More Stories from Southside

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! TGIF! What a week! This has been the most exciting week! We are still getting photos in from Southside. I told you in my last blog entry about my new girlfriend, Woodie. Here is a photo. You can see how I am holding her, looking for her in her pretty little basket, and giving her a sweet little hug! Did I tell you how beautiful she looked in her green sweater???

Woodie is writing her own blog about Southside. Mrs. Jones, the media specialist, said that Woodie misses me too. That made me feel better!

Not only did we make new friends like Woodie, we also saw Olivia. Olivia is a student at Southside. She has a dog named Itchy. Itchy is a chiweenie. I had never heard of that before. Olivia said it was a cross between a chihuahua and a dachshund (or wiener dog, like me). So, they call it a chiweenie. After our visit, Olivia wrote a story about Itchy. She also sent us this picture. Isn't it cute?

We have so many great things to tell you about - like about our brand new book. I will tell you all about it next time! It is 4:05 and supper time is right around the corner. Everyone knows that meal time is one of my favorite times of the day!

Have a great weekend! Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Southside in WOODYford County

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! We hope everyone is having a terrific day! Chloe and I are enjoying the sunshine. The snow has been lots of fun, but it was nice to see color outside our window this morning!

We had the greatest day on Tuesday! Our family spent the day and evening at Southside Elementary in Versailles, KY. Versailles is in Woodford County. We have asked the mayor about possibly changing the name to WOODYford County. It's probably not going to happen, but fun to think about!

Mrs. Anita Jones (Southside's media specialist, last photo) did a PAWS-atively perfect job in arranging our day. Mrs. Jones said Southside had "Gone to the Dogs!" She was right! There were dog pictures everywhere and even a big doghouse in the front lobby! Their plan is to read enough books and gain enough Accelerated Reading points to put Mrs. Cassady (the principal, second photo) in the doghouse! Chloe and I would love to see that!!!

In addition to meeting the students and staff, my favorite part of the day was WOODIE! Woodie is a little girl black and tan dachshund. She isn't real, just a stuffed animal, but that didn't matter to me. She was pretty! She had on a beautiful green sweater with fur all around it. Everyone laughed when I put Woodie in my mouth to hold. I was just trying to say "ARFF!" You can see Woodie in the first photo. She is in the basket. Just seeing her in the picture makes my heart go pitter-patter!!!

I could talk all day about our visit to Southside. We will be remembering it for years and years!!! Hopefully one day we can visit everyone again. I would love to see our new friends, especially Woodie!

I better go! This is an exciting week. Our new book comes out tomorrow! We can't believe it! I will keep you posted!

Have a great day! Enjoy the sunshine and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

A Friday at St. Michael

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! It is Saturday morning and Chloe and I have been doing our usual Saturday activities - you know, watching cartoons, reading the comic section from the newspaper, and doing our Saturday chores.

Yesterday, we ended a very exciting week with a terrific day at St. Michael School in Louisville, KY. Since there was ice on the road, school was delayed for two hours. We still had to leave home plenty early since we had to drive slow. Dad was extra-careful in driving the Woody Bus since the roads were messy.

Anyway, everyone at St. Michael made us feel right at home. We had the program in their Community Center. It was gorgeous. Chloe and I felt like big-time superstars performing in the center! We took a few photos to show you. The second photo is of a fellow UK Wildcat fan! Since we were in Louisville, there were plenty of Cardinal fans, but not as many Cat fans! It was nice to see a little blue!

The last photo is of Mrs. Goehagen, the librarian. She was originally from Boston. Dad explained he was from Boston too. She laughed and said she was from Boston, Massachusetts. Dad is from Boston, Kentucky!!! She was so nice and planned the most perfect day for us! We hope to see our friends from St. Michael again soon!

I better go. The CATS have a big game today. Chloe and I have to finish our chores and eat our lunch before tip-off. I smell chicken! It must be lunch time! I better run!

Stay warm and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

A Day of School - A Day of Snow

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hope you are staying inside and keeping warm. It is freezing here at our doghouse in Shepherdsville. In fact, when we go outside to stretch our legs, Mom won't even let us walk on the driveway. She is afraid we will slip and fall. Chloe and I aren't very good at ice-skating!

Our morning started out in Cynthiana, KY at Northside Elementary. We finished our first assembly and the principal said, "Guess what, Woody! We are dismissing school at 10:00." The weather was getting bad, so, the stduents went home and our family loaded up the Woody Bus and drove back home too. We made it home just as the roads were getting really icy. Our day at Northside was so short that we didn't even get a chance to snap any photos. Maybe we can do that when we return in May.

We were able to snap a few photos from our school this past Tuesday. Tuesday found our family at St. Rita School in Louisville, KY. It was a perfect day! The students and teachers made us feel right at home. You can see from the photos that we made lots of friends!

If the weather is nice, tomorrow we will be at St. Michael School in Louisville. Chloe and I are hoping the weather warms up and the ice melts! We are ready to go to school!

Speaking of, I have to brush my teeth and go to bed. It is getting close to my bedtime and I am pretty sleepy. Mom said Chloe and I could have a glass of milk and a cookie with our bedtime story. I better put on my jammies!

Have a great night! Stay warm and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

A Snow Day and a School Day

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hope everyone is having a super day! It is pouring down rain. Chloe and I have been looking out the window watching the huge drops hit the ground outside. The weather has been doing all sorts of things lately. This past week, we had a great big snow - the kind of snow that we could play in. We were supposed to be at Northside in Cynthiana, but school was cancelled, so our family spent the day building snow dogs and sledding down our big hill!

On Thursday, the snow had melted enough that we could go back to school. So, we loaded the Woody Bus and drove to Temple Hill Elementary in Barren County. We were there on Valentine's Day. You could feel the love! The entire building was decorated with hearts, flowers, and candy. The school had a Valentine's Day dance. Chloe, Frannie (our body guard) and I all were asked to the dance. The fourth photo is a picture of Frannie and me with our Valentine's dates!

This week will be a busy week for our family. We will be in Cynthiana to make up the snow day we missed, as well as Louisville for two schools. Can't wait to tell you all about it!

Since it is raining, I may take a little cat nap. Chloe is snoring so loud that I can't barely hear myself think!

Have a great day! Stay dry and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

Woody

I'm Back! Arff!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! I know you think Chloe and I must have walked to China or something. We are usually so faithful about writing in our blog, but lately we have been behind. We have had the busiest schedule. We have been in so many schools, are getting ready for our new book to come out in a few weeks, writing a brand new story for the fall, the list goes on and on. Speaking of lists, I feel like Santa Claus. I am constantly looking at my "To Do" list and checking it twice! I promise I am going to get caught up soon!

Anyway, this past week we were at T.C. Cherry in Bowling Green, KY. I thought I would post a few pictures. It was a perfect day!

Keep checking back. I promise I am going to put some photos here from the neat schools we have been in the past few weeks!

Better run. My lists says it is now dinner time! My favorite part of the day!

Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

An Awesome Day at River Ridge

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Chloe and I just came in from our second walk of the morning. It is cold! Dad made a fire in the fireplace. It is toasty inside. It is going to be a great day to stay in, read our favorite books, and pull out the checker board!

We returned home late last night from River Ridge Elementary. River Ridge is in Villa Hills, KY. We were at the very top of the state. Chloe and I had a fantastic day and saw tons of students. For one thing, River Ridge is a really big school. They had around 900 students! As you can imagine, they had a big building as well. If Mom and Dad hadn't been carrying us, we would have gotten lost for sure!

We saw posters and pictures of Chloe and me, lots of wiener dog shirts, and even one wiener dog purse! We took pictures so you could see. The last picture is of the principal, Ms. Zimmerman. She was so nice and so funny! She kept calling Dad by the wrong name. Instead of calling him Ron, she called him Bob. So, at the end of the day, she decided to call him RON BOB! Chloe and I laughed and laughed! We even heard Mom call him Ron Bob too! It has a nice ring to it!

I better say Arff and start on my chores. I have to clean out my toy box. It is a mess!

Have a great day! Wear your mitten and scarves when you go outside and don't forget to Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

A Brand New Year!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! I hope everyone had a Happy New Year! Chloe and I stayed up all night long to ring in 2008! Mom and Dad said we could stay up until midnight, but boy was it tough! We aren't used to staying up past 8:00, so we took lots of naps, played lots of checkers, and sang lots of songs. As soon as the clock struck midnight, we cheered, "Happy New Year!" and then immediately fell asleep! I am glad that only happens once a year. I don't think I could stay away much more than that!

Now that 2008 has arrived, and now that the Christmas vacation is over, our family is back in the swing of things! In fact, we kicked off our 2008 Woody Tour in Harrodsburg, KY at Harlow Elementary! Harrodsburg is in Mercer County. In all of our years of traveling, this was our very first time to speak in Mercer County. The staff and students of Harlow made our first experience in their county one that we will never forget! It was a perfect day!

I posted a few photos. The third picture is of Ms. Cindy Brown and me. Ms. Brown is the Family Resource Center coordinator. She was in charge of our visit. You can see from the photo that I was thanking her for her hard work!

We have lots of exciting projects coming up soon - a brand new book, a brand new serial story, a segment on KET's Kentucky Life, the list goes on and on. We will keep you posted, so stay tuned!

Have a great day! Remember to Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Christmas Vacation

Kentucky Greetings and Happy Holidays, WoodyWatchers! Whew! I can't believe it has been almost two weeks since I last wrote in my Diary. Christmas vacation has kept me busy, well, vacationing. Our semester was so packed with school visits, book signings, and other exciting events that by the time Christmas vacation arrived, Chloe and I were ready for some Christmas cheer.

We loved our Christmas tree this year. It was covered with nothing but dog ornaments. It had candy canes, but they were all rawhide candy canes. The first day we decorated the tree, Chloe and I tried to eat it. Mom and Dad explained real quick that the tree was not to be eaten!!! The best part of the tree were special ornaments, a few of them given to us by some of our best friends - and the presents. It was fun to look at the pretty packages and try to guess what they were. When Santa Claus came and left our surprises, Chloe and I were beside ourselves! I included a picture of me with my new squeak toy!

We weren't the only ones to receive special gifts this year - Mom and Dad received some special presents too. The third photo is of our new friends Ms. Pat and Ms. Donna. We met Ms. Pat this past fall at a Book Signing. We quickly became special friends. Ms. Pat gave Mom and Dad this beautiful portrait of our family. In fact, it is the picture that is on the back of our book, Woody, The Kentucky Wiener: A New Home. The painted portrait is far more beautiful than the picture itself. Even though Ms. Pat and Ms. Donna gave it to Mom and Dad, Chloe and I get to enjoy it every day. We look at it all the time. As you can imagine, Mom won't let me hold it. She says I might accidentally get it dirty. I can be pretty clumsy as all of you know!

As you can see, Christmas was the best ever at our house. We hope your Christmas was the best ever too! We are looking forward to the last few days of 2007. 2007 was a PAWS-atively terrific year, so it will be bit hard to say goodbye. We will finish 2007 in Nashville at the Music City Bowl. We will be watching our Kentucky Wildcats play football against the Florida State Seminoles. A Bowl Game Win would be a great way to end 2007! Go CATS!

I better say ARFF! It is breakfast time and I smell bacon!

Have a great day! Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Westside Dresses Me Up - Part 2

Hi WoodyWatchers! It is Saturday and it is raining, sleeting, and even snowing a bit! It is a perfect day to stay inside! Here are a few more pictures from Westside! I have lots to show you, so I will keep posting over the next few days! Also, I can't wait to tell you about Waynesburg, so stay tuned!

More later! Arff! Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Westside Dresses Me Up!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Chloe and I had the most PAWS-atively perfect day yesterday! We spent the day and evening at Westside Elementary in Cynthiana, KY. When we walked in the school, we couldn't believe our eyes! We saw ourselves everywhere! Mrs. Allie Dale, the librarian at Westside, held different contests to help get the students excited about our visit. One of the contests was Dress Up Woody. The walls were lined with different pictures of me dressed up in different outfits. There was Santa Woody, Elf Woody, UK Wildcat Woody, Scuba Diving Woody, the list goes on and on! My diary would only let me post a few of the pictures we took yesterday, but I am going to post several on our diary over the next few days. In addition, you can see all the photos we took on the Photo Page of our online doghouse at the end of the month.

Another contest had the students building a doghouse. One of our favorites was The White House. Isn't this cool?

If all of that wasn't exciting enough, Mrs. Dale had painted us on the wall of her library. It was a beautiful picture! This is the first time that someone has painted our picture on their wall!!! WOW! You can tell by the snapshot that Mrs. Dale is super talented!

We will be barking about this visit for a long time! Again, stay tuned to the blog and I will post other pictures of me dressed up soon!

I better say ARFF! We are loading up the Woody Bus again, this time headed to Waynesburg Elementary!

Have a great day! Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

Signed,

Santa Woody

GEAR UP!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Two blogs in one day! How cool is that? It just seems that Chloe and I have had so much to bark about lately. Our schedule has been filled with one exciting event after another and it is so much fun to write about it!

Today was spent at The Lexington Herald-Leader in, well, Lexington, KY. Chloe, Mom, Dad, and I were able to be with 60 students and teachers from Clinton County Middle School. The students are part of a program that is called GEAR UP! I asked Mom what the program was all about. She explained that it helped prepare students for college and life in general. The students were faithful followers of Mr. Dogwood Goes to Washington. Chloe and I presented my Five Ways to Be Successful, we answered questions, and posed for lots of photos. The students also took at tour of the newspaper office. It was such an exciting day!

I had to share a few of the photos. The third photo is my favorite. My sister is relaxing with Dad while so many of the students take pictures with their cell phones. Leave it Chloe to be so laid back!

After our event, we crawled back in the Woody Bus and drove home. We are in our jammies ready for bed. Tomorrow we will be at Book Notes in Pikeville from 1-3. If you are in the area, come and see us!

Sweet Dreams! Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Mr. Dogwood Goes to Greenville

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! It is Friday morning and Chloe and I are up and moving! Today we will be at The Lexington Herald-Leader Newspaper with students from Clinton County. I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Before we hop in the Woody Bus again, I wanted to show you a few photos from our visit to Greenville yesterday. It was a PAWS-atively perfect day! It was our very first time in Muhlenberg County. Everyone treated us like family!

Greenville was a really pretty town. Chloe and I loved driving down Main Street on our way to the school. All of the houses were decorated for Christmas. Even though it was pretty early in the morning, Chloe and I sang some of our favorite Christmas carols like Deck the Halls! Speaking of Christmas, I have finally saved enough money for Mom, Dad, and Chloe's present. I would tell you what I am going to get them, but they might read my diary!!!

I better run as we are off to Lexington! Have a great day! Stay warm, sing lots of carols, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Mr. Dogwood Goes to Southside

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! It is Wednesday morning and Chloe and I have been up for hours. The weatherman said we might have light snow, so Chloe and I couldn't wait to wake up and build a snowman. Mom and Dad kept telling us that even if is snowed, there wouldn't be enough to build a snowman, but we kept our hopes up. Unfortunately, it didn't snow at all. Oh well, we will wait until next time! Since we were up early, we ate our breakfast and went for a long morning walk.

Yesterday, we spent the day at Southside Elementary in Shelbyville. It was definitely a day we will never forget. When the Woody Bus pulled into the parking lot, four students came out to greet us with gifts. They were our "Welcoming Committee." They had a basket with lots of cool treats - including squeak toys and rawhide candy canes. Those candy canes are dee-lish! Since Mom isn't all that fond of eating rawhide candy canes, she received a beautiful Christmas ornament. In fact, it felt like Christmas yesterday.

Everyone at Southside made us feel like family. A great big thanks to Ms. Slaughter, Ms. Caldwell, and all the staff and students for making our day so special!

We are packing up the bus once again, this time headed in the other direction. Tomorrow we will be at Greenville. This will be our very first time in Greenville! I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Have a great day! Stay warm, don't eat too many candy canes, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY