We were awakened at 2:30 this morning by an explosion that sounded like a bomb was dropped in our front yard. The thunder and lightning hit suddenly, causing Jay-Jay to levitate about 3 feet off the bed. For the next hour or so, he trembled so violently and hyperventilated so much I thought he would surely expire. He's spent the morning catching up on his sleep.

Gus, pictured above, is not nearly as frightened by storms. We call Gus a pughuahua, but I heard a breeder on Animal Planet refer to the offspring of a Pug and Chihuahua as a Chug. I found pictures of the Chug, but Gus doesn't look like these guys. The only things about Gus that look like a Pug are his floppy ears and his curly tail. His ears don't stand erect like those of the Chihuahua, and he weighs 11 lbs., closer to the typical Pug, but unlike the Pug, he isn't stocky. His temperment is more like the Chihuahua. Both Pug lovers and Chihuahua owners recognize their breed in him, but a Chug he is not. Pughuahua suits him much better.

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I'm watching with increasing amusement the Republican candidates who emerge to run for the presidency. The Republicans I've talked to aren't thrilled about any of them. Well, one of them supports Mike Huckaby of Arkansas, but I don't think he has much of a chance. I'm still liking Obama better than any of the other Democratic candidates. Bill Richardson is my second choice.

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I tried to watch the Bush interview on C-Span last night, but the guy creeps me out. He looked ill-at-ease, acted silly and smart-alecky, and suggested the solution to his father's angst about the war is for him to quit watching the news. With the Libby trial bringing out so many of the

behind-the-scenes shenanigans, and the debate going on in the House of Reps, his father's embarrassment may be never ending, even if he doesn't watch the news. I missed the part where he claimed that he would be remembered for his compassionate conservatism. I think the man has lost what little grasp of reality he may have had. His father probably worries as much about that as anything.

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Mike has decided to dress as a pirate Friday night. I've got to figure out a way to make his leg brace look like a peg leg, maybe take some woodgrained contact paper applied to a stiff surface like poster board shaped like a cone. He's got an eye patch, an earring, a bandana to tie around his head, and a parrot to wear on his shoulder. He needs a white shirt with the puffy sleeves. Maybe David or James has one I can borrow.