Some days take more then One cup of coffee....

Busy busy mornin'.....hard to figure out how to start.....first, Roxy just had to run in an' wake mom up by jumpin'up on the side of the bed an' rakin' her arm tryin' to reach for her face. That woke her up alright....but it's mom's fault, she should really remember to keep all extremities under that blankie...or sleep on her other side. Anyway, she said it was hard to get mad at somethin' w/a big smile an' a tongue that was about 3 feet long tryin' to kiss her...not to mention the excited jumpin' up an down in her face.

Although, when she did get up...she really could do w/out the help tryin' to get dressed an' goin' to the potty. At least she didn't get tripped....but when she's got one leg in her pants an' Roxy's yankin' on the other, it's real concern when she's not fully awake.

Then she goes to the kitchen to make coffee....dad has the broken dishwasher pulled out...an' is in the middle of draggin' it outa' the house. Mom managed to pull off our Airedale Magnet as dad dragged it by her. He got it out to the driveway. Then came back inside an' began unwrappin' the new one that was delivered yesterday. "Ooops" he said...he forgot to keep the water hose from the old one....out he ran to the front, to witness someone loadin' that old one up in a truck an' speedin' off. It wasn't out there 2 minutes!

"Well, good news an' bad news", he said, "....can't install the dishwasher, 'cause I have to go to work....but you can still use the sink, an' we don't have to worry about havin' to wait 'till next Wednesday for trash pickup...".

Mom was ok w/that....the dishwasher's been broken for a couple of weeks, anyway. So, dad continued to unpack the new one....an' mom continued chasin' Roxy around the livin'room takin' lil' pieces of stryofoam outa' Roxy's mouth. This was a whole new level of fun for Roxy...playin' keep away around the coffee table w/mom.....mom not so much.

After about 3 times of this game, mom decided to take us (mostly Roxy) outside so dad could finish uninterrupted. Out we all went....mom moved a big empty pot out to rinse it an' let the sun dry it. She didn't get far....that pot got dropped like a hot tator! Then she was movin', slappin'...pullin' up her pj's to her underwear...then shakin' the legs out...tossin' her shoes.....it was a site! We were all watchin' 'cause this was a whole new level of early mornin' activity for mom....I, in particular, was concerned. Mom was concerned that she was gonna have to take her pants off before gettin' back to the house. That pot was sittin' on a huge fire ant colony, an' they had set up inside the pot, too. It was a sweet setup, too, as far as they were concerned...that's why they attacked mom w/a vengence when she moved 'em.

We followed mom back in the house. She got all the ants off her an' kept her clothes on...but she did get bit in various places.

Dad had moved the new dishwasher in the hole, so at least none of us (Roxy) could get to the electrical stuff. So, mom fixed us breakfast. Got it all laid out....dad gave Lexie her pills...mom was gettin' mine....an' she dropped my arthritis pill.....it bounced on the floor an' before mom could grab it.....Roxy did (boy can she catch)....an' swallowed it.

That called for a call to the vet........who said she wasn't worried about it...to just watch for vomitin'.....but about all it would do was to make Roxy "feel really good"......at that, mom rolled her eyes an' said, "great!"....in "that voice".

Mom gave us our breakfast, made herself a cup off coffee...looked at the clock, which said 9am.........mumbled somethin' about this day was gonna take more then one cup........

Her Nose clicked ON!

AHS- Official report

After almost a week of rain, standin' water(we still have some)...an' the backyard ..swampy, it was time to get back to our regular patrols last nite.

Dad didn't come home from work until after dark...an' dinner, so me an' Lexie were takin' turns on perimeter duty. (One of us has to stay inside in case mom has a problem..especially w/the "wild child"). Plus, she was debonin' chicken for us...an' there is an issue of quality control that I like to take part in. So, I was inside w/Roxy an' mom...an" it was Lexie's turn outback.

Then dad came home.

He wasn't home in time to even change clothes, before there was all this hollarin' from mom...at Lexie (which is usless, since at the best of times she doesn't hear mom yellin' "NO"). I had followed dad to his bedroom to get my mentos mint. (I figure he owes me for babysittin' everybody...includin' mom).

Immediately, I raced to the livin'room....Roxy was bouncin' around, mom was standin' there w/chickeny hands, Lexie was pickin' somethin' up off the rug an' takin' it to Roxy's bed...an' dad was tryin' to see what the #$@@ was goin' on.

All mom could do was (besides still yellin' "NO" & "OUTSID") was grab me an Lexie....

Roxy (almost 16 wks old) was beside herself....this was the most excitin' thing...EVER!! She was tryin' to get in there to see, but we were all blockin' her. Me especially..heck, it was almost as big as she is, no way I was lettin' her even close to it......Dad went right out on the patio an' came back w/his big BBQ gloves...an' removed the giant possum off Roxy's bed. Mom was still holdin' on to us as dad went out back to dispose of the criminal.

Finally, mom let me go....I ran outside to make sure dad wasn't havin' any trouble gettin' rid of that guy....mom closed Lexie's lil' door an' the big door, let Lexie go an' proceeded to disinfect everywhere.

Roxy was just still bouncin' around...the excitement was almost too much for her...she couldn't smell everythin' fast enough...the rug, her bed...Lexie.....

Lexie was pretty thirsty....carryin' a giant heavy furry flea bag is thirsty work, if you can imagine. After gettin' a long messy drink, she got up in dad's chair all satisfired (an' rightly so, in my book...at least she kept it off MY bed).

Dad an' I came back. It was a successful mission of deportation. Mom opened Lexie's lil' door.

Of course, me an' Roxy an' Lexie were right back out. It was a normal thorough security check for me an' Lexie...just in case there were more than one that we may have missed or one that tried to sneak in.

But for Roxy...it was entirely a different matter.

This was BIG!

Her nose turned on! Her airedale bred instincts kicked in! Thin's clicked that she hadn't even known before.

W/out even knowin' where Lexie found the possum or there were even other critters about....she ran immediately to the spot....over an' over...then began trackin' the fence by it..an' then checkin' the bushes...puttin' her nose down...an' then up....then back to that spot..over an' over.

I was over on the fence side by Lexie's pond, when I gave chase to another one. I was yellin' as we ran down the fence line. Roxy stopped where she was still checkin' out the crime scene, ran to the patio...an listened to me. She was torn between goin' to see what I was after, or goin' in the house if there was danger. Then she saw me headin' back. It had retreated back over the fence. She ran to me, still all excited an' wantin' to play. I told her this was serious bizness an' we weren't playin'. Then I gave her a nudge...turned around...an' w/her followin' beside me...took her out to run the fence line.......she did just that...even picked up where I had spottin' the second one.....Now, she's got that scent filed away an' matched w/what it is.....I may have to promote her to "Jr Security".

Mom called us all inside, sayin' that was enough excitement for everyone. Gave us all a cookie an' fresh water (mine even had ice).

We were all still tuned up..an' played for bit...there was a lot of biteyface goin' on...an' I noticed that Lexie's collar smelled like chicken....an' just maybe that's why Roxy was goin' for our necks, lol