MERRY CHRISTMAS!

For Xmas Miss Lola got some pads to pee on and a new harness. It is pink with white bones on it and entirely overpriced. Lola really enjoyed the holiday season. She ate her weight in stuffed salmon, prosciutto, and cheese and laid out under the tree.

I am planning a day trip for Lola and I. We will journey up Interstate 5 in the ultimate succulent roadtrip. A few stops I have planned follows in no particular order whatsoever,

1. Solana Succulents
   355 N Highway 101(between Dahlia Dr & Lomas Santa Fe Dr) Solana Beach, CA 92075
2. Chicweed 240 Cedros Ave Solana Beach, CA 92075
3. Cactus King & Succulents
   1534 Crest DrEncinitas, CA 92024
4. Rancho Soledad Nurseries Inc
   18539 Aliso Canyon Rd Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067

On a sad note, Lola peed on my brand spanking new carpet! It isnt stained but its stinky. I have been trying to clean it with a mixture of water and oxyclean but that is not really doing the trick. I read online that white vinegar and water works because it neutralizes the ammonia in the urine, so I will try that tonite. :(

Hot Dog Farts

I fed Lola half of a Costco hot dog the other day and it caused her to produce such nauseating farts that I thought I was going to pass out.

beds

Lola has three beds. My bed and the two in this picture. I put them next to each other because she kept trying to climb behind and beneath the entertainment center. I thought the beds would remind her that she had a nice soft place to lay and didn't need to go where its all dusty and full of coaxial cables. I just thought its interesting that she chose the brown one instead of the cat bed. Hello! the cat bed looks so inviting, its like a little house, and it has a lady bug pillow I handmade for you, brat.

Lola goes to the Oceanside Pier and gets poop on my shirt.

Today my family and I drove up to Oceanside and walked on the pier. It is really long and has a Ruby's Diner at the end and people fish off it. I carried Lola up and down all 1,942 feet of it. I took some pictures on the pier but I dont like them so I am not posting them. And I still haven't posted any of my beautiful plants because i am L A Z Y! lazy! After the pier we went to the San Luis Rey Mission. Lola enjoyed walking around the grounds. It was there I noticed a light brown stain on the front of my white shirt, thanks Lola! The gift shop there is really interesting, and smells good. Like incense good, but not overly incensey (if you know what I mean).

Tomorrow is Monday, and Lola is going to get a bath. Not because she smells, but because her fur is matted in some spots. I don't know why, nor do I want to ponder on it. I think I will take her up Cowles Mtn so she can get good N dirty before I bathe her.

There is next weekend a "Festival of the Bells" at the Mission San Diego de Alcala which was founded on July 16, 1769 by Blessed Junipero Serra. It was designated as a Minor Basilica in 1976 by Pope Paul VI. The Mission today is an active Catholic Parish in the Diocese of San Diego. I stole that from their website. My boyfriend's oldest sister was married there this month, it is very pretty inside. However I doubt it's authenticity. I hate when they call something a historical landmark, but its like really just a replica of the original one that doesnt exist anymore. Whatever, im over it! Anyway at this festival they are going to be having a blessing of the animals with mariachi! (July 18 @ 3pm) I asked my mother if she would go with me. (she said no) I then rebuked her for not attending Lola's baptism. We then got into an argument over whether or not animals can be baptized. I say they can and here are my reasons....

1. St Francis preached to the animals. Therefore he must have thought they had a soul, otherwise why would he have wasted his time.
2. When babies get baptized they aren't aware of what is happening to them, so it shouldn't matter if a dog doesn't understand whats going on.
3. Jonah 3:5-9 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. 7He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8“But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9“Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.

See even the animals had to fast and be covered with sack cloth! So if they were capable of repenting, they should be able to be baptized. Also my final point was in response to "animals cant be baptized because they are not humans" but what if an alien came from outer space and wanted to convert, you wouldn't let him?

La Mesa Car Show

Today I went with Mark and Lola to the La Mesa car show. Lola's collar was way to big and kept falling off her head so I had to carry her most of the time. All the cars were pretty suhweet. Here are some cute pictures of Miss Lola!

I took these pictures with my new phone that I got. I like the phone because its not a total piece of crap like my old one was. Plus its blue not red.

I am recently obsessed with succulents. I have always had house plants but on a recent trip to visit a family friend I was reintroduced to succulents! I don't know why I love them so much. Maybe because they are small, cute, and unusual. Just like Lols. I am going to post pictures of my sexy succulents manana.

In southern california at least, you can find succulents anywhere besides obvious places like Lowes and other chain stores, I have found a couple of specialty plant stores and surprisingly, Old Town has some too. Something funny about Old Town... there was a shop/museum in the center of Old Town, adjacent to the Catholic church and the souvenirs they sold there were soooo tacky. Like stuff people try to sell you through your car window when your sitting in traffic trying to cross the border back into San Diego.

A place I do recommend that has lots of really pretty things is Miranda's Courtyard @ 2548 Congress Street.

So many different things to look at. I got a little blue pot that I planted my string of pearls or Senecio rowleyanus in. Muy bonita!

din din

I am running low on the ultra expensive dog food I buy Lola. Its called Royal Canin and they have a mix made especially for Chihuahuas that has littly itty bitty pieces. Its simply perfect for Lola because she only has like two teeth in her head. So I am trying to supplement her diet with human food, until my next unemployment check comes in. Today for dinner Lola had brie cheese and salmon. My mom tried to give her some frozen yogurt, but she wasn't interested. Which is strange because she normally loves the stuff. I think she was full from the fish.

Now for a game of "wheres the Lola?"

Lola goes to the DMV

Last week, my mother, brother, dog, and I took a short family trip to the DMV in sunny El Cajon. When my father was alive, we owned many cars. The most we had at any one time was I think 5 or 6. Therefore the DMV became like a second home for me. I didn't mind going, I would bring a book to read or my dog and the hours would just fly by. Actually they flowed like molasses on a cold day. My most notable trip occurred when Lola took a mad poopy right in the middle of the DMV. I was standing in line waiting for my ticket stub when a gentleman lightly tapped me on the shoulder.

"Your dog just went to the bathroom." he informed me. Confused I looked down at Lola. She was at my feet looking innocently back into my eyes. and next to her was a dookie. Mortified I looked around for something to pick it up with. I grabbed a DMV pamphlet, I don't remember for what it was but it had Arnold Schwarzenegger's face plastered on it. I hurriedly scooped up the

poopy with said pamphlet and then went to go sat down in the waiting area.

Thankfully on this family trip to the DMV nothing of that sort happened. Still, to remain

the safe side I stayed primarily outside where the kids waiting for their driving test to begin

stay. My brother took is driving test and passed with flying colors!

Dingleberries

Today Lola got her first dingleberry, at least the first I know of. I noticed it when I was in class holding her. There was something hard stuck to the base of her tail. When I realized what it was I was obviously immediately grossed out. It didn't help that Lola chose to spend the remainder of class lounging on my school books.

After class I drove straight to my mother's home to give Lola a bath. I always bathe her at my mom's because she has a hand shower, and it makes it so much easier to rinse all the soap off her. Completely rinsing all the soap out of their fur is vital because the residue can cause them to itch and get dandruff. So back to the alleged dingleberry, it was so old because it took two separate occasions to finally detach it from Lola's rump. First I tried with a wet paper towel but it was stuck to her fur like bubblegum. Meanwhile my mother was admonishing me saying that this would never have happened if I wiped her bottom after each time she pottied. In my head I retorted, she is a dog! not a toddler. Actually, wiping your dog's booty after they poopy is a splendid idea, provided you have a respectable receptacle to deposit the dirty napkin in. And when you are doing a dump and dash, like we did before class today, wiping is not always a practical option. But I digress, back to the dingleberry! My mother suggested just washing it out with hot water, so into the tub Lola went.

Typically when I wash Lola I use human shampoo, most notably the Suave Collection. Today I used Deep Cleaning for Men because the bottle promises to remove build up, and Lola had a cache of doodie built up on her tushie. I followed with Suave's green apple scented conditioner.
But the real issue here is when did this dingleberry fashion itself? I handle Lola often and never noticed it prior to class so I am hoping it wasn't more than a day old. Cause damn. That's nasty.