A Bad Dog!

Portrait of a Bad Dog

Hi G-Fans!

You wonder, don't you, who the bad black dog is...?

And, perhaps, you wonder, "What did that dog do that was 'bad'?"

Well, as the concierge puts it, "The bad black dog decided that the wine table at the party they attended was his, so he peed on the nice farmers  formal events table cloth...!"

Wow, the trouble I would have been in had I had such a notion or impulse towards indiscretion.

And another thing, since when do we encourage the human children to pee in the grass?

Apparently Gabriella's concierge encouraged that over the last two days and broke the human's efforts towards potty training (also known as 'housebreaking' in the case of a dog), I guess it is back to the crate for that kid!  And maybe Gabriella's concierge too!

Anyway, it is day two of abandonment and we are getting pretty good treatment.

Harry's concierge and his human siblings are pretty attentive to our needs and are pretty much bending over backwards so we don't get "concierge-sick" (we can't get "homesick" since we didn't have to leave the house......!).

Just sayin'...

So, that is it for now.... I will keep you posted on the progress of this most latest chapter in our lives....

May you find kindness in those who love you best :)

TTFN!

-G

Jackson in greeting mode.... He is big like Leo and jumpy like Bertie and reserved like Harry......

Snagglepus is waiting for his escape opportunity, the babysitters are a little more laid back than the wound-for-sound concierge......

Abandonment

Hi G-Fans!

Well, I am getting this written telepathically because the concierge isn't here tonight, in fact since this morning she has been gone.  She packed bags, loaded the car and left.  Just upped and drove off spinning gravel as she went.   Gone.  Vamoosed.  You get the picture.

So while she was off somewhere unknown I have been working hard to keep everyone in line for Harry's concierge.  Not easy.  Really, it isn't.

Apparently making memories with Gabriella  and Jackson is more compelling than being with me.

Just Sayin'.

So, the concierge has included pictures from afar and I will include them

May you make constructive use of your time when you are feeling battered and abandoned.

TTFN

-G

Jackson enjoying a little ear love....

Gabriella, passed out in the geographical and emotional center of the room.

Jackson protected by his concierges.

Argh!

Hi G-Fans!

Originally, as I pondered throughout my day, I was going to write about some esoteric and lofty subject or musings.  But, after tonight's activities there is no luster in that direction.  No, I have bigger fish to fry than waxing poetic.

What could possibly be worse than the concierge getting into a cleaning frenzy?

It would be a packing fest.  Yep, the concierge is planning on venturing out and I checked to see if my bags were packed too, I didn't see any so there is some explaining that needs to be done.

The concierge said that Harry's concierge is doing a sleep over  so that should be good.  Harry's concierge is soooo much easier to motivate.  All I need to do is bat my eyelashes at her and she is all minre1   My concierge not so much....

SO, it is late, the concierge is whining and I need my beauty sleep.

May all life's surprises be ones that are a cause to celebrate.

TTFN!

-G

Formerly live things....

Hi G-Fans!

Well, I must bring it up.  It has  been a part of our daily walking for days and days now.  It is only right to acknowledge it.  It fills the air with wafts of its scent.  It spreads out along the road and magically on the sidewalk.  Raphael tried to get some good neck dives on it, I rubber necked on more than one occasion coming and going by it and Bertie and Tessa just trucked on through it.  It is a recent nearby incident of.....

road killnounan animal (or animals, collectively) killed by a vehicle on a road.• informal someone or something no longer useful or desired : gee, thanks for making me feel like road kill.
I don't know why the concierge makes a big stink out of it every time we pass (well, it stinks on its own, but I like it...)!

It is so ripe and stinky that even I can't tell what it was in its living state.

I think it is fascinating.

The concierge is sickened by it.  She finds it repugnant.

And I have lost her, and all that is all she is capable of notating for me is lost.

I don't know if she is getting "green" or she is exhausted, maybe both.

But, may you find yourself making choices that support you and not ones that flatten you.

TTFN!

-G

Crotchety is as Crotchety does......

Hi G-Fans!

Well, you wonder, I suppose, who exactly is crotchety... Is it me?  Riley?  The concierge?  What would your vote be if you had one?

Well, if you guessed the royal self you would be wrong.

In fact, if you guessed anyone who has four legs you would be wrong.

Right.

It is the concierge.

She needs to get over herself.

End of discussion.

On an up note she and I have shared some moments over the last few days.

Like the weekend.  She shared a bowl of fruit with me.  I know, fruit.  But it was actually not bad and I enjoyed the peaches the most with the home grown apple that was fairly tart bringing up the rear.  

But last night, there was barbeque chicken shared.  BBQ CHICKEN!!  Not corn, not bread, not peaches, but CHICKEN!  I now am convinced that we share a special bond.  No one else got the shred of chicken, just me.  It was a moment.  It was like the old days,  Wow.

So, may you feel special with whomever you might be with.......

TTFN!

-G

Raph's Electric Slide

Hi G-Fans!

Well, today there were clouds and overcast hues, humidity and three raindrops and some sun.  No bog walk, but better than the cul-de-sac walk.  Nothing much of interest happened until we returned from the very dark, late night walk.  The door was open, moths were flying wantonly in and out of the open door.  The concierge was less than pleased.  Rescue mode was employed and the secret shaker was employed.  Oh, did I mention that unless the screen door is locked that Snagglepus is more than adept at opening it up at will?  So, Snagglepus had opened the door in protest (for not being included in the walk) and was doing some night time prowling.  The secret shaker is a container that the concierge shakes to call Snagglepus back in.  It is more effective than calling and is somewhat akin to utilizing the bat signal.  So, after a five minutes of shaking encouragement, Snagglepus trotted through Harry's yard to the concierge's open arms.  Now he is nestled up to her side like nothing ever happened.  Go figure.  I guess she was happy that the royal mouser did not require replacement.  

Although a picture or two of Snagglepus would seem to be indicated, instead I have included pictures of Raphael dong his "electric slide".    This is a maneuver he will do between his toad mauling escapades.   Sometimes it is on the fly and sometimes it is from a standstill.  it is a curious behavior that is difficult to catch on the camera, I hope you can get an idea of what he is doing from the pictures.

So, that is it for tonight.

May your evening be one of pure joy even if you are rolling around in the weeds.

TTFN!

-G

Joie de Vivre!

Hi G-Fans!

Well, another beauty of a day!

Unbelievably perfect!

Sunny, blue skies, cool breeze, no humidity, just right!

And a full bog walk with only Raphael and RIley, which made for a much different walk.  Quieter to start with... calmer too.

We saw a couple of people and a couple of dogs, nothing worth getting worked up about.  Not like yesterday... or was it the day before?  On our way home.  Very near the end of our walk.  Raphael was in the lead of the troops and he went into alert mode.  I was pretty tired and wasn't as keen on what he was focused on.  His posture alerted the concierge that she needed to be proactive so her arm didn't get ripped from its socket.  Raphael started getting excited and pulling hard.  The concierge kept scanning the path ahead, but between her eyesight and that it was dusk she wasn't picking up what he was seeing.  Then it moved.  Now, based on the smell I think I have a pretty good idea what we were excited about, but I am not confirming or disputing the concierge's guess that it was a bunny.  It moved pretty weird for a bunny and it stayed on the path and didn't veer off until we sent Harry's human sibling ahead to flush it INTO the bushes.  Humans can be soooooo confusing.  We are hunting dogs. We flush things OUT of the bushes.  We chase prey down.  We grab things in our mouths.  That is what we do.  That usually is what the humans want us to do.  So I have been told.  Not my concierge.  Don't kill the toads Raphael, leave the birds alone Grace, the geese are none of your business Bertie, what a good girl Tessa (for what I haven't a clue), and it just goes on and on.  I will say she has us "find it" and lavishes "good boys" on Raphael when he "finds" the slipper or sneaker that wasn't missing until he "found it!  Bertie and I get lots of praise for sniffing out the toy du jour.  Bertie got a little better at it than I would like.  I have to bring my "A" game when we play together.  We were all a little surprised that he could focus long enough to get the logistics of the game and then stick to finding the right toy.  But he does.....

Alrighty then, I will leave you with pictures that don't do justice to my drop and squirm dance of joy.

May you drop when the spirit moves you and dance like no one is watching (without getting crated up)...

TTFN!

-G

Sniffing to find the perfect location for the drop and dance rock and roll....

Hard to get a clear picture of such an active event, especially in the evening on a phone camera....
You can use your imagination.

A Little L'Attitude.......

Hi G-Fans!

It is a gorgeous Saturday with not a speck of anything wrong with the weather.

And yet, there's a general air of unease.

Why you ask?

Well, first of all, I am still waiting for my walk.  And secondly there is a sense of the day getting away from us.  The concierge was only suppose to be gone  for three-ish hours and it became more like six.... not acceptable!  Not acceptable at all!  I will write, however, when she did return she brought some pretty amazing smells home with her.  I caught a whiff of frozen banana and peanut butter (slushie cups for dogs - wahoo!), some chicken, vegetable and rice in a tube (the concierge says it is to add to our dinner for a little special treat when Harry's concierge takes care of us), and some teeny tiny cans that she said are for Snagglepus when Harry's concierge is here (again, as a treat....).
________--------________
Well, Now it is later, we have had a full bog walk that was downgraded from a drive-to Forest walk.  We were fine with the light, but we did get a late start due to "yoga" on the front yard (which moved to inside the house once the napping-er, I mean yoga -  in the sun turned into inescapable shadiness), potato salad "lunches" and microwaved GF S'mores.... I put lunch in quotation marks because it was almost my dinner time when it was consumed.  And yoga is in quotation marks because I think all those three did was lounge in the yard and chase the sun with their eyes closed with tea mugs in hand.  The actual yoga happened once they came inside.  They didn't include me, which is unfortunate because I like yoga very much and I am very good at it.
So, we are coming to a close to another day and the blog is caught up without any further passing out, which makes me happier than not.  Not that I begrudge anyone a good nap or sleep, unless it is contrary to my schedule and needs.
So, may you procrastinate little and encompass much on your life journey.
TTFN!
-G

Sleep My Pretty, Sleep

Hi G-Fans!

How much food can a hungry caterpillar eat?  Especially one the "size of a pencil and the thickness of a cigar" (as reported by Gabriella's concierge)?  And what is it doing being a caterpillar still?  And is it going to turn into a pterodactyl???!

I guess a caterpillar that size eats pretty much anything it comes across!

Now, how long does a caterpillar like that sleep?  Does it go, go, go until it goes into a cocoon?  Or does it take "cat" naps? (Get it??:)

Seriously, sleep is a big issue around here lately.
The concierge can't seem to stay awake to help me in a timely fashion with the blog typing.  Last night, for example, she fell into a dead sleep with her glasses still on, the computer on her legs and Riley and I snoozing away.  I don't know what time she finally woke up to close the computer and take her glasses off, but I caught it out of the corner of my eye, as I am always keeping watch even when no one thinks I am paying attention.  The general consensus is that Raphael is the in-charge guy, and I allow that.  But, truly, I am keeping watch and I am the one to sound the alarm and set the cacophony of barking into motion when necessary (like people walking by the house, funny noise in the backyard, Harry in his backyard, you know, the important possibly dire circumstance type stuff..... I like to be at the ready...)
So, the concierge "googled" sleep averages for dogs and humans.  For dogs, generally, we sleep 50% of the day, Nap 30% and the other 20% is for eating, pooping, begging, walking and barking.  BUT, we are AT THE READY to jump into action at a nanosecond notice if needed!  Don't be fooled!
For humans, like with dogs, it depends on the age and lifestyle of the human as to how much sleep is needed.  Generally it is 7.5 - 8 hours or 30% of the day.  There are all sorts of charts breaking down the human need for sleep based on age.  It is worth checking out.  I tried to include the chart here but I couldn't  get it to work..... so..... the links are the best we could conjure.....

Click here to read about adult-sleep-needs-and-habits

Click here to watch a sleeping talking dog video....

So, may you find the time in your daily routine to get the sleep you need!
TTFN!
-G

Pillow Talk...

Hi G-Fans!

Funny day with sun, clouds, rain and wind..... What is a dog to do with so much variety?

We had a school walk last night and tonight.  Nothing out of the ordinary to report except Raphael coordinated with Riley,  Riley kept trying to walk too close to the curb and so the concierge forgot about the very crusty, stinky dried roadkill on the sidewalk because her attention was on Riley to keep him away from the road.  So we came upon the spot and before the concierge knew what was going on Raphael was rubbing his face in the lovely dry rotted mess.  Can you bark out "unhappy concierge at the end of the leash"?  It took almost the whole walk for her to let it go, almost in time for Raphael to do it again.  Harry's concierge unfortunately reminded her just in the nick of time.  So, no scent layering...!

I have included no pictures of the roadkill.  And luckily (according to the concierge) there is no scent-a-rama yet either!

Oh too bad!

So, enjoy the few pictures that came through on the technology since last night.

I wish for you the kind of night that is rich in intoxicating aromas.

TTFN!

-G

Stoic Tess.

Pillow talk!  This is such a comfortable position!

Jumping Fun

Hi G-Fans!

May you enjoy a new past time of watching fox jump on trampolines....

Have a great day!

May it be a day full of bouncy fun!
TTFN!
-G

Click here to view fox playing on trampoline

Click here for the three foxes jumping on the trampoline

ps - for some reason I found this tonight and it was still in draft mode even though one person viewed it.... My dog brain isn't interested in figuring out the details of how that may have worked...... or not.... so I guess you will be getting two posts close together when this arrives......
Also, check out You Tube for more fox-on-trampoline videos..... there are surprisingly quite a few of them!  Go figure.
I find it surprising on so many levels.
Not the least of which - how is it that there are so many people with trampolines in their back yards????
Just Sayin'

Moonrise and Sleeping Dogs

Hi G-Fans!

Sorry for the technical difficulties.  Between the concierge passing out and the internet not cooperating I had to wait until this morning to write my spiel.

I can't remember what yesterday's focus was so I will have to stick with the here and now.

I have included pictures of us sleeping - or trying to sleep after a hearty walk in the forest.  The flash is a sure way to rouse us, even from a dead sleep.  So, before the pictures were taken, we were passed out, but the minute the flash went off we were all eyeballing the camera on some level.  Of course, Raphael was the most stimulated by it, Riley the least...

The hope was trying to capture us in our most relaxed state.  I guess with the flash employed this is the best it will be.....

Other than that the other pictures look rather bland, but I can assure you that they were two separate attempts to capture a spectacular rising moon.  Full, pink against a blue grey background, and HUGE!  And the result?  Not even close!  The concierge is very disappointed.... How can the moon be captured?

By the time we walked it had become quite bright and cast a shine, but it had moved higher in the sky so it looked small and far away.  When it was rising we felt like we could reach out and scoop some of that cheese dust up and take a taste to see if the moon really is made of cheese.

What do you think?

May your pressing questions of the day be satisfied on a regular basis :)

TTFN!

-G

Bertie and I sleeping hard.....

Bertie with the remains of plant contraband.  He thinks he is the designated gardener and responsible for pruning the spider plants - he really just wants them out of the way of his view, so he rips them off..... Fresh!

Riley tucked into the crate....

Raphael tucked under the chair...

Look hard for it... you will find it....

This is using the zoom.....

It is peeking through the trees, it looks closer in size to what we were seeing.....

Again, peeking through the trees..... just barely making the edge out.....