Happy New Year

Here's to a Happy Peaceful new Years!

Click to view Cleverpup on Ebay!






















Sly Smile Poodle!

Poodle Survives Eight Days After Crash

Dec 28, 4:09 PM EST



ELKO, Nev. (AP) -- The biggest Christmas present came a day late this year for Lee and Irene DellaSilva of Ogden, Utah. But it's one they'll never forget. Eight days after the DellaSilvas' 6-year-old poodle, Miss Lizzie, was lost during a rollover accident east of Carlin, a Union Pacific crew spotted the black pooch Monday morning on railroad tracks near the crash site.

"It is an act of God as far as I am concerned," said Lee DellaSilva. "This just renews our faith in the Christmas miracle."

Miss Lizzie's travels began after she fled the DellaSilvas' vehicle following the accident the Sunday before Christmas.

Rescuers kept them from searching for their pet. Then they had to leave the area.

The poodle was spotted and rescued by a Union Pacific crew thanks to a "missing dog" poster that the DellaSilvas had provided to a UP outpost.

Since she was on the tracks, they assumed she was dead. Then she weakly popped up her head.

The crew put the train into an emergency stop and went back to rescue the dog, warmed her up, dried her off, cleaned her up and placed her snugly in a work bag for a ride back home.
As part of their search for Miss Lizzie, the DellaSilvas were offering a $1,000 reward. The train crew is donating the reward to the Dogtown Rescue organization.

"It is just something totally weird," engineer Mike Kessler said. "This just doesn't happen. Especially with something this small ... . We call her Lucky Lizzie now"

The sun sets on 2005........................

"Serenity" by Marc Adamus
Canon EOS-3

Merry Christmas to All!

Santas on his way! Don't forget to track Santa today as he makes his way to the chimney nearest you!

Track Santa at NORAD!

Note: the Tracking site works the best in explorer, firefox doesn't work as well.

Oh the Pain Will Robinson!

Its the eve before Christmas eve and what better way to celebrate then laugh at some clueless wonder's atrocious ugly Christmas Light Display! Some of these will make Chevy Chase's House in "Christmas Vacation" look stunning by comparison!

Go Here and be amused...see, its free and much better then King Kong!

King Bomb

Ok I am warning you all now, save that $7.50 and three hours of your life ...DON'T go see the new "KING KONG" movie.. It's bad. Bad as a Monkey's ass! In a nutshell, this is a CGI f/x film without any story, drama, or charm.......in otherwords.....its BAD!

Now don't tell me I didn't warn you!

Christmas Funny

Which one are you?


***PSYCHIATRISTS' CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR EVERY DIAGNOSIS

Schizoprenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?

Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Queens Disoriented Are

Dementia --- I Think I'll Be Home For Christmas

Narcissistic --- Hark The Herald Angels Sing About Me

Manic --- Deck The Hall and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and.........

Paranoid --- Santa Claus Is Coming To Get Me

Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts Of Roasting On An Open Fire

Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

Obessive Complusive Disorder --- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

ADHD -- Hark the herald angels sing ba-rum-pa-pum-pum in the little town of Bethlehem up on the housetop in a winter wonderland one foggy Christmas Eve hey how bout them Bears no I don't want to switch to Sprint but thank you for shopping at K-Mart.

Winter Fun on ebay

Happy New Year Poodle (above)

Yorkie Stocking , just waiting for Christmas Morning!(below)





















Bundled up for Winter on Ebay!

More ACEO trading cards now on Ebay

New on Ebay Visit CleverPUP on EBAY





















Golden Retriever Happy New Year!





















Chihuahua Sled dog.

As Homer Simpson would say....

MMMMmmmm Nutrolls...what can't they do!















Its Nutroll day in Chardon Ohio!
Before baking and bursting with nutty goodness!(above)



















Fresh out of the oven! They look like Subway Subs on Steroids! and they taste better!

The way Grandma Made them........THANKS Mom

NUTROLLS

350 30-45 MIN OR UNTIL NICELY BROWNED

ON GREASED COOKIE SHEET

THIS MAKES 4 ROLLS

4 1/2 CUPS FLOUR

1 TSP SALT

1 CUP LUKEWARM WATER

1/2 CUP BUTTER (OR MARGERINE)

2 EGG YOLKS

4 TBLSPOONS SUGAR

1 PACKAGE DRY YEAST

____________________________________________________________________________________

PUT YEAST IN SMALL BOWL. ADD WATER AND SUGAR, STIR. LET STAND UNTIL YOU MIX BUTTER

AND FLOUR AS FOR PIE CRUST. MAKE A WELL IN CENTER AND ADD EGG YOLKS (LIGHTLY BEATEN)

SALT AND YEAST MIXTURE. MIX UNTIL SMOOTH AND DOUGH LEAVES THE SIDE OF THE BOWL. DIVIDE INTO 4 PIECES AND ROLL OUT AS THIN AS POSSIBLE. RECTANGLE SHAPE.

SPREAS WITH FILLING. PLACE ON GREASED PAN AND BRUSH WITH 1 EGG WHITE (BEATEN A LITTLE) LET REST IN WARM PLACE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. IT SHOULD RISE TO ALMOST DOUBLE SIZE. BAKE 350 FOR 30-45 MIN. UNTIL NICELY BROWN. REMOVE AND COOL.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

NUT FILLING

1 LB. WALNUTS

1/2 CUP SUGAR

1/2 CUP MILK

1 T. BUTTER

1 TSP. LEMON JUICE

__________________________________________________________________________________________

GRIND NUTS ( FOOD PROCESSOR)

HEAT MILK AND ADD NUTS AND STIR. ADD SUGAR, BUTTER AND LEMON JUICE.

COOL AND SPREAD OVER ROLLED OUT DOUGH.

YOU CAN ADD MORE NUTS IF YOU LIKE. I DO--MAYBE ANOTHER 1/2 LB. MAKES IT MORE FILLED.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Tis the season for being holly and jolly and no one is more jolly, warm hearted, and friendly then old Saint Nick himself right?? Well apparently these kids think otherwise!!





















For the entire "Scared of Santa" gallery click here

A Charlie Brown Christmas 40th Anniversary

The cartoon special "A Charlie Brown Christmas" turns 40 this Dec 9 th. I remember watching this beloved Christmas cartoon in the late sixties and then wanting a beagle like Snoopy. When I didn't get a dog for Christmas, I just drew my own "Snoopy" dog in my drawing books and was pretty happy with that arrangement.

So be sure to catch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" this year, this is one Christmas special that has stood the test of time with its simple message..."Peace on Earth, Good will towards men."

Appaloosa and Snowman

Appaloosa Horse and her snowman friend , perfect for the horse lover. This is done in fine German watercolor pencils on 9" x 12" acid free cold press watercolor paper.
Visit Cleverpup on Ebay to Bid!

Bad Santa?

David Letterman's "Ten Top Signs You've Hired a Bad Department Store Santa"


10. "Fluffy white beard is heavily soiled with chaw stains"

9. "Lectures each child on the wonders of Scientology"

8. "There's always two or three elves on defibrillator duty"

7. "Tries to snort the fake snow"

6. "The suit is more orange and reads 'Auburn Correctional Facility'"

5. "Every night he walks out with a sack full of Ipods"

4. "Instead of saying, 'ho, ho, ho,' keeps mumbling something about 'Jihad'"

3. "Tells every kid climbing on his lap, 'Careful of Santa's flask'"

2. "Because of earlier incident, can't go within 50 feet of Victoria's Secret salesgirl"

1. "Points out which kids he thinks will be gay"

New Chrismas ACEO cards! part 2

All listed on Ebay!

Holiday Tips for your Clever Pups

As we humans enjoy the Christmas Holiday season we shouldn't forget about our furry kids. Did you know if your dog eats pine needles this can cause vomiting and irritation to the mouth. Poinsettias, holly, mistletoe, amaryllis and Christmas Cactus are poisonous if eaten.

The toll-free number for National Animal Poison Control Center is 888-4ANI-HELP or 888-426-4435.

For more tips on having a safe holiday with your pet please visit this great site for additional information!

http://www.wagntrain.com/holidays.htm

More good news for Coffee Drinkers!

..or absolute coffee addicts like me!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Coffee and tea may reduce the risk of serious liver damage in people who drink alcohol too much, are overweight, or have too much iron in the blood, researchers reported on Sunday.

The study of nearly 10,000 people showed that those who drank more than two cups of coffee or tea per day developed chronic liver disease at half the rate of those who drank less than one cup each day.

The study, conducted by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., found that coffee provided no protection to people at risk of liver disease from other causes, such as viral infections.

"While it is too soon to encourage patients to increase their coffee and tea intake, the findings of our study potentially offer people at high-risk for developing chronic liver disease a practical way to decrease that risk," said Dr. Constance Ruhl, who helped lead the study.

"In addition, we hope the findings will offer guidance to researchers who are studying liver disease progression."

Writing in the American Gastroenterological Association journal Gastroenterology, Ruhl and colleagues said caffeine seemed to hold the key.

They analyzed the records of 9,849 participants in a government survey whose coffee and tea intake was evaluated and who were followed for about 19 years.

New Chrismas ACEO cards!

Just listed on ebay some new whimsical ACEO cards! For those who are not familiar with ACEO (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) they are a group of artists selling miniature works of art, baseball card sized (2.5" x 3.5" is the required size), some original, some prints. To find these art trading cards on ebay, type ACEO into your search.

Please visit this link for Cleverpup ACEOs!

Be sure to visit Becky!

For whimsical fantasy and animal art, check out my fellow Northwest artist Becky Federico's web site,
http://www.federico-whimsy-art.com

Be sure and say hi and let her know Tina( Cleverpup) sent ya!

Snow days!

We got the first snow of winter today, about 2 inches of wet slushy snow! Not that much ,but pretty to look at!





















My roses were still blooming and dipped under a blanket of snow...no, it was more of a sheet...well maybe a small quilt!

The snow will be gone by Sunday as the weather is supposed to warm up into the 40s!

The Annual Christmas Outdoor Light Extravaganza!

The amazing Christmas Light Extravaganza is up and running this year! Click on the photo for a larger version!

Winter Knocking on the door.

Chardon Ohio got its first good winter storm of the year over thanksgiving. Mom said it was 17 degrees outside and a strong 40 mph wind blowing on Thanksgiving. She sent a snow picture a few days later and informed me it was going to 70 degrees in the next day or so. Now I remember why I had all those colds and sneezes when I lived in Ohio with that crazy mid-west weather they get.


















Seattle got a little taste of winter last night as the south sound was dusted with an inch or two of slushy wet snow...here north of Seattle we had cold mushy rain...not even cold enough for slush at 36 degrees. My son Ian was hoping for a snow day but he woke up to a rainy windy day. I had just finished the annual Christmas Outdoor Light Extravaganza yesterday and was hoping for a nice dusting of snow to set off the lighting. Well, I still have all of December for snow.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Ok, you know you have been waiting with baited breath for Christmas and Santa and Presents! At last the season is upon us, (..I guess it was here around Halloween , but I am a traditional kind a girl and the official Christmas Season begins after Thanksgiving!) so getting in the spirit of the Christmas season I am posting a wonderful little link for Christmas fun!

The Official NORAD Tracks Santa Web Site!

Pick yer Language and have at it! Only one month till Santa blows down your chimney with his goodie bag filled with goodies! (what else!!?)
















So in the meantime, bundle up by the warm fire and Let it Snow!!

The Real Story of the First Thanksgiving

The Real Story of the First Thanksgiving
By Benjamin Franklin (1785)

“There is a tradition that in the planting of New England, the first settlers met with many difficulties and hardships, as is generally the case when a civiliz’d people attempt to establish themselves in a wilderness country. Being so piously dispos’d, they sought relief from heaven by laying their wants and distresses before the Lord in frequent set days of fasting and prayer. Constant meditation and discourse on these subjects kept their minds gloomy and discontented, and like the children of Israel there were many dispos’d to return to the Egypt which persecution had induc’d them to abandon.

“At length, when it was proposed in the Assembly to proclaim another fast, a farmer of plain sense rose and remark’d that the inconveniences they suffer’d, and concerning which they had so often weary’d heaven with their complaints, were not so great as they might have expected, and were diminishing every day as the colony strengthen’d; that the earth began to reward their labour and furnish liberally for their subsistence; that their seas and rivers were full of fish, the air sweet, the climate healthy, and above all, they were in the full enjoyment of liberty, civil and religious.

“He therefore thought that reflecting and conversing on these subjects would be more comfortable and lead more to make them contented with their situation; and that it would be more becoming the gratitude they ow’d to the divine being, if instead of a fast they should proclaim a thanksgiving. His advice was taken, and from that day to this, they have in every year observ’d circumstances of public felicity sufficient to furnish employment for a Thanksgiving Day, which is therefore constantly ordered and religiously observed.”
By Benjamin Franklin (1785)

“There is a tradition that in the planting of New England, the first settlers met with many difficulties and hardships, as is generally the case when a civiliz’d people attempt to establish themselves in a wilderness country. Being so piously dispos’d, they sought relief from heaven by laying their wants and distresses before the Lord in frequent set days of fasting and prayer. Constant meditation and discourse on these subjects kept their minds gloomy and discontented, and like the children of Israel there were many dispos’d to return to the Egypt which persecution had induc’d them to abandon.

“At length, when it was proposed in the Assembly to proclaim another fast, a farmer of plain sense rose and remark’d that the inconveniences they suffer’d, and concerning which they had so often weary’d heaven with their complaints, were not so great as they might have expected, and were diminishing every day as the colony strengthen’d; that the earth began to reward their labour and furnish liberally for their subsistence; that their seas and rivers were full of fish, the air sweet, the climate healthy, and above all, they were in the full enjoyment of liberty, civil and religious.

“He therefore thought that reflecting and conversing on these subjects would be more comfortable and lead more to make them contented with their situation; and that it would be more becoming the gratitude they ow’d to the divine being, if instead of a fast they should proclaim a thanksgiving. His advice was taken, and from that day to this, they have in every year observ’d circumstances of public felicity sufficient to furnish employment for a Thanksgiving Day, which is therefore constantly ordered and religiously observed.”

Red Alert on Greenies

Dog Treat May Carry Danger

Wayne Havrelly
KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator

UPDATED: 9:01 am PST November 15, 2005

A KIRO 7 Consumer Investigation exposes a potentially deadly problem involving one of the most popular dog treats on the market.Millions of dogs chew on the treats every day, and there's a good chance your pooch is one of them.Consumer Investigator Wayne Havrelly discovered the danger.These dog treats are called "Greenies."

They're sold in stores everywhere.But our investigation found Greenies and products like them can pose a real danger to dogs.Matthew Balkman of Issaquah uses cheese to reward his dog "Beau."He used to use Greenies, a doggie treat designed to clean teeth and freshen doggie breath."The dogs do like 'em. They're tasty; he liked eating them," Balkman said.But last May, Beau acted started acting sluggish after eating one."He wasn't eating at all," Balkman said. "I took him to the vet, the vet monitored him for a day and said there was something obstructing his bowel, 'We need to go in and operate.'"Dr. Jayne Jensen performed the operation and removed a large green lump from Beau's intestine."She handed it to me, asked me if I knew what this is, and I said, 'Yes, that's a Greenie,'" Balkman said.The package says Greenies are "100 percent edible" but a company spokeswoman told us they are "85 percent digestible.""That was not 85 percent digestible," Jensen said. "That was not digestible.

"Constance Odle's dog Berkley is recovering from the same emergency surgery. But instead of a Greenie, a similar product was blocking the dogs intestine."At first, I thought he ate a piece of a toy and when the vet told me what it was, I felt terrible guilt because I was the one who gave it to him," Odle said. Berkley is the
latest of several dogs Dr. Jennifer McBride has operated on after eating teeth cleaning products, mostly Greenies.

"We will see things in abdomens that will dissolve like bones and over time, they will dissolve and go away. But these are mostly indisolvable, so they tend to get stuck more often," McBride said.Our investigation discovered the results are sometimes fatal."I tried to revive her," said Gilbert Wright.Wright lost his prized show dog, "Pompey of the Desert" after feeding him a petite size greenies treat. He feels an overwhelming sense of guilt."And I will feel that ways for the rest of my life!" Wright said.During our investigation we tracked down nine people who claim their dogs died after eating greenies.

We passed that information on to the company.A warning on the Greenies label says to make sure you're giving the right size Greenie for your breed of dog. It also cautions you to "monitor your dog to ensure the treat is adequately chewed"."They don't chew. They don't even have the muscles to chew. I mean, we chew, we do that. Dogs don't do that," said Jensen."They also say on their Web site to avoid gulping or sloppy eating but heck people can't even train their children not to do that," said Gilbert Wright.Company officials with Greenies declined our request for an on-camera interview.

They sent us a statement expressing sadness over all the dogs in our investigation. They say "millions of Greenies are sold and enjoyed by dogs, every week without incident."And "though injurious incidents are rare, more often than not, the pet is not fed according to our feeding directions."Gilbert Wright just got a new Pompey, but his heart will always be with the show champion original who won countless awards for agility.Beau has recovered from surgery and Mathew Balkman feels lucky."I'm saddened for the people that have actually lost their pets because we came very close."Vets say nearly all dog treats, chews and toys can make your pets sick.They say it's important to keep a close eye on them.

Happy Thanksgivng....for these guys

These Turkeys knew what time of year it is!
Live Turkeys Fall Off Truck in New Jersey
Nov 18 4:06 PM US/Eastern
By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press Writer

Maybe they knew what was coming.

Two dozen live turkeys bound for Thanksgiving tables fell off a truck Friday on the New Jersey Turnpike, briefly snarling traffic near Newark Liberty International Airport.

"I think we should be investigating this as an escape attempt," said Joseph Orlando, a spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The two crates fell as a truck was leaving the highway, and a toll booth supervisor who spotted them contacted authorities. The birds, which survived the fall, will presumably be returned to the trucker _ if the driver notices they're missing, Orlando said.

And I thought having Raccoons in the yard was bad..

A bull moose jumps a fence after browsing in a garden near downtown Anchorage, Alaska earlier this month/AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News by Bill Roth.

Ht. Huckleberries Online

Get me my Horse and my Bright Hair!

Rohirrim


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

I'm from Ohio

Comedian Jeff Foxworthy on Ohio

You may be from Ohio (pronounced "ah-hi-uh") if:

You think all Pro football teams are supposed to wear orange.

You know all the 4 seasons: winter, still winter, almost winter and
construction.

You live less than 30 miles from some college or university.

You know what a "buckeye" really is, and have a recipe for candy ones.

"Toward the lake" means "North" and "toward the river" means "South."

You know if other Ohioans are from southern or northern Ohio as soon as they open their mouths.

You know how to correctly spell Cincinnati.

"Vacation" means spending a day at Cedar Point in the summer and deer
hunting in the fall.

You measure distance in minutes.

Your school classes were canceled because of cold.
Your school classes were canceled because of heat.

You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example:
"Where's my coat at?"

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both
unlocked.

You think of the major four food groups as beef, pork, beer, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows.

You carry jumper cables in your car.

You know what "pop" is.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with
snow.

You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightgown.

The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires six pages for sports.

If someone says something you don't understand or hear, you say
"Please?"

You call it Krogers even though it is Kroger.

If you actually understand these (and we know you do!).! .. Pass them on to your Ohio friends!

I Know

I know I have been neglecting you....

Redesign

I forgot to mention, Ben had his website redesigned, check it out

www.bengarrison.com

I think it looks very professional !

Happy Birthday

Little Ricky celebrated his First Birthday with his cousins Saturday. Yep I remember when I was a year old, I had a cupcake...this kid gets a full sheet layer cake! No really, Ricky got a barber kit and a shaver for his birthday.
















Birthday Boy and cousins looking for cake.























This must be some kind of Baby lawnmower to prepare baby boys for future lawn care.

ahh Im just kidding....Happy Birthday Ricky!

Old Smokey Top

Mt. Saint Helens got a nice dusting of snow in the last few days. The snow level has lowered to 6,000 feet and with the rain systems that are starting to come in now that its October, the mountains are just starting to put on their winter coats of snow.

Today was cool and cloudy in the morning and by afternoon, sunny and warmer. Leaves are starting to turn now in Puget Sound and I am waiting for the first opportunity to test the fireplace.






Mt. Saint Helens images can be found here

Halloween is Coming!

Its October and that means Halloween is just a few more weeks away! Time to get out the
spiderwebs and pumpkin decorations and prepare to be scared! And in the Spirit of the season I have Halloween ACEOs up for bid on ebay!

Finished at Last! Yee Haw

At Last the remodel is done, and everything looks great...they did a fine job. Be sure to click on the photo for a larger image so you can experience the granitey goodness of my counter tops! And take off those shoes before you walk on the floor!

Ahhhh, the new sparkling sink...this is what I missed having the most! My old sink was only 7 inches deep and this new sink is 9 inches deep. Shoot, its almost a hot tub!

Next Yoshi inspects the new stone tile floor in the kitchen , the light color makes the kitchen look a lot bigger and brighter! A GREAT SELLING POINT!

Yoshi answers the front door for me. I really like the way the stone tile looks here.

Yoshi checks out the niffy new green stone tile entrance way.

Kitchen Progress day 4

Day 4 the granite is waiting to be grouted and sealed. The backing is done and the window shelf is now granite also.
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Another look from the side, the granite looking good, I like the wall backing in granite...can you believe they had used wood behind a kitchen sink?? DOH!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Our entrance way at the front door, parqute wood tiles are pretty beat...we are ready for a cha-cha change!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Todays damage...all the flooring is gone and the dark green stone tiles are being cemented down by the step down into the living room.
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

The New Sink looking for a place to call home...nice and shiny!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

The place where the sink will sink,and greenhouse window looking nice and granitey.
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

And during the whole day, Yoshi hangs out in his doggy fort under my computer desk, wishing the loud worker men would go away.
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Kitchen Makeover, the day before...much moving,shifting and cleaning...an empty kitchen results.
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Before the Kaos!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup