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..........