Orchid rehab

Hey, what's up, dogs?  Today my human and I are going to test out our green thumbs....errr, I mean, green paws.  I keep forgetting I don't have thumbs.

Anyway...my human recently received this beautiful orchid arrangement as a gift.  Isn't it gorgeous?  

But there's one problem.  This glass pot, although attractive and sturdy, has absolutely no drainage holes.  And in the last few days, it looks like one of the plants' leaves is yellowing.  

After watching a couple of YouTube videos on orchid care, my human decided we should extract the plants and take a look at the roots.  

(Disclaimer:  For the record, I suggested we consult Jerry, Ben, or Sandy before taking this radical step, but my human didn't listen.  So if this goes south, don't blame me.  Sigh...humans.)

First, we made a run to the garden store.  We've got some orchid potting mix, which mostly consists of bark chips for proper drainage, and some orchid food sticks.  We also have some new moss (not pictured) to pack around the roots, and a new pot, this time with holes for drainage.

Here goes nothing.  First, my human will attempt to pull the plants from the pot.  Hey, careful with that!  Gently....gently...

Oh my.  Looks like the root balls were still encased in their original plastic wrappers, which were packed with moss to retain moisture.  And since my human watered them a few times in the glass pot, that moss never aired out.  I think the roots were suffocating!

We cut the plastic wrappers off and removed the damaged parts of the roots.  Then we repotted the plants.  Fast forward twenty minutes....

Aaaaaaaand here's the finished product.  According to our YouTube education, the flowers may not pull through, but I really hope we can salvage the plants so they can try again next season and continue to give us beautiful blossoms in the future.  

Whew!  Mission accomplished.  I'll keep you posted over the next few months regarding how "green" my paw is...Stay tuned! 

Luggage tag

Hey, what's up, dogs?  Do you remember this photo of my suitcase when I left for Iceland, and how I mentioned that the luggage tag resembled yours truly?...

Well, this is what the suitcase looks like now.  Notice anything?

That's right...the tag is gone.  GONE!  I'm so bummed.  (Whimper...)

I have no idea what happened to it.  All I know is that it was missing when my human picked the bag up off the baggage claim carousel.  Perhaps it fell off?  Or perhaps someone was enchanted by its (my) cuteness and decided to take it?  I don't like to think about the second possibility, but you never know.  Sigh...

Fortunately, my friend Ajdin is looking out for me.  I got this in the mail some time ago:

It says:  "Hi Droopy--I heard you lost your luggage tag on the trip to Iceland  :(  Here is a new one for your future trips!"

And here's what came along with the note!

Wow, that is great!  It looks great on the suitcase.  Thank you, Ajdin...I'll definitely treasure this.  Now I'm all set for my next trip.

Hope everybody has a great week!  See you next time...

More on Iceland....

Hey, what's up, dogs?  Finally getting back around to my posts about Iceland.  This country has many areas of natural beauty.  My human and I saw multiple waterfalls...

 ...River and canyon vistas...

 ...colorful foliage...

...a rugged, frozen glacier....

 ...a bear...

Wait, what?...  

You're kidding me.  It seems we've run into Ajdin again.  That bear sure gets around.

One of the last stops on our tour was Blacksand Beach in Reynisfara in Vik, Iceland.  Anyone who's a fan of the popular TV series Game of Bones may recognize--

(Eh?  What's that?

Oh.  Ahem.  Excuse me, but my human says the title of the show is actually Game of Thrones.  Huh.  That makes much less sense to me.  I know tons of games you can play with bones.  Thrones, not so much.  But anyway...)

After a very long day, Ajdin and I met up back at our hotel to compare notes and photos.  It was a great trip to Iceland, don't you think?

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's celebration!  Here's to 2020...what adventures will I have this year, I wonder?...

Another Xmas card.

Hey, what's up, dogs?  Yup, it's now official...I get more mail than my human!  I'm a very lucky dog to have so many friends sending me mail.

Here's the latest Christmas card we got.  This one's from Ajdin, as you can tell from the postage stamp on the envelope.  I really like this card...this bear is bundled up and ready for the holidays!

And everyone in Ajdin's household signed it!  Thanks you guys!  MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR, everybody!    

Mail call

Hello all,

Just a quick post to show off some mail that I've gotten recently.  The first card is Sandy Bear's Halloween greeting...yes, I'm a little behind in posting my correspondence...

And here's a Christmas card from Sandy as well!  He states his Gramma supplied most of the stickers he used on the envelope.  He also wished us a Merry Christmas filled with bacon-wrapped things.  Mmmm.  That's my kind of Christmas...

Next up, we have a card from little Fox, featuring a chorus of singing llamas.  Is it just me, or do llamas seem to be all the rage recently?  Thanks L.F.!

More of Iceland...

Hey, what's up, dogs?  I am BACK with more about my trip to Iceland!  Today's attraction is the Geysir Center.  You can see how the ground is steaming because of all the superheated water beneath the earth.  

Oo...ah...hot!  Wish my human had packed me some boots...

The geyser behind me is named Strokkur, and it erupts roughly every 10 minutes or so.  Which means it should be going off right about...now.

Um...I mean now?

Aha!  There it goes. Timing is everything!

So...hot as that water was, it's pretty chilly in Iceland today, so my human and I ducked into the gift shop to warm up.  Here are some hats and mittens bearing the national flag and colors of Iceland.

Here are some very warm (but scratchy!) blankets made from Icelandic wool.

And of course, any self-respecting gift store must carry a selection of stuffies!  We're in Iceland, so the stuffie of choice is the puffin. 

Well, I've got to sign off for today...but there will be at least one more post dedicated to Iceland, so stay tuned.  

Hope everyone in the U.S. has a wonderful Thanksgiving week!  What are you most thankful for this year?...