"Additional Duties"

Ok...so, last nite, my lil' chore for mom turned into somethin' else. Not my fault....not even Lexie's...well, maybe lil'...but not really since she probably couldn't hear the perp...

We had a cold front move in about 10pm last nite (I know, right....summertime weather yesterday, an' in the 50s, today). It had started to sprinkle big drops. I was mindin' my own business, just chillin' in the livin'room, when mom sent me outside to get Lexie.

Retreivin' Lexie from outback is just another one of those "additional duties" mom tacked on to my AHS contract. It's one of those lil' addendums in small print, I musta missed.

Anyway, I went out an' found her in the back corner. She headed for the house. I was goin' , too..but then I heard somethin'.

Somethin' had hit the fence, an' that set me off.

After Lexie went to the house, mom heard me. I was barkin' so loud an' furious...that I almost lost my bark. She told Lexie to stay in the house. Then mom grabbed her lite an' came to see what was wrong.

She discovered what was wrong pretty quick. I was launchin' myself as high as I could to the top of our fence. I was livid! Mom shined her lite up there, an' saw the biggest possum, ever...leanin' over the edge w/his mouth open an' hissin' at me....then at mom! That made me even more mad.

I backed up as mom was assessin' what to do.....then I ran past her an' jumped up to the top of that eight foot fence, just missin' the possum who decided to start runnin' down that fence rail. I almost hooked my paws on the top of the fence, which mom wasn't thrilled about....an' then had to kinda twist to nail my landin'....which mom really wasn't thrilled with. (she was worried I'd hurt my back...not me....I was "workin'").

That possum was still hissin'.....an' had just moved a few feet down the fence. Mom found her trusty pole an' was tryin' to get that possum to get on the top of the fence where she could push him off into the field. He kept tryin' to grab her pole w/his feet an' tail....hissin' at her....I was jumpin' for all I was worth tryin' to grab any part of him........she was tryin' to keep him from gettin' on her pole, hold the flashlite, hold the pole an' he was movin' up an' down the fence, I was jumpin' an' tryin' to get him.....it was a circus w/only the three of us.

Finally, he decided that I was jumpin' pretty high an' guess he felt that some of his parts might be in jeopardy. It might be hard for such a small brain to keep up w/mom, the light, the pole, me, that lil' fence rail....an' four feet an' a tail that seems to have a mind of it's own. There was a lot goin' on.

He let go of mom's pole an' climbed up on the top of the fence. Then the race was on.....he was headed for the tree in our yard. Mom an' I took off after him....we couldn't let him reach it. She tried pushin' him off the fence into the field on the other side...but again, that tail kept grabbin' her pole. I kept yellin' an' jumpin'. Finally, she managed to get close enough to use her pole like a left handed batter...an' knocked him off the fence. An' at the same time.....managed to miss beanin' me w/that pole!

It was startin' to sprinkle pretty good at this point......mom told me to go to the house....but I was still pretty hyped up.....I was runnin' back n' forth in that corner checkin' out the fence.....tryin' to make sure that the possum was indeed gone. Afterall, he came from that field in the first place, an' I figured he hadn't really learned his lesson this fast.....so, I needed to make sure.

In the middle of one of my frantic passes, mom grabbed my collar an' told me it was over...an' we went to the house.

There we found Lexie layin' in the doorway w/a big grin, waitin' on us. She missed the whole thing, lol.

Coffee First.....

Don't cha' just love Mondays? Mom put on the crockpot this mornin'. It's full of a big ol' fresh chicken, carrots, blueberries...an' a big container of chicken livers/hearts& gizzards. Sounds great an' easy, huh?

Oh..an' smells delish!...in fact, Lexie's planted herself in the kitchen starin' at the crockpot.

Even before drinkin' her coffee (this is where mom says the problem started), mom got out all the stuff an' started preppin' it for the crockpot. (w/me an' Lexie as supervisors)

First she cut up that chicken an in the pot it went. Then she cut up all the carrots (I love cooked carrots that taste like chicken). in those went. The lil' thing w/all the fresh blueberries went in next...easy peasy.

The last thing to go in was that container of chicken innard parts....the livers/hearts & gizzards. She couldn't get it open!

It had a lil' tab to push up....that left access to a lil' tab to pull that went alll around the top,..."unlockin'" it so it could be taken off.

It didnt' work!

That lil' tab that was s'posed to go all around...was like superglued or never scored right so it could be torn off. It was like just an extension of the top! Mom struggled....said some "words"...struggled some more....then squeezed an' pulled....an' got that top off.....

Oh, it came off alright. Lexie an' I were right there an' witnessed the whole thing. That lid popped off.....the insides popped up......mom looked like she had been attacked by vampires or somethin'. From her chin (oh...some drops may have gotten in her hair)...an' all down her front was that bloody lookin' chicken innard water/juice stuff. She just stood there for a moment, not sayin' nothin'. Just stood there in front of the sink...the container in one hand, the lid in the other...then slowly lookin' down on herself.

Lexie an' I immediately jumped up to help. We checked the floor, the front of the kitchen cabinet...heck, if we coulda' gotten mom to turn around, we woulda' gotten her cleaned up really quick. But no....about that time...she dumped what was left in the container into the crockpot....the container went into the trash....mumblin' somethin' about "note to self....new rule...have coffee first"...then told us she'd be back in a few minutes.

We were a lil' confused....what about our chicken stew? Lexie wanted to know if we could just have it all raw. I woulda' gone for that, too (except for the carrots)......

Mom wasn't talkin'...after a few minutes, she came back in all new clothes, showered an' even freshly washed hair. She put the lid on the crockpot, plugged it in, cleaned up all the blood splatter we missed.....grabbed a cup of coffee an' announced that we were all goin' outside.

The sun's shinin'....it's spring again after two days of winter, again.......first thing I saw was a squirrel in mom's lil' squash garden. I had to give chase. Lexie went to check to see if Ginger was out an' about. Mom headed for her greenhouse w/her coffee...

...

All in all.....an' so far....it's been a GREAT Monday!!!

AHS Manuevers ....with Dad....

It was clear an' dark an' a lil' cold.  It had rained all day, an' we all had been stuck inside.  The nite was just perfect...the kinda nite that you just know holds some kind of excitement an' all the nite time critters would be out.  Lexie an' I were not gonna be disappointed. 

"Hey!"......

"MOM...DAD!"....

(shoot...they're watchin' tv an' not payin' a bit of attention to me!)

"HEY!"....  <followed up by several loud paw slaps on the glass door>   

That got their attention!   Dad opened the door,  an' I gave him one quick "follow me, we've got a situation" bark an' just waited a moment to make sure he "got it".   Then as he grabbed mom's lite, I spun around an' took off into the nite.

Dad came out shinin' the lite across the yard....mom was behind him at the door, for once able to watch the action...she thought.  She asked him if he could see where I went.  He told her that obviously, he was given some kind of instruction as to what was goin' on, but her wasn't sure what it was.  An' he could see me in the far corner. 

After a few minutes, dad came back towards the house.  Mom asked him what happened, an' he said that I was doin' some serious patrollin' in the far corner, but he didn't see anythin'.  Then mom asked him where Lexie was.  (She was enjoyin' watchin' dad gettin' a chance to experience  typical nite time AHS manuevers).  Back he went out into the yard w/the lite.....mom was kinda snickerin'.   Again, he came back an' said that he thinks Lexie was on her way to the house, an' she should be comin' around the far side of the pond in a minute or two.

He was right!  She was on her way to the house. 

Mom was standin' on the patio as dad was gettin' ready to greet Lexie...an' tell her what a good girl she was.  Lexie was almost to dad when mom quietly informed him that Lexie had somethin' in her mouth.....an' it had a long tail!!

As soon as Lexie got close to dad, he grabbed her collar.  Mom told him that he had to pet her, so she wouldn't think she was in trouble.  Meanwhile, mom was tryin' to identify what was in her mouth w/out touchin' it.   She couldn't tell.....it was grey, had a long tail an' she thought it had little round ears.  All the while, Lexie was just standin' there....w/it in her mouth. 

Dad told mom to get his big grilling gloves...well, just the right hand one.  She got that an' a couple pieces of chicken.....by now, mom was havin' a hard time not laughin' outloud......she said bein' on the outside of one of these capers was a lot more fun........dad didn't think so.

Anyway, she gave dad the glove.....showed Lexie the chicken an' let her smell it.  Then she gave Lexie the "drop it" signal.  Lexie dropped the critter an' took the chicken.  Then mom showed her the other piece of chicken an' pointed to the door an' said go to the kitchen.  Now, we're still not sure what Lexie can hear...but we're beginnin' to think she can read lips...'cause she sure understands to go to the kitchen.   

Lexie went into the kitchen an' mom gave her some more chicken.....an' since I'm the head of AHS an' did everythin' I was s'posed to do as well as reportin' a successful mission....I got chicken, too.

While Lexie an' I were enjoyin' our rewards,  dad came back in the house w/mom's lite an' his one glove.  He said it was a baby possum....an' it was playin' possum, didn't seem "none the worse for wear"...just a lil' soggy, well maybe a lot soggy.  Lexie did have it in her mouth for quiet awhile, lol.    He put it in the bushes on the other side of our yard in the field.   Hope it learned it's lesson.

I just don't understand Lexie's facination w/wantin' to keep these critters.  Mom wants to know where are the other dozen or so littermates.  Guess our job tomorrow is lookin' for a den.....mom's already told us that she doesn't want anymore comin' into or near the house!!! 

Looks like AHS is gonna be busy.     

Who Says Possums Can't Learn?

Who says possum's can learn? It was obvious the one I had treed in the corner, last nite had.
Mom heard me yellin' at him an' came out w/her lite. I like to think she's comin' out to help instead of shuttin' me down. (She refuses to abide by our AHS contract at times). 

First, she shined her lite up in the corner to see what exactly I was dealin' with. Sure nuff, it was a possum up on the back fence just starin' at me....darin' me .....tauntin' me. Mom looked around w/her lite an' selected a long pole. That's her weapon of choice...a long stick or whatever...me?...I like it more up close an' personal, but whatever works. 

Then she got in the corner, shined her lite along that big pole at that possum, then took aim, ready to knock him right off that fence to the other side. But......

That possum musta recognized mom....the lite....or the pole...or all three....because he stood up an' took off down that fence towards Ginger's yard!

Mom was fast, though...an' caught him off balance an' over the fence he went into the field.
It was so excitin' when he took off....I jumped up to add support....trouble was...the possum was off balance, mom had that long pole.....I knocked into her... the possum fell over the fence...an' well,....mom managed to not fall by kinda leanin' on me.....

Anyways, I did a quick double check, that the threat was over...an' mom was ok.....she gave me a quick pat, leaned her pole against that tree back there (for next time)...an' we went to the house. 

Where was Lexie? Well, she was providin' support behind us...an' double checkin' behind the greenhouse, tryin' to see if there was another way to get to that possum since me an' mom an' that lil' tree pretty much took up all the room in that corner. When we got to the house, though....Lexie was already waitin' in the kitchen for our reward, lol

It's a Quandary....

She shoulda known that daytime run around the yard after Lexie was a fluke. She shoulda' known that Lexie havin' a "treasure" most likely happens at nitetime...the middle of the nitetime.

Like right smack dab in the middle.

I came inside to try an' report...but mom thought I was just bein' friendly. She petted me, rubbed my ear flaps, gave me a big hug.....I soaked it all up (hey, why not?). Then she went to call Lexie in.

Lexie was on her lil' porch, & mom knocked on the lil' door flap. Lexie knows that's her signal to come inside. First, Lexie turned around an' poked her head inside, Then when mom opened the big door, Lexie hopped down, grabbed up somethin' in her mouth an' proceeded to come inside.

I was standin' next to mom, w/my superior "I tried to tell you, mom....an' I tried to tell you, Lexie"....look an' attitude. Just waitin' to see how this was gonna play out.

There was Lexie standin' in front of the door, there was mom (an' me) standin' in the now partially opened door blockin' the way inside.

Now, Lexie can't really hear...but she sure seemed to when mom looked her in the face an' asked, "What do you have in your mouth?". (It was kinda obvious, when we saw her pick somethin' up an' her cheeks were stickin' out like a chipmunk).

Lexie backed up......mom took a step forward....Lexie walked off to the side of the patio ready to start her evasive nite time yard manuevers. I was just watchin' the action.

All of a sudden, mom stepped back to the doorway...then announced she was goin' into the kitchen. "What?"....Lexie an' I were both taken by surprise.

Leavin' the door open, mom really did go into the kitchen. Heck I followed her right away, this might mean some chicken or somethin'. Within seconds, Lexie was inside, too. She came inside, dropped somethin' off on the rug in the livin' room an' was right there beside me in the kitchen in front of mom. Mom gave us both a big cookie, an' we ran back to the livin'room to our beds to eat 'em.

Mom followed us w/a huge wad of papertowels in her hand to pick up Lexie's latest treasure. It was, she thinks, another birdie.....

Lexie must have found another nest that got blown down or somethin' had gotten this birdie an' dropped it in the yard sometime earlier in the week. Sadly, it wasn't alive...but I guess Lexie thought it was like the possums, an' she wanted to keep it until it was ok. An' she wanted to keep it safely in the house, that's why she had it by the backdoor an' her lil' porch, to bring it in the house for safety.

Mom had to dispose of it...an' after eatin' her cookie, Lexie ran back outside to look for it.....in fact, this mornin'....she was out lookin' for it again.

Mom has been tryin' to reassure Lexie that she was a good girl. But the quandary is that mom really doesn't want her bringin' stuff in the house....dead or alive. But she really doesn't want to do nitetime chases around the yard, either....

.

Me? I don't care one way or the other......I'm scorin' either way!

Spring Time is finally here.....

Today was the perfect spring day. The sun was shinin', the weather w/just a touch of cool. The squirrels were out, an' that's why me an' Lexie were out there yellin' at 'em.

Mom came out to see what we were up to, an' I ran over to make sure she was ok (she was sleepin' almost all day 'cause she wasn't feelin' well)...then led her to where them squirrels were.

Lexie was right there at that big palm tree by her pond keepin' watch. I joined her an' let out a really loud warnin'....it musta' worked 'cause one of them squirrels ran down a palm frond an' then jumped across to a tree branch an' was makin' a break for the roof by way of the trees.

Leavin' mom by the palm tree, we ran around the pond to try an' head him off. By that time, dad came out to see what all the ruckus was. He an' mom watched for a bit...them mom made the statement that a whole bunch of them palm fronds that were killed by the winter needed to go, since they were all brown an' hangin' down.

So, right in the middle of our grand squirrel chase, mom's supervisin' dad, while he's cuttin' down them fronds. She was helpin' by stackin' 'em. An' since the squirrel had managed to jump to the roof an' escape, Lexie an' I were inspectin' their work an' the nearby flower beds.

All of a sudden, mom's radar went off an' she zeroed in on Lexie, who was clear on the other side of one of the flower beds. Mom says somethin' to the effect of ,"what does she have in her mouth?!". Dad & I stop an' look at Lexie....Lexie all of a sudden starts walkin' off in the opposite direction kinda fast. (her mom radar musta been workin', since she can't "hear").

That immediately put the rest of us on high alert.....mom hadn't been sure Lexie had anythin', until she saw that "walk".

I went over to see n' sniff where she had been, mom an' dad went to try to head her off an' retrieve whatever that was in her mouth.

After several ins an' outs an' across the yard, mom finally got close enough to see a "wing" hangin' outa Lexie's mouth. The chase was on! In an' around the flower beds, they all went.....they almost had her trapped by between the pond an' the big grapefruit tree, but Lexie faked them out by steppin' into the pond...then jumpin' out at the last minute an' racin' down the other side.

Dad finally grabbed her on the garden path....an' pried her mouth open to get her to drop that birdie. He took the birdie while mom grabbed her collar an' got her headed toward the house.

Just as me, mom an' Lexie got to the backdoor, Lexie backed completely outa her collar an' took off back out in the yard, w/mom chasin' behind her.

Lexie didn't go far...in fact she was sniffin' around the flower bed by the patio...then just as mom got there, Lexie took off an' ran into the house. This time, mom closed the big door an' even Lexie's lil' door. Then looked at Lexie.

Yep....Lexie had a lil' birdie foot stickin' outa her mouth. By now, mom wasn't in shock anymore....an' remembered that this wasn't her first rodeo. She walked past Lexie (whose cheeks were kinda puffed out like a hamster).....I followed mom (not my first rodeo, either)

Into the kitchen we went....mom got one of the big smoky elk sausages, broke it in half...gave me half...then walked back an' let Lexie smell the other half. Then she motioned Lexie to follow her to the kitchen to get it. Lexie dropped that birdie on the rug an' was at her bowl before mom.

Mom dropped the sausage into Lexie's bowl....an' another piece in mine (yeah, I scored for bein' the good one...an workin' it). Armed w/half a dozen papertowels, mom went an' picked up the birdie an' took it out to dad. He had found the nest that the wind had blown down an' put the lil' birdie in it an' then took it to the back an' put it up high in the oak tree.

Lexie is remarkable in that she has a very "soft mouth"....those birdies were just a lil' wet...an' kinda traumatized..but not hurt by bein' carried around in her mouth. I don't get it....I think she just wants to keep 'em...like lil' live toys or somethin'. Mom doesn't get it either...but she sure wishes she wouldn't bring 'em in the house an' she's thankful Lexie isn't into reptiles or bugs.