My Token Valentine Post- sort of

Look at that magnificent under bite.

This is Remy, my daughter's two and a half year old Rat Terrier. Ratties are an American breed, popular in the first half of the 1900's. Bred from a mix of strong, fast hunting dogs with good sniffers, Rat Terriers were used to control the rodent population on farms. They mostly lived in the barn and for a while, your farm wasn't a farm if you didn't have at least one Rattie living in your barn. Our Remy will dig up half the yard trying to catch a chipmunk or mole. I've seen him climb straight up one of our apple trees after a squirrel (I mean straight up and into the branches), and he will stake out the stove for an entire day if a mouse runs underneath it.

I do mean an entire day.



Both photos from Terrierman's Daily Dose



Teddy Roosevelt had a Rattie named Skip and is thought to have "started" the breed, but it's sort of a long-ish story and not pertinent to our post today.



Via PopArtUK.com



This is also Remy, from the Disney movie Ratatouille. He's a rat too.

Get it? Remy the Rat? Remy the Rattie?

Anyhoo...

A couple of years ago, Zippy's class had a Valentine Box contest: make your own box to hold all of the class Valentine cards, bring it in for the party, and there will be a box judging contest. Pretty straight forward stuff. Oh we love a good creative challenge like that at our house and at our house "Make a Valentine Box" means "Build a Valentine Box."

This is Robo Remy: a small shoe box with cardboard legs and docked tail, covered with papier mache and painted with Remy's piebald markings. Then Zippy cut the lid back off of the shoe box so she could get to the cards inside and, more importantly to my sweet mini-Chocoholic, the candy. Then she cut the slit on top for the cards, added the photo-face and heart collar and she's ready.

Oh wait, no you're not because this is a Robo Remy.

Hot glue Robo-Boy to another shoe box and glue down some doggie treats. Ready? Nope!

Strapped to the inside of the green shoe box is the motor and chassis of one of the countless remote control cars that my daughter (yes, daughter) owns.

So that year, Zippy's Valentine cards came when called and if you didn't get the goods delivered quickly enough, Robo Remy could chase you down!

First prize- Best Use of Technology.

Way to go Zippy!

To all of you fabulous folks building relationships with your family one remote control car, one recycle craft, one tree fort, one finger paint heart greeting card, one whatever giggling fun you get cooked up at a time ....