Things To Do On A Rainy Weekend

Thursday evening it started raining. This is Sunday evening and it's still raining. There have been short periods of no rain or light rain, but they were very short. There has been thunder, lightening and rather cool temperatures to go along with the rain. Thursday night there was a lot of thunder sending Morgan flying into bed with us. She snuggled down between us and slept fitfully, kicking me in the back most of the night. I was not in a great mood when I finally got up.



They say April showers bring May flowers and it seems to be true this year. The Iris opened on Friday. If the rain doesn't stop soon they'll be washed away before we get to enjoy them.

Friday was not Noah's best day. He went to All Creatures early in the morning and came home minus a few parts.



We've been having some problems between Noah and Fudge lately. Fudge, being a bully, likes to walk by the other dogs, growl and give them a nudge. The other dogs either ignore him or they all chase each other around. This is exactly what Fudge wants. He likes to chase and be chased. Noah, however, is tired of being nudged and after the third or fourth time it happens, he attacks Fudge. Fudge wound up with a cut on his chin last week and I decided to put an end to the situation. Noah was neutered. I hope this fixes the problem in time.

On Saturday we took advantage of a break in the showers and went to ArtFest, a local street fair. There were lots of artists and craftspeople showing their items, various food vendors and a play area for kids. There were several stages for performers and many, many dogs. People take their dogs to ArtFest every year and we get to meet some cute little canines. We always take a dog and this year it was Fudge.



Fudge went two years ago and many people asked what breed he was.When we said Portuguese Water Dog most of them looked at us with blank expressions. This year a number of people recognized what he was and those that asked all knew the Obamas had one. I did have an opportunity to explain to several people about the energy level of the breed and why it's not the dog for every family. Fudge was on his best behavior and made some new friends. I should have some pictures soon.

Today we went to visit J and Splash and Gracie.


Splash was happy to see us and show us around his new house.


Gracie remembered Rob.


Morgan loved the big windows. She thought they'd be perfect for watching squirrels. We were able to keep her from licking them. All the dogs were disappointed that the rain prevented them from going to the lake.

The Dogwood Animal Shelter where J volunteers was having a fund raising brunch today and we humans all went and had a lovely meal for a good cause.

This was one of the official greeters at the door of the restaurant. This little lady lives at the shelter and is hoping to find a forever home.


Here is another shelter resident. These dogs will have a safe place to live until they are adopted.


This little girl was very nervous, but when Rob sneaked some sausages out of the restaurant, she and her friends were very grateful.



There was a cage full of kittens for adoption, too. They were having a good time reaching out of the crate and snagging grass and leaves to play with.


When Rob went over to play with them, this one showed off her acrobatic skills.











This somehow seems fitting for the situation.

The Family Dog
Author Unknown

The family's dog was bought to guard,
Chained to a post in a chilly backyard,
Housed in a shed that was airless and dark,
And every few weeks had a run in the park.

When boredom set in with no fun and no work,
One day it broke loose and went quietly beserk.
Pa couldn't fathom just why it went wild,
As it flattened his wife and then bit his child.

The Police were called in to sort out the mess,
And the whole sorry tale was revealed in the press.
The Rescue Society was really annoyed,
So, the dog was re-homed, and the owners destroyed.