fridays with asa: word of the day

good day, my fellow friends!
as i was contemplating the myriad of topics i could address today, it occurred to me that several of you have posted inquiries as to the meaning of a particular word from my lexicon.  lest anyone should forget, i am indeed a mature dog just shy of her eighth year, and i strongly adhere to the notion that it is my responsibility to mentor the younger generation in order that we may continue the line of well-rounded, erudite canines.  therefore, i have elected to present a vocabulary lesson from time to time, otherwise known as my word of the day.
i drew my inspiration for today's word of the day from the fact that my mom and dad will be having company at our abode for the next few weekends.  of course, it is imperative that we treat our guests with utmost respect and concern for their well-being.  today's word of the day shall be HOSPITABLE.

hospitable, pronounced \hä-'spi-tə-bəl\, is an adjective derived from the latin "hospes", which means "host".  the word in its current form originated around 1570.  per the merriam webster dictionary, hospitable is defined as: 

1 a: given to generous and cordial reception of guests b: promising or suggesting generous and cordial welcome c: offering a pleasant or sustaining environment
2: readily receptive: open

i find one of the most successful ways to be hospitable is to offer kisses to my guests.  a kiss is a welcoming shower of affection that immediately melts any vestiges of traveling stress from the targeted individual.  one should always be prepared to render kisses to a guest in need.  when guests are lacking, i maintain my kissing precision by scheduling covert practice sessions when my parents least expect it.  i submit exhibits A, B, and C for your perusal.  

friends, i trust that you have adequately familiarized yourself with the word hospitable and all that it entails.  i urge you to venture forthwith and practice being hospitable with your welcoming kisses!

it's finally time to roast miss puddles!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISS PUDDLES!!!

for your way special like day, sam and pippen decided that we should have a roast in your honor!  now i had been pondering this for so so long, and my brain got totally sore tryin' to come up with somethingie that would be most appropriate for your birthday.  i just couldn't think of a good idea!  but then i woofed to myself, "what better place to get some grrreat stuff 'n thingies on you, miss puddles, then to go straight to the source?"  so i got in touch with your mama, and she went snoopin' around in your room for me.  she found this gem of a video that you had made thinkin' that nobuddy would evarrr get their paws on it.  well, here it is, miss puddles, for everybuddy to see!  teeheehee!!!

 

meet your new paw it forward contestants!!

hello, everybuddy, and welcome to today's show!!
i have super crazy exciting news for you!  see, i woofed in my last post that i was gonna call dibs on the first 3 of you who responded that you wanted to paw it forward.  well, i had 4 doggies that woofed to me that they wanted to play, and i was full of the sadness cuz i didn't wanna have to turn down the lastest doggie to respond.  i put on my most forlorn puppy doggie eyes and went to my mama, and guess what??  she said that she totally agreed, and i can just have 4 paw it forward contestants instead!  YAY!!
so are you ready to meet them?  yes, you are!  okie dokie, without further adoo-doo, here are your paw it forward contestants!!

CONTESTANTS #1  --  JD AND MAX, THE SCHNAUZER BROTHERS!

JD and max live in england...and they're single.  calling all ladies!  heehee.

CONTESTANT #2 -- MR. PIP!

mr. pip lives in chicago and is mr. george clooney's personal stylist.

CONTESTANT #3 -- PRINCESS EVA!

princess eva lives in her fairytale castle in malaysia.

CONTESTANT #4 -- TANK!

tank lives in kansas.  the squirrels are not safe there.  bwuahaha.

contestants, pretty please email me at iamthebookerman AT gmail DOT com so we can get this game started!!  here's what i need to know:

(1)  do you want to make a $15 donation to a rescue organization or do you want a surprise pressie?

(2)  if you pick a donation, please make sure to give me the website for the rescue group.

(3)  your snail mail address

PAW IT FORWARD!

this is my girlfriend miss mayzie who is oh so adorable like!  she is the most loveliest and kindest lady that evarrr was!  i always have to be full of the cautions cuz if i look into her dreamy espresso colored eyes too much, then i go all wobbly pawed and forget where i am and even what my name is!  yup, i got it pretty bad.
anywho, you might be thinkin' to yourself, "so what does the beautimous miss mayzie have to do with paw it forward?"  well, she has everythingie to do with it cuz i was a super duper lucky ducky labradude and got to play paw it forward with her a few weeks ago!!  check out what my nice mail lady brought me and asa!

thankies again miss mayzie and brudder ranger!!  me and asa couldn't ask for better friendz, and i especially couldn't ask for a more wonderful 'n special girlfriend.  teehee.
okie dokie, so now it's your chance, ya'll!!  do you wanna play paw it forward??  all you gotta do is woof, "YO BOOKER MAN!  I WANNA PAW IT FORWARD!" in my comments section.  then i will call dibs on the first 3 of ya'll who respond.  oh yeah, and i am gonna offer 2 thingies to choose from: (1) a $15 donation to the rescue organization of your choice or (2) a surprise pressie!
game on!!!

fridays with asa: for khyra and cousin merdie

friends, it's abysmally warm today, and quite frankly, my little grey cells are ill prepared for the task of blogging.  all a canine desires to do in extreme weather of this degree is quietly lounge, partake of refreshing drinks, and perhaps masticate on a bone every once and a while.  as such, i have elected to post my best amphibian-esque pose in a tribute to khyra and cousin merdie.
wishing you an afternoon of continuously restorative air conditioning breezes.
xoxo,
asa

addendum:  my apologies for the lacking quality of the above picture.  it would appear that my mom is also negatively impacted by soaring temperatures since she could not recall the location of the camera and utilized her blackberry as a last resort.

wordless wednesday: team shelby!

if you don't already know miss shelby's story, please clicky here to find out about her sweet self.  then feel free to grab this badge to help spread the word about miss shelby and what miss mona's mama and the houston pittie pack's mama are doing to help sweet miss shelby feel the betterment!!

fridays with asa: oskar's all about your people day!

greetings!  today i shall be participating in my handsome friend oskar's "all about your people day".  oskar is facilitating this event by placing a linking tool on his blog that allows you to click on each participant's post.  it's quite ingenious, really.  contrary to what you may have inferred, this event will actually run the weekend in it's entirety, so take heart as you still have time to prepare your post.  for additional information, please hover your mouse over oskar's badge above and then click to be redirected to his instructional post.  i kindly thank you.
now, per oskar's instructions, i am to blog about my mom and dad and their many intricacies.  i have made the executive decision to share the abridged version with you as one could observe my parents for millennia and still remain thoroughly perplexed.  ha.
let us begin with the basics.  i and my little brother booker reside with my parents in lexington, south carolina.  the city of lexington is a stone's throw west of columbia, the state capital.  we are approximately two hours from charleston and the ocean.
   

my mom and dad are both graduates of the university of south carolina.  we are a carolina gamecock family through and through!  (translation:  clemson is most abominable, followed by the university of georgia, which is somewhat abominable.)

pertaining to employment, my mom works as a medical assistant at a surgical practice.  she spends the work day assisting her doctors who treat patients with a plethora of head and neck maladies.  i can indeed confirm that she has experienced some very interesting scenarios while on the job, but she has elected to keep these to herself in the interest of patient confidentiality.
my dad is an electrical engineer and works for an industrial tool company that specializes in automobile and aeronautical applications.  he is a programming and coding virtuoso.  his work at times takes him to exciting locales such as canada, japan, and germany.
below you will see my mom, noelle, and my dad, seth.  they have been married for almost 8 years.  a glimpse at this picture subtly reveals the fact that my parents possess the gene for silliness.

a class act

 if you require more proof, i submit this photo taken at halloween:

mario & luigi

ah, this picture also provides the perfect segue for discussing my parents' pastimes.  as you have most likely deduced, my mom and dad enjoy the amusements that video and/or computer games provide.  clearly, they are fond of super mario brothers in any form, but their current favorite is a computer game known as world of warcraft.
mom and dad also enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, which, of course, booker and i greatly appreciate!  walking, hiking, swimming, kayaking, and camping are the main activities in which we take part.

at pisgah national park in north carolina (before booker was born)

a casual stroll around a local farm

hiking at oconee station falls

left to their own devices, my parents possess their own individual hobbies.  my mom, for instance, revels in cake baking and decorating, anything crafty in nature, and reading.  in all honesty, she would gladly welcome with open arms the opportunity to bake and decorate cakes full time, but said opportunity has not afforded itself to her.  

my dad, on the other hand, is a master tinkerer.  he delights in drawing schematics of inventions which he has conjured in his mind and then rendering these schematics into physical being.  as you know from my previous garden posts, he also enjoys gardening a great deal, and several of his inventions were created with that express purpose.  as well, my dad adores reading science fiction.

here my dad is testing the lighting feature of his invention, the germination station.  the light is programmed to turn on when the sun sets and turn off when the sun rises. 

the completed germination station, which is programmed to provide light & heat to seedlings, is even capable of storing precipitation! 

and that, dear friends, concludes today's post about my mom and dad.  i trust that you have found this to be most educational.
good day!

miss preacher puddles is trying to give me the embarrassments and an awardification!

so some of ya'll saw miss preacher puddles woofin' in my comments on my last post.  she was all like, "why didn't you use the 'other' picture for your header?"  she is totally sneaky 'n mischievous like that and knew everybuddy would be like, "what picture?" and "how come i don't know about this other picture?"  sigh.  i totally 100 gazillion percent refuse to re-post that picture my meanie mama put on my bloggie, but if you just have to know, you can clicky here.  (do NOT clicky on that, my lovely miss mayzie!  kkthanks!)  miss preacher puddles, i think you prolly just ruined my social life again.  boohoo.  it's kinda hard for a labradoggie to be taken seriously.
anywho, enough of that embarrassing stuff!  let's woof about somethingie happy!  do you know my hooman friend miss sprinkles?  if you don't, you should go meet her.  she is super cool and a grrreat mama to her chee-wa-wa boys shiver and chico.  miss sprinkles gave me 2 shiny awardies!  thanks bunches 'n tons for thinking of the booker man, miss sprinkles!!

i'd like to pass these awardies on to all of you, my super special buddies!  if you don't have either of these awardies, please take it as a pressie from me!!

wordless wednesday: takin' over mama's big chair!

fridays with asa: all's well that ends well.

hello, friends!
you may recall my recent lament over the retirement of my dear nuzzle nest.  how would i, having been utterly devoted to my nuzzle nest for so many years, be able to find an adequate replacement?  i was cognizant of the fact that my search for a new bed would be an interminable journey.   thankfully, many of you intervened and offered most helpful comments, and for the past few weeks, i have been entertaining your suggestions about suitable new beds.  many a late night has been spent laboriously looking over pictures and reviews and product specifications.  then one fateful evening, as my eye lids drooped in fatigue and my vision proceeded to glaze over, i suddenly beheld the most heavenly sight on my computer screen.  my dream had come to fruition; i had finally located you, deluxe slumber ball, my pleasingly plump cloud of pure softness!

though the hour was late, i immediately awoke my slumbering mom who somewhat begrudgingly followed me to the computer.  my eyes were aglow as i recounted the miraculous discovery and pleaded my case.  i was exceedingly confident that i had rendered my former nuzzle nest proud.  my mom nodded in sleepy comprehension, and the order was arranged.  alas, i was required to bide for an entire week as the deluxe slumber ball traveled to my abode.  seconds seemed like hours, and hours seemed like days.  i languished before the computer as i repeatedly entered my delivery tracking number only to have the words "in transit" emblazon themselves across my computer screen like a mocking feline.  but, lo!  as yesterday evening approached, a familiar white delivery truck motored up the street to my house.  a young man procured an enormous package from the vehicle and strode to my front door.  mom accepted the package and turned to me with a contented smile upon her visage.  my deluxe slumber ball had finally arrived, and i, asa, could not have been more delighted!  we carefully extracted my pristine new bed from the box and placed it upon the living room floor.  a thorough sniff ensued, and i arranged myself atop the downy slumber ball.  as i drifted off to sleep, a sigh of happiness escaped from my lips, and i thought to myself, "yes, this will do quite nicely indeed!"

the inaugural run

mom allowed me to select the 38 inch model.  acreage galore!

fancy that!  it also makes an ideal place to chew on my bone.

wordless wednesday: cuddlin' under the coffee table!

(a.k.a. -- my big sis asa's hiney makes a grrreat pillow!)

crazy ear funk!

it's time for a woe is me picture.

last friday night, my left ear started itchin'.  i scratched it, and it felt better, so i thought it was all good.  not so much.  i woke up from snoozin' on saturday morning, and my left ear was all burnin' and ouchies.  i couldn't even play wrestle mania with my big sis asa cuz every time somethingie came close to my left ear, i would squeal in mega pain.  so my mama brought me into the bathroom, and she used her happy voice and said she was gonna be really really full of the cautions and look in my left ear.  i was a sucker and fell for it.  according to mama, my ear was super smelly and full of brown gunk and very raw and red.  then came the way icky news.  since the vet was closed until today for the 4th of july holiday, mama was gonna have to clean my left ear out.  mama sat me down and took my head in her hands and told me that she needed me to be a very brave doggie cuz it was prolly gonna hurt.  boohoo.  i was a very brave boy with my daddy's help.  he gave me a big bear hug, and mama cleaned my left ear with some cotton balls and some alcohol.  it was definitely WAY OUCHIES, but i have to admit that my ear did feel a teeny smidge better after.  anywho, mama did her best to keep my ear clean and dry through the long weekend, and first thingie this morning, she called the vet and made me an appointment for this afternoon.
now i kinda actually like going to the vet cuz i get to meet new friendz!  today i met a 12 year old labradude named chewbacca, two very serious german shepherds (dude and dudette), and a 15 month old golden retriever dude who was ridiculous amounts of fun to play with!  still, when they called me back to see my vet lady, i was all filled up with the nervosity.  my vet lady, dr. deborah, is so super duper nice, but i was not looking forward to this for sures.  first i got stuck with the magic wand you know where.  then i started cryin' like a baby cuz dr. deborah took a ginormous q-tip and swabbed my left ear so she could do this thingie called a culture.  we waited a couple minutes, and just like dr. deborah had expected, i had some evil nasty yeast monsters living in my ear.  she said it was definitely an allergy, and since i got an ear infection in my left ear this exact same time last year, there must be a most bad item outside in the summer that does not like me or my ear. so apparently, those yeast monsters in my ear were being crazy greedy and throwing a hooge pawty, which meant that i had to get a shot of this stuff called prednisone in my hiney before we could go home.  dr. deborah said it would help me feel better, but all i know is that it makes me uber thirsty and gives me the munchies!  oh, and i got these horrible drops to put in my ear in the morning and at night.  i'm so so excited.  NOT!

okie dokie, i guess i better stop now before my post gets too cranky like.  besides, my tummy is rumblin' and i need an after supper snack.  stoopid prednisone!

mr. frankie's name game!

it's independence day, and i am so so proud to be an american labradoggie!!  me and asa and mama and daddy are gonna be spending the day celebrating with our family and friendz.  you know what that means, right?  grillin' meats, corn on the cob, nana pudding, swimmin', outdoorsy games, sparklers...it's the stuff 'n thingies that dreams are made of!  but before the crazy go nuts bbq party gets started, there's one super important thingie to do.  it's time to play mr. frankie's fourth of july name game!!

the rules are very simple like.  all you have to do is blog about how you got your name!  next, you can go visit everybuddy else's bloggie who's playin' and read about how they got their names.  doesn't that sound totally funsies?  let's get started then!  asa's gonna go first cuz she was mama and daddy's first doggie, and i thought we should do this all chronologicalish.  so here's my big sis asa!

******************************************************************************************
thank you, booker.  before i commence my tale, i would like to reiterate our wishes to you, dear friends, for a most joyous independence day celebration!  now as chance would have it, i made a fortuitous discovery the other day.  the rescue organization from which i was adopted, cullen's archangel rescue (CARE), still has a picture from my adoption day over 6 years ago on their website!  my wonderful foster mother took this picture of me bonding with my new forever family.  this is a cherished photograph, no doubt!

i often receive inquiries as to how i obtained my name.  the answer to that question is straightforward.  you see, my foster mother bestowed me with my moniker.  one day, shortly after she began fostering me, she journeyed to the grocery store to purchase some food stuffs.  as she checked out, she exchanged pleasantries with the cashier, a young woman who was named asa.  the name greatly intrigued my foster mother, and she learned that asa (pronounced /'ay-sah/) is a hebrew name meaning healer or physician.  though the name originates from a wise and benevolent king of judah, the name is now suitable for a male or female.  as i still had need of a proper name at the time, my foster mother decided that the name asa suited me quite well, and that, my friends, is the rest of the story! 
****************************************************************************************** okie dokie, that was a great story, asa!  now it's my turn!  so my mama and daddy had my name picked out before they even had me picked out.  isn't that kinda funny?  see, when mama and daddy got asa, they thought it would be cool to name their doggies in alphabetical order.  yup, it's kind of weirdo, but they're my parents, and i love them.  teehee.  anywho, asa was the A name, and they needed a B name.  mama and daddy really liked the name booker, after booker t. washington, a famous american political leader, educator, speaker, and writer dude.  mama and daddy picked me out of my mama's litter of puppies cuz i looked like a booker to them!  here's me on my first day at home.

now some of you have prolly noticed that i am pretty tall with long leggies and that i am kinda slim.  this is cuz i am a field labradoggie.  that means i was bred for field work, and i'm not as stout and blocky like my show labradoggie friendz.  since i'm not stocky, a lot of hoomans thought i was a labradudette when i was littler!  they would come up to me and say thingies like, "you are such a pretty girl!"  egads!  my mama and daddy would be like, "his name is booker, and he's a BOY!"  well, that got shortened into booker boy, but mama didn't totally like the sound of it.  then one day she came up with booker man instead, and we all thought it sounded grrreat!  i have been the booker man evarrr since!
me 'n asa sure hope you liked learning about how we got our names!  we're gonna have tons of fun reading about your names, too.  have a happy 4th of july, everybuddy!!