Feb 2009
I Surprise Myself
26/02/09 20:35 Filed in: Pawsonal
My mom had to go to work this evening and, because
she hasn't been feeling so well of late, she had
taken a nap this afternoon rather than taking me for
a long walk. That's okay by me: she needed to sleep
and I'm happy to sleep right beside her.
So when my dad got home, I still hadn't had a long walk. Again, no problem. Dad and I drove my mom to her work, then went to one of the big areas of trees for some exercise. A nice thought. Lots of other four leggers to play with. Some nice two leggers too. The air was warm, the fluffy white stuff starting to turn to liquid. All seemed okay.
But then, as we walked through the field, I noticed that the huge ball of light had disappeared from the sky and the long darkness was setting in. And my dad was heading for a path that led into the depths of all the trees. Well, I didn't like that. Not one bit.
I have to take care of my dad when we're out for a walk and it's hard enough to do that when it's bright and light. When the long darkness is settling in and there's lots of trees around, that's too much for even me to handle. There could be nasty four leggers out there, with long teeth and sharp claws. There might be evil two leggers lurking. Or slithering things. Or mean flying things. I'm good but I'm only one girl. I can't be in front and behind and beside all at once.
When the long darkness sets it, it's even harder to keep track of things.
So I tried to talk my dad into not going in. I spoke to him but he wouldn't listen. I hung back, stood my ground, but he kept going. There wasn't much I could do (short of tackling him and dragging him back myself, which I did seriously consider) but go with him. We went all the way to the first bend in the path before I finally convinced him to turn back.
I surprise myself sometimes. I always thought I was fearless. But when I have my second favourite two-legger to protect, I'm not into taking chances. I'm not scared for me but I am scared for him.
So when my dad got home, I still hadn't had a long walk. Again, no problem. Dad and I drove my mom to her work, then went to one of the big areas of trees for some exercise. A nice thought. Lots of other four leggers to play with. Some nice two leggers too. The air was warm, the fluffy white stuff starting to turn to liquid. All seemed okay.
But then, as we walked through the field, I noticed that the huge ball of light had disappeared from the sky and the long darkness was setting in. And my dad was heading for a path that led into the depths of all the trees. Well, I didn't like that. Not one bit.
I have to take care of my dad when we're out for a walk and it's hard enough to do that when it's bright and light. When the long darkness is settling in and there's lots of trees around, that's too much for even me to handle. There could be nasty four leggers out there, with long teeth and sharp claws. There might be evil two leggers lurking. Or slithering things. Or mean flying things. I'm good but I'm only one girl. I can't be in front and behind and beside all at once.
When the long darkness sets it, it's even harder to keep track of things.
So I tried to talk my dad into not going in. I spoke to him but he wouldn't listen. I hung back, stood my ground, but he kept going. There wasn't much I could do (short of tackling him and dragging him back myself, which I did seriously consider) but go with him. We went all the way to the first bend in the path before I finally convinced him to turn back.
I surprise myself sometimes. I always thought I was fearless. But when I have my second favourite two-legger to protect, I'm not into taking chances. I'm not scared for me but I am scared for him.
Fluffy White Stuff!
23/02/09 13:54 Filed in: Pawsonal
I've included a photo because I wanted to show you just how much there was. The photo was taken by my mom this afternoon while my dad and I played out in the yard. Dad had shovelled a flat spot at the bottom of the steps just so that we could at least get a running start. Then off we went, with my friend Riley, blazing trails through the fluffy white stuff.
I realise now that the picture doesn't do the situation justice. It looks like there's only a foot or so in the photo. Believe me, there's between four and six feet of snow all over the yard. Our fence, which is five-feet tall, is totally submerged in places. In the photo, I'm standing on about three feet of snow that has been so firmly packed down it holds my weight. My dad sank past his waist in one place and up to his arm pits in another. The photo shows him trying to make a snow angel but every time he moved his arms, he sank deeper. I had to help pull him out.
I love the fluffy white stuff. I really do. But enough is enough. Let's get on with spring already. Uh oh, I just looked out the window. More fluffy white stuff in the air. Will it never stop?
Found Him!
19/02/09 15:58 Filed in: Pawsonal
I found him! Walking in through the side door of our
house! My Dad. He's home. Hooray!
I was so happy to see him I immediately took him to one of the large areas of trees for a walk, just to make sure he is okay. He seems okay. A little tired. A little sad, maybe, but as happy to see me and Mom as we are to see him.
With all the fluffy white stuff coming down outside, we're spending most of the day inside to stay warm and dry. I'd love to go play in it but Dad seems too tired and Mom has already gone with me once into the craziness that's going on outside our house. Tonight, of course, I'll take them for another walk so that will be nice.
It's great to have the whole family home and safe again.
I was so happy to see him I immediately took him to one of the large areas of trees for a walk, just to make sure he is okay. He seems okay. A little tired. A little sad, maybe, but as happy to see me and Mom as we are to see him.
With all the fluffy white stuff coming down outside, we're spending most of the day inside to stay warm and dry. I'd love to go play in it but Dad seems too tired and Mom has already gone with me once into the craziness that's going on outside our house. Tonight, of course, I'll take them for another walk so that will be nice.
It's great to have the whole family home and safe again.
Hide & Go Seek
16/02/09 00:44 Filed in: Pawsonal
Ok, Daddy, you can come out now. Come out now. COME
ON. Obviously you found a very good hiding place and
obviously we've discovered my olfactory limits. Fine.
You win. Just come out so I can lick your face and
paw you and wag my tail fast and furious. Then we can
play ANOTHER game. Wubba, this time, I think. No
surprise there, I know. It's genetic, or adoptivetic,
or something. Blame yourself. You're the one who made
me want to do the same thing over and over and over
and over. So c'mon out already, would ya? Wubba's
waiting....
If In Doubt, Sleep
11/02/09 19:42 Filed in: Pawsonal
It's a funny world. As I grow a little bit older and
a little bit more mature, I've come to a realisation:
If I've got nothing else to do, I might as well
sleep.
It's working out well for me.
It has simplified things too. Now, life is made up of three major areas of focus: sleeping, eating, playing. And, perhaps not surprisingly, both eating and playing lead inevitably back to sleeping.
I sleep through the long darkness, then jump up on the bed with my Mom, while Dad gets ready to go away for the day, and sleep some more. Then a walk, maybe even a run and play with other four-leggers, and home to eat. My Mom goes off somewhere too and I sleep. Nothing better to do so why not? Then Mom comes home, or Dad comes home, or they both come home, and we play some more. Sometimes with the wubba inside our home. Sometimes with the other wubba in the backyard. And sometimes again in one of the big areas of trees where we meet other two- and four-leggers.
Home again to eat. Then more sleeping, often with or beside my Mom or Dad, then another walk after the light goes away. After that one, it's home again for a good sleep through the long darkness and we start again.
As I said, it's not a bad life at all. I just wish the food was a little more spectacular.
It's working out well for me.
It has simplified things too. Now, life is made up of three major areas of focus: sleeping, eating, playing. And, perhaps not surprisingly, both eating and playing lead inevitably back to sleeping.
I sleep through the long darkness, then jump up on the bed with my Mom, while Dad gets ready to go away for the day, and sleep some more. Then a walk, maybe even a run and play with other four-leggers, and home to eat. My Mom goes off somewhere too and I sleep. Nothing better to do so why not? Then Mom comes home, or Dad comes home, or they both come home, and we play some more. Sometimes with the wubba inside our home. Sometimes with the other wubba in the backyard. And sometimes again in one of the big areas of trees where we meet other two- and four-leggers.
Home again to eat. Then more sleeping, often with or beside my Mom or Dad, then another walk after the light goes away. After that one, it's home again for a good sleep through the long darkness and we start again.
As I said, it's not a bad life at all. I just wish the food was a little more spectacular.
Who's The Boss?
09/02/09 21:08 Filed in: Pawsonal
Recently, my Mom has gotten back into the idea of
training big time. She's always telling me to "sit",
"stay" or lie "down" and then giving me treats when I
do it. I think she's trying to establish that she's
in charge.
It used to be my Dad who thought he was in charge, especially after the time when my Mom went away for a while and it was just him and me. He'd be all "Marlee sit" and "Marlee stay" and "Marlee come" and he felt all proud inside because I would do it. Then my Mom came home and things kind of changed.
It makes me laugh, actually. I love them both dearly and so, when it comes right down to it, if it's really important I will do what they ask me to do. But are they in charge? Do they really believe they're training me? Laughable, really.
Sure, I'll sit when she tells me to. If a treat follows closely upon the sitting. Too many sits with no treats and I'm giving it up. And "come", well, that's all fine and dandy when there's a bon bon waiting for me when I come trotting back but skip the prize too often and you're not getting me to come back unless it's my decision.
Come to think about it, it really is a form of training. I train them to say certain words and give me treats by doing what I think they want me to do. It's pretty simple. If I want a treat, I just do something I know they don't want me to do. Before you know it, they're calling out a command and I've got my treat, thank you very much.
Sometimes, in fact, it's even easier than that. My dad makes his lunch every morning before going away for the day. I have him so well trained that I just have to trot into the kitchen and sit down, looking at him, and pretty soon chunks of cheese and bits of meat are coming at me fast and furious. Just for sitting there, with my tongue out!
Easy peasy. Let them think they're the boss and they'll give you anything you want.
It used to be my Dad who thought he was in charge, especially after the time when my Mom went away for a while and it was just him and me. He'd be all "Marlee sit" and "Marlee stay" and "Marlee come" and he felt all proud inside because I would do it. Then my Mom came home and things kind of changed.
It makes me laugh, actually. I love them both dearly and so, when it comes right down to it, if it's really important I will do what they ask me to do. But are they in charge? Do they really believe they're training me? Laughable, really.
Sure, I'll sit when she tells me to. If a treat follows closely upon the sitting. Too many sits with no treats and I'm giving it up. And "come", well, that's all fine and dandy when there's a bon bon waiting for me when I come trotting back but skip the prize too often and you're not getting me to come back unless it's my decision.
Come to think about it, it really is a form of training. I train them to say certain words and give me treats by doing what I think they want me to do. It's pretty simple. If I want a treat, I just do something I know they don't want me to do. Before you know it, they're calling out a command and I've got my treat, thank you very much.
Sometimes, in fact, it's even easier than that. My dad makes his lunch every morning before going away for the day. I have him so well trained that I just have to trot into the kitchen and sit down, looking at him, and pretty soon chunks of cheese and bits of meat are coming at me fast and furious. Just for sitting there, with my tongue out!
Easy peasy. Let them think they're the boss and they'll give you anything you want.
Feeling Sick
06/02/09 18:50 Filed in: Pawsonal
I think I told you that my dad has been sick lately.
Well, my mom has too. And now, you guessed it, I'm
feeling pretty knackered myself. It's all I can do to
go for a walk around the neighbourhood these days.
Then I have to come home and have a sleep. My dad,
who seems to be feeling somewhat better, gets out the
indoor wubba to play with me and, after just a few
tugs, I find myself drifting off again.
It's a strange feeling. I thought maybe it was because I am getting old — I'm over two now, you know — but then it hit me that my loving two-leggers probably passed their nasty little germs to me. Oh well. I'm getting a lot of good sleep.
And today my mom piled me in to the wheeled rolling room and we went to get dad at that place he goes every day of the week. Then we rolled on further and ended up at a place that was filled with nice smells and interesting treats. But it also had the hissing, claws-out four-leggers running around. For some reason, my mom felt it important that I meet a particular one of these little four-leggers, a little black and brown male youngen that could have fit in one of my ears. I gave him a bit of a sniff but then the little rotter hissed at me.
I don't like that, I tell you. I backed away and left the critter alone. I hope I never see him again!
It's a strange feeling. I thought maybe it was because I am getting old — I'm over two now, you know — but then it hit me that my loving two-leggers probably passed their nasty little germs to me. Oh well. I'm getting a lot of good sleep.
And today my mom piled me in to the wheeled rolling room and we went to get dad at that place he goes every day of the week. Then we rolled on further and ended up at a place that was filled with nice smells and interesting treats. But it also had the hissing, claws-out four-leggers running around. For some reason, my mom felt it important that I meet a particular one of these little four-leggers, a little black and brown male youngen that could have fit in one of my ears. I gave him a bit of a sniff but then the little rotter hissed at me.
I don't like that, I tell you. I backed away and left the critter alone. I hope I never see him again!
Fluffy White Stuff
03/02/09 16:49 Filed in: Pawsonal
We've got lots of fluffy white stuff now. It's deep
deep deep in our yard. My dad and I just tried to
play sticks in the back and, after only five or six
throw-and-chases, we were both plenty tired.
It's good to see him back out and about but now I think my mom might be sick too. She's tired and droopy and she won't let me take her for long walks anymore. I hope I don't catch whatever they've got!
I like the fluffy white stuff, especially now that it's not quite so cold anymore. Everywhere you look there are big huge piles of the fluffy white, along the streets, between the road and the walking strip, on everyone's lawns. It makes it kind of fun and challenging for me to make the sweet smelling logs and the warm yellow liquid. Okay, maybe it's not so tough to make it but figuring out how to leave it behind without getting it all over me is a real challenge.
How do you do it when the fluffy white stuff comes up to your belly? One way I've found is to aim for a hole that's already there in the fluffy white stuff. That seems to help. My mom doesn't like it much, though, when I do that; she has a hard time getting at the sweet smelling logs with her little brown bag when they're deep in a hole!
I don't know how much longer the fluffy white stuff will be around but I hope it lasts forever!
It's good to see him back out and about but now I think my mom might be sick too. She's tired and droopy and she won't let me take her for long walks anymore. I hope I don't catch whatever they've got!
I like the fluffy white stuff, especially now that it's not quite so cold anymore. Everywhere you look there are big huge piles of the fluffy white, along the streets, between the road and the walking strip, on everyone's lawns. It makes it kind of fun and challenging for me to make the sweet smelling logs and the warm yellow liquid. Okay, maybe it's not so tough to make it but figuring out how to leave it behind without getting it all over me is a real challenge.
How do you do it when the fluffy white stuff comes up to your belly? One way I've found is to aim for a hole that's already there in the fluffy white stuff. That seems to help. My mom doesn't like it much, though, when I do that; she has a hard time getting at the sweet smelling logs with her little brown bag when they're deep in a hole!
I don't know how much longer the fluffy white stuff will be around but I hope it lasts forever!