here and she's been the one taking all the pictures! But once I have copies of them, I'll post them up, I promise! Valeria is a lot of fun; she's so nice to me. We all have a good time together and she gives me lots of attention (which is no less than I deserve, of couse, but it's nice when humans recognize how special I am).
A few days after Valeria arrived, Mommy woke up on Friday night -- technically it was Saturday morning -- around 4:30am with a lot of pain in her lower back and side. So these strange men came and they took my Mommy off in a weird-looking truck with lots of lights. First, I was put into my crate, but just before she left I was let out of it because Valeria said she could look after me. But what happened to my Mommy really scared me. And then Daddy left too in his car! I was inconsolable. Valeria tried to calm me down but I was so nervous; I just knew something really bad had happened to my Mommy. I was worried I might never see her again. Fortunately, that was not the case! Mommy and Daddy came home around 10:30am, and I was so happy to see them! However, it was clear that there was something very wrong with Mommy. She was on a lot of drugs! She went straight to bed and I stayed with her for the next three days. Usually when she's sick, I avoid her like the plague (except when it comes to sharing the sofa, because I like sitting on the sofa and if she happens to be there, well there's not a lot I can do about that). But this time I knew that she was really needing me to be there for her, so I stayed very close to her all weekend. I don't really understand what was wrong; they kept talking about a "kidney stone" but I don't know what that means. All I know for sure is that Daddy carefully watches Mommy's fluid intake, and if she doesn't drink enough water, he tells her to drink more in the same tone of voice he uses if I do something naughty -- which, of course, is very rare. Anyway, Mommy is back to normal now and we've been able to do fun things together with Valeria.
So, there you have it. The past two months in a nutshell. Oh, one more thing, even though this is technically September, I have to tell you good people about my experience yesterday. I went to have my annual exam at the vet, Dr. Jon, who is very nice, but those people violate me in all kinds of weird ways. Oooh, I don't like going there! Mommy says it's for my own good, but I'm not convinced.
Hugs and licks
xxx
Silver
