I Dig The Mother of All Holes

It's been a busy week, gang. Lots of work to do, excavating and moving dirt. I have to say my schedule is about as full as it's ever been. Good thing I like my job, because there's just no end to the holes that need to be dug around here. I dig so much, sometimes I forget where I put a hole. That happened the other morning when I was bunny-hopping backwards in front of My Boy and did a one-legger down a deep one. Lost my balance and ended up-side down for a moment. Made My Boy laugh...a lot longer than I thought was necessary, but who cares? We like to have fun together.

Now, remember the rock wall that Somebody built awhile back? The one that tee-totally ruined a perfectly good hole I was working on? Yeah, that's right, the one with the water garden and sweetpea flowers? That sure did set me back, but I jumped in there this week and finished what I started, rocks and all. Yep, I caved in that rock wall and dug all around it, uprooted the flowers, and may have bowed the fence just a bit, too. I was mighty proud of the destruction, because those old fireplace rocks weigh more than I do.

Glynn is always sure to stand back when the dirt goes flinging. She says a hard hat messes up her 'do too much, so she stays in the safety zone whilst I work.

This one is even big enough to go down into, turn around, and come back out again. Quite a masterpiece.

My Boy was pretty speechless, I tell ya, when he saw how much I had accomplished in just one week. Took his breath away, I'm thinkin'. Shook his head in awe. What can I say? I'm pretty pleased myself. Well, enough about holes for now. I see My Boy heading this way with a shovel and wheelbarrow. I wonder what new game this will be? Can't wait to find out...

~Tell

I Try My Hand at Poetry

Ode to a Kitty

I think that I shall never spy

A thing so lovely to my eye

As a striped kitten on the lawn...

But wait, I blinked and she was gone!

Oh lovely kitty, where did you go?

I'm looking for you high and low.

Come out, come out, and play with me.

Together we'll have fun, you'll see.

I know lots of games that we can play,

Like Hide the Kitty in the Hay,

Or Chase My Friend Around the Yard.

It's so much of fun, the rules aren't hard.

If Hide and Seek is your cup of tea,

Go right ahead, don't wait on me.

I'll cover my eyes and count to ten

And we will let the fun begin!

Ah, there you are, tabby dear,

I can see your twitching ear

Behind the bumper of the car.

Don't run away, you won't get far.

Through the bushes, up a tree,

Across the roof? You can't fool me!

Now you're on the front porch rail,

Showing me your bushy tail.

Ah, sweet feline, now it's time

To end this fun-filled game of mine.

Here comes My Boy, he has my leash,

So I will leave you now in peace.

Until next time...

~Tell

I Get Blamed For Everything

I'll be the first to admit that, occasionally, I create mischief. I can't help it, I'm a terrier and it's what we do. It doesn't help that I live with a couple of other wires that don't create mischief at all. In comparison, they make me look pretty bad sometimes. I think I am a good representative of our breed, while Cap and Glynn are the strange ones, but that's just my opinion. Anyway, here are a few things I am totally (and I mean TOTALLY) innocent of doing, just for the record.

Here I sit in front of the flower pot that "somebody" ran into and cracked. Wasn't moi.

And this was during one of my latest photo shoots. The camera caught a little piddle puddle on the floor behind me before the photo was cropped. That wasn't me either.

Here I am checking out Cap's new Zanies Toy. I just wanted to make sure the squeaker was in tip-top shape for the old boy. We all know how he loves his stuffies to make noise. Cap grrrr'd and I was accused to taking his toy away. Oh, come on! I gave it right back.

Mother Nature blew down a big tree in our yard back during the ice storm. Left a sizeable hole in the backyard. I did not create this hole, though I am mightily impressed by it.

Even the cats are pointing fingers at me. Here I'm saying hello to our new cat, Thistle. This is my first meeting with Thistle and obviously she has been listening to the other cats diss me. I had to wipe the hiss off my face afterwards. So there you go, my side of the story, just wanting to set the record straight. It's a heavy load to bear, all this blame, and I'm glad I got all this off my chest. Now, time for a little break from blogging. I think I'll go find a toy to play with.

~Tell

Winter Blues in the Hollow

We've had a ton of snow dumped here, and that's caused us to lose a few trees on the farm. The ice and snow just toppled them right over. This one fell across our driveway but didn't fall all the way to the ground. We were able to drive under it, just barely, but it made me duck my head each time. Nobody wants to be slapped on the head by a tree. No sirree. Thanks to Dad and My Boy and Married Kid's husband, a chainsaw and a big truck, the tree has been removed. That's a relief. Still, from a dog's point of view, I can tell you I hate to see a good tree go.


Besides the snow, ice and falling trees, our water line froze and now we've got a leak outside. Dad had to turn the water off at the meter until we can dig it up. We only turn it on once a day for important things like cooking and laundry and showers and such. There's just no water to waste right now. The good news is, NO BATHS for us doggies! I think I can live with that.
~Tell

Don't Prod the Bear

As we're bunkering down for another blast of ice and snow tonight, I noticed ol' Cap was curled up in a sunny spot, snoozing away. He seems to sleep alot more these days. I've been wondering if it was old age catching up with him, but after pondering over this situation, I've decided that's not it at all. He's hibernating. Yeah, like a gumpy old bear, he's living on his fat reserves and catching his Zzzz's. He was so deep into Dreamland that I was able to take his picture, and he didn't even know it. In fact, I took about ten pictures before Glynn rudely gave me her elbow and said to knock it off, he looks so sweet and peaceful like that and the flash might wake him. Good advice. Like My Boy always said, don't prod the bear. Anyway, I hope all you doggies and hammies stay warm tonight. Hopefully this will be the last cold spell of winter for us, unless that pesky groundhog sees his shadow next week. If he does, he belongs to me.
~Tell

New Dog Story Call Out!

For all you doggy writers out there, Chicken Soup for the Soul is having a call out for more dog stories! This new book is about all ages and stages of a dog's life. Some of their suggestion are to write about training your dog, laughing with your dog, how your dog came to live with you, and how it changed your life. Do you have more than one dog in your family? How do they get along? Chicken Soup is wanting tales of puppy antics, terrible teens (you know, that adolescent stage some of us never outgrow!), adult years and senior pups. There will also be stories about the twilight years and the greiving process, too, that is a very special part of this particular book. Stories can be humorous or serious, or both. Poems are good, too (hey, Gussie!). So help your folks polish up their best stories and send them in. No limit, no entry fees, just great fun!
~Tell

And a Happy New Year!!!

We survived the Christmas Blizzard of '09. Had about 12 inches of snow dumped here in our neck of the woods, starting on Christmas Eve and didn't end until the next afternoon. It was wicked to watch, but very pretty when it was all done. It was great fun to watch our new llamas prance in the snow. They didn't feel cold at all because they were wearing their wool coats, and their breaths came out their noses like steam. It made ol' Banana Ears look mad! Hee hee! I call Stomper that because 1) his ears are big; and 2) it has become apparent that we are never to be best buds. You see, llamas DO NOT LIKE DOGS. Period. No ifs, ands or buts about it. He's a "dog-stompin' fool" according to his last owner. At least they told us that BEFORE I became a gooey spot in the dirt. So, no more going to the pasture with My Boy to feed the critters. It belongs to Stomper now and forever.

Now on to happier thoughts, My Boy and I had a rip-snortin' good time in the snow. We wrassled, rolled, hollered, flung snow and played Catch-Me-If-You-Can until our tongues hung out. We'd stop long enough to thaw out, then hit the snowbanks again. Cap stayed indoors and slept. He's been doing that more and more lately, old man. Glynn watched from afar like a lady. She's too reserved to wrassle much, though she's not above nipping me in the bum as I fly by. Wheeee!

Wishing everyone out there a safe New Year's Eve and looking forward to a Great New Year!

~Tell