National Gallery!?!

Hi G-Fans!

So, I am sure you noticed that I did not make an entry yesterday.

That is not because I had nothing to share or reflect.

That is not because I was sick or otherwise incapacitated.

No, none of that.

I believe it is safe to say that it was because the National Gallery was more important than Renfield (AKA: Tessa) or apples or any other thing I may have written about.  Even more important than the colby cheese moon!

The little I watched of this three hour movie seemed very dull to me.  I did not hear or see very many dogs, cats, vermin of any kind, wild animals or food commercials.

Dull.

I know it was about art, but the subject matter was mostly humans in various poses and positions.....

Dull.

A few dogs here and there.

But only a few.

Now mind you, the concierge was part of a set-up.

She was under the impression that this was an hour or so in duration.

Not THREE!

So, it is understandable that she fell asleep for the last two-thirds minus the last five minutes.

Understandable.

Not acceptable.

But, I can't change what happened last night, but I can warn all of you that the National Gallery Movie is THREE HOURS LONG.

Don't start watching it if you don't have the time.

So, tonight.

We walked to the school, same as last night minus the extra trip to the woods path as a bonus.

Last night we saw a police car drive in, drive out, three times or so from the school parking lot, we were getting nervous that there was an escaped convict hiding somewhere on the property.

We were brisk walkers at that point.

So, last night we saw the colby cheese moon.  It was orange and pink  and really dramatic.

It happened again tonight.

Really unusual and impressive!

Very impressive.

Better than the National Gallery, I can tell you that with certainty.

Mostly it was low key both nights, just pockets of unexpected excitement that kept everyone's heart pumping.

So, may you take the time to watch the moon in all its phases, and be in awe each time you look.

TTFN!

-G

There seems to be a problem with the picture portion of the blogging site.... Sorry, no pictures tonight.......

Calm and Clear

Hi G-Fans!

Another fine summer day.

We did a walk by one of our favorite ponds.  A little different route and we had a relatively uneventful shortish walk.

We had one piece of excitement of almost having a truck knock us down while Bertie was taking care of business.  The road was narrow and we had very little place to move to since Bertie was in the middle of something.

Could have been a situation, but we managed.

Also, we went by a dog or two on leashes and made sure the concierge had the wax cleaned out of her ears.

She gets soooo LOUD on those occasions.

I don't think she realizes OUR hearing is perfectly fine!

I'll have to have a chat with her sometime about so we can devise a less annoying response from her.

It really is quite embarrassing.

She even rolls the windows up on us and then it gets pretty stuffy in that royal transport vehicle.

Luckily the air conditioner is working again.

She put that on for the ride home, whilst she muttered something about not having a repeat performance.  She really should learn to speak and enunciate more clearly.  She might find it less frustrating in communicating to those around her.

Just sayin'.

So, may you remain calm in your communications and clear in your expectations.

TTFN!

-G

Detail from that house the concierge described to me from last week.

This is something Tessa carried in her mouth, held in her mouth while she had it bathed clean, and then spit it out at the door.  The concierge made some pretty interesting noises when she saw what it was....

Gabriella looking very focused on something in the woods.

Grab your opportunities....

Hi G-Fans!

Well, it was a spectacular day weather-wise and we were able to breathe fresh air instead of the processed air we had been living on for the last week.

I understand that although the concierge arrived home earlier than usual, it should have been even earlier, but she just likes her office so much she stayed there instead of coming home to walk us in the afternoon instead of early evening.

Go figure.

We did have a nice walk without any negative episodes.

I will mention that Harry and Tessa really know how to stink the woods up!

P-U!

Stunk up the area even on the return part of the walk.

WOW!

Not much on my mind tonight, luckily, since the concierge conked out again on the couch and I had to catch her on her way to the royal chambers in her groggy state to at least briefly check-in...

So, may you grab your opportunities when they present themselves and utilize them to their greatest potential.

TTFN!

-G

What gives with misleading names?

Hi G-Fans!

Another fine summer day!

We got a forest walk that was scintillating without being stressful for anyone!

That is always a bonus for the concierge.

Because when there is that next level of scintillating going on it usually entails unknown animals running at us or the demise of some unsuspecting creature or bicycles.

I watched the concierge pass out tonight and I am now catching her as she is trying to get into the royal boudoir with true commitment.

So, we will be brief.

Ponder this until tomorrow....

Mongoose:  Where is the fowl?

Meerkat:  Where is the cat?

Fisher Cat:  Again, where is the cat?

Bear Cat:  Where is the bear and where is the cat?

Wolverine:  Where is the wolf?

These are questions I have.

Perhaps, by tomorrow I will have more answers than questions for you....

Until then,

May you blessed peace that permeates every cell of your being.

TTFN!

-G

Back in the Good Ol' Days when Snagglepus wasn't sick....

Finally!

Hi G-Fans!

Well, Finally!

The humid air has finally moved on.

Tonight we walked to the school in the dark and none of us were panting or feeling damp.

I heard that tomorrow will be more of the same and Friday will be outstanding!

Yay!

So, there was a colorful and dynamic sunset tonight, in fact we have had amazing sunsets evening in and evening out for months.  Awesome!

I am feeling pretty relaxed and mellow tonight, it must have been smelling the turkey fumes for a few hours.  It certainly isn't from eating ANY turkey!  That is one stingy concierge!

You should see the mound of food that was made, not only did I not get firsts, I did not get seconds or thirds or leftovers.....

Nada!!

So wrong!

So, may you feel sufficiently nourished each day.

TTFN!

-G

Missing an old friend.....

Stuck in the middle with you.........

The concierge asks for prayers for Snagglepus, his health continues to decline.
At least the concierge has found enough flavors of food to keep him eating consistently.....

Quiet and calm....

Hi G-Fans!

Well, another humid summer day that was overcast and we were glad to be inside with the cooled air.

The concierge got home late tonight so she stuffed her gob before taking us for a walk.

Like we should wait and be inconvenienced for her poor planning.

Really.

But, wait we did.....

And then it was only a school walk.

No major excitement.

Nothing really to report.

We had breakfast, we went potty, we had lunch snacks, we went potty, Harry went home, we had dinner, we went potty and then we waited to walk.  We are still waiting for our bedtime snacks.

I think they are coming forthwith....

So, may you enjoy the quiet and calm days and take time to recharge your spirits on those days, so you have the resources tho deal with the more frantic and difficult days we all have.....

TTFN!

-G

Grab with Gusto

Hi G-Fans!

Well, I think my heart is still pumping.

One thrill after another!

It was a dreary sleep in sort of day, which, aside from the morning routine of Breakfast and Potty, we could and did.

The day seemed pretty much like most.

Until we did the full bog walk.

There were a lot of smells and sights that we found intoxicating.

We were on the last leg of the walk before traipsing back up the trail heading home when Harry's concierge saw the tail-end of something in the bushes....

Is it our Fisher Cat?

It was small enough according to Harry's concierge.

But no sooner had the concierges got into a discussion around Fisher cats then another animal was sighted.

At this point it is dark so the Helper put on his headlamp and we saw the eyes staring back at us.

Then it started to run towards us.

We all went wild.

The concierge was trying to determine if it was a rabid wild animal or a domesticated dog that had gotten loose.

The adrenaline was a-pumping in all of us!

Raph was leading the charge and yelling a bloody battle cry.

The concierge was getting ready for SOMETHING.

But, luckily, NOTHING, was what we had to do.

The animal was a domestic dog and there was someone walking with it, we aren't sure if there is some developmental compromises of the human it was with, since it is unclear if this human actually contained or restrained the enthusiastic white dog with black markings.

At any rate, we did some evasive maneuvering with the continuous encouragement of the concierge and all excitement and possible tragedy were evaded.... or managed....

So, that is it in a nutshell.

If it doesn't sound like much, I guess you had to be there.

So, may you grab the moment with all the gusto you possess regardless of external trappings.....

TTFN!

-G

Click Here for Wiki's Fisher Cat

Valuing the unexpected....

Hi G-Fans!

What a grey, drizzly, dreary, muggy summer day.

Good weather for sleeping in.... if you do that sort of thing.

We do not.

Although we go back for a nap if breakfast is not forthcoming.

Which is what happened today.

Raphael and I were responsible for breakfast this morning (whomever is with the concierge after first outs has to be the pest to get the concierge up and running, and since last night she passed out and then got up to clean the kitchen and whatnot, she wasn't wanting to move into an upright position....)...

So, it was the usual Sunday morning kiss-off.

The concierge came back with cat cans, cat toys, cat treats and rug powder...

Never a good sign.

There was a bit of vacuuming first thing.

But, all things considered, it looked like a clean-free weekend.

But, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions!

The concierge made plans with Harry's concierge to walk in the drizzly rain after a fifteen minute nap, which turned into thirty, which turned into snack-time, before we ever got leashes on...

But, finally we were underway and headed to the bog, since the concierge let the helper borrow our royal transport and he whisked it away before we got our walk.

We enjoyed our bog walk without too much excitement.  Just a couple of pockets of it with a loosish dog and a bicycle attached to a child.

We went counterclockwise so it was a different route than usual at the bog.

We ended up in a swimming area.

Bertie was allowed off-leash to swim!

Than Raphael!

Than me!

Now why I should go third, I do not know.  It hardly works for me.....

And then....

I wandered too far towards the bushes and got called sharply back.... so rude!

Tessa, you know Tessa, everyone's FAVORITE?

She was NOT allowed to swim off-leash!

And I quote, "I just can't trust her off-leash, at least Grace will come if I <call her sharply>....."

Yup, that's right, SHE wasn't ALLOWED to go swimming off a leash!

Neither was Harry.

Poor Harry.

So, we were headed home for supper and we thought that this was a fairly good wind-up for the weekend festivities.

Well, there was one more small surprise before we even ate....

Micro-baths!!!!

Not a good surprise.....!

Raphael escaped one of any kind.

Bertie and I had head bathing.

Not too bad.

Tessa had her belly and hind-end bathed.

Not great, but better than a full-on bath.

And Harry, poor Harry, had a full on bath!

Poor Harry.

Then we had dinner.

Late!

Late dinner.

I don't think a bath or any cleaning of any kind is an acceptable reason for a late meal.

NO WAY, NO HOW!

So there you have it...

A day of unexpected activities.

May you prepare yourself for the unexpected and find value in it all....

TTFN!

-G

Find your blessings....

Hi G-Fans!

A very grey and rainy sort of summer day today.

I thought it was going to be a good bonding day with the concierge, but boy, was I WRONG!

She took off right before lunch and didn't come back until after dinner.

Harry's concierge obviously loves us a lot, she made sure we had snacks and time to go potty and our dinner.

Luckily someone cares!

Apparently we were ditched for a hole-in-the wall restaurant and a museum and a long car ride.

All they brought back were foreign smells and some pictures from the museum.

They seemed to think Tessa would like one room in the museum in particular, why they didn't think I would like it, having a very refined sensibility as I have, I can't understand.

Oh, and some random man went too.

I made sure I barked plenty before they all skipped off on us.

I told him to make sure they brought back treats and made sure that the weather cleared so there was a good walk.

Neither were followed-up on .....

We had a school walk.

No leftovers.

No treats.

Stinkers!

SO, may you find the blessing in each day regardless of your expectations....

TTFN!

-G

Newport Mansion detail of the dining room fireplace.  They like dogs I am guessing.....Or this is the dining room for the family dog.....?

Clancy Glass sculpture or sea grass

Clancy glass sculpture of fish schooling....

Cats, rats and weasels....

Hi G-Fans!

Sorry for those who worry when I skip a day.

The concierge passed out only moments after I passed out last night, and we just couldn't manage a thought between us anyway...

So, There is an updated bog walk sighting report that the concierge concluded today...

She has decided that the "Puma" was not a muskrat, it was most likely a Fisher Cat.  Now, before I confirm, deny or endorse this assertion, I would like to point at that a muskrat has no relation to a rat aside from it being in the rodent family and a Fisher Cat is not related to a cat, but a weasel and is only second in size to the otter.

So, based on size, shape, movement and evening perception of color and what the concierge has read to me, I would concur on the Fisher Cat.  And, Raphael caused a huge ruckus, so that would make more sense than a muskrat.  It was an aggressive/excited bark as opposed to just an excited bark.

So, today, by the way, was ANOTHER hot, humid day.  We are SOOOO glad to be in the cool air!  We like going on our walks, but we pant like crazy in this kind of weather.  And the concierge tends to whine the same thing over and over about how much she is sweating and how slimy she is....

Nice.

We had little in the way of excitement for tonight's walk, which the concierge appreciated.  I guess I did too, the humidity was getting to me too.

Last night we walked at the loop and even paddled a little bit at the end in the pond.  Tessa declined, but the rest of us had a sip or two of water.  Again, the muggy air wears us all out...

And there was rain here and there, especially AFTER the walk :)  That round had thunder with it.  Oh Happy Day for Tessa.

The clouds were very dramatic all day.

So, I can't even remember what I was going to write about, but there you have it.

May you enjoy the patter of rain as it nourishes the ground and the plants growing out of it.....

TTFN!

-G

Don't be supercilious!

Hi G-fans!

Again with the hot sultry humid summer weather!

It makes for limited outside time.

Our walk was a school walk, the concierge didn't arrive until way after supper, for those who ate it at least.

No, no I did not eat my supper. 

 How can anyone be expected to eat the dried-up then watered-down gruel/nuggets?  

Seriously?  

I just couldn't choke them down.

No way.  No how.

It would take a wizard to make that a palatable supper!

Magic need only apply!

I can hold out until the concierge does what she does for the cat.

She goes to three or four stores and finds the choicest cans of food so he has a selection of acceptable (to the cat) food.

Maybe I will hold out for even better than canned!

We'll see.

Sometimes the concierge can be pretty thick.

So, may you enjoy the bounties of your labor!  

Without, I might add, being arrogant or supercilious!

TTFN!

-G

Sunsets and swimming holes

Hi G-Fans!

Well, it was another burner even though I think it stayed in the 80's.  HUMIDHOT!

So, we stayed cool inside and had lots of trips outside for breaks by multiple assistants.

We finally got a bog walk around 7 and boy oh boy did we get a few surprises.

Raphael yelled at us to looky-looky towards the pond and we saw something quickly scamper into the embankment.  We know what our noses say it was, the concierge said it was a PUMA!  A BABY PUMA!

She is so ridiculous!

Then she said maybe it was a muskrat.

She said she would investigate further.

So, we decided to turn around lest we get a closer face-to-face with said creature.

After a moment of going back from whence we came Harry's Concierge beaded on another creature after Harry and Raphael sounded the high alert in that direction.

It was like we were under assault.

Did I mention the bats flying madly about?

So, the flashlight revealed eyes in the bushes and the concierges all agreed it was more than likely a fox.

We know if that is right or not, but we aren't confirming or denying their assertions.

So, may you stay alert to the hidden life lurking at every turn, eyes may be on you when you least suspect it....

TTFN!

-G

Izzy and Jack at their afternoon swimming hole....

Izzy and Jack.....

Sunsets at Izzy's and Jack's

And, another one :)

Treasure hunting...

HI G- Fans!

There was much gnashing of teeth while the concierge and I discussed tonight's entry.   I say, "bring it on", she says, "Let's skip it so I can go to bed".

You can see who was victorious!

It was a very summery hot sultry day.

I was glad to be in the mechanically cooled house.

Very glad.

We walked late and even then the air was thick like pea soup (not that I would eat pea soup, I doubt I would like it.... except that it has bacon in it, I like bacon and ham too....

So, we got our beauty rest today and are feeling rested and ready for adventure.

Maybe we will have a treasure hunt.... Rest up!

So, may you find the change in season a welcome shift each time it happens,

TTFN!!

-G    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Fathead

Hi G-Fans!

Let's make this quick since I lost the concierge once already to passing out....

If I didn't mention that our guest left yesterday, they left yesterday.

And since their coming and going, Tessa is IMPOSSIBLE!

She can't get her fat head through the door now!

Not kidding!

We walked today at the forest.  We walked when it was a little less heat  intensive.

Which worked out well.

So, not else to write given the time....

May you find yourself adequately rested for all your endeavors.
TTFN!
-G

Tessa waiting to go.....

Local Llama

Local Horse

Another local horse...

Upstaging your elders should be reconsidered.....

Hi G-Fans!

Well, it was quite a sultry summer day.  Those humming machines are going again blowing cool air at us.

Since we walked at an unusual hour today, it was a welcomed relief when we returned.  We were very happy to enjoy the manufactured air.

We walked in Sahara-like desert conditions today.  It is probably what it is like to walk on Mars.

Gravelly sandy ground with not a speck of shade in sight.  (Well, there was some in sight, but we weren't accessing it....)

We walked in the hot steamy beating sun.

The concierge was pretty worried Raphael was going to keel over.

Once we got to the turn off, there were shady areas that sported the blueberries and there were some breezes.  The blueberries were the quest.  Our visitors liked the notion of picking wild blueberries... So we didn't get much in on distance for our walk, but we spent the usual time engaging with one another in a nature-type setting....

Oh, I didn't tell you about our visitors.

Two adults, two short people.

Raphael was so blase about them.

Tessa too.

Bertie even didn't get too worked up.

So, the alarms were all left to me.  I had to do triple the work for the proper effect.

The concierge had the audacity to shush me.  SHUSH ME!?!?!?

Oh, the insult is just too much!

And, of course, the proclamation of favorites was announced...

Tessa.

As usual.

Everyone loves Tessa.

Tessa, Tessa, Tessa.

Grrrr.

My own daughter upstaging me.

Not OK!!

So, while we recovered from the very boisterous visitors and the very hot walk, the concierge went galavanting about stuffing her face, patting horses and Llamas, scratching goats and looking at sheep.

On top of all that, we didn't get our lunch cookies until four in the afternoon!  Some lame excuse about overheating, cooling down and being safe.

Bulldinkies!

Oh, probably "boloney" is better....

Oh and I heard they went looking for the Scottish cattle.....

There is so much more to my day, but I am tired and I need to retire to the Royal Boudoir toute de suite!!

So, may you rejoice, always, in others good fortune and blessings.,.,,,

TTFN!

-G

JJ

Tessa and Raphael

Tessa and Bertie

OOOPS - that isn't Tessa.....
How did a picture of Izzy slip in there?

Tessa again....

Yup, Tessa.....