Day 20: SUNDAY

Mikey is fearless in the face of a ferocious (bronze) wolf!

Today we decided to start training Mikey on "come". He's making slow but steady progress.  He definitely comes running if you are holding a treat, or even if you might be holding a treat.  If you're squatting, he'll also come running, even without you saying "come"! 

It's a little trickier if you call out "Come!" when you're behind him, off to the side, in a different room, or standing without an obvious treat in your hand. 

That's okay.  It's just his first day.  We'll keep working on it.

Great news!  Mikey's page on the NYC Shiba Recuse site has been updated.  Read all about him here.  But you already know everything about Mikey!

Mikey is so relaxed and chill and cool.  Sometimes he's very un- dog- like.  He doesn't bark, or chase squirrels, or bother the cat, or anything!  Yesterday Scott said "If someone put a dog like Mikey in a story, people would look at the writer and say 'Have you ever MET a dog?' " It's true! 

But then when Mikey sniffs trees and fire hydrants, or when Mikey dances with excitement at dinner time, or when he eats food he finds on the sidewalk (gotta stay alert!), and when he decides to act cute and sit to extort a treat, it's easy to remember: Mikey's a dog through and through!

Day 19: SATURDAY

 

A cab ride, the farmer's market, a big grassy park, and another EPIC walk back home made Saturday a fun and exhausting day for both me and Mikey!  Mikey tolerated the cab ride to the park very well.  The crowded farmers market was a little rough for him, especially since there were lots of people walking in all different directions.  But I kept him on a short leash and we made it through okay.  

He did enjoy the pig skin dog treats from the pork vendor.  

Smiling dog, gruff farmers.

 They cut the pig skin into tiny pieces and Mikey politely sat for each piece.

Mikey endorses Bradley Farm.

 

 Three different people asked me what kind of dog he was and commented on how well- behaved he was.  People almost always ask me “A shiba inu?  But aren’t they brown?” I explain most shiba inus are brown but there are also black ones and white ones.  (Technically “brown” and “white” aren’t the correct terms.  But I’m pretty sure they’re not looking for that much detail, so I don’t say “red” or “cream”.  And I leave out the sesame ones entirely!)  

Also on Saturday, one woman asked “A shiba inu?  But don’t their tails sort of curl up?”  I explained most do but some shiba tails are curved and other shiba tails, like Mikey’s, are just straight. 

I like Mikey’s straight tail.  It’s so fluffy that it looks like a fox’s tail!

Hey there, foxy tail.

Then we went into the park!  The weather was sunny but chilly so the park wasn’t very crowded.  Mikey got to walk on grass, play on tree stumps, and see gorgeous blooming cherry trees. 

There’s a dog beach at this park, but we skipped it because dogs can only swim there between 9 pm and 9 am.  (Also I forgot a towel.  And I forgot where the dog beach was.)

Thanks to Fido Brooklyn to the great pic!

 

 We alternated walking at a normal pace with slow ambling.  I tried to explain to Mikey that people walk fast in New York City, and he doesn’t live in New Jersey anymore.  He’s a New Yorker now!  He seemed to accept this.  There were many other dogs, but they left Mikey alone and vice versa.  We hiked through some forested areas.  I think he enjoyed the different terrain.  

Mikey did sit over and over. 

Sit.

Sit.

Sit.  (Maybe it's time to teach him a new trick?)

He earned many tiny pieces of apple for all those good sits. Maybe too many-- he got a little sick from all the treats and excitement!  Good thing I had an extra moses bag so I could pick up his mess.  Poor Mikey.  We took it easy after that.  (Which reminds me:  at the park, he did robert but no moses.)

Then, when we tried to get home, we couldn't find a cab.  We had to walk the whole way home!  It was all downhill, though.  Mikey REALLY likes walking downhill.  Sometimes he'll even break into a run when going downhill!  So it wasn't a problem.

And naturally Mikey wasn't tired at all once we got home.  Where does he get all the energy?  We went out to see friends in the evening.  Then when we got home after 10:30 pm, we walked Mikey.  He's gotten so good about robert and moses.  He almost never has an accident!  And he's been happily sleeping outside the crate.  What a good dog.

Day 18: Mikey and the Flowers

 

 Today's blog post will be an album of Mikey with blooming flowers behind him.  Happy Spring, everyone!

 

 

(Okay, yes, this one has no flowers.  But it's darn cute.)

Day 17: How To Pet Mikey

There's a right way and a wrong way to do everything.  Petting Mikey is no different.

Petting dogs may seem like the easiest thing in the world.  But Mikey generally doesn't like the traditional "pet from above" action.  If you try to pet the top of his head, he'll often back off, and if you try to pet his back, he'll almost always flinch and evade you.  People usually try these places first, and then Mikey backs off. Then they don't try again. Poor Mikey.

Look at those fluffy furry jowls!

But when YOU meet Mikey, he won't flinch away! You will know the trick.  The trick to petting Mikey is two- part, and BOTH are counter- intuitive! One: you must come from underneath.  Two: you must anticipate that he will back up exactly two small steps.  These can be tricky to do in combination, but you're in luck!  I have provided a step- by- step guide.

Learn how to pet me!

1) Slowly move your open hand, fingers outstretched, toward the underside of Mikey's chin, but do not touch him.

2) Let Mikey sniff your hand.  If you're lucky, he may give you a small lick with his pink tongue. (Odd of getting licked increase if you just handled food.)

3) Move your hand slightly closer to his jowl.  I always start with his left jowl (on my right side).

4) This is when he will back up exactly two small steps.  This is okay.  He's not running away, just backing up a bit. You should stay right where you are.

5) After a moment, then you may reach out and pet his left jowl.  You can really get your fingernails in there and scratch a bit. He seems to really enjoy this, even though I imagine he probably can't feel much, with all his fur.

6) You'll know you've done it exactly right if he presses his head against your hand.  Awwww.

7) Resist the urge to grab his other jowl to pet both and snuggle his furry face.  This is advanced petting.  Do not attempt unless you are a professional.

Day 16: Mikey's Secret Speediness

Here comes the speed demon!

Today I was able to ask Mikey's dog walker a few questions. I learned something that surprised me quite a lot: Mikey breaks out the SPEED on his walks!

Apparently when Mikey is in a big pack of dogs-- 4 or more, including him-- he doesn't sniff and walk slowly. He walks quickly, keeping up with the pack! I was astonished to learn this! I was very worried that he would not be able to do pack walks, because of his typical methodical pace and his love of sniffing everything he sees. I worried he would cause discord, with some dogs rushing ahead while Mikey was lingering behind.  But the opposite happens! Mikey rises to the occasion and matches pace with his packmates!

zoooooom

However, if it's just Mikey, or if it's a smaller pack (like Mikey plus only 1 or 2 other dogs), then he returns to his leisurely pace and resumes sniffing every sniff-able object in the universe.  Very strange.

The dog walker's suggestion: get more dogs!  And she's right!  If I had 3 more dogs, Mikey would be fine on his walks.  But THAT's not going to happen as long as I live in this small 1- bedroom apartment!

(For the record: morning walk, robert only.  Then he ate less than half his breakfast, but he definitely likes the new Chicken and Sweet Potato flavor wet food. Afternoon walk: both robert and moses!!)

I bought the small size in case he disliked it.  But next time I'm getting the large!

Day 15: Mikey: Sitting Extortionist

(wink)

Mikey has "sit" down cold.  He knows it SO WELL.  He's still not fast, but he always does sit.  I've even been working on "sit!" with my back to him, or behind him, or without a treat in my hand, and he still does a good "sit"!  (Eventually.)

Recently Scott was in charge of the post- work walk and dinner.  Apparently, when Scott was making Mikey's dinner, Mikey hung out in the kitchen.  Every time Scott looked at him, Mikey would sit!  Then, as Scott carried the bowls of food and water out for Mikey, Mikey preceded him, walking backwards, doing "sit" over and over!  He must have been very hungry.  It sounded like it was so cute.

But recently I learned Mikey has been using the power of "sit" for evil, not just for good.  

Evil Mikey.

It's true.  Mikey has been using "sit", combined with his cute face, to coerce treats from unsuspecting people!  He's an extortionist!

Here's the thing:  I trained Mikey to respond to my "sit!" commend by sitting, whereupon he would get a treat and a "gooood siiit!"  But if he sits at a time that I didn't command it, he'll get a "gooood siiit!" but no treat.  Treats only come when I ask for the sit.  I trained HIM; he didn't train ME.  I'm not just some sit- activated treat machine!

Then his dog walker told me about how much Mikey likes to sit, but then when she gives him a treat, all the other dogs want a treat too, and then she runs out of treats! I couldn't believe it: MIKEY TRAINED HIS DOG WALKER!

I laughed and told her she doesn't have to give him a treat when he sits, unless she ASKED him to sit.  She was quite relieved!

Extortion is a serious offense, but I can only hope we caught Mikey early in his life of crime.  Maybe he can turn himself around and become a productive member of society, and leave behind his criminal past.

Day 14: Mikey Superstar

Sorry, Mikey, this isn't our house.

Mikey is doing so well with us.  I can't believe it's only been 2 weeks.  He's such a relaxed, chilled- out, easy dog. He's ridiculously well- behaved!  I've been relieved to see how he is around Panzer the cat (he ignores him) and how he is around kids (sweet and gentle).

On his early morning walk, Mikey did robert, no moses.

Well, hello there.

Today Csaba the dog walker started taking Mikey out for a later walk, around 3. We hope this will align with Mikey's need to robert and moses.  So imagine my disappointment when I came home a little after 6 to... a horrible smell.  Both robert AND moses on the floor!  Poor Mikey!

Mikey in profile!

And what do I find in the next room?  Panzer had puked at some point during the day!  Poor Panzer! So this was a rough day for ALL the animals in my house.  Time to clean!

Since Mikey had already gone to the bathroom, it was less urgent to walk him when I got home. I cleaned the messes, had a snack, and read. Then we had dinner.  After dinner, we did his walk.  Robert only.  Despite my mistakes that led to him having an accident, Mikey was in good spirits the whole time.  What a great dog!

The good news: this was Mikey's last day of eye ointment!  After I applied the medicine to his eyes for the last time, I threw the empty tube into the garbage with a great flourish.  I think Mikey knew on some level that he was done with those odd twice- daily moments of discomfort.  Even though Mikey clearly disliked the ointment, he was such a good boy throughout that whole process.  And I gained a little more confidence in medicating animals. 

Day 13: SUNDAY and Mikey's Epic Walk

"A walk?  Sure! I love walks!"

Mikey had no idea what he was getting himself into on Sunday.  It was a beautiful day, so we set off on a nice long walk.  It turned into three and half hours!  (One robert at about 3:20, one moses at about 4:15.)  Countless people commented.  "So pretty!"  "What kind of dog is that?"  "How old is he?"  Mikey was great with a couple of little kids who came up to him-- including a toddling baby!

We had a great time!  But that was WAY too long a walk-- even for me.  Poor Mikey!  We won't do that again.  Smaller, shorter walks, with nice breaks in between.

But Mikey did get to visit the statue of Henry Ward Beecher at Plymouth Church in Brooklyn.  (For more information about why Henry Ward Beecher is important, you can listen to my podcast about The Underground Railroad in New York City: http://abcgotham.podbean.com/2013/02/08/underground-railroad-in-nyc/)

He didn't really rest at any point,either. Even when I sat on a bench in a park, he stood at attention, on all fours.  Sitting seems uncomfortable to him, but I guess I thought he might lie down if he needed a break.  But no, he didn't.  I suppose that makes sense since he only had brick or concrete to lie on. In addition,  I didn't find any stores with a nice bowl of water out in front for tired dogs like Mikey.  Poor guy.

I figured by the time we dragged ourselves home around 6:30 pm, he'd have some dinner and then pass out the rest of the night.  I was wrong!  He was oddly energized!  He ate all his dinner (but I gave him wet food only; I left the kibble out because I felt bad for taking him on such a long long walk). Scott and I left to go grocery shopping and returned around 8 to find... a puddle of robert on the floor. Oh maaaan.

But it all ended up okay. We got everything cleaned up and had dinner and relaxed.  Mikey slept outside the crate for the first time Sunday night.

Day 12:  SATURDAY

Mikey continues to attract compliments and questions from strangers! Saturday we did a trip to Hillside Dog Park and then a long slow walk through Dumbo, just like last week. One couple in the dog park asked what kind of dog he is (which most people ask) AND if he was a puppy (!!). Mikey a puppy?  Quite the opposite!  They reached out to pet him and he sweetly allowed them a few pats.  He even did a polite hand-lick.  "He's so well- behaved!"  I agreed.

(I notice this cute thing whenever Mikey gets petted.  He submits for a little while, then steps away and shake shake shakes himself.  I believe he likes his fur to be standing up, not flattened down.  Is that just a Mikey thing, or do all dogs do that?)

Just a Mikey thing.

Later, as we were meandering along Adams Street, Mikey stopped to sniff a tree.  We were near a parked car, and 2 little boys (maybe 6 years old?) were getting in.  It's impossible to ignore a dog like Mikey, of course, so they reached out their hands to be sniffed and they very gently petted him.  "He looks like a fox!"  "Or a wolf."  "Yeah!"  Mikey was SO GOOD.  

Here's another bit of info regarding how Mikey responds to petting: I've noticed when people pet Mikey on his back, he often flinches and might even walk away.  He sometimes does the same thing if people try to pet his head.  This is true even if he sees the hand coming toward him, even if he sniffs the hand first, AND even if it's me or Scott!

So when these little boys (who were very well- behaved) petted Mikey and he didn't flinch or back off AT ALL, I was IMPRESSED.  It may be too soon to say the blanket statement "Mikey is always good with all kids" but it's certainly starting to look that way!  He has never snapped, growled, or barked at a kid.  He always sniffs their hands and permits them to pet him. I've never seen him flinch away from a kid.  In my experience, he actually seems better with kids that he does with adults!  

I LOVE this collage. I wonder if Mikey's as good with kids as this sesame-color shiba inu?

Now, to be fair, we haven't run into any rowdy or screechy kids or babies yet, so it may be too soon to say how he is with ALL kids.  But I can say Mikey is GREAT with reasonably well- behaved kids.

While walking in Dumbo, I finally found some grass for Mikey to walk on!  If you remember, he did get some nice grass under his little paws, briefly, when we visited Brooklyn Bridge Park last week, but there was a No Dogs Allowed sign, so we moved along. And I feel bad because there isn't grass in the dog park, and no other grass available for him to walk on.  

Hillside Dog Park understandably has wood chips, not grass.

But as we walked beneath the crisscrossing loops of the Brooklyn- Queens Expressway (BQE) on- and off- ramps in Dumbo, we saw it: LANDSCAPING!  There were big grassy areas Mikey could walk on.  So we found a place that was safe to access. (Don't worry, I didn't cross a busy on- ramp with a slightly- arthritic 12 year old dog!) Mikey seemed to like the grass a lot. But I think his favorite part was the ice cream sandwich wrapper he found!

Thanks to rapheevanoff for the great photo!

Interesting fact:  we can thank Robert Moses (the actual guy, not the product of Mikey's dinners) for the BQE slashing and burning its way through Dumbo, and also the rest of Brooklyn and Queens.  Neighborhoods and communities be damned! Oh well.

Day 11: Atta Boy, Mikey.

Mikey patrolling. Panzer supervising.

Mikey does this cute thing while on walks. He generally ignores all humans, dogs, squirrels, etc. But  he'll occasionally pick one human, seemingly at random, to walk up to and just look at, with his adorable black eyes in his furry cream face. They always melt and reach out to pet him, saying, "Aww, who's this?" (Except for one funny guy who asked Mikey "Can I help you?") I have no idea why Mikey chooses those specific people. He chooses both men and women, young and old people, black and white people. Mikey seems happy to embrace the diversity of New York City.

Tonight I tried something new with Mikey's dinner. He has been eating more of his kibble since I started soaking it in warm water to soften it up a little. So I tried a new thing-- I put the kibble in warm water, and had myself a nice cold beer to celebrate Friday. Then I finished prepping his dinner. In other words, I let the kibble soak until they were barely holding their shape. He ate all his wet food, and the shreds of turkey I put on top, but left all his kibble. ALL of it! So now we know he likes it softened a little, but not all the way. Good to know, buddy.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today's walks: post-work: both robert and moses. Atta boy, Mikey. Quick walk before we went out for dinner: nothing. Pre- bedtime walk: nothing.

Mikey is growing less and less tolerant of getting his eye ointment. The vet told me to put it in both eyes, twice a day, for ten days. We're nearing the end of the ten days, and Mikey's eyes look MUCH better. (It was a slight infection making them a little goopy.) I don't know why he's getting more agitated, instead of less. I never, ever poke him in the eye. I'm pretty sure the ointment itself doesn't hurt, because he doesn't flinch or whimper or anything. My guess: it's just plain weird to get a line of ointment in your open eye. Poor guy. We're almost finished!

Hey there, clear eyes. (Notice Panzer glowering behind Mikey's ear.)

Panzer the cat seems to be getting bolder. The last few times Mikey did his patrolling through the apartment (last night, this morning), Panzer planted himself in one spot on the dining room table or on the dining room rug. Every time Mikey passed him, he'd meow emphatically. Scott thinks he's saying "Hi!" and I think he's saying "Scram!". Either way, Panzer seems interested in starting a dialogue. But it's a moot point, I guess, since Mikey continues to ignore him. Still, we're proud of Panzer.

Day 10:  Mikey Says "Bad Human! Bad! Bad!"

I came home from work last night to find an accident on the floor: robert AND moses!  I didn’t react, just cleaned it up and took Mikey out.  I feel terrible because I keep getting the timing off!  Poor Mikey must have held it in as long as he could.  Maybe I need to move his midday walk later to coincide with his need to go to the bathroom.  Right now the dog walker comes in early afternoon, between 12 and 2.  But I’ll ask him to walk Mikey at 3 or later.

 

No robert or moses on his post- work walk, which I expected, because he was empty!  He ate all his dinner, good boy.  Then no robert or moses on his late evening walk either. 

 

This morning Mikey woke us up by rattling around in his crate, so I let him out of his crate and started to get stuff together for his early-morning walk: leash, moses bag, treats.  I come into the dining room to find Mikey in a squat.  He had a robert accident! Poor guy, if he held it for 2 more seconds we’d have been outside! 

 

On the walk, he did his moses pretty quickly.  Good thing, because it was raining.  As far as I can tell, Mikey is NOT a fan of the rain.

 

Blog readers, I need your help!  Is there any way I can help Mikey so he doesn’t have to hold it in until he’s bursting?  It’s not his fault I’m a first- time dog owner.  He shouldn’t have to be the dog I learn this stuff on.  Poor little guy. He has every right to be mad at me, and, I don't know, attack us or something.  But how?  Dogs have no weapons.

Or do they?

 My current approach:  He gets food and water between 7:30 and 8 am, and then the bowls are taken away.  He gets a half- hour walk between 12-2. Then, a 6:15 pm walk.  Then food and water around 7 pm, and we always take his bowls away around 8:30-8:45 pm.  Then one more walk just before bedtime.  He doesn’t have a water bowl available to him during the day.  We reward him with gold- level treats (tiny bits of hot dog, cheddar, or roast beef) every time he roberts or moses outside.  We croon “good robert moses!” over and over, despite odd looks from passers-by.

 

For the most part, this has been working over the last 11 days, but 2 accidents in 2 days has me worried.  One more accident, and maybe it’s time to call the vet?  I hate to be a hypochondriac- by- proxy but that’s better than making Mikey sick!

Probably ought to have the vet check out his googly eyes, too.

 Well, Mikey ate most of his breakfast today.  This is great news.  Maybe he’ll start putting on some weight!

(Later) I contacted Csaba the dog walker and we agreed to move his midday walk to ~3 pm, starting this Monday. I'll keep you posted.

Day 9:  Mikey in The Sunshine

Weather's warming up and walking Mikey is becoming more and more fun for us.  But that could be because we're all getting used to each other, too. The morning walk yielded robert, but no moses.  Mikey ate about half of his breakfast, maybe a little more.

(As you can see, we got pretty lazy about transitioning Mikey to Kiba.  We'll stick with Mikey for now.)

I've noticed a definite improvement in his eating.  He's still not too much of a breakfast man, but at his last several dinners, he has definitely cleaned his plate.  He didn't eat too much after he first arrived.  We didn't know if he was finicky or nervous.  Now we know he was nervous.  Also, we thought he didn't like kibble, but if it's soaked in warm water for a few minutes and then mixed in with wet food, he eats it.  Hard to say if he enjoys it.  Last night I experimented by NOT stirring everything together.  I figured, if he hates kibble, he'll just eat the lump of wet food off the top and leave the softened kibble in the bowl.  But he ate it all!  It must be the hardness of the kibble that he dislikes.

Panzer and Mikey continue to ignore each other.  Now, Panzer is a standoffish cat already.  And Mikey is chill and laid back.  That's a perfect combination.  So they're coexisting really well.

But sometimes we'll be working on "sit" and lavishing attention on Mikey ("Goood siiit, Mikey!  Good boy!  Smart boy!  Good sit!") , and we'll hear Panzer meowing at us.  We assume he's saying something like  "I already know how to sit. And I know how to poo in a box." 

"AND I'm working on a doctoral thesis."

So we go over and pet him, too.  But we've been careful to keep paying lots of attention to Panzer after Mikey's arrival.  Well, Scott has paid lots of attention to him.  Me, I must confess, not as much.  Well, I have a new dog to take care of!

Oh, that's a terrible excuse.  Mikey is SUCH an easy dog.  I'll pet Panzer lots and lots tonight, I promise.

Day 8 Mikey and the Firefighters

On Day 8 we had a great post- work walk. The weather was so beautiful I was able to wear sandals!

 

There was a fire on our block and soon after we set out on the walk, we were surrounded by 4 shrieking fire engines, 2 wailing cop cars, and at least 20 fire fighters and cops.  Mikey was a total professional, just sniffing as if nothing were going on.  I actually had to drag him away from the commotion.  This is not a fearful or skittish dog!  He only reacted to one particularly loud and annoying siren that went close by us. He just flicked an ear at it!

As you know, we’ve been working on “sit”, even in high-distraction areas like the dog park, Smorgasburg, and inside moving vehicles.  Well, here’s the best part about the fire: Mikey managed a sit even with firetrucks and firefighters and sirens going on around him.  WHAT A GOOD BOY.  He's doing his "sit" in the picture up on top, but here some others of Mikey, cool as a cucumber.

 

(Don’t worry about the fire.  I believe it was just a small but smoky kitchen fire.  I saw an abashed- looking young guy exiting the smoking building and talking to the firefighters.  I always feel a tiny bit sorry for firefighters who come all the way out and then see that it’s no big deal.  What a letdown, huh?)

 

On his post- work walk Mikey mosesed but did not robert.  Hmm; unusual.  Then after we went in and he ate dinner (all of his dinner, hooray!) he had a robert accident on the floor.  My fault.  Maybe I should have kept him out a bit longer. Poor guy.  Then on his late night walk: neither.   We even took him for a quick last walk immediately before bedtime, but nothing!  Uh oh.  We felt a great sense of forboding…

 

…For no reason!  He woke up before the alarm in the am, which was unusual, so I decided to listen to what Mikey was telling me and get him outside quick!  Upon opening his crate I could see he had NOT had an accident overnight.  What a good boy.

 

Outside he walked for a while, sniffed around a lot, and then, only after a few minutes, did first robert, and then moses.  So it wasn’t even an emergency.  Yay, good boy!  I’m slowly learning how to work with Mikey to keep as much robert and moses outside the house as possible.  He’s being very patient with me!

 

I tried a few new treats last night, because I was making a big chef’s salad for dinner.  He tolerates but isn’t crazy about tomato. That's a bronze- level treat, to use Tamar Geller's terminology. He isn’t interested in lettuce (he spat it out!) and would not even look at cucumber.  But he LOVED the tiny bits of roast beef and turkey cold cuts we gave him-- just as we expected!  Those are his gold - level treats, along with bits of hot dog and cheddar.

Here's a photo unrelated to anything, but I like it.

 

The Statue of Liberty is that tiny spike in the distance.

Mikey is the dog you want in your house if you want your pets to stay off the couch.  See, I really want him on the couch.  But he won’t (or can’t) jump up.  So I picked him up and set him next to me on the couch.  He seemed very nervous.  I petted him gently and kept murmuring “it’s okay, buddy, it’s okay.”  This usually works pretty well when he’s anxious.  It got him through the vet visit, and helps him when I have to do his eye ointment twice a day.  But he just wanted to get down off that couch!  He actually jumped down and ran away!  My guess: he was VERY well trained to stay off the furniture by his last owners.  Or he just doesn’t want to be up there.

Working on Shiblog Inu is a lot of fun.  I hope you will pardon any typos I make.  I'm usually posting pretty late at night, and sometimes I'm even nodding off when I post.  Also, I'm not sure why Blogger sometimes has different- sized type in the post.  I assure you, I'm not trying to make it look like that!  So I'm still working out the bugs.  Please bear with me and keep coming to read Mikey stories!