Help...I'm stuck.....

I really don't get the respect I derserve......I respect their stuff........



Here I was stuck......an' I needed help......does mom come runnin' to my rescue?  NOOO!  Instead she's laughin'....an' takin' my picture.....




My tags got caught on that blanket on dad's chair....an' I was tryin' really hard not to damage it or pull it off his chair.....do I get any thanks?   NOOOOOO!  Just laughed at!!

What adventure?

Oh my gosh.....it's really funny...but I do have to worry about mom, sometimes.

It rained pretty much all day, yesterday, finally kinda clearin' up last nite. It was damp an' foggy...just how Lexie an' I like it.

We knew that the critters like it like that, too. An' after beein' cooped up in the house w/mom all day, we were rarin' to go as soon as mom let us out.

We zoomed out.....mom checked the weather an' since it looked like it wasn't gonna rain, she didn't even bother givin' us that "come right back" speech. (as if we even hung around long enough to have heard it, anyway).

Lexie ran right over to check if Ginger was out. (She wasn't)...then proceeded to patrol on that side of the yard around the greenhouse. I ran off to the right side of the yard to check that area out.

We met up around the orange trees. There's always somethin' in there tryin' to steal mom's oranges. But, I guess we were too early. So, we just enjoyed bein' out. It was a lil cooler, so we got to just playin'.

All excited like, we ran into the house midchase. Lexie likes to use dad's chair as "base", So, she jumped up in it hard enough to make it rock. I ran up to mom to let her know we were back an' everythin' was ok....an' to see if she wanted to join us in play.

She was busy makin' somethin'...so, I went back to Lexie.

Mom hadn't told us to stay inside, so we took advantage of that an' went back outside.

Mom saw us leave.....then it clicked on her that Lexie went out kinda careful like thru her lil' door an'....it looked like she had somethin' in her mouth. Somethin' grey......

Alarmed...mom was havin' flashes goin' thru her head of ...well.....large grey thin's.....we don't have any large grey stuffies.....so, naturally mom's brain was flashin' pics of possums. (It's amazin', really, how she goes there).

She was up from her desk, grabbin' her lite...an' out the door in nano seconds.

I was just makin' my way back to the house an' was almost to the patio. I saw her an' could tell there was some kind of situation an' alarm happenin'. I ran right up to her.....to find out what it was.....heck, I needed to know...did I need to "get" someone, somethin'...save someone....what was happenin'....I was ready!

Then she stopped........

She was lookin' at Lexie, who was just sittin' on the edge of the deck lookin' out on the yard. Lexie turned an' looked at me an' mom....then got up an' waggin' her tail, sauntered over to us, with a "what's up?".

Mom shined her lite all over around the deck an' patio...didn't see anythin'. Then went back in the house. We followed her to the kitchen. She gave us each a treat an' told us that was enough adventure for the nite.

Lexie an' I didn't mind that treat, at all....but we still had no clue what adventure she was talkin' about. As far as we can tell, she startin' to imagine stuff......last nite was nice an' fun, but we never even saw any critters, much less brought anythin' in the house.

It's not about how much you win.....

It was a sad sight.....refused my dinner. Mom was all kinds of upset an' worried. Not only that, I was kinda mopin', just layin' around....until she heard me in the kitchen. 
I sounded angry an' demandin'.....
She came in the kitchen so witness me lettin' out big "woofs"...first at my bowl (that was full of my kibble)...then at the kitchen counter.......finally, I just sat in the middle of the floor an' let out a super big "WOOF"...then looked directly at her.
She got the message all right........but then said there was no way she was givin' me any of that roast beef an' gravy..."no way, no how!" Then she left me sittin' there.
I thought about it for about a nano second....then got up, went to the kitchen door...an' let out another "woof". KInda in a argumentative voice. (Well, at least in a voice intended to tell her how much I disagreed w/her decision.)
She went an' sat on the couch.
I went an' laid on my bed in front of the tv an' the couch...starin' at her.
Lexie had been followin' all this & in support hadn't eaten, either. She takes her cues from me...& she knew there was that gravy on that counter, just like I did...she was just lettin' me do the "heavy liftin'".
I know mom sat there thru at least two shows...of whatever. I still just stared.
Finally, she got up...went to the kitchen.....I followed.
"FINE!!!", she said.
She got a spoon an' put one lil' dollup of that roast beef gravy on top of mine an' Lexie's food.
Lexie an' I scarfed up all that food w/out even gettin' scarcastic.....after all it's not always about how much you win, it's about winnin' the battle in the first place.
Bailey-1 Mom-0

Mom...Helpin'...again....

What's on my mind?
Mom...that's what. I don't think what she did tonite was appropriate at all! It certainly wasn't approved by AHS guidelines. 
She heard us yellin' in the backyard, so naturally she came out to investigate (interrupt). 
I was on one side by the hot tub, an' Lexie was on the other side of the yard by the orange trees. 
It rained this afternoon hard...a real frog strangler. It's done this for the last three days. Our backyard looks like a swamp w/all the standin' water. Mom keep having to check on the fish, so far they've stayed in the pond, lol.
Anyway.....she came to see what I was after on the fence. I'm not sure she was really concerned about that or the fact I was climbin' up in her pots to get to the fence. (well, they were in my way).
As soon she got there, I showed her where that big possum was. She got her stick an' poked it......it hissed at her, so she poked it again.....then it took off down the fence an' hid behind some b'nana trees.....I was right there...about to launch myself up there an' grab it's tail. Lexie had abandoned her chase to join me.
Then it happened.....mom...again....yep...broke protocol.
She braced her lite w/her big stick...then gave that possum a shove. It climbed half up on top of the fence an' was reachin' for her stick.....she wasn't gonna let that happen. Lexie an' I were roarin'.....mom gave it another big poke...an' of all thin's....poked that possum right over the fence into Ginger's yard!
Heck! Ginger wasn't even out there....an' I haven't certified her to deal w/big possums....those big ones have longer legs then she does!
Lexie an' I both put out noses to the bottom of the fence....then looked at mom.....an' then even before she said anythin', we went back to the house.
When she followed us inside, she tried to make it sound like she had helped us by gettin' it off our fence. Whatever.....I know she tries...but I have to say her helpin' isn't always successful in our minds. We went to the kitchen, an' she gave us one of our treats (that's another thin'...they're ours...mom an' dad don't even eat 'em...why do they hoard 'em like they do?). An' then she got herself a cookie. (you can imagine my thoughts on that).

"Ignorance is not Bilss"

OMD....I can' hardly stand it.....I'm laughin' so hard. I really don't know why mom even bothers gettin' in a tizzy....it's not like it's the first time somethin's gotten loose in the house. Remember that time Lexie an' I discovered that big possum in the garage...then flushed it out an' it got in the house? Then was hidin' behind the couch an' chairs while we chased it an' mom runnin' around w/a broom? What great fun...but we took care of it.
Well, this flashed before mom's eyes when dad came home for lunch an' asked her if she happened to get a lil' gift when she woke up this mornin'. An' then he proceeded to tell her that when he finally let us out at 5am this mornin'...he had a lil' trouble gettin' us back in. We were busy.
Finally, right before he had to leave for work, he called us one last time w/"that voice" an' told us to come inside. Since I was done, I came right away...went inside...an' then Lexie was right behind me. But dad looked at her an' closed the door in her face. Even I thought that was a lil' rude....an' Lexie was a lil' confused. So, she went to her lil' door to come inside (she wasn't gonna miss out on his "I'm goin' to work, so here's your mornin' cookie".
Dad opened the back door, again....an' told her she couldn't come in the house with the possum she had in her mouth. He then told her to drop it....she weighed her options..an' then decided to think about it for a minute an' left back out in the yard.
Dad left the her lil' doggy door open an' went to work, leavin' mom sleepin' an' totally unaware of the possibilities. At this point, mom told dad to never leave her sleepin' unawares again....ignorance is not bliss...if she had woken up to a possum in her bed or stepped on it...well, let's just say it wouldn't have been pretty, but it would have been loud. He thought it was funny.
Anyway....before he hardly finished tellin' her, she had both of us out the backdoor w/orders to find that "possum", now!
Ok...it's not like we lost it or anythin'....we knew where it was an' really didn't understand the problem. In fact, we thought she woulda' taken care of it when she came out w/her mornin' coffee an' plant waterin'. It was right there by the back door, where Lexie left it when she came inside after hearin' dad leavin' for work. She knew not to bring it in the house....she was a lil' confused w/what dad wanted when he told her to come in the house.
All I've gotta say is it's all about communication.....an' most of the problem is w/the folks....I tell you....they are a work in progress, 'cause we know what we're doin' in spite of 'em.

She did "COME RIGHT BACK!"

The house was cool, dark an' quiet. It was the wee hours of the mornin'.....about 3:30 am...when.....

Bark! bark!bark!bark!bark!bark!bark!....at the backdoor....Lexie was demandin' "OUT!".

First, mom yelled at her, "NO"!....even in the best of times, Lexie's not gonna hear that......

She just continued......

Bark! bark!bark!bark!bark!bark!bark!.

Next, mom got up an' slammed her door......

Bark! bark!bark!bark!bark!bark!bark!.

About thirty minutes later of ....yep, you guessed it....

Bark! bark!bark!bark!bark!bark!bark!.

Mom gets up.....in the dark......walks to the front of the livin' room.....Lexie turns around an' looks at mom (how she knew mom was there I don't know...just confirms what I suspect, she hears what she wants...or it was the forceful cloud of "madmom" she felt).

Lexie then turned back around an' barked a few times, then swatted at my big bell on the door...then looked back at mom......there was no room for misunderstandin' what Lexie wanted....not even in the dark.

Mom walked over...an' took that bell right off the door....an' slammed it down on her lil' table...then marched back to her room an' went back to bed.

Two minutes later.........(I guess after thinkin' about it)

Lexie marches right back to mom's bedroom doorway an' let loose w/some really loud an' fast BARKS!

Mom let loose w/a loud...well, let's just say she may have called Lexie a name.......ha ha ha....then she bolted up...went back to the livin' room...turned on the light.....went to the backdoor....

Lexie's grinnin' an' waggin' her tail ('cause she got her way, again).....I even got up from my bed where I'd been havin' to listen to all this....an' met both of them there. (Heck, if she's gettin' to go out...I'm goin' out, too).

Mom puts her hand on the doorknob...we're lookin' at her an' we're ready to bolt.....she points that finger at both of us....even goes so far as to tap Lexie on the nose to make sure she's payin' attention...then gives us that "COME RIGHT BACK!". There's no mistakin' what mom was tellin' us. She wasn't a happy camper...but she did have a nigglin' thought that maybe Lexie just really had to "go".

She opened the door, an' we were out almost before it was all the way open.

As mom headed to the kitchen to get a drink of water.....dad showed up. He told her he'd wait for us since it was about the time he usually gets up anyway, an' he headed to the back door. Mom got a drink of water.......

Dad opened the backdoor an' called for mom to come there.....she could see him holdin' Lexie.......

She rushed out there thinkin' that somethin' had happened......we had only been out there 3 or 4 minutes!

Somethin' had happened, alright......Dad had Lexie by the collar.....Lexie had a possum in her mouth.....the possum had Lexie by the beard....none of 'em were lettin' go.

Dad was tryin' to tell Lexie to let go...he was even tryin' to pull the possum outa Lexie's mouth...or at least to make the possum let go.......

Mom went to get on of Lexie's treats......nope, that didn't work...Lexie wasn't gonna trade...not w/this one...it was still hangin' onto her beard.

Mom tried a piece of cheese...nope....didn't work.

Finally, dad had his big gloves on, an' pried Lexie's mouth open an' pulled the possum off her beard. Mom was holdin' Lexie by the collar an' escorted her into the house. I escorted dad to the back of the yard where he chucked that possum right over the fence into the field.

Then he an' I went back to the house.

Lexie was layin' up in dad's chair w/a grin, when we got back to the house. I went back to my bed.....mom an' dad just kinda looked at her.....then mom said, "well, I did tell her to "come right back"....guess I need to clarify that with "and alone!".

Not a Dark an' Stormy Nite......

It wasn't a dark an' stormy nite, just humid w/no chance of rain in sight.....it wasn't a full moon. It was one of those dark, swarmy nites....when thin's go slitherin' an' sneakin' around & all you can hear are the nite time bugs. Dad was workin' late last nite, so it was just me, Lexie an' mom.

Mom had let us out after the nite time news. We did a patrol....an' it was pretty quiet....Ginger had even come out an' reported thin's were quiet on her side. We didn't stay out too long, besides I didn't want to leave mom by herself too long, she just might be openin' that front door to who knows who.

We were all settled back in the house.......when it happened!

It was startlin'.......all three of us were sent into a state of emergency...well, mom was.....an' since she was, I was....an' since I was, Lexie was.....it's one of those snowball thin's.

Mom got up from her computer..an' slowly made her was across the livin' room.......I got up an' followed her....Lexie was sittin' up on the couch watchin' both of us.

As mom knocked stuff off her lil' table, then off the bookshelf as she was reachin' for her big lite, she was mutterin' that when the power goes off in the whole house w/out warnin'......it was spookier then one of our nite time backyard adventures, an' definitely darker!

She patted me on the head, then of all thin's headed for the frond door. I'm thinkin', "oh no...here we go again".....yep, she an' her big lite go out in the front yard. I ran to the kitchen to see what she was about. Well, she wasn't about much.....she stood in front of the kitchen windows w/her lite....an' that was the only lite as far as either one of us could see. She said it was just as spooky out there as in the house, so she came back inside....checked the locks on both doors...then settled herself on the couch w/her lite & cell phone...Lexie on the couch beside her, an' me at her feet...an' we waited for dad.

When he came home, mom shined her lite from the couch so he could see. Which was good since she had cooked him dinner.

We have gas stove, so it was easy to heat it up (Lexie an' I got some, too).

We all did pretty good in the dark.......well, except for one hiccup...when dad walked across the livin' room to grab mom's big lite...an' tripped over me. (well, I had been layin' by mom...in fact stickin' close to her the whole time, except when she went awol...he shoulda' known). He fell, missed the corner of the table...didn't land on me completely...but managed to hit mom's knee w/his head or elbow, lol......she's still marvelin' at the fact that thru the whole thin', she's the one w/a bruise an' she was sittin' safely on the couch...she thought.

Anyway, the power was off less then two hours...an' that was the only real excitement...except when Lexie woke mom up at 5 am....an' they had "words".....mom told her "no"...went back to bed, then Lexie marched herself to mom's room an' yelled back.....but that's another story..........

No Pitch Forks

An' mom was worried, lol. 
Mom an' dad said that maybe thin's had died down after the big "cat-gate" adventure of ours, when we had to lay low an' almost go into witness protection or somethin', since our pictures were splattered all over the neighborhood FB page (I still maintain it was the cat's fault...although Lexie really needs to learn to leave evidence behind an' not carry it back to the house like a trophy). 
It's been months....so, late last nite the folks decided to brave it all an' take us for a walk around the neighborhood.
Lexie an' I were all set...we don't have a problem goin' incogneatoooh....anythin' for a possible adventure, lol.
But as it turned out, everyone was locked inside their houses....there weren't even any cats loungin' under any cars or bushes. It was still hot, so maybe that was the reason. Mom even remarked when we were about halfway...that the walk was goin' pretty good, that we weren't bein' chased by anyone w/pitchforks, yellin' "murderers".
The cra cra dog still lives at the corner house, an' trashed talked us as we walked by. Lexie was w/dad an' she totally ignored him. I started to yell at him, but mom made me sit an' think about it.....so, I didn't. Like she said...he's probably jealous that he's stuck in there an' I was out an' about.
Then we met a guy w/a lil' weiner dog. The guy was nice, but that lil' weiner dog obviously had an elevated sense of himself an' was throwin' trash talk at me an' Lexie. We ignored him....he was just too silly to even bother with.
All in all, it was still a great walk.....not much goin' on...guess our reputation still precedes us. Mom's not sure that's a good thin', but me an' Lexie wear it proud. We don't care...our rules, you mind 'em or not at your own peril.
We were able to lay down some peemail in prime spots, to remind all the 4 leggers that we're still around an' we're still on the job.

New Stuff.....

Don't cha just love new experiences? I do......mom don't.

She knows I love ice. I love plain ice....an' especially ice from her sweet tea....but now....I've discovered somethin' new.....an' I don't want plain ice...nope....I want her ice from her glass of (oh my do it's so good!) vanilla cream soda!!!.....an' I don't just want the ice....I want my own bowl of that stuff w/ICE! 
An' I told her so! ...totally turnin' up my nose an' snubbin' the bowl of plain ice water she made me. Nope...I went right over to her desk an' pointedly showed her...her almost gone glass of vanilla cream soda.

She got the message...but it didn't turn out quiet like I wanted. To quote her, "to shut me up" (as if)....she drank it down to almost the "why bother" stage...then poured the rest w/the ice in my bowl.

Then set the empty glass on the table close by. (I think that was a pointed message). 

Well....not to be ungrateful....I drank it all down an' ate every cube of ice.....with gusto......then to be sure she knew that I knew that she was makin' a statement...I gave that empty glass lil' sniff, then walked by...right up to mom....an' dried my beard on her white pants to show my gratitude.

Imminent Danger.......

Yesterday was almost a repeat of the 4th....rain. But no wind an' not as much, justs off an' on. Just enough so the backyard just never had a chance of dryin' out, which didn't make mom super happy since she says Lexie an' I are like walkin' muddy mops (x 8). She finally just put down towels an' let it go.

Dad spent the afternoon drainin' the hot tub, 'cause the storm had pushed off the screen cover an' blown tons of leaves an' stuff into it. All those pretty pink flowers from the trees are all over the place, coverin' everythin' in sludgy brown.....

Then durin' the rainy afternoon, we all were inside snackin' an' just enjoyin' a movie time.....an' mom was washin' towels, lol.

It really was a pretty good day.

Last nite was when AHS had to go back to work.

Mom had closed outside at the first sign of trouble.

I posted myself at the backdoor an' stood (well, laid down...no sense bein' uncomfortable) watch for hours at the first sign of imminent danger.....the possibility of the household security bein' breached.

It sounded like a warzone goin' on right behind our house! Oh, I know about thunder...Lexie still thinks there's some "boomin' man"...but I know better, it's just some kind of cloud noise when it's rainin' hard. Good sleepin' weather as far as I'm concerned. She, also, thinks' them loud bangs are just another kind of "boomin' mens". Now, she might be closer to bein' right on that.

In the past, I've heard strange people behind our fence make those big bangs.....an' I've warned 'em to stay away an' yelled my displeasure at 'em.

This year, mom kept us inside at the first bang. So, I was reduced to just bein' able to guard the backdoor, in case they got into our backyard an' tried to get into the house. It's usually Lexie's spot when we're locked inside, but as head of security, I placed myself there.......she decided to protect the kitchen (go figure).

I can honestly say, that it was another successful AHS mission.....there was no breach....an' everyone was able to sleep soundly knowin' I was on the job.....includin' me. (After all. no one could get inside that door w/out me knowin' it....).

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Lexie an' I thought we'd give mom a break, last nite. She had a sore tooth...an' I know how that can hurt. So, we didn't even object to her closin' outside an' goin' to bed early.

She checked the doors, turned out all the lites.....gave us each our goodnite hugs an' kisses (she never ever goes to bed w/out doin' this), dad was already asleep, an' then she went into her bathroom to get into her nities an' put that good tastin' stuff on her face (I like it).

Then she turned off that lite an' opened the door to the bedroom to go to bed.

As she smacked into me...luckily we both didn't go splat.....she was able to grab onto me to keep us both upright. Hey...I was just waitin' patiently for her to come out an' give her a nite kiss, make sure she was ok, an' just lay down by her bed.

Whew...we both were glad we escaped goin' splat...me, for her not landin' on me....her for...well not landin' at all.

Then she walks w/me to her side of the bed......

She steps right into the middle of Lexie...who was layin' patiently beside mom's side of the bed. Mom jumped back....Lexie jumped up. An' mom reached down an' hugged an' petted Lexie...makin' sure she was ok. Then mom climbed into bed.

Lexie an' I decided that we tried.....an' we, also, decided that we might be safer goin' to bed ....in the livin' room.

Well, we both had decided to put mom to bed an' wait for her to nod off...givin' her some quality time. This was not how we envisioned it goin' down. It was supposed to be a sweet gesture from us......comfortin' ....lettin' her know we really cared......not a crash n' burn type of moment.

It was the thought that counts, right?

Knock before Enterin'......

AHS-RED ALERT!!!
Mom an' I were out enjoyin' the mornin'. It's warm, balmy feelin'......there's a strong breeze makin' all the crepe myrtle blooms fall like pink snow. (dad don't like this 'cause they're landin' everywhere an' pilin' up on stuff in lil' drifts of brown an' pink).

All of a sudden.....the door bell rang....

I ran inside to the kitchen windows...lettin' out a warnin'! There's a white truck parked in front of our house. (I hate white trucks). Dad opened the door to talk to some man, an' I watched from the kitchen. Then as he left to go back to his truck, I ran up to my tower to make sure he really had intentions to leave.

After I was sure he drove off, I came back downstairs just in time to hear dad tell mom that that guy an' others would be back.....to go in our backyard. That they were here to check that buried pipeline that runs across the yard way in the back.

Well, I was gonna go out w/dad to check stuff out....an' be there for security. He locked me an' Lexie in the house!

I knew somethin' was up as I watched from the backdoor.....dad was out there....an' talkin' to someone!
"They" didn't come back later....."they" jumped over my back fence an' were back there!! 

Dad told 'em that he woulda' opened the gate & made sure me an' Lexie were locked in the house. When they were finished, he took them out that way. An' he told 'em that they were lucky that I wasn't out there, that it mighta' gotten "ugly". One of the guys said that it was ok.....they find it easier to just go over the fences from yard to yard w/no problem...that he likes dogs...an' even has a couple of "weiner dogs".
Dad opened the gate for 'em...an' pointed out where that big hole in the gate had been repaired. Then said that I was a lil' bigger then a "weiner dog"....an' that there were two of us, an' that hole in the gate was us bustin' thru it after just a cat that had gotten in our backyard w/out our permission. An' that he just wasn't sure how fast they could jump a fence an' run.........

He suggested to them that they just might consider comin' to the front door an' lettin' him open the gate & makin' sure we're locked up when they come back......

We'll see.....'cause I'm on alert....an' Lexie's an' my afternoon might just get a lot more excitin'........

Let Sleepin' Dogs Lie?...maybe not.......

Mom so wants to wake Lexie up from her nappin' w/dad in the bedroom. She reallllly does.
Lexie's sleepin' like a log......lookin' all sweet an' innocent. Mom's not feelin' it....




It all started w/the midnite game of ignorin' mom an' not wantin' to come inside. Then when mom got us all asleep..even her....me an' mom were woken up by that banshee howlin' of Lexie. Of course, Lexie didn't even wake up as mom an' I stood over her....she just snuggled down in her bed, smackin' her lips an' sleepin'.

Mom an' I went back to bed. 

Then at 2 am....Lexie's at the back door barkin' her head off....mom had to get up to tell her to knock it off an' go back to bed. Mom went back to bed...again...an' I went up to my tower for some peace an' quiet...an' some sleep. 

4:30 am.....the same thin'....mom gets up, turns on the lite in the livin' room. Lexie looks at her...an' mom yells, "NO!!"...turns off the lite an' goes back to bed. I think Lexie was startled...'cause it worked....she went back an' laid down.

Right at dawn....Lexie starts barkin' at the back door, again. Mom tries to just ignore...her...but Lexie wasn't havin' it. 

Lexie comes into mom's bedroom an' goes up to the side of mom....an' lets out a demandin' bark...right at mom. That was a lil' hard to ignore.....then Lexie goes to the doorway...an' barks some more...then heads to the back door.

Now, mom's thinkin' that maybe....Lexie really needs to go out an' gets up....an' lets her out.
Now....Lexie runnnns out. Mom stands at the door an' watches her......
Is it a potty break? Nooooo!

Lexie puts her nose to the ground an' is goin' helter skelter across the patio, the deck, the yard...by the pond....behind the arbor...down by the greenhouse......as fast as she can......as if she's trackin' somethin'.....

Then......she just comes right back to mom an' goes back in the house an' lays down...all satisfied an' happy like.

Mom's left standin' at the door in her jammies, at dawn....totally dumbfounded, thinkin'...."what was that all about?". It's not like Lexie heard somethin' outside thru the backdoor....she's always puttin' her nose against that crack in the door an' snortin'....but what could she have smelled that got her all up in paws to need to go out after somethin'?
Don't know, don't really care......whatever it was, it's gone, I got a good nite's sleep.......& Lexie's gettin' a good nap, so she'll be fresh for later. Mom...ehhh....maybe not....but who knows what tonite will bring.....

When did I become Lexie's "keeper"?

Midnite....

Lexie talked mom into lettin' her "out"....as if she reallllllly needed to go "out". 
It's been rainin' a lot, again, today...so, we've been locked in....again, most of the day. Only gettin' to go out sporadically. 

So, mom gave in.."just in case", she said, an' she told us "to come RIGHT back!!". An' she tapped Lexie on the nose an' pointed that finger at her, an' Lexie had no choice but to know what mom was sayin'. 
So, mom opened the door an' we literally flashed outside we were movin' so fast. 

I did a quick recon of the fence line...checked out the gate an' that back corner...did my business an' came back inside the house, where I was rewarded w/one of them mongolian cheese thingees. 

Mom went to the backdoor an' looked out.....no Lexie. Everythin' in the backyard is wet, with drippin' drops comin' off the trees an' shinin' in her lite as she moved it across the yard. About then.....mom saw her movin' across the yard...blatantly pretendin' that she didn't see mom's lite. I walked out on the deck, but didn't see her....mom told me to go get her. 

I went as far as the pond, while mom shined her lite that way. (dad got her one of them tactical lites that goes really far). I spotted Lexie...an' she spotted me lookin' at her an' saw mom's lite. She couldn't ignore me....I just looked at her an' turned towards the house. She knew exactly that the game was up an' she had to come inside. But I have to tell you, she came right on in...but she was trudgin' not trottin' down the path, lol. 

Sure hope it don't rain, tomorrow.....I think even mom's gettin' stir crazy.......good thin' I've got my tower......don't know why I'm Lexie's "keeper" all of a sudden....I really don't care if she's out in the wet an' rain.......as long as she keeps her wet self off my bed.....

The Hole......

Another day, another chance to finish what we started last nite before mom an' dad made us abort our latest AHS mission.

It had been rainin' most of the day, so that made thin's a lil' easier as far as Lexie an' I were concerned. That ground was much easier to work with.

Dad was complainin' that he's sure gettin' tired of our late nite missions...but, hey...like we've explained to mom, it's not our fault. It's them critters. They only come out at nite. Believe me, it'd be a whole lot easier to catch 'em if they were out an' about durin' the day, instead of bein' so sneaky like they are.

Anyway, we were makin' some noise...an' it was almost midnite. But it was because we were so close, yet still so frustrated.

Both of us were workin' as fast an' as hard as we could. That critter was way down under mom's bench by the pond. There was only one thin' to do.....get in there an' drag it out.

Lexie an' I both were workin' on doin' that when dad showed up.

He pulled Lexie outa that hole (she was only up to her shoulders) an' dragged her to the house an' presented her to mom.

Admittedly, she looked like one of Wendy Hodgson's mud pups before they are finished.

Mom's eye got big an' she asked dad where we were.

At that moment...Lexie excaped back outside, w/mom...an' dad was right behind her.

I jumped outa mom's reach an' went to the other side of the bench. Lexie was back to tryin' to go into that hole. Mom grabbed her an' pulled her out by her collar. As she handed her off to dad, she could hear some loud growls an' hisses comin' from that hole....beside her foot.

Dad grabbed Lexie's collar an' proceeded to take her back to the house. I ran back around to the backside, mom an' the hole.......

Mom was grabbin' my collar, just as somethin' big an' furry brushed against her leg by the hole.

She let out one of them girly lil' screams an' jumped back w/me. (Boy can she move fast when she wants to).

It was Lexie...sans collar....about to go back down the hole. Mom grabbed her by the nape of her neck an' got her collar from dad an' put it on her....grabbed me by my collar an' dragged both of us outa that garden. She wasn't playin' around.......

She handed Lexie off to dad an' we were all marched to the house. Lexie an' I knew there was no point arguein'.....not when mom was still relivin' that hissin' an Lexie brushin' up against her.....she don't like that kind of stuff. Critters runnin' across her feet at tryin' to get at her in the dark of nite....reallly is her least favorite thin'. An' I kinda think that in the back of her mind, she blames us....not sure why. Plus, she didn't know what that was in that hole. She suspects it was a big big possum.

When we got back in the house, dad started the shower. Yep.....baths at midnite. Well, admittedly, all that mud was startin' to dry an' didn't feel so great.

Lexie had to be shampooed about 3 or 4 times before dad got all the mud off her. When she was finished.....mom just looked at me an' said, "just look at your feet!!...an' the rest of you....!!!" an' then told me to go get washed.

There are sometimes when moms are right....an' I really don't like bein' dirty.....so, I just went right back to the shower on my own an' got inside.

I wasn't quite as bad as Lexie....that's the beauty of bein' CEO......I explain the mission an' have her do all the really dirty work. My feet an' beard were really the worst....'cause I had to keep checkin' the hole to see if she had gotten deep enough, yet.

It was after midnite by the time we were all clean an' dried. Then mom an' dad noticed a lot of blood in Lexie's ear. OMD....you woulda thought her whole ear had been cut off. Mom started gettin' first aid stuff out, they both dragged Lexie into the lil' guest bathroom...an' it was like a triage.

Turned out she had scrapped one of them lil' polyps on her ear (it sticks out like one of them lil' skin tags) an' that was what was bleedin'. But mom checked her all over to make sure nothin' had bit her while she had her whole head down that hole, lol.

This mornin'....dad has us in lockdown, only lettin' us outside w/an escort. Partly 'cause it's rainin'...an' partly 'cause he doesn't want a repeat of last nite. Of course the first thin' both of us did was run to check out that hole. Dad was quick to grab Lexie's tail an' tell her "NO". Which is ok.....'cause that critter is long gone....we checked all around an' he musta figured goin' over the fence was a better idea.

So, we're stuck in the house, all clean....an' gettin' some rest, who knows what tonite will bring. Mom's not happy w/her floors....an' w/the rain, not sure if it's even worth tryin' to clean 'em, an' she's got a big load of towels in the wash (I can't help it if we use more towels to dry off then her an' dad do....fur people, fur!).

Just another page in our AHS log.......I'd like to say it was successful...but it wasn't.....but I can say that wasn't our fault. Unfortunately, mom an' dad aren't always provide the best support when we're tryin' to extract a perp.....but what can you do? Just be patient an' know there'll be another time........mom knows this, an' just shakes her head.