7/28/15 Of Dragonflies, Peanut Butter, and Riding in Cars (not in that order)

Today has been a very busy day. My young human Jamie is in that thing called, “Driver’s Ed” and Mom has been driving him to this school and back every day. There’s irony in that, somewhere.

Lately, she’s been plopping a little medicine into the peanut butter and dragging me along.

I don’t really mind, because I’d rather be riding than in the crate. As long as I have my tummy medicine, that is!

Oh, I smell the peanut butter opening…

It’s so good, I can’t resist!

After taking my motion-sickness medicine, Mom waits for an hour or two and then we go out to the car. I know I am going, and do a little happy dance. “COMEHERECOMEHERECOMEHERE!” Mom says sternly, trying to put on my collar. Then we go out and load up in Zeus the Fiat.

At last we are on the way:

When do I get to ride in front????

Anyway, back and forth we went. To the school. Home. Back to the school. Back home. It was 91F out today, and the grass felt sticky. It was hot, we were all hot, and the humans decided to go into the pool.

Maybe if I conceal myself under this chair, Mom won’t take me back out.

But, she did take me back out. While we were in the yard (yes, I played with the squirt gun again), we saw this huge dragon fly. He danced back and forth over the pool. Mom and Jamie worried about taking the cover off the pool, fearing he would drown. Eventually, he met up with his damsel fly, and they flew away together. It was time to splash!

Yep! He’s a big ‘un.

Finally, after a thorough soaking with the squirt gun, I flopped onto the kitchen floor to rest. When I’d dried off and thought no one was looking, I sneaked over to my chair.

Mom says she loves it when I “pouch” my cheeks out when I’m sleeping. Ha! You should see the faces she makes when she’s snoozing.

Woof! Love, Maggie

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4/22/14 Paint Pots

I can finally safely say that Spring is here.  The grass is back (although I think the bushes are dead), and the threat of snow and its accompanying wind-up-the-tail is gone.  The sun is shining.

One thing about Spring is it gets the humans busy. 

Mom has decided to Paint.  She picked out the paint, brushes, rollers, dropcloths, tape, and all the assorted rigamarole to go with this project.  She enlisted Jamie’s help and plotted everything out.  Dad spent endless amount of time at Home Depot, groaning.  Mom didn’t reckon on the ceiling being such a paint-sucker, though, and progress is slow.  Jamie and Mom decided to do the ceiling first, because there was a mark on it that looked like a snowman from where Dad opened a bottle of champagne on New Year’s about a zillion years ago.  I’m kinda going to miss that snowman.

I think this paint business is great fun!  I love to help out.

I sniff the paint cans (it is low fume; the house doesn’t even smell bad) until Mom or Jamie runs up, arms waving and hollering for me to get the heck away from them. 

I lay in the middle of the dropcloth and wag my tail.  Thump, thump, thump, what do you mean you can’t move the dropcloth?

I run under the ladder when Mom is standing on it.  Jamie is usually in hot pursuit, as I have snatched one of the work rags (excuse me, “shop towels”) and am making a beeline for my spot on the landing.

I chew the stir sticks (pre-paint, of course) into toothpicks and leave the shards all over the floor.

When I am satisfied that I have helped my humans enough, I go take a little nap:

Ah, Spring!  Bring on the home improvements!

Woof!  Love, Maggie

 

 

3/18/14 Busy, busy

I’ve been very busy lately!  Let me be the first to say, I know nothing – nothing at all – about the 50 pounds (and then some!) of dog poop that the melting snow uncovered in the backyard.  (Gives most innocent look)

Mom and Jamie went out back to take advantage of the nice weather – umm, clean up the landfill of poop – while I sniffed at the remaining ice-packed snow and kept a lookout for That Rabbit.  After the massive cleanup, showers were had by all.  The stinky humans needed it. 

This weekend, Mom, Dad, and Jamie headed out for some real rest and relaxation at The Herrington Inn, Geneva, IL (check out the place at: http://www.herringtoninn.com).  That means I headed out to Canine Obedience College in Alsip (to be fair, http://www.canineobediencecollege.com) for a rousing weekend with The Alpha Male.  It was a play-hard weekend for me, and I came home with my tail wagging and happy to see my chair.  Nothing like the “take me a week to recover from one night” at PetSmart.

While Mom was out, Laurel swung by and caught me napping in the crate.  She took me out for a long walk to the stables and gave me a relaxing massage afterwards.  Please don’t tell me I’m spoiled.  I know that I am!  We went out back and I saw the rabbit.  I laid my ears back and went to give chase when – yank! – I realized I was still on a lead and attached to Laurel.  Foiled again!

Mom and Jamie are putting me out on the tether now.  I guess I’ll have to get used to it.  Mom says there’s no keeping me in the yard when that rabbit is around!

Spring is coming…I can feel it!  And I can see its bunny ears!

Woof!  Love, Maggie

(Who, me?  I know nothing!)

 

 

6/7/13 Hot Dog!

I like to do everything in a big way.  That’s just the kind of dog I am.  You always know where you stand with me.  When I like you, I’m going to put my paws on your shoulders (or, at least try to reach your shoulders) and give you a slobbery kiss.  If I don’t like you…then, not so much.  But I haven’t met anyone I don’t like yet.

My “go big or go home” approach applies to playing Fetch, too, as well as chewing on sticks.  The tree in our backyard provides me with a lot of sticks to choose from, but personally, I prefer big branches that I can really sink my teeth into.  I guess people are kind of the same way.  They like a project they can really work on, something worth their time.  When I have a nice big branch to play with, I’ll be busy in the backyard for quite a while.  When I get tired, I’ll just lie around and bask in the sun.

And I am doing a lot of lying around in the yard.  Today is the first day of Summer Vacation.  Jamie is out of school and we are all home, except for Dad, who still has to work.  I love it because there is no rushing around to get out of the house in the morning!  No early rides to and from school or quick shoves into the crate.

However, all this lying around today, and that extra-large branch I was occupied with, caused me to stay out in the yard and get a sunburn.  Yes, a sunburn, who knew?  White dogs with light skin can burn in the sun and now I have a pinkish snout and face, and feel quite warm to the touch.  Not much I can do about it except for drink a lot of water and stay in the shade.  I’m a real Hot Dog!