The Squirrel Incident

It was shortly after five p.m. Bartley had eaten his dinner of special bits and dry kernels. My husband burst in the front door after work. Bartley always runs to play and greet him. They play and go out to the backyard. I had mentioned it was time to go out with him or let him out.

Please note: Bartley shoves and has to be the first one out. There he goes...sniffing the beautiful green rye grass. THEN it happened with the husband standing in plain sight. A squirrel (the big guy) ran up to the dog and bonked him on the nose with his nose. The audacity! The unabashed hit and run. Poor Bartley...too stunned to respond.

 He is the tough one. The squirrel chaser...I should say squirrels. They have their own subdivisions in the trees and are very well fed. Corn fed by our neighbors. The Stinky Boy spent his time out guarding and being alert for those bold beasties. None dared him today and his wicked hunting ego has been restored. That back yard and all the possessions are His.

This table should fix it. A safe spot from the evil beast of a squirrel. I know this is my yard....yes...mine, mine, all mine. This is my yard. My yard...ZZzzzzzz!

She said Cleaning for the New Year!!!

Holidays are over and we are getting in the mood for cleaning the place up for the New Year. I have cleaned out the refrigerator. No science project.....no more holiday food and no chocolate....but how can that be? Gotta put that one on a list. Now that food and the mountain of containers are under control. We turn to the scruffy one....he is starting to smell like a D-O-G!!!! The next thing on the list is bathe and groom Bartley. He is taken aback. The effort that goes into being stinky is a work of art. He is so thrilled.

Grooming our dogs would cost $30 each. $60 every two to three weeks adds up fast. Bathing at home takes 15 mins. Grooming is brushing often, Sundays clipping any paw fur and nails. I brush the dogs during the evening when we watch our shows. It keeps hair from getting everywhere. The bonding during the brushing is fun....one of the shelties we owned would even roll over to get under the legs and tummy areas. I prefer doing as much as possible for them. Being frugal doesn't hurt. It is routine for us so we do not even notice that it could be a chore. My babe is knock-kneed, duck footed and has hair issues. What is not to love?

Bartley Boy.....come here boy....bath time!