Too Eager To Discard

  I think sometimes folks are too eager to discard things.  It was instilled in me long ago by family members that had gone through hard times that not making full use of items is wasteful.  Back in better days, folks knew how to use everything to its fullest potential.  Waste was considered a bad thing.  It still is in my eyes.  We are living in a "throwaway" society nowadays.

  This discarding idea is fine (I guess) when it comes to material items but when living beings become disposable, it worries me. When I was taught that it was wasteful to discard usable items, I was also taught that you never mistreated a living being.  Now, it seems to be the norm to discard pets whenever the mood strikes.  Toss them out like trash...is the mentality of a lot of people who refuse to understand that critters have feelings, too.  All of our furry family members have been what others have deemed as refuse.  We have rescued more than our fair share of the critters and have cared for them in the best way we possibly could.  At times, this was difficult financially and physically but we managed. Darling Daughter and her husband seem to have taken up the idea of caring for the unwanted.  Elizabeth and Robbie have rescued at least eight "throwaway" pets in the past few years.  Some, they have rehomed with loving families while four they have kept themselves.  

  A recent visit to their house brought joy to my heart.  The pup, Sunny, that they had rescued a few years back, is doing well.  This is the puppy that I fostered for them for a while.  She is absolutely a charmer!  Now, they have added Nox to their little family.  Robbie and Elizabeth found Nox at their gate starving and weary.  Without a second thought, they brought her inside, fed and bathed her.  For weeks they tried to find Nox's missing family but no one was there.  It was then that the realization came to them...THEY were her family.  Nox has settled in well and is enjoying the good life now.  How wasteful the previous family was to have tossed either of these fine animals to the wayside!  How beautiful it is that Robbie and Elizabeth have such kind hearts.  People are just too eager to toss things (and pets) to the wayside.

The Ache Lingers

  It seems that animals can become family members just like people. They grow in our hearts and we treat them with kid gloves.  This is all well and good.  Our pets return the love and help us to live long and happy lives.  Ms. Ez was that sort of animal.  She came here as a wee pup that was rescued from certain death by my daughter.  Through the years, that tiny tot grew into a huge, rambunctious dog!  But our love for her grew as well.

  As the kids grew up and left to go on their merry ways, Ms. Ez and I soon became inseparable.  We did most everything together and had a mutual respect for each other.  I tended her every whim by cooking special meals to go with her usual dogfood, taking her for hikes and even letting her sleep near my bed.  She returned the favors by guarding the Little Bayou House, giving comfort and being the best fishing partner anyone could have. 

  After ten years of this companionship, it broke my heart when she found something that did not agree with her system. My dear friend had been poisoned and there was naught that I could do to mend this.  After visits to the vet and to the animal hospital, they decided to just "make her comfortable".  It was hard.  During those last three days, I comforted her.  I slept on her bed beside her.  I held her close and dutifully dosed her with medicines that were hopefully helping her not be in much pain. I told her how much she meant to the family and to me. Then on the third night, Ms. Ez left us. That night was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do.  Son and I stroked her fur, murmured soft words and loved her.  Needless to say, I miss her.  

Ms. Ez shares her bed with Sunny, the pup.

  When folks try to pawn their unwanted dogs off on me "now that you do not have Ezzy", I almost get angry.  I do not want to replace Ms. Ez. She meant too much.  I feel that if they cared for their pets as much as I cared for Ez, they would not be trying to give them away.  Obviously, the bond is not there and they look at the dog as merely another obligation. It should not be that way at all.  Don't get a pet if you are not willing to keep it for the long haul. A cute little puppy soon grows into an adult and has adult needs.  Later, they age just as we do and need a different type of care but they are not "throwaway pets".  The thought some folks have of only wanting a pet when it is "fun" makes me wonder how they are going to feel if no one is there to take care of them when they are elderly. Will anyone care or will it be easier to "find a home" for them?  Hmmm, something to think about there, folks.  Think long and hard about what you are teaching your kids and grandkids.  The way you treat furry family members is being observed and may determine how you, yourself, are treated later in life.

  Will I ever change and decide to get another dog?  I do not know but, perhaps in time if I find a friend in need, I may be able to feel differently.  In the meantime, however, Darling Daughter did offer to let her pup come "Mom Sit" occasionally.  That would work for me.  (Sunny stayed with us for quite a while as a puppy before Elizabeth and Robbie could give her the forever home that she deserved.)  I grew to love her along with Ms. Ez.  It might be fun to have her back on the Bayou once again....for a little while.

So long, Little One...Be Good!

It is all too quiet in the Little Bayou House tonight.  Robbie and Elizabeth (son-in-law and daughter) came in on the heels of Hurricane Isaac and spent a whirlwind visit over the weekend.  It was far too short of a visit for my taste..I wish they could have stayed much, much longer.  Their happy voices made this a wonderful time but now it is almost smothering quiet.  Even Ezzy, the dog, realizes that it is far different now...Sunny, the pup, is gone.  One of the purposes of the visit from Robbie and Elizabeth was to take Sunny back to their home in Columbus, Mississippi.  My rowdy charge has now gone to stay in her forever home.  Already, it seems far different.  Ms. Ez is wanting to sleep on my feet and there is no thump, thump, thump of Sunny's tail on the old wood floor. Her coming to the Little Bayou House proved to be different and a bit challenging..her leaving the Little Bayou House is going to be different and a bit challenging.  I never thought that I would say this but I miss the little imp!

Sunny at the age when she first came to stay at the Little Bayou House.

With Ms. Ez missing her little friend, I thought I had better start getting her back into our routine right away.  It has been a long time since I had been able to take hikes with just Ezzy.  Whenever I would leave Sunny (either inside the house or in the Rose Garden), she would howl like a banshee!  The first time I left her inside the house by herself, that siren-pitched yowl could be heard all the way to the end of the pier!  Not wanting to have her disturb any neighbors that might be in a fifty mile radius, I took to leaving Ezzy behind to keep her company.  Ms. Ez was not so happy about this but took it all in stride.  When I opened the door late this afternoon to head to the pier, she never moved.  She thought she still had to stay inside even though the pup was nowhere to be found.  When I called to her, she just raised her head as if to say "I have to stay here with Sunny." I asked her if she wanted to go to the pier and she was out the door in about three seconds flat!  She romped like a puppy herself.  Once down near the marsh edge, she found a ball that had washed in with the high tides of Isaac.  It was about the size of a soccer ball but looked like a large tennis ball.  There was no stopping her now!  We played ball for nearly an hour and never made it to the pier. The Green Heron went hungry this evening but at least Ezzy had fun.

Sunny and Ezzy playing with rope during a break in Hurricane Isaac.

Life is going to be different.  It was a big change having Sunny here with us and will be a bigger change now that she is gone.  I am happy, though...life can get back to normal for Ez and me and life will be good for the pup.  She will have Robbie and Elizabeth trained in no time!

Fuzzy Slippers or Four Dust Mops!

I admit that I am used to Ms. Ez thundering around the house like a bull in a china shop!  Her romping is not unlike that of a hundred elephants tap dancing on the hardwood floors.  Sunny, on the other hand, can slip around virtually unheard.  She sneaks!  As a wee pup, she sort of bounced around not caring if the world heard.   Now, the pitter-patter of those tiny feet has turned into much softer footsteps.  I thought this was strange given the size of her feet now but decided that it was all because of her nearing adulthood and being a calmer dog.  Not so...

Sunny enjoying her freedom in the Rose Garden!

Sunny has been crated a good bit since having her surgery and now that she is healed, she takes full advantage of her outdoor time.  It is almost nonstop running in the Rose Garden once she blasts from the door.  I have not tried to contain her enthusiasm and just let her enjoy her freedom.  Today, when we were out, she romped happily for a good half hour before finally flopping down near my chair.  It was then that I fully noticed her feet.  This is one fluffy dog that has four fluffy feet!  My goodness!  I have never seen so much fur on a dog's paw before in my life!

Sunny's fluffy, furry paw!

Wham!  The secret was out!  This is how the pup can sneak around the house so quietly!  She is wearing fluffy slippers!  I recall when younger, Darling Daughter had a pair of pink fuzzy slippers.  Elizabeth loved them as she could sneak up on her bothers without their hearing her footsteps!  She would fluff around in those slippers like she was Queen of the World!  Now..Sunny is doing the same! Being as this is Elizabeth and Robbie's dog, I think the behavior is quite fitting! They will have to deal with her sneaking around their house!  She can surprise them like Elizabeth would her brothers!  Turn around is fair play, right?   When I mentioned it to Elizabeth, she giggled and said she was just going to let Sunny dust mop her floors! Seriously...I think that might just work!  Four little dust mops cleaning the floor!  Why did I not think of this before??  I could have let her do all my cleaning for me!  Those fluffy, furry feet could have replaced the dust mop and broom!  Too late, now.  Sunny will be heading to her forever home in a few weeks and I will be stuck with dusty floors.  Leave it to Elizabeth to figure out a way to clean her house and enjoy the pup at the same time!  Fuzzy slippers...Furry dog paws...Dust mops...all the same!

Eating out of boredom!

Ahh, Poor Sunny!  The pup had her surgery ten days ago to prevent any unwanted puppies in the future.  These ten days have proven to be the hardest ten days of her stay with me.  Not overly hard on  me but excruciatingly hard on her.  She had to be crated.  This has just about been her undoing as there has been no playing nor baths! She could not go splash in her pool!  She could not jump on top of Ms. Ez!  She could not wallow in the mud! No tug-o-war, no chase and no fetch..she was homebound so to speak. She has been miserable!  And I have felt badly about being the "jailer".

I have plied the puppy with all sorts of toys thinking perhaps that would help but it seemed to only worsen her mood.  If she could not romp with the playthings, she did not want them!  Immediately after placing a toy in the crate with her, I would have to remove it!  That thing was slung around like nobody's business!  Bang, Crash, Smack!  It sounded like a building being demolished inside of my living room!  I though a softer toy might work..nope...she ate it!  Now that could not be healthy!  No stuffed critters for Sunny!  I resorted to doggy biscuits!...and that kept her quiet...ahhh..peace!  Every day for ten days, doggy biscuits were poked at the puppy.  She was ecstatically happy.  She was quiet!   Munching on those biscuits pleased her and thus, pleased me!  I was afraid at first that this constant snacking might inhibit her feeding.  I thought that my habit of giving her doggy biscuits, bacon treats, dental bones and occasional carrots would ruin her appetite for her regular feedings...it did not.  The pup still ate like a horse!  She was ravenous!  An endless pit that needed continuous filling!  My goodness, this dog was going to eat me out of house and home!

When we had taken her in to have her surgery done ten days ago, the techs were amazed that in the three weeks since they had last seen her, she had gained nine pounds!  That was almost incredulous!  Gaining nine pounds in three weeks must be an impressive weight gain in the canine world..I have no idea.   Today..needless to say, the techs were astonished...oops.   There was an instance of confusion when they placed Sunny on the scales.  "OH, MY!  THIS PUPPY HAS GAINED ANOTHER SIX POUNDS!!!!!" I am assuming at this point that a six pound weight gain in ten days is nothing short of miraculous.  The statement rang through the halls as I tried to blend in with the wallpaper.  Six pounds in ten days...uh oh...at this rate I will have an obese puppy on my hands.  I sort of mumbled something about her being crated at their orders but the "SIX POUNDS" kept echoing through the halls and drowned out my explanations.  "SIX POUNDS IN TEN DAYS!"  I just wanted to get my puppy and go home.  After what seemed like hours but was more like five minutes, they returned Sunny who was now free of stitches.  I could make my escape...but not before I was given strict instructions to keep her crated for another three to four days.  WHAT?  NOOOOO!  Yes, Sunny still needs to be leashed and crated to let the stitches heal a few more days.  And in those few more miserable days, I just hope she does not EAT enough to bust anything loose!  This puppy is nigh on forty pounds and still growing like a bad weed!  

The Splash...or Uh Oh!

It was so hot today that I decided to head out into the Rose Garden with the dogs.  Both Ezzy and Sunny love to cool off in the kiddie pool that Mark bought for them.  I thought that while they were out romping and splashing, I would water the flowers and tomato plants.  I watched the dogs for a few minutes then picked up the hose.  For some reason, the spray nozzle would not turn!  I could not get any water to squirt out at all!  Malfunction number one was underfoot and if I could have foreseen the future, I would have stopped right there, gone inside and stayed there for the duration of the day.  Instead, I laid my camera (I am never without my trusty camera!) on the chair and started fiddling with that hose.  After a good ten minutes or so, I was able to get the thing at least turned on so I set to watering the tomatoes that are actually planted in the far corner of the Rose Garden. My camera remained on the chair..or so I thought.  I was only about twenty-five feet from the thing and, to be honest, never thought twice about leaving it sit.  Nothing had ever happened to it before when I would set it down for a spell..nothing should happen now..right?  A lesson in responsibility was about to slap me right in the forehead!  Splash!  My goodness!  Those dogs are having fun!.....After about five minutes of watering the three tomato plants, I turned my attention to the zinnias.  Those poor plants were wilted flat!  They looked pathetic...oh, no....for some strange reason, both dogs were sitting by my side..looking pathetic.  I tried to shoo them away..no good..they did not budge.  Both sat staring up at me with big, brown, puppy-dog eyes..I suddenly got the strange feeling that something was not right.  Those dogs looked far too guilty to be innocent! My camera!  I whirled around to look at the chair and what did I see?  A chair..an empty chair! The emptiest chair that I have ever seen in my life! Oh, no!!!!  I frantically scanned the Rose Garden...nothing.  Then I got the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I gingerly stepped toward the kiddie pool and there dangling from the pool was the black strap of my camera.....ARRGH!  My camera!  My trusty camera!!

Could Ms. Ez be the camera thief?

No..the camera was not in the pool..at least not at the moment.  It was on the outside but still in enough water to do major damage!  I snatched it up and took out the batteries...please..please do not have let it been ruined!  I looked at the dogs..both were now laying flat on the ground looking sheepish.  I stared at one and then the other trying to decide which animal swiped the camera.  Was it Ms. Ez, who has an penchant for anything that I have touched?  Or was it Sunny, who loves to chew on everything?  Ezzy got up and slid under the table. AHA!  The culprit! My goodness, Ms. Ez..how could you do such a thing?  Then I looked at Sunny who was already sniffing the camera strap as if to say, "Give me back my toy!"  Ezzy???  Sunny???   Ezzy???  Sunny???  I was not sure..they both looked guilty as sin!

Would Sunny steal my camera?

I am still not sure which dog grabbed the camera.  I am still not sure if the camera went into the pool or stayed partially dry.  I am still not sure if it is ever going to work again.  Michael told me to not put the batteries back in for a few days to allow any moisture to dry.  In the meantime, I suppose it is definitely time to muster up enough courage to experiment with the new camera that Mark bought me at Christmas.  It is still in the box as I am totally intimidated by it!  He was just fussing at me the other day about not using it so maybe he won't be too upset about my old trusty camera biting the dust...err...drowning in the kiddie pool.  Me?  I just hope that I have learned a lesson and will remember to take better care of my equipment.  I take responsibility for this as neither dog recognized the camera as any difference from their other toys that are scattered about the Rose Garden.  How will this affect you as my reader?  Today's pictures have been pulled from my files as will most will be for the rest of this week.  I promise to practice hard with the new camera and, hopefully, I will be back on par with fresh photos soon!  Now..you make the call.  Which precious pup do you think stole my camera and decided it was a pool toy?  Or do you think it could have been a joint heist?  Let me know in the comments section!

Tent Be Gone!

Back when Michael built the dog pen, he put up an awning for shade purposes.  Little do a lot of folks realize, dogs can get sunburned just like humans.  They love to snooze in the warm sunshine but when the summer days get too hot, this can present a problem.  Therefore it is necessary to provide shaded areas when they are outside. Although the yard has plenty of trees, the pen, itself, was built in a wide open area..no trees equals no shade.  The awning was a simple canvas fitted with grommets and stretched across the entire back portion of the pen.  Ms. Ezzy loved her little shaded area and would dig a deep hole in the cool dirt so she would also be out of the flies!  Smart dog!  Then came along Sunny..the not so smart dog!  I am just teasing there..Sunny is as smart as any other dog.  She is just a pup and fully acts as such!

Ripping up what was once their shade tent!

Last week while in the pen, Sunny caught hold of the canvas and ripped a large tear in it.  The shade tent was demolished! With good intentions of mending it, I flipped the torn canvas up over the top pole...and promptly forgot about it.  With all of the wind and rain that has pelted the Bayou in the past week, the canvas tent flapped around enough that there was no hope of repairing it. This morning, Sunny was on the prowl!  She was hunting for a new toy to shred!  This puppy has riddled just about every toy she has ever had.  Nothing is safe!  As she wandered around the rose garden in search of something else to demolish, I spied the old canvas.  Hmmm...although it will probably just teach her to tear any future tents, I brought it in for her to wrestle!  She loved it!  Ms. Ez got in on the action and a full-fledged tug-o-war was soon in the works!  They pulled each other around the grassy area until both were exhausted!  Both dogs flopped down for a five minute break and then were back at it!  The poor canvas was never going to be the same!  I could hear the fabric shredding with each shake of their heads!  My goodness!  Why did I not think of this before?  This actually kept them both occupied for hours!  Not once, did Sunny try to escape the confines of the rose garden!  Not once, did tempers flare causing a spat between the dogs!  Not once, did I hear the shrill, siren-like whine of Sunny being bored!  This old tarp was the perfect toy!

I do believe the canvas is losing the game of tug-o-war!

Finally, the dogs both tired. The canvas tarp had won the battle but I am quite sure that the war will commence at first light in the morning!  To be honest, I do not think the tarp has a chance!  The two dogs will not quit until there is nothing left but a few strings..and then Sunny will try her best to eat those!

Organic Puppy Toys!

Over the past few months, a lot of my time has been spent trying to train, Sunny, the puppy that is in my care.  She was a rescue pup and will have her forever home with my son-in-law and daughter once they move into a place with a yard.  In the meantime, she is quite happy to have the Bayou as her temporary home.  She is a lively pup (as most young pups are!) and with all that energy comes the problem of keeping her entertained.  When she is bored, she chews....everything!  She has already chewed up four beds, five blankets, three towels,  along with shoes, collars, feed bowls and all of her toys.  Nothing is safe more than about two hours!  Those teeth will rip apart anything that she can get at and then she devours most of what she has demolished.  It is sort of like she hides the evidence!  She will look at me with those big brown eyes and seemingly say.. "I do not know what you are talking about..what bowl?  I did not see a feed bowl!  Speaking of food...where is mine?"  She is very food oriented!

One of the many toys demolished by Sunny, the pup!

This all presented a challenge.  What could I do to provide her with non-destructible toys at a minimal cost?  I pondered the situation and was just about to head to the store to see what was on the market.  A friend recommended that I visit the local thrift store to buy old stuffed animals.  The eyes, nose and any other "choke" hazards could be removed before letting Sunny attack the critter.  This would be fine except for the "mess factor".  I would have to clean up all of that stuffing before she ate it!  Not something that I relish as wet, chewed on polyfiber is pretty nasty!  Dog slobber is not my hand lotion of choice!

Sunny's new favorite toy..a dead squash plant!

Then..another squash died!  Sad for the garden..happy for Sunny!  She loves flinging the dead squash plants about the yard.  The thing is attacked, dragged, flung and eaten!  The perfect toy!  I mean, this has got to be ideal!  She is elated as she gets to rip something to shreds without being reprimanded.  I am elated because there is no cleanup afterwards and if she eats it..so what?  She is merely getting a salad in advance of her regular meal!  Come to think of it..cost-wise, it is perfect as well!  The seeds were thirty cents at the local dollar store!  There were about thirty seeds in the pack, so I am looking at about a penny spent as a toy!  Plus..I had squash to eat for the past few weeks!  I do believe that I am on to something here!  Why did I not think of this before!!!!  Organic doggy toys that you grow yourself!!!  Hmmm..should I start marketing these ideas???

Veggie Pup!

Sunny, the pup, has been quite amusing lately.  She is in that exploring stage where everything is new and interesting.  She is just like a two-year old baby where everything has got to be felt and to feel it properly, it has to go into the mouth!  Taste is one of the most powerful of all the senses and well, I guess she is feeling rather powerful as of late.  Everything...I mean everything...is gnawed upon, chewed or outright devoured!   With her free-rein world now expanded to the rose garden, a whole new territory has been opened up for exploration!  The other day, I noticed that the squash plants were about as bedraggled as plants can get.  Closer inspection revealed the reason..worms in the stalks!  My squash plants were goners!  I started ripping them out of the garden and, on an impulse, tossed one to Sunny.  Oh, my goodness!  You would have thought that I had just given her the ideal toy!  She tossed that thing in the air, pounced on it and chewed the thing to pieces!  What a wonderful guardian I am to have supplied her with the perfect entertainment!

That fun lasted most of the afternoon!  With the rising temperature, she finally retreated to the wading pool for a bit of respite.  Naturally, the squash plant went swimming along with her! Later, she tried to drag the now-soggy plant inside but a last minute snatch on my part and the squash plant stayed on the steps!  Poor Sunny!  She mourned the loss of her new friend!  For the next twenty minutes or so, she whined and moped. I tolerated the irritating bird-like whines for as long as it was humanly possible before trying to sooth her complaints.  Well, if she so loved that squash plant, perhaps a squash, itself, would work just as well!  My brother had given me a much-too-hard yellow squash a few days back so I figured she could gnaw on that for a while.  She did...for a full five minutes!  And in that five minutes, a short nap was even included!  Still, the squash made her forget her broken relationship with the dead squash plant!

When I went to check on the pup with the squash, I was not ready for the mess!  How does one puppy and one squash equal chaos???  There were squash tidbits everywhere imaginable!  I suppose she must have ingested some of it but from the amount strewn about the crate, it must not have been a lot!  Little pieces of squash confetti carpeted the floor!  Heehee...well, I guess I asked for it!  Maybe it would have been better to just let her bring her plant friend in to visit for a spell!  What a mess!  Thank goodness she was confined to her crate!

Sand Traps and Nosy Pups!

Yesterday, I had Sunny, the pup, out doing puppy things.  She would nose around here and there, grab a plant or two to tug on and roll in the grass.  I was keeping the ever-vigilant watch on her every move as she likes to make an escape now and again.  I have had enough of chasing her through the marsh or down in the creek to know better than to just let her roam.  THIS roamer does not return when called!  Anyway, while we were out and about, she started nosing around in the sand.  She would sniff then pounce..sniff then pounce..I figured I had better investigate before she pounced her way out of my reach.

All I could see were some little sand funnels.  These were what held her interest!  Antlions!  The tiny larva of the Antlion Lacewing.  Most folks only see the traps of the antlion as the larvae are quick to retreat under the sand when threatened.  The traps are perfectly formed funnels in the sand.  Any bug that happens to wander into this funnel will soon realize that it is a futile effort to climb out.  Most all are doomed to be clamped into the sickle-like jaws of the waiting antlion.  Usually, the hapless bug falling into the trap is an ant..hence the name "antlion" but occasionally some other critter will trip into the sand trap.  Today, there was a wood louse.  It had wandered a bit too close to the edge of the sand trap and the "pffting" or flicking up of sand by the antlion, caused the poor creature to fall further into the funnel.  It was a goner.  Once down in the bottom of the sand funnel, the wood louse was grasped by the sharp jaws and injected with venom.  Supper was to be had by the antlion and well, another critter met an untimely death.  So goes life on the wild side.

Sunny, on the other hand, was bemused by the pffting of sand.  Each time the antlion would kick up a bit of sand, Sunny would pounce..and there went all the hard work of the antlion.  No more funnel to be used as a snare.  Sunny would move on to the next funnel and wait for the sand to flick up...POUNCE!  She destroyed another well-laid trap!  I let her pounce on a few more before luring her back to the rose garden with a dead squash plant.  These, by the way, are the new toy of choice for this puppy!  Who knew that antlion funnels and dead squash plants could be so much fun!  Silly puppy!

Give that dog a hardhat and a hammer!!!

Today brought a new realization to my feeble brain!  I can make money off of hiring out Sunny, the pup!  How wonderful would that be?? She would then be able to earn her keep by paying off some of the vet bills and maybe buy some of her own food!  This thought occurred to me after an incident that happened today and, well, may bring new meaning to the term "working dog"!  Just give her a hardhat and a hammer and I could definitely hire her out to a construction crew!

Cute and..errr..creative?

You see, today as usual, I played with her for a while before putting her in the outside pen.  It was just too pretty of a day to keep her stuck inside and since she bolts if left free, the pen was a necessity.  All was well.  Usually she likes the pen..usually.  Today she had different ideas.  She wanted to be free and since I was not outside to succumb to her wishes, she took the problem into her own hands..errr...paws!  She first tried to climb over the fence..I know this, as occasionally I would peek out the window to check on her.  Her fence-climbing skills must be lacking because after a bit, she changed her course of action.  Perhaps she could untie the fence latch.  This is just a rope that is looped around the gate top and secured around the fence post.  She tugged and tugged. She gnawed the rope and then tugged some more.  I kept watch.  After nearly and hour, I felt confident that Sunny was safe and sound within the pen.  She could not get out!

Sunny's new doggy door..or what is left of the gate after she  demolished it!

 

Ezzy, in the meantime, was relaxing in front of the fan.  She is still taking antibiotics for a nasty rash and has to stay in from the sun.  Suddenly, while I was in the kitchen, Ms. Ez barked!  Huh?  Thinking I had a visitor, I went to the front door just in time to see a white flash round the corner of the house.  "MICHAEL!!!  Come catch the puppy!", I yelled!!!!  He calmly stepped outside just to inform me that Sunny was still in the pen.  Sure enough, there she was lounging in her kiddie pool!  What?  What in the world was that white flash?  Just as he turned to come back inside, Sunny leapt to her feet and went straight through that gate!  It was then that we realized there was a huge hole in the gate!  My idea that she was safe and sound within the confines of her pen were proven wrong!

The shambles left behind after Sunny's great escape!

This pup is smart!  And persistent!  When one effort would fail, she immediately tried a different approach.  Finally, when all attempts were foiled, she got physical!  She created her own doggy door!  Yep, carpenter crews have nothing on this five-month old puppy!  She attacked the gate with such a vengeance that it did not stand a chance!  That solid wooden gate was coming down if she had anything to do with it!  This cute, little puppy had demolished the gate!  Half of the inner panel had been knocked clean out of the frame!  A doggy door had been created for a wildly happy pup!  Now what was I to do?  I brought the tired pup back inside the house all the while listening to Son promise to rebuild the gate.  He is still working on the gates for the rose garden so I suppose one more won't overload him!  Maybe he should build them out of steel!  Oh, what a handful this puppy is!!!  Cute..but still a handful!!!

Southern Snow Dogs!

It has been getting rather hot already here on the Bayou.  Not that I mind the heat.   I figure that since I like to hear the toads, crickets, frogs and the occasional mockingbird at night and the birds and squirrels during the day, I need to leave the windows open as much as I possibly can.  I enjoy the sounds of the Bayou!  Others may not enjoy these sounds so much, I suppose.  Others, also, probably do not enjoy the heat.  I have been told that it is not necessarily the temperature that is stifling but the humidity and boy, is that humidity something else again!

Like I said, I do not mind the heat but then again, I am not wearing a fur coat!  Sunny, the puppy, has long, thick fur which was nice during the winter but is making this heat a mite rough on her.  I am so tempted to take a clippers to her and most likely will have to if this heat persists.  Yesterday was hot!  The temperature was raging into the nineties and the humidity was right up there with it.  Poor Sunny...she was suffering something tremendous!  Bless her little heart!  I needed to do something to help cool that pup!  The dogs have a swimming pool but with the blistering heat, I had second thoughts about letting them outside in the middle of the day.  What to do??  Let it snow..let it snow..let it snow!  And snow it did!..Right there in my living room!  It is a good thing that I am not the persnickety type as I would have never allowed the dogs to have a snow day right on the living room floor!

I put down several old, unusable cookie sheets and filled them to overflowing with crushed ice!  It snowed!  At first, both dogs were a bit leery of this cold, white stuff.  Neither dog has ever seen snow..that is a rare occurrence here on the Bayou.  It is almost declared a holiday if we see snow flurries!  Why, sleet is even heralded as spectacular event!  This was all new to these Deep South dogs!  Once they understood that they could play to their hearts content in the cold stuff, there was no stopping them!  They pounced, slid and rolled in the crushed ice!  What fun!  It was even fun to watch them!  After they played for about twenty minutes, the ice had all melted so I refilled the pans.  Again, they leapt in with both paws!  Fun, fun, fun!!!  After a bit, they both started eating the ice so a trip outdoors was necessary.  It was then that I grabbed the mop and started "swabbing the decks"!  My floors were soaked but the dogs were cool!  Once they were back inside, I let them both snooze for a spell in front of the open door.  A nice breeze had picked up and with the windows and doors all flung open, the house felt much cooler!  Yep..this is how Deep South dogs play in the snow!

The Wrong Side of the Bed!

Sunny, the pup, is making great progress.  She has learned to be more dog-like and less puppy-like all the while keeping her youthful spirit that makes her so lovable!  Some days, she does so well that I tend to forget that she is a puppy and relax my vigilant eye.  Today was one of those days.  Things started out well.  Earlier, Mark had taken Ms. Ez to the vet's office to get her treated for a bad rash and while they were gone, Sunny had full run of the place.  She was happy!  No one was there to reprimand her for her nosiness or her "puppy-ness".  After he returned with Ezzy, I thought about crating Sunny but she was actually being sweet. Both dogs lounged on their beds and enjoyed the breeze coming through the screen door. I was impressed!  She behaved so nicely that I never thought twice about leaving her unattended as I ran to the kitchen to snap some green beans. Big Mistake!!!!

I listened for the thunder of two romping dogs at the other end of the house but never heard a sound.  Again, I was impressed!  I kept snapping those beans for the next twenty minutes or so and then decided it was time to check on the puppy.  Oh, my goodness!  It almost appeared as if the living room was covered in green snow!  Pale green Polyfil stuffing was everywhere!......and in the midst of all that pillow-stuffing sat one gleeful pup!  She almost appeared to be totally proud of her deed! She had demolished that evil bed!  Just a few weeks ago, I had bought two new dog beds..one for Ezzy and a matching "big-girl bed" for Sunny.  No more would she sleep on the tiny little mat from her crate..she was growing and needed this bigger bed.  Well, that big-girl bed was now in shreds and the destroyer was caught red-handed!  Need I mention, that the nice breeze through the screen door was now wafting pale green "dust bunnies" around the room.  Miss Sunny happily pounced from one fluffy wad of stuffing to another.  With each pounce, more stuffing exploded from the torn bed until my living room resembled a soft green cloud.  Oh..it resembled a soft green cloud with a white puppy playing leapfrog!    Sunny had totally reverted back to the mischievous, attention-deficit toddler that I had so patiently trained into a well-behaved dog.

How do I train this pup from eating everything inedible? Should I mete out some horrendous punishment for these misdeeds?  Do I just count to ten (or ten million) and chalk this up as another puppy-caused casualty?  (And might I add, those puppy-caused casualties are numerous!)  Or do I just bide my time until August and the return of Sunny to her real family, daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and Robbie.  (Hmmm...hehe..now there is a thought!)  I looked at Sunny as she romped in the green "snow" and thought of how much fun she was having.  Bad dog!  Bad dog!....she leapt into my lap for some snuggles.  Awww...bad dog, bad dog...you are just so cute!  Perhaps tonight when she is sleeping on the tiny mat instead of her nice, cushy bed, she will realize what a mistake she made...hopefully???  I doubt it.  She will insist on sharing Ms. Ezzy's bed.

Buoy and Girls!..Or the Beached Whale!!!!

Sometimes it doesn't have to be an expensive toy to be amusing. A discarded find, a scavenged item or even a reclaimed, repurposed piece of trash can provide hours of fun! Such is the case with the two dogs that reside here on the Bayou. Bayou dogs obviously have a greater sense of adventure or at least are provided with greater opportunities to explore those adventures! Both of these girls have found a new toy!

It all started with Mark going fishing out on the Bay. Sad to say, he did not catch any fish due to the recent floods but at least he found a most interesting play toy for the dogs. When he came in from the Bay, he towed in a large abandoned buoy. It was about five feet long and a good two feet in diameter! I am not sure just where or how this buoy was used prior its current designated purpose, but now it is the toy of choice for both dogs! At first, Sunny was a bit dubious of something that size probably seems as large as a beached whale to her small self but Ezzy, on the other hand, knew just how to handle this monster! She dove at the large, white whale feet first! Her front paws smacked the buoy and sent it reeling down the hill. Mark stood and stared in disbelief..he had just toted this thing up from the marsh and was not overly thrilled at the prospect of the haul back up the hill. Once the buoy was heaved back in place, we made the dogs sit still while we attached a long rope to one end and fastened this off to an oak tree at the top of the hill. Now the dogs could attack at will and the monster (buoy) would be easily retrieved! Smart thinking by the human counterparts to these fine friends! While Sunny seemed content to gnaw on the knotted rope, Ms. Ez soon learned that she could roll the buoy by shoving it with her nose. She would poke her snout under the buoy and shove. The large white mass would roll with great ease. This kept her occupied for hours! I love this thing! Or I did until I noticed a red smear down the side of the white whale! Blood! Oh, no!

Yep, Ms. Ez's poor nose was rubbed raw! She had no intention of stopping, though! The excitement that had built while overcoming this beached whale, was far outweighing the pain of a sore nose! I tried to make her stop! Nope! Wasn't happening! By this time, Sunny had the knot totally chewed off of the buoy so Michael heaved the heavy buoy up on the wicker settee. Surely Ms. Ez would not attack it any longer if it was out of reach! Wrong again...she bounced at the buoy! This was her toy and she was not having anyone take it from her! No matter what we did, she weaseled her way to the buoy to attack it again and again! No beached, white whale would inhabit her yard! We actually had to bring her indoors before she would leave it be! I am happy to say, her nose is healing well. A few more days and we will let her have another play date with the buoy! One thing is for sure...if ever a white whale beaches itself on the Bayou, I know I will be well protected! Ezzy...the whale slayer!....or buoy killer!

Sunny Days!

You most likely will soon tire of posts about Sunny, the new puppy, but some days are so entirely dominated by her that it is hard to find anything else of importance. She has come a long way since joining the family of the Little Bayou House, but she still has an unbelievable distance to go before I can say that she is trained to the status of Ms. Ezzy. That was the goal that Elizabeth set for me..."I would like her to be like Ezzy! Calm, obedient and gentle!" Oh, my! Ezzy was easy! Sunny is not! Like I said before..Sunny is a fireball of energy with a definite attitude!

One of her most aggravating issues is chewing! She gnaws on everything in sight no matter what it is. Today, I found her with a piece of emery cloth. That sand paper stuff was gnawed beyond recognition! I suppose she now has the sharpest teeth of any animal on the hill which will surely aid her in her chewing endeavors! Still, I could not figure out how in the world she got the thing. She was crated at the time! So..here is a montage, so to speak, of her escapades in two days! First, her bed! She totally obliterated the first. There was cotton flying about the room and plaid flannel being eaten in a certain rapidity! As if she did not want us to take it from her or she was hiding the evidence! Then she decided to chew the crate pad that replaced the fluffy bed. I tried the trick that cured Ezzy from chewing..I made Sunny "hold" the mat.

A bit later, I caught her with my slipper! Not my slipper! I put the slipper in her mouth and made her hold it for about five minutes. Obviously, that was not long enough. Within ten minutes of her punishment, she had that same slipper again! Back in the mouth for a second round. Perhaps I should increase the time held?

Then came a pine cone! Now, I would normally not say anything about a pine cone being chewed except that she had gotten it from one of my decorations! How she got it off the shelf is beyond me?? This animal must be quite dexterous! So....hold it, Sunny! She will learn! At least she is learning how to hold things!

No sooner than I was satisfied with her learning the lesson of the pine cone, I found her with my shoe buffing brush. I do not use this for shoes but it is a tool for creating gourds. It is used to apply shoe polish as a finish on the gourd and had plenty of residual polish left in it. I cannot imagine the taste of that thing! Sunny...hold it.

Twice...twice, mind you...she decided to eat her blanket! What would possess her to eat her blankie? Doesn't she know that once she gnaws that to shreds, she will have nothing at all to use as a bed???? I am beginning to think this puppy would eat the Little Bayou House itself if I let her!

I was always told that Labrador Retrievers were the chewers of the dog world. Sorry! Whoever said that never met Sunny..the Golden Retriever mix! Hold that, Sunny! Hold this, Sunny! Don't chew that, Sunny! Quit eating that! Sunny! Oh, my goodness! What is next???? This is proving to be an interesting challenge! Sunny..if you were not so cute, I would most likely be quite angry at you!

The Dog Days of......Spring?

I have always pondered the term "Dog Days of Summer". I have heard so many conflicting explanations of what constitutes Dog Days that I stay confused as to just what causes and when these days occur. Just what makes one set of days belong to dogs and if dogs have their day, why don't cats, mice, birds, whales or armadillos? Those burning questions have never been fully answered to satisfy my inquisitive mind!

Today, however, could have easily been called the Dog Days of Spring here on the Bayou! I would have been in full agreement with that designation. It all started because of the heavy wind we have been enduring for the past twenty-four hours. Determined to make the best of the weather, I opened up the house. All of the windows were thrown open and the breeze (if you can call thirty mile per hour winds a breeze) blew through with an exhilarating force! It felt wonderful! At least to me..poor Ezzy, on the other hand, probably hated it! She was being a sweetheart of a dog by taking an extended nap on her bed when suddenly she was boinked on the noggin! My frame of crystals came flying off the wide windowsill to smash my poor dog! Crystals shattered everywhere! Ezzy always loved to lie on her bed and watch the rainbows dance on the walls but most likely she saw stars after this incident! Poor puppy! I checked her for injuries but she seemed none the worse for wear..I cannot say the same for my crystals.

A bit later, Sunny decided to eat her bed! She is still definitely a puppy! Her nice fluffy pillow was now in shreds! Her crate was nice and fluffy and she was having the time of her life but that bedding is no more. When Mark realized what was happening, he gathered up all the fluffy filling while I reprimanded the animal. To break Ezzy from the same habit, I had made her "hold" whatever she had demolished whether it was her bed, my shoe or some random object. After she would sit and hold the say..pillow for a few minutes, she never again had an inkling to rip a pillow. It worked wonders! I tried this method with Sunny. At first, she fought me. She did not want the pillow in her mouth now. The fun had passed. I persisted and finally she relented. She held the pillow. I thought this would end the eating of the beds...I was wrong. Tonight, I caught her trying to rend her new bed to shreds. Oh, my...the "dog experts" say that dogs do this when they are bored....well, Sunny should not have been bored today!

Before the weather turned too bad, I took both dogs out for a bit of exercise. They have been together long enough to be rambunctious and not harm each other. We had a rousing game of tug-o-war, played fetch and I let them wrestle! They loved every minute. Ezzy, being the humongous mutt she is, was careful not to bite Sunny, the pup! She would growl fiercely, bare the teeth and then knock the pup over with the side of her head. Never once did she bite even though Sunny nipped, snapped and gnashed at her! I was proud of Ezzy! Sunny had the time of her life and Ezzy was right there being excited and thrilled with her new-found playmate! All the while, I got a workout! Who needs a membership at the gym...get a dog!

Yep...Dog Days of Spring are here and today serves as proof! I am satisfied with an explanation at last as my whole day seemed to be filled with activities that involved one dog or the other (or both)! Needless to say..I am exhausted!

The Sun is Up!

When the kids were very small, I taught them to read by using a little book entitled "Sun Up". It was a cute little book and the wording made it an easy first book. The first line of the book read something like..."The sun is up!" Easy words in easy sentences made the teaching enjoyable and I was extremely confidant that the kids were reading well and learning fast! That was until I realized that after reading this so many times, they had actually memorized the words and were no longer "reading" but merely reciting. This in itself was still a pretty amazing feat considering I taught each of them to read when they were under four years of age!

I thought of the little book this morning. I had slipped out the door before daybreak to get a picture of the most beautiful sunrise that was unfolding in the eastern sky. Before I left, I looked at Ms. Ez, the dog, and she was still sound asleep. She would not want to go with me this morning. Sunny, the pup, on the other hand was wide awake and most eager to head out the door. I was a bit hesitant to take her as I would have to use the leash and that is far from conducive to using the camera. The constant tugging would not have allowed me to hold the camera steady so I left the little one inside. Big mistake!

I headed down to the pier at a fast pace so I could at least catch a few shots before the sunrise faded into a full blown daylight. As soon as I reached the shore end of the pier, I heard a whimper. That was one loud whimper! I had purposely left the front door open with just the screen door closed thinking surely Sunny would not have a problem if she could see me. I took a few steps onto the pier..the whimpering soon turned into a slight howling. Sunny wanted to be outside with me and she was going to let me know. The howling escalated until it sounded not unlike a police siren...uh oh...this was not good at 6 am! I hurriedly took a few pictures and raced back to the Little Bayou House as fast as these old legs could carry me! By the time I reached the front door, Sunny was howling at the top of her lungs, Ezzy was awake, barking furiously and I imagine everyone within a country mile was awake! I quickly reprimanded Sunny with a sharp "NO!" and sort of glared at Ezzy. I suppose that I learned my lesson! Perhaps this puppy is training me and not the other way around! Instead of "The sun is up!", this whole neighborhood possibly knew "Sunny was up!"

The Passing of a Season

My time today was totally consumed by the training of the new pup. Sunny has made great strides in the one day that I have spent working with her. She now willing goes into her crate, comes when summoned and for all practical purposes can almost make it all the way down the hill to her assigned "latrine". (Sometimes, those little short legs just cannot make the distance before nature calls. She tries but occasionally loses the battle!) All of this training kept me from the pier and my normal hiking route. She and I made innumerable trips down the hill but none that required the camera. Plus, I have found that taking photographs with this pup along, is not possible....yet. The bumping, jumping and thumping will all have to come under control before any wildlife will ever be in range of the lens again. Sunny is just that hyper. I have become so used to Ezzy and her soft stride and patient "stays" that this new pup is quite the experience. She so reminds me of a "Little Ezzy" with her hyper ways and cute innocence that at times I almost make the mistake of calling her Ez. It will take a lot to calm this one enough to make her the photographer's best friend but she is just so darn cute that I am willing to make the effort!

The day before this little dynamo hit the Bayou, I did notice a lovely loon on the Bayou. For most of the winter, the bird has hung close around the Bayou and pier. Each morning, I watched as it fished for its breakfast and then much later I would watch as it settled in for the night. The bird and I became familiar with each other and I think it watched my movements as much as I watched its. I noticed during the last trek to the pier that this Common Loon was already filling out with its breeding plumage of black and white feathers. This made me a bit sad as I knew that soon my bird friend would be leaving the Bayou area to head northward. I am only blessed with the loons' presence during the winter months. Migration brings them in during late fall and then takes them out during early spring.

The next morning, I noticed three large birds flying over the Little Bayou House. The darkness of the early morning sky made it difficult for a sure identification through anything other than their shape and flight pattern. I am almost positive that these were Common Loons. They were heading northward. The season was changing for sure and the birds had started their migration. My heart sank a bit. "Have a safe journey, My Friend! I hope to see you this fall!"

Sunny Day on the Bayou!

Today was test day in a sense. Late last night, Darling Daughter Elizabeth came to visit and brought a new addition for the Little Bayou House. She and her husband, Robbie, had rescued a puppy several weeks ago and fell in love with the little thing. The puppy had been tossed in a dumpster and at one point had been locked in a plastic container. Such a cruel fate for such a sweet pup. There was just one problem with all of this, their apartment was far too small for an active puppy..a highly active puppy. The little one needed space to run and with no yard, all of the energy was being pent up creating a little problem. So...I volunteered to keep the little one until August. At that time, they would be able to get a house with a yard and the puppy could run and play to its heart's content! The little puppy brought so much happiness that it was like a ray of sunshine! Aha! Sunny! The puppy acquired a name! Surely, little Sunny would fit in here at the Bayou. Surely, I would be able to deal with a new puppy. Surely, Ezzy would LOVE to have a playmate!

It was very late when Elizabeth finally arrived at the Little Bayou House. This would not be the best time to just totally "dump" a puppy on a dog that has been the sole canine on the Bayou for the past six years. We introduced them for a few minutes and then separated them for the rest of the night. I figured that the morning would be soon enough to throw the two together full time. Ms. Ez and I usually make our treks to the pier at just about daybreak but we were greeted with torrential rains this morning making any outdoor plans impossible. The full introduction of the two dogs would have to take place indoors. This perhaps was not the ideal plan but there was no delaying the meeting. I brought out the puppy. Ms. Ez stared down at it as if pondering just what in the world this critter was. Should she try to tree this thing? Sunny bounced into action...literally! She nipped at Ezzy's ears..she tugged on Ezzy's tail..she tried to climb on Ezzy's back. Ezzy stared at me as if to say, "What is this thing?" I gave her a few encouraging words! "Look, Ez! A puppy! You have someone to play with now!" Bounce, Nip, Tug, Bounce! Sunny was a never-ending ball of energy! Ezzy looked miserable. Bounce, Nip, Tug, Bounce...the dynamo took over the living room! She chewed on Ezzy's blanket and ate Ezzy's food. She turned Ezzy's once peaceful domain into complete chaos!

After about an hour of house-shaking activity, Ezzy seemed exhausted...Sunny seemed energized! The bouncing continued until.....Sunny collapsed! I worried at first that something was wrong but Elizabeth assured me that she was fine. She had just totally tired herself out to the dropping point. Whew..Ezzy dropped to her bed. She was relieved to be free of the "Little Nipper" for at least a few minutes. Sunny slept for a good bit before leaping to her feet to start the onslaught again! Bounce, Nip, Tug, Bounce! Over and over again!

It will be interesting to see just how this progresses. I will try to train Sunny to do her business down the hill, far from the house. I will attempt to train her to the leash and to do a few cute tricks. Most importantly, I will try to train her to gain the patience of Ezzy. My poor, poor Ezzy..Bless her little heart, she will have to be trained to overlook the impertinence of the younger generation! The next six months should be interesting..very interesting.