Good Morning Starskey, Ike, Missy, Jack, Scooter, Ebony, Apatchie, Pepper, Ming, Willow, Spook, Pally and all my beloved furs..........Buck and Peludo (Pele') are doing just fine. Spook II and Booger were glad when Midnight came home. He was gone for 3 weeks - but came home fat and sassy so he must have had good hunting.
WE GOT RAIN. It was during the night and it was no real great amount but it is the first rain we have had since I last spoke to you. We have been in desperate need of it and I have had to be watering the garden and flowers to keep them alive. All my flowers in hanging baskets died in the heat over the first week of July - when we were gone and all our "tenders" were gone as well.
I will take full credit for this rain because yesturday I watered all my flowers (inside and out), planted the last few in the rock garden, weeded and watered the garden and scrubbed and refilled Bucks pool with fresh cold clean water. He spends a lot of time in there whether it is clean or dirty but I like it better clean! I think he does too....
I watch Buck and Pele' play together and I am so reminded of you and Dufus. The size contrast is similar as when you were a pup - but Pele' isn't going to get any bigger and Buck is full grown too so they will stay like this. Missy never played much with Jack but she would let him play while she watched and often encouraged. Sometimes Buck does that too and Pele' is real good at entertaining himself.
Your old football bladder has been rediscovered and Pele' shakes it with the same vigor that you enjoyed. He likes his balls and if I am not there to throw them for him, he bounces them around himself so he can chase them again. He has even discovered plastic water bottles are fun to chew - they make noise!
I spend half my evening cleaning burrs off the boys. They come off Buck faily easy (with the brush) but it is an effort to get them off Pele'.....and there are so many!!!!!! I have watched them and Buck is the leader with Pele' following close behind. I think Buck runs through the stickers and burrs on purpose - just to get the little guy all stuck together. Oh well, that is one way to get some one on one attention later....and then they go right back out and do it all over again! I don't remember you getting that many....but then Dufus had long hair and he probably avoided those areas, whereas Buck and Pele' spend most of their time in the timber and weeds..... Why? Oh yeah - squirrels and mice, among other things.
There are some mice living in or near the wood pile. I figure they must be Huffmeyer Mouse cousins sent to pester Pele'. Buck really could care less but once in a while Pele's vigorous searches get him curious and he actually pulls a log or two off the pile for him. You know that the wood pile is located under the deck and up against the hill.....that gives all the mice full run under the pallets and deck boards by the back door....all the way to the RR ties along the sidewalk and from there to the RR ties holding up the bank by the front door. They also have all the ground under the day lily leaves (that's like extra thick tall grass). They run back and forth under all this and even stick their head out once in a while to make sure Pele' sees them! Darn Pests!
Pele' actually caught one of them once. He was so proud of it that he laid on the rug by the back door with it for a couple of hours before leaving his treasure for other matters.....or was he trying to intimidate the remaining Huffmeyer Mouse cousins? I removed the treasure before it became fragrent. Pele' didn't seem to notice it was gone when he came back from his other adventure. I know that some cousins remain (or visit) because he still barks at the wood pile or runs back and forth barking at the cracks between the boards of the pallets and the deck.
Buck is my squirrel chaser. He will chase them from tree to tree to tree and they better not come down! Pele' has his mice and they share the frogs and toads. Those green things are just interesting and entertaining you know. They taste bad but they hop around and are fun to pester. It becomes a whole different matter if one of them goes swimming in your pool though. They have a whole pond to swim in and Buck uses a very small part of to lay in......but he has a small pool (compaired to the pond) so what do they think they are doing invading his space????
I actually think the frog got in there by accident but the slick plastic sides made it hard for him to get footing to get out. Buck would lean his head in to look at him, just as the frog would make his attempt to jump out. The frog didn't get out but Buck jumped back a couple of feet. I have to admit that I sat and watched the silly game for a while before I figured the frog might be getting tired and Buck might actually try to catch him....so I rescued the frog. He gratefully hopped off in to the day lilly leaves. Buck gave me a thankful look and proceeded to climb in to his pool and lay down - thus reclaiming HIS territory.
No, Pele' isn't interested in the pool or swimming. His thinner and lighter colored fur make him less hot on these summer days.......and he doesn't even particularly like car rides. Can you even image that????? If I go near a car - Buck is right beside me - just in case. Sometimes he even leads me to the garage.....begger!
Pele' is a pretty smart fellow. He suspects the car is involved when I call them but have my hands full. He'll come to me and if I head to the garage (or if I am in it) he puts the brakes on and getting ahold of him after that is a challenge. Once he is in the car he picks a spot and goes to sleep.....while Buck stands with his head out the window gulping air. Pele's preferred spot is on my lap but that is not allowed. He manages to lay between my bucket seats, although there is no console (just the emergency brake lever) and lays his head against my leg. Okay that will work until we have to stop or turn and his "perch" no longer feels safe. Then he moves to the other seat and curls up.
Buck still has his head out the window and is good for up to 50 MPH and then he can't gulp fast enough or something. He lays down and rests but as soon as he feels the car slowing (stop sign coming) he is back up with head out the window. He dosn't like hog confinements either - when he gets that whiff he sneezes and keeps his head in until we pass it.
Life goes on around here but we sure do miss you and your personal contributions to life in our home. I think you would like the new guys! The bones you and Jack left have been rediscovered by Pele' and get carried around the yard so I have to do the bone hunt before I can mow. I really don't mind. Old toys and treasures have been rediscovered and get played with again. Used beds are still cozy and old "wet dog" towels are still handy. Pele' may not swim but if there is wet grass - I have 2 wet dogs to dry.
Starskey - Come home to us soon. I do have have windows on both sides of the car in the back seat for my black dogs to stick their heads out and enjoy the air. Pele' will be a front seater. I miss you Starskey.............Mom
