A Big Decision...

Ah-hem... your attention please! (Where is everyone... they must not read their memos... hang on a minute)...

Ah-hem!!! Your attention please... thanks for coming so ***promptly***... I have a big announcement today.

"What is it? Is Sandy coming back?? Oh good... because I'm so tired of the gardening!!"
...excuse me... but, not... and where is Bär anyhow? He must be off checking the mail... that's OK... he's very busy...

Now, listen up... I need a volunteer because Mama is going on a trip to see.... Gramma!!!

***chaos ensues***... "me, me I want to go!!!! No me!!!!"
Leo - OK stuffies, listen up... the way we're going to decide this is the stuffie who has NOT known Gramma the longest... that's fair, right?

Brumm... Ugh... I guess I'm out then... I've known Gramma for a beary long time... Mama was only 2 years old when I first came to Canada.

I was a beary handsome bear back then... still am I think!

Zotti - Uh... well, I guess that rules me out cause I've known Gramma since before Mama was born!!

I even came over on the boat with Gramma... I was a sharp looking bear back then too!

Theodore - Well, that rules me out too... I think I first met Mama when she was born! Sooo...

Hmmm... this is NOT a good picture of me... all you can see are my feet! And Zotti's feet in the background...

Waldi - well... I'm out too then... I can't remember when I met Gramma but I was definitely around when Mama broke her arm and was in the hospital when she was 5!

Alright then... that leaves the three of us and Bär (still not back from the mail)... I know that Bär first met Mama and Gramma in the 1980s sooo... I think he's ruled out. And I first met Gramma way back in the 1990s I think... so that leaves Sticky and Rusty! Let's see... Rusty met Gramma in 2000... and Sticky met Gramma in... 2010!!! So that means Sticky is our winner!!!!

Sticky... Ummmmm.... issssss therrrrreeeee occcccceeaaannnnn adddddveeennnnnnturrrrresss upppppp therrreeeee??? Beeecccaausssseeee IIIII nneeeeddddd occcceeaaannnn waaattterrrr....

Nope, sorry Sticky. No ocean adventures planned so I guess the prize goes to our runner-up Rusty!!!!

Rusty - Uhhhh... wow... thanks!! I'll do my best to keep everyone posted on our adventures... I wonder if Gramma will make some doggie biscuits for me!

Garden update (slightly out of date)

Hello, it's me Zotti... I don't know if you remember, but I volunteered to take over Sandy's gardening duties... which mostly seem to involve supervising the humans and patrolling the garden.

Wow... the thyme sure is doing well!

And the bees love it!! I think there is a bee in this picture somewhere...

But parts of the garden look a bit unkempt... and there is a LOT of dill growing higgly-dee-piggly-dee everywhere... Hmmm... maybe I need to focus more on supervision of the humans!

Oh... the kohlrabi is doing well though!!

And so is the garlic although... someone was overwatering and some of them have succumbed to root rot... again, I think I need to focus more on supervision... from a deck chair!

Oh wow... this thyme is even better than the last one!

And the lavender is doing well too... the bees will love that!

Speaking of bees... do you see that hole over there...

Ooops, sorry... my big ear got in the way!

That hole there....

and this hole here...

We saw a bee going into each hole!!! Apparently they are burrowing bees and while they don't make honey hives (darn)... they are good for pollinating flowers and stuff.

I'm sure they love the peonies...

And the roses...

We also saw some wasps going in and out of the VW bird house... and inside, they are making a paper nest... this should be interesting to see how it develops! Zotti signing off for now.

Blogger Profile Pics...

Hello, Bär here... I have been getting caught up on Sandy's comments and... he was beary far behind! I noticed something annoying... when Google+ got binned, all the profile pics went to the Blogger default log... See... just orange blobs...

Despite the fact that Sandy has a profile pic on his Blogger Dashboard... But that is his Google profile which is NOT necessarily the same as his Blogger profile (go figure)... but I think I've figured it out...

On the Blogger dashboard page - go to Settings and then click on User Settings at the bottom...

This should show up - click on the Edit, next to User Profile...

Make sure Share my Profile is checked off under Privacy...

Then scroll down to Profile Photo... Sandy's was blank... so we added a photo... and then saved...

While the comments already posted didn't changed... now it has his pic next to Comment as... near the bottom... Jerry & Ben must have figured this out ages ago, because their profile pic is there!

Hope this works... let's test it on Beanie's blog because his comments get posted instantly!! It worked!!!

Another way to check that your Blogger profile pic is working is... at the top of the Blogger Dashboard, next to "New Post"... your pic should be there... if it's not... follow the steps here... and it should show up!

Catching up on Mail

Uh, hello... Bär here... I know, I have not been keeping the human in line with blog posting but... honestly... I don't know how Sandy does it!! Alright... let's start with some mail...

This card came a few weeks ago... it's from Piebury Corner - mmm... meat pies... they sound yummy.

The card was from Beanie Mouse and Andrea... do you remember that a group of mice is called a Mischief of Mice? I wonder why that is?? Maybe a Sleuth of Bears could figure that out!

And... I don't know if you remember (it's been so long) but... Jerry and Ben had sent a case for Sherlock Sandy and I, Watson Bär was put onto the case... well, I got a bit distracted... although readers of this blog sent in some good clues...

You see... Jerry & Ben have this super-cute return address label... and Sandy doesn't have anything so I did some sleuthing (even a solitary bear can do that)...

And... voila!!! Sandy has his own address labels!! I think he will be beary pleased with that when he comes home. It took a bit of fiddling with the colours but... I think red is a bear good colour... red and white actually...

Cause it matches the colours of the Canadian flag!!! Oh... and my Berlin sash as well... isn't that a happy coincidence!

So... there are LOTS of return address labels...

Which I put to good use by using to send cards to all Sandy's stuffie pals... whew... it's tough being a fill-in for Sandy. I had no idea how much he actually took on!

And our little stuffie committee meeting didn't really handle even half of what Sandy does... we needed a Dr Sandy MD last week (Mama has road burn on the heel of her hand)...

and Dr Sandy DVM too because Spooky has not been doing well. She is hyperthyroid and has also been having asthma attacks which are not nice. We've all been beary sad lately but she got a corticosteroid shot today and we're keeping paws/claws/fingers crossed that she'll perk up... It's been a rough year already what with Grampa and then Sassy cat (Rose's cat) going...

Alright then... Bär signing off for now!