The Flock of Bird Brains

You all remember our resident seed throwers who like to screech when I pick up the telephone. Here are Norris and Calder.

This is Stanley.

And here's Elwood.

If you look closely, they're all together in this shot.

Well, I stitched their portraits.

At least it's not more chickens.

Water Dogs

We didn't take the dogs to the lake at all last year. After our terrible struggle with cryptosperidium, we didn't want to take any chances with them drinking lake water. Now some time has passed and the only ones still showing any lingering issues are Noah and Fudge. When the invitation came last week, we were both a little nervous so we consulted with Dr B. He said it would be safe for the girls and could be beneficial to Morgan and Tess with their arthritic legs.

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day so we got the others settled for a day at home alone and took Morgan and Norma Jean to the lake. I put a vest on Morgan to give her some support if she tired and Norma Jena wore a swimming harness.

We met Grace and Runtley and J and T and headed for the lake. Who was happy to be going swimming? Morgan was.

Gracie was.

Norma Jean was.

Happiest of all was Runtley.

Grace and Norma Jean raced to see who could get in the water  first.

The sisters made many trips to retrieve their toys.

Runtley has been practicing her swimming since we last saw her and she was going much farther out to get her ball.

Even with four peeps to throw, we had trouble keeping up with the girls.

Morgan went in the water a couple times. We made sure someone was close by watching her and that she didn't go too far.

Then it was time for a break.  Everyone got back on board and got ready for some lunch including watermelon.

 Norma Jean wanted to dry off before lunch. And how does a Water Dog dry off, you ask?  First a good shake, preferably with peeps standing nearby to absorb the extra water.

Then use whatever's available, in this case the seat.

After lunch it was back in the water.

 Finally one last throw, then it was time to pack up and leave the lake.

Although everyone had fun, there was something missing. This was our first time without Samba and Splash. They always kept the excitement level high. They would both jump around and bark at us to hurry and throw the toy and Splash would usually do one of his leaps from the boat to create lots of splashing. They were both missed yesterday.

Safe and Safer

I admit I'm a worrier. I worry about things that I can't control and I worry about things I can. Instead of losing sleep over things within my control, I'm trying to take positive action. In this case I'm talking about the safety of my dogs.

The Porties aren't as much of a concern to me as the others. They never let me out of their sight. If they're all sleeping and I just change my position on the couch, they all bound up, ready for whatever activity I have planned. On a couple of occasions when they have gotten out of the yard, they come right to me when called.

Morgan wouldn't leave home unless in her confused state of mind, she wandered off and didn't know how to get back. That's unlikely because Morgan is never outside on her own, even in the fenced yard. She's too old to be left out with the others to play and we keep her close by.

Sebastian, Mac and Sydney are the ones I worry about.  Sebastian, of course, has a history of getting lost, that's how he came to us.

Mac would chase a rabbit or squirrel if possible and could get lost.

Then there's Sydney. Syd is quite a hunter. She's already bagged two moles, two turtles and a rabbit, just in the back yard. The turtles and rabbit were rescued by Rob and me, but the moles weren't as lucky. I'm sure if Syd had a chance to slip out of the gate, she'd take off after prey and would get lost. I worry about these things.

To keep everyone safe, they have all been microchipped and the chips are registered with two different registries. They each have ID tags with their names and address and phone numbers. On the back of the tags is the vet's  phone number in case they're injured.

So I should feel safe, right? Wrong. What if they get lost and their tags are missing? The tags are on split rings and they can break or open up. Noah lost his tags last year right here in the house and Fudge lost his in the yard just a few weeks ago. We found them but the ring had broken.

If Syd got lost and someone found her without her tags and didn't know about microchips, then what?  Last week I got Syd and Mac both collar tags from Boomerang Tags.

These tags are great. They attach to the collar and Boomerang says if fit correctly they will not fall off. They're heavy tags and deeply engraved. Boomerang guarantees their tags will not become illegible from normal wear. If they become difficult to read they will be replaced at no cost. This style tag is perfect for hunting dogs so their tags don't become caught in brush.

I'm going to order this style for Sebastian too. They'll continue to wear their regular tags but have the extra security of collar tags. I've used Boomerang Tags for years and they're a great company to work with. The give quantity discounts, guarantee their product and the tags arrive in just a couple of days.

This should make my kids safer and cross one worry off my list.

Earplugs Ready

Hi everybody, 
Happy 4th of July. Yes, it's a scary holiday when it gets dark. Last night most of us were barking so loud that Mom couldn't hear the TV. Sebastian was on Dad's lap and Mackey was on Mom's lap. It sounded like the outdoors was exploding. We were all surprised this morning to see everything was still there.

Mom wants to make today a good day for us instead of a scary one, so we have some special foodables to enjoy. Dad brought one of these home and last night he cut it into bite sized pieces. Usually he puts the pieces in the big pink tub for us to grab, but Sidney doesn't always play well with others and Sebastian doesn't like to stick his head in the  tub, so this year Dad is handing out the pieces. I guess that's OK cause we all get about the same number of pieces. I liked it better when I could grab a lot before the others did.

Today is Sebastian's gotcha day, too. He found us two years ago today. He's very afraid of the loud fireworks noises and that might be why he got lost. This year he has a safe place with lots of friends.

Mom made something extra special for this afternoon. She got all these things together and put them in the blender and when she was done they were Frosty Paws. 

This year instead of putting them in little paper cups, she put them in ice cube trays. She says she can pop them out and hand them to us. That way nobody will eat the paper cup by mistake.

I'm glad she made Frosty paws, but I like the way she did them last time better. Then she made it rain Frosty Paws. She didn't put the top on the blender tightly and the Frosty Paws shot all over the kitchen. I could just put my head back, open my mouth and Frosty Paws dropped in. We spent hours licking Frosty Paws off the walls, floors and cabinets. It was GREAT!!!  Mom said some words we'd never heard before and grabbed paper towels and a mop. It took her forever to clean it all up because we were all racing around licking up the Frosty Paws. It was one of the bestest days ever.

Anyway, this year she has a new blender and she put the top on tight and all the Frosty Paws stayed in the machine. Still, we think they're going to taste wonderful after they get frozen.

We hope all of you are staying safe inside with your peeps and trying to tune out the loud noises outside. Are you having any holiday treats today?

Your pal, Fudge

To Anonymous

Signed anonymous.

We in Blogville are all familiar with the comments, often mean and insulting left by individuals who won't sign their names. The internet is crawling with these trolls who think they're clever and so amusing.

If your comment is so witty, why won't you sign your name to it?

There are lots and lots of blogs on line. Some I don't agree with or find distasteful and so I don't read them. There are plenty of others to choose from. Sometimes the bloggers I like present an opinion I disagree with. I don't feel I have to leave a nasty comment in response. When I do comment, my name appears beneath it.

If you have something of value to say, then have the courage to sign your name and don't hide behind the word anonymous. If not, just slink back to the swamp with the rest of the trolls.

Unhappy Holiday

When I was a kid we lived in a small village in Central New York. On the 4th of July there was a big parade on Main Street and just about everyone in town, who wasn't marching, lined the streets to watch. Then we all had cookouts and get-togethers with friends. At night many of us drove to the lake where there was a public fireworks display. It was great fun and we all looked forward to the holiday.

When I lived in Myrtle Beach I could watch the public fireworks display from a friends apartment balcony as we sipped wine and prepared for the crush of tourists invading our sleepy city. It was fun.

When Rob and I were first married we went to the public fireworks displays, first in Pennsylvania and later in Maryland. I remember lying on the hood of the car and watching the sky. It was fun till one year in Maryland one of the rockets went astray and set the roof of a nearby building on fire. The show was stopped but we were all stuck there as emergency vehicles descended on us. The traffic jam getting out was awful. It really ruined the event for us and we haven't been back to a live fireworks display since. We do watch them on TV out in Boston Harbour.

Now however, the holiday isn't so much fun anymore. In fact, I dread it each year. Around here people shoot off fireworks in their yards and driveways and  the streets and other people's property, wherever they happen to be, with no regard to anyone else. Often the ones playing with the gun powder and fire combo are children, sometimes unsupervised, or adults who have been drinking.

The dangerous and noisy event isn't confined to the 4th, it starts about a week ahead and goes on for a week or two after. Every evening brings loud booms that startle adults, to say nothing of babies or animals.

My dogs are on edge starting with the first booms which started about three days ago around here and even after the fireworks have run out and the nights are quiet once again, it will take weeks and in Mac's case months to relax at night.

Morgan used to be terrified of the noise but with her hearing loss, she isn't quite as bad as previous years. She still picks up on the anxiety of the others and paces and whines.  Noah runs to the door barking at every boom.

Sebastian came to us on the 4th in 2012 and may have been a runaway trying to escape the noise. He runs around barking when the noise begins outside.

Mac is the worst case. She is terrified and doesn't want to go outside once it gets dark. She refuses to eat or even take a treat. She just sits close beside one of us, trembling. During the night she must dream about the scary sky and whimpers in her sleep. Last year it took us about three months to convince her it was safe to go outside after dark, and now here we are again.

I still like fireworks when done in a safe place by people who are trained and know what they're doing, though I know even then things can go wrong. But now the holiday is no longer fun and I can't look forward to it. I'm tired of hearing about your freedom to do stupid things. Why does it trump my freedom to have a safe, peaceful and enjoyable holiday?

What's With The Chickens?

Are you all hooked on the Chicken Fat song? The ads began during the Stanley Cup games and that tune got into my head and won't leave. Now we see the ad several times a day, reinforcing the tune in my mind. The dogs even recognize it now as I sing it to them most evenings on our final outing.

The song is titled "The Youth Fitness Song" and was written for President John F Kennedy's fitness program in public schools. It was written by Meredith Wilson, who wrote The Music Man, and originally sung by Robert Preston. Though I was in public school in the 60's, I don't remember the song.

Now, even though it won't go away, it's much better than most of the commercials on TV these days, so I just sing along.

Speaking of chickens, remember these chicks with sticks?

Recently my best friend celebrated a birthday and I made this pillow for her.

I'm really not that into chickens, but lately they seem to be everywhere. I'm even thinking of stitching another chicken themed piece.

Please, somebody, get me away from all these chickens.