Whoa!

Just got this in the mail.  So happy for the new family!

Day 100: The End!

Day 100:  Today, the saga of Woody and Maggie ends.  I never would have dreamed that I could get so involved in a silly little story about a dog and her toy.
I thank all of you who took the time to read and comment on the posts.  Somehow, the story grew and grew and began to take on a life of it's own and strangely, seemed to have a good number of followers.  There's nothing like walking into a room full of people and having at least 3 people ask "How's Woody?"  
I thank my children for keeping their comments to themselves, and am especially proud to say that the sole comment from my daughter Sara (the graphic designer) was, "compelling graphics, Mom."
I discovered some things about myself and people in general during this endeavor.

1. Posting an image of an injured dog toy on Facebook gets a lot of likes...almost as many as posting a picture of your grandchild.
2.  I learned how to create a blog, although I have forgotten how to spell.
3. I never knew I had so many bird-related items laying around, and am not so sure the story could have gone this far if the original dog toy had been a sheep.
4. I began to notice some people were trying desperately to avoid any reference to the Woody and Maggie story, as it was some sort of malady I was trying to work through for myself.

Regardless, it was a fun experience and a tad like having a part time job.  Don't be surprised if a silly update about Woody, Maggie or Rita surfaces, but not on a regular basis.
Again, I thank you all!  I know I will miss them.

Day 99: The big Day!

Day 99:  The big day has arrived.  Woody and Rita opted for a simple Civil Ceremony attended by a small group of friends and family.  Maggie and I will most likely watch the youtube videos of the celebration later tonight.  I am very happy for them.  Rita will be a good influence on Woody, in spite of her tendency to henpeck now and then.
I wish them many happy days and much love in their new life together.

Day 98: Bridesmaids Arrive

Day 98:  The wedding day is approaching.  The lovely Orange Puffin twins pictured here are Rita's bridesmaids and her dear friends from High School.  Rita and Woody are picking them up at the airport.

Day 97: Burial Grounds

Day 97:   Whoa, this image shows Woody at the ancient burial ground.  From the distortion in the image, I suspect Woody smoked a few too many peace pipes last night.  He says they stopped for some tasty, but unusual cacti and mushrooms on the way, too.  Not sure what all these remains represent, but I'm certain that's one of Woody's ancestors pictured:  the pecker and lower mandible of the now extinct Woody Mammoth.

Day 96: Indian Reservation

Day 96:  Shortly after presenting his speech, Woody and Rita head out West.  Bernie hooked him up with some of his Native American friends who were trading wampun and furs to pay off their gambling debts while in Vegas.  Rita's photo shows Woody pictured with several tribe members gifting him with a dreamcatcher.  He and Rita will spend their first night in a teepee, and will probably miss their nice feather bed.  Tomorrow, they plan to visit ancient burial grounds.

Day 95: Perdue U

Day 95:  Woody has been invited to speak at his Alma mater, Perdue U as a motivational speaker.  Rita helped him prepare a short list of subjects to possibly discuss, but so far, none in any particular pecking order.  This is Woody's former professor, Dr. Henry Penny whose crazy sister used to run around campus yelling, "the sky is falling" to scare the freshmen pullets.  Dr. Penny has worn that same pair of glasses since 1955 when he was the basketball coach.

Day 94: Gambler's Anonymous

Day 94:  Woody is broke.  He tried his best, but the blood donor job just didn't work out.  He's bankrupt and miserable.  Rita is trying desperately to get things straightened out prior to the wedding.  She signed him up for Gambler's Anonymous.  OMG, not Amanda Peafowl here, too!!!  Maybe that's where the school soccer team's snack bar profits went.

Day 94: Zumba!

Day 93:  Rita has also insisted that Woody get in shape prior to the wedding.  Here's Woody in his first Zumba class.  Good grief, that's the teacher dressed in green???  Look at those hips!

Day 92: The Past Rears it's Ugly Head

Day 92:  Rita found this old picture of Woody visiting his evil twin, Bernie.  As previously mentioned, Bernie is an unscrupulous Loan Shark with a debt collection business on the side.  Apparently, at this time Woody had totally squandered the money from Ellen Degeneres and was desperately gambling to raise funds to continue to afford the lifestyle he has been enjoying.
Not sure how they made out, but the trio left for more partying with a gaggle of Caw Girls, which really irked Rita.

Day 91: New Job

Day 91:  Here's Woody at his new part time job, "Bugs R Us," a new incentive based Blood Bank based on employee donations.  The new company is backed by Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank.  Woody's pictured with two of the more experienced employees and recent winners of the Employee of the Month award.  Not sure if Woody can keep up with the required number of donations compared to this fly by night crew.  I suspect a lot of floor sweeping is in his future.

Day 90: Big Fishes

Day 90:  While Rita is spending her days trying on wedding attire, Woody visits the local Aquarium.  He hopes to get back into deep sea diving once he locates his old flippers and wet suit.  The last time he was diving, he blew out his ear drums, but happily, not a concern this time.  His plan for tonight is to call his old buddy, Larry Kingfisher and head to Chinatown for some delicious fresh sushi.  

Day 89: Oh My!

Day 89:  Oh my!  Just saw this on Rita's Facebook page.  Looks like she and her mom are possibly shopping for bridal accessories.  I guess if you want the latest news, check Facebook.

Day 88: More Painting.

Day 88:  Woody and some buddies are trying a night of fun at 'Painting with a Twist'.  They are interpreting Picasso's "Jeune Fille devant un miroir."  It's obvious Woody's art therapy and lessons have paid off (Woody's is the colored piece on the easel.)  Woody knocked over his first glass of wine and ruined the painting belonging to a feisty female pygmy falcon sitting close by.  The owners felt it best to move the falcon and the refreshments to the opposite side of the room.

Day 87: Dr. Ordon Follow-up

Day 87:  Woody and Rita flew to an appointment with Dr. Ordon to evaluate the cranial implant.  This picture, taken in the Ordon's office shows Woody chatting with 2 friends he met when he had the implant operation.  Bobby the bear has a follow up appointment for a rather severe eyelid lift and Peggy the pig is recuperating from a gastric bypass procedure.

Day 86: How's Maggie?

Day 86:  I keep receiving inquiries about how Maggie is.  Here she is starting her day with her usual stretches and push-ups.  She enjoys her daily 5 mile walk in the township park now that the weather is nice.  

Day 85: Crosshatching Project

Day 85:  Rita reports Woody is continuing with his art lessons.  Here he is perfecting his crosshatching technique on a beautiful Indian corn drawing.  Rita wants to frame it as a surprise for Woody.

Day 84: Bowling

Day 84:  Now that he has so much free time, Rita suggested that Woody take up another hobby.  He decided on bowling.  Here he is picking up his first made to fit bowling ball.  Wanda at the Woodpecker Pro Shop said it's been slow recently since prices soared, and she has a lot of spare time.  No kidding...

Day 83: More House Hunting

Day 83:  Woody and Rita visited these homes in nearby upscale gated communities earlier today.  Woody prefers the more spacious home on the right.  As you can see, the home on the left is smaller and is currently being rented.

Day 82: House Hunting

Day 82:  Woody and Rita are looking for a place to live.  Rita has her eye on this cute little lady bug abode, but Woody's not that enthusiastic.

Day 81: Meet the Parents

Day 81:  Woody and Rita flew back home last night.  Here's Woody taking Rita to the Bird Sanctuary to meet his parents.  Rita's parents also flew over last night from London for the introduction.  This sounds serious.  Rita's parents are diminutive Cornish hens who are retired and live in Cornwall.

Day 80: Totes

Day 80:  Rita sent me this picture of Woody's topnotch scorching that happened when the plane crashed.  The Totes cranial protection head pod appears to have saved his life and meets all of the the criteria listed in the guarantee.
Totes has offered to pay for Woody's topnotch repair and top executives are considering hiring him as a spokesperson for a new line of safety products.

Day 79: Easter!

Day 79:  Woody emailed this cute little picture of Rita posing with the big chocolate Easter bunny Woody gave her.  Woody suffered some scorching to his top-notch when the plane went down, so he didn't want to be included in the picture.  As an aside, Rita isn't fond of marshmallow Peeps.

Day 78: Confession

Day 78:  Ok, I have a confession to make.  Maggie has been home for several days.  I have been hiding it from the media.  They have swarmed the yard and house too many times looking for an exciting breaking news story.  Maggie needed some time to herself and has been enjoying her nylabones.  I did hear that Woody and Rita are back in London while Woody meets her family.  I hear they've been acting like lovebirds while hanging out in Piccadilly Circus.

Day 77: Move That Bus

Day 77:  I woke up this morning to the chanting of "Move that bus!  Move that bus!"  What a wonderful surprise!!!  The "Wounded Warblers" have donated a new home for Woody.  There's still some finish work and painting to be done, but it should be completed by the time Woody is back.  Still no word from Woody and Maggie, but no news is good news.  Woody will be thrilled with his new abode!  I'm also stockpiling nylabones for Maggie's homecoming.  

Day 76: Amish Country

Day 76:  Still waiting to hear any little tidbit of news from Woody and Maggie.  I understand the Alley Catnappers have been taken into custody and will (hopefully) be rehabilitated at Al-cat-raz.  Their successful program sends reformed villains to live with Amish families where they will serve as barn cats and mousers.  I found this reference photo of a typical Amish home and environment on Al-cat-raz's web site.      

Day 75: Trojan Cat

Day 75:  Parts of the rescue story are starting to unfold.  A band of raggamuffin but dedicated friends of Woody and Maggie masterminded a plan based on the historic success of the Trojan horse.  Cleverly, they used a Trojan Cat which allowed them access to the highly guarded area where Woody and Maggie were being held by the Alley Catnapper gang.  Once inside, they used their specialized individual talents to accomplish the difficult rescue.  Here's the team pictured with the Trojan Cat.  Hmmm, it's interesting that Rita, the Meter Maid is also at the rescue site.

Day 74: Nothing to report

Day 74:  Slow news day as apparently Woody and Maggie are in transit.  Just wanted to post this cute little picture from a couple of months ago of Woody shopping in Chinatown.  These 2 little homeless baby ducks from Peking imprinted on Woody and followed him home.  Woody had his good buddy Donald Duck find them a nice home.  I remember Woody mentioning he was exhausted from playing Duck, Duck, Goose all afternoon.     

Hoping to have more details about Woody and Maggie's arrival by tomorrow.

Day 73: Home???

Day 73:  THIS JUST IN...Woody and Maggie are apparently on the way home!!!!  I know very few details, but a small band of Woody's best buddies stormed the catnapper's holding cells and released Woody and Maggie during the night.  Rumor is they combined high potency catnip pellets with the catnapper's Fancy Feast morsels at dinner time which sent them into a semi comitose state.  I have no idea where Woody and Maggie are, but I'll let you know if and when I hear anything new.  Am posting this video in the meantime to remember some of the fun times.

Day 72: Confusing Map

Day 72:  This map was in my inbox this morning.  The sender's ID was encrypted, so I don't know if this is a good sign or a bad sign.  Someone may have discovered Woody and Maggie's location or is trying to add confusion to the search.  Not sure what to do with this information.  I understand a large reward is available to rescue Woody and Maggie safely.

Day 71: Benefit Concert

Day 71:  Cult followers worldwide are staging rallies to get Woody and Maggie home.  Woody made a lot of friends on his international tour and they are ardently supporting his quick and safe return.  Here's Roy Orbison doing a benefit concert in London that was planned by Rita the meter maid.  Oh look, making a rare appearance as Master of Ceremonies is Mr. Peanut!

Day 70: Huh?

Day 70:  Not sure what's going on in this satellite shot on the news just now.  Seems there is an entourage or convoy of some sort heading for the presumed location where Maggie and Woody are being held.  The reporters are baffled, as the motley group of vehicles goes on for miles and miles.

Day 69: Wanted

Day 69:  I went to the Post Office today to mail a note to Woody's evil twin, Bernie.  I saw this wanted poster and have a feeling it's the group holding Woody and Maggie.  I googled them when I got home, and they call themselves The Alley Catnappers.  The leader of the group is the fat black cat named Felix Fishbreath.  The other two are a brother and sister team, Harry and Monica Hairball.  Not sure what that mutant looking creature is on the far left, but suspect he's a spy for them.  Harry is obviously flaunting his last victim.  Hoping Woody and Maggie are still safe.  

Day 68: Oh no!!!!!

Day 68:  Woody and Maggie managed to slip a quick note to Woody's good friend Donald.  Here's Donald at my front door with the correspondence.

My hands trembled as I opened the envelope.  Woody mentions they are being held hostage and anticipate a ransom note will soon follow from their captors.  Can this get any worse?

Day 67: Rescue???

Day 67:  More live coverage:  There's the rescue vehicle speeding away that reporters believe is transporting Woody and Maggie to the nearest medical facility.  If so, they will probably spend several days being evaluated and debriefed.  So glad we had Maggie micro-chipped for a positive ID.  I'll fax them Woody's x-ray to help with his identification.

Day 66: This Just In

Day 66:  This just in...here's live satellite footage of Maggie being spotted with a blue and red object.  Quite possibly it's Woody, and it looks as if Maggie is administering mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Day 65: Vigil

Day 65:  Woody's friends hold a vigil.  Still no sign of Woody or Maggie.  Oh yeah, there's Amanda Peafowl front and center, of course.  Now, wait a minute, wasn't she on the same flight????

Day 64: Maggie Spotting

Day 64:   Here's a shot from a helicopter that seems to be in the area where the plane went down.  I am positive that's Maggie's Nylabone.  Maybe this is where she camped recently.  I hope she's staying warm.  I bet her little feet are cold.

Day 63: Black boxes

Day 63:  Woody's plane is in an undisclosed location to prevent looters, reporters and curiosity seekers from tampering with the crash scene's evidence.  Apparently the flight path was ill-chosen.  Here is a collection, pictured on the late news last night, of the many black boxes discovered in this one black hole.  The box on the back far right must be from Dubai Air.  Looks like China Air and Air India are also represented.  Woody was on a cheep flight, so am guessing the big old-fashioned, standard issue black box is from his plane.
I spend my time watching old You Tube movies of Maggie and Woody in their early relationship. https://www.youtube.com/user/joanncookseybono

Day 62: Not a Good Sign

Day 62:  This is the signal (or lack thereof) coming from the plane's black box. Prognosis isn't good. No word from Maggie either.

Day 61: Maggie to the Rescue

Day 61:  After Woody filed the Domestic Abuse Charge against Maggie, the judge ordered Maggie to complete several months of community service.  She joined the Pit Bulls and Parolees Search and Rescue Training program.  Here she is pictured on her new ID collar tag.  I haven't seen her since yesterday.  She left early in the morning with a satchel of canned sardines, a bag of seeds and some suet.  I can only imagine where she's headed.

Day 60: Missing

Day 60:  Woody's plane is missing.  All we can do is wait and hope he's found.  This is a satellite picture I saw on the news this morning.  The plane seems to be in some distant unrecognizable black hole.
Keeping my fingers crossed!  Stay tuned...

Day 59: Coming Home

Day 59:  Woody embarks on his trip home.  Here he is on Avian Airlines Flight 321.  He was proud as a peacock when the cute little chickadee who stamped his passport commented on his handsome passport photo.  This Instagram photo appears to show fellow passengers as well as Woody's planned diversions during the flight.  Are you kidding me...is that Amanda Peafowl in the second row, middle seat?

Day 58: Homesick

Day 58:  Woody is homesick.  He is cutting his world tour short and coming home.  He misses his art class, the chicks at the bar, the new car that's been garaged since his departure, and he's been daydreaming about the cute little bird of paradise who works at Agway.  He even texted, "say hi to Maggie for me."  He's anxious to explore his native habitat after his bird's eye view of the rest of the world.  Here's a screenshot of our last Skype chat.  He hopes to book a flight on Avian Airlines soon.  

Day 57: London

Day 57:  This postcard just arrived from London.  Woody toured John Lennon's house, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and that's Big Ben in the background.  He was hoping to meet some members of the Royal family, but only caught a glimpse of Prince Harry getting thrown out of a local strip joint.  Woody says this little chickie he's flirting with is a lovely meter maid named Rita.  Woody took her to dinner.

Day 56: Galápagos Islands

Day 56:  Here's Woody in the Galápagos Islands.  He's at the marine preserve posing with the many varieties of tortoises native to the islands that flocked around him.  He mentions having a delicious bowl of snapper soup at the preserve's cafeteria in spite of contracting a nasty case of salmonella the last time he dined on snapper soup on a flight to Phoenix.  He's going to look snazzy in the bright blue turtleneck he bought in the gift shop.  He is now known as "The Turtle Whisper" by the locals.

Day 55: Kremlin

Day 55:   Kremlin  Here's Woody in Russia.  He doesn't specify, but I believe from the architecture that this is the Kremlin.  He says the weather is miserable, but he was very excited to be able to see Sarah Palin's house from this location.  I also suspect his communications are arriving in no particular order, or else his tourist agency was really flighty in planning his itinerary.  

Day 54: Egypt

Day 54:  Giza and environs.  Woody visits the great pyramids in Giza.  He developed an interest in Egyptian artifacts after visiting a traveling exhibit at a museum when he was a fledgling.  He was especially intrigued by the items from King Tuft's tomb.  That's a rare mummified woodpecker egg.  What a great example of authentic avian ovum incised hieroglyphics.  

Day 53: Gay Paree

Day 53:  Notre Dame.  Woody arrived in Paris.  He's craving French bread but will avoid soufflés (abstains from eating eggs) and French onion soup, as he's suffered from BIRD GERD since the 'incident' with Maggie.  He hooked up with some local pigeons in the hotel lobby who frequent Notre Dame and had a private tour of the uppermost level.  Here he is on a ledge with a gargoyle enjoying the breathtaking night lights of Gay Paree.  Woody's acrophobia resurfaced, so he called it a night.

Day 52: Rome

Day 52:  Aunt Rosa lives on the outskirts of Rome and this pic was taken in her living room.  Woody mentioned his tail feathers stuck to the plastic furniture covers.  Zoom in to see portraits of the Pope and Sinatra...apparently required in all Italian bird houses.  Aunt Rosa is a wonderful cook and Woody was one stuffed bird when he left.  Tomorrow, he leaves for Paris.  

Day 51: After the Third Keg

Day 51:  Well, this is an awkward image of Woody and his drinking buddies exiting the train.   Woody promised his Aunt Rosa he would stop by if his travel path coincided with her Rome location.  Hoping he will straighten up and fly right before he calls her.