Staying with Millie and Molly

Dearest Mom,

I am sorry it has been a week since I last wrote you. I have been at Millie and Molly's house (which was an absolute blast) while Craig and Lynn went to Florida to visit Beach Son Kyle and his family. (Lynn says to be sure to tell you that he isn't really a beach bum or anything. She just makes up names to go along with where her kids live. Music City Son Cole lives in Nashville, Denver Daughter is Sarah who lives in Colorado, and so on.)

Anyway! Staying with Lisa and the girls was fun. I loved having a doggy door where I could run in and out at will. I asked Lynn to put one into our house, but she said that it wasn't a good idea since our yard is not fenced in. Doggone it!

 Millie is the queen of the house and so I let her get into my bed and try it out. (Photo of Millie in the princess and the pea stacked beds and all comfy while Pepper stands next to her and looks up at Lisa who is holding the camera.)

I didn't mind if she slept in my bed - that meant there was more room for me in Lisa's bed!

Photo of Pepper sprawled on the comforter among the pillows. Molly can be seen sitting on the floor in the background.

Sometimes Millie and I both stretched out on the living room floor to snooze. Here we are side by side, but her nose is facing right while mine is facing left. My favorite toy, my rope tug, is handy nearby.

Lynn packed my antler in my travel tub and I spent a lot of time gnawing it. I like to lie on my back, legs akimbo, and chew, chew, chew with it held between my front paws. Do you like this picture Lisa snapped of me doing just that? Oh, that's Molly you can partially see.

Sometimes I didn't want to share my toys. Being a smart girl, I figured out that if I lay on them, like I am doing here on my rope tug, then Millie couldn't grab it. (Funny thing about Millie, she never plays with any toys. Ever! But now she seems to want mine. What is that all about?)

How do you like my Christmas collar? It has peppermints on it - get it? Peppermints for Pepper! Lynn got it for me from Serendipity, an Etsy shop who gives part of their proceed to support guide dogs like me.

Lisa is a teacher and she gets home around 4:30. If I thought she wasn't petting me enough, I'd put my head on the couch, just like in this photo, and give her my puppy eyes. Worked like a charm on her!

Lisa took Molly and me out for a walk every day in the evening. (Millie went separately after us; she can't walk nearly as far as the two of us as she is elderly.) I loved getting to be with Molly. She's really nice, and she told me a little bit about her previous home before she became an Isenbarger. It was a sad story, and she is very scared, especially of men, as a result. But Lisa makes her feel very safe and she is so happy to live with her. I like Molly; she's very sweet, and I keep inviting her to play with me. Maybe someday she will!

Much as I loved my visit, I missed Lynn and Craig. They actually came home a day early; usually it takes them two days to drive to Florida, but they wanted to get home to me so they drove it all in one day. They were very tired, but we were glad to be reunited. I wagged, and licked, and practically danced around them when they walked in the door!

This last photo is of me at home again at last. I have climbed up onto the princess and the pea bed (a stack of Millie, Molly, and my beds) which is my favorite place to sleep. It was good to get home with my family and settle in.

Well, Craig is calling me. He walks me twice a day (and Lynn will take me once, so I get three walks a day!) I love you, Mom, but you know that exercise is important, so I had better answer Craig's call.

Love, licks, and wags,

Peppermint