Homemade Dog Biscuits

A while back, I mentioned a dog biscuit recipe that Mom had misplaced. Well, now we've found it and would like to share it with all our doggie friends. They aren't as fancy as the gourmet treats, but they're easy to make in your kitchen.

Homemade Dog Biscuits

3/4 cup hot water

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup powdered milk

1 teaspoon salt (optional -- if you have a heart problem, dont add this one!)

1 Tablespoon beef or chicken boullion crumbies (for flavor)

1 egg

3 cups whole wheat flour

In a bowl, mix hot water and margarine. Stir in powdered milk, salt and beaten egg. Add flour, a little at a time. Knead for five minutes. This will make a stiff dough, but keep working it. Roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. We like to make dog bone shapes, but you can make bunnies, cows, reindeer, whatever. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. Be sure to let them cool before you sneak one, they come out of the oven HOT.

So there you are, blogger friends. Make up a batch and keep them handy in a basket or jar. You can feel good about these snacks because you know just what's in them and how fresh they are. Just remember, pace yourself and don't eat too many at one time.

~Tell

Doggielicious!

I've gotten several Christmas cards in the mail, more than ever before. But imagine my surprise when I got a package from my good friend, Jackson. The box was full of gormet treats!

The treats were carob dipped peanut butter bones from a company called Doggielicious. Hmmmm....

I always sit like a gentleman before I get a treat. One of my few redeeming qualities, I'm told.

Unlike old buddy Buck, who meets the treat halfway then gobbles it whole. He's still a growing puppy. Count your fingers, Mom!

There were enough doggie treats for all of us. Cap and Glynn enjoyed theirs, too, but the camera wasn't fast enough to catch all of us snacking at once. What a terrific Christmas surprise. Thank you, Jackson!!!

~Tell

Dodgedog and Other Fun Games

My Boy and I were just sitting around yesterday when suddenly, out of the blue, he gave me a shove! Now, what did I do to deserve that, I wondered? So I pounced on him, and we began to wrestle. We wrestled and growled so much we got tossed outside, but that was alright. There's nothing I like better than a good, ol' rough-and-tumble scramble with My Boy. First we played Dodgedog. That's sorta like dodgeball, but we use a dog instead of a ball. Then we played Throw-The-Ball-Not-Really-Fool-The-Dog. I don't understand that game but it makes My Boy laugh alot. Then we finished with a game of Choke-The-Dog-'Til-His-Tongue-Hangs-Out. That's where I get rolled upside down, my tummy rubbed, and my neck choked while I wiggle and squirm my way rightside up. All this was great fun and we finally had to stop when it got dark outside.

If you don't have a Boy of your own, try to borrow one for an hour or two. Or ask Santa for one in your Christmas stocking. Or better yet, come over and join us for an afternoon. I'll pick you for my team!

~Tell

Here is our latest foster. Dad says it's a barn owl. The game warden brought her by for a little R&R before she is released. I've tried to be friendly with her, but as you can see, she just puffs up big and tries to look intimidating. Like Greta Garbo, she says, "I vant to be alone!"
Mom said not to be ruffling her tailfeathers, because this owl might turn around and snap my snoot off. Ha! A snootless wire! Wouldn't that be funny?



Or not.
~Tell

Goodbye, Girl Girl

Our College Kid is doing another rotation, this time with a veterinary internist in Tulsa. We are taking care of her guinea pig again while she is working there. Hagrid, the substantial guinea pig named after the giant in the Harry Potter movies, was especially touched by our sweet friend Girl Girl's passing. Being a guinea pig of few words, it's hard to tell, but I do believe Hagrid worshipped her from afar.

Who knew that such a little hammie could be loved by so many around the world? She will be greatly missed. We are glad, though, that her friends Eli and Bae Bae will continue their hamsterific blog. We think Bae Bae has very pretty eyes.

The temperature is going to dip down into the 20's tonight, so we're staying inside where it's warm. Mom has been talking about making some homemade dog biscuits, if she can find what she's done with the recipe. If she can locate it, we'll share it with you next time.

~Tell

What I Learned from the Dog

Here's a wonderful opportunity for all the doggie bloggers out there! If you have read any of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books, you'll know what I'm talking about. Each book is filled with short inspirational stories that really give you a lift when you need it. You can read only one or two stories at a time, or like My Family, spend a whole rainy Saturday with one of those books, a quilt and a cup of hot tea and enjoy them all.

Now, Chicken Soup is having a "call out" for stories from writers just like our people who love their dogs and want to share their stories! Just go to the Chicken Soup website, and on the left side of the page click on Submit A Story. Then click on Possible Book Titles and scroll down until you find What I Learned from the Dog. That explains what kind of stories they are searching for. There are some other titles, too, but the Dog book is the important one here, know what I mean?

After you write your story, polish it up good and proof-read, you can go back to the website and submit it for consideration. Don't get discouraged, because they get hundreds of stories a day and it may take as long as a couple of years before the book gets published. Mom has been submitting stories for several years and has been pubished in five Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and she can tell you it's great fun! Submissions are free and you can send as many as you like. With all the great blogs out there, I know there are some talented writers who can share some inspiration with the world! Happy writing!

~Tell

I've Been Diluted

Here is a photo of me taken about a year and a half ago. Notice the vibrant colors of my hair coat? Such a handome dude, I should be in movies.

Now here is a photo of me going for a walk this morning. See anything different? My hair is changing colors!

Sheesh, even the dead leaves around my feet have more color than me! I've gone from white with black and red spots to a much paler white with blue and tan. The only place that resembles the old me is a few spots where I had chewed myself this summer when the itchies were at their worst. Those bald places came back in the nice, old colors. Sorta makes me look like a Catahoula Leopard Dog, or maybe a blue merle Collie. Pay no attention to the spread of my hips.


I don't understand. Does it have something to do with being clipped instead of stripped? Age? Too many baths (I'm voting for this one)? Glynn is very pale-colored, too. Cap is the oldest, and he has the best coloring of all.


Oh well, I'll be turning seven right after the first of the year, so I guess those old greyish hairs are creeping in on me. Don't let outward appearances fool you, though. I'm still a puppy at heart!
~Tell

Happy Howloween!

My Boy and I were checking out the trailcam pictures and found the perfect photo to represent Halloween Eve. Look at the spooky eyes on this coyote.

Hoping all of you doggies and hammies have a safe and fun evening. Cap, Glynn and I are staying indoors. There are strange howling in the woods at night!

~Tell

Who's to Blame?

Once again, I'm in trouble, but this time I'm not alone. Finally, ol' Cap is in the dog house with me because Mom is not sure which of us is to blame. Warning -- this post is not for the faint of heart or those readers who might say, Ewwww! Here's my story, and I'm sticking to it...

We were all going for walkies, which is not easy with this many dogs. We started out with Glynn pointing the wrong way, I somehow got a leg hung up in my leash, and you can see Cap is stepping on someone's tennie. He does not make a good dance partner. Anyway, it was noticed that Glynn had a bit of a swelling over her shoulders. Since it was the evening and she wasn't acting sick, the vet would have to wait until morning to see it.

While we were walking, we came across this thing on the road. Ignore the hairy legs in the photo, that was our kitty Nigel butting in the picture. Take a look at the middle of the picture and see if you can spot the pygmy rattlesnake. They may be small, but they pack a punch like a biggun. This is the second one we've found close to the house. Luckily, My Boy was along and got rid of it before it could bite anyone. Mom is very tolerant of snakes in general, but when they coil up and strike, that's a no-no.

Glynn's shoulders kept swelling more until the next morning. The vet said it was a seroma, a pocket of bloody fluid. It could have been a bee sting, snake bite, or...ahem...me and Cap playing too hard with our Sis. Well, who do you think Mom believes? We even had a snake right there to point the finger at, but no. Sadly, all eyes turn toward me again. At least Cap is also a suspect this time. Could have been either one of us. Or that pesky snake. Glynn had to have surgery to flush the seroma, and had a drain put in to keep it from swelling again. For the next few days, we are being kept apart and we don't get to play with her at all, not even a little. I miss my Sis. From what I hear, she's having a great time with all the attention to herself, and special treats to help the pills go down easy. Buck even gets to lick the spoon.

And to that I say, Ewww!

~Tell

Bye, Bye Puppy

Good news for our little foster girl. She found her furever home in record time. Actually, she came and went out of my life so fast my head is spinning. I hear girls do that to you sometimes. Anyway, as much as I miss her, I'm glad to see her settled with a family all her own. That's just what she needed. It was nice to see her gaining confidence over the three days she was here. She had just started doing Snoopy dances around Mom's feet at chow time when her new owner declared her a keeper. Call it puppy love, I guess.
Now on to other things. My Boy and I like to take walks in the woods together. Actually, he walks and I run. I cover more ground that he does. I find some very interesting things to investigate and sniff. Sometimes roll in. Then Dad got a idea and bought a Trailcam to hang in the woods. It's an outdoor camera that takes pictures when something moves in front of it. We found a great photo of a doe the first time we checked the camera chip inside. It's fun to see what moves around in the woods when we're not there. Isn't she lovely?

Then we found something that made us sit up and take notice. Can you guess what this creature is? Not a dog, or a cat, or a cow, or any of the other things I see around the farm.

Dad says it is a feral hog trying to eat our camera! Hogs will eat about anything, and lots of things they shouldn't. They can be dangerous, too, when surprised. Now, not only do I have to worry about My Boy and myself getting eaten by a Sasquatch, I have to worry about wild pigs, too. I've seen that movie Old Yeller, and it wasn't pretty. No sirree. A hog is nothing to mess with.
~Tell

I Think I'm in Love!

Dad came in yesterday with the cutest little puppy ever. I think I'm in love! He found her at a city pound on her last day. He scooped her up and brought her home.

She's a Jack Russell terrier, a bit shell-shocked and subdued at the moment but I'm sure she'll bounce out of that with time. I'm not allowed to rough-house with her until she overcomes her shyness. We're also working on some people-skills. I did get to sniff her through the crate door, but it made her curl up in a fetal position and hide her head, even though I wagged my tail as hard as I could. The vet says she has a skin problem caused by unsanitary conditions, mainly on her feet and tail, but that will clear up soon enough. Hopefully in a few days we'll be officially introduced and I can teach her how to have some fun on the farm. I'll bet she's never even seen a chicken up close.Right now her favorite place is to snuggle up on My Girl's lap. She feels really safe there, and she gets lots of loving and touching. Mom says the puppy is not going up for adoption until she's spayed and had all her puppy shots caught up to date. I vote to keep her myself, but since there's three of us terriers, plus ol' Buckaroo, we've kinda got a full house as it is. Ah, come on, Mom! How can you resist those eyes?

~Tell

Pig Watch

College Kid dropped by the house last week for a few minutes. She was on her way to San Antonio, Texas. She is going to work for a very elite veterinary clinic that specializes in cats. Hey, I think that might be something I'd like to see, but she said we couldn't go with her. It was toooooo far for our tiny bladders to manage a car ride like that. Glynn likes College Girl quite a lot, so she was happy to see her even if it was only for a little while. Since this job is temporary and College Kid will be coming back in a few weeks, she asked if we could look after her cats while she was gone. Well sure, we told her. Be glad to keep those cats entertained while College Kid is out of pocket.

Besides the two kitties, we are also watching her Guinea pig, Hagrid. He was named after the giant in the Harry Potter movies, since he is a Guinea pig of "substantial size". Do you think there is a Substantial Guinea Pig Club out there somewhere? Anyway, Glynn is endlessly fascinated with Hagrid and can't seem to keep her eyes off him, so he has now been moved to Mom's office where he can enjoy a bit more privacy. Being a Guinea pig of few words, he's a nice, quiet companion for a working environment. That's fine, as long as he stays out of our basket of squeakies.

~Tell

A Chicken-Pluckin' Crud War?

As you know, I'm a chicken-pluckin' dog when the opportunity arises. Losing a few feathers helps to teach the wayward hens the boundaries of their part of the farm, air conditions them in the summer, and it's just plain fun. For me, anyway. The Family is not too fond of bare-bottom chickens, and I guess the chickens are a little embarrassed by the whole thing, too, but I just can't seem to help myself. That is, until today...

When I saw this fellow strolling across the yard, I thought at first someone had super-sized one of the guinea hens. But no, this guy was much taller. And heavier. My Boy says it is a wild turkey and they are not to be messed with. He sure didn't have to warn me twice about that. When a bird stands taller than me, it's a sure sign that it deserves a little respect. This is just a young tom, but still, it might be wise to pass on the feather plucking for now and try to be a nice neighbor. I'd hate to be flogged by the likes of that!

If you recall, I also got into a bit of trouble when I found something delightful to roll in and brought the essence home with me. I got a bath for my effort. Then look what happened. My Boy, My Girl and some of their friends went to an event called a Crud War. They came home looking like they had roached around in a whole lot of things, like mustard, ketchup, flour, egg, and waffle syrup. Did they get into trouble and get drug by the collar to the bathtub? Noooooo, they got their picture taken. Go figure. Sometimes the rules are a little hard to figure out around here. Now, if we could just come up with a way to combine chicken plucking with crud wars, then count me in!

~Tell

You Say Tomato, I Say Mom...

Mom and Dad came back from their road trip relaxed and happy, and had a wonderful time. There were six motorcycles in the group, and they rode hard for three days without stop except to refuel. Dad looked pretty much the same when he got home, but Mom was a bit pinker than usual. Apparently she does not weather well, though no one else in the group had a problem. Then Tuesday, her eyes puffed, she turned red as a beet, and her lips swelled up like a sea lion blowing kisses. It seems some of her meds are not compatible with that much fun in the sun, and she had a photosensitive reaction. She missed work a few days so as not to scare small children and pregnant ladies, she was that uber ugly. Have you ever heard someone with balloon lips try to say something? "Hubby, I bhink bhere's somebing wronb wibb be..."

Here they are riding their motorcycle onto a ferry. In spite of Mom swelling up like a ripe tomato, they had such a great time that they can't wait for the next ride. Cap, Glynn and I are looking into one of those little trailers that go behind the motorcycles. Maybe one that makes a pop-up tent. Then we can go cruising and camping with the gang in style. Feel the wind in our beards. Get a little bug crunch in our teeth. Maybe a tattoo, but we won't say where!

~Tell

Road Trip

Well, ol' Cap just went past me wearing his dog-with-no-eyes sunglasses, and I thought, "I wonder what he's up to?" So I followed him outside and what did I find? Mom and Dad are planning a road trip and I wasn't told! They're loading up the old motorcycle with their overnight bag, stuffing their leather jackets in the boot (hey, it was 99 degrees here today, I don't think they'll be needing them), and polishing up the chrome. They've even managed to figure out how to get Creedence Clearwater playing on My Boy's MP3 player so they can take it with them. I guess Cap thinks he's going along, but I have to ask you, where would the dog sit? Sorry, pal, but I believe you'll be staying home with me and the house sitter again, even if you do look like The Red Baron. I guess this means we'll be out of pocket for a few days, since we'll be busy keeping the house sitter on her toes. Gotta be a quick and alert when watching us terriers!

~Tell

Blogging Friends Forever

Wow, look what my friend Noah sent to me. It's a fantastic award for being blogging friends. I know I am richly blessed with friends around the world, but this is super!
Now I'm going to pass this card on to some more friends, but there are some rules applied:
1. Only five friends allowed.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

We would like to pass this pawsome award onto Eric Square Dog in the United Kingdom, Gus, Jack & Just Harry, Dewey Dewster and Mackie.


I love seeing all the wheelies that have been joining in the blogging around the world. I've been keeping an eye open for one when we go antique shopping, but haven't run across one yet. You can bet when I do, it will be coming home with us. Meanwhile, we still look around for other fox terriers that need a home, and we found one when we stopped at a small store the other day. There he sat, on top of a pile of stuffies, looking lost. Good thing we found him, huh? He has a forever home now.
~Tell

Move Over, You Know I Like the Window

Here in Oklahoma, we've been getting lots of rain this week. More expected tomorrow, too. It's been so wet that my grass allergies are terrible, so it was decided that I needed to visit the vet again. I don't mind going at all. In fact, I love any excuse to ride in the pickup. But this time was different. I got my feet and legs wet wading through the grass this morning on my outing, so I had to ride in the floor. Well, that's just no place for a dog like me. I know the leather seats are nice and clean, but that's MY spot you're sitting in. Even batting my puppydog eyes and making whistling noises through my nose didn't help. I was glad when that ride was over.

We soon got to the bottom of my itching problem. My new bottles of antigen came in, and there was a different schedule and dosage. Mom, being the goofy goose she is, didn't read the new instructions and underdosed me. Now I'm back on schedule and should start feeling better soon. Remember, always read the instructions! Ya listenin', Mom?
When we got back home, we found out our Yorkshire sow was having her babies. Yes, new porkers on the farm, and aren't they cuties? These babies are only minutes old. That little one hasn't even gotten his land legs yet, but it didn't take them long to find the heat lamp and cuddle under it. All together there were sixteen babies. Wow!

There were some closes guesses at last week's antique. That leather and chain combination is a set of bull blinders. They are used to cover the bull's eyes so he'll behave himself and be easier to manage. My question is, if you have a cantakerous and ornery bull, just how do you get the blinders on him? I'd like to see that!

~Tell

And the Winner Is...

It seems we have some pretty smart pups in our bunch. Congratulations to Maggie, Mitch, Penny, Poppy and Patches for coming up with the correct answer in my last post. Yes, that old rusty antique thingy in the photo was a corn planter. Kind of like a post-hole digger with a trigger to drop a few kernels of corn in the hole. Kudos to Noah and Bussie, too, for coming up with some whacky wild guesses. We love the way your minds work! Hee hee! I wonder if there is a patent on fumigating calf-pullers? Hmmm...

Anyway, we enjoyed the answers so much, we jumped in the car and went searching for more country antiques to share with you. My Girl took this photo of me sitting between her and Mom, who was driving. I like the angle of this photo, because it looks like I'm the one driving!

So here is what we found. It's leather, metal and wrapped with chains. Does anyone know what this is? The owner said he has had a lot of people ponder and take a guess, but very few get it right. He gave us a hint: it came from a farm in Arkansas.

Happy guessing!
~Tell

Rum Tum's Tummy Tuck

It's been a week since Rum Tum's hernia repair, and he's home from the vet hospital now. Mom says the money for this is coming out of my allowance. I did make the suggestion that it would have been cheaper to just buy a mouse trap for the barn, but noooooo, The Family wanted their cat back. And it one piece, too. Go figure. I also said that there are people who pay big bucks for such a tummy tuck and would appreciate it, but my voice seems to fall on a lot of deaf ears at the moment.

While we were at the vet hospital, Mom was admiring some of the antiques things on display in the waiting area when she saw this contraption.

Looked painful to us, so we had to ask the Doctor what it was. Can you give it a guess? I'll let you know what he said in my next post.

~Tell

I Get No Respect

For a few weeks now, The Family has noticed that one of the barn cats has developed a hitch in his get-along. He walks a little funny, kinda like John Wayne, and has a large, hangy-down lump on his side. He's been a little hard to pin down so they haven't been able to investigate this oddity any closer until today. It hasn't seemed to bother him much. He still eats and lounges around in his striped jammies all day with the rest of the rat patrol, but this has been a bother to My Boy and My Girl. The Family wants answers.

This morning, My Girl was able to catch the tabby cat and he was taken to the veterinarian. And what did they find out? Kitty has a hernia. I myself think it happened because he wasn't lifting with his knees, but everyone else thinks something else. Can you see where this is going?

Yes, you're right. The finger is being pointed at me! Hey, just because I played tuggers with a cat one time, does that mean that I did this on one of my romps outside the yard? There is absolutely no shred of evidence to support this accusation. Nothing at all. They can't prove a thing, and the cat's not talking.



Now Mom is miffed because the cat is staying at the hospital, there will be a vet bill, probably a little physical therapy and recoup time at home, etc. Said cat will be waited on hand and foot around here until he's returned to outside duty once again. Much ado about nothing, I say, but nobody is listening to my opinion right now. Like Rodney Dangerfield, I get no respect.



Then again, it might not be so bad having a kitty in the house for a little while. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty...
~Tell

Home Alone

No sooner did My Boy get back from summer camp than the whole Family went on vacation together. I guess I can't begrudge them a little time away, since they only take vacations about every five years or so, but this time we terriers didn't get to go along. Once again, boooring!

So while we pined away forgotten at home, they headed for the great state of Arkansa and while they were there, My Boy and My Girl did a little cave exploring. It's called spelunking, but I think it sounds an awful lot like the Earth Dog Trials I'm hearing about. They did find some rats, only they had wings and flew around faster than lightning. I believe My Boy and I will have to do some exploring soon and find a cave closer to home so we can spelunk together.

They also saw a Pivot Rock, and in this photo it looks mighty unstable to me. A good puff of Oklahoma wind would knock that right over.


Walking and shopping was fun, and they found a biker store and bought leather jackets for their motorcycle rides this fall. Mom said all that uphill and downhill climbing on those steep and narrow streets was almost too much for her. If she lived there and did much shopping, she'd have prettier thighs than Richard Simmons.


While they were walking, they saw a monkey in a dress. She was just too cute! People were giving her dollar bills. She's taste-testing this one before she gives it to her dad.

So what did Cap, Glynn and I do while My Family was out having a good time? We had a housesitter come and take care of us. I don't know why everyone thinks we needed supervision, do you? It wasn't like we were going to make some long distance phone calls, try on shoes, or order heaps of pizza on the credit card when they weren't looking. It wasn't so bad, though, as I did manage one great escape by squeezing past the housesitter's legs, but she caught me pretty quick. I taught her that you gotta be fast on your feet to keep up with me.

~Tell

Waiting for My Boy

Well, summer has turned out to be a bummer so far. My Boy has gone away to camp, and it's just not the same without him on the farm. None of the rest of My Family know how to wrestle, roach, play DogBall, hunt for squirrels, gather eggs, dig holes, go bobbing in the creek, or any of the other fun things we share. Can you say Boooooring?

The good news is that he comes home today! I've waiting all morning for him, but My Girl says he won't be here until after lunch. Who can eat lunch when we're this excited? And I think that clock in the kitchen is broken because it's not moving as fast as it should.

Sigh. I can hardly wait.
~Tell

Foreign Money

I was at the office today helping Mom break open a new roll of dimes for the petty cashbox, when out popped a surprise. In amongst all the shiny silvery dimes was a funny looking coin. It was a 1 cent coin from Singapore! Well, right away that made me think of my favorite hammie, Girl Girl, and all her stuffie adventures. Thinking of her made us so happy, we really didn't mind that we got shorted nine cents in that roll of dimes.

We dropped the Singapore coin in our little coin bank where we keep the odd ones that come through the office, like the Canadian and Australian money and occasional wheat pennies. There's not much, so we're not talking big bucks here, but My Boy likes to shake them out of the coin bank and look through them every now and then. Who knows, maybe some day he'll find a coin worth a gazillion dollars, and we can buy something cool.

I think I would spend it on a dog park, so all my doggie (and hammie) friends can come visit someday!

~Tell

The Nose Knows

After days and days of rain and cabin fever, we finally had a pretty day of sunshine! We raced outside and had a super romp around the yard. Glynn was so excited that she must have sniffed over every inch of our great outdoors, and when she came back inside, we noticed her mustache was green. Where she stuck her snoot to turn it green, we don't know, unless it was all that wet grass she sniffled through. Whatever color she is, I still think my little sis is cute. Here's a goober shot of her (she didn't like having her close-up picture taken, can you tell?). I call this one GooberGlynn.

Ol' Buddy Buck has settled into our home and doing well. Yep, he's here to stay. No more foster home, it's the real deal for him. The second day he was here, he showed me how to lift the latch on the gate with his nose and open it up. Well, why didn't I think of that? Would have made things much simpler, I can tell you. The gates are usually locked, but he was watching and timed it just right when Mom had her back turned. Unfortunately, we were rounded up and put back inside before we could make our getaway, and locks put on the gates. Well, I'll just file that tip away for future reference, though. Good to know.

So what have your noses been up to this week?

~Tell

Another Person's Treasure

Here's a photo of our latest foster dog. This puppy's owner says he wouldn't stay in the yard and was too much trouble, so he didn't want him anymore. I don't know who could look at this face and not fall in love with those chocolate eyes. So he came home with us today, and we call him Buck. Or as My Boy calls him, Buckaroo Bonzai. After a nice flea bath, a new collar and a trip to the vet for vaccinations, he says he feels like a new dog. My new buddy Buck's a lot of fun, though he's all clumsy puppy at the moment and tends to body slam when he moves too fast. Slick tile floors aren't his cup of tea, either, but he's learning might fast which way is up.

Hey, I'm a lot of trouble myself and I don't always sit/stay where I'm supposed to, but Mom and Dad wouldn't get rid of me, ever! Mom says being troublesome is part of my charm. So if The Family can love me, warts and all, they can take in a prodigal pup who needs adult supervision most of the time. This one might even stay permanently, since Dad is especially fond of English Pointers and had one when he was a kid.

And do you know what Dad's called his first birddog? Buck, of course!

~Tell

Arch Enemy

Mom decided to take advantage of my digging skills, and together we planted some seeds under the arch. Usually we just hang bird feeders from the arch, but now we think it's time to grow some vines there. We mixed morning glory seeds with moonflowers. The morning glories are supposed to bloom early in the day, then the moonflowers bloom in the evening. This should give the hummingbirds something to hum about all day long.

Then we found out that Dad absolutely, with a pea-purple passion, hates morning glories. Well, I don't know what a morning glory ever did to him personally, but he can't abide them at all. He said he spent too many hours as a boy on the farm, weeding those stinkin' morning glories from the crops. Turn around and they were right back in the field, choking out the peanuts and corn and making a mess of things. He said it's hard to kill a morning glory vine, and left alone it will take over a field in no time.

We found this out through a lively discussion with friends, and most of the people in the room felt the same way. Oh, was Mom ever squirming in her seat! She didn't want him to know that she'd planted a whole bunch of them buggers right in the middle of the circle drive.

But nothing happened. Day after day, we checked and found nothing growing under the archway. Whew! What a relief. Mom never had much of a green thumb anyway, so no surprise there. Until this week, then a tiny, spindly green vine sprouted up overnight and entwined itself up the side. We didn't even notice it until it bloomed.

It doesn't look like either a morning glory, or a moonflower, so it's a mystery. It's a relief to see that it doesn't look as dastardly as we thought it would. This morning, Dad stopped and looked at it. We held our breath until he remarked about how pretty it was and asked what kind of flower this is?

Mom's pleading ignorance. I'm not telling, either.

~Tell

Jeepers, Peepers!

Hi ho, everybody! I've been a good dog this week. At least that's what The Family is telling me. I haven't escaped from the yard for a whole week now, so I CAN be a good dog when I have to be. I was so good, in fact, that I got to help gather eggs from the hen house this morning. Since they're under my protection, it's imperitive that I check security and don't let a fox or possum in. Here are pictures of some of the things I am responsible for. These are brown eggs, and the yolks are extra bright yellow, none of those pale store-bought eggs on our farm! Sometimes I am given one of these to play with. You gotta play real easy with these, otherwise they explode and turn your beard yellow.



We also have three laying hens. Their names are Lucille, Rosita and Henrietta. They are called Production Reds. They eat bugs, which is a not cool thing to do, but they seem to like it.



After feeding and egg-gathering, I got to take a ride in the pickup and we went to a feed store. I think feed stores have the most marvelous smells in the world. We got a surprise on this trip, too. We brought home baby chicks!

We bought guineas for tick control, and bantams just because we like little chickens with feathers on their legs. See that cheeky fellow front and center. Is that a little roo, or what? He looks like trouble to me!
~Tell