Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers!! I hope everyone had a turRUFFic Thanksgiving! A few days ago my family and I packed up to go to the annual Kentucky State Book fair! Every year this event has about 200 authors and exciting books and we had the privilege of being one of those authors. During this 2 day adventure I got to meet a lot of people. Here is a picture of my mom and I with Joe B. Hall former basketball coach for the Kentucky Wildcats and here is a picture of my mom and I standing behind Coach Rick Pitino head basketball coach of the Louisville Cardinals. Our booth sat right next to his!! Now along with meeting all of these famous people I also go to meet some of my biggest fans and friends. I also enjoyed getting to meet all the new readers and being able to talk to them!

Well I better skee-daddle and start getting ready for this week of travelling and working! Everyone have a great week and don't forget to Work and Dream Like a Big Dog!!

Woody

Outstanding in His Field Chapter 1

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hope you're enjoying this terRUFFic fall weather. Chloe and I, along with the rest of the gang, have been outside playing in the cool autumn air. Before too long, we will have to put our coats on when we go outside in the morning to, well, you know!

Our new story, Outstanding in His Field, is off to a super start. Already, we are receiving many cards, emails, and comments on how much folks like it!

Chloe and I received this email yesterday:

K.I.D.'s Academy Homeschool group participated in Chapter 1 of Woody and Chloe's "Outstanding in His Field" Kentucky Adventure. In response to Question 8. this is what they thought would happen to Woody and Chloe:

Kate (Age 7): I thought they would jump off at a farm. They will walk back to Mom and Dad.

Izabella (Age 5): They're going to the groceries. They'll drive back.

Drake (Age 9): I think that they'll go to a factory where they make food. They'll probably hop back in the truck to get back to Mom and Dad.

Thanks Kate, Izabella, and Drake for the email and the great answers - and thanks for the beautiful picture. I didn't want to put it on the internet since I didn't have permission from your mom or dad. I can't wait for everyone to see what happens in Chapter 2. Stay tuned, keep the emails coming, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Wednesday we were in Medcalfe County KY for their library's summer reading program. They have the summer reading at the community theater across the street. Lots of friends came out. Here is a picture of 2 of our friends. Look at the girls shirt, it has a wiener dog on it in honor of me!

Well I better skedaddle- keep lots of water in your water bowl and work and dream like a big dog!!

Woody

My Lovely Assistant

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hope you're having a terRUFFic summer! Our family has been busy as usual - traveling around, writing the new serial story, keeping up with our chores, and having play time too! You know how I'm always saying I am going to keep up with my blog better? Well this time I mean it! If you don't believe me, just ask Kelsey, our new lovely assistant.

I met Kelsey when she was 8 years old at a book signing! Kelsey is a very hard working girl and is a good friend of mine. Here is a picture of me and Kelsey when we met and a picture of me and Kelsey now. Since i am so busy going to schools and working hard, Kelsey is going to help me keep my blog going strong!

I know the dates of schools are not up to date but I am going to try to work on that later.
I better skeedadle and go do some of my chores, have an awesome summer!

WORK AND DREAM LIKE A BIG DOG!
Woody

Our February Calendar

Good Morning, WoodyWatchers! It is Sunday morning. Chloe, Mom, Dad, the rest of the Gang, and I are getting ready for Sunday school! Before I washed my ears and face and brushed my teeth, I wanted to take a minute to tell you where we are going to be this month. I just sent the updates to Mr. Nathan so he can put them on the tour page but I wanted to post them here too so you could see.


Thursday, February 7
Early Learning Village East
Frankfort, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
School Day



Tuesday, February 19
Christian Academy/Southwest Campus
Louisville, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
Woody’s Five Ways to Improve Writing
School Day



Tuesday, February 19
Girl Scout Troop
Shepherdsville, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Improve Writing



Wednesday, February 20
Christian Academy/English Station Campus
Louisville, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
Woody’s Five Ways to Improve Writing
School Day



Thursday, February 21
Christian Academy/Rock Creek Campus
Louisville, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
Woody’s Five Ways to Improve Writing
School Day



Friday, February 22
Christian Academy/Rock Creek Campus
Louisville, KY
An Evening with the Pups
TBA



Tuesday, February 26
Providence Elementary
Providence, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
Woody’s Five Ways to Improve Writing
An Evening with the Pups
School Day and Evening



Thurs, February 28
Piner Elementary
Morning View, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
Woody’s Five Ways to Improve Writing
An Evening with the Pups
School Day and Evening

I better skee-daddle. Mom is calling my name. In fact, she just called me Dogwood, which translates to, "You better get a move on!" Hope to see you soon! In the meantime, Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

I'[m Back to Blogging

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! If you look at my blog posts from the past few years you will notice a trend. I always slow down in the fall. "Were you on vacation?" people ask? "Were you dognapped?" No, none of those things. We just get so doggone busy in the fall I simply can't keep up. There is no way I can tell you all the things we did from my last post in October until today, but here is a lowdown:

travel
write
school visits
church presentations
travel
write
school visits
book signings
travel
charity events
write

You get the picture! That doesn't even count our day to day activities of chores, laundry, cat naps, church, etc. Anyway, my New Years Resolution is to blog more and also tweet and keep up my FB post. I hate it when I get behind. I have lots of things to tell you so stay tuned over the next few weeks as we get caught up.

Chloe, Frannie, Wally, CeeCee, Rudy, and I want to introduce you to our newest family member. He looks very different from us but we love him as if he is one of us. His name is Belfry and he is Mom's service dog. As most of you know, Mom has Multiple Sclerosis. MS is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Mom has balance issues from time to time, has trouble with weakness on the left side of her body, and can have a host of other problems. Belfry helps Mom do chores. He carries the laundry basket for Mom, will balance her on the days she is unsteady, when Mom drops something Belfry picks it up, and the list goes on and on. In fact, Belfry and Mom were main characters in a play at Okolona Christian Church. It ran 3 nights and Belfry was a star! He is one smart pup! As you can imagine, Belfry is with us at all our events. In case you aren't aware, you can't pet a service dog. Belfry needs to keep his focus on Mom and not be distracted. That goes for all the service dogs. So if you see a service dog in the store, as tempting as it might be to pet them, please remember not to. Save up all your pets for Frannie, Chloe, and me!!!

As with everything else, our Tour Page is behind. We are working on getting it caught up. We are looking forward to kicking off the 2013 leg of our tour at Crossroads Elementary right here in Bullitt County. We will post pictures in the next few days.

My Kentucky Wildcats are playing on TV so I better skeedaddle. I promise you will hear from me regularly again so keep checking back! In the meantime, Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Friends from WOODYford County

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Once again, it is raining cats and dogs at our doghouse in Shepherdsville! Chloe, the rest of my siblings, and I spent most of the day inside. We went out only when we needed to, well, you know. Chloe says it isn't polite to talk about those things so I will move on.

Our favorite friends in WOODYford County sent me an email giving me ideas on how to exercise! They were such terRUFFic ideas I wanted to share them with you. Take a look:

Hi Woody!


It's your friends in Woodyford county! We read chapter two and we surprised by what was in the box! There are a few students in our class who have an interest in the military and they helped us learn what 'Boot Camp' was. Hopefully your boot camp won't be a tough as that!


We discussed ways we can exercise without a gym and came up with a really long list! Here are five things you can do:
1. Join a sports team
2. Do push ups
3. Do jumping jacks
4. Ride your bike
5. Go for a walk


We are thinking that your first mission while in boot camp will be to go hiking. We think this because the area where you are traveling has a lot of great places to hike.


We can't wait to hear what happens once you get to your first destination!


Talk to you soon!



Mindy Logan
3rd Grade Teacher
Simmons Elementary


I wonder if any of the students know Coach CAL at UK. I would love to play point guard for the CATS! Talk about a dream come true!!! In the meantime, I will continue to do jumping jacks and ride my bike!!!

I better skeedaddle. We have a busy week of travel! Tomorrow we are in Dry Ridge, KY and then Thursday we skip on down to Owensboro! I better get my backpack ready and get to bed early so I can be on top of my game tomorrow!

Keep reading the story, keep the emails coming, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Zip-uh-dee-do-dah!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hope you are having a great day! It is raining here at our doghouse in Shepherdsville. It seems to be raining lots lately, but that's okay. It gives me a chance to stay in more, read books, play checkers with my siblings, and catch up on emails.

Our friends from Ms. Matthis's class at Owensboro 5/6 Center have been keeping my inbox filled with great emails! I was so excited yesterday to see all the emails come in that my paws got so crazy and I hit the wrong button. Unfortunately, the button I hit was "DELETE!" Whoops! Thanks to Mom, she was able to fetch the emails for me. So, if you sent me an email and I haven't replied, that is why! Sometimes I can be so clumsy and impulsive!

Anyway, if you are reading UNLEASHED, you know that Doc Albert put together a Rx Box for Chloe and me. Our trainer this week had us zip line! Talk about being a scaredy cat! I asked students to email me to tell me other places in KY we could zipper, uh, zip line. I copied the emails from our friends in Ms. Mathis's class. I copied them word for word so you could see how terRUFFic they were! Hopefully I didn't miss any emails. If I missed your email, send me another one so I can add it to this great list! Okay, here goes:



They should go to the forest and run and zip line the hole forest and the rocky mountains because it a grate places to go to zip line
– Travis S.

nashville,tn - because its fun to get on a zip line i haven't but it seems fun have you
– Ashanti


You should go to Tennessee and zip line because they are safe, fun, and long or short. –
- Caleb A.


Woody and Chloe you should go to , Jesse James Stables - Cave City, Kentucky, because they are open until 9 am to 6 pm.
– Noah H.


Big Rock Off Road Park
Maysville, KY
2,000 acres open to all off-road vehicles, must purchase day use pass, camping available for park guests, zip line with 3 lines

Black Mountain Thunder Zipline
Evarts, KY
11 lines, 1.5 miles in total length, located at Black Mountain Off Road Adventure Area

Kentucky Shores Zip Lines
Gilbertsville, KY
8 lines, 2 sky bridges

Life Adventure Center of the Bluegrass
Versailles, KY
575 acre farm (non-profit 501c3) focusing on Adventure Education Programs for youth, adults, schools, and families.

Lousville Mega Cavern & Mega Zips
Louisville, KY
100 acre underground cavern, 5 line underground zipline adventure, swinging bridges, tour of 17 miles on trams beneath the city, replica fallout bunker and old mining operation...

- Derek




you should go to black mountain cause that is the fastest zip line in the world and guess how long it is it is 1.5 miles long so i think that you should go there to go zip lining.
– Kaitlyn



National Forest
- Chase C.


the red river george because...The Red River Gorge canopy tour has 5 zip lines anywhere from 330 ft to 1900 ft. The tour is between 2 -3 hours. The last two lines are dual racing zips that allow you to race at speeds up you 50 MPH soaring 250 ft over the Red River Gorge.
1. mammoth cave
2. Red River Gorge
3. Louisville Mega Cavern
4. Black Mountain

- Kobe C.



Red River Gorge Zipline Tours
Big Rock Off Road Park
Kentucky Shores Zip Lines

i pick big rock of road because it sounds really cool and over 2,000 arches were built outside of masyville Kentucky

- Haley H.


Mammoth Cave,Red River Gorge,and Louisville Mega Cavern and Black Mountain Off Road Adventure Area.

You should go to Louisville mega Cavern And Black Mountain Off Road Adventure Area because it is the fastest place to zip line.

- Kailey



Camp Lucan I think y'all should go to camp because it is a fun place and it was an experience for me last year and it has more things than zip lining thats why I want y'all to go to Camp Lucan. Maybe you could take the whole 5th
grade to camp lucan if they earn witch i know i could earn it

– JaKiyah


I think they should go to red river gorge because 7 separate zip lines that complete the tour they offer great views of one of the most scenic areas in kentucky.

- John



here are some zip lines in kentucky to go zip line Black mountains thunder zip line, mammoth zip line adventures, red river Appalachian zip line, life adventure center zip line, mega zips, red river gorge zip lane.
The one i think looks the funnest is mega zips it is in louisville kentucky and why you should go there is because it is 17 miles long so Chole and Woody would get a lot of exercise from walk down there and riding on the zip line . Chole and Woody would have fun too i bet.
- Caitlyn



Places to zip lines are Kentucky action park in cave city,mammoth cave adventures in cave city, black mountain thunder zip line in Evarts,and, red river zip lines in frenchburg.
I say go to red river zip lines in french burg Kentucky.
They have 7 ziplines tour speed through the trees. It is great fun easy access for young and retire.
- Alexis L.



1. kentucky shores

2. lousivlle

3. mamoth cave

4. red river gorge

5. black mountain

- Josey


There are 6 places to zip line in KY and i am going to name them off to you.There are Mammoth Cave,Red River Gorge,Louisville Mega,Black Mountain,Big Rock Off Road Park,Kentucky Shores.There you go there are 6 places in KY.
I would porblely go to Red River Gorge because it sounds prettey and amazing to go their and their would good things to look forword.

- Haleigh



i found some places you could go zip ling kentucky shore zip lines, mammoth cave, and Louisville Mega Cavern & Mega Zips.I would recommend Mammoth Cave because it is safe for kids and it was Kentucky's first canopy zip line tour so that would be cool.

- Emma



1 Kentucky shores

2 mammoth cave

3 black mountain

4 Louisville

5. red river gorge

- Brandon P.


big rock off road park, black mountain thunder zip lines, Kentucky shores zip lines, Louisville mega cavern & mega zips, mammoth cave adventure. i suggest black mountain thunder zip lines because it has 11 lines, 2.0 miles up to 500 feet and speeds up to 60 miles per hour.
adult- 79 dollars per person
children 12 and under- 40 dollars per person
group of ten or more- 60 dollars per person
black mountain off road permit holders- 60 dollars per person

- Kristopher


Hey I found some places you could go zip lining Big Rock Off Road Park, Louisville Mega Caverns, Mammoth Cave Black Mountain Thunder Zipline.
I would Recommend going to Black Mountain Thunder Zip line, i think it would be fun because it has eleven zip lines, 1.5 miles in total length located at Black Mountain Off Road Adventure Area.

- Alexia P.



I think you should go to versailles,Kentucky.I think you should go here because there are so many things you can do besides zip lining. you can see lots of wildlife.also there you can go horse back riding. also you can go hiking or biking.

- Dillon



You should go to mega cavern its awesome the workers are nice and its a awesome place to go visit they told me that they had ghost hunters go in in there because they thought there was a ghost on the zip line tour

Mammoth cave adventure

Red river Appalachian zip line tours

Mega cavern

Kentucky shores kip line

- Landen




Woody you should go to Kentucky Shores zip lines because there are 8 total zip fly 550 to 600at 20 to 30 miles an minimum weight is 50 to 250 pounds.

- Paxton



Hey Woody! Here are some places for you to go zip lining!!!!! :)

Mammoth Cave, Red River Gorge, Louisville Mega Cavern and Black Mountain Off Road Adventure Area, Red River Appalachian Zip line Tours, and Kentucky Shores Zip Line.

I would personally recommend Mammoth Cave because it has Canopy zip line tour, guided by horseback and you can camp.

- Layne



Big Rock Off Road Park

Black Mountain Thunder Zipline
Kentucky Shores Zip Lines
Lousville Mega Cavern & Mega Zips
Mammoth Cave Adventure.

And I reccomend the Mammoth Cave Adventure because safety is there number 1 priority they make sure your really safe here primary of course it's only 55 dollars that's why I think Mammoth Cave Adventure is the best for you!!!!

- KOBE G.



Hey woody i found 5 zip lines that you and your family and friends can zip line at

Black rocky mountain

Kentucky gorge

Red river gorge

Louisville mega carven

Daniel boon national forest

I think that you should go to black rocky mountain because it is 200 feet off the ground.

It might freak you and you family out tho don't get scared you won't fall.

I would like to go their and zip line but i got Asthma and i wouldn't able to breath with all the air rushing in my face.

- Jeremy



Hey wood I think you and your sister should zip line at Mammoth Cave because I think it would be really fun to go to Mammoth Cave and go zip lining!!!!!!!!

- Lily



hay woody i found 5 places u and your family can zip line, Kentucky Gorge, Black Rocky Mountain,Red River Gorge,louisville mega carven, daniel boon national park .

I thank you should go to the rocky monition because it is 200 ft tall.

I thank it would be so much fun 200 ft tall

- Zachary M.



You can go to Black Mountain Thunder because it is fast and fun and it can go higher in the air.

- Amanda


Red river Appalachian
Red river gorge
Black mountain thunder
I think woody should go to Black mountain thunder because it is the highest mountain in Kentucky.
Kentucky shores
Mammoth cave adventure
Louisville mega cavern and mega zips

- Alejandra



i think you should pick mammoth because it is fun

- Ashiana



I found three think you should pick mattthoth cave because the ziplineing is big

- Halie N.



Mammoth cave , red river gorge , Louisville mega cavern , black mountain , big rock off road park
- Yovani



they should go to black mountain thunder zip line red river gorge zip line tours big rock of road park mammoth cave adventure and red river appalachian zip line tours.
i think they should go to black mountain thunder zip line because it has 11 lines 1.5 miles in total length and because it can go up to 400 feet up in the air.

- Nathan



Hello Woody,

I have found some other places in Kentucky to go zip-lining! I would recommend the Red River Appalachian Zip-line Tours because you can go if you're a first timer or an experienced zip-liner.
• Big Rock Off Road Park
• Black Mountain Thunder Zip-line
• Kentucky Shires Zip-lines
• Life Adventure Center of the Bluegrass
• Louisville Mega Cavern & Mega Zips
• Mammoth Cave Adventure
• Red River Appalachian Zip-line Tours
• Red River Gorge Zip-line Tours
From,
Lydia Hobdy
P.S. Have a "Paw"sitively good day!!


Rocky mountains because it is a great place to go but its a good thing because its more longer.

- Imonte


You can zipline herein owensboro because a lot

- Julius


THE ATRSIS

- Dylan N.



there is one in owensboro you need to go on the zipline become it fun you get to fly went the brid

- Scotty




mammoth cave

I picked it because it is a fun place to go zip lining

- Tatiana




louisville because its more closer and me alex wants to see animals.!

- Alexander




Mammoth cave. I pick this because its fun place to go zipline.

- Kayslee



Maysville becuse it is long and it is fary down and it is the firts zipe line.

- Jazmyn


Hi woody i'm Jalen and the place to zip line is Louisville, KY because it have 5 zip lines and the are fast and cool and get t be in a cave while zip lining.

- Jalen



1 place to go zip lining is National Park because its the best place to

- Jordan

Hey Woody! I know where a good place to zip line is! Its at Mammoth Cave. It is fun because you can see off the things above the forest. It makes you feel like you are up in the clouds. I will email you again soon!!

- Skyler



You can zip-line in Maysville, KY because $20 for a person can get you riding on all 3 lines, but the minimum weight is 60 pounds to 260 pounds so make sure you eat healthy and be active so you can ride the zip-lines!

- Noah C.



OK here are some cool places in kentucky to zip line:
Kentucky Shores, Big Rock Off Road Park, Life Adventure Center of the Bluegrass, Mammoth cave adventure, Black Mountain thunder

- Olivia


We received an email from Derrick G. and Daniel H. but we couldn’t open either of them.

_____________________

Don't these emails make you want to pack a bag and zip down to one of these places and soar above ground? Makes my heart go pitter pack and my knees knock just thinking about it! If I want to go zip line, I have got to do my chores! So, I better skee-daddle! Have a great day, keep the emails coming, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Unleashed

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hopefully you are reading Unleashed, participating in the activities, and listening to me read the chapter each week. We are receiving tons of emails regarding the story. In fact, students in Ms. Tina Matthis's class at Owensboro 5 and 6 Center have been emailing me plenty of suggestions on how Chloe and I can get some exercise. The suggestions have been terRUFFic - and sound like so much fun! In fact, some of them didn't even seem like exercise at all - but Mom and Dad reminded us that exercise can be enjoyable!

We combined a list of all the answers and included them for you to read. Chloe and I copied them exactly the way the email was written. We also listed the first names of all our contributors below. When we get fit because of these suggestions, we want to make sure our friends get the credit! Maybe you can find some new ways to exercise too!


Leg Lifts
Sqwats
Jumping Jacks
Rock Climbing
Cross Country
Basketball
Football
Soccer
Volleyball
Tennis
Kickball
Drink Water
Eat right
Tug of War
Curl Ups
Trampoline Gymnastics
Pull Ups
Push Ups
Sit Ups
Dancing
Canoeing to build up strength
Ride a scooter
Ride a bike
Skip
Skate
Zip line
Rock Climb
Mountain Climb
Jooge around the block
Play Tag
Stretch


Demour
Nolia
Ashanti
Kayslee
Travis
Emma
Yovani
Erica
Alejandra
Imonte
Jordan
Madison
Zachary
Alexis
Nathan
Kailey
Lydia
JaKiyah
Haley
Daniel
Kristopher
Derek
Dylan
Noah
Kobe G.
Dillon
Layne
Chase
Scotty
Noah C.
Josey
Kaitlyn
Kobe C.
Tatiana
Amanda
Lily
Caleb
Caitlyn


Thanks again everyone for the ideas! We can't wait to try them out! Unfortunately, it is raining puppy dogs and kitty cats here at our doghouse in Shepherdsville so exercising outside isn't a possibility now. Mom said that wasn't an excuse. She said that push ups, pull ups, curl ups, squats, Jumping Jacks, and lots of other activities could be done inside. When I put on my skates and started skating through the living room, Mom explained skating was an outside activity. Oh well, I guess I will work on curl ups - then I'm going to curl up in the bed for a cat nap!

Keep the emails coming and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

UNLEASHED - Chapter 1

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! It is a rainy day here at our doghouse in Shepherdsville! Chloe and I have finished our lunch, completed our chores, and are getting ready to play a game of Chinese Checkers! Before we pulled all the marbles out, I wanted to show you an email we received earlier from our friends at Simmons Elementary in WOODYford County. Last year, Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class followed Doghouse Divided. Already, her brand new 3rd Graders are reading UNLEASED. Here was an email Chloe and I received last evening:

Hi Woody!

This is Ms. Logan at Simmons Elementary! I have a whole new group of 3rd graders in my reading class this year and they are so excited about reading your new book! They all remember when you came to visit us last year! I hope you and Chloe (and your mom and dad) are doing well.

Here is what my class predicts is in your Rx box:

-Healthy Foods/Water/Fruit Juice
-A book or cookbooks about healthy living
-An exercise machine

We are looking forward to reading chapter 2 and finding out! Hopefully you will be able to watch what foods you eat and get some more exercise so your test scores go down at the doctor!

Talk to you soon,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class

Mindy Logan
3rd Grade Teacher
Simmons Elementary

A cookbook, you say? An exercise machine? Hmmmm... Interesting! I guess you will have to read the next chapter to see if you're correct! By the way, don't you love our new illustrator, Mr. Chris Ware? And if you haven't listened to the podcast, make sure you do so. Everyone thinks it is so much fun listening to me read the story!

I better go. Chloe just brought me the Chinese Checkers game. She said some of the pieces are missing! Uh oh, I think I lost my marbles!

Stay dry, keep the comments coming, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Dog Days of Summer

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Have you ever know it to be so doggone hot??? We have to go out and play early in the morning and late in the evening. Mom says it's too hot to play outside in the middle of the day! We finally convinced Mom we could handle the heat the other day. She took us outside and we made it a whopping 4 minutes before we admitted that once again Mom and Dad were right and we needed to go inside. It was too hot. So, if we haven't been working, our days have been spent playing on the bed with our favorite toys, reading books, and playing Checkers, Go Fish, UNO, and Old Maid. Here is a picture from a few days ago:

Our Nana gave us those toys and we love playing with them. We have all different colors and shapes! As much as we love playtime, there's always work on our calendar. We just sent Mr. Nathan our schedule for August so he could post it on the Tour Page. September and October are almost full. Once we have everything in place, we will post that schedule on the Tour Page too. For now, here is our schedule for August:

Tuesday August 7
Owsley County Elementary
Booneville, KY
Woody’s Five Ways For Parents and Students to Have a Successful School Year
Noon to 4


Wednesday August 22
Western Elementary
Centertown, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
Woody’s Five Ways to Improve Writing
School Day


Thursday August 23
Southern Elementary
Beaver Dam, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
Woody’s Five Ways to Improve Writing
School Day


We are definitely ready to pack our Scooby backpacks and hit the road again! We're ready to meet new people and learn new things!

We've heard our new book is almost ready and the brand new newspaper series, Unleashed will premiere soon. I will post the newspapers that have signed up so you can see if your paper is on the list! If not, we have to call them!

I better run for now. Rudy the puppy is getting the Go Fish cards out of the toy box. I want to make sure Rudy deals me in the game!

Stay cool, drink lots of water, wear your sunscreen, and listen to your parents! And don't forget to Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

My Very Own Library Card

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Chloe, Frannie, Wally, CeeCee, Rudy, and of course Mom, Dad, and I have had the busiest summer already! Last week found us in Lancaster, Wiiliamstown, Lexington, and Booneville. This week will be busy too - but we will be close to our doghouse in Shepherdsville. We will be spending Tuesday through Friday at a different branch of the Bullitt County Public Library. Here is the schedule:

Tuesday - Lebanon Junction Library 10:00 and 1:30

Wednesday - Hillview Library 10:00 and 1:30

Thursday - Ridgway Library in Shepherdsville 10:00 and 1:30

Friday - Mt. Washington Library 10:00 and 1:30

Come see us! We will have a blast!

Here is a picture of Ms. Cheryl Clemons, the librarian at Grant County Public Library, presenting me with my very own library card! Can you believe that? MY OWN LIBRARY CARD! That means I can check out books in Grant County! I was so excited! My Scooby Doo wallet is getting fat with all my library cards!

I better say goodnight. It is time for a bedtime snack, bedtime story, bedtime prayers, then bedtime. Busy day tomorrow and busy week! Can't wait to see you! In the meantime, Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Accidents happen!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Our family just returned home from Sunday School, had a delicious lunch and a nice long walk! This week was so much fun! We spent the week in Flemingsburg, East Bernstadt, and finished it up at Campbellsville University yesterday!

The funniest thing happened yesterday - if you want to call it that! Mom and I spoke at the Beulah Campbell Reading Conference in Campbellsville, KY at the University. At the end of our session, Dad brought in a few more of my siblings. When he handed my baby sister CeeCee to Kaela (one of the conference participants), CeeCee got so excited, couldn't control herself, and did something that rhymed with her name all over Kaela. Megan didn't come out clean. Her notes were soaked! You've heard the old saying, "The dog ate my homework?" Well I wonder what Megan's professor is going to say when Megan tells her that "The dog had an accident on my homework!" Maybe Megan can show the professor our blog. Both Kaela and Megan were great sports! Mom gave them free books - and even gave Kaela a "Work and Dream like a BIG DOG" sweatshirt!


We couldn't have made it through the day without Jessica! Jessica was our helper. Our Chief of Staff for the day. She sold books, helped us set up equipment, took us where we needed to be, and even helped Mom find her way out of the janitor's closet when she got lost. Dad always says Mom is not the best at finding her way around. Yesterday was proof!


Anyway, we wanted to show you a picture. From left to right is Megan, Kaela (wearing different clothes than when we first met her), me, Mom, and Jessica! Isn't this a great picture?


I better go. We are going to take a Sunday catnap and then work on our new story that will be coming out in newspapers across the state in September.


Have a great day! And here's a piece of advice - if Dad ever hands you CeeCee, make sure you are wearing a raincoat!


Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY

Riding Down the Highway

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! It is Tuesday evening and our entire Gang is headed to Indiana for several days of presentations. I can't remember when our calendar was this busy! And we love every minute of it! I haven't gotten the Tour Page updated but I thought I would give you a quick update. It's hard to type since this road is bumpy, but hopefully you will get the idea. Mr. Nathan will have the deTAILS on the Tour Page soon!

Thursday, April 5th
Hunter Hills Elementary School
London, KY

Wednesday, April 6th
Ohio County Public Library
Rising Sun, IN

Thursday, April 7th
Ohio County Public Library
Rising Sun, IN

Saturday, April 14th
Barnes and Noble
Elizabethtown, KY

Tuesday, April 17th
Flemingsburg Elementary
Flemingsburg, KY

Thursday, April 19th
Hazel Green Elementary
Hazel Green, KY

Saturday, April 21st
Beulah Reading Conference
(Can't remember where - but Mom knows all the info)

Tuesday, April 24th
Camargo Elementary
Mt. Sterling, KY

That's all I can remember without my Scooby calendar, but I promise I will let you know deTAILS soon! Time to stop for dinner and a walk! Have a great night! More information soon! Promise! ARFF!

By the way, we don't ride with the back open, just wanted to show you what it looked like! The only other picture I can take is of my brother Wally. Other than that, I can't see much!

Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

PS - What about our WILDCATS winning the NCAA Championship??? Hip Hip Hooray!

Jet setters!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! As usual, I am beginning with an apology. I'm so sorry I've done a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad job on keeping up with my diary. Our schedule has been busier the past few months than it has been in a year or two! Don't get me wrong - we aren't complaining, but we are behind! In the past 10 days, we have been to Sedalia and Benton (both in Western KY), been to Berea (Eastern KY), Harrodsburg (Central KY) and Evansville, IN! Tonight will find us in Paris (Kentucky, NOT FRANCE) and Thursday our Gang will be in Owensboro. Yes, we are jet-setters! Only we don't have a jet! And we don't have an Irish Setter either. But you get the point.

So, between our travel and writing a new story, we've been busy. Don't worry - we've rested and eaten and played too! In fact, I put a few pictures up so you can see!

Better skee-daddle! It is lunch time and I smell some really good stuff coming from the kitchen! Could it be? Oh wow! Could it really be???? Yes - it is! My favorite! Chicken and eggs!

Have a great day! Keep in touch and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

2012

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hope all my friends had a terRUFFic Christmas and New Year! Our family had a fun holiday season. As usual, Santa Paws was very good to us! He brought each of us a present. I got a new stuffed animal that squeaks when you bite it. I love carrying it around and sleeping with it every night!

Chloe, Frannie, Wally, Rudy, and I all tried really, really hard to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve, but we couldn't do it. Mom said we made it until about 9:30. That's okay, we all gave our New Year kisses when we woke up!

We took our tree down and was very careful about putting all the ornaments away so they would be safe all year. We have a Charlie Brown tree. We love Charlie Brown and Snoopy. So many of our friends give us ornaments. It makes us happy to look at each one and think about the person who gave it to us.

Everyone has been asking us if we have any New Year resolutions. I didn't even know what a resolution was but Mom explained it was making a decision to improve on something. I'm going to try to be a better drummer and harmonica player. I'm also going to improve my table manners! No more talking with my mouth full of food! As our friends in Ms. Hisle and Ms. Logan's class reminded us, nobody wants to see our yucky chewed-up food!

Speaking of Ms. Hisle and Ms. Logan, we spent the day with them before Christmas break! It was incredible! They sang "The Yellow Rose of Texas" for us. It was beautiful! They gave Chloe a run for her money - and you know how pretty Chloe sings the song! We're going to put some pictures on the blog of our visit very soon!

As usual, we're behind. We have a long list of things to do today. We are shipping books, getting ready for school visits to start again, sending updates to Mr. Nathan so we can get our online doghouse up-to-date, writing thank you notes, the list is endless! Since we're behind on our website, we wanted to post our January dates. We just sent them to Mr. Nathan so they will be on the Tour Page soon. In the meantime, here you go:


Tuesday, Jan 24
Boston Elementary
Boston, KY
Woody’s 5 Ways to Be Successful
Woody's 5 Ways to Improve Writing
School Day


Wednesday, Jan 25
Boston Elementary
Boston, KY
Woody’s Writing Workshops & Classroom Visits
School Day



Thursday, Jan 26
Boston Elementary
Boston, KY
Woody’s Writing Workshops & Classroom Visits
School Day



Thursday, Jan 26
Boston Elementary
Boston, KY
An Evening with the Pups
TBA



Friday, Jan 27
Memphis Christian Church
Memphis, IN
An Evening with the Pups
7 pm


We are very excited about January! Dad went to Boston Elementary when he was a little boy! They have built a brand new school since then and we hear it's beautiful! Chloe and I keep wondering if they will have pictures of Dad in the hall! I wonder if the principal remembers Dad!

We're also looking forward to Memphis Christian Church. Our friend Zoe's uncle is the minister at MCC! We will be on our best behavior!

I better skee-daddle! The list keeps getting longer and the time keeps ticking!

Oh - before I forget - this was a picture our family had taken in our backyard several months ago. We thought you might enjoy! It's too cold to be outside today with no shoes or gloves on!

Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

And... Chapter 10

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! If you've been following Doghouse Divided, you know it ended a few weeks ago! Our faithful followers from Simmons Elementary in Woodyford County, KY emailed us every week during the course of the story. Chloe, the entire Gang, and I can't wait to visit them next week! Anyway, we wanted to share with you their comments from Chapter 10 and answer some questions they had. Before we get to that, I have a question for you! If you look closely at the illustration of Chapter 10, you will notice it isn't the same illustration that "made the cut" - that's business talk that means "the final one that was approved." So, if you look at the original and look at the one on the blog, can you tell the difference? How many differences are there?

While you're looking, I'll post the comments:

Dear Woody,



We are SO excited about your upcoming visit!! We have a countdown on the board and it is just around the corner. We can't wait to meet you, Chloe, and the gang. We are planning a special surprise, along with Mrs. Hisle's class, for you!


We were excited, and a little sad, to finish Doghouse Divided. We are glad everything worked out with the drumset and being able to play with the band. It seems like Chloe had a great time too! Hopefully this experience has taught you to calm down and not jump to so many conclusions before getting the facts. It's okay though, we do it all the time ourselves!

We still have a couple questions after finishing the book.

1. Since the 'Brother Against Brother' room at the library is finished, do you and Chloe still work there?

2. Will you continue to play with The Barkstreet Boys?


Ms. Logan is going to check out some of your other books from the library so we can read more of your adventures. We are looking forward to that!

We will see you soon!

Sincerely,

Ms. Logan's Reading Class

Mindy Logan
3rd Grade Teacher
Simmons Elementary

A surprise? For me? Wow! I can't wait! Yes, Chloe and I still work at the library, but not every day. We go in a few hours a week and help out with any projects Ms. Grant needs us to do. And yes, I'm still playing drums with The Barkstreet Band and Chloe is still singing. Her voice is pretty! You should hear her sing, "Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog!"

Dear Woody,

We finished reading "Doghouse Divided" today, and we loved it! From your story, we learned that the North and the South had a fight over slavery the fact that the Southern states wanted to create their own country. We are so glad the North won, slavery ended, and we're still one country today. We also learned the word "reenact" and we would love to see one someday.

We were relieved to learn that you earned enough money to pay off your broken window - Bet mom was happy too! Do you still have your drums? Are you still playing with the band?

Our class can't WAIT to meet you in a couple of weeks. We all screamed when Mrs. Hisle told us you and your mom are coming! We're still saving up money for the Woodford County Humane Society, so we'll let you know how much we raised when we see you. Are you bringing Chloe with you? Is this rest of your family coming to Woodyford County?

We hope you are staying warm in this cold weather? We were wondering - what do you like to do when it snows? Do you make snowdogs and paw prints in the snow? Can't wait to hear back from you!

Be careful on the drive to Versailles. You never know, it could be snowing!

Love,

Mrs. Hisle's 3rd grade reading class

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary

We can't wait until our visit either! We are counting the days! Yes, we are still with the band. In fact, we have band practice later today. It's funny you mention snow. It's snowing here today. When it snows, we go outside for a short walk, build snowdogs, make snowdog angels, throw snowballs at each other, and run as fast as we can without falling down! Then we come in and warm up in front of our fireplace with a warm glass of milk and try to go from chilly dogs to hot dogs! It hits the spot and makes us sleepy! We also play checkers, read books, do our chores, and take cat naps! Speaking of, I better skeedaddle! Chloe just put on her sweater and scarf which means it's time to go outside.

Have a great day and stay warm! Don't forget to Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY

Doghouse Divided Chapter 9

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Our rain boots and rain coats are at the door! We are only going out for bathroom breaks. We are having inside recess today. We are playing Checkers, Connect Four, Memory, and of course reading lots of books. I have a stack of Curious George right beside me!

We are counting down the days until we can visit Simmons Elementary. Here are the fantastically, terRUFFic comments from our friends in WOODYford County!

Hi Woody!

We are so relieved that you found your drumset. Also, we are glad you didn't call the police since there wasn't really an emergency. Like you, we are wondering why your drums are in that garage. It seems like there are also a lot of items from the Civil War in the garage. At least your mom and dad know why they are there.

The battles that occurred in Lexington and Frankfort are both close to Versailles. One person in our class actually lives in Frankfort. Our teacher is looking for an atlas of Kentucky so we can find the sites of the other battles that occurred in our state.

We hope that the problem with the band is not serious. We are thinking that the problem is someone dropped out of the band or is hurt and won't be able to perform. A solution to these problems is that Chloe could fill in and be a member of the band as well. We think she would enjoy that!

We would be very excited if you were able to come visit our school. We would love to meet you! Hopefully that will be able to happen. We are very much looking forward to chapter 10 to find out how the story ends. We always listen to your stories on Wednesdays. Next week we will not be able to listen because we will be out of school for Thanksgiving. That means we have to wait two whole weeks to find out what happens!

We will email you as soon as we complete the book. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and don't eat too much!

Sincerely,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class

Whoowee!!! Just remembering Thanksgiving makes my tummy growl! And here are the comments from our friends in Ms. Hisle's class:

Dear Woody,

What an exciting chapter! We loved hearing about you using your detective skills. If we had a detective kit, we would want a magnifying glass to inspect small things, a blacklight, and a notepad with a pen for recording our clues.

We researched the 11 battle sites in Kentucky and this is what we found:
Barbourville
Camp Wild Cat
Cynthiana
Ivy Mountain
Middle Creek
Mill Springs
Mundfordville
Paducah
Perryville
Richmond
Rowlett's Station

We think that the big problem Bark and Woody have is that one of the band member is sick and can't play. We also think that maybe Bark is coming to tell you that you're spending too much time at the library and not enought time with the band. Uh oh!

Thanks so much for sending the picture. Woody, you are SO HANDSOME! We think you are terRUFic!

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary


A blacklight? I had to ask Mom what a blacklight was. I'm going to ask Santa for a blacklight for Christmas. I hope it's not too late! And did you say I was handsome??? Oh wow! I don't know what to say! Thank you very much. I bet all of you are handsome and pretty too. We can't wait to meet you!

Stay dry and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Chapters 6, 7, and 8 OH MY!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! All of the Thanksgiving leftovers have been eaten, our Charlie Brown Christmas tree decorated with our favorite wiener dog ornaments is on the mantle, we're checking off our list for Santa Paws, and we're making sure we are on our most terRUFFic behavior! Add that to my library job, band practice, school visits, and regular chores, and sometimes it doesn't seem like there are enough hours in the day. No worries - Chloe and I still have plenty of time to play and rest. You know the ol' saying, "All work and no play makes Woody a dull dog!"

Chloe and I had the most fantastic surprise last week! We found out that on Thursday, December 15th, we will be spending the day at Simmons Elementary. We are FINALLY going to meet Ms. Logan, Ms. Hisle, and all our faithful friends who have emailed us during Doghouse Divided.

As usual, I'm a weenie bit behind in posting their emails so I thought I would post 3 chapters this time. We love opening our mailbox on the computer and seeing the name Ms. Hisle and Ms. Logan! We have heard from many of our blog readers that you love reading their comments too. Well you are going to enjoy a triple dose today! Are you ready? Are you set? Here we go:

Chapter 6:

Hi Woody!!

We agree with your mom, you shouldn't jump to conclusions! We thought she may want something simple like you and Chloe running an errand. :) We bet you are relieved that it didn't have to do with the drumset...or the broken window. Is it fixed yet?

Our school library has a great book about Abraham Lincoln. We are going to check it out the next time we visit the library. We are sure it will have information about him being called 'Honest Abe' and the Civil War.

Your mom is right - just because something doesn't directly affect us doesn't mean we let it happen. Lots of students in our class have taken a stand against something. We all take a stand against bullying and stand up when people are being teased, even if we don't know the person. One student took a stand against people using bad language and other have taken a stand against animal abuse. We are sure you wouldn't sit back and let that happen!

Most of us think Bark is one of your and Chloe's dog friends who is coming over to ask them to play. A few think Bark may be a neighborhood bully or a dog who is going to give Woody drum lessons. One student thinks Bark may be a friend of yours who is a cat! Bark would be a funny name for a cat!

We hope to hear from you soon and are looking forward to chapter 7!

Thanks,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class
Simmons Elementary

and...

Dear Woody,

We're so glad mom wasn't calling to ask you to sell your drums! What a relief! We predict Bark is your friend (who is a dog) that lives down the street. We think Bark may have come over to play with your drum set. Does Bark also have a drum set? Maybe you two could start a band together!

We are enjoying learning about the Civil War. We're learning lots of new things and we think it's awful that slavery existed. We never knew that people traded other people!

We can't wait to hear Chapter 7.

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary



Chapter 7:

Hi Woody!

We are so excited about your opportunity to play in a band! That is going to be so much fun! We can't wait to read about your experience!! We think the perfect song for The Barkstreet Boys to play is Who Let the Dogs Out? We would love to hear that.

We are learning so much about the Civil War. We knew Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky but didn't know that Jefferson Davis was. We looked up Fairview and Hodgenville on the map. You would need to travel southwest to get from Fairview to Hodgenville. What city do you live in?

We think volunteering is so important and a way to be a good citizen. Some things that you and Chloe could do are pick up trash, plant trees, and grow a garden. We bet you like to dig so a garden would be so fun for you! You could give the vegetables to people in your community.

We are looking forward to chapter 8.

Thanks,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class
Simmons Elementary

By the way, I was born in the city of Paducah, but I live in the city of Shepherdsville! I don't know what happened to the email Ms. Hisle's class sent regarding Chapter 7. Our cat Dolly must have been chasing the mouse again and deleted it!

and Chapter 8:

Hi Woody!

We were excited to hear from you! We understand about being busy, we get that way too sometimes. You sound like one busy dog! We're sure you get excited to crawl into your doggie bed every night.

Table manners are very important. We don't like eating lunch at a table where people have bad manners. We thought of some suggestions of how you and Chloe can improve your table manners.

1. Don't talk with your mouth full - Chew and swallow before you speak.

2. Don't talk about disgusting things - make sure the topics will not make anyone sick, or spit their food out!

3. Be polite

4. Take small bites - don't stuff your mouth full.

We are so worried about your drums! While we realize you panicked when they were not in the living room, we don't think you needed to call the police. We are thinking that your mom and dad may have placed them in the garage, the attic, or on the patio. Maybe they were getting in the way. Or, we are thinking that Bark came and took them for the band. We really hope you find them and nothing serious has happened to them. The best thing you can do is ask your mom and dad if they moved them.

We look forward to hearing from you and listening to chapter 9!

Sincerely,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class
Simmons Elementary

Thanks! These are great suggestions on how to improve my table manners. I'm getting better. However, I got in a little bit of trouble at Thanksgiving for forgetting Rule #1 and Dad said, "Dogwood, we would hate to ask you to leave the table at Thanksgiving." I remembered your suggestions and didn't have any more problems!

and...

Dear Woody,

We were so glad to hear back from you. We figured the library job was keeping you pretty busy. We just finished listening to chapter 8 of Doghouse Divided. We have some suggestions on how you and Chloe can improve your table manners. First off, you should always say "please" and "thank you". It's also VERY important to not speak with your mouth full -- no one wants to see your chewed up dog food - YUCK! :) Also, you shouldn't talk about eating rats at the dinner table. That might make people lose their appetite.

We also know five rivers in Kentucky:
1. Ohio River
2. Kentucky River
3. Dix River
4. Green River
5. Barren River

Woody, if you think you were robbed you should first call the police. If something has really been stolen, they need to know. We also think that you're drumset is missing. Maybe it isn't stolen, maybe Bark borrowed it or mom moved it to the garage (if you have one).

We can't wait to listen to Chapter 9! AND we would love to meet you in person (and dog) too!!

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary

Wow! You guys know your Kentucky Rivers - and your manners too! I think I've got "please" and "thank you" mastered, but those table manners are still getting me from time to time. I never knew people didn't want to see my chewed up dog food. I think seeing any kind of food is exciting and I thought everyone else did too! Thanks for pointing out my mistake!

Well, it's 7:30 in the morning. That means it's time for our morning walk and then breakfast! I just saw Chloe prance through the house with her sweater on (we don't want to be chilly dogs) so I better skee-daddle! By the way, we will be speaking and signing books tomorrow at the Ridgway Memorial Public Library tomorrow here in our hometown of Shepherdsville. If you are anywhere in the area, come see us! The program starts at 1:00, I think! If I find out I told you the wrong time, I will post a correction after breakfast. I'm starving and I've got to, well, let's just say I must go outside for my morning walk. (I'm trying to remember not to talk about disgusting things like going to the bathroom!)

Have a great day, stay warm, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY