Chasing FROGGIES...bet ya thought I was gonna say chickies,- BOL!

For any of you who remember my first love and the mother of my children, Jenny, you will remember she was CRAZY for chasing frogs!!! I used to just sit back and watch her try and try and try to catch them.
Well, let me tell you, today whilst we were having lunch on the island up at our kayaking pond, I discovered the thrill of frogging!!! One big bullfrog made a mistake and got up on the shore, right in front of me. I jumped him, and only stepped on him a little bit, but he got all confused and kept jumping around in front of me.
Of course, I kept chasing him and he managed to stay about 1/2 frog leg in front of me. Finally, I was getting all hot and sweaty and he was getting even hotter and sweatier so Mom made me let him jump back in the pond. I escorted him to the waters edge, BOL!
That was so much fun that when we got home and Mom and Julia were working down at our fishy pond, I hunted around and found some frogs there, too. They were MUCH smarter and just as I would get to them, KERSPLASH, they jumped right into the pond!!!
For a while there I even forgot about the chickens!! Only for a while, though, cuz soon enough, I heard a Guinea squawking for me. I am sooo smart that I realized the lower gate to the lab pen was open and I raced in there and ran up to the chicken pen and made my presence known. Mom and Julia were watching!
They were really laughing at me cuz as soon as I realized the chickens couldn't get out of their pen I wanted to go back down with Mom and Julia but, in my haste, I forgot I had to go back down in the lab pen and out the lower gate. I was crying and crying for Julia to come get me, and FINALLY, she went over to the lower gate to remind me that is where I needed to go.
Whew... I thought I was going to have to stay in that dog yard all by myself and watch Julia and Mom and Beanie and Ali down in the big yard, enjoying the cool shade. When I got back there we all had some watermelon. I LOVE Summer!!!

Another visit to the Littletown...

A few years ago I got to ride along with Mom when she took a labrador up to a Littletown called Littleton, here in NH. I had a good time, EXCEPT, I made a mistake and hopped out of the car the minute she opened the door. Then, I was panicked and ran RIGHT in front of a car. Fortunately, the person driving the car was the labrador lady, so she saw me hop out of Mom's car and didn't hit me!
I got a BIG lecture from both Julie and Mom (Julie rode along with Mom), and I was pretty sure I would NEVER go to that little town again.
Today, Mom got out of work early and she took ME and we went for a ride. First we stopped at the big town we sometimes go shopping in, and Mom ran in the store and bought a whole bunch of stuff for the kennel. She also bought US a HUGE jar of animal crackers. We LOVE those things!!!
Anyway, when we started driving again, Mom went NORTH instead of back home. We drove and drove and drove and finally stopped at the very, very same restaurant where I hopped out of the car in the Littletown. For being such a little town, there was a TON of traffic going every which way. Since we were early, Mom went over to the Walmart. It was the biggest Walmart I have EVER, EVER seen!!!! And, a million people were visiting it, but Mom was lucky and got a parking place right up close and personal. Good thing cuz she only had 20 minutes to grab a few things. She grabbed, got a Buddy poppy for her and one for me on the way out and we headed back to the restaurant. Just as we pulled in, the lab lady pulled in beside us. Mom got out, BUT I STAYED SITTING IN MY SEAT LIKE THE PERFECT DOG I AM, BOL!!!
I didn't know it, but the lab lady is Lola's new Mom, imagine that!!! Anyway, of course they went inside and took their sweet time eating. Fortunately, Mom brought some tasty leftovers (in a doggy bag), and actually gave them to me. My, how things have changed in just a few short years, BOL!
Anyway, this time we were picking up a labrador. She hopped in the back seat and we drove along home. It had been very hot and humid, but apparently a HUGE thunderstorm came down here while we were gone so when we got back the fog was so thick you couldn't see ANYTHING! Good thing it was only the last few miles cuz it was hurting my eyes trying to see where Mom was going.
Mom said it was hurting HER eyes trying to see all the moose and deer that were deciding they needed to cross the highway in front of us. Fortunately, she saw them all, so we didn't hit any!
Now the labrador has gone back to HER home, and hopefully, in NINE WEEKS, she will have a nice, black lab puppy for ME to raise. I am naming him Quincy!!!!

I'm a Daily Diary PICK!!!!

Thank you HQ... I LOVE diary picks and haven't been one for AGES and AGES! Also, thanks for all your visits and well wishes, fellow Dogsters!
Back to my GREAT weekend. It has come to my attention that I forgot to mention a great sighting we had whilst kayaking yesterday. We came around a corner and were headed into an inlet so Julia could hunt for some critters. Mom was in the lead and suddenly, I spied something brown headed up a fallen tree. It stopped behind a clump of bushes so Mom was grabbing the camera, but for once, it wasn't around her neck, go figure.
Almost immediately, it ran the rest of the way up the fallen tree, and we all got a great look at it. It was smallish, dark brown/mahogany colored and CUTE!! Mom said weasel OR a small fisher cat, but she was pretty sure it was a weasel.
When we got home Mom checked on the internet...low and behold, it was a MINK!!!! It was NEAT, but I was wondering why it was at the pond and not here helping me catch the chickies!!!!

Camping weekend, AKA CHICKEN FEST!!!

Really, it wasn't my fault! We were all sitting around the campfire, chilling out (literally), when the Guineas began squawking and squawking. Mom checked them out and they were perched up on the tippy top of the fence. Sooo, she decided she was going to have to trim their wings again.
She and Julia walked up there, and left us down in the lab pen, AKA campsite. Somehow, someway, Hilda found herself IN with the chickens (I did NOT do it, I swear!), and one of the Guinea's flew over the fence. He was right there, there was nothing I could do except grab him so Mom could catch him. He screamed bloody murder, which made me want him even more, so everyone and everything was screaming and yelling and squawking!
Finally, after I grabbed him about 4 times, Julia got me in the house and Mom got Hilda in and managed to get the Guinea back in the chicken house. He seemed okay, so I guess I mostly scared him??????
Anyway, then Mom and Julia caught them all and trimmed their wings again. But, Julia forgot to open their coop so at 5 am, they were all screaming and yelling and squawking like mad to get out. We ALL woke up, and I swear, I only chased them a little along the fence after Mom let them out. The one I bit was fine, BOL!
But, it doesn't end there. Tonight Julia was teaching me some agility or I was teaching her some agility and her Mom came to get her. Meanwhile, my Mom had let the chickens back down into the lab pen, AKA campsite. Julia didn't know that, so she and I went over to get her sleeping bag to take home.
I spied one little pullet, and, yes, I grabbed it! It got away and ran thru the gate that Julia had left open cuz she didn't know the chickens were out there. Well, Julia's Mom grabbed me and held me while Julia and Mom herded the chicken back into the lab pen AKA campsite and all was well again!
All in all, a great weekend if you love to chase chickens! A few feathers lost, but no one was eaten, darn it all.

Here chickie, chickie, chickie....

Mother says I am the ONLY one still obsessed with those chickens. Probably because I am the ONLY one who actually ATE some of them and know how good they really are, BOL! Anyway, I run and run and run along the fence, trying my darndest to get one or two of them to fly over the fence. So far, not happening, darn it all!
Last week Mom was cooking some chicken and when she took it out of the package, I immediately recognized the smell and rushed over to "help" her, hehehe! It was at that point that she realized it was hopeless, I would forever be a chicken chaser!
Anyway, last week Mom gave me a really nice trim so I would be all beautiful for our guests this weekend. Seems I had a LOT of mud caked into my bracelets from chasing those chickens thru the mud all week. Can I help it if it keeps raining????
Well, today it rained again and Mom, dear heart, walked me on a leash so I couldn't run thru the mud. Nice lady, NOT!! Gee, maybe today I would have gotten lucky and snagged one????
Well, gotta go, need some beauty sleep so I will be all ready for our big camping experience!

Finally, KAYAKING!!!

Well, it was pretty cool and very cloudy but Mom decided we were going kayaking ANYWAY! We stopped and got Julia and off we went. Would you believe when we got there we discovered our poor pond was at least three or even four feet LOWER?? Yup, hopefully some official did it, but all the boards were out of the spillway and all the water spilled out into the lower pond and thru the brook.
Mom thinks it was like that all Winter but it sure did leave a HUGE strip of quicksand like mud all around the whole pond. Getting in wasn't too bad cuz we used the landing but when we stopped for lunch it was AWFUL. Me and Beanie jumped out first and sunk up to our elbows. Then, Mom was askerdid, with good reason, as she sunk up to her knees!!! Fortunately, Julia landed by some rocks so she didn't sink at all.
We had a good trip in spite of the water being low... we got to see some places we'd never seen before. The ponds were man made during the make work projects during the war, so there are tons and tons of stumps, which mostly never show but show they did today!!! They were pretty, like driftwood, and the turtles were out in droves sunning themselves on the stumps.
In fact, Julia actually caught a small one with her net. She wanted to bring it home and keep it but Mom told her she couldn't. Mom did let her keep it until we were leaving, so I got to see it up close and personal.
We had lunch but didn't stop at our island cuz the banks were too high with the low water. We stopped way at the back and, wouldn't ya know, Beanie smelled a wild animal in the woods and tried to get me and Ali to go with him to check it out. Mom said NO WAY, cuz there are lots of bears (she's seen them!!), not to mention porcupines, coyotes, and other wildlife up there and she didn't want us to get hurt. I think she didn't want to SEE whatever it was, hehehe!
Finally, we had to go home! When we got back to shore me and Julia did some more hunting for critters while Mom loaded the kayaks. Beanie had to stay in the car cuz some people were fishing from the shore and he was too helpful!! Ali was too tired so she stayed with Beanie while me and Julia hunted and released the turtle... at least she told Mom she released it... hope she really did, BOL!
UH OH... Mom had us all outside for a while and she caught me EATING THE HAIR OFF OF LOLA'S NECK!!!! Of course, she is entered in some dog shows in just two weeks. Ooops. Sorry Lola!

May joke???

Today the girls at work were talking about May, since it was the first day of the glorious month of May. It was freezing cold and pouring rain!
Mom was talking about Maypoles and dancing around them. Tonya had NEVER heard of a Maypole... guess that is Mom's problem because she is sooo old!!! Mom says they even did Maypole dances when she was in grade school. YIKES!
Anyway, then Mom was being silly and she said, April showers bring May flowers, May showers bring June mud puddles. (Remember, it was POURING outside.)
But... the joke was on Mom...
Sarah asked her if she knew what May flowers bring. Dead silence, Mom didn't have a clue. The other girls were laughing and laughing. Finally, Sarah told her Mayflowers bring PEOPLE!!!!
Mother was really, really amazed. She had NEVER heard that one before, and she is OLD!!!
(My opinion, she probably DID hear that one, way back in grade school, but she is sooo old she has forgotten it, hehehe!)

Camping!!!

Mom got an invite from Louie & Nina's Mom today to go camping. We are pretty gosh darn excited about it... We are hoping to go on the weekend before Memorial Day weekend. Mom was worried about there being no kayaking there, but I am sure she will think of something.
At any rate, it will be fun and this time I am going, too. Of course little Beanie will go...he is special that way but I am the bestest at camping and, besides, who will keep the bears away if I don't go??? Beanie will be too askerded, and Nina and Louie are too small.
I am sure there will be more to write about as it gets closer!

Hehehe...on Mom's GOOD side!

Well, Mom discovered a wild cat was also after the chicks, AND one Guinea that was missing came home so now she is not quite so mad at me and Riley anymore!
After mowing the lab yard, Momsie took us all down for a nice run. It was pretty hot, but otherwise nice. After that, everyone else got to stay out in the pen but Riley and I had to stay in the house...Riley cuz he is still trying to dig and me cuz Mom is feeling bad for thinking I ate all those chicks!
Soo, Mom took me and we visited this week's new flowers. I posed nicely, even though it was 80 degrees and toooo hot. I think MY pictures are much nicer than Beanies, don't you??
On a sadder note, Mom found out today that a little 3 year old baby girl is missing on the beach we visit over in the North Shore. It is thought she was washed away over near an inlet by where I caught my little sandpiper. Her Mom turned her back for only a minute to get the ball they were playing with.
I was caught in that inlet once...the tide was going out and I raced up to the edge and that sand collapsed and I got dumped right into the inlet. I can tell you, that outgoing tide was like a major river and I only got out since I have FOUR long legs and know how to swim.
Mom feels incredibly sad since she remembers what happened to me and knows that poor baby didn't have a chance against that water. We are praying they find her soon so her Mom can have some closure. Mom can't imagine how awful it must be to not know where she is!!!

Really in trouble now!!!

It was very nice here this morning...not too hot, not too cold. In honor of that, Mom decided to leave us outside since she gets home early on Wednesday.
Well, she got home early and went out to collect the eggs. As soon as she stepped out the door, she discovered a dead pullet. Ooops! She looked around and there were feathers everywhere. Furious, she brought us all inside and put us in our crates.
She went back out and realized that only ONE of us could get out of our pen. Riley red toes (now they are red with blood, BOL) digs under the gates and obviously he let the chicken out.
Mom looked in the chicken pen... NO BABIES were to be seen anywhere. Now she was REALLY MAD. She went in and there was a dead Guinea, right by Riley's hole. Looking further, she didn't find any more dead ones so she lifted the roof of their house and found two pullets and one Guinea in there.
To get to the end faster, after she found some of the babies hiding under the lilac bush, she realized only 4 were actually missing. She had found two bodies and lots of feathers, but two were still missing in MY pen.
Well, it turns out MY belly is really bulging, and I have nasty sticky stuff in my ears and on my front legs, (looks red???). Everyone else ate their dinner, but I wasn't hungry. Sooo, that makes me guilty!!!
Soo, now she has banished me to my crate for the night and until I can get groomed again.
Soo, I am thinking this is sooo not fair. Riley digs out, digs a hole for the chickens to get out, they do and they come into MY pen and I am punished for taking care of them???? Does that seem right to anyone else?