I Never Asked for A Sister by Dog #1

I was sleeping soundly one evening when Mom came home with Mia and called her my sister.  We sniffed and then she went for my squeaky frog.  Wouldn't you know she would claim my favorite toy.  Right from the start she has been in my business.

Me with my frog

Who is Eeyore?

On the first day Mom started calling me Eeyore. When she says it she seems to be teasing and I don't get it.  Sometimes she calls me Napoleon and I don't get that either.

Around the 'hood

Mia is very tall and, well, truth be told, I am vertically challenged.  But I make up for it in the bigness of my demeanor.  It is important to let everyone know who is in charge so I always try to be there first to guard the door, protect Mia from the black lab next door, and make sure that the treats Mom hands out are safe to eat.

She bugs me.  She's younger and less mature and she nags me to play and teases me by taking my toys, biting my neck, and running with them.  Every now and then I like to run and chase, but not as often as she wants.

Keeping the house safe

Keeping her bowl clean

Mom thinks I don't realize that Mia gets more food than I do.  I see how many scoops she gets and I know I don't get that much.  But I do her a huge favor and clean out her bowl after every meal so it is ready.

She hoards toys.  Not just a couple of them but most of them (notice I got my squeaky frog back).

Sharing the new bed

She got a new bed.  I like it and I sleep in it when I can. Sometimes she crawls in bed with me.  I don't really mind because I can sleep through most anything.

Me and Miss Nosey

I definitely won this fight

If I sniff, she sniffs.  Nothing gets past her.  Well she stuck her nose in my business one too many times and I peed on it.  She didn't seem to notice.  Dumb or what?  Girls are so confusing.

She is the only one with a pinch collar - she pulls too much

People stare at us when we walk down the street on our split leash.  Sometimes people ask if I am a puppy and she is the mom.  It's so embarrassing.

We are a pretty good team when we hunt rabbits in the back yard.  It is important to note that I caught a rabbit by myself when I was an only child; together we have never caught one but we have fun trying at least.  

She walks fast.  Her walk is a trot for me and I have to work harder.  I just try to look elegant when I move along beside her.

She doesn't understand dudes.  She is impatient when I mark (ok a lot) trees and bushes while we are on our walks.  Because we have the split leash, she can pull me along when I am the most vulnerable.  It is really annoying.

Here she is trying to hog the treats

I sometimes wish for a little more peace and quiet.  She thinks she is part of the bark patrol and often tunes up when I am asleep and don't always hear the mailman.  I just want to note that the mailman  never got past the door on my watch before and I really don't need her to try to take over my job.

Sometimes I let her spend a little time alone with Mom or the boys but mostly I feel it is my job, my right actually, to intervene so they don't get too close.  Sometimes I miss the good old days of being an only dog.

With MY buddy

Oh boy did she get hollered at when she tried to dig out part of the pond to get a bullfrog.  I kept my paws clean on that one while she was covered in mud.  She didn't pay attention when I tries to warn her:  "ix-nay on the ond-pay."  I don't think she understood.  After that, trouble.

Me, with the headless bear

Ok so I beheaded her favorite toy that she brought from her foster home.  It was annoying and I had to get her back for taking my stuff.  Now it is two toys.  Most of the fluff is gone, too.

If I had a choice in the matter I probably would have said "no" to getting a sister.  But now that she is here, I guess I would miss her if she disappeared.  But don't tell her that.

--Dudley (aka #1 Dog)

PS:

I have several blogs (Mia only has one):

Internet Best Friend (that would be me)
Adopted Dog's First Year
Quarterly Review
A Doggone Good Time
About Dallas, my brother who preceded me

Frog Learnin'

Learning opportunities never cease and nature continues to be a good teacher.  My garden pond, now with several kinds of frogs adopted from the local international supermarket's meat department, has been a very good place to observe, ponder, and meditate.  The frogs provide endless entertainment and lessons.

Things I have learned from the frogs in my pond

When danger is present, dive to the bottom of the pond; get as far away as you can.

Burying your head does not make you safe.  You could still be nabbed by "the enemy".

When danger is too close to run from, sit perfectly still and blend in.

Wait patiently for dinner to arrive.  It may land unsuspectingly right next to you.

Smile.  It puts others in good spirits and it may boost your own.

Use your back legs and kick like heck when you need to get away.

Communicate with your loved ones.

Pay attention to where you are going or you might invade some else's space.

Good friends come in many colors and sizes.

Keep your head above water. 

Sing! It's good for the soul.

When something is on your mind, get out of the pond, sit on a rock and cogitate a while.

Be patient.  Whatever you are waiting for may take some time.

Unemployment: Unintended Consequences 2

One of the unexpected pleasures of having this time away from work is that I have been able to spend more time outdoors in my garden. It is a joyful place and every little thing I do brings rewards.

The pond is one of my favorite parts of the garden. It has a small waterfall that helps block out the sounds of the neighborhood and enhances the tranquility. There is a wooden bench beside it and now the plants have matured and it looks like it has always been there. Sometimes I sit on the bench and let my mind wander as I watch the activity of the pond life.

A good garden requires lots of love and must be fed. I compost all of the kitchen plant and vegetable matter, continuously filling the two huge black compost bins and working the compost into the earth. For Mother’s Day, my sons built me beautiful cedar raised beds for herbs and vegetables. We filled them with organic soil, compost from our bins and cow manure. I planted vegetables and herbs and every day spend a little bit of time weeding and watering and tending to these special plants.

Eventually the tomato plants began to flower and little green tomatoes appeared every where. Tiny beans appeared and peppers and okra flowered. They grew with every feeding of compost and cow manure. It was thrilling to see the results.

Finally, it was time to harvest the first crop of beans. It yielded 10 beans. We had five people at the dinner table that night and everyone was allotted two beans. I served them with a reverence that was perhaps undeserving but everyone tried to be enthusiastic although there were some snickers. Fortunately there were other more substantial courses.

Soon after, the tomatoes began to turn red and I marveled at the changes every day. Finally, I was able to pick a few and enjoy them. There were hundreds of tomatoes on the plants and surely, I thought, they would ripen gradually so that the crop would last for many weeks.

Then one day I noticed that a tomato had been violated with a huge gash torn through its crimson flesh. I gasped in horror and looked around for the culprit who had by then vanished. Daily, I noticed more gashes on other fruit. I left the damaged goods so that the perpetrator could claim his original victim rather than choose a new one. That tactic did not work. Then, I found 4 beautiful red tomatoes, partially eaten, underneath a bush. I must have startled the thieves who dropped the goods en route to their hiding place. Fruit continued to disappear.

I tried picking tomatoes before they were ripe. Soon I found green ones on the ground around the plants and I noticed that the leaves of the tall plants were shredded...presumably by the miserable little feet connected to the mouths that were eating my tomatoes.

Today I took inventory and one plant has no more fruit. Most of the tomatoes are missing off of the other plants as well. Tomato season should last a while longer, but mine has been cut short by varmints.

I have enjoyed my tomatoes. I’m annoyed at the thieves. But there are few more tomatoes and they don’t eat the beans or the hot peppers or the okra. And the herbs will last far into fall. Maybe it’s the peaceful sound of water falling in the pond that keeps me from losing my temper over this, or just knowing that this has been a special time and an unusual opportunity to appreciate nature in many forms.