The Mystery of Phone Wolf

 Miss Jill asked me again today, "Where did we get Phone Wolf?"  I honestly don't know.  Somehow, somewhere, he just showed up in our house.  He seemed quite polite and asked for some ice tea.  We didn't have any that day but Miss Jill got some for him anyway.  He lounges about but is often hiding in the den.  Sometimes Phone Wolf has been sighting playing cards with Papa Bugg, TV Turtle, and Simon.  But Phone Wolf himself is a mystery.

We know that he loves sitting by the phone much like TV Turtle is a veritable "hog" of the remote control.  But Phone Wolf does have this odd obsession with Commute Bunny.  It's not healthy.  I really don't think so.  He often asks about her... or singing rabbits for that matter.  But how can one mistrust an animal that like iced tea?  It's just something about him... I'm not sure.

Regardless, he's a part of our family now and Mary Jane refers to him by name once in a while.  He has made it to the middle tier of Guys.

The Big Soft Fluffy Friend: Pengoon

Mary Jane and Betsy Jo realize that summer is upon them when none other than the Pengoon mysteriously appears in the house.  The large penguin mascot of the Mary Star Decathlon program materializes over summer and Christmas break.  He sits on the large rocking chair and quietly asserts his need for a can of tuna.  This naturally irritates TV Turtle and Sharkey who both want their share of fish food as well.  The penguin is quite placid but he does seem to intimidate the other stuffed animals with his rotund belly.  He also frightens Mommy when she sneaks off to the bathroom in the middle of the night and the suddenly he creeps in under the covers. For some reason, she blames Daddy for that when it was really Pengoon trying to get some warmth.



The Pengoon showed up one day sitting on the bar in the den.

Along with the Pengoon this year is Deborah the Zebra (pronounced the British way of course, ZEB-ruh), the mascot for the Mary Star Decathlon team #2.  Deborah was initially introduced to the family for Mary Jane's first birthday party.  She was an immediate hit with the girls but alas filled a more important team role as mascot.  Deborah and the Pengoon sit atop Mr. Erb's closet in the back corner of the room.  The proudly watched the Mary Star teams win a combined 42 medals last year.  Strong mascots indeed.

Deborah!!!

In the picture, Mary Jane and Betsy Jo sit down in front of the two mascots for the photo op.  Mary Jane and Betsy Jo are the human mascots for teams one and two, respectively.  Thus the picture actually has the right human and animal mascots lineup up. 

In the brief video, Mary Jane attempts at putting Daddy's (aka Mr. Erb's) hat on the Pengoon.  After some failed attempts, she decides to place it upon Deborah's instead.  A for effort, MJ.  Wait, let's stick with the theme: gold medal for effort, Mary Jane!

Thunderstruck

Zot!

Hopefully the first thunderstorm to hit Los Angeles in quite a while will not keep my girls up tonight.  Mary Jane and Betsy Jo are probably too young to be scared by such things.  As for Mommy, TV Turtle, Cherry Bugg and Clifford?  I'm not so sure...

The DudeManBro

Standing Tall

Nothing gives a little girl more of a calming influence than a favorite stuffed animal.  In Mary Jane's case, it's Paul the Panda.  He also goes by P2theP.  Don't ask, we're all just players in his theatrical production.

Paul originally came to our family via the Phoenix Children's Hospital.  Ever since then he has jumped to the top of Mary Jane's animal list.  We often thought it might be TV Turtle or Clifford but no, it's definitely the panda.  He has a hankering for "bambuu" as he spells it.  He loves to surf and spends most of his free time chilling in the back yard and working on his tan.

During the evenings though, he is primarily in the arms of Mary Jane.  If Betsy somehow comes across the soft furry panda, Mary Jane elicits a rare bit of jealousy and takes Paul away with a frenzied grab.

Dinner with P2theP

Paul also makes his way to the dinner table.  There's no way he's not getting in on some of the food.  He's lucky though.  Mary Jane often feeds him the rest of the bottle when she's done.  He doesn't complain much although at first he thought it was a bit awkward.  There's some sort of pride one feels when they are the most wanted.  And for the DudeManBro, that's what it's all about.

John Runs Slow 5k Time; Blames It on Long Shorts

Another Independence Day, another 5K run in the Palisades. For some reason Mister John has been doing that for quite a while. Whether or not he improves is up for debate. However this year he clocked in at a tad over 30 mintues which is a bit slow for him. Oh well... just because TV Turtle could run that with a crisp breeze means very little.

Pete and Lillian (as seen to the right) both ran the race as well. Pete, much like John, changed shirts as not to display his ID#. Oddly enough they had the same four digits but the second and third were transposed. Go figure.

Maybe next year John will bust out the short shorts circa 1985 John Stockton. But that would freak out his wife and his little girl... and possibly most of Mar Vista. Some legs are just not meant to be seen. Idolized, maybe, but never seen.

Arch Rivals Prepare to Race in Aunt Pat's Backyard

The eternal debate remains: who will win the race between the tortoise and the hare? During this -- the Final Four weekend -- these arch rivals will be competing all over households in the southern California area. As seen on the left, the tortoise Yoshi is comparing to race against the hare Samson (on the right). Both of them are resting up for their ultimate race tomorrow afternoon. Who will win? Who will give in?

While I'm not that sure about the result of their race, I do know that the word has spread all the way from Monterey Park (where Yoshi and Samson will vie) to that of the usually quiet Mar Vista where some of the animals are getting a bit testy. As the festivities are getting closer, the animals are lining up against one another at Chez Erb. As seen in the left photo, Mama and Papa Bugg have called out Theodore Victory (TV) Turtle and Kelly. Mama Bugg and TV have even gone nose-to-nose in a staring contest. Methinks that competition will be a draw.

Fortunately Root Beer Float and her sister Ruby Jane have not heard about this or they'd be busting down the doors to... eat the victory bouquet.

Clifford in Your Face!

Sometimes in our household, one of us might oversleep the alarm in the morning. And when that happens, our wake up dog gets into action. Clifford, known as the Bunny Stopper, is also our Alarm Dog. Like this morning Miss Jill was sleeping in way too long so the Alarm Dog sprung into action.

"Woof," he cried aloud, "Wake up. Woof!" Nothing like a big red dog in your face at 6am. At least he's very courteous and licks your face afterward. Good for you, Clifford.

In other news regarding the Guys, TV Turtle doesn't wake you up but occasionally sneaks up on in the middle of the night just to see/smell if you had fish the previous evening. Sometimes if Mister John is feeling saucy, he'll whisper into TV Turtle's ear before he sleeps, "Miss Jill had salmon tonight." And then around 2am he'll sneak up on her and see if she has any more salmon. Oh, that silly turtle.

As for rabbit news, Cherry Bugg bossed Chip around again today but that's older news than Reggie Bush cheated and Barry Bonds used steroids.

Penguins Tend to Relax on Sundays

The Pengoon is spending his vacation in style. For much of the year he sits atop Mister John's (aka Mr. Erb) mobile school closet. But for a few weeks during Christmas and summer break, he gets to chill with the family. Of course that brings the annual conflicts with TV Turtle and Sharkey as they all want to eat fish. And clearly this proves to be a greater problem as the Pengoon is much larger than them. Never discuss issues of biomass with Decathlon penguins, television turtles, and cloth-toothed sharks (they get a bit testy). Furthermore Shark Week comes on just in time for the fish eating conflicting every year. This year the three have bonded and have enjoyed watching all the Shark Week programming. This has left Miss Jill and Mister John a little worried as the new programming for 2010 dealt mostly with shark attacks on humans. When either Jill or John walks by, they all turn their heads to look at them like the ghosts did on the Ancient Mariner's ship (what, you haven't read "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" lately? you suck!).

In the afternoons, Pengoon gets out and lounges in the back yard. Good for him, he deserves a good rest from all the action inside. Besides, in about ten days, he'll be back at Mary Star and surviving all the sophomore madness. And he also knows that January is coming soon enough: the Decathlon awaits. Mister John (aka Coach Erb) will be ready to bring him into battle. And nothing drives fear into other Decathlon teams than the Pengoon. Because they know Mary Star is coming. Well, that and the onslaught of parents that come.

Remote Control Seized During Shark Week

Normally TV Turtle is in control of the remote but for one week a year, Sharkey swims from upon the bedroom television and seizes control. He watches nothing but non-stop Shark Week programming on the Discovery Channel. He sits there casually enjoying the remarkable pictures of his fellow sharks. On Sunday night he was jumping through the air as he emulated the flying sharks off of Shark Island.

So as Miss Jill sits there in the bedroom watching the tense conclusion of The Bachelorette and Mister John oscillates between a Dodger loss and How the Earth Was Made (hey, man, this episode is about the Rocky Mountains), Sharkey sits in the living room and watches three hours of shark programming. You can call us crazy but look at the picture. That shark's got teeth!

Summertime for the TV Turtle

While Miss Jill and Mister John are out and about, the televisions at home are left to Theodore Victory Turtle, aka TV Turtle. He's in charge of the remote controls and snaps at any person or rabbit who tries to usurp his power. TV Turtle originally followed Miss Jill into her Pasadena condo and kept an eye on the remote there. He's quite a wise animal to have as remotes tend to get lost and it is better to have someone whose sole purpose is to keep an eye on it. Everyone knows that Chee Bugg would bite it or Clifford "The Bunny Stopper" might fall asleep but TV Turtle will always keep his focus.

TV Turtle does like watching shows about fish. And if Miss Jill or Mister John has fish for dinner, he definitely wants his portion. He's been known to hop up to either person in the middle of the night and smell their fish breath. Kinda creepy, maybe but dude's gotta have his fish! Always a good reminder to brush every night.

Bunnies Celebrate Laker Championship

Last night was quite a busy night for the bunnies. While Mister John quietly graded his semester finals, they all went into another room and started watching the NBA Finals. I guess nothing says rabbit romper room like Lakers/Celtics. Oddly enough it was a physical match and Connie kept asking the bunnies and the other stuffed animals if they wanted to rassle. That scares TV Turtle because he's seen what has happened to those pro wrestlers. First the sun lamp and then it's all downhill from there.

Anyway, they were thumping and hollering for the game, most especially Phillip. For those who don't recall, Prince Phillip originally hails from Spain so he was quite fixated on rooting for fellow Spaniard Pau Gasol. Gasol came up with many key plays in the fourth quarter. And while he might have missed many free throws (Phillip kept thumping at that), he does know how to arrange the furniture correctly in a room. Phillip does not call that feng shui, he calls it good taste. Upon the championship, Phillip hopped into the air and that scared the only bunnies. Actually that only mildly surprised Root Beer Float who was eating cake. Oh, and I think Chip was rustling through a trash can trying to find any leftover pretzels (you know, the ones with peanut butter in side of them).

Alas, as soon as the game was over, controversy struck. Many people on the Internet claimed that Pau Gasol was not from Spain but rather the high plains of Peru. They even supplied a pic to support their claims. Phillip just assumed this was racist anti-Spanish sentiment. Or at least some sort of slam against their under-performing soccer team. The good news in this house is that none of the stuffed animals care about soccer. Well, no one but Simon. Simon clearly roots for the English team but he's not around much. Probably been in the pub for the last week or so. He shows up just enough to antagonize Cherry Bugg. Phillip still holds his Spanish mane proud. Just as Pau Gasol should.

As for Peru, Phillip just says it's a great country to round up Dutch wannabe felons. Sounds reasonable enough.

John Spotted in Monterey, Later Trapped in Can

Twas an interesting weekend for Mister John as he and Miss Jill went to pick up a new car (pictures coming soon, we promise). On the way, they visited the sweeping coastal landscape of Monterey Bay where the surf reached an incredible 15-18 feet this weekend. Surf's up, indeed.

On the way this scenic photo of the shoreline was taken just north of Big Sur. There are many other pictures which will be added in the next few days. What the viewer cannot see is the steep cliff about three feet away from Mr. John. He was just itching to get outta there as soon as the picture was taken. Wuss? Maybe... but he does look out for number one: Miss Jill.

On the right hand side, utter catastrophe. Mr. John was walking through one of the buildings down in the former Cannery Row section in Monterey when he unwittingly became trapped in a sardine can. Luckily for him, it was just him and not dozens of his fishy friends. On that note, TV Turtle did tag along for the ride this vacation. And as all you casual and die-hard bloggers know, TV (Theodore Victory) Turtle LOVES fish. He had a fish-filled weekend and we made we left the windows in the back of the car open because he smelled... well, fishy.

Flip flop. See ya.

Last Night for the Pengoon

Alas, poor Pengoon, I knew him well, Horatio.

The Academic Decathlon mascot will return to school tomorrow as the whole school year process starts all over again. While it is sad not to see the cheerful penguin in the home, it does prove problematic. Such animals like TV Turtle and Sharkey (who disappeared for a week but was finally found in Miss Jill's jewelry box, don't ask) do not like the Pengoon's presence because he eats most of their fish. The Pengoon denies it all but fish breath is hard to remove.

Only students who are in Academic Decathlon are allowed to touch the penguin. Others receive detention. Such is the power of the penguin... er, Pengoon.

Not to worry, world, the Pengoon will be back home over Christmas vacation. Hey, gotta take the carpool lane once in a while!

Controversial Decision Awaits Bunny Election

After all the votes have been tallied, the Bunny Election of 2008 resulted in a TIE! Both the camps of Cherry Bugg and Princess Jane were outraged that the electorate could not decide upon the more deserving rabbit. Unfortunately there is nothing in the local constitution that provides a more definitive roadmap in case of electorate tying.

Quite possibly all of the indoor animals (Clifford, TV Turtle, Sharkey, etc) might get their own vote. Or there might just be a split leadership. Considering Princess Jane and Cherry Bugg do not seem to get along well, this might be a difficult decision.

Clearly there will be a recount. Hopefully cooler heads and lucky feet will prevail.

Jane v. Cherry Bugg in the Bunny Election Rematch

With November approaching and Election Day so close at hand, the matter is getting quite tense here on Dewey Street. Jane, the unquestioned monarch of the back yard for the past six years, is suddenly being challenged to an election by the precocious Cherry Bugg. While Jane believes in divine right of rabbits, Cherry Bugg thinks that all animals should be able to vote for their rulers. (Never mind the fact that they would probably vote off my wife Jill as she rarely feeds them and they would rather replace her with a self-serve grain stand. I, however, would not like to be married to a self-serve grain stand.)

Considering that we do have five rabbits, this election is up for grabs. However, since Jane's mate is Phillip, he will most probably vote for her. Besides, he does not get along well with Cherry Bugg as they tend to fight.

So this means that Ruby Jane and Root Beer Float -- clearly two independent voters with a voting history as scatter-shot as a drunk possum with a pellet gun -- may decide who the winner of the Bunny Election will be.

It has been rumored that ALL animals within the household get a vote so our stuffed animals may also get to decide. Clifford, TV Turtle, Mama Bugg, Papa Bugg, Sharky, Pedro, Trumpet, and even Tan Chihuahua all may get a say in this all-important event.

Hopefully, there will not be a recall on this year's election as Jill and I would prefer to stay in this house for the time being.