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Happy election day!

Pug Magic

I, sans pugs, will be going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter soon with my niece and nephew.  I've been rereading the series before our trip to get in the mood and remind me of everything since I haven't read some of the books since they were released.

I'd love to hear any tips or advice from those who have gone before.  Also, most importantly, are there any good souvenirs I can get for the pugs?

Problems Every Small Dog Understands

Rosy has a weird relationship with our neighboring dogs. She generally fears/hates strange dogs, especially big ones, as I don't think she was properly socialized with her prior family or maybe she had a bad experience. But she sees our neighboring dogs on a daily basis so she's kind of used to them and super intrigued by them.

The German Shepard mix that lives next to us is so patient with Rosy. Just a few days ago, Rosy barked at her (as usual) and then calmed down enough to sniff. But Rosy's so tiny she can practically walk under most big dogs. Next thing I know, Rosy's standing up on her back legs, her front paws planted on the big dog's butt cheeks, and sniffing deeply. She really got in there!

Sunny and I were mortified.

Hot and Humid

I complain all the time about the heat and humidity, but now that it's late September I feel like my complaints are totally valid and justified. I also had the wonderful idea to cut my hair a little shorter than usual this past weekend and now it's curling and frizzing like crazy.

It's time for summer to take the hint and go away and take all the bugs with it too. This week is summer's last hurrah here and it's so muggy and gross and the mosquitoes are going crazy for their last bites.

Of course, no matter what the weather is like, my super warm, barnacle love bug pugs want to glom onto my body and snuggle 24/7. Normally I love it, but sometimes it gets to be a bit much and overheats me. The humidity also brings out the delightful pet store aroma from their usual fritolicious scent. (Ooh that reference to a pet store just reminded me to buy more dog food before we run out).

Summer, it's not me. It's you. Go away. Come back next year when we're all tired of the cold.

What To Do When You See a Bug in Your Home

I hate bugs.  I hate them with a passion.

One of the things I hate about them the most is that they like to hang out on the ceiling of my bedroom.  I don't know if it's because my bedroom is essentially the attic or they like the sloped ceilings or what.  By now I've developed a tried and true method that I've outlined in this illustration. Enjoy.

Weekend Plans

Happy Friday!

I don't know if it's because summer is ending or what, but I've been feeling extra lazy lately.  So this weekend, I'll be relaxing with my pugs.  Hope you all have a great weekend too!

When Pugs Go Wild!

Last night Sunny and Rosy were going bananas for no apparent reason.  It was hilarious!  I love it when they play around like that, especially Sunny.  Rosy's always pretty high energy and I adopted her when she was still young at 2 years old.  But, I adopted Sunny when she was already an adult at 5 years old.  And her personality is definitely more of a lazy lap dog.  So, seeing her act puppyish like this always makes me smile.

Battling The Sads

I've been in a bit of a funk recently. Not wanting to do anything and yet feeling restless. Tired of things and wanting change, but also fearing it. Feeling gross and lazy and tired.

Good thing I have my pugs. Pugs make everything better. They're like magic.

No. They ARE magic.

Ice Cream For The End of Summer

Remember how I said I'm done with summer? Yeah. Still feel way. 

This weekend was so hot and humid we had heat advisories each day. The pugs and I planned to stay at home with the ac cranked up, but then our power went out. Ugh. Luckily, Cousin Annie's house still had power so we went there for a bit. 

Cousin Annie was not pleased. 

I don't love summer. In fact, I kinda hate it. I don't get fun summer breaks. I have to work. And so summer just means gross and hot commutes while I sweat through my nice clothes. 

And what about fun summery treats like ice cream and iced coffees? I enjoy those year-round. If you haven't had a big bowl of ice cream while wrapped in a cozy blanket with the heat on in the middle of winter, you haven't lived, my friend. 

On that note, let's enjoy this photo below  of Rosy desperately begging for my ice cream and the photo above, which is the drawing for August in my Bah Humpug calendar.  

Keeping Cool

Ugh. The pugs and I are done with summer. It's just way too hot and humid. I'm constantly sweating and the pugs are panting loudly enough to wake the dead. And the bugs. The bugs!

We're ready for fall. But for all you summer and hot-weather-loving (crazy) people out there, we hope that you enjoy your steamy weekend.

We will be enjoying it indoors with the ac cranked up high!

P.S. This drawing is from the July month in my Bah Humpug calendar available at my Zazzle store. But I thought it was still fitting for this scorching day in August!

Goodbye Rice Teeth

If you follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Tumblr, then you'll already know that Sunny and Rosy went to the vet on Friday for a teeth cleaning and had several teeth removed.  Sunny's had quite a few teeth removed over the years so I'm used to it with her.  But Rosy's always been my puppy (even though she's actually about 6 years old right now) and one of her most distinctive funny traits has been her adorable lil rice teeth that stick out on the bottom.  This was her first teeth cleaning and extraction too.  Well, her teeth were in bad enough condition that the vet ended up removing all six of her lil rice teeth!

Sunny had a couple teeth removed too, and the vet said her tongue might stick out even more than before.  To which I said, "More than before?!  Is that even possible?!"

I knew that Rosy's teeth in the front weren't in great condition.  I have a hard time cleaning them because Rosy wraps her lips tightly around them if I try getting in there.  And the one time recently I was able to try to pry her lips open, her riceteeth moved easily at my touch.  I know that it's better for her health in the long run to have the teeth removed now (and her breath no longer smells like death), but I miss them so much!  

So in remembrance of Rosy's adorable lil rice teeth, below are some old photos of her smile and more recent photos from their vet visit.  

Rice teeth!

Sunny's procedure was after Rosy's and so she was still very groggy and out of it when I picked her up.  So sad and so cute!

Sunny and Rosy really bonded during their ordeal.  They've been total snuggle bunnies with each other ever since!

The ride home.  They were so unsteady and their heads were bobbing as they kept falling asleep.  I drove as fast as I could to get us all home!

Don't forget to take good care of your dog's teeth!  Good dental health is so important!

Book Deal Announcement!

I have some really exciting news that I wanted to share here on this blog, even though I've already made announcements on my social media accounts.  Scholastic will be publishing two of my Pugling Rivalry books in 2018!

Both books will be illustrated chapter books geared for children, but of course they can be enjoyed by all ages as the love of pugs has no age limit.  The story will follow a mostly fictional account of Sunny's and Rosy's sibling rivalry adventures.  And I know what you're wondering and yes, there will be plenty of drumstick attacks in the books.

I know 2018 seems like forever away.  It feels like that for me too!  But, on the other hand, I'm grateful for the time to work on these two books as they'll involve a lot of illustrations.  A LOT.

The official announcement can be found in Publishers Weekly with a photo of me (I know, I know.  I'm no longer anonymous).  I tried submitting a photo of the pugs instead of me, but that didn't fly.

The first book will be coming out in spring 2018 and the second one will be coming out in fall 2018.  The deal is for two books, but if these two do really well then future books in a continued series could be a likely outcome.  And doesn't the world need more pugs and, specifically, more Sunny and Rosy?

I'll continue to post my drawings here on this blog, but both real work and now book work has been taking up a good amount of my time.  I'll also post some progress posts on my social media accounts if you want to discover this process with me because all of this is so new and exciting and terrifying for me!

Thank you to everyone who visits this blog and for your continued support.  It's been a long and interesting journey!

For the sake of nostalgia, look at how much my drawing style has changed from my first post here on Bah Humpug.

 

My pugs have definitely gotten "fluffier" since then.

Watching Their Stories

I have the tv on almost all the time, even if I'm not really watching it just so I have some background noise.  Sunny doesn't really care about the tv, but Rosy loves watching her stories.  Seriously.  She'll watch anything.  And she gets this intense look on her little face.  She goes especially bananas for animals, but sometimes she'll react even to simple changes of lighting or specific people or sounds.  She went through a James Spader phase when in the first season of Blacklist (he does have a mesmerizing voice and swagger), but that's since faded.

And what better way to relax in front of the tv than with a big bowl of popcorn?  Notice Rosy's double fisting the popcorn because she's a greedy popcorn monster.

Picture evidence of Rosy's tv and popcorn addictions.

Pug Phrases

Over the years, I've come up with a bunch of random phrases to describe my two pugs and the things that they do.  Sunny and Rosy are so funny and strange, these thoughts just come into my head as I watch their crazy antics.  Over time, with repeated use, the terms become firmly embedded in my internal dictionary.

I think all these phrases are self explanatory, but below are some photos showing examples.  And besides, who doesn't love seeing photos of pugs?  Crazy, sad people, that's who.

Drumstick Attack:  Rosy has a deep, deep love for Sunny's drumsticks.  I don't know what caused it, but she's frequently head butting and gnawing at them, all while wagging her tail in pure joy.  Sunny's so chill, she puts up with it for the most part, but when she's had enough she lets Rosy know.

Wing Attack:  Rosy's love for Sunny's wings is strong, but not as strong as her love of her drumsticks of course.  Usually she'll resort to a wing attack if the drumstick is blocked, but drumstick is always her first choice.

Rice Teeth:  I love Rosy's tiny row of bottom teeth that look like grains of rice!  Her top lip often gets tucked in, showing off her beautiful teeth in a funny, awkward smile.  She has to go for a dental cleaning sometime this year, and I fear that she'll lose some of her precious lil rice teeth.

Pug Blanket:  Sunny usually likes hanging out in her corner of the couch for her naps as it's more comfortable than draping over me like she used to do when she was younger.  But sometimes she wants to snuggle and Rosy's in the way.  Sunny's solution is to climb on top of both of us and lay down, creating a super warm and cozy pug blanket.  I love pug blanket in the fall and winter!  But in the warmer weather months, it's not so much fun.

Pug Barnacle:  Pug barnacle is just another way of saying velcro pugs.  I use the term velcro pugs to describe how my pugs are obsessed with me and follow me room to room.  But when they can't stand being separated from me and have to make some form of constant, physical contact, I think of them as lil barnacles, glommed onto the ship that is me.  Rosy's the main culprit.  When Sunny wants my attention, she resorts to painfully pawing at my arms until I pet her.

Dagger Nails: Pug nails grow faster than anything else on earth.  And while many dogs have their nails ground flat against the pavement on their regular walks, something about the way my pugs walk or stand sharpens their nails into tiny daggers at the ends of their paws.  Every time I come home and they jump on my legs I wince at the little stabbings.

Hearts Shooting Out of Their Eyes:  When my pugs aren't sleeping, eating, fighting with each other, playing with their toys, or watching tv, they're likely gazing at me as if I'm the best thing that ever existed in this universe.  Such adoring stares!

Some of these photos have crossovers. Like the one below is an excellent example of lil bean and rice teeth too!

Sunny Dreams of Sushi:  If you've never seen the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, then add that to your Netflix list right now!  After my sister and I watched it a few years ago, we noticed that Sunny's tongue often looks like a piece of sashimi.  This then led to our singing, "Sunny dreams of suuuushhiiiiii!" over and over again as we massaged her lil velvety ears.  Sunny loved that.  She still has a little sashimi tongue.  Actually, it's not so little.

Freshly Baked Pug Loaves:  I don't mean to brag, but Sunny is one of the best pug loaves I've ever seen.  Sometimes I can't even see a single limb.  But this phrase isn't meant to describe just her awesome pug loafing (she does her best work on the couch, which often involves her dreaming squeaking).  It's specific to when I wake up and Sunny and/or Rosy are sleepy pug loaves on the big bed, smelling Fritolicious.

Sunny Singing The Song of Her People:  My mom loves teaching our dogs to sing.  She gets great joy out of tossing her head back and seeing our dogs mimic her action and howl.  We thought Sunny was mute for the first few years I had her.  Now we can't stop her singing even if we wanted to.  But why would we ever want to do that?!  She has the best little hoarse awoowoowoo!  She's so dramatic about it, I like to say she's singing the song of her people, as it seems that serious and important.

Lil Bean:  Sunny and Rosy are both shaped like lil beans, but Rosy is especially a lil bean.  Something about her plump small body just screams, BEAN!  I often like to sing to her "Lil bean! Lil bean, lil bean, lil beeeaaaaaannnn!" which gets her really really excited.  And that makes me happy.

Boop!:  With a tongue as fabulous as Sunny's and one that's always sticking out, how can I resist touching it and giving her a "boop"?  She hates the boop so I don't do it that often.  But sometimes it looks so soft and squishy or so dry and wrinkly I can't resist.