Starskey my boy....just when I think you may have left my mind - my heart kicks in and reminds me otherwise! You will forever be in my heart so therefore in my mind as well.
It is a sunny fall day with leaves all over the ground. It is the kind of day where you would have been running all over the place and enjoying the sounds your feet make in the fallen leaves. It is also cold out so you would come in for snuggles and to warm up before you would ring your bell to go out for another round in the leaves. Pele enjoys such adventures now but his outdoor runs are short. His winter coat is just starting to grow and he is short enough to collect all the burrs....that have to be brushed out before he can come in the house.
Buck is understanding that his days of easy running are limited so he is taking advantage of all the run time he can get. The race track around the pond is his favorite but he has to check out the timber and long grass too. Burrs don't stick to him as bad (shorter hair) so he doesn't have that problem....and he so loves to run! When the snow comes he'll have to create packed snow trails to run on and I bet he makes a lot of them as well as sharing the deer trails.
I sure do miss your communication with your ears. That made understanding what you wanted easier. I just plain miss everything about you! Wherever you are, I pray that you are happy. I also hope you know that you are loved!!!!!
You are welcome to come home any time....in fact we wish you would. Buck and Pele have heard all about you and would love to meet you and have you as their brother. Life has reduced the amount of time I have to continue to search for you so I pray that you are safe and happy and continue to hope that someday your chip will be discovered and you will begin the trip back in to our lives. Be safe my boy! I love you.....
Starskey
At Freedom Park summer 2010
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Have you been listening?
Starskey my boy!
I have been thinking of you a lot but I have been so busy that I haven't been able to write to you. I've been talking to you instead. Have you been listening? Have you heard me? I don't know whether to hope you have or not. Hearing me could mean you are at the Rainbow bridge with Ike. If you can hear me any other way I sure do wish that you would come home! I miss you!!!
We had snow on December 10th. It was pretty but it made me sad. All I could think of was that same date in 2010 when you were frolicking in your first snowfall - and it was the last day that we saw you. I have wondered if you went to look for Dufus to play in the snow with you - he was at home you know. No - we've already talked about that. I don't want to go there again.
That snow has melted now. We have gotten a few more little snows but nothing we get excited about. Pele' is a tougher little dude then I thought he might be. He wants to be outside almost as often as Buck does. Pele' has to go on the trolley though because he gets naughty if we let him loose. He dug up all of Randy's flowers around his gazebo last fall. Randy caught him on his wildlife cameras so we have pictures to prove it.
When you come home there will be some new rules. Do you remember the collars that Pockey and Paucha wear at Robin's to keep them inside their invisible fence? Well we have some of those now too. Our invisible fence is different then theirs but it works the same way - you get a correction if you go outside the boundary. Ours won't use wires in the ground (too many critters that might wreck them). Ours uses radio signals. We'll start with one that will give you all 3/4 of an acre of free run area - and we'll add more later so you can still go to the shop and the timber. Yes, they are water proof so you can go swimming too.
Pele' wore one when he lived at Robin's house so he'll remember what it is. Buck came from a house where he had the underground kind too so he'll know what that correction means. The ground got frozen too fast so I couldn't get the boundary flags put in. I didn't think it was fair to make the guys find the boundaries the hard way so until spring we'll stick with the trolley runner and leashes. I also have training collars so if somebody starts doing something they shouldn't be doing. I can tone them - that is all they seem to need if anything at all.
It is about making things safer for you guys. You can still run around the farm, swim in the pond, chase the squirrels and all the other great dog things - and you'll do it in a safe and protected place! Not that our great big yard isn't a safe and protected place - but you went somewhere (on your own or with help) and I don't want to risk that happening again. I have already learned I can't trust Pele' to not visit the neighbors! This will give you more freedom then a regular fence (or a kennel or a leash). We can even take it camping with us!
Oh how we miss you! You transformed our lives. Buck and Pele' are benefiting from many of the lessons you taught us - and most of the things that we discovered together....and Dad and I are able to enjoy them more because of you! God knew what He was doing when He put you in our hearts and let you choose us to love.
Wherever you are now - I hope the people there know how special you are and love you as much as we do. That way I know you are safe! But I still want you back home with us - where you started and where you are missed.
I got more then a little upset today when Pet Link had me update your information (and mine). There was a link to an Animal Hospital site that I had never seen before so I checked it out. I entered your ID chip number and the site said it did not monitor for that.....not monitor for what? For that brand of chip or your number? You are listed on both Pet Link and Home Again - and both of those sites are monitored by them. What's up?
Have you been close but unable to be found because your chip number isn't being looked for or that brand isn't checked for or doesn't show up on scanners? What is the deal here? Do something - crap on the rug or get fleas or something. Get yourself in to a vet office and insist on getting scanned.........your chip may have migrated under your skin but it is still there.
I posted that on the Animal Lovers Linked In group. Maybe somebody there will know what's going on.
I am going to keep writing to you (and keep talking to you when I can't write) because that is what keeps me from going goofy. I also keep writing to you because I hope that someday - someone will read it and know where you are or where to look for you.
By the way - the bones in the yard are new ones and you and Pele' will have to share them - I bet you'll lay side by side and chew on them.....Buck could care less. He is more interested in the deer and turkey and whether he can get a reaction out of them by barking. Sometimes he does and sometimes they just look at him...............
I love you Starskey! We're all waiting for you......
I have been thinking of you a lot but I have been so busy that I haven't been able to write to you. I've been talking to you instead. Have you been listening? Have you heard me? I don't know whether to hope you have or not. Hearing me could mean you are at the Rainbow bridge with Ike. If you can hear me any other way I sure do wish that you would come home! I miss you!!!
We had snow on December 10th. It was pretty but it made me sad. All I could think of was that same date in 2010 when you were frolicking in your first snowfall - and it was the last day that we saw you. I have wondered if you went to look for Dufus to play in the snow with you - he was at home you know. No - we've already talked about that. I don't want to go there again.
That snow has melted now. We have gotten a few more little snows but nothing we get excited about. Pele' is a tougher little dude then I thought he might be. He wants to be outside almost as often as Buck does. Pele' has to go on the trolley though because he gets naughty if we let him loose. He dug up all of Randy's flowers around his gazebo last fall. Randy caught him on his wildlife cameras so we have pictures to prove it.
When you come home there will be some new rules. Do you remember the collars that Pockey and Paucha wear at Robin's to keep them inside their invisible fence? Well we have some of those now too. Our invisible fence is different then theirs but it works the same way - you get a correction if you go outside the boundary. Ours won't use wires in the ground (too many critters that might wreck them). Ours uses radio signals. We'll start with one that will give you all 3/4 of an acre of free run area - and we'll add more later so you can still go to the shop and the timber. Yes, they are water proof so you can go swimming too.
Pele' wore one when he lived at Robin's house so he'll remember what it is. Buck came from a house where he had the underground kind too so he'll know what that correction means. The ground got frozen too fast so I couldn't get the boundary flags put in. I didn't think it was fair to make the guys find the boundaries the hard way so until spring we'll stick with the trolley runner and leashes. I also have training collars so if somebody starts doing something they shouldn't be doing. I can tone them - that is all they seem to need if anything at all.
It is about making things safer for you guys. You can still run around the farm, swim in the pond, chase the squirrels and all the other great dog things - and you'll do it in a safe and protected place! Not that our great big yard isn't a safe and protected place - but you went somewhere (on your own or with help) and I don't want to risk that happening again. I have already learned I can't trust Pele' to not visit the neighbors! This will give you more freedom then a regular fence (or a kennel or a leash). We can even take it camping with us!
Oh how we miss you! You transformed our lives. Buck and Pele' are benefiting from many of the lessons you taught us - and most of the things that we discovered together....and Dad and I are able to enjoy them more because of you! God knew what He was doing when He put you in our hearts and let you choose us to love.
Wherever you are now - I hope the people there know how special you are and love you as much as we do. That way I know you are safe! But I still want you back home with us - where you started and where you are missed.
I got more then a little upset today when Pet Link had me update your information (and mine). There was a link to an Animal Hospital site that I had never seen before so I checked it out. I entered your ID chip number and the site said it did not monitor for that.....not monitor for what? For that brand of chip or your number? You are listed on both Pet Link and Home Again - and both of those sites are monitored by them. What's up?
Have you been close but unable to be found because your chip number isn't being looked for or that brand isn't checked for or doesn't show up on scanners? What is the deal here? Do something - crap on the rug or get fleas or something. Get yourself in to a vet office and insist on getting scanned.........your chip may have migrated under your skin but it is still there.
I posted that on the Animal Lovers Linked In group. Maybe somebody there will know what's going on.
I am going to keep writing to you (and keep talking to you when I can't write) because that is what keeps me from going goofy. I also keep writing to you because I hope that someday - someone will read it and know where you are or where to look for you.
By the way - the bones in the yard are new ones and you and Pele' will have to share them - I bet you'll lay side by side and chew on them.....Buck could care less. He is more interested in the deer and turkey and whether he can get a reaction out of them by barking. Sometimes he does and sometimes they just look at him...............
I love you Starskey! We're all waiting for you......
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Mud - Stinky Pond Mud!
Oh how you would enjoy Pele's adventures if you were here. He, too, has found the pond to be a source of great entertainment and adventure. No, he doesn't go swimming like you and Buck - he just plays around the edges in the mud - yeah - that stinky mud and he is having a ball.....
I have the distinct feeling that you would enjoy participating in his adventures in the mud too - but I think you would swim in the water to wash most of that mud off before you came bounding up to the house. Pele' doesn't do that - he just comes in all his mud covered glory and expects me to let him in the house like that. He hasn't even figured out that a dip in Bucks swimming pool gets most of it off - even though that is where I take him to rinse him off every time he comes home covered in that stinky goop. He is awful..........
I think I would have to be angry with him - if it weren't so funny to watch him leaping in the grass and jumping after all the frogs and dragon flies. The pond is so low from no rain that the exposed dirt around the edges has started to grow grass. That makes getting to the muddy parts so much easier for a smaller guy - but it also frustrates Buck when he wants to get to the water for a swim....and he isn't appreciating all the stinky mud I keep rinsing off Pele' in his swimming pool. I think I'll have to find a wash tub or something for Pele' rinsing.
The grass in the pond dirt isn't real tall but it is tall enough that all we can see is the tip of Pele's tail in it - until he attacks his real (or imaginary) prey. He does that with great energy and enthusiasm, making a huge leap from where he was to where he is going. That is when we can see his whole body above the grass. Once he lands again all we see is the grass quiver and shake then suddenly go still, as a head pops up and looks around to see if anyone saw that.
Last night he actually caught a frog by the hind leg. He didn't kill it. I am not sure if he even hurt it because he carried it a couple feet and then let it go in the water. Do you think he figured that the water was where the frog belonged - instead of in his own private playground. I don't know...... He sure likes the pond edge (where the mud is) and the shorter water grass that now grows in the exposed dirt. He seems to spend a lot of time there.
He hasn't figured out that he can go all the way around the pond yet. The dam scares him because he can hear the water going out the overflow. He plays on the house side of the pond down by the weeping willow tree (great place to play hide and seek) but seems to like the field side the best....that is why we can see him so well while he is playing. Buck waits until Pele' is happily busy in his mud playground so that he can do his BIG RUNS. They are so much more fun and he can go so much faster without the little tag-a-long.
Buck runs at full speed through the pasture, around the pond, through the timber, around the shop, past the house then across the dam, through the other timber and around the pond again - without stopping. That is his favorite route though he sometimes varies and makes a trip in to the corn. He goes in on the north end and comes out on the south end - but the rows go the other way. I hope he isn't knocking down Steve's corn! I don't think he runs in there - I think that is more of a reconnaissance mission to see who else has been around. You know - the deer and the racoons, or maybe just that darn cat.
This all seems to take place in the early evening for both of them. That must be why they are both so willing to go to their kennels at night - they are pooped from their adventures! During the day they nap alot and take short excursions together. They patrol all four corners and all sides of our property - but do not go in the road. The ditch is as close as they get to that and I am not complaining! I'd hate to have to put their training collars back on them and have to remind them to stay away from the road that way. They apparently learned that lesson quickly.
It is going to be another beautiful day outside today. I can get some garden work done and maybe even some yard work. I'll find that old wash tub and fill it full of water to rinse Pele' in and change Buck's pool water so he has clean stuff to lay in. Pele' definately needs a real bath soon because rinsing gets the mud off - but not all of the stink and he is starting to smell really bad. Maybe today.........unless he begins to have too much fun again and rinsing is all I have time for.
Who would have thought that this terrier mix fellow would find such happiness and fun in such simple things - and entertain us in the process? Terriers can be little terrors - but Pele' seems content to catch a rodent from time to time (that must be his day job) and to play in the stinky pond mud to chase ellusive (and some fantacy) creatures along the pond bank. I know I feel safer knowing that he is guarding me from all of the frogs and toads!
Starskey - come home and play with Pele'. Yes - even in the pond mud. Maybe you can teach him to swim to get some of it off. You can race Buck too. I don't think you would slow him down any by tagging along on his BIG RUNS if you go along.
Starskey - We miss you and we're still looking for you!
I have the distinct feeling that you would enjoy participating in his adventures in the mud too - but I think you would swim in the water to wash most of that mud off before you came bounding up to the house. Pele' doesn't do that - he just comes in all his mud covered glory and expects me to let him in the house like that. He hasn't even figured out that a dip in Bucks swimming pool gets most of it off - even though that is where I take him to rinse him off every time he comes home covered in that stinky goop. He is awful..........
I think I would have to be angry with him - if it weren't so funny to watch him leaping in the grass and jumping after all the frogs and dragon flies. The pond is so low from no rain that the exposed dirt around the edges has started to grow grass. That makes getting to the muddy parts so much easier for a smaller guy - but it also frustrates Buck when he wants to get to the water for a swim....and he isn't appreciating all the stinky mud I keep rinsing off Pele' in his swimming pool. I think I'll have to find a wash tub or something for Pele' rinsing.
The grass in the pond dirt isn't real tall but it is tall enough that all we can see is the tip of Pele's tail in it - until he attacks his real (or imaginary) prey. He does that with great energy and enthusiasm, making a huge leap from where he was to where he is going. That is when we can see his whole body above the grass. Once he lands again all we see is the grass quiver and shake then suddenly go still, as a head pops up and looks around to see if anyone saw that.
Last night he actually caught a frog by the hind leg. He didn't kill it. I am not sure if he even hurt it because he carried it a couple feet and then let it go in the water. Do you think he figured that the water was where the frog belonged - instead of in his own private playground. I don't know...... He sure likes the pond edge (where the mud is) and the shorter water grass that now grows in the exposed dirt. He seems to spend a lot of time there.
He hasn't figured out that he can go all the way around the pond yet. The dam scares him because he can hear the water going out the overflow. He plays on the house side of the pond down by the weeping willow tree (great place to play hide and seek) but seems to like the field side the best....that is why we can see him so well while he is playing. Buck waits until Pele' is happily busy in his mud playground so that he can do his BIG RUNS. They are so much more fun and he can go so much faster without the little tag-a-long.
Buck runs at full speed through the pasture, around the pond, through the timber, around the shop, past the house then across the dam, through the other timber and around the pond again - without stopping. That is his favorite route though he sometimes varies and makes a trip in to the corn. He goes in on the north end and comes out on the south end - but the rows go the other way. I hope he isn't knocking down Steve's corn! I don't think he runs in there - I think that is more of a reconnaissance mission to see who else has been around. You know - the deer and the racoons, or maybe just that darn cat.
This all seems to take place in the early evening for both of them. That must be why they are both so willing to go to their kennels at night - they are pooped from their adventures! During the day they nap alot and take short excursions together. They patrol all four corners and all sides of our property - but do not go in the road. The ditch is as close as they get to that and I am not complaining! I'd hate to have to put their training collars back on them and have to remind them to stay away from the road that way. They apparently learned that lesson quickly.
It is going to be another beautiful day outside today. I can get some garden work done and maybe even some yard work. I'll find that old wash tub and fill it full of water to rinse Pele' in and change Buck's pool water so he has clean stuff to lay in. Pele' definately needs a real bath soon because rinsing gets the mud off - but not all of the stink and he is starting to smell really bad. Maybe today.........unless he begins to have too much fun again and rinsing is all I have time for.
Who would have thought that this terrier mix fellow would find such happiness and fun in such simple things - and entertain us in the process? Terriers can be little terrors - but Pele' seems content to catch a rodent from time to time (that must be his day job) and to play in the stinky pond mud to chase ellusive (and some fantacy) creatures along the pond bank. I know I feel safer knowing that he is guarding me from all of the frogs and toads!
Starskey - come home and play with Pele'. Yes - even in the pond mud. Maybe you can teach him to swim to get some of it off. You can race Buck too. I don't think you would slow him down any by tagging along on his BIG RUNS if you go along.
Starskey - We miss you and we're still looking for you!
Monday, August 20, 2012
The football
Good Morning Starskey....it is a beautiful sunshiny August morning with temps in 40's. It will get up to 70's today but cool down again tonight. (Isn't that September weather?) Your cats are loving this. Instead of taking advantage of Buck and Pele' being kenneled at night so they have full run of the house - they go out at night and come in when the sun comes up. If they weren't all "fixed" I might wonder what all they were up to at those hours, but that isn't what I am writing to tell you about today - it was just a bonus to let you know that they were all a-okay.
Do you remember that football that Phillip left here. No - not the Nerf one that you chewed up in a day. I mean that real official pigskin football - the one you worked all summer to disassemble. Yeah - that one.......well Pele' has found more parts to it. You hid them pretty good because Ike and Buck didn't find them but Pele' is relentless. When he is on a mission nothing is buried too deep nor hidden too well.
I told you he found the air bladder and enjoyed shaking the stink out of it as much as you did - but now he has also found half of the "pigskin" cover - and is still looking for the rest. Apparently the skin doesn't shake as well as the bladder but he is not chewing it either...I wonder if it is real pigskin afterall. At any rate he is dragging it all over the place like it is his new best friend. He only tried to bring it in to the house once - now he has found a "safe" place right beside the door to stash it when he comes in - and to check it or pick it up when he goes out.
You have to remember that he is only half your size (but still slightly larger then Midnight) so dragging that chuck of football skin around looks like he has something major in his mouth. I guess it is major to him......it was to you! Where did you bury/hide that anyway? I know where the bladder was but not the chunks of the outside of that poor football.
You started on it as a teething pup and learned nothing more then how to hold it down and gum it to death. As you grew I began to see teeth marks show - mostly just scrapes. It took you a while to figure out that the pointed ends were not the best place to do any serious work at destruction (or disassembly) of a football - and those seams were so tight! Then you found the laces. Even then I began to wonder if your project was just something to do, a goal, or lifetime entertainment.
You took your time with it and did get it apart without tearing the skin - so there is still two pieces of skin, still stiched together, out there somewhere. I think if you had taken it apart and separated all the pieces - none of them would have been large enough to be much fun for anything - or even a good trophy for all your hard work.
Did you think you hit the jackpot the day that air bladder came popping out? I actually think you were kind of ticked off that there was another round thing (with no laces) to have to deal with. It took you several weeks of chewing on that tough rubber bladder to pop it - and the escaping air scared you silly. It made a funny noise and moved around a little bit all by itself. When you put your paw on it - it made more funny noise and you jumped back to study it for a while.
Eventually it lost enough air that your paw no longer made it sound funny so after you pawed it six ways to Sunday - you figured it was safe to pick it up. I will never forget that day. It hung limply in your mouth and you had no idea what to do with it. I think you first shook it in an effort to wake it up again or something - because it sure didn't look like it was going to be very interesting or fun in this condition..........but we both know what happened when you shook it.
It slapped you up both sides of the head and made an whole new sound. You decided that was pretty cool and you shook it and shook it and shook it until I thought you might hurt yourself. You were a happy boy and that rubber bladder became your favorite toy. I didn't tell you that shaking the thing has an instict for you and that you were simulating what you would do to kill prey if you were hunting. That probably would have taken all the fun out of it for you so I just let you play and practice.
You were shaking that bladder as you frolicked in that first real snowfall on the day you disappeared. You left it down by the clothes line. I saw it in the spring when the snow melted but couldn't bring myself to move it from where you left it. I think Ike found it and moved it up in to the Day Lily patch before he left us. That is where Pele' found it - on one of his mouse hunts.
I offered to buy Phillip a new one but he said he wasn't worried about it. He had to have somebody to play catch with anyway and the girls just weren't in to that. He would come and watch you carry the darn thing around and kept track of your progress with it. He though the bladder shaking was pretty cool too.
That silly football has given so many of us such pleasure that I think it was just meant to be disassembled. Thank you for the diligence to get it done and all the entertainment in the process - and since. It is little things like this that keep you in my heart and keep me hoping that someday you will get back home to carry on the project and play. There is a basket ball here now and Buck isn't much interested in it so it is still round and full of air.......
I love you Starskey and I am still looking for you!
Do you remember that football that Phillip left here. No - not the Nerf one that you chewed up in a day. I mean that real official pigskin football - the one you worked all summer to disassemble. Yeah - that one.......well Pele' has found more parts to it. You hid them pretty good because Ike and Buck didn't find them but Pele' is relentless. When he is on a mission nothing is buried too deep nor hidden too well.
I told you he found the air bladder and enjoyed shaking the stink out of it as much as you did - but now he has also found half of the "pigskin" cover - and is still looking for the rest. Apparently the skin doesn't shake as well as the bladder but he is not chewing it either...I wonder if it is real pigskin afterall. At any rate he is dragging it all over the place like it is his new best friend. He only tried to bring it in to the house once - now he has found a "safe" place right beside the door to stash it when he comes in - and to check it or pick it up when he goes out.
You have to remember that he is only half your size (but still slightly larger then Midnight) so dragging that chuck of football skin around looks like he has something major in his mouth. I guess it is major to him......it was to you! Where did you bury/hide that anyway? I know where the bladder was but not the chunks of the outside of that poor football.
You started on it as a teething pup and learned nothing more then how to hold it down and gum it to death. As you grew I began to see teeth marks show - mostly just scrapes. It took you a while to figure out that the pointed ends were not the best place to do any serious work at destruction (or disassembly) of a football - and those seams were so tight! Then you found the laces. Even then I began to wonder if your project was just something to do, a goal, or lifetime entertainment.
You took your time with it and did get it apart without tearing the skin - so there is still two pieces of skin, still stiched together, out there somewhere. I think if you had taken it apart and separated all the pieces - none of them would have been large enough to be much fun for anything - or even a good trophy for all your hard work.
Did you think you hit the jackpot the day that air bladder came popping out? I actually think you were kind of ticked off that there was another round thing (with no laces) to have to deal with. It took you several weeks of chewing on that tough rubber bladder to pop it - and the escaping air scared you silly. It made a funny noise and moved around a little bit all by itself. When you put your paw on it - it made more funny noise and you jumped back to study it for a while.
Eventually it lost enough air that your paw no longer made it sound funny so after you pawed it six ways to Sunday - you figured it was safe to pick it up. I will never forget that day. It hung limply in your mouth and you had no idea what to do with it. I think you first shook it in an effort to wake it up again or something - because it sure didn't look like it was going to be very interesting or fun in this condition..........but we both know what happened when you shook it.
It slapped you up both sides of the head and made an whole new sound. You decided that was pretty cool and you shook it and shook it and shook it until I thought you might hurt yourself. You were a happy boy and that rubber bladder became your favorite toy. I didn't tell you that shaking the thing has an instict for you and that you were simulating what you would do to kill prey if you were hunting. That probably would have taken all the fun out of it for you so I just let you play and practice.
You were shaking that bladder as you frolicked in that first real snowfall on the day you disappeared. You left it down by the clothes line. I saw it in the spring when the snow melted but couldn't bring myself to move it from where you left it. I think Ike found it and moved it up in to the Day Lily patch before he left us. That is where Pele' found it - on one of his mouse hunts.
I offered to buy Phillip a new one but he said he wasn't worried about it. He had to have somebody to play catch with anyway and the girls just weren't in to that. He would come and watch you carry the darn thing around and kept track of your progress with it. He though the bladder shaking was pretty cool too.
That silly football has given so many of us such pleasure that I think it was just meant to be disassembled. Thank you for the diligence to get it done and all the entertainment in the process - and since. It is little things like this that keep you in my heart and keep me hoping that someday you will get back home to carry on the project and play. There is a basket ball here now and Buck isn't much interested in it so it is still round and full of air.......
I love you Starskey and I am still looking for you!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Life goes on but I miss you
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
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
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Summer is here - I miss you!
Well, summer is not only officially here but the heat is coming too! UGH.....Oh - the swimming pool is full and so is the half barrel. We got some rain last week so the pond got some fresh water too but it still gets warm....but Buck says wet is wet and it feels good either way.
Pele' has had 4 camping weekends now and has claimed his spot in the camper. He is a social busy body and has to check on everything and everybody.....kind of like you! He also seems to be almost as popular as you....everybody knows him and Buck and welcome their visits. That is a good thing - the welcome part I mean. They can go camping one more time before the Rally but then the roads will get too busy for them to visit folks and escort vehicles. They will go stay at Jerry's with the Bostons while we are gone for the rally.
Mouse finally taught the boys to run in the grass so their feet didn't get sore. Mouse is getting old and slower but she isn't going to miss the boys when they come - or the action of getting ready for the rally. Her bloodhound bay, followed by Buck's lab voice, followed by the Pele' voice (squeek?) is sure a contrast. Last weekend they sat on the hill in the shade and said hello to everyone who came and went.....I wonder what the people all thought of the trio?
Pele' reminds me a lot of you. He is so curious and now that he has figured out that he has free run at home - he comes in full of stickers (just like Missy) and with his ear stuck to his forehead and his tail stuck to his leg and all sorts of odd things. I think he does it on purpose to get the attention to remove them...that means getting brushed and loved. They all come out easy - not like Missy where they would get wrapped up in long hair and the undercoat too. He won't need a summer haircut to be comfortable....
Pele' has a lot of Jack in him too. He is a digger and he is relentless when he has something he is after. The chipmonks and shrews mess with him by hiding in the wood pile or under the equipment he can't wiggle under to get them. I think he has made hunting near the house and buildings tougher for Midnight and Sassy because everybody stays hidden from "the dog" so they can't catch them....but nobody looks like they are starving or suffering.
Sassy keeps bringing her kills to the back door of the shop. I wonder if she is bringing them to Pele'? Since he had never been around cats before - Sassy has become a "distance" friend but I am not sure he knows that yet. She sits in the chair on the outside of the shop kennel when he's there and they just look at each other but if he comes in the door and she is moving around - he chases.
Hope Pele' gets "catasized" soon. In this heat he'll be in the house more then out and you know how that will go over with Spook and Booger. They have learned the bell code too - if the bell on the door jingles it means he has either come in or gone out and they can plan their activity accordingly. They don't care about Buck - he just lays there and they walk around him.
If he is sleeping Spook will come down and watch him. Booger just checks him on her way by to the food and litter. Midnight knows the guy is his size so he sometimes messes with him and undoes the progress made for a while.......Darn Cat!
I just wish you were here to be a part of all of this, instead of me having to tell you about it. You have some good things and lessons to teach Pele'.....and you could learn good things from Buck. It would be so wonderful to take our walks together again and watch how you boys work things together. I suspect that you and Buck would do squirrel patrol, while you and Pele' would do mouse and snake patrol....Oh, those would be such wonderful walks!
I miss you Starskey - no matter how many others are here to share my heart - there is a special spot that is only yours. In reality, I miss all of you guys at the Bridge and I have many spots in my heart where you remain. Take care of each other and keep Ike out of trouble!
All my love.......Mom
Pele' has had 4 camping weekends now and has claimed his spot in the camper. He is a social busy body and has to check on everything and everybody.....kind of like you! He also seems to be almost as popular as you....everybody knows him and Buck and welcome their visits. That is a good thing - the welcome part I mean. They can go camping one more time before the Rally but then the roads will get too busy for them to visit folks and escort vehicles. They will go stay at Jerry's with the Bostons while we are gone for the rally.
Mouse finally taught the boys to run in the grass so their feet didn't get sore. Mouse is getting old and slower but she isn't going to miss the boys when they come - or the action of getting ready for the rally. Her bloodhound bay, followed by Buck's lab voice, followed by the Pele' voice (squeek?) is sure a contrast. Last weekend they sat on the hill in the shade and said hello to everyone who came and went.....I wonder what the people all thought of the trio?
Pele' reminds me a lot of you. He is so curious and now that he has figured out that he has free run at home - he comes in full of stickers (just like Missy) and with his ear stuck to his forehead and his tail stuck to his leg and all sorts of odd things. I think he does it on purpose to get the attention to remove them...that means getting brushed and loved. They all come out easy - not like Missy where they would get wrapped up in long hair and the undercoat too. He won't need a summer haircut to be comfortable....
Pele' has a lot of Jack in him too. He is a digger and he is relentless when he has something he is after. The chipmonks and shrews mess with him by hiding in the wood pile or under the equipment he can't wiggle under to get them. I think he has made hunting near the house and buildings tougher for Midnight and Sassy because everybody stays hidden from "the dog" so they can't catch them....but nobody looks like they are starving or suffering.
Sassy keeps bringing her kills to the back door of the shop. I wonder if she is bringing them to Pele'? Since he had never been around cats before - Sassy has become a "distance" friend but I am not sure he knows that yet. She sits in the chair on the outside of the shop kennel when he's there and they just look at each other but if he comes in the door and she is moving around - he chases.
Hope Pele' gets "catasized" soon. In this heat he'll be in the house more then out and you know how that will go over with Spook and Booger. They have learned the bell code too - if the bell on the door jingles it means he has either come in or gone out and they can plan their activity accordingly. They don't care about Buck - he just lays there and they walk around him.
If he is sleeping Spook will come down and watch him. Booger just checks him on her way by to the food and litter. Midnight knows the guy is his size so he sometimes messes with him and undoes the progress made for a while.......Darn Cat!
I just wish you were here to be a part of all of this, instead of me having to tell you about it. You have some good things and lessons to teach Pele'.....and you could learn good things from Buck. It would be so wonderful to take our walks together again and watch how you boys work things together. I suspect that you and Buck would do squirrel patrol, while you and Pele' would do mouse and snake patrol....Oh, those would be such wonderful walks!
I miss you Starskey - no matter how many others are here to share my heart - there is a special spot that is only yours. In reality, I miss all of you guys at the Bridge and I have many spots in my heart where you remain. Take care of each other and keep Ike out of trouble!
All my love.......Mom
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Meet Peludo
Hello Ike, Starskey, Missy, Jack, Scooter, Saint, Pepper, Apachie, Pockie and all my feline family. We have a new addition to the family. His formal name is Peludo (like the soccor star) but we just call him Pepe' (or JYD - Junk Yard Dog). He was my Mother's Day gift (?) from Robin.
How do I describe him? Bigger then Midnight (but he doesn't know that yet) but smaller then Jack. That is pretty close. He looks like a cross between a Scottish terrierr or a Schnauzer and a Chihuahua. How is that for a mix? He is so ugly he is cute! He has been living at Robin's with her Pits since September but now she has taken in a stray Boxer and felt "over dogged". She thought he would be happier to just deal with one big friend (Buck). She was right - he is now Buck's shadow. Buck does enjoy having a playmate again but isn't sure about the shadow part yet.
I figure Pele' has survived a year of raukus activity and play with two Pits so he and Buck should be fine. Buck is requiring some reassurance from time to time and I can remember when all of you did the same, when a second canine came to live here. In the end you became best friends and often inseperable. A black retriever and a Sch/Chi do make and odd couple but so did an American Eskimo and a Jack Russell - and that pair took care of each other for years!
Pepe' is bonding with the house, his floor pillow and his new surroundings. He treads very carefully outside - wondering with each step if he will be shocked. Robin had wireless fencing and he can't believe he can move around here freely....so he does it carefully!
I wish you all could meet him. Starskey - you and Jack would love him! He is just your type. We would walk right under Ike, which would keep him guess about where he was. Missy - he would drive you crazy so just go find a place to lay down and watch the idiots play. He is growing on Dad because he will ride the golf cart...something only Jack and Starskey have ever done willingly.
We all raised the girls right didn't we! They love animals and they rescue the ones that need it - just like we always did when they were growing up. Robin has 3 big ones now and Rene' has 2 big ones and 2 little ones and some cats....and I still have room in my heart for more if there is no one else that needs or wants their love.
I miss you all, especially when the weather is so nice and more time is spent out of doors, where we would walk and talk and play together. Memories of our years and special times together wash over me and I smile and feel all the love. Take care of each other! Keep your eyes open for lonely new comers to the Bridge. They may not have gotten rescued and loved before they had to go to the Bridge. You can make them feel welcome and cared for there, even if they weren't before they got there.
Nothing is worse then being alone and feeling scared. You all made sure that I was never alone and you comforted me when I was sad or scared. Do the same for newcomers to the Bridge - you all know how, in fact you are experts at it.
With all my love - Mom
Here are pictures of Pele'
How do I describe him? Bigger then Midnight (but he doesn't know that yet) but smaller then Jack. That is pretty close. He looks like a cross between a Scottish terrierr or a Schnauzer and a Chihuahua. How is that for a mix? He is so ugly he is cute! He has been living at Robin's with her Pits since September but now she has taken in a stray Boxer and felt "over dogged". She thought he would be happier to just deal with one big friend (Buck). She was right - he is now Buck's shadow. Buck does enjoy having a playmate again but isn't sure about the shadow part yet.
I figure Pele' has survived a year of raukus activity and play with two Pits so he and Buck should be fine. Buck is requiring some reassurance from time to time and I can remember when all of you did the same, when a second canine came to live here. In the end you became best friends and often inseperable. A black retriever and a Sch/Chi do make and odd couple but so did an American Eskimo and a Jack Russell - and that pair took care of each other for years!
Pepe' is bonding with the house, his floor pillow and his new surroundings. He treads very carefully outside - wondering with each step if he will be shocked. Robin had wireless fencing and he can't believe he can move around here freely....so he does it carefully!
I wish you all could meet him. Starskey - you and Jack would love him! He is just your type. We would walk right under Ike, which would keep him guess about where he was. Missy - he would drive you crazy so just go find a place to lay down and watch the idiots play. He is growing on Dad because he will ride the golf cart...something only Jack and Starskey have ever done willingly.
We all raised the girls right didn't we! They love animals and they rescue the ones that need it - just like we always did when they were growing up. Robin has 3 big ones now and Rene' has 2 big ones and 2 little ones and some cats....and I still have room in my heart for more if there is no one else that needs or wants their love.
I miss you all, especially when the weather is so nice and more time is spent out of doors, where we would walk and talk and play together. Memories of our years and special times together wash over me and I smile and feel all the love. Take care of each other! Keep your eyes open for lonely new comers to the Bridge. They may not have gotten rescued and loved before they had to go to the Bridge. You can make them feel welcome and cared for there, even if they weren't before they got there.
Nothing is worse then being alone and feeling scared. You all made sure that I was never alone and you comforted me when I was sad or scared. Do the same for newcomers to the Bridge - you all know how, in fact you are experts at it.
With all my love - Mom
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